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

seabiscuit said:
doesn't it get all gritty?
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Not at all! I was a bit dubious at first but everything I read said the charcoal wouldn't stick and none did on mine. Try it out, it's worth it! :)


GTanny said:
Hey all,

My partner and I are looking into getting into smoking and BBQing some meat, were both big foodies so aren't afraid of a bit of technical work.

Would be looking into a decent smoker with a budget of around £200 (flexible if it's worth it)

Any advice on tools/accessories and a good book to go alongside would also be ideal :)
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It might be worth looking at something like the Weber Master Touch. It's a bit more versatile than a dedicated smoker as you can use it for indirect/direct grilling and smoking. They aren't as good as a proper smoker for smoking but they're perfectly adequate and I've used mine for it plenty of times. For a smoker, I'm biased towards the WSM, the big one is awesome as it's absolutely massive so you never struggle for space.. They are about double your budget though. :(

An ambient/food thermometer is useful. I use a Maverick Bluetooth probe for monitoring my cooks as I can carry it with me and the alarm warns me if things are going wrong.
 
GTanny said:
Hey all,

My partner and I are looking into getting into smoking and BBQing some meat, were both big foodies so aren't afraid of a bit of technical work.

Would be looking into a decent smoker with a budget of around £200 (flexible if it's worth it)

Any advice on tools/accessories and a good book to go alongside would also be ideal :)
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I would highly recommend a Weber smokey mountain, either the 47cm or 57cm depending on how many you will be cooking for. If it’s just your partner & you and occasionally a few more people, then the 47cm will be fine, if you need to regularly cater for big gatherings (10+ people) then you’ll need the 57cm.

The callow smoker mentioned above is supposed to be good, but is quite small and definitely on the budget side of smokers. If you are foodies and want to buy a high quality product that will give consistent good results and last for a couple of decades (10 year warranty) then I recommend Weber.
 
ganesh said:
I would highly recommend a Weber smokey mountain, either the 47cm or 57cm depending on how many you will be cooking for. If it’s just your partner & you and occasionally a few more people, then the 47cm will be fine, if you need to regularly cater for big gatherings (10+ people) then you’ll need the 57cm.
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Mine is mainly used for two of us and I was torn between the 47 and 57cm when I got it, however I don't regret getting the bigger one at all. I figured that I don't have to use all the extra space but if I do need it, I've got it and don't need to squash things in. Also, when I bought mine, they were about the same price so it was a no brainer! :)
 
That's some great suggestions thank you.

One more question, from what I can gather if I pick up a Weber smokey mountain I would still need a traditional BBQ to grill the meats on.

Would a Weber kettle BBQ be the best option to accompany a smokey mountain?

Don't get me wrong I am tempted to go with the cheaper smoker suggested by Seabiscuit and a cheap BBQ just to try it out for this year but don't want to regret the decision and have a bad experience.
 
Generally I'd say yes. If you are unsure (you won't be for long :p) but I'd suggest simply getting the Weber Kettle. It'll grill meats like normal and can also be configured for smoking so you could try it both ways to see if you enjoy it! :)
 
Would agree with Psymonkee. Smoking is more than doable on a kettle, and if you want to be able to grill too then you'll need one anyway. So may as well get the kettle to try some smokes and if you really feel like you want a dedicated one then get a WSM or ProQ. Or a callow if your budget isn't huge.
 
Did my first bit of Webering this afternoon. Tried a reverse sear with hickory smoked steaks, herby new pots and lemon-drizzled tenderstem chucked on while the steaks were resting.

Steaks went in while it was still a little too hot I think (wrongly lacked faith in the briquettes keeping the heat for long enough) so were well done but didn't toughen up and tasted amazing. Pots and brocoli were both spot on.

Very happy for a first outing. Now to invest in a temperature probe!

Other than just opening the vents up, any tips for getting a much heat as possible back up at the end for a final sear (Weber Original).

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That looks good! BBQ'd potatoes are amazing. One of my favourite recipes is smoked potato salad. If you're after a probe, Thermapen have an outlet and you can usually grab them for about half the normal price.

I thought I'd try some UK dairy rib eyes tonight as a treat for the missus getting a new job. They look very similar to the Galician steaks which I love, but are nearly half the price. Can't wait to get them on the BBQ as they are currently making me drool in work.

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King4aDay said:
Other than just opening the vents up, any tips for getting a much heat as possible back up at the end for a final sear (Weber Original).
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Just take the lid off for a few minutes. The sear should be direct heat so you don't need to maintain the oven temperature, taking the lid off will get a lot more oxygen to the coals.
 
So after the advice offered here I'm now a bit poorer but an owner of a Weber master touch GBS from go outdoors thanks to a price match I got it for £206, I know it's not the best price it's ever been but I'm very happy with it.

Also picked up a lighter, a cleaner, some coal, a bag of smoke chips to try out smoking with... Now to decide what's going on first, thankfully I have a lot of steak left from my last muscle food order.
 
Did a rack of ribs yesterday, most low-maintenance smoke I've ever done, a breath of fresh air after that brisket cook above!

Fired up the smoker at about 3.30pm, threw the ribs on, opened all the vents and hoped for the best as we went over to a friends' place for a few hours. Came back (smoker was about 230F), wrapped them with sauce at 6.30, then ate them about 7.45. Nice and tender, still a bit of bite but not falling off the bone. It wasn't the most amazing thing I've cooked on the smoker, but for effort to reward ratio, it was a great result.
 
dl8860 said:
Did a rack of ribs yesterday, most low-maintenance smoke I've ever done, a breath of fresh air after that brisket cook above!

Fired up the smoker at about 3.30pm, threw the ribs on, opened all the vents and hoped for the best as we went over to a friends' place for a few hours. Came back (smoker was about 230F), wrapped them with sauce at 6.30, then ate them about 7.45. Nice and tender, still a bit of bite but not falling off the bone. It wasn't the most amazing thing I've cooked on the smoker, but for effort to reward ratio, it was a great result.
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Result! I do like doing ribs on the smoker, they're generally a bit more forgiving than other cuts too.

Really pleased with these UK dairy rib eyes I did over the weekend, I don't think I'm going back to cooking steaks normally again either! :D

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