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

First lidded bbq for me too, I'm looking forward to long n slow cooking but I'll be starting out with jerk chicken this weekend hopefully.

Most youtube americans seem to season it with oil and some even add smoking wood 'to get tha flavor in da grill' but I'm not sure it's necessary.
 
TheBrooder said:
My new Weber master touch is coming today - what are your thoughts on seasoning it. Should I just wash it then burn some charcoal or do I need to brush it with oil, etc?
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Shadowness said:
Seasoning a BBQ?

My god when I buy our new one (master touch premium I think will be the one) I really need to up my BBQ game it seems!

I'm so used to chucking some charcoal in a half drum style 'bbq', waiting until it's hot enough and then cooking. That's it! I feel I'll be out of my depth quite quickly with the Weber, especially as I've seen all the different ways you can place the charcoal for different cooking styles/temps etc.....

I've never had a BBQ with a lid even! So I don't really know when you'd use that in the cooking process, or at all?
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Seasoning is totally unnecessary IMO. The benefits from seasoning only come from cooking a bit fatty piece for a long time. And if you're cooking a big fatty piece for a long time, then unless you are putting it in the bin after you're done, you aren't doing a seasoning run, you are just doing your first cook. And you only need the 'benefits' of a seasoning run for a big fatty piece anyway. It's pointless.

@Shadowness You won't feel out of your depth, the weber itself is pretty simple. You'll have plenty to learn about the process of slow cooking if you want to pursue that, but the kit itself is pretty straightforward.
 
@dl8860 Thanks. Yes as you say I imagine regular cooking is straight forward, but I'd definitely be tempted to explore proper slow cooking over night.

I'll probably ask for some tips when I get the hang of the simple stuff first :)
 
dl8860 said:
Please do. Rule 1 of proper BBQ is, "lookin ain't cookin'", which essentially means you should be leaving that lid on 99.5% of the time!
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@Shadowness
Yeah if you’re unsure for just normal old school bbq stuff then in simplistic terms Basically just put the charcoal on one side . Then meat on grill above the non- charcoal side is indirect and above the charcoal side is direct. Putting the lid on means the bbq acts like an oven for the indirect side. So for instance that jerk chicken you could say leave on indirect side for ~20-30mins temp depending with lid on but vents open depending to make sure it’s cooked internally then crisp up over the direct side. This way stops the burnt on the outside raw on the inside thing. If your unsure then an instant read thermometer is a good shout - something like a thermapen though cheapest options are available
 
SoliD said:
Yes, well worth the money but make sure its in one piece when it turns up is the main takeaway I took after researching last year.
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Just looked at the advert on Aldi website. The one advertised looks very small. I’d be interested in one of these. Are they real Kamado or Aldi rip offs that will be a rusty bent mess in a year?
 
Maccapacca said:
Just looked at the advert on Aldi website. The one advertised looks very small. I’d be interested in one of these. Are they real Kamado or Aldi rip offs that will be a rusty bent mess in a year?
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From what I have written down having compared sizes last year, the Aldi one is 41cm diameter. It's smaller than the mid-sized Smokey Mountain, and obviously smaller too than the 47cm weber kettle. My Kamado Joe Classic II is 46cm, and I will say I'm glad it's no smaller than it is. I've yet to try a full brisket on it, but I know that it'll barely fit. Need to 'mound up' and even then you won't manage a large packer 8ob7eVL.jpg (3226×1814) (imgur.com)

On the aldi at 41cm you'll fit pork shoulders, lamb legs, whole chickens no problem, but you might not have a whole lot of room for much else to go on at the same time. Even moreso if you are setting up 2 zone cooking. On my KJ I can fit a large lamb shoulder and 5 jacket potatoes, or 2 racks of st louis cut ribs with a few corns on the cob, that sort of thing.

I would say if you're serious about this sort of cooking, you want something big enough (so if budget rules out a bigger kamado, look to a WSM or similar), and if you're not then you don't really need a kamado, so it does seem like a bit of a novelty to me. There again plenty of people are very satisfied with them, just throwing in my 2p.
 
dl8860 said:
From what I have written down having compared sizes last year, the Aldi one is 41cm diameter. It's smaller than the mid-sized Smokey Mountain, and obviously smaller too than the 47cm weber kettle. My Kamado Joe Classic II is 46cm, and I will say I'm glad it's no smaller than it is. I've yet to try a full brisket on it, but I know that it'll barely fit. Need to 'mound up' and even then you won't manage a large packer 8ob7eVL.jpg (3226×1814) (imgur.com)

On the aldi at 41cm you'll fit pork shoulders, lamb legs, whole chickens no problem, but you might not have a whole lot of room for much else to go on at the same time. Even moreso if you are setting up 2 zone cooking. On my KJ I can fit a large lamb shoulder and 5 jacket potatoes, or 2 racks of st louis cut ribs with a few corns on the cob, that sort of thing.

