*Charcoal* BBQ/Grilling

alowe

Thanks .... so I bought a bag of weber charcoal as oppose to the instant light stuff i'd always used. Will give it a good try and keep an eye out on a weber. I'm still tempted by the outback apollo, even as a 5 year bbq .... but lack of reviews and known issues with burners is putting me off.

Thanks for info.

SVI40

Look at getting the Chimney starter, it's a great piece of kit, and makes lighting the charcoals quick and simple.

BailMeOut

alowe wrote: »

Thanks .... so I bought a bag of weber charcoal as oppose to the instant light stuff i'd always used. Will give it a good try and keep an eye out on a weber. I'm still tempted by the outback apollo, even as a 5 year bbq .... but lack of reviews and known issues with burners is putting me off.

Thanks for info.

my preference is to always have two BBQs, one charcoal and one gas. Charcoal is great but gas is just so convenient especially on winter evenings when you want to cook something outside quickly. I think of my BBQs as kitchen appliances and most any meat we cook is done outside which I would not do if I only used charcoal.

So keep your weber and buy another (gas) weber and hedge your options! ....and yes spending the extra cash on a weber is worth it IMO.

PS: someone I know who BBQs a lot swears by the large bags of charcoal he gets at Musgraves (he has a restaurant).

alowe

I have a chimney starter - just haven't used properly yet. I'm seriously a novice at this. But I have chicken marinated in the fridge over night, and rain or shine will be lighting the charcoal one tonight.

However, would like advice on this.... So I'm going to go for a weber, as i'm risk adverse and really like the 10 year warranty on the burners. I have 2 options:

(1) Get an E210 for €450 in dublin (woodies with a discount for oaps!). Easy to collect, albeit can only get it on a wednesday!
(2) Get an E310 from the north. Price would be approx €490, buts its a 3 hour round trip, so both petrol and time to take into consideration.

My plan is to cook burgers, steaks, chicken pieces, etc. I would also like to be able to cook a chicken or ribs with indirect. I've looked up a review, and someone was well able to indirect cook a chicken by just turning it half way through cooking. The size of the E310 is only an extra 8cm wide, depth is the same. Yes it does have the extra burner, but if indirect cooking and judging by the size, I'm reckoning that you might not be able to cook in the middle anyway with burners on either side.

So .... is the E310 really worth the extra money and extra drive/hassle to get or would the E210 really serve my needs just as well?

MaceFace

BailMeOut wrote: »

my preference is to always have two BBQs, one charcoal and one gas. Charcoal is great but gas is just so convenient especially on winter evenings when you want to cook something outside quickly. I think of my BBQs as kitchen appliances and most any meat we cook is done outside which I would not do if I only used charcoal.

So keep your weber and buy another (gas) weber and hedge your options! ....and yes spending the extra cash on a weber is worth it IMO.

PS: someone I know who BBQs a lot swears by the large bags of charcoal he gets at Musgraves (he has a restaurant).

100% agree with this.
I have a charcoal and gas. The charcoal, whatever way you look at it is going to take 30 mins to get up to speed, with a bit of hands on.
Gas - I light it, leave it for 10 mins to heat the cast iron grate, do a bit of a clean with the wirebrush and away you go.

Weber - I have mine 10 years. Yeah, its a bit dirty on the outside and could do with a clean on the inside, but it is in perfect nick. I leave it out (basic cover) all year round. You get what you pay for and weber are a fantastic brand imho.

Nermal

Folks, if the majority of your BBQing is going to be for two people, is it better to get a small grill (like smokey mountain size)? Does cooking small amounts of food on a larger grill waste charcoal? Does a larger grill take longer to heat up?

BailMeOut

alowe wrote: »

I have a chimney starter - just haven't used properly yet. I'm seriously a novice at this. But I have chicken marinated in the fridge over night, and rain or shine will be lighting the charcoal one tonight.

