BBQ: An off golf thread

General Discussion
#1

@Fraser Do you like the RecTec? I’m tempted by the $400 one that goes to 750 degrees… My biggest complaint on pellet grills is the inability to properly sear things… I could just use a charcoal starter and a grate to do that, though…

I’ve got an old tailgater Traeger I bought on Facebook for $200… it’s gotten me into smoking on a pellet grill… I’ve always been interested in making my own BBQ and it’s definitely a good gateway… My wife doesn’t love pulled pork, so I don’t use it a ton. Brisket is pricey! I just cleaned my grill out again and am using it for some smoked wings tonight… I need to smoke a whole chicken for her.

Anything you like to do on it?

My top three BBQ places are probably: Joe’s KC BBQ, Q39 (also in KC) and Slow Bone in Dallas (I didn’t eat at the other top rated places)… Louisville BBQ is OK, but I’m confident I can do better…

I need to try a combo sous vide and smoker and see if I can make something truly epic!

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Write about your Round
#2

I’m a Traeger guy. I have a Pro 22 and a Pro 575. Do I need two? No. Do I like having the option of doing a full packer on one and ten racks of ribs on the other? You betcha.

I don’t have any experience with the Rec Tec, though those that have them are vocal online about loving them. I wish my Traeger got to 750°, but I generally just get my cast iron super hot for the reverse sear on steaks.

I hung out with a buddy a couple weeks ago who has a suped up Yoder and I got very very jealous. They’re so freaking expensive, though, and I’ve never been disappointed in my Traeger. Especially now that I’ve got my brisket down.

My favorite is beef ribs and I don’t want to boast, but I’ve never had beef ribs at a bbq joint that I like more than mine. Pork ribs are still a work in progress for me. I’d say good, not great. Chicken is far from perfected, though I haven’t done a whole bird. I have done turkey. My first one was absolute garbage. Dry as a bone, but my second one was the best turkey I’ve ever had. And I’m not a big turkey guy.

If you were closer I’d sell you my Pro 22 for $350 or less. My wife begs me daily to downsize my grill collection on the patio. The 575 is the star of the show and got its own home with butcher block prep stations this Spring.

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#3

Awesome! My biggest struggle with beef ribs is sourcing them… “played beef ribs” gets me some odd stares… I need a better butcher!

Costco has the full bones awhile back… they were massive! I should have pulled the trigger.

The only reason I’m contemplating the Rec Tec is they have one that gets super hot… but my guess is pellet grills are going to take some strides forward as the market gets saturated.

This is my current setup… it’s old and doesn’t hold temperature that well… I mainly use it as a grill and not a smoker.

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#4

Traeger makes a nice smoker and I’ve seen great bbq done on them. I have an old 680 that I’ve upgraded thru the years; I like the wi-fi (traeger didn’t have that, or PID when we bought) and ability to monitor/adjust temp from anywhere. I use a 4-channel Signals to monitor the pit and food, also monitor temp from anywhere. Very pleased with the recteq, CS is phenomenal.
Agree with you, pellets aren’t great for searing and/or grilling, at least mid-range models.
I have a few kettles that get occasional use but mostly rely on my Coyote for grilling. It’s got 3 burners, sear station, rotisserie and side burner. Use the sear quite a lot. I find the combination to be absolutely ideal.
Also, strongly suggest you try GrillGrates. I use ‘em on both grill & smoker, fantastic grill marks!
As far as what we cook, I’m not much of an indoor cook (inherited the job since wife’s back issues) so we do most of our cooking outside. Think of your smoker like an oven; just about anything done in oven is better in the smoker and anything done in a skillet is better on grill!
Obviously brisket, ribs, chicken but also turkey, fish, vegetables, bbq beans (nothing beats pulled pork bbq beans!), cornbread, cobbler, you name it. Heck, I’ve even smoked salt (it’s incredible)! To me, it’s kinda like ballesteros and a 3-iron: you never know what you can do with it until you get one and try.
For example, today I’m doing a brisket, bbq beans, sausage, cornbread, grilled corn and maybe a cobbler.
If I was in the market, there’s some fantastic pellet-burners out there, especially the high-end cookers; I dream of a real outdoor kitchen with a Memphis!

Got some awesome recipes if you’re interested!

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#5

I’ve talked with my wife about getting into BBQ. I haven’t pulled the trigger yet (a lot of these units are expensive), plus I’m in an apartment with rules about the types of BBQs we can use. But all this talk about brisket, BBQ beans, and cornbread is making me hungry :drooling_face:

I might have to get into this over the summer.

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#6

While quality ingredients are important, I’ve found the rub and the cook is equally significant. I’ve made some awesome racks from local grocery.
I’ve been mixing my own rubs for years to control the salt (commercial rubs are mostly salt). I prefer to “dry-brine” (salt, black pepper, touch of granulated garlic) before applying rub, thus preventing ‘double-salting’.
Temp control is key, check your pit with a DOT, Signals or Smoke thermometer; sometimes even pellet controllers are off.
Wrap in silicone pink butcher paper to finish cook, back on a few minutes unwrapped to set glaze. Yum!

Hope this helps!

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#7

On a limited budget? Go with the redneck cooler/grill. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

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Seriously though, we have a table top hibachi charcoal grill and a Weber Genesis? purchased new in 2001.Too lazy to get off the couch for pics, but I’ll post 'em one of these days.
I know neither can compete with the newer pellet grills, but they cook foods just fine for us.

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#8

Haha! People laugh at some of my home brew rigs.

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Here’s my ‘tandoori-can chicken’ rig. Kettle+flower pot+beer can = great beer can chicky!

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#9

When I say I have trouble sourcing them, I mean I have trouble finding the actual cut of beef to make the ribs with… and when I do get them they end up small and not as meaty as I want.

#10

This is awesome. Nice work!

#11

Excellent choices! If you’re in the area also check out Danny Edwards (just south of downtown) & Woodyard (in Merriam on the Kansas side).

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#12

I’m sure I’ll go back… we did jack stack as well? It was good but not as good as the others.

#13

Jack Stack isn’t bad, but I agree there’s better. I’d say the same about both Gates and Arthur Bryant’s as well.

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#14

Bummer. There are probably five meat markets near me that always have big 3-4 bone beef ribs. Big meaty dino bones worthy of a Flintstone.

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#15

I had a local farm cut some for me once… it was awesome.

#16

In my opinion there isn’t a better bite in all of barbecue. These are the ones I did for Father’s Day last year.

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#17

Looks amazing! My favorite local joint does them, but they are hit or miss…

#18

My morning constitutionals will never be the same.

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#19

This question is up my alley. It’s what I do for a living. The reason you can’t or don’t get a good or proper sear is the inconsistency of your grill grates. If you want to kick ass either fire u’re cast iron pan on them so the heat is consistent over the surface OR get something like this. It’s what I have on my grill. I can get the heat up to 800*F http://grillgrate.com/products/17-grillgrate-sets/ if you need help setting up a smoker or want to learn how to do a wet smoke ask me and I’ll give u the trick. Dry smoke can take 18 to 26 hours. You can do a wet smoke in like 6 hours. If you can’t do a brisket because of priceyness, an unbelievable replacement is chuck roast or a rump cap

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#20

We may be having some chats about brisket here soon.

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