I need me a new BBQ

[keratosis]

I personally think they add an unpleasant odour and taste. I use lump charcoal and a chimney to light them.

[EldrickOnIce]

Have a charcoal grill I use on weekends and a cheap propane one for weekdays. I won't ever buy a cheap one again. I had a Weber prior to that for 15 years, and lived it every time. I replaced it with the charcoal, but as much as I love charcoal grilling, it's not fun unless you have time to enjoy it.

[Regular_John]

A brand that doesn't get mentioned a ton is Coleman.

We bought this Coleman BBQ last year based on the fact that our 40 year old Coleman furnace still runs, as does our 8 year old Coleman propane camp stove.

We also didn't need a massive grill, so we went with something that was a little more expensive for the size, in hopes that the quality is there.

Not sure how it'll hold up over the next 5-6 years, but we've had really good luck with all our Coleman gas/propane units up to this point.

[Robbob]

I got the same Napoleon that was linked earlier and the Weber Rocky Mountain Smoker as I am also just getting into the charcoal thing.

Got this but haven't used it yet:
http://barbecuesgalore.ca/collection...-charcoal-tray

This thread has me so wanting to smoke something this weekend.

[4X4]

Hey Polak, I was in the same situation when I first moved out on my own. I went and bought a decent camping grill and put it on a little table on my balcony. Obviously, this is not as great of an idea if you don't camp, but for me it was awesome. Got dual use out of the thing for like 2 years before I bought a real grill for home, and the camping grill got moved into the camping crate.

[Saint Troy]

Kamado Joe.
Looflighter starter.
Lump charcoal.
Wood chunks not chips.
You're Welcome.

[Slava]

Isn't the Kamado Joe ceramic though? I was really wanting a Big Green Egg and then got the Broil King Keg because its steel (mine is actually the Big Steel Keg I think). Anyway, ceramic concerned me because it can crack and then I would be screwed. The steel is super efficient and apparently more efficient than the ceramic.

[polak]

Originally Posted by 4X4

Hey Polak, I was in the same situation when I first moved out on my own. I went and bought a decent camping grill and put it on a little table on my balcony. Obviously, this is not as great of an idea if you don't camp, but for me it was awesome. Got dual use out of the thing for like 2 years before I bought a real grill for home, and the camping grill got moved into the camping crate.

That's actually not a bad idea for a band-aid fix as I need to buy my own camping grill eventually as my parents grill is garbage anyways. Hmmmm.

[Saint Troy]

Originally Posted by Slava

Isn't the Kamado Joe ceramic though? I was really wanting a Big Green Egg and then got the Broil King Keg because its steel (mine is actually the Big Steel Keg I think). Anyway, ceramic concerned me because it can crack and then I would be screwed. The steel is super efficient and apparently more efficient than the ceramic.

It is ceramic, but the kamado Joe is extremely solid, and in doing research I didn't come across reports of some of the issues that the big green egg had. I had Weber charcoal previously and they were great units, but don't hold a candle to this.

[Brewmaster]

Has anyone converted a propane bbq to natural gas? I just moved into a place with a gas connection and am debating whether this is worth it. It's a Broil King Signet 40

[Fuzz]

Apparently all you need to do is drill out the gas jet to a larger size.

*This post does not constitute technical advice, and I shall not be responsible for boom booms.

[octothorp]

So after contemplating a barbecue upgrade this spring, I instead decided to get a smoker. I don't have the budget for the ceramic ones, and long-term I wanted one that I could convert to NG (although I'm using propane at the moment), so I got a Camp Chef Smoke Vault.

I did my first meal on it tonight (whole roast chicken), and was really happy with it. Temperature control was my biggest concern, but once I got it where I wanted it, I could keep it there pretty easily. I'm looking forward to testing it's range and doing some ribs and bread later this week.

[PepsiFree]

How much time do you need for a smoker and what's the cost come out to for a cheap one?

I've always wanted to smoke some meat. Zero idea how one does that, but always wanted to. Is this a Sunday dinner only kind of thing?

[Mathalete]

Weber Smokey Mountain will run you $400-500.

To smoke meat, you need a fair bit of time. Smoking salmon takes about 2 hours of brining and 2 hours of smoking.

Ribs need 4-5 hours on the smoker.

Beef brisket is the most time intensive thing I've done (and totally worth all the time in the world). Doing brisket the right way took me 13 hours (the last 3 were in a cooler wrapped in a towel).

For me, smoking meat is a weekend thing or a summer thing

[Regular_John]

If someone's looking to go the charcoal/smoker route, I was in The Brick on Macleod Trail/Southland drive a few weeks ago and noticed they had a "big green egg" in the clearance section for around $300 I think.

I can't remember the exact price, but I remember thinking it was comparable with what I paid for my smaller propane grill. Might be worth a call/look.

[rbochan]

Originally Posted by Otto-matic

I was going to ask this,

I see a bunch of briquettes with lighter fluid already in them...

Don't use that. It tastes awful. As mentioned previously, use a starter chimney. All it takes is a section of newspaper to get a roaring fire in a few minutes..

If you can, get plain old lump charcoal - you can actually taste the difference from briquettes.You can also use any hardwood or fruit wood.

[Slava]

Briquettes give off that really acrid smoke. No one wants that, and rbochan is totally right that you can taste the difference. I think that the Briquettes burn a lot hotter and drier than lump charcoal, but to me it's a definite last resort that I almost totally avoid.

[Shazam]

Briquettes work fine. Buy Maple Leaf or Kingsford Competition. They're just compressed charcoal.

[CubicleGeek]

Originally Posted by Shazam

Briquettes work fine. Buy Maple Leaf or Kingsford Competition. They're just compressed charcoal.

I use Maple Leaf for my smoker as I find that it is much easier to control the temperature and a get a longer burn with briquettes. The end result is indistinguishable from the lump charcoal I used to use (and still do use for my grill).

A variety of manufacturers other than Maple Leaf or Kingston make additive-free briquettes now (which is essentially charcoal + starch).

[octothorp]

So, where do you guys get your meat from? I typically go to Safeway just for convenience, but I also know that it's neither one of the cheapest nor one of the best quality butchers out there. I'd like to find an actual butcher shop (somewhere inner city, north side would be ideal for me). Any recommendations?