Grill/Smoker?

[MartyG]

Cave Man ribeyes on lump. Nothing better!

 

[Stagefright]

Hour zero of an eastern Carolina barbecue effort. 10 hours to go.

 

[crank]

We are on our second Weber Q gas grill. It's not a huge one and is the perfect size for the 2 of us. I can fit a couple of steaks and a bunch of veggies at the same time. If I had a crowd to cook for regularly I would get something bigger. But this one fits just outside the kitchen door on our deck and it gets used year round. First one lasted 12 years so they are a good value. So much more convenient than a charcoal grill. If I wanted to smoke stuff I would get Weber kettle, charcoal grill. My brother in law smokes a turkey with apple wood every Thanksgiving in one of those. Mmmm, salivating thinking about that in less than 2-weeks!

 

[JohnW63]

Cynthia,

I bought a small box smoker with two levels at Home Depot, I think. As you mentioned, it would not hold the temp and the coals would go out. I thought about adding better seals on the doors and fixing it up, but the thing only cost 60 bucks. Now, it's a horizontal surface next to a big 4 burner gas grill my family bought. I didn't know there where smoker grills and coal holders for the Weber style, until this thread. I'd have to chain it down so our Tortoise wouldn't push it off the porch though.

 

[davismanLV]

We got some people here who are SERIOUS about their grill/smokers!! Wow!!

 

[Walter Broes]

Weber Kettle here. No complaints!

 

[MartyG]

Ask Santa for one of these while you're at it. Temping your meat is critical for grilling and smoking success, and you look like a badass to your friends and family. Other than the grill, it's the best "accessory" investment I can think of - make it your first. Oh, and you'll use it all the time in the kitchen too. Accept no substitutes.

Thermapen® ONE

Specializing in cool, unique and professional temperature tools. Super-Fast thermocouples, thermistors, infrared thermometers, data logging and more.

www.thermoworks.com

 

[5thumbs]

I've used several grills through the ages, all charcoal.. Right now on my patio I have a Weber 14" portable, 18" and 22" kettles (2nd 18" - first one wore out after about 25 years) and a "Smokey Mountain Cooker".

I've cooked ribs, beer can chicken, shrimp, lobster tails. Various fishes, pepper steak, every kind of sausage. Burgers and such, of course. My best memory is of a turkey I cooked with mesquite. I collected the drippings and added them to the gravy, had to run out for more bread as people sucked it up.

Charcoal cooking can be challenging. It takes some time to master the timing, the amount, the positioning of the food on the grill (direct/indirect cooking), the choice of charcoal. But when you get it right it's amazing. Cooking over a gas fed flame is more like cooking on a stove to me; it tastes good but not quite the same. It's the journey vs. the destination thing, I guess.

Obviously I'm a Weber fan. Whatever you choose, you gonna love it.

 

[West R Lee]

Let's Talk Grills!

West

 

[gjmalcyon]

Ask Santa for one of these while you're at it. Temping your meat is critical for grilling and smoking success, and you look like a badass to your friends and family. Other than the grill, it's the best "accessory" investment I can think of - make it your first. Oh, and you'll use it all the time in the kitchen too. Accept no substitutes.

Thermapen® ONE

Specializing in cool, unique and professional temperature tools. Super-Fast thermocouples, thermistors, infrared thermometers, data logging and more.

www.thermoworks.com

+1. That right there was the single biggest upgrade I've ever made to my cooking skills.

 

[Opsimath]

Thank you everyone! Lots of info here. I had looked at the Oklahoma Joes before starting this thread and those still look good but so does a Weber with rotisserie and pizza oven. I had no idea there were so many extras to go with the Weber.

Am I any closer to deciding? No, not really, and all those pictures of grilled and smoked food are certainly nice to look at!

I'll read through it all again, and look at the pictures.

 

[Rocky]

Ask Santa for one of these while you're at it. Temping your meat is critical for grilling and smoking success, and you look like a badass to your friends and family. Other than the grill, it's the best "accessory" investment I can think of - make it your first. Oh, and you'll use it all the time in the kitchen too. Accept no substitutes.

Thermapen® ONE

Specializing in cool, unique and professional temperature tools. Super-Fast thermocouples, thermistors, infrared thermometers, data logging and more.

www.thermoworks.com

There are a few different (re)brands of those. The big thing is finding one that you can calibrate, as they can drift. For standards, you can use boiling water and ice water.

 

[JohnW63]

Tom,

The other problem with a Weber style grill is what shape they are. Without legs they are too domed and tortoise shaped. Remove the legs and you just made a robot girlfriend for our furniture moving reptile!

 

[beecee]

Tom,

The other problem with a Weber style grill is what shape they are. Without legs they are too domed and tortoise shaped. Remove the legs and you just made a robot girlfriend for our furniture moving reptile!

Alright......pix of the critter please!!!

 

[Opsimath]

Alright......pix of the critter please!!!

John's tortoise, from a thread last year. I think he said the little bugger is over 80 pounds maybe? Shoe for size reference. Adorable, isn't he?

 

[Midnight Toker]

A good friend of mine has this smoker (which I love) It’s the one w/ the horseshoe handles. It does a great job of holding even heat w/ just a little pile of coal/smoking wood in a bottom corner. Comes w/ a full sized bottom rack, a top rack which folds in 1/2 for access to the bottom, or you can insert two rods across the top for hanging meats on hooks. We do the hook method most often and have done upwards of 15 full racks of ribs on that sucker at the same time!! You’d need a massive expensive competition style smoker to do that horizontally. It’s made very well, and is super durable.
https://www.smokedbbqsource.com/best-drum-smokers/

I myself have a cheap rectangular 2 door charcoal tower smoker w/ 2 racks, a water pan, and charcoal pan. I’ve gotten over 20 years of great use out of it. I think I paid around $75 for it.

 

[RBSinTo]

Years ago, in another life I worked with a fellow who was very resourceful and handy. So much so that he built an entire summer home with materials he "expropriated" from our employers. They were rectal orifices to our customers and the staff and deserved it, so his secret was safe with me.
When I was disposing of a refrigerator that we no longer needed, he told me that he had converted a similar one into a smoker after removing the compressor and motor. As I had no interest in smoking meat, I didn't bother to convert ours, but thought I'd mention it here as a DIY alternative for anyone who is considering buying a smoker.
RBSinTo

 

[adorshki]

Cynthia, smoking is a whole new world beyond barbecue. I've not done it myself, but several friends of mine have become addicted to smoking and have a lot of fun doing it. Hope you enjoy the journey if you go that way.

It's about time someone stood up for smoker's rights.

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

I started with a small charcoal grill but after a while the waiting/planning on the charcoal just got old! 99.9% of the time I am grilling either one burger, or a chicken breast, or a pork chop. I now have this:

Light the grill, let it preheat for 5 minutes and you're cookin'! I purchased my own propane bottle so I get it refilled about every year and a half. The bottle swapping deal is a rip-off! I grill year round!

 

[Opsimath]

Ah, yes. Mrs. Grot is a vegetarian and doesn't like to smell meat cooking, right?

Still really considerate of you to grill in blizzard conditions so she is not subjected to the aroma!

I still think you need gloves.