I'm currently doing something that I've been meaning to do for years and just never got around to. I built a smoke bomb for my propane grill and currently have some hickory wood chips making my patio smell amazing. I'm grilling a couple burgers that I pulled out of the freezer (home made...we always make a bunch at once and freeze them) and I'm going to glaze them with some hickory & brown sugar BBQ sauce, top with some sautéed onions and mushrooms, slice of swiss, maybe some lettuce and spicy mayo...oh boy I'm excited.

I can see myself doing this more often. The only downfall is cooking on indirect heat, which takes way longer. Burgers that normally take 5-10 minutes are going to take an hour. It better be worth it.

For Father's Day this year I asked for a proper smoker but with my job kind of up in the air at the moment I settled for a book and a six-pack. We got a big tax return this year and I was going to treat myself but felt it was better to hang on to that money for now. My birthday is coming up so maybe if I get my job all settled by then I'll be able to pick one up.

I've been looking at Traeger pellet grills, the junior ones that run around $500. They're easy to run and the fancy BBQ guy I follow on YouTube uses his all the time, so I know it's legit (his channel is How To BBQ Right if you're interested).

I live in an attached townhouse and don't have a very big patio, so I don't want to drop $1000+ on some big fancy smoker grill that I will only use a half dozen times a year and take up half our sitting area. I don't plan on getting rid of my propane grill because it's handy when you don't have time to set charcoal, get smoke going, etc etc.

What's your BBQ situation like? What's your favourite kind of BBQ? What's your go-to sides for when it's time to grill up some MEAT?

Kind of a slant. I have traveled a bit in the states and especially in the south. But one of my favorite BBQ places in the country is a place called Mission St BBQ in Santa Cruz CA. Live blues every night. The thing that separates them from the rest to me is the tri-tip. While much of the country is all about brisket when it comes to beef, Santa Maria CA introduced tri-tip to the scene and I feel the rest of the country is missing out.

This is a timely thread because I was just asking my friends if anyone of them had turned their grills into a smoker. I've yet to do it, but have been considering it. I have such a nice piece of pork shoulder that I want to smoke and turn into pulled pork. My usual method is a slow cooker, then broiled a bit once pulled to crisp it up a bit. But I'm a bit worried about doing it poorly and wasting the meat.

I often grill corn with basil butter, portobello mushrooms for my wife, potatoes and misc veggies in a basket, and then your standard steaks, burgers, chicken, shrimp, ribs. Nothing too fancy. Although I have thrown a grilled cheese on there from time to time.

Favourite sides? Baked beans that are sweet and smokey. Corn bread with honey butter. Roasted garlic carrots.

How did the indirect heat, smoked burgers turn out RT?

Wow, that Santa Maria Steak sounds great.

BBQ was freaking weird in the South. Get apple cider vinegar and hot sauce in some place, mustard and vinegar in others, mayo and vinegar in others. In some place it was nearly impossible to find tomato based BBQ sauce. The Texas mop style sauce I liked but man, the vinegar based sauce I just found gross. The mustard sauce was okay at times but so not preferred.

With everyone using a different BBQ sauce down here I did learn how to make the different sauces and generally do that now. I basically crushed tomatoes, sugar and vinegar as a base then spiced and thinned with water. Some use ketchup but starting with tomatoes you have a lot more control of the balance of vinegar and sugar. Which is really why you do this, many store bought brands are either high in sugar or high in vinegar as they target the different markets. Not much balance. Swap the tomatoes with oil and you get a nice marinade base.

Jun 26, 2020 17:36:55 GMT Foos said:

This is a timely thread because I was just asking my friends if anyone of them had turned their grills into a smoker. I've yet to do it, but have been considering it. I have such a nice piece of pork shoulder that I want to smoke and turn into pulled pork. My usual method is a slow cooker, then broiled a bit once pulled to crisp it up a bit. But I'm a bit worried about doing it poorly and wasting the meat.

I often grill corn with basil butter, portobello mushrooms for my wife, potatoes and misc veggies in a basket, and then your standard steaks, burgers, chicken, shrimp, ribs. Nothing too fancy. Although I have thrown a grilled cheese on there from time to time.

