BBQ and Grilling megathread

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

Ok so I did a pork butt on the pellet smoker overnight for pulled pork. And now it looks like it’ll be done sooner than I thought.

Is there anything I can do to keep it “fresh” for a few hours before guests arrive?

Just to update on this:

I decided to just turn down the heat on the Q because I was about 2 hours early. Then I took it off an hour before serving, and wrapped it in foil, but left it on the counter to rest. 30 minutes before guests arrived, I pulled it.

The pellet smoker did a terrific job. Maybe a smidge less smokey flavor than charcoal, but about 100x easier to cook. Literally, set it and forget it with the built in wifi. One day I'll work up the courage for a brisket.

[FireGilbert]

Has anyone made Montreal smoked meat?

I’ve acquired a corned brisket flat. Am planning to smoke on the Weber then steam in the oven. Am I missing anything?

[I-Hate-Hulse]

If there are any other Weber addicts out there, I did see a couple of incredible deals on two models of Webers on clearance at a Big Box store in town. These are on for 50% off as they are discontinued. I actually sought out a 435 Genesis II as they were from before the Private Equity era that has cheapened out models from the latest 2023 models. (IMHO)

One is a E-435 (Propane) for $899 (Link)

For comparison, a non stainless exterior / grill version of this is $1,799 at Costco right now. A new 2024 one is $2,000.

NSFW!

The other was a Smokefire EX4 Pellet Grill for $650 (link)

NSFW!

One left of each. There may have been others on sale there, but I got the S435 I had been scouring Kijiji for used for months, and GTFO'ed out of there (start the carrrrrrr!).


PM me if anyone is serious about this and I'll tell you the location (would rather see this go to a CP'er than RFDer). I would have left with the Smokefire too but I'd be looking an an insta-divorce if I showed up with 2 new BBQ's in 1 day....

[woob]

I always miss the good sales! My brother in law scooped a big one like this last year.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

If there are any other Weber addicts out there, I did see a couple of incredible deals on two models of Webers on clearance at a Big Box store in town. These are on for 50% off as they are discontinued. I actually sought out a 435 Genesis II as they were from before the Private Equity era that has cheapened out models from the latest 2023 models. (IMHO)

One is a E-435 (Propane) for $899 (Link)

For comparison, a non stainless exterior / grill version of this is $1,799 at Costco right now. A new 2024 one is $2,000.

NSFW!

The other was a Smokefire EX4 Pellet Grill for $650 (link)

NSFW!

One left of each. There may have been others on sale there, but I got the S435 I had been scouring Kijiji for used for months, and GTFO'ed out of there (start the carrrrrrr!).


PM me if anyone is serious about this and I'll tell you the location (would rather see this go to a CP'er than RFDer). I would have left with the Smokefire too but I'd be looking an an insta-divorce if I showed up with 2 new BBQ's in 1 day....

I got an e325 for $700 last year during a discontinuation sale on Amazon last year. This is the smaller version of the 425
These are amazing bbqs. One thing to be aware of is that the 425 is not a small bbq. It's long but also thick and weighs a lot.

If you need the grill space, I'd definitely recommend one of these though.

[DoubleF]

I love the fact there's not as much flares when grilling greasy burgers on charcoal.

[photon]

Holy that Weber Crafted Outdoor Kitchen thing looks great, I've always wanted to try a griddle and being able to have a wok would be amazing!

Does it actually work well? Do other brands have a similar system?

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by photon

Holy that Weber Crafted Outdoor Kitchen thing looks great, I've always wanted to try a griddle and being able to have a wok would be amazing!

Does it actually work well? Do other brands have a similar system?

Define "work well"?

Outdoor gas top burner that allows you to cook outside (thereby less hot smells in the house if using a gas stove)... concept in theory is pretty good.

In actuality, I've never bothered using it. It's fine if you put something on it and you won't really move it. But if you're going to be doing a lot of flipping and moving, I've found it to be quite terrible and useless. The only thing I've seen someone use that thing effectively for is keeping a sauce warm. I saw someone grill a pepper on the side, but wondered why they didn't just use the BBQ grill. Most of the ones I've seen on my friend's BBQ are unused.

The flip top cover for the gas top burner (to protect it) is not removable, so it blocks a pan or wok.
The gas top burner is on a surface that doesn't feel like it was designed to hold more than 10-15 pounds. Scared weight of cast iron or food full of wok will drop.
The burner is quite small.
The burner is too close to the lid.
When cooking on a burner, I often need some work space around it, but it's not possible to get that space.

For using a wok. I would not recommend. Save the $150-250 add on and buy a cheap gas canister stove you can use for hot pot, out door cooking and camping instead. It's still meh, but superior to that attachment IMO.

Something like this is recommended instead of a BBQ attachment if you want to rock out with your wok out.

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/m...w.ds#store=419

[photon]

Yeah not the little side burner, I had a BBQ with one of those and I never used it, as you say mostly useless.

The Crafted Outdoor Kitchen system for Weber actually uses the main BBQ itself, it's like a section of the main grill that can be swapped out with different pieces (a griddle plate or a piece that holds a wok).





But yeah I've looked at the propane burners for a wok, definitely the way to go for the real BTUs, just thought the Weber system might be an interesting compromise and wouldn't need to have natural gas and propane both.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by photon

Yeah not the little side burner, I had a BBQ with one of those and I never used it, as you say mostly useless.

The Crafted Outdoor Kitchen system for Weber actually uses the main BBQ itself, it's like a section of the main grill that can be swapped out with different pieces (a griddle plate or a piece that holds a wok).





But yeah I've looked at the propane burners for a wok, definitely the way to go for the real BTUs, just thought the Weber system might be an interesting compromise and wouldn't need to have natural gas and propane both.

Interesting. I've never seen that before... but I still think it's a useless wok related feature when combined with a BBQ. The reason being how can you do the proper tossing of food when the wok is inside that type of cradle?

That being said, it's not that I cannot see the other types of potential applications. Stews and soups in that thing to try and capture some smokiness via BBQ might be interesting. Grilling the veggies in the BBQ then sliding them into the pot would be pretty convenient. Pan fried buns in that might be more unique than stove top as well.

I think if you do a lot of searing on the stove and want to avoid some of those smells in the house, it's great. I think there's some new possibilities applications wise, butI think it's a little bit of a solution looking for a problem.

I'd love to have it, but I wouldn't blow a wad specifically for it.

[DoubleK]

I kinda want that. Even if it's not great at everything it does, I think it would be passable.

[photon]

Yeah if I'm looking for a BBQ anyway then might be interesting to try.

The only downside is I kinda want stainless steel grates and I think the Webers that I was looking at come with porcelain and would have to order the stainless ones extra.

[Fuzz]

I've got the side sear burner and I use it all the time, particularity in the summer when I don't want to cook anything inside. Mine is plenty sturdy.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

I've got the side sear burner and I use it all the time, particularity in the summer when I don't want to cook anything inside. Mine is plenty sturdy.

I've had large pots on mine no trouble.

On hot days cooking everything on the BBQ is the bomb,

[Nyah]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

I've got the side sear burner and I use it all the time, particularity in the summer when I don't want to cook anything inside. Mine is plenty sturdy.

Same, I use mine all the time. Especially when I have to get a cast iron ripping hot to the point of smoking. I do most high heat cooking on that side burner so my house doesn't stink like smoke.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

I've got the side sear burner and I use it all the time, particularity in the summer when I don't want to cook anything inside. Mine is plenty sturdy.

Maybe it's some of the models and cheaper BBQs from a decade plus ago, but I wasn't a fan of the ones my dad had on multiple BBQs including my dad's Weber and a friend's Napoleon. The burner/side prep area was like a hooked on shelf attachment to the main body. The side piece was well built, but the metal used on the shelf bracke wasn't very good and the bracket or the track would start to bend over time. Almost seemed like they'd attach the sides to something barely stronger to the below closet bracket/track combo.

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/rub...8300?rrec=true

Maybe more modern ones have a design that is better than the old ones? (ie: the bar/pillar that goes from ground to the bottom of the base I've seen in some pics). Maybe I should buy some shelf brackets to reinforce... but for sure my dad's Weber from 15 years ago is already bent at an angle from a giant 30-40 pound stock pot of soup (and/or brining turkeys?) he put on it years ago and the non-removable cover for the burner makes it not very good for any of his intended applications. Bracket started bending like 2 years in and it's been fine as long as what we put on it isn't more than 15-20 ish pounds since then.

We never bothered contacting Weber about it. We just assumed it was our own user error that caused it to bend. Plus the BBQ was a display model. Maybe it could have been a reassembly issue that caused the problem, but I think we just realized the short comings of that bracket and just worked around it.

Originally Posted by Nyah

Same, I use mine all the time. Especially when I have to get a cast iron ripping hot to the point of smoking. I do most high heat cooking on that side burner so my house doesn't stink like smoke.

Yeah, we can do this no problem on my dad's BBQ weight wise, but with the damn cover that never opens more than 90 degrees like the back of a camp stove, the cast iron would be limited in how far it could go on the burner.

[Shazam]

I bought a Napoleon Prestige last year, ain't no way you're bending the side tables without considerable effort.

Other Napoleons will not be as well built.

[LChoy]

I use the side burner on my BBQ to do outdoor deep frying, so the greasy smell doesn't permeate into the whole house. Also good to saute side vegetables when BBQing the mains

[I-Hate-Hulse]

On many BBQ's, the side table are essentially mounted via a 4 bolts and 2 mending plates per side - so no, it won't handle a giant stock pot for a seafood boil. Just get a cheap butane burner / turkey frier if that's what you need to do.

On Webers and Broil Kings, the side burner is not meant for searing foods. It's a simple gas side burner meant for sautéing mushroom and boiling a pot of corn - think side dishes (or in my case - lighting charcoal chimneys). The fact that the cover for this burner only tilts back and is not removable reinforces this. The BTU's for side burners are pretty moderate too.

In addition, on Webers the sear burner is an additional burner in the firebox (main body of the BBQ), whereas on Napoleons it is an infrared burner in the side tables. I personally prefer the burner to be in the firebox as it makes less of a mess from spattering. But the Napoleon heats up quicker.

[Barnes]

The igniter button on my BBQ side burner also controls the wind in Mahogany. Push it and the wind kicks up immediately.