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

Shaz]sigh[ said:
Yeah, saw that mentioned in a discussion about portables. Will give it a go if although can’t think of a scenario I’d need to yet.
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I only use my WSM like this to sear and finish off a piece of meat that I’ve smoked. It’s not especially convenient to grill this way.
 
Shaz]sigh[ said:
Having moved house, now having a south west facing garden which is a sun trap for most of the day and well in to the evening, with my Mastertouch being in its eighth year, and with being mega busy with general life and such - I’ve gone for a change of tact that will hopefully allow me to do much more BBQing (usually a couple of times a week in to late Sept).

Just ordered a Weber Spirit E-320 along with. Smokey Mountain (just the 47cm).

Logic is I can use the Spirit for weekday grilling whereby I basically want to sit and cook outside without much prep and then use the Smokey Mountain for weekend BBQ without having to baby it like I did my kettle (yes, I know about the minion and snake experience as my many pork shoulders will attest).

Only question now is do I keep the kettle and forfeit the patio space for the odd charcoal grill - unsure.

Here’s to summer!
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I would imagine it's worth moving the kettle on. Sad to keep it sat there as an ornament when someone else could give it some more use and pay you for the pleasure.
 
Second attempt on the smoker today - wings, ribs and a small (1kg) brisket).

Ribs were perfect (3 hrs uncovered, 2 hrs wrapped with apple juice, last hr uncovered basted with bbq sauce). Wings were a tad overdone (4hrs with a dry rub) but still very good. Brisket a tad under done - lovely smoke ring though (dry rub, 5 hrs up to 73c internal then 1 hr rest). Smoker kept between 105c and 120c.

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amigafan2003 said:
Second attempt on the smoker today - wings, ribs and a small (1kg) brisket).
Brisket a tad under done - lovely smoke ring though (dry rub, 5 hrs up to 73c internal then 1 hr rest).
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Take it all the way up to at least 90! Also, was it a flat or point? Our UK flats tend to be pretty lean as they are grass fed so it's always worth getting a point for the extra fat content. Looks good though, nice smoke ring. :)

Shaz]sigh[ said:
Only question now is do I keep the kettle and forfeit the patio space for the odd charcoal grill - unsure.
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There is only one right answer to that question. Patio space is over rated anyway. :D
 
Street said:
Take it all the way up to at least 90! Also, was it a flat or point? Our UK flats tend to be pretty lean as they are grass fed so it's always worth getting a point for the extra fat content. Looks good though, nice smoke ring. :)
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Yeah it was a flat.
 
amigafan2003 said:
Second attempt on the smoker today - wings, ribs and a small (1kg) brisket).

Ribs were perfect (3 hrs uncovered, 2 hrs wrapped with apple juice, last hr uncovered basted with bbq sauce). Wings were a tad overdone (4hrs with a dry rub) but still very good. Brisket a tad under done - lovely smoke ring though (dry rub, 5 hrs up to 73c internal then 1 hr rest). Smoker kept between 105c and 120c.
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What's your smoker set up? that looks tasty!
 
Guess this is the best place to ask, but is there anywhere online other than the rainforest that sells Lodge cast iron stuff? I have the combo cooker, but looking at getting an 8" or 12" pan for pies and other stuff
 
I did a roast chicken in the kettle yesterday, and while it was moist and tasy the skin wasn't crispy. I used 2 charcoal baskets on either side and put a foil tray on the charcoal grate inbetween them with carrots & potatoes in - the potatoes had a strange texture, they were slightly chewy.

Any tips for crispy skin and non-chewy spuds?
 
TheBrooder said:
I did a roast chicken in the kettle yesterday, and while it was moist and tasy the skin wasn't crispy. I used 2 charcoal baskets on either side and put a foil tray on the charcoal grate inbetween them with carrots & potatoes in - the potatoes had a strange texture, they were slightly chewy.

Any tips for crispy skin and non-chewy spuds?
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did you oil it ? normally on the kettle ill flip it over on the coals just to crisp the skin .. but thats spatchcock .. 5 mins at the end of the cook .. in the smoker it's normally ok as better heat
 
flea.rider said:
did you oil it ? normally on the kettle ill flip it over on the coals just to crisp the skin .. but thats spatchcock .. 5 mins at the end of the cook .. in the smoker it's normally ok as better heat
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Yeah, oil then added a rub - it may be temperature variance as 1 char basket stopped burning (I think I added extra coals too late), so I hade to remove the grate with the chicken on and add a chimney full of coals.

I'm the main cook in the house and a pretty good cook, but this is certainly a bit of a learning curve! I'm hoping to try spatchcock tonight or at some point this week so I'll brown the skin at the end like you suggest.

I've ordered a rotisserie and pizza attachment too, can't wait to try that!
 
TheBrooder said:
Yeah, oil then added a rub - it may be temperature variance as 1 char basket stopped burning (I think I added extra coals too late), so I hade to remove the grate with the chicken on and add a chimney full of coals.

I'm the main cook in the house and a pretty good cook, but this is certainly a bit of a learning curve! I'm hoping to try spatchcock tonight or at some point this week so I'll brown the skin at the end like you suggest.

I've ordered a rotisserie and pizza attachment too, can't wait to try that!
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when the bug really bites your going to be spending a lot of money ...lol .. for a smoker i suggest Meat city smokers | Facebook not affiliated in anyway but they are good :)
i bbq 5+ days a week atm ..well since lockdown started .. loving furlough :)
 
Now me and the other half have our new garden somewhat tidy, we want to get a BBQ.

I'm a complete beginner, having used nothing other than crappy camping or portable BBQs, so have no idea where to start.

Gas vs Charcoal? Seems like gas is just an outdoor grill, feel like if we're getting a BBQ, it may as well offer something different? Gas seems a lot easier to manage though?

We don't need something very big, as most of the time it'll just be us two, so I guess my main requirement is just something that's easy to use and easy to clean. It'd be nice to have something I can just fire up and justify using even if it's just for one evening meal for us, and won't take too much time to get going firstly, and then clean afterwards.

Weber BBQs seem to get recommended a lot, and there's a few different models in the £2-300 range, variants of the Original 57cm and the MasterTouch. I can't seem to find anything that shows the differences between them, are these a good starting point?
 
https://www.riversidegardencentre.co.uk/blog/weber-57cm-barbecues-differences/

The above may help for some of the differences. Basically it depends on what you want to do. Indirect, smoking, direct heat. You can spend a small amount or a whopping amount.

I've just got a Weber 57 master touch mostly because of the ash catcher, cooking area and options to add next like the rotisserie accessory and pizza oven adaptor.

I've also joined a weber kettle UK Facebook group which has been a great source of information.
 
Liquid_Entity said:
https://www.riversidegardencentre.co.uk/blog/weber-57cm-barbecues-differences/

The above may help for some of the differences. Basically it depends on what you want to do. Indirect, smoking, direct heat. You can spend a small amount or a whopping amount.

I've just got a Weber 57 master touch mostly because of the ash catcher, cooking area and options to add next like the rotisserie accessory and pizza oven adaptor.

I've also joined a weber kettle UK Facebook group which has been a great source of information.
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Thanks for this!

Basically I just want to be able to throw a few bits of meat on at a time for the two of us, chicken, steaks, sausages, whatever it may be. Not too fussed about smoking or anything, but the pizza oven adaptor sounds a bit more up our street!

The better ash catcher and stuff sounds like it might be worth paying a little extra for, and we'll probably grow a collection of accessories slowly as and when we need them. I was initially just thinking I'll go for the Original Premium, but I can get the Master Touch for only about £5 more! Seems like an easy decision!

Also I'm not on facebook but I assume I can find a lot of that information from Youtube videos and such? Or are there any other sites with useful info?
 
LiamJ said:
Thanks for this!

Basically I just want to be able to throw a few bits of meat on at a time for the two of us, chicken, steaks, sausages, whatever it may be. Not too fussed about smoking or anything, but the pizza oven adaptor sounds a bit more up our street!

The better ash catcher and stuff sounds like it might be worth paying a little extra for, and we'll probably grow a collection of accessories slowly as and when we need them. I was initially just thinking I'll go for the Original Premium, but I can get the Master Touch for only about £5 more! Seems like an easy decision!

Also I'm not on facebook but I assume I can find a lot of that information from Youtube videos and such? Or are there any other sites with useful info?
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I'm sure the MT will be perfect for you too. I'd invest in a chimney too to get the coals super hot in 10 minutes
 
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