However, would like advice on this.... So I'm going to go for a weber, as i'm risk adverse and really like the 10 year warranty on the burners. I have 2 options:

(1) Get an E210 for €450 in dublin (woodies with a discount for oaps!). Easy to collect, albeit can only get it on a wednesday!
(2) Get an E310 from the north. Price would be approx €490, buts its a 3 hour round trip, so both petrol and time to take into consideration.

My plan is to cook burgers, steaks, chicken pieces, etc. I would also like to be able to cook a chicken or ribs with indirect. I've looked up a review, and someone was well able to indirect cook a chicken by just turning it half way through cooking. The size of the E310 is only an extra 8cm wide, depth is the same. Yes it does have the extra burner, but if indirect cooking and judging by the size, I'm reckoning that you might not be able to cook in the middle anyway with burners on either side.

So .... is the E310 really worth the extra money and extra drive/hassle to get or would the E210 really serve my needs just as well?

Yes - IMO a BBQ must always have three burners (E310) so you can do indirect heat properly. Example you keep the outside two on and then can cook indirectly in the middle so your BBQ is effectively like an oven. With a two burner (E210) you cannot do this very well.

BailMeOut

Nermal wrote: »

Folks, if the majority of your BBQing is going to be for two people, is it better to get a small grill (like smokey mountain size)? Does cooking small amounts of food on a larger grill waste charcoal? Does a larger grill take longer to heat up?

you always need a lot more grilling space than you think even if cooking for just two people and would estimate the space needs to be at least double the space the food actually takes up.

fourmations

BailMeOut wrote: »

you always need a lot more grilling space than you think even if cooking for just two people and would estimate the space needs to be at least double the space the food actually takes up.

agreed.....
a large bbq is far more versatile, you can bank the coals on one side
and then do indirect cooking on one side and searing or fast cuts over the coals
(assuming it has a lid) buying a small bbq is a false economy in my opinion


cheers

dingbat

Go for slightly bigger vs slightly smaller every time. You'll thank the gods every time you want to have people over.

longshanks

Bags of Supagrill apple wood chips in Dealz, €1.50 for 550g.

longshanks

Okay folks, I have a 6lb brisket in the fridge and a UDS in the garage. The plan is to put it on around lunch time tomorrow, wait, then when its done its done. A fairly basic plan.
I'm open to advice, tips, whatever. Wrap or not? Water pan?

longshanks

Alright alright alright, here is how it went...
On Thursday night I salted the brisket, wrapped her and put her in the fridge. The plan was to smoke it on Friday but between the crap weather and other things (ninja, ninja duties) it didn't happen.
On Saturday I took the cow out of the fridge, washed the salt off, patted dry and then rubbed her with some spices, fired up the drum smoker and had the meat in around midday. I kept the temp around 225 to 245 ish for the most part, sprayed with cider vinegar and turned it after about 3 hours.
It stalled for a bit when the temp was in the 150's. I had figured since it was half the size of an American brisket, I wasn't injecting it, it was a grass fed Irish cow Vs grain and steroid fed Yankee cow, and it was butchered in front of me instead of a vacuum packed supermarket piece of meat that it would get through the stall easily enough. For that reason I decided against wrapping it. I was right, the temp rose slowly but steadily.
After 6 and a bit hours she was at 203, I took her off the heat, wrapped in paper and a couple of tea towels and into a cool box. I'd poured some hot water into the box to heat it a little, then emptied and dried the box. The meat was left to rest for maybe an hour, hour and a half.
It was fuucking glorious, moist juicy tender meat like something you would see on a YouTube video.
The challenge now will be to repeat the results.

FCB1899

just wondering why you salted your brisket?

Johnnyhpipe

Nice one, where did you get the brisket?

The last brisket i did was on the bone - it dried out something horrendous and tasted like ass!

budgemook

Another question on the brisket - was it 9 and a bit hours you cooked it for (3 + 6 and a bit) yeah?

I have a bit of a conundrum - I have a brisket in the freezer for next weekend (ordered in advance via Facebook and bought from the butcher in Blanchardstown shopping centre) but I am low on lump wood charcoal. I might just have enough but if not I'm thinking that I'll top it up with some of the Weber briquettes that I have. I'll be cooking on a kamado joe - that should be fine right?