Favourite sides? Baked beans that are sweet and smokey. Corn bread with honey butter. Roasted garlic carrots.

How did the indirect heat, smoked burgers turn out RT?

Surprisingly well. I’m sure it isn’t like the real thing, but if you only have propane or don’t have the means to get a proper smoker, this worked great.

My only issue was I soaked the wood chips too long and they didn’t ignite. So I threw a second pouch in with dry wood chips and it worked like a charm....for like 10 minutes. Then it caught fire.

But fortunately the wet chips eventually started smouldering and the burgers ended up with a tiny little smoke ring and definitely tasted better than if I just threw them on a hot grill for 10 minutes.

I’ll definitely do it again. I have the house to myself this weekend so I might run out and grab a small rack of ribs to try. The biggest downside I can see is the amount of propane I’ll have to go through. You’re looking at having the BBQ on for 3-4 hours doing ribs. Much bigger let down if you fuck it up.

I love the USA style BBQing.
In Australia a BBQ just means propane (We just call it LPG or Gas)

I have a very nice BBQ which is the Weber Q:



Yes, it looks a bit retarded but it amazing for Steak, almost idiot proof which is perfect for an idiot like myself.
You cook with the lid closed so you get convection as well as grilling which means the steaks are still juicy by the time you have a good crispy 
I love a good porterhouse which I think Americans call a New York Strip, I am also quite partial to Rib Eye.

Would love to hear your methods for preparing steak, I have one that I love and stick to like glue for perfect results every time.

RT, I would love to hear how your ribs turn out.
It is hard to buy American style ribs here, most places trim them and there is not enough meat.
I do some minor smoking, I have one of these tubes:




I use it with pellets because they don't have to be soaked like the woodchips, but there is only so much smoke you can get into the meat in the time it takes to grill a steak.

My next purchase is an actual smoker:




I will only buy an offset smoker if it can be a pellet one that can automatically hold a temperature, because I don't want to have to be next to the grill for 9hrs.
The technology is pretty good now where you can increase the temperature remotely to push through a stall.
It's a bit pricey, so I set myself a goal that when my sales exceed a certain point I will buy it for myself.

Those offsets are sexy, especially the newer ones like you mentioned that have the remote temp control. Throw something on in the late morning and watch it from your phone until dinner time. Living the dream.

Those pellet tubes are pretty cool. I think once I run through this bag of wood chips I'll look into that.

Last night's burgers were pretty damn awesome so I think I pretty much have to try ribs this weekend. That feels like a Sunday afternoon thing. Stay tuned.

Jun 27, 2020 1:04:47 GMT RT said:

Those offsets are sexy, especially the newer ones like you mentioned that have the remote temp control. Throw something on in the late morning and watch it from your phone until dinner time. Living the dream.

Those pellet tubes are pretty cool. I think once I run through this bag of wood chips I'll look into that.

Last night's burgers were pretty damn awesome so I think I pretty much have to try ribs this weekend. That feels like a Sunday afternoon thing. Stay tuned.

Take photos, I love BBQ porn.
I have done indirect cooking on my gas grill, but it is a bit of a pain in the ring.
I foil cover the grill and poke a few holes in it away from where the meat is.
Then I use, I think its called a trivet.
But at the end of the day, it is easier in the oven.

You have inspired me to do some grilling...
It's the middle of winter here, but I have a nice enclosed deck with my grill and a wood fired pizza oven.
So I don't have any excuses to not get out there.
It also has a fireplace, it all came with the house, but to my shame I haven't used it much.

Jun 27, 2020 0:41:01 GMT iNCY said:

Would love to hear your methods for preparing steak, I have one that I love and stick to like glue for perfect results every time.

I'm definitely going to be jealous when you buy that smoke Incy!

Rib eye is also my preferred cut of steak. For grilling? Take out of the fridge, rub it generously with salt. Let it come to room temperature. Turn on grill, one side high heat. Other side off. Sear each side for two mins, then put on indirect heat. Season with steak spice (can't do it before searing because the spice will burn). Flip once after 4-5 mins depending on doneness (I prefer medium). Let rest for 10 mins for juice to redistribute. 