I would say if you're serious about this sort of cooking, you want something big enough (so if budget rules out a bigger kamado, look to a WSM or similar), and if you're not then you don't really need a kamado, so it does seem like a bit of a novelty to me. There again plenty of people are very satisfied with them, just throwing in my 2p.
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That was my thought on them as well when I was tempted to get one the other year while they were on offer. I've been spoilt for space with my WSM so went against the idea in the end as I thought I'd be limited with the size of it and likely wouldn't use it as much.

This beauty turned up yesterday, along with some ox cheeks. I'm looking forward to getting this one on the go as I've not had short ribs in ages! :D
QfiTwVnh.jpg
 
dl8860 said:
so it does seem like a bit of a novelty to me.
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I agree seems like another load of guff, sure they are good but not great cost vs value. Doing a bit of googling discussion descends into minutia of detail about temperatures, cooking plates, different fuels etc booooooooooring it's just meat over fire :p The nice thing about BBQ is the mix of flavours and burns across one piece of meat, seems like another outdoor oven :D
 
Maccapacca said:
I agree seems like another load of guff, sure they are good but not great cost vs value. Doing a bit of googling discussion descends into minutia of detail about temperatures, cooking plates, different fuels etc booooooooooring it's just meat over fire :p The nice thing about BBQ is the mix of flavours and burns across one piece of meat, seems like another outdoor oven :D
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I mean, Kamados in general are not another load of guff, and that aldi kamado could be very useful and good value for the right user. My post was just to say, make sure you are that right user before buying, because the space constraint is worth thinking about.

Sure it's meat over fire, but there is a whole lot more to BBQ than burns across a piece of meat. But if you see it that way then just grab a simple kettle or even a gas grill. It's like coffee, some people are happy with instant or a nespresso machine, others want to go down the rabbit hole, and even though you could argue the flavour gains are dimishing returns for the outlay, it's a hobby, and we all value and enjoy different things.
 
Right, the master touch is setup and the jerk chicken is marinating ready for tomorrow (or sunday).

Should I use charcoal or briquettes?
Sear first then lid on and move to the indirect side?
Reverse sear?
Top vent open and regulate temp with bottom vent?
 
TheBrooder said:
Right, the master touch is setup and the jerk chicken is marinating ready for tomorrow (or sunday).

Should I use charcoal or briquettes?
Sear first then lid on and move to the indirect side?
Reverse sear?
Top vent open and regulate temp with bottom vent?
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General rule is charcoal for cook time < 1 hour, briquettes for longer. But you can use either for either really.

I find reverse sear can work better for marinated items, as if you introduce it straight to the hot grate then the marinade is more likely to stick to the hot grates. Once it's sort of cooked on, it's more likely to stay on the meat. I generally keep bottom vent in same place and regulate with top vent, but again, more than 1 way to skin a cat.

Remember the pics!
 
dl8860 said:
General rule is charcoal for cook time < 1 hour, briquettes for longer. But you can use either for either really.

I find reverse sear can work better for marinated items, as if you introduce it straight to the hot grate then the marinade is more likely to stick to the hot grates. Once it's sort of cooked on, it's more likely to stay on the meat. I generally keep bottom vent in same place and regulate with top vent, but again, more than 1 way to skin a cat.

Remember the pics!
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Thanks for that!

Should I fill the chimney with charcoal for a 1 hour cook? Also, if I need to add more shoud I light it before adding it? Does adding more mid cook not taint the flavour with dirty smoke?
 
dl8860 said:
From what I have written down having compared sizes last year, the Aldi one is 41cm diameter. It's smaller than the mid-sized Smokey Mountain, and obviously smaller too than the 47cm weber kettle. My Kamado Joe Classic II is 46cm, and I will say I'm glad it's no smaller than it is. I've yet to try a full brisket on it, but I know that it'll barely fit. Need to 'mound up' and even then you won't manage a large packer 8ob7eVL.jpg (3226×1814) (imgur.com)

On the aldi at 41cm you'll fit pork shoulders, lamb legs, whole chickens no problem, but you might not have a whole lot of room for much else to go on at the same time. Even moreso if you are setting up 2 zone cooking. On my KJ I can fit a large lamb shoulder and 5 jacket potatoes, or 2 racks of st louis cut ribs with a few corns on the cob, that sort of thing.

I would say if you're serious about this sort of cooking, you want something big enough (so if budget rules out a bigger kamado, look to a WSM or similar), and if you're not then you don't really need a kamado, so it does seem like a bit of a novelty to me. There again plenty of people are very satisfied with them, just throwing in my 2p.
Click to expand...

This is about spot on, it's not huge but is sufficient for 6 people, and has a second shelf which helps, i'd say I can fit about the as my old master touch on it, but have done some great cuts in, but I am planning on getting something to partner it for additional capacity and quicker higher heat cooks where a bed of open Charcoal will suffice.
 
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