Brian?

budgemook wrote: »

Another question on the brisket - was it 9 and a bit hours you cooked it for (3 + 6 and a bit) yeah?

I have a bit of a conundrum - I have a brisket in the freezer for next weekend (ordered in advance via Facebook and bought from the butcher in Blanchardstown shopping centre) but I am low on lump wood charcoal. I might just have enough but if not I'm thinking that I'll top it up with some of the Weber briquettes that I have. I'll be cooking on a kamado joe - that should be fine right?

I would use only the Weber charcoal. You need a good steady temperature for your brisket and briquettes are far more predictable.

To me, lumpwood is only for high heat BBQ. Briquettes are your only man for low and slow.

budgemook

Brian? wrote: »

I would use only the Weber charcoal. You need a good steady temperature for your brisket and briquettes are far more predictable.

To me, lumpwood is only for high heat BBQ. Briquettes are your only man for low and slow.

Oh, I've done 6 hour Cooks in the kamado with lumpwood and it went well, the kamado is quite good at regulating heat, it's just I'm not sure about mixing.

Do you use briquettes in a kamado?

SeaFields

After reading most of this thread, I have to say I never knew what the hell I was at trying to BBQ stuff albeit I would end up with stuff on the plate afterwards. I plan on putting some of the knowledge gained into practice today

Brian?

budgemook wrote: »

Oh, I've done 6 hour Cooks in the kamado with lumpwood and it went well, the kamado is quite good at regulating heat, it's just I'm not sure about mixing.

Do you use briquettes in a kamado?

Don't have a kamado, have a Weber smokey mountain and a Weber kettle.

RasTa

Big difference in heat retention between those two. I've used lumpwood in the egg and it's fine.

Brian?

RasTa wrote: »

Big difference in heat retention between those two. I've used lumpwood in the egg and it's fine.

I'm sure it's grand. But it's a bit of a waste of good lumpwood.

RasTa

Brian? wrote: »

I'm sure it's grand. But it's a bit of a waste of good lumpwood.

What else am I going to use it for

Brian?

RasTa wrote: »

What else am I going to use it for

High heat grilling, which it's perfect for.

RasTa

Brian? wrote: »

High heat grilling, which it's perfect for.

If I fire up the egg it's for a whole chicken or something big. I get 16-24 hours worth of fuel when it's full of Lumpwood Charcoal.

The temp never moves either during a 10-12 hour brisket cook.

oleras

Right, got myself a meat spinner for the bbq, what better way to test it than pork belly!

Looked up a few recipes, fell between Porchetta and Lechon belly, a Philippine dish.

Lots of lemon grass, garlic, onion and lime and bay leaves blitzed and rubbed in to marinade overnight.











Sometimes it is stuffed with a loin of pork or pork mince or pork tenderloin, i used tenderloin. Lots of salt and pepper and scallions and then rolled and tied.









3ish hours later, around 300f this came off.

beertons

Wow

ECO_Mental

Booom...thats serious grilling right there.

longshanks

FCB1899 wrote: »

just wondering why you salted your brisket?

I was roughly following the method Meathead uses.

Johnnyhpipe wrote: »

Nice one, where did you get the brisket?
The last brisket i did was on the bone - it dried out something horrendous and tasted like ass!

I got the brisket from Kearneys butchers here in Waterford

budgemook wrote: »

Another question on the brisket - was it 9 and a bit hours you cooked it for (3 + 6 and a bit) yeah?

I have a bit of a conundrum - I have a brisket in the freezer for next weekend (ordered in advance via Facebook and bought from the butcher in Blanchardstown shopping centre) but I am low on lump wood charcoal. I might just have enough but if not I'm thinking that I'll top it up with some of the Weber briquettes that I have. I'll be cooking on a kamado joe - that should be fine right?

It was about 6 and a half hours all in all.

budgemook

longshanks wrote: »

I was roughly following the method Meathead uses.


I got the brisket from Kearneys butchers here in Waterford


It was about 6 and a half hours all in all.

How big was it to start with?


That porchetta looks amazing!