OR

In my winter Incy, (-35C, what's your winter? +15C?) I don't bbq. So when I do have steak, I have two pans going. Same as before, take steak out, salt liberally, wait for it to come to room temperature. Rub a bit of oil on it. Pan 1 is on high heat. Sear each side for about 90 seconds. In the meantime, have the second pan going on medium heat, with a crap ton of butter, garlic and fresh sprig of rosemary. Once the sear is done, throw it in the other pan and continuously baste for 5ish mins, then flip and do the same thing. As always, once done, let the meat rest for 10 minutes before inhaling it. 

What's your steak method?

I live in one of the warmest parts of Canada and it still gets down to -15C on some days and you bet your ass I use the barbecue year round. You have no excuse, iNCY :lol:

Nothing fancy like you guys, but I do love my grilling. I'll fire up the ol' grill at least once a week from about March-November.

Which means RT is more hardcore than I am. 

Jun 27, 2020 2:41:05 GMT Foos said:

Jun 27, 2020 0:41:01 GMT iNCY said:

Would love to hear your methods for preparing steak, I have one that I love and stick to like glue for perfect results every time.

I'm definitely going to be jealous when you buy that smoke Incy!

Rib eye is also my preferred cut of steak. For grilling? Take out of the fridge, rub it generously with salt. Let it come to room temperature. Turn on grill, one side high heat. Other side off. Sear each side for two mins, then put on indirect heat. Season with steak spice (can't do it before searing because the spice will burn). Flip once after 4-5 mins depending on doneness (I prefer medium). Let rest for 10 mins for juice to redistribute. 

OR

In my winter Incy, (-35C, what's your winter? +15C?) I don't bbq. So when I do have steak, I have two pans going. Same as before, take steak out, salt liberally, wait for it to come to room temperature. Rub a bit of oil on it. Pan 1 is on high heat. Sear each side for about 90 seconds. In the meantime, have the second pan going on medium heat, with a crap ton of butter, garlic and fresh sprig of rosemary. Once the sear is done, throw it in the other pan and continuously baste for 5ish mins, then flip and do the same thing. As always, once done, let the meat rest for 10 minutes before inhaling it. 

What's your steak method?

Jun 27, 2020 4:02:42 GMT RT said:

I live in one of the warmest parts of Canada and it still gets down to -15C on some days and you bet your ass I use the barbecue year round. You have no excuse, iNCY

Not sure if the Australian vernacular translates well to Canadian, but I think you guys just called me "a soft cock"  :lol:
Winters in Melbourne aren't particularly cold, but they are miserable, I have had European and US suppliers visit in Winter and found it more miserable than home.
Here we get a couple of nights below zero and most of the days maximums will be between 6 and 15 degrees, but windy and wet.

My Steak method Foos, is sort of reliant on my BBQ but I would recommend to anyone to get one.
The method is also a little like yours.

The main thing is having the steak completely at room temperature, this takes at least 30 minutes from the fridge and maybe 15 minutes if directly from the store.
Another important step is to pat it down with paper towel so that it is dry.
Then I salt the steaks liberally... This is my unfailing secret salt:



Then I oil my steaks, this is another important point, never use olive oil the smoke temp is too low and it will get a burnt and acrid taste.
I always pre-heat my grill covered so that it is searing hot.
I only turn once, 4.5 minutes per side.
When I flip the steaks I put a nob of butter on each one.
With a normal grill I would sear either side and finish via indirect heat.

Then I rest for 5 minutes and serve.

This is such a ‘dude’ thread 😂

Jun 27, 2020 4:02:42 GMT RT said:

I live in one of the warmest parts of Canada and it still gets down to -15C on some days and you bet your ass I use the barbecue year round. You have no excuse, iNCY :lol:

We shovel a path to our BBQ in the winter. You just can’t go around cooking a good steak in a frying pan. That’s sacrilege!

I was dating a guy who was from Texas and I got the lecture of my life when I called what I did BBQ. He informed me what I did was grilling and true BBQ took a whole day where you invite your friends over to sit around the meat smoker with beers while the women folk prepared the side dishes, or at least that’s the gist I got from it.

Jun 27, 2020 5:40:44 GMT iron maiden said:

 true BBQ took a whole day where you invite your friends over to sit around the meat smoker with beers while the women folk prepared the side dishes, or at least that’s the gist I got from it.

Oh wow.. I'm blushing.
I didn't realise you wrote erotica iron maiden,  :lol:

Jun 27, 2020 5:40:44 GMT iron maiden said:

You just can’t go around cooking a good steak in a frying pan.

False! I used to think that way but then cooked it in the method described above and it's fantastic. Grilled on the BBQ is my preferred method but the two pan basted in butter is an excellent alternative.

I don't know about BBQ(smoke cooking) burgers. Ground beef is tender enough already, BBQing usually works best with tougher cuts of meat like Brisket, Ribs, or Pork loin. While grilling a burger gives it that little bit of crust on the outside.

But hey I could be wrong. Let me know how it turns out.

Mrs RT bought me a Traeger pellet grill for my birthday. I set it up yesterday and “seasoned” it (aka ran it on high for an hour to get the factory smell/leftover machine oil burnt off).

I can’t wait to use it. She went grocery shopping yesterday and stopped at the fancy butcher for a couple racks of ribs. We’ve also got some pork loin in the freezer and a pack of chicken wings as well. I downloaded the Traeger app and it’s fucking sweet. Users can share recipes, it has a voting system so you can sort and filter different recipes, they have “TragerTV” which is like 5 minute cooking shows.

I’M GONNA GET SO FAT

Oh and this is already planned for Thanksgiving this year:

The second I move out of this apartment I am gonna buy me a grill and learn how to properly B-B-to-the-Q like all proper 'Muricans and non-freedom loving folk should do.

My buddy's dad said he regrets not giving me the one he gave to his son because he never uses it and it's a damn good grill; Not that I'd have much use for it here anyways. I can cook a pretty mean burger for only having a skillet but it's just not the same. I hate going to family outings and get-togethers just on the basis of being a hermit crab, but BBQ is always a great incentive.

Also -- burgers are absolutely meant to be barbecued. Drown them bitches in Sweet Baby Ray's (or the local dank equivalent), salt, pepper and onion powder, let it swim for a while and you'll be good to go.

RT, I just got my neighbour's old smoker yesterday. They upgraded, gave me the old one. It's propane, and needs some TLC to clean up but...free smoker! I'll get fat with you, we'll swap recipes as smoker n00bs.

I ended up smoking some chicken thighs on my grill last week using a smoke packet. Worked out surprisingly well.

Disappointed at the lack of food porn here. It's what I've been avoiding the thread.

Jul 23, 2020 20:09:08 GMT RT said:

Mrs RT bought me a Traeger pellet grill for my birthday. I set it up yesterday and “seasoned” it (aka ran it on high for an hour to get the factory smell/leftover machine oil burnt off).

I can’t wait to use it. She went grocery shopping yesterday and stopped at the fancy butcher for a couple racks of ribs. We’ve also got some pork loin in the freezer and a pack of chicken wings as well. I downloaded the Traeger app and it’s fucking sweet. Users can share recipes, it has a voting system so you can sort and filter different recipes, they have “TragerTV” which is like 5 minute cooking shows.

I’M GONNA GET SO FAT

Post photos you bastard, I am so jealous!

I really like this YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UCBFpJP6yWesUbwXdTiumEjg
Let me know if you try reverse seared steaks, it is something I am keen to try.

If uploading photos from my phone wasn’t such a pain in the dick I would. Anyone know an easy way to do it?

First smoke attempt today. We buy the big pork loins from Costco and cut them into thirds, so one of those thirds is my guinea pig.

Found a simple recipe on the Traeger app. Mixed honey, pineapple juice (was supposed to be apple but I didn’t have any), BBQ rub, thyme and black pepper. Sat in the fridge for about six hours.

2.5 hrs in the smoker at 225F.

Will report back later. I am excite!

