Grill recommendations

D Chapman

D Chapman

1
Jan 3, 2005
11,746
73
On Kennith's private island
Mike_Rupp said:
When you can explain the science to me, I'll believe you.
Click to expand...

I'm not that kind of cook. That's why I put the [snicker] comment in there. I'm sure there is something to the science of cooking, but I rely more on my taste buds. Call me old fashioned. The episode I'm referring to if you're interested had to do with smoking chicken. I did a search but could not find the one I saw on TV as there are 15 seasons of ATK and half must be about cooking chicken.

But the BBQ smoke must be treated as an ingredient. Too much smoke or too little smoke and your product is affected. Or the wrong kind of smoke. Even the temperature of the smoke. This all plays a role in desirable taste.

It's not even really up for debate. There is not an electric smoker on the market that can create the same flavor as a stick burner. I'm talking a desirable flavor. From Texas to Memphis to North Carolina to Kansas City you can't name one referable BBQ establishment that cooks on an electric smoker.

It's not just for nostalgia or tradition that great BBQ establishments cook over wood heat, either. It's the flavor. Whether you're cooking low-and-slow or hot-and-fast, it's the flavor that comes from a proper burning wood fire that cannot be replicated.
 
T

Timmy!!!!!!!

Well-known member
Jun 7, 2004
4,585
1
38
Bourbon Street
www.facebook.com
I will say there is a difference in taste between an actual flame and electric also. But I use electric because it was given to me...

24994304894_d805164d60_c.jpg
 
chris snell

chris snell

Administrator
Staff member
Aug 15, 2005
3,020
152
I love pit BBQ but there's no way that I'm going to stand around one all day and tend a fire. Those little electric smokers are pretty appealing.

This BGE accessory looks pretty neat, too: http://www.biggreenegg.com/eggcessories/bbq-guru/

I'm sure a brisket-sized BGE plus one of those "BBQ guru" things are big bucks. I would be surprised if that package was less than $3K.
 
SGaynor

SGaynor

Well-known member
Dec 6, 2006
7,148
162
52
Bristol, TN
BGE is awesome - once the temp is set (and after you get the hang of setting the temp), they stay pretty solid for hours. A large egg with some "essential" options is ~$1000; one can find "knock offs" for a few hundred less.

That accessory is overkill IMO. You can get a multi-probe thermometer with bluetooth and monitor from your phone for less (iGrill ~$125)

I got sold on a BGE when my friend smoked a turkey, and then everything else, for Thanksgiving to feed two families, with no problems. IMO, it's a great all-purpose grill/smoker.
 
jymmiejamz

jymmiejamz

Well-known member
Dec 5, 2004
6,010
362
35
Los Angeles, Ca
I had a Primo at my house in Virginia and loved it. Super easy to cook with and maintain a constant temp. When I did a pork shoulder I started the barbecue around 7AM and didn't touch it until 7PM when it was ready.



Also, I'm no barbecue expert, but I feel like comparing an electric smoker to a 'real' smoker is like saying a Line 6 solid state modelling guitar amp on the British setting is just as good as a vintage Vox AC30.
 
Devildog01

Devildog01

1
Jan 25, 2010
3,544
4
your moms bed
Mike_Rupp said:
Hogwash. The only reason why you'd believe that is because there has been very little scientific understanding of the bbq process. It has been a trial & error process developed by years of fucking up meat. BBQ artists only speculated to the reason of the stall in low temp bbq. It wasn't only until recently that the actual reason was discovered through a scientific process.
Click to expand...

You should enter a bbq competition against Dan with your best bbq equation.
 
Mike_Rupp

Mike_Rupp

Well-known member
Mar 26, 2004
3,604
0
Mercer Island, WA
Devildog01 said:
You should enter a bbq competition against Dan with your best bbq equation.
Click to expand...

Oh my God. That sounds awesome.

I'll get into a BBQ competition as soon as Chapman enters a wine he made into a competition.

Did I ever claim that I was somehow a master BBQ pit master? All I wrote is that an electric smoker is still a smoker. If dan thinks it's a POS, no skin off my nose. Like I said, I'm not trying to win his approval.
 
Devildog01

Devildog01

1
Jan 25, 2010
3,544
4
your moms bed
Mike_Rupp said:
Oh my God. That sounds awesome.

I'll get into a BBQ competition as soon as Chapman enters a wine he made into a competition.

Did I ever claim that I was somehow a master BBQ pit master? All I wrote is that an electric smoker is still a smoker. If dan thinks it's a POS, no skin off my nose. Like I said, I'm not trying to win his approval.
Click to expand...

Your silly,like Bernie Sanders.
 
D Chapman

D Chapman

1
Jan 3, 2005
11,746
73
On Kennith's private island
The BBQ Guru is great. I have two of them, the Digi Q and the Cyber Q. I use them on my Backwood Pro Jr and on my Superior Smokers 1. I'll put meat on the put about 11pm, go to bed and wake up at 7am, pull the meat off, and either go back to bed or grab some coffee. If shits hits the fan in the pit by the fire getting too cool or too hot, I'll get an alert on my phone to wake me up. They work great.

Some other models out there as well. Stroker is another, and there are some Raspberry Pi based units, etc..
 
jim-00-4.6

jim-00-4.6

Well-known member
Sep 30, 2005
2,037
6
61
Genesee, CO USA
Doesn't Yeti make a grill?

My propane grill has ceramic-covered grates, so no wire brush for me.
Those green nylon scrubby things work ok.

Our first house came with a natgas grill.
Not modified by billy-bob, but from the factory natgas.
worked well, no tank bullshit.

I currently have (6) 20-pound propane tanks.
They're nice for camping, too.
In case you didn't know, tanks have to be recertified or shitcanned after some number of years.
Or you can do what I did; trade it in at the BlueRhino thing. :)
 
chris snell

chris snell

Administrator
Staff member
Aug 15, 2005
3,020
152
I'm actually totally intrigued by the HeaterMeter. Not so much as a cheap alternative to the BGE device but because it's hardware that I already know how to work with and modify. It's also really well designed. That BBQ Guru is a very nice physical device but you could do so much more with the HeaterMeter if you know how to write code. The boards are cheap and easy to assemble with thru-hole soldering; you can also buy a SMD board if you want something really professional.

This thing is so sweet that it has me wanting to buy a real smoker just to build and use it.
 
jim-00-4.6

jim-00-4.6

Well-known member
Sep 30, 2005
2,037
6
61
Genesee, CO USA
D Chapman said:
That's robbery. All they do it put a little gas in it and see if it holds pressure. What do they charge for a fill up? About $13 here.
Click to expand...
The guy at u-haul told me about the recert when i took an old tank for refill there.
He said "goto this place, it's about $20" which concludes my knowledge of recertification.
don't recall what i paid for the fill-ups; it was last summer & i don't remember what i had for dinner last night.
the rhino trade-ins are like $35, and the tanks aren't even full.
i see the rhino cages outside every damned place with a big sign showing price, but no one posts the prices for refills.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom