So what’s everyone smoking for the holiday season? I’m getting much more comfortable now…I’ve added a few completed smokes to the list: Pork butt, Beef ribs, pork ribs (st louis and babyback), beef brisket, tri-tip, chuck roast, whole chicken, pizza, mahi mahi, pig shots…
Looking for more ideas. Loving the assortment of Meat Church rubs.
Since our indoor cooktop died, thought I’d try lasagna outside. First, the bolognese: fresh ground chuck & sausage.
Bechamel done on GrillGrates (sorry, no pics; too busy stirring!) Then the noodles go on side burner while bolognese simmering on grill (background).
Then assembly.
Into the smoker for an hour.
Too hungry to be patient, should’ve let it set up longer!
Looks like trainwreak, but it was really tasty.
Indoor kitchens (like tee shots) are overrated!
-Fraser
Just added grill grates to my gravity fed smoker… game changer! Finally can get the sear I want on the grill. I’m tempted to reverse sear smoke the tomahawk I have… but my wife and daughter might not like it…
Alton Brown’s technique for basically turning your chimney starter into a salamander, works really well for getting a nuclear sear on things. Glad the grill grates are working for you
Why do you think they’d not like the reverse-sear and smoke?
Too much smoke flavor.
Occupational hazard when cooking with a smoker, lol. But I can see their point. Do two different cuts, two different ways, would be my attempt at splitting the baby.
It’s all good… I’ll smoke one on it eventually. As I’ve gotten more into make BBQ, i’m learning my wife doesn’t particularly care for ANY BBQ… other than basically smoked chicken.
She’s fine with grilled stuff, just doesn’t love brisket / ribs / shoulder…
You’ll love them the more you experiment. For example, turn them over (flat side up) for a killer griddle/plancha. Or return them conventional (ridges up) and sprinkle some post oak pellets into the valleys for a great smoke finish. Yes, I often use smoker pellets on the grill.
Hope this helps! Congrats on your GrillGrates!
I actually have them set up on the grill with one side up and one side down… it’s awesome.
threw a huge thing of veggies on the flat side and cooked skirt steak on the ridged side… worked out really well… (though I still need practice!).
They make me like my grill a ton more. The cheap grates that came with it were making me question my purchase…
I’ve seen the pellet trick but haven’t tried it yet! All in due time. I have some pellets sitting around.
Decided to build a smoker in the off-season. Finally got my contraption in cooking trim. My pride&joy is the Tel-Tru thermo and ThermoWorks Billows
Latest addition is the exhaust baffle. It’s a cut down electrical safety plate. Bolt goes thru a spacer and double-nutted below a spring to provide tension.
Here’s the Billows attached to one of the intakes:
It’s a fan controlled by the ThermoWorks Signals remote thermometer. It uses the pit probe on Channel4 to maintain set temp.
Here’s the ribs ready to go on
Five hours later
Very pleased with my new smoker!
Ok, so I guess it needs paint….
When will be the Open House ?
Rockin it! When you want to do your brisket let me know… the secret to that is the first wrap…soak the butcher paper in beef tallow… also nothing more complicated that Salt & Pepper!
Thanks @MJTortella !!
Yes, have the tallow & paper ready. Looking for a reasonably $$, decently marbled packer. Stay tuned!
That made my mouth watering. Is it Summer time for BBQ already ?
What about using bacon instead of beef fallow ? Too messy ?
No bacon. No bacon grease. Beef tallow is the secret ingredient at Franklin BBQ
Just a thought as I saw some recipe for boiling the steak with bacon fat.
Never tried it on smoker, since I don;t own a smoker at this point.
I wouldn’t doubt it—the meat exterior is quite crunchy and sweet, like it would be rendering in fat like that—but he does everything else great too. I’m really delighted to see him and his wife (she was running the till, back when they had the trailer on that vacant lot off the northbound I-35 (LOL at Texans and their “IH-35”) frontage road, right before the 38th Street bridge over 35. My wife at the time lived down the street, practically, and were driving on the frontage road when I saw the sign for BBQ. Seeing a sign for BBQ in Texas, is like seeing one for a lobster pound in coastal Maine: just stop, and you’ll likely taste something memorable. So we stopped, tried the usual “evaluate a BBQ joint” amounts: 1/2 pound a brisket, sausage, pork ribs…and we were like, “This s@#t is really good!!” And that was before Aaron asked if we wanted a sugar cookie. Yeah, we’ll try it, LOL. Fantastic, as you’d expect. And no 3+ hour line either.
With the line, it’s worth doing. Once. Pay someone to hold your place while you do something else.
I guess, the waiting in the line adds to the anticipation for what’s coming.
They don’t want to sell more than 107 brisket per day anyway.
It could be twice or three times the volume if they manage the ordering line better.
Have never tasted the Franklin BBQ,but sure sounds like everyone should have.
Does anyone own a fire pit? I have a few questions as I just bought one. What is your best barbecue recipe that you have mastered? What do you use to cover your fire? Or is it necessary to buy fire pit cover tables as I was reading this guide?
I don’t have a firepit—apartment buildings tend to frown on those on a balcony—but the Weber electric hibachi-esque 1400 grill is outstanding. Don’t use it indoors—you’ll smoke out your house—but it has held up to daily use like a champ. Great grill marks and flavor.