It's been 4+ hours. Either RT is in a meat coma (hopefully) or he ruined it, and is ashamed of his smoker n00bness (it's ok, I plan on ruining several meats, especially brisket at least 2-3 times before I get a decent smoke).

Jul 25, 2020 3:06:51 GMT Foos said:

It's been 4+ hours. Either RT is in a meat coma (hopefully) or he ruined it, and is ashamed of his smoker n00bness (it's ok, I plan on ruining several meats, especially brisket at least 2-3 times before I get a decent smoke).

I heard brisket is fucking hard to nail too.

It turned out pretty darn good. I would tweak a couple things. Needed to cook a little longer, and I planned on glazing it but ruined the glaze (cooked it too long and it thickened too much), but other than that it was very good.

Got a friend staying the night who is on his way to Saskatoon and he got in late. He said he ate and didn’t want food, but then smelled the leftovers and heated up a plate. So that’s something.

Jul 25, 2020 6:00:06 GMT RT said:

Jul 25, 2020 3:06:51 GMT Foos said:

It's been 4+ hours. Either RT is in a meat coma (hopefully) or he ruined it, and is ashamed of his smoker n00bness (it's ok, I plan on ruining several meats, especially brisket at least 2-3 times before I get a decent smoke).

I heard brisket is fucking hard to nail too.

It turned out pretty darn good. I would tweak a couple things. Needed to cook a little longer, and I planned on glazing it but ruined the glaze (cooked it too long and it thickened too much), but other than that it was very good.

Got a friend staying the night who is on his way to Saskatoon and he got in late. He said he ate and didn’t want food, but then smelled the leftovers and heated up a plate. So that’s something.

Do you have the meat thermometer and the app?
How was the smoke ring?

This thread makes me so hungry. And so thankful our new neighbor made the investment to go all in on chasing a BBQ hobby. Now I can reap all the rewards with zero cost.

Jul 25, 2020 10:10:10 GMT iNCY said:

Jul 25, 2020 6:00:06 GMT RT said:

I heard brisket is fucking hard to nail too.

It turned out pretty darn good. I would tweak a couple things. Needed to cook a little longer, and I planned on glazing it but ruined the glaze (cooked it too long and it thickened too much), but other than that it was very good.

Got a friend staying the night who is on his way to Saskatoon and he got in late. He said he ate and didn’t want food, but then smelled the leftovers and heated up a plate. So that’s something.

Do you have the meat thermometer and the app?
How was the smoke ring?

The grill I bought has two probes, but it doesn’t have the built in Bluetooth to connect to my phone. The exact same grill with Bluetooth was like another $350 so we said fuck that. I can get off my ass and walk to it to check the temps.

Smoke ring was pretty prominent. Maybe 1/4”? The skin (or “bark” I’ve been told it’s called) could have been better though. Like I said in my other post, it needed about another half hour on the grill. Recipe said to cook it to 145, I cooked it to 150, and honestly I could have gone to 160-165 and it probably would have been even better.

...

Now that the trial run is over I’m doing ribs today. Nothing fancy.

Binding was mustard, cider vinegar and Worcester sauce. Covered both sides in rub. Smoking on low for 3 hours, wrap with butter, honey and brown sugar, cook another 1.5-2 hours, glaze with Sweet Baby Rays to finish them off.

Wife and kids are at a friends house so I can focus haha.

I was given an electric smoker a few years ago by a qvc addict that bought one with no purpose. I had a charcoal one before but it was a poorly constructed one that was too difficult to maintain the temperature. This one feels like cheating but meh, cheating to make delicious smoked food works for me.

I have made ribs a few times, a pork butt, and some chicken drumsticks. The chicken was the only real failure, the meat was good but the skin was rubbery.

I enjoy grilling quite a bit, I have a large propane setup and a nice Weber charcoal grill which is my preferred setup. A blackened chicken recipe is my personal favorite but brats with 20-25 minutes of indirect heat, a burger or steak is good too.

mikec to be fair Traeger grills are basically electric smokers too. You plug it in, fill the hopper with pellets, set the temperature and then walk away for x amount of hours.

All Smokers Matter, is what I’m saying. Whatever works for you.