Show us your meat - The BBQ thread

[Warby]

Sure, you can smoke in anything really, I've smoked food in something as simple as a wok before.
Still having a separate fire box & being able to control the heat consistently will always give you a better result in the end.

You can control heat consistently with the Weber kettle lol. Seriously, don't write it off as a smoker.. there are lots of people knocking out amazing smoked meats with the Weber kettles. I can guarantee that whatever I can do with my kamado, or Bananas can do with his pellet grill, you can do with your kettle.

Offset smokers are great if you WANT to spend your day tending the fire and working it. They're definitely not necessary though.. The only real advantage they tend to have is cooking space, which is why they are what is used in a commercial and catering context. For the average home user, they're unnecessary (but still a great option if they're what you want)

 

[MrPoopypants]

View attachment 70243

Are those beef ribs?? I'm really interested in what kind of cuts some of these are. Cheers PP

 

[MrPoopypants]

Loving this thread. I've been keen to get a smoker but unable to figure my way through all the techniques, machines etc. Only recently discovered slow cooking with ribs and beef. Any hints, opinions etc welcome. Charcoal sounds great, but pellets, able to be left?? That sounds pretty amazing, too, but do you sacrifice taste??
What are some of the best ways to control heat, to keep it low enough, I'd imagine what type of cooker you get is the important thing??
Definitely getting heaps of info here. Thanks. PP

 

[MrPoopypants]

I did a good 4 or 5 bad brisket before I finally got one right and since then I've realised it's very easy you just need to stick to a couple of basic rules.

??? Don't stop there!! The rules, what are the rules???? I neeeeed brisket ... PP

 

[CaptainBanana]

You can control heat consistently with the Weber kettle lol. Seriously, don't write it off as a smoker.. there are lots of people knocking out amazing smoked meats with the Weber kettles. I can guarantee that whatever I can do with my kamado, or Bananas can do with his pellet grill, you can do with your kettle.

Offset smokers are great if you WANT to spend your day tending the fire and working it. They're definitely not necessary though.. The only real advantage they tend to have is cooking space, which is why they are what is used in a commercial and catering context. For the average home user, they're unnecessary (but still a great option if they're what you want)

This is correct plenty of people are knocking out meals as good or better in kettles than those with much more expensive devices it's absolutely suitable and like you said earlier start by looking at the snake method and learning how to utilise the vents for temperature control. I bought a pellet smoker primarily because I'm lazy I want to be able to leave the meat overnight and then for 2 hours at a time throughout the day without having to tend to it.

 

[CaptainBanana]

Loving this thread. I've been keen to get a smoker but unable to figure my way through all the techniques, machines etc. Only recently discovered slow cooking with ribs and beef. Any hints, opinions etc welcome. Charcoal sounds great, but pellets, able to be left?? That sounds pretty amazing, too, but do you sacrifice taste??
What are some of the best ways to control heat, to keep it low enough, I'd imagine what type of cooker you get is the important thing??
Definitely getting heaps of info here. Thanks. PP

People say pellet smokers don't infuse as much of a smoky taste but if you look at the cutaway sections of my food you will see the red ring around the outside and that shows you there's pretty sufficient smoke also you can see just how dark the bark is on my brisket it's a hardly lacking.

 

[CaptainBanana]

Are those beef ribs?? I'm really interested in what kind of cuts some of these are. Cheers PP

They look like beef short ribs some butchers actually sell them pre-cut like that but I prefer to buy them whole as you can see in some of my earlier pictures, everyone's got their preference.

 

[Warby]

I'm with Bananas - buy the rack of ribs and cut to serve.

Coles sell racks of what they call "back ribs" under the Drover brand which I'm a big fan of. Costs under $20 for 2 racks (looks like one in the pack. It's actually 2) of pretty decent quality beef ribs. Not as meaty as the beef shorties, but plenty of meat for a good feed and only takes ~3-4hrs to cook to perfection.

 

[CaptainBanana]

Loving this thread. I've been keen to get a smoker but unable to figure my way through all the techniques, machines etc. Only recently discovered slow cooking with ribs and beef. Any hints, opinions etc welcome. Charcoal sounds great, but pellets, able to be left?? That sounds pretty amazing, too, but do you sacrifice taste??
What are some of the best ways to control heat, to keep it low enough, I'd imagine what type of cooker you get is the important thing??
Definitely getting heaps of info here. Thanks. PP

Pellet smoker is set and forget pretty much, you turn a dial like your oven and that's it it does the rest.

Offset smokers are full manual and require some attention, ceramic kamodos for example are also manual but due to their insanely good insulation they require very little adjustment throughout the cook, they are also able to get insanely hot so you can do things like pizzas in them.

