What's new

Smokers, grills, etc.

You have a good point. And really only the snobs can tell a difference (just like most people couldn't tell what flavor of pellets I am using).

I say it's cheating because it feels like I am cheating. For example, a lot of people comment on how good the pulled pork I make is. What they don't know is I spend about 10 minutes actually making it. Season meat, add to grill, go to bed. Check pellet level when I wake up. Pull it off the smoker just before lunch. Shred after resting. Then serve. It may not actually be cheating, but the entire process is so easy it feels that way.

Pellet grills are the Easy Bake Oven of the smoker world. I wouldnt say its cheating, as it produces a good product. To me, it's like wheeling a JK. It will get you there and the aftermarket is wide open, but the more you dig deeper, for many they want to get something more custom.
 
Pellet smokers are nice and produce good bbq . However , they have a tendency to have inconsistent temps from controller to pit and hot spots they also don’t have much smoke flavor especially not compared to actual wood or even charcoal and chunks . They re perfect for today’s world . However , I find it extremely hard to beat my Weber Smokey mountain and it is just as easy and honestly holds temp as good or better for 12-16 hours on a single load of charcoal and is cheaper to run than a pellet smoker . I can set my WSM at 250 go to sleep and wake up and it won’t fluctuate 5-10 degrees until it is almost entirely out of charcoal . I love that thing but I do envy tossing a bag of pellets in and hitting a button when I’m feeling lazy . I have both and the wsm puts out better Q . Wood only smokers are becoming a thing of the past and truth be told a large majority of people don’t like near the amount of smoke that an all wood smoker puts into meat or sides .
 
Weber Smokey Mountain 18" and 22" for most barbecue and sometimes charcoal grilling. I've cooked on ceramic cookers and I would get one if I didn't already have these things. The 18" has been around for 16+ years and is what I go with most of the time. It's nice that it's so cheap and you can take it apart much easier than a ceramic cooker mid-cook.

Masterbuilt Electric Portable smoker for salmon/other smoked fish. It's really easy to clean and perfect for smoking fish.

Camp Chef 4-burner stove: Somerset IV
I love this thing. I bought the deluxe 2 burner grill add-on, and a 2 burner and 3 burner griddle for it. I do 90% of my cooking outside on this thing because the house we're renting has an electric stove. Plan on getting the add-on pizza oven for it as well. Having this as an additional 4-burner stove is great when sharing the kitchen with in-laws cooking holiday dinners. Also nice that I can throw it in my truck and take it to events/camping.
 
I've got an UDS for smoking. It'll hold temps for 10-12 hours no issues... I'd like to modify it so I can add charcoal via a side door.

And I've got a propane Weber grill that I've had for ...13 years now? I'm just now getting to the point where I need to replace the diffusers and grills. It's spent the majority of it's non-use time in the garage though; I think that's contributed to it's long life. I'd also like to find a different grease trap solution for it.:emb:
 
I say it's cheating because it feels like I am cheating. For example, a lot of people comment on how good the pulled pork I make is. What they don't know is I spend about 10 minutes actually making it. Season meat, add to grill, go to bed. Check pellet level when I wake up. Pull it off the smoker just before lunch. Shred after resting. Then serve. It may not actually be cheating, but the entire process is so easy it feels that way.
recipe for said pulled pork!
 
20200810_141750.jpg

40+ yr old weber kettle grill. This was my parents wedding gift when they got married and it has been in 11 different houses/apartments, 2 states, has never been inside or under a cover, and been through multiple blizzards and tornados. Original paint and wood handles now I have welded each leg back onto it as they broke off at different times and I have a cast iron grate on it now. I love this grill!
If I ever do replace it, I would build something like 72blazer has.
 
Last edited:
You have a good point. And really only the snobs can tell a difference (just like most people couldn't tell what flavor of pellets I am using).

