Food Do you grill, bbq, smoke?

An independent unit is good far a few reasons. Temps at the lid's surface may be different than on the grate where the meat is. Also it is nice to know what the internal temp of the meat is without opening the lid.

 

Did you foil at all? How long at what temp?

I highly recommend the 3-2-1 method, especially when experimenting with a new smoker.

 

Having some rugrats under our care this evening, so there is some candied bacon in the works.

 

I want to grill a bunch of chickens this summer.

Anyone have any good recipes for rubs/sauces/marinades? I like spicy, exotic, etc.

I'm thinking it might be good to practice quartering chickens.

What say you?

 

I grill a lot of chicken. Usually thighs, or the thigh/leg quarter.

Traditionally I just season the chicken and leave it at that. However, I do occasionally add some sauce. If you do, just know that adding it very early on in the process usually just means it drips/melts off, or burns into it. My preference for sauce is to put it on in the last few minutes, just long enough to caramelize.

Here is one of my favorites:

4-5 Chicken quarters (thigh and leg portions) with skin on them.
1 1/2 cups mayo
Juice from one lime
1 tbl cumin
1/2 tbl chili powder
1/2 tbl chipolte pepper powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper


First, salt and pepper the chicken like you would any other time. Then mix mayo, lime juice, and all seasonings listed above (including salt and pepper again) separately in a mixing bowl.

Put the seasoned chicken over the fire for several minutes on each side. Let it get about half or two-thirds the way done. At that point baste the top side of the chicken, and let it grill for a couple of minutes. Flip, and baste the other side. Let it grill for a couple of minutes. Repeat maybe once more, basting and flipping. You can also use whatever leftover sauce you may have to top the chicken once you pull it off the grill, that's up to you.

Some people go "mayo? really?", but it is just for the base. It doesn't really do much to the flavor profile, it is just something to put all the other seasonings into to get the end result.

 

Man, if I were actually going to be at the BBQ potluck for dinner tomorrow night, I would so make that chicken.

 

The brisket smoked all night. Ribs went on at 5:30 this am.

 

My goal ahead of this weekend is to do the maintenance on my little propane Weber, get it ready for the summer, and find a damn table to put the thing on.

 

I'm doing some ribs later today. Baby backs. My preference is spare ribs, but these should be good anyway. They are from a pork farm that has a stand at the farmer's market nearby.

 

So far been able to grill burgers and pork chops.

Going for ribs and chicken next

 

Friday I am doing a brisket, pork belly, and baked beans on the smoker.

I haven't done baked beans on the smoker before, despite planning to a few times before.

Here is the basic recipe I am starting with, though I'll add a tweak or two of my own:

The Once and Future Beans Recipe : Alton Brown : Food Network

I'm considering this maple bourbon recipe for the pork belly:

Maple-Bourbon Smoked Pork Belly | she cooks...he cleans

 

Yum, pork belly.

 

The marination begins.





It's now packed away to enjoy a maple bourbon bath for the next 3 days.

 

Saying the three have the same performance isn't entirely accurate IMO. I probably know 10-12 people who have one or the other, some more than one variation. The consensus is that Akorn<Kamado<BGE, if you are someone who uses it for grilling and serious smoking. Whether one or the other is the best 'bang for the buck' may be arguable, or whether particular end uses make it worth paying for the higher end unit. But I don't think many people will say the performance out of the box is the same between them. Ymmv