I would probably first ask yourself what you want to cook how often you want to cook it and how much time you can spend while it's happening and then work from there.



Beef brisket as done by me, I make my own spice, get a shaker about the size of a jam jar. I do 60% pepper 40% cooking salt, a couple teaspoons of onion powder a couple teaspoons of garlic powder a teaspoon of sweet paprika.

Trim off any hard fat on the brisket but leave as much of the soft fat as you can and if you like a really juicy brisket make sure you use the point end or as some Australian butchers call it the bossom end.

I completely smother it in whatever cheap yellow mustard you can and then spice it's liberally really need to have a good coating if it's too salty you just need to back the salt off in your spice mix recipe.

That's it put it in the smoker for 110c. The last two and a half kilo brisket I did I ran over night for about 8 hours without touching it. Once up in the morning I sprayed it every hour or so with apple cider vinegar but you can use pretty much anything you want. When it hits stall you can either wait an eternity or wrap in pink butchers paper.

What's the temperature gets to 90 degrees start using a steel probe to poke the thick part of the cut, the probe should go in and out like a hot knife in butter it should take no resistance at all. If you still have resistance let it cook and check every 15 minutes by poking it until it does probe like butter.

I then remove it and while still in the butchers paper I wrap it in a bath towel and stick it in an Esky for at least 2 hours.

 

[CaptainBanana]

I'm with Bananas - buy the rack of ribs and cut to serve.

Coles sell racks of what they call "back ribs" under the Drover brand which I'm a big fan of. Costs under $20 for 2 racks (looks like one in the pack. It's actually 2) of pretty decent quality beef ribs. Not as meaty as the beef shorties, but plenty of meat for a good feed and only takes ~3-4hrs to cook to perfection.

I've cooked two of their $14 briskets and they were two of the best I've done far better than the $50, $60 and $70 briskets I've done in some cases.

 

[phs]

Are those beef ribs?? I'm really interested in what kind of cuts some of these are. Cheers PP

hey mate

They are beef short ribs

these ones here to be exact

Beef Short Ribs - Grass Fed Marble score 2-4

Grass fed beef short ribs available in a rack of three or 1kg of cut short ribs (approx 6 pieces). Top Quality Ribs. Order Online and Same Day Delivery.

marbledmeats.com.au

 

[Warby]

Charcoal sounds great, but pellets, able to be left?? That sounds pretty amazing, too, but do you sacrifice taste??
What are some of the best ways to control heat, to keep it low enough, I'd imagine what type of cooker you get is the important thing??
Definitely getting heaps of info here. Thanks. PP

Once you get the technique nailed for your bbq, charcoal is reasonably set and forget. With my kamado for example I can (usually, hah) get it to sit comfortably on my chosen temperature with very minimal deviation all day long. You can also buy aftermarket controllers for them that allow you to set a temperature and they'll adjust vents and airflow to maintain that temperature.

Pellet grills cant be beat for the simplicity though - with the more expensive wifi controlled models you can even adjust temperature from your phone remotely. With good quality pellets there's no sacrifice in taste - you're still cooking over fire, it's just that the fuel is little wood pellets instead of big lumps.

In charcoal grills (Weber kettle, Kamado, etc) temperature is controlled by fuel and airflow. In kettles especially, you lay out your fuel (briquettes or lump) so that a certain amount is burning at any one time. Airflow is controlled by vents to restrict or let more air in. It's a matter of trial and error with your own bbq to find the combination that gets the temperature you want. In my kamado, I just have a pile of lump charcoal in the bottom - I use a butane blowtorch to get a few coals glowing go start with then let it go with both top and bottom vents wide open until it's ~50F off of my target temp. Close the vents almost all the way and then it will almost always settle to where I want it and stay there all day long.

The type of cooker you get really just determines how you manage the cook:
An offset you tend the fire in the firebox.
A Kamado (Joe, dragon, etc) you manage purely through vents.
A kettle you manage through fuel layout and vents.
Pellet is via the pellet feed
Etc etc.

Ultimately, every style of smoker will be capable of producing awesome meats. It's just a matter of learning the right technique for your chosen smoker.. some require more effort than others.

 

[Warby]

I've cooked two of their $14 briskets and they were two of the best I've done far better than the $50, $60 and $70 briskets I've done in some cases.

