2013 Gratuitous Grill Thread

[Caleb]

what are some good pork ribs rub? I got 3 racks to cook up for my nephew's 1st birthday this weekend...

 

[Mark-DuCo]

Yuck... Lighter fluid.

My thoughts exactly, you need a charcoal chimney my friend

As far as rib rubs, I usually go with Famous Dave's rib rub and Grippos seasoning about half and half. smoke for three hours at 240, foil with butter, rub, agave nectar, and brown sugar for 2 hours, then unwrap and back on for 30 minutes then I start layering my sauce on for another 30 minutes to get a good caramelized glaze. Sounds like a lot of work, but it is definitely worth it.

 

[mrjarrell]

what are some good pork ribs rub? I got 3 racks to cook up for my nephew's 1st birthday this weekend...

Look online and make your own. Lots of tasty recipes out there that you can tweak to your own tastes.

 

[steveh_131]

Dinner last night. Turkey drumsticks.

Brined in water and kosher salt for 9 hours. A little salt, pepper and olive oil. Cooked them indirect in my kettle at 350 for around 80 minutes. Apple wood for smoke. They had a nice thick smoke ring and were absolutely delicious.

Question for the pros. I haven't been using a drip pan for my indirect cooks. I'm starting to regret this, as I can see the grease buildup on the bottom of my kettle that I'll need to clean to avoid a fire.

I'm curious...how does the drip pan affect the flavor? Is it different for different meats?

Also, I've enjoyed the convenience of just banking the coals to the side of the kettle, but will this damage the porcelain over time? Do you guys bank them or use baskets? I have the baskets, It's just kind of a pain to try to dump the charcoal in them.

 

[Caleb]

My thoughts exactly, you need a charcoal chimney my friend

As far as rib rubs, I usually go with Famous Dave's rib rub and Grippos seasoning about half and half. smoke for three hours at 240, foil with butter, rub, agave nectar, and brown sugar for 2 hours, then unwrap and back on for 30 minutes then I start layering my sauce on for another 30 minutes to get a good caramelized glaze. Sounds like a lot of work, but it is definitely worth it.

might have to try that!

 

[mrjarrell]

Dinner last night. Turkey drumsticks.

Brined in water and kosher salt for 9 hours. A little salt, pepper and olive oil. Cooked them indirect in my kettle at 350 for around 80 minutes. Apple wood for smoke. They had a nice thick smoke ring and were absolutely delicious.







Question for the pros. I haven't been using a drip pan for my indirect cooks. I'm starting to regret this, as I can see the grease buildup on the bottom of my kettle that I'll need to clean to avoid a fire.

I'm curious...how does the drip pan affect the flavor? Is it different for different meats?

Also, I've enjoyed the convenience of just banking the coals to the side of the kettle, but will this damage the porcelain over time? Do you guys bank them or use baskets? I have the baskets, It's just kind of a pain to try to dump the charcoal in them.

I just bank the coals. Have been doing it for many years and it hasn't done anything to the porcelain. Keep on banking! As for drip pans, I'll use them for something like a chicken or turkey or pork shoulder. Doesn't affect the flavour at all, unless I let it. Sometimes I'll add some water to the pan and then up the ante by spicing the water with wine or sherry and some spices like peppercorns and bay leaves and garlic and the like. The flavours they can impart on a long slow cook are subtle, but they're there. Every little bit helps. Usually, tho I just add some water to the pan and leave it at that.

 

[Fargo]

I just bank the coals. Have been doing it for many years and it hasn't done anything to the porcelain. Keep on banking! As for drip pans, I'll use them for something like a chicken or turkey or pork shoulder. Doesn't affect the flavour at all, unless I let it. Sometimes I'll add some water to the pan and then up the ante by spicing the water with wine or sherry and some spices like peppercorns and bay leaves and garlic and the like. The flavours they can impart on a long slow cook are subtle, but they're there. Every little bit helps. Usually, tho I just add some water to the pan and leave it at that.

I like to add apple juice to the drip pan beneath my pork butts. Once again, it is subtle but there. I will also use apple juice if I foil some ribs and occasionally to boil brats in.



Best,

Joe

 

[TheUziButton]

Yuck... Lighter fluid.

You’re the 8th person that has remarked negatively in reference to the lighter fluid. I am not sure how the lighter fluid was employed in the cooking process by the gentlemen cooking that day but everything ended up tasted great regardless. Is there a way the lighter fluid can be employed in the cooking process that will impact the taste of the food negatively? If so, how? Does the use of lighter fluid in the cooking process cause cancer or lead to some other disease? I’m just curious, I have no cooking knowledge, I just take pictures of stuff.

 

[steveh_131]

You’re the 8th person that has remarked negatively in reference to the lighter fluid. I am not sure how the lighter fluid was employed in the cooking process by the gentlemen cooking that day but everything ended up tasted great regardless. Is there a way the lighter fluid can be employed in the cooking process that will impact the taste of the food negatively? If so, how? Does the use of lighter fluid in the cooking process cause cancer or lead to some other disease? I’m just curious, I have no cooking knowledge, I just take pictures of stuff.

Some people don't like the flavor that ends up in the food when you use lighter fluid. My wife literally spits it out. Some people don't seem to mind it much.

I've read that if you give it plenty of time to burn off before you put the food on that it's not so bad. I abandoned it for a chimney with my first charcoal grill. $15 at home depot, should last many years, and it lights quicker and easier anyways.

 

[chezuki]

Some people don't like the flavor that ends up in the food when you use lighter fluid. My wife literally spits it out. Some people don't seem to mind it much.

I've read that if you give it plenty of time to burn off before you put the food on that it's not so bad. I abandoned it for a chimney with my first charcoal grill. $15 at home depot, should last many years, and it lights quicker and easier anyways.

This. Some people have more sensitive palates than others. To me, anything cooked on charcoal lit with lighter fluid tastes like it was basted in kerosene. It doesn't matter how long it was left to "burn off". Chimney starter for the win!!

Some people can taste it just from the residue left from previous cooking even if none was used for the current cook.

 

[ddavidson]

Yuck... Lighter fluid.

No doubt, bleh!

Weber chimney is the way to go.

And I'm glad I'm not the only one who has a bunch of guns and knives laying around when I'm grilling.

 

[sempreobie]

jalapenos, cream cheese, wrapped in bacon. These were amazing!

Definitely one of my favorite appetizers. Love the quantity!

 

[sempreobie]

Would love to post a pic of the ribs I smoked last weekend, but apparently I have an image quota of 10kb meaning the image would be incredibly small. Anyone know what that's about. Couldn't find anything related in the FAQ.

 

[mrjarrell]

Would love to post a pic of the ribs I smoked last weekend, but apparently I have an image quota of 10kb meaning the image would be incredibly small. Anyone know what that's about. Couldn't find anything related in the FAQ.

Post your pictures to a service like Photobucket.com and then just put in the link to the picture. It's easy and free.

 

[Caleb]

Post your pictures to a service like Photobucket.com and then just put in the link to the picture. It's easy and free.

x2

 

[Clay]

George Goble @ Purdue. Lafayette FD finally asked him to stop doing this.

Lighting a charcoal grill with liquid oxygen - YouTube

that guy was one wacky dude!

 

[Clay]

What do you guys think about charcoal fired smokers vs. electric smokers? I've been wanting to build a smoker for a while and have always though charcoal was the way to go. A guy a work has an electric smoker that turns out some pretty darn good product, and has *almost* made me rethink things.

 

[Caleb]

What do you guys think about charcoal fired smokers vs. electric smokers? I've been wanting to build a smoker for a while and have always though charcoal was the way to go. A guy a work has an electric smoker that turns out some pretty darn good product, and has *almost* made me rethink things.

are you a purest?

 

[steveh_131]

The meat smoking purists really prefer charcoal over all else. I think there probably are some subtle differences in the smokey flavor with charcoal versus any other method. I've certainly seen a huge flavor difference in my grilled food since I switched to a charcoal kettle from gas, although that may be more due to the versatility of the kettle.

On the other hand, you really can't beat the convenience of the electric and propane variety. Assuming you get a good one...MANY of them are not good at all. You need one with a powerful enough heat source and insulated enough to achieve and maintain the temps that you want. And if it doesn't have a thermostat-controlled heat source (the cheaper ones don't), I honestly don't see much of a convenience benefit over charcoal. A well-built charcoal drum smoker will stay at a pretty steady temp without much tweaking, based on what I've read.

Clear as mud? Yeah, that's what I thought too!

 

[Caleb]

The meat smoking purists really prefer charcoal over all else. I think there probably are some subtle differences in the smokey flavor with charcoal versus any other method. I've certainly seen a huge flavor difference in my grilled food since I switched to a charcoal kettle from gas, although that may be more due to the versatility of the kettle.

On the other hand, you really can't beat the convenience of the electric and propane variety. Assuming you get a good one...MANY of them are not good at all. You need one with a powerful enough heat source and insulated enough to achieve and maintain the temps that you want. And if it doesn't have a thermostat-controlled heat source (the cheaper ones don't), I honestly don't see much of a convenience benefit over charcoal. A well-built charcoal drum smoker will stay at a pretty steady temp without much tweaking, based on what I've read.

Clear as mud? Yeah, that's what I thought too!

in my opinion, I'd get either a charcoal or propane grill but my smoker will always burn charcoal/wood