I say it's cheating because it feels like I am cheating. For example, a lot of people comment on how good the pulled pork I make is. What they don't know is I spend about 10 minutes actually making it. Season meat, add to grill, go to bed. Check pellet level when I wake up. Pull it off the smoker just before lunch. Shred after resting. Then serve. It may not actually be cheating, but the entire process is so easy it feels that way.
how long do you let it rest?
 
Slander
Smoked some tomahawks and a few 1.5”ribeyes, some bacon wrapped asparagus, and some shrimp/ pineapple kabobs this weekend. Did a 2 hour smoke using pecan and apple logs at 250* and finished the steaks off with a reverse sear on the Blackstone. The tomahawks were phenomenal. :grinpimp:

204687B1-B2D9-482A-A0AB-64A0B3D8E761.jpeg

ADF8636A-4F13-461C-BC80-CB99C4D716EA.jpeg
Damn that looks good! I made some burgers yesterday, nothing special!
 
how long do you let it rest?
Usually about 30 minutes, have done up to 2 hours in a cooler if it cooks too fast.

Bigun - here is my easy bake pulled pork recipe. Definitely nothing fancy:

1. Trim the heavy fat off the pork butt. I like having a good amount of the meat exposed because the bark is my favorite part. There is enough fat on the inside to keep it all juicy.
2. Season heavy with your preferred bbq seasoning in the morning. I usually use Famous Dave's standard seasoning.
3. Around 10-11pm that night I will throw it on the smoker at 225 degrees. I like to use a pellet variety that has a heavy smoke, like hickory. But pretty much any one of them will taste good.
4. Check the pellet level in the morning to make sure I have enough to complete the smoke. Flip the pork butt over. Adjust temp if needed so it finishes around lunch time.
5. Let smoke until it reaches a temp of 202-204 degrees. I highly recommend a good meat thermometer. I have found the probe that came with my smoker is not very accurate.
6. Rest for 30-ish minutes.
7. Shred. I have some bear claw shredding things that make it really easy. Toss the bone and big chunks of fat.
8. I leave half of the pork plain for people to add their own sauce. The other half I will lightly mix in some bbq sauce.

Make sure you use good buns and cheese. I also like to add slaw to mine.

The only thing that could mess it up is over cooking. It starts to get mushy when you do that. Otherwise you can use whatever seasonings, sauces, cheeses, whatever. It will taste good.
 
Just bought my first pellet grill, a Yoder ys640. Only used it a few times so far to grill burgers and pork chops on the grill grates. Can't wait to do a pork butt and ribs.
 
I love my Masterbuilt 560 for both smoker and grill duties. Holds temp rock solid and the WiFi connectivity to your phone is awesome for long cooks while you’re at work. Fill the hopper up with charcoal and some splits/chips and forget it.
 
I started with an electric R2D2 looking thing a few years ago. Upgraded to propane vertical, then to a Pit boss a couple of years ago.

When I moved from Colo to Florida last month I said I was going to treat myself to a new smoker/grill. Sold my Pit Boss. It was the smallest one they used to make. It served me well and I made a lot of great bbq on it. I like that you could change the settings for more or less smoke. It would create a hot spot though around the burner/pellet fire and you'd have to watch that the food over that section of the grill didn't get overcooked or burnt.

I picked up a Traeger pro575 (smallest they make, it's only my and my wife and this is huge compared to the last one) last month. I absofuckinglutely love it. The quality is a step above my old Pit Boss. Now, I did see the new Pit Boss grills at Lowes this weekend, and it looks like they stepped up their game immensely and their new ones look to be on par with the Traeger. I would definitely describe my old one as flimsy in comparison.

The only thing I don't really care for is the lack of smoke. I was able to create more with the Pit Boss. This I have remedied by using a SS smoker tube and it works very well.

The WiFire feature and the 5 degree step in setpoints are awesome. I've started to use the grill as a replacement oven instead of heating up the house.

I still have my Weber Spirit (2 burner) that gets regular usage for burgers/brats etc. I also have a 2 burner Blackstone flat top that I may get rid of as I only use it for breakfast every once in a while.

Smoke tube
 
i went with Black Mountain Grill ...
more features than the Treger and less expensive
got the pizza attachment and extra smoking shelf ( need for 3 slabs of ribs )
 

Attachments

  • St Louis ribs .jpg
    St Louis ribs .jpg
    50.1 KB · Views: 30
  • St Louis smoked ribs.jpg
    St Louis smoked ribs.jpg
    96.5 KB · Views: 34
Offset chargriller
No lazy electric wormdrive junk here.
Soak my own hardwood too!
 
:lmao:
Special K
Shortbus Special
or just Church Lady Special:flipoff2:
naw just a c .o.b.!
 
We’ve added a two burner Blackstone griddle to the outdoor cooking gadgets. We had burgers off of it last night :smokin:

Mrs knows how to run a griddle, I’m going to learn :homer:
 
Last edited:
I need to drag out (literally) my West Tx built charcoal grill, made from a 2 foot section of 24 inch well casing!
 
We’ve added a two burner Blackstone griddle to the outdoor cooking gadgets. We had off of it last night :smokin:

Mrs knows how to run a griddle, I’m going to learn :homer:
One of the cousins has one, man can put some burgers and hotdogs on for a bunch of people in a hurry
 
I run a Pit Boss. I know it's cheating and pellet smokers are not the same as doing an actual hardwood smoke. But that thing is so easy and so consistent that I don't care.
I have a dorm fridge size/style electric, so I'm in no way about to call anybody cheating, the easy and hands-off of it is a big chunk of what I like about smoking meat in general. Only reason I see in my life to go bigger is... bigger. I can fit a slab of ribs (cut in half) plus two spatchcocked chickens in mine, and it's full. Or two slabs of ribs, both cut in half. Well more than my family can eat, but I banged into the capacity limit with a bunch of neighbors over for the Fourth.

I'm not sure if mine is starting to have a temp sensor issue though, it seemed like it started losing temp late in the day this past weekend. I'll have to poke around and see what it has inside.
 
my suggestion is to just enjoy it, and not get too deep into the weeds on how it works and accuracy. That is a slippery slope, and the more I learn and get into the different science within bbq and cooking, the more money I end up spending or want to spend.
 
I recently picked up a second hand masterbuilt propane cabinet smoker and I've been putting some hours on this sweet bastard.

Love the easy instant on of propane, it's the simplicity of a grill blended with the taste and versatility of a smoker.

I do steaks on it regularly, I've done ribs and brisket and experimented with brussels sprouts and taters.

Haven't found anything about it that I don't like yet.
 
A102D860-002E-4442-BE37-73C8B59C7BB5.jpeg
Picked this up today, I’ve always been a Webber kettle guy, but I’m excited to see how this does, with the wife kids and I busy all the time, the WiFi feature will be neat if it works well, to cook large meat while away from home during the day.
 
D25468F0-CBBA-49F8-B698-0CA9420608AD.jpeg
5371E991-6DF6-4BC7-85B1-6E31C9DAF128.jpeg
Far from a expert, pork butt came out good, bark was like jerky, wasn’t able to spray it, we were stuck away from home. 14hrs at 225. Meat inside was melt in mouth tho. Taking the un sliced part, shredding it and searing it up carnitas style for tacos tomorrow…..
 
Pro Tip.
Line the deflector plate with some foil. A lot less cleanup.
 
These are my two a 21" WSM and a 14" homemade WSM. I've done ribs, pork butts and tenderloins, Prime Rib, Brisket and chicken along with a couple of pies and cobblers. Its a fun little side hobby.
 

Attachments

  • 13925044_10100496158895457_8084430004584614890_n.jpg
    13925044_10100496158895457_8084430004584614890_n.jpg
    66.7 KB · Views: 34
  • 13932894_10100496158765717_8308569564773694278_n.jpg
    13932894_10100496158765717_8308569564773694278_n.jpg
    113.4 KB · Views: 29
  • 574683_735658926517_1337109239_n.jpg
    574683_735658926517_1337109239_n.jpg
    110.4 KB · Views: 30
Top Back Refresh