*****Official BBQ Thread - Suns out, Buns out!*****
- Thread starter Psymonkee
- Start date
Soldato
Agree with Street on water. If for some reason you don't want your BBQ to get hotter than 100C then it's good at keeping temp low, but all the heat goes in to steaming the water otherwise.
I had a go at the pork tinga the other week after seeing some great results on here, I tried to not worry too much about checking the temp in the pork and just gave it a good 2 hours at 250F, followed by 2 more hours with the pork in the sauce. Issue I had was, I haven't got a proper dutch oven. We have le creuset dishes but those are off limits for going in the BBQ, so the best thing I had was the enamel insert from our slow cooker. I was too chicken to put it over direct heat though, as he does in the video recipe, which I guess is key. So I tried to give it a bit longer but I had to finish her off in the oven (classic :[) to get the pork tender enough.
One thing I want to ask to guys with the dutch ovens, I read that you shouldn't simmer stuff in them for a long time because acidic sauces will break down the metal you get a metallic taste coming into the sauce. I have a cast iron pan but I try and look after it well and although I know it would obviously put up with the direct heat from my smoker, there is no way I'll simmer a tomato based sauce in it!
The pork was seriously tasty, though my sauce was a little watery, I think due to not having high enough heat for the duration. Definitely worth doing though, few things please me more than my toddler clearing his plate of bbq and it saved cooking for about 4 more meals that week.
Whacked a leg of lamb on for Easter Sunday too, smothered in garlic and rosemary. I left it until 140F internal, which I thought would be the right temperature but it definitely wanted a little more. The edges were beautiful, really juicy with a gentle smokey flavour, but closer to the bone was definitely a bit under so I put it back on for another 30 mins. The fat doesn't look very rendered below but it was moreso than it looks, and those reddish bits on the end, my word.
Did some pork belly slices just now, standard pork based rub and cooked for 2.5 hours, served with sweet potatoes also done on the smoker and sugar snaps peas. No pictures, ate it too fast. The pork was good but another 45 mins would have been perfect, the sweet potato was magic though, little oil and salt and it was fantastic. They were on the smoker for about an hour and ten I think, they weren't huge so it was long enough for them to be properly soft through, seriously nice.
I had a go at the pork tinga the other week after seeing some great results on here, I tried to not worry too much about checking the temp in the pork and just gave it a good 2 hours at 250F, followed by 2 more hours with the pork in the sauce. Issue I had was, I haven't got a proper dutch oven. We have le creuset dishes but those are off limits for going in the BBQ, so the best thing I had was the enamel insert from our slow cooker. I was too chicken to put it over direct heat though, as he does in the video recipe, which I guess is key. So I tried to give it a bit longer but I had to finish her off in the oven (classic :[) to get the pork tender enough.
One thing I want to ask to guys with the dutch ovens, I read that you shouldn't simmer stuff in them for a long time because acidic sauces will break down the metal you get a metallic taste coming into the sauce. I have a cast iron pan but I try and look after it well and although I know it would obviously put up with the direct heat from my smoker, there is no way I'll simmer a tomato based sauce in it!
The pork was seriously tasty, though my sauce was a little watery, I think due to not having high enough heat for the duration. Definitely worth doing though, few things please me more than my toddler clearing his plate of bbq and it saved cooking for about 4 more meals that week.
Whacked a leg of lamb on for Easter Sunday too, smothered in garlic and rosemary. I left it until 140F internal, which I thought would be the right temperature but it definitely wanted a little more. The edges were beautiful, really juicy with a gentle smokey flavour, but closer to the bone was definitely a bit under so I put it back on for another 30 mins. The fat doesn't look very rendered below but it was moreso than it looks, and those reddish bits on the end, my word.
Did some pork belly slices just now, standard pork based rub and cooked for 2.5 hours, served with sweet potatoes also done on the smoker and sugar snaps peas. No pictures, ate it too fast. The pork was good but another 45 mins would have been perfect, the sweet potato was magic though, little oil and salt and it was fantastic. They were on the smoker for about an hour and ten I think, they weren't huge so it was long enough for them to be properly soft through, seriously nice.
Soldato
Thanks both, i will have to give it a go.
So here is the update, ribs came out i feel a little overdone. Tasty i must add, albeit i either used too much rub or as above on too long.
The outside was a little burnt, but i kept the temp at about 105c for 3-4 hours (once i got it there).
That said, very surprised to see quite a lot of pink in side. I assume that's partly the smoke ring? Being baby back ribs there isnt too much meat to check.
Lessons learnt:
- No water or less water!
- Buy wood chunks, i seemed to be adding hand fulls of chips far more then i expected. Potentially some ash got onto the ribs wheb throwing in more wood - if that's possible?
- Use a wind breaker if its windy
Need another experiment!
So here is the update, ribs came out i feel a little overdone. Tasty i must add, albeit i either used too much rub or as above on too long.
