*****Official BBQ Thread - Suns out, Buns out!*****

[thewanted]

I thought it was probably around that area of temp, for me personally I'd find that a bit too smooshy, I prefer my pulled pork to have a bit more texture still, so I take it to 85C generally, maybe up to 90 if it feel like i's a bit too firm. Yours certainly looks fall apart tender though.

There's no "perfect temperature" and you have to go by feel and instinct. I'm pretty new to this so I'm still learning This was a very cheap piece from Costco and it had very little fat which isn't my preference. Next time I'll buy a much better quality cut (preferably with the bone still inside) and see how it comes out.

 

[valve90210]

Oh no, I agree, but 85C is generally around the point where it's at the consistency I like. I think the best thing is to just keep buying and smoking meat as much as possible, it's great to get loads of practice and it's delicious!!

 

[thewanted]

Absolutely! I think I cook outside more than inside now

Did some beef short ribs too recently:

 

[valve90210]

Oh my, they look fantastic!!!

What do you smoke in?

 

[thewanted]

A Weber Summit Charcoal Grill Ludicrously expensive, but the performance is outstanding and I am really glad that I took the leap from the 57cm Kettle. A truly awesome piece of kit.

 

[valve90210]

Wow, just looked it up, quite a bit of kit!! very nice must make smoking a real pleasure!

I use a cheapo Callow Bullet Smoker and a copycat Kettle which I picked up from Gumtree for £10!

 

[Street]

A Weber Summit Charcoal Grill Ludicrously expensive, but the performance is outstanding and I am really glad that I took the leap from the 57cm Kettle. A truly awesome piece of kit.

That's a seriously nice piece of kit!!

Next time I'll buy a much better quality cut (preferably with the bone still inside) and see how it comes out.

I can recommend Turner and George. I've started buying all my big cuts from there and have never had a bad piece. They're definitely a step above any butchers I've tried around me and reasonable on price too.

Those short ribs look good too. I've got a load in the freezer and some pork breast ribs for a couple weekends time. I generally take my pulled pork up to 95C, I guess it's just personal preference but I prefer it when it's a bit softer.

 

[oneilldo]

Oh you have a Weber summit charcoal. Did you get the one with the table or without and what made you decide to go for that over the big green egg?
Apologies for the questions but I’m getting one of them next spring and it’s probably going to be the WSC.

 

[thewanted]

I can recommend Turner and George. I've started buying all my big cuts from there and have never had a bad piece. They're definitely a step above any butchers I've tried around me and reasonable on price too.

Those short ribs look good too.

Thanks, they're actually from Turner & George I recently placed my first order with them. I still have a 2kg brisket flat and a pack of Ox Cheeks to cook from them, but we tried their Angel Hot Guts sausages two weekends ago and they were out of this world. I'm a big sucker for beef sausages, and they were some of the best I've ever had.

Oh you have a Weber summit charcoal. Did you get the one with the table or without and what made you decide to go for that over the big green egg?
Apologies for the questions but I’m getting one of them next spring and it’s probably going to be the WSC.

I got the one without the table. The table would have been awesome had it been <£150 extra and not £500. I wasn't interested in the Big Green Egg at all since the Kamado Joe 2017 models have so much more going for them. I debated getting the KJ Classic or Big Joe for ages but eventually settled on the WSCG for a few reasons:

• It was about £300 cheaper than a Kamado Joe Big Joe 2017.
• The ceramic will eventually crack. It's just the nature of the beast and I didn't really want the hassle associated with it.
• Ceramic kamados are ridiculously heavy. The WSCG isn't light, but it's over 30kg lighter than a Big Joe which means that my girlfriend can help me move it.
• Since the WCSG is made of steel, it can react to temperature changes much quicker than a ceramic kamado. It's not unheard of to wait ~40 minutes for a ceramic kamado to cool down if you overshoot your target temp.
• The gas starter is a godsend. Apart from putting charcoal in, it's as easy to start the BBQ as it is to turn on my gas hob.
• The WSCG gives you the choice of using briquettes or lumpwood charcoal. You can only use lumpwood in a ceramic kamado.

Having said that, the Kamado Joe has one big advantage that I do wish the WSCG had and that's the "Divide and Conquer" system. You can solve this problem by getting the low-profile Slow 'N Sear for the WSCG but it's an added expense.

 

[dl8860]

Absolutely! I think I cook outside more than inside now

Did some beef short ribs too recently:

RIB GOODNESS

Dayum, nice!

This summer I did pork to death (shoulder and ribs), next year is all about the beef, going to try ribs and the dreaded brisket.

 

[Street]

Dayum, nice!

This summer I did pork to death (shoulder and ribs), next year is all about the beef, going to try ribs and the dreaded brisket.

Why wait till next year?! Never too cold to BBQ!

 

[oneilldo]

Thanks thewanted. Seems you had a similar list of pros and cons to me. Think it’s going to be the Weber next year for me. Might get the bbq guru as well.

 

[thewanted]

Thanks thewanted. Seems you had a similar list of pros and cons to me. Think it’s going to be the Weber next year for me. Might get the bbq guru as well.

