Food Do you grill, bbq, smoke?

Ugh. Wrecked a set of ribs. Way overcooked. Oh well, some of the meat of salvageable. I'll get it better next time.

 

Sandy and I agree on that the Smoke flavor is better than the sauce or sauces.

 

I raise 3 steers each year so I have a lot of beef to grill, smoke..... The last 3 years I've taken the hearts, brisket, tongue and a few other cuts and brined them into corned beef then smoked it into pastrami. I've got a big chief tin smoker with a few mods, I took the thermostat and control from an oven and put a bigger burner in the big chief. I use a bigger pot to hold the wood chips so I get about 3 hours of smoke per load. After I brine the beef for 10+ days I wash it in cold running water for 6-8 hours. I rub it with a mix of stuff from a recipe I got online (google "close to Katz's") then smoke it at 170 for 8 hours then cook it for another 8 hours at 190-200. It comes out so moist and unbefuckinglievaby delicious.

I use the whole brisket with the fat cap still on. It is kinda like beef bacon, it is easily the best pastrami I've ever eaten. The hearts are amazing, super lean. The tongues are probably my favourite, they're very very rich.

 

you must be or have worked as a butcher. My Uncle Gene was a butcher, the man had arms and a chest Huge really. One time he was walking into the barn and the heifer kicked him in that chest. He went flying out the barn door, like in a movie. That man got up and went back in and still milked that cow. I also saw a horse bite him on his shoulder...My Uncle punched that horse in the face and his head actually jerked back from the force. He always seemed to have a hog hanging from a tree packed down with either salt or sugar. 3 steers is a lot of meat and work.

 

We skipped Sunday breakfast and just had coffee on the porch. Got to sleep in again, didn't get up till 7:30. I worked in the yard and Sandy grilled us some sausages, hamburgers, and Nathan hot dogs. The kids are coming out and it will be a good day today.

 

Smoked a couple shoulders today I bought from costco. So much more forgiving than ribs. I cooked them hot and fast again, and I really think that method works well. They were cooked at roughly 275-300 for the temp. I started my smoker at 12 and we were eating at just after 5. Meat had a good flavor and was very tender, even though I chopped it. I recommend hot and fast, having to only cook for 5 hours is such a treat and makes me more willing to do it more often. Still have a ton of leftovers,considering we ate less than half of one shoulder.

 

I prefer the flavour of the smoke, deep smoke, no sauce

 

Smoked a turkey for thanksgiving. About 20 lbs, at 300 or so degrees. Turkey was only on the smoker for about 3.5 hours. Brought it up nicely to 165 degrees. Was finished too soon so I placed foil over it and then laid a couple bath towels over that. Over an hour later and it was still steaming when unwrapped. Came out most excellent.

 

Looking for recommendations on the best charcoal to use for BBQ-ing. I have recently come into possession of a Weber kettle charcoal grill, plus the starter chimney, and have used my first bag of lump charcoal which is called Oak Park ( I think). I wanted to stay away from briquettes. My first attempt yielded a steak that was tasty, but didn't have that nice caramelized sear on it. I took it off before it could get over cooked. I thought it was the charcoal brand, but I have since practiced with opening the vents to draw more air through which seems to have done the trick.

have now enjoyed flavourful shrimp, calamari, grilled veggies and potatoes, corn and burgers. Not sure if I will ever go back to my propane Weber! I remember how convenient the propane was after struggling with the hibachi all through the '80s, but the chimney starter is a game changer.


So, what brand and style of charcoal should I be on the look out for? I heard that Kingsford is THE name in the business.

(PS - by BBQ I am using the term as canadians are want to do: using charcoal to grill food.)

 

I use natural charcoal pieces whenever possible. Most Home Depot-like stores, Fresh Markets, Whole Foods, etc type stores will carry them. I start them with a charcoal chimney, so there is no lighter fluid or funky-tasting stuff. The natural charcoal comes on chunks of wood material.

 

@Borla

 

This is great! Thanks Borla. I have been buying the bags at my local Costco - and you are right, they are left on the pallet and the chunks are fairly large and intact.

Thanks for the link!