If I'm doing brisket I prefer to spend up and get a full 4/5/6kg brisket from the butcher and enjoy leftovers for days

I love the Coles and Woolworths briskets though for smash burgers. Family favourite there. Kids even say it's better than Macca's hah

 

[CaptainBanana]

If I'm doing brisket I prefer to spend up and get a full 4/5/6kg brisket from the butcher and enjoy leftovers for days

I love the Coles and Woolworths briskets though for smash burgers. Family favourite there. Kids even say it's better than Macca's hah

I usually only cook for two so I really can't do much with 4 kilos of brisket. I was originally buying all my meat from a prime cut butcher hear in town and they sell O'Connor beef which is supposed to be amazing but really those Coles cuts impressed the hell out of me I couldn't believe how well they came out.

 

[unko84]

 

[MrPoopypants]

People say pellet smokers don't infuse as much of a smoky taste but if you look at the cutaway sections of my food you will see the red ring around the outside and that shows you there's pretty sufficient smoke also you can see just how dark the bark is on my brisket it's a hardly lacking.

Hey CB,
Mate, your stuff looks fatastic. Got to admit my ignorance with all this stuff, I had to google most of what you guys are using. Hadn't even heard of pellet smokers. I'll have a look at Bunnings ones in the next day or so, just to get an idea. My problem is I'd need a bush block to put all the ovens and bbqs I'd like to get. Definitely going to get a smoker, though. Low and slow ribs are my kids favourite. Here goes another few days searching through the interwebs. And there goes my weight and cholesterol levels. PP

 

[MrPoopypants]

Once you get the technique nailed for your bbq, charcoal is reasonably set and forget. With my kamado for example I can (usually, hah) get it to sit comfortably on my chosen temperature with very minimal deviation all day long. You can also buy aftermarket controllers for them that allow you to set a temperature and they'll adjust vents and airflow to maintain that temperature.

Pellet grills cant be beat for the simplicity though - with the more expensive wifi controlled models you can even adjust temperature from your phone remotely. With good quality pellets there's no sacrifice in taste - you're still cooking over fire, it's just that the fuel is little wood pellets instead of big lumps.

In charcoal grills (Weber kettle, Kamado, etc) temperature is controlled by fuel and airflow. In kettles especially, you lay out your fuel (briquettes or lump) so that a certain amount is burning at any one time. Airflow is controlled by vents to restrict or let more air in. It's a matter of trial and error with your own bbq to find the combination that gets the temperature you want. In my kamado, I just have a pile of lump charcoal in the bottom - I use a butane blowtorch to get a few coals glowing go start with then let it go with both top and bottom vents wide open until it's ~50F off of my target temp. Close the vents almost all the way and then it will almost always settle to where I want it and stay there all day long.

The type of cooker you get really just determines how you manage the cook:
An offset you tend the fire in the firebox.
A Kamado (Joe, dragon, etc) you manage purely through vents.
A kettle you manage through fuel layout and vents.
Pellet is via the pellet feed
Etc etc.

Ultimately, every style of smoker will be capable of producing awesome meats. It's just a matter of learning the right technique for your chosen smoker.. some require more effort than others.

Thanks Warby, got all that stuff open in other windows now. I definitely need to move beyond my flame thrower approach to bbqs. Love the idea of charcoal, but convenience of pellets sounds good, too. First world problems, eh?? Some great tips and photos here, I'll send you the bill for my first by-pass. PP

 

[BKMad]

Thanks Warby, got all that stuff open in other windows now. I definitely need to move beyond my flame thrower approach to bbqs. Love the idea of charcoal, but convenience of pellets sounds good, too. First world problems, eh?? Some great tips and photos here, I'll send you the bill for my first by-pass. PP

Gas smokers are pretty good. I've got a Hark gas smoker and like the fact that I can load it up, turn it on and then come back hours later and its still doing its thing without any work from me. If I'm cooking for a lunch, I'll turn it on before I go to bed and a pork shoulder is done by around 11ish the next morning. You can pick up a hark gas smoke for around $350.

 

[CaptainBanana]

Hey CB,
Mate, your stuff looks fatastic. Got to admit my ignorance with all this stuff, I had to google most of what you guys are using. Hadn't even heard of pellet smokers. I'll have a look at Bunnings ones in the next day or so, just to get an idea. My problem is I'd need a bush block to put all the ovens and bbqs I'd like to get. Definitely going to get a smoker, though. Low and slow ribs are my kids favourite. Here goes another few days searching through the interwebs. And there goes my weight and cholesterol levels. PP

The market is flooded with pellet smokers currently, objectively speaking I couldn't see any better build or features in brands worth twice as much and more - don't get caught in hype, advertising and features of no practical use.

 

[LurchWA]

Made this for about 100 bucks all up, use kettle racks inside, lid was from a kerbside pickup ( old weber lookalike)
Finding that briquettes gives a hotter longer burn instead of charcoal, using that a bit more when I do rotisserie now.
Took a bit of mucking around when I first put it together but I can get this sitting pretty consistently at 130 C now