I came close to buying the Flame Boss 300 a few weeks ago because it supports variable fan speeds which the BBQ Guru doesn't. Unfortunately neither Flame Boss or BBQ Guru have an adapter that support the Summit. However, I spoke to a guy from the Summit Owners group on Facebook and he said that he has the fan from BBQ Guru and their adapter working with the Flame Boss 300 and he didn't have to modify the Summit to support it. When I emailed both BBQ Guru and Flame Boss, they both said that I'd have to drill a 1" hole even though the BBQ already has one! I don't know who to believe at this point.

I've got my eye on the Smobot now unless Flame Boss release a kit for the Summit.

 

[oneilldo]

Keep the thread updated as my garden won't be ready for the BBQ area until Spring so will be purchasing then. I got a thermoworks smoke thermometer for the 57cm weber which is pretty good for a thermometer. It has a gateway thing released for it now so might be able to get temps out over the duration of the cook. Obviously doesn't keep the internal temps like the guru etc. so will need one of them.
I'm going to keep the 57cm weber as well (got the rotisserie attachment). I am tempted by another grill as well if I have lots of people over (without a lid) for sausages/burgers etc.
Nothing really springs to mind though. I like the look of the Argentinian style BBQs/grills for this but can't justify the expense as well as a WSC/Kamado.

Not sure I would actually use the gas starter that much tbh as chimney starter seems to be fine for me (would prefer an option without).

Did you buy the WSC locally and did it come assembled?
Are you using lumpwood or briquettes?

 

[Psymonkee]

I'm really happy with my vertical smoker:

http://www.macsbbq.com/hot-smokers/frontier_elite

Does a great job imo

 

[dl8860]

Been eyeing one of those up for a while Psymonkee, how much did it set you back and where from?

edit: I've been weighing it up against this, which is usually at £85 but is currently at £69! It's obviously not of quite the same quality, but I have seen a few good in depth reviews from guys who know what they're talking about and it seems pretty staggering value.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01M4QB007/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1

 

[thewanted]

Keep the thread updated as my garden won't be ready for the BBQ area until Spring so will be purchasing then. I got a thermoworks smoke thermometer for the 57cm weber which is pretty good for a thermometer. It has a gateway thing released for it now so might be able to get temps out over the duration of the cook. Obviously doesn't keep the internal temps like the guru etc. so will need one of them.
I'm going to keep the 57cm weber as well (got the rotisserie attachment). I am tempted by another grill as well if I have lots of people over (without a lid) for sausages/burgers etc.
Nothing really springs to mind though. I like the look of the Argentinian style BBQs/grills for this but can't justify the expense as well as a WSC/Kamado.

Not sure I would actually use the gas starter that much tbh as chimney starter seems to be fine for me (would prefer an option without).

Did you buy the WSC locally and did it come assembled?
Are you using lumpwood or briquettes?

I have the Thermoworks Smoke too, but haven't really seen the need for the WiFi gateway thing yet. I kept my 57cm Weber Kettle because it's not really worth selling, but I haven't used it after getting the WSCG :/

I bought it from wowbbq.co.uk when they had a 10% off promotion and it came unassembled. I've grilled with lumpwood, but for all my low and slow cooks I've used Weber briquettes. Had coals2u.co.uk not let me down a few weeks ago I would be using their CPL lumpwood charcoal right now. Meh.

I placed another order with Turner & George last night. I tried to support my local butcher who specialises in BBQ cuts, but he hasn't responded to my messages after 3 working days and I need to cook for guests on Sunday.

 

[oneilldo]

Thanks thewanted. I've used both wowbbq.co.uk and coals2u are my normal supplier for restaurant lumpwood as well. I did see the discount from them and was tempted at the time but didn't want to get the WSC or green egg until the garden is sorted.

 

[valve90210]

Been eyeing one of those up for a while Psymonkee, how much did it set you back and where from?

edit: I've been weighing it up against this, which is usually at £85 but is currently at £69! It's obviously not of quite the same quality, but I have seen a few good in depth reviews from guys who know what they're talking about and it seems pretty staggering value.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01M4QB007/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1

I have one of those Callow smokers, it's a great bit of kit, perfect for a beginner as it like to sit at about 110C without any tinkering which is perfect for low and slow ribs, brisket etc. I imagine the reviews you've read have been written by a good friend of mine who has done all sorts of testing with it and even uses it as one of his demonstration bbqs when teaching bbq courses.

It might be worth holding out for a little while though as there is going to be a revised edition coming out soon which will have better air flow in the firebasket and better/larger inlet vents which according to the testing the manufacturers have done has made it even better as an entry level smoker. The new model is hoped to be arriving before Christmas and hopefully will be very competitively priced for the spec.

 

[dl8860]

Thanks very much for the extra info valve.

I do wonder if the pricing at £69 is to shift these older models then, and so makes me think how much the newer one will cost. And on balance, perhaps I'd be better off grabbing one of these first phase ones and making the mods myself.