The outside was a little burnt, but i kept the temp at about 105c for 3-4 hours (once i got it there).
That said, very surprised to see quite a lot of pink in side. I assume that's partly the smoke ring? Being baby back ribs there isnt too much meat to check.
Lessons learnt:
- No water or less water!
- Buy wood chunks, i seemed to be adding hand fulls of chips far more then i expected. Potentially some ash got onto the ribs wheb throwing in more wood - if that's possible?
- Use a wind breaker if its windy
Need another experiment!
Pair of gilt head bream today over logs with some garlic butter.
I had a look into this after using my pot the other week and panicking I'd ruined it. I didn't realise you weren't meant to cook tomato based foods in cast iron. Turns out the Weber one is porcelain enamelled so it's absolutely fine to use. The tinga is a great recipe though. If you've got any left over, the sausage rolls are a good shout too.
That lamb looks fantastic! You've made me want lamb now but annoyingly the missus doesn't like it so I never cook it.
Thanks both, i will have to give it a go.
So here is the update, ribs came out i feel a little overdone. Tasty i must add, albeit i either used too much rub or as above on too long.
The outside was a little burnt, but i kept the temp at about 105c for 3-4 hours (once i got it there).
That said, very surprised to see quite a lot of pink in side. I assume that's partly the smoke ring? Being baby back ribs there isnt too much meat to check.
Lessons learnt:
- No water or less water!
- Buy wood chunks, i seemed to be adding hand fulls of chips far more then i expected. Potentially some ash got onto the ribs wheb throwing in more wood - if that's possible?
- Use a wind breaker if its windy
Need another experiment!
Nice one! The pink is probably the smoke, after that amount of time they'll be done. I don't usually bother checking the temperature on ribs and just go by time. 2 hours unwrapped and smoking, 1 hour wrapped and up to 30mins (at the most) unwrapped with sauce at the end for smaller ribs. I use one big chunk of wood on at the start and that gives enough smoke for the first two hours. Once you've done a few you'll find out what works for you and what you like the taste of.. Perfect excuse to cook more meat!
Wind is definitely one of the biggest pains when using the smoker! I can't wait till I've got my garden sorted and I can shelter my smoker properly.
Soldato
Nice one! The pink is probably the smoke, after that amount of time they'll be done. I don't usually bother checking the temperature on ribs and just go by time. 2 hours unwrapped and smoking, 1 hour wrapped and up to 30mins (at the most) unwrapped with sauce at the end for smaller ribs. I use one big chunk of wood on at the start and that gives enough smoke for the first two hours. Once you've done a few you'll find out what works for you and what you like the taste of.. Perfect excuse to cook more meat!
Wind is definitely one of the biggest pains when using the smoker! I can't wait till I've got my garden sorted and I can shelter my smoker properly.
Thanks
Thanks for the support / help / many questions
Any links to purchasing lump wood welcome, also recommendations on rubs to try.I've been spoilt and had Phil's BBQ ribs when I visited San Diego, if I could replicate that type of rub and sauce! perfect
Soldato
Just picking up on your wood chunks/chips point, I have still never got round to buying wood chunks rather than chips, and I've probably used my smoker about 30 times. I've got through a tub (maybe 2 litre tub) of apple wood chips and half a bag of weber pork smoking chips. If I want a light amount of flavour on say a pork shoulder I'll do two handfuls of chips at once, if I want stronger flavour I'll do four handfuls, in two batches. I do one handful in one of these https://www.ebay.com/itm/Stainless-...arbecue-Smoking-Case-Accessories/352566719949 and another handful straight on the coals to get a quick burst followed by a slower release.Thanks both, i will have to give it a go.
So here is the update, ribs came out i feel a little overdone. Tasty i must add, albeit i either used too much rub or as above on too long.
The outside was a little burnt, but i kept the temp at about 105c for 3-4 hours (once i got it there).
That said, very surprised to see quite a lot of pink in side. I assume that's partly the smoke ring? Being baby back ribs there isnt too much meat to check.
Lessons learnt:
- No water or less water!
- Buy wood chunks, i seemed to be adding hand fulls of chips far more then i expected. Potentially some ash got onto the ribs wheb throwing in more wood - if that's possible?
- Use a wind breaker if its windy
Need another experiment!
I honestly don't think I've eaten many things and thought hmm I wish it was a lot smokier. I think perhaps I don't have the taste for smoke some people do, but I feel like I get plenty from a couple of handfuls of chips, and my wife has certainly said a few things I've made have been a bit strong on the smokey side for her.
Some people want chunks burning for their whole cook but honestly I think a lot of the smoke is wasted. From what I've read too, the meat will only absorb smoke when it's cooler, once it gets to a certain temperature it stops absorbing it. I only ever put chips on in the first 90 minutes max of a cook (this doesn't mean chips burning away for 90 mins!) and it does plenty for me.
It took maybe 4 handfuls of chips (I don't remember exactly) to get this smoke ring on a 9 hour cook.
Then again I'm no pro and maybe I'm doing it wrong? It works for me anyway, I just think wood chunks can be a bit of a rip off, people go mad for them because all the big youtubers and pros use them but I reckon it's more for show. Again just my 2 cents.
Definitely, a lot of places charge over the odds for some off cuts of wood!
I've been buying from Smokewood Shack though, they seem to be a reasonable price for the weight. The chunks are quite big so I split them up into pieces about 100g each and just put one of those in per hour for the first two hours of the cook if I'm smoking, or smaller pieces again if I'm using the kettle. I know some people combine wood flavours but I'm too much of a pleb to tell the difference between most of them so I stick to hickory and oak. The hickory tends to give a stronger smoke flavour so I use that on beef and the oak is a bit lighter so I use that with pork and chicken.
My efforts for the day..
Beef shin chilli for dinners this week..
And ribs for tea tonight..
Soldato
Chili and ribs both looking awesome. Is the chili another Smokin Elk recipe? Do you try and tear up the beef once it's in like the tinga, or leave it chunky? Is the dutch oven over direct heat there?
Soldato
I buy bigger chunks of smoking wood from german ebay. Comes in like 10kg lots and use that. It's much better value. Great stuff in this thread. Making me hungry
Soldato
Thanks all for the above, interesting to see different views and techniques. Views on rubs still welcome, I followed this https://www.virtualweberbullet.com/basic-baby-back-ribs/ as a first try.
As promised, here is some photos:
Tender but not juicy still, I imagine I over did them / too much rub?
PS. How do I get these photos bigger?
Thanks
As promised, here is some photos:
PS. How do I get these photos bigger?
Thanks
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It is indeed, he's got some great recipes! I've got some ox cheek in the freezer to make his ragu later this week too.
When I stirred the chilli through at the end a lot of it tore up like pulled pork so there is a nice mix of chunks and pulled. I keep the dutch oven on the bottom shelf with the empty water pan in between that and the fire and it seems to work. When I did the tinga, I started with it sat in the pan but reaching down into it was a pain as it was quite deep so I adjusted and sat it on the bottom shelf instead.
Cheers, I've pretty much got nothing else to do at the moment so I'm using my time productively with DIY and BBQing!
Thanks all for the above, interesting to see different views and techniques. Views on rubs still welcome, I followed this https://www.virtualweberbullet.com/basic-baby-back-ribs/ as a first try.
As promised, here is some photos:
Tender but not juicy still, I imagine I over did them / too much rub?
PS. How do I get these photos bigger?
Thanks
Looks good!
I really like this rub for ribs. I find a lot of the ones I've bought are quite salt heavy so prefer to make my own now. Delete the = and everything after it from the image link and they'll be full size.
Soldato
I made some of Meathead's Last Meal ribs a few weeks ago using his Memphis Dust rub. I usually buy the pre-made rubs as the ones I make usually turn out a bit crap. I don't think I will anymore after making this Memphis Dust. Wayyyy better than anything you can buy off the shelf.
I got my timings a little off and probably didn't cook the ribs as long as I should, another 30-60mins would have had them perfect but I needed to take them off as it was getting late and all the other food was ready.
I need ideas for something else to grill now.
EDIT: Ah I see @Street linked to the same rub in his post above too
I got my timings a little off and probably didn't cook the ribs as long as I should, another 30-60mins would have had them perfect but I needed to take them off as it was getting late and all the other food was ready.
I need ideas for something else to grill now.
EDIT: Ah I see @Street linked to the same rub in his post above too
Soldato
Thanks both - just booked marked that site and will add the ingredients to my Asda order. I've done some dark sugar based rubs some time ago, so it sounds ideal.
Soldato
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- 2 Apr 2006
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The Weber briquettes are currently £14.50 for 8kg delivered on Amazon if anyone's interested.
Soldato
That's a better price for usual on Amazon, normally I am on the hunt and I think the cheapest I've found is 10.50 for 8kg but paying maybe a fiver delivery, so if you order 4 or 5 bags it's not too bad.
I bought 16kg of heat beads for 32 quid delivered the other day, so worse value than those weber ones but I've been wanting to try heat beads for a while.
Permabanned
Right, so I fired the bbq again to cook 4 burgers and 2 pieces of bacon. Filled the chimney half full and lit it up, once hot I dumped it all in and slapped on the burgers. The temp gauge quickly rose to about 210-5 happy days. Within 10 mins if that I’m losing heat!
What the hell is going on how can I struggle to get enough heat to cook 4 burgers? I’m starting to think these Weber briquettes are not that great.
Burgers are only just cooked bacon is not. Grr
What the hell is going on how can I struggle to get enough heat to cook 4 burgers? I’m starting to think these Weber briquettes are not that great.
Burgers are only just cooked bacon is not. Grr
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Soldato
Have the briquettes been stored in a damp place?
Did you leave the starter long enough ~20m
Were the vents fully open?