Charcoal grill/smoker recommendations? | Page 40 | FerrariChat

Charcoal grill/smoker recommendations?

Discussion in 'Drink, Smoke, and Fine Dining' started by Nurburgringer, Apr 20, 2011.

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  1. tomc

    tomc Two Time F1 World Champ

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    #976 tomc, Jul 6, 2016

    That pie is easily one of the best things I've ever stuffed in my pie-hole!

    Go for it. I think brisket is a reasonably forgiving cut of meat, especially if you leave all the fat on, since you cook to about 205 F. If it's not charred, it's probably fine! 😀

    Did you go through Elgin on your last que road trip? If not, do so, and get sausage at Southside Market...T
     
  2. otaku

    otaku Formula 3

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    #977 otaku, Jul 17, 2016
    returned the lil gas grill from blue rhino and using a weber smoky joe with pro kingsford briquetes will upgrade later for now its good to be grilling on weekends that steak tip sounds interesting
     
  3. tomc

    tomc Two Time F1 World Champ

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    #978 tomc, Jul 17, 2016

    Out with the gas, in with the charcoal. Excellent! Do you have a chimney starter? If not, invest in one. It'll increase your enjoyment of grilling immensely, while reducing the burden...T
     
  4. Erich

    Erich Formula 3

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    #979 Erich, Jul 17, 2016
    Last night the family went down to La Jolla cove for a BBQ. I took my Weber GoAnywhere grill and the chimney.

    Grilled 4 burgers topped with cheese, lettuce and arugula.
    Then 4 ears of corn.
    Dessert was a tube of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls. Wrapped well in foil and baked in the Weber. Delish!
     
  5. tomc

    tomc Two Time F1 World Champ

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    #980 tomc, Jul 17, 2016

    That should be a Weber commercial! I have a gas Go Anywhere for camping. It might be the only Weber item I've bought that I am not totally in love with. I use the Smoky Joe much more. I like that cinnamon roll idea. That's top shelf!
    T
     
  6. Nurburgringer

    Nurburgringer F1 World Champ

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    #981 Nurburgringer, Jul 28, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    The 7-1 gas-fired contraption has turned out some very tasty smoked meats, but last week during a late night, drunken Amazon session a $35, cast iron, old-school hibachi was procured to quench my charcoal-grilled meat cravings.

    Seasoned it tonight with a pound of jalapeño bacon that went into the best BLT's I've ever had. Should be eating more fresh tomatoes right now, they're perfect...

    Didn't quite fill up the small-sized chimney with briquettes but it lasted just long enough to crisp up every slice.

    Tomorrow will fill the chimney to the brim for 2lbs of chicken thighs, yakatori style.

    Last weekend stocked the freezer with thin sliced beef tongue, lovely little ribeye steaks and a pound of chicken livers from the Korean market, so will be using this classic little guy quite a bit in the next weeks.

    Also looking forward to jerk chicken, chicken thighs with BBQ sauce, burgers, fresh octopus if I can get it, etc.

    The charcoal and spicy pork fat perfume emanating from my clothes and exposed skin has made my wife horny... gotta go! :p
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  7. tomc

    tomc Two Time F1 World Champ

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    #982 tomc, Jul 28, 2016

    I've got the same look on my face your pooch does! I've long wanted one of those classic hibachi in CI with the wooden handed. Wife says no. :( Ten grills is enough says she. :(

    It's a well known fact, the ladies love a smoky man who knows how to tame fire. :)

    T
     
  8. Nurburgringer

    Nurburgringer F1 World Champ

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    #983 Nurburgringer, Jul 29, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Tom this one's so cheap and small you can surely sneak it into the grill farm on the sly ;)
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D10RROS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    So far very happy with the hibachi. The grate handles seem a little weak but haven't bent them yet.
    I'm sliding both cooking grates into a one gallon freezer bag after they cool and storing inside so they don't rust in this brutal TX humidity.

    Feels like I should be wearing a fedora and Hawaiian shirt, unbuttoned so my belly is hanging out, while manning the grill and drinking G&Ts. I at least had the G&Ts tonight.

    Did yakatori chicken, and it may have been the best out of ~12 times I've made it.

    Used this recipe, about the same as I've done in the past but with 2 lbs of boneless thighs increased the quantities by 50% and added a lot more slices of fresh ginger in addition to grated.
    Yakitori Chicken With Ginger, Garlic and Soy Sauce Recipe - NYT Cooking
    After thickening the sauce on the stove for ~10 minutes poured it over the chicken in a freezer bag and let marinade for ~1hr in the fridge. Then basted as the chicken grilled over very hot coals.

    Remaining marinade was flashed on the stove to kill any uncooked chicken juice, then spooned over the sliced chicken and Japanese rice.

    Heavenly stuff!
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  9. tomc

    tomc Two Time F1 World Champ

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    #984 tomc, Jul 29, 2016
    ^ I've seen that one. I'll be interested to hear how the wooden handles hold up.

    Your dog cracks me up. Always in the pic with the grub. Looking for a snack, I assume.

    I have this model yakitori grill.
    [​IMG]
    It's fun, but small & lighting binchotan charcoal is a total PITA...T
     
  10. Nurburgringer

    Nurburgringer F1 World Champ

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    #985 Nurburgringer, Jul 30, 2016
    I came really close to getting the larger, rectangular version of that Japanese clay model but seems it needs more care than the CI. Rain will damage it, and I don't think grilling something like burgers or decent sized steaks would work as well as the CI one.
    For traditional, skewered meats yakatori style it's surely the best though, and of course they look very cool.

    Where do you buy the japanese charcoal? I hope not Amazon :/
    https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Style-Charcoal-Bincho-Zumi/dp/B00131T8BC

    How do you light it? I don't remember seeing how they did it in Japan.
     
  11. tomc

    tomc Two Time F1 World Champ

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    #986 tomc, Jul 30, 2016


    Yep, Amazon. I googled last night and there seem to be a few more options than when I last checked. If you snuff them out after use, bincho tan lasts a reasonably long time.

    I finally settled on lighting it by putting it in a Weber chimney along with some lump. Then, light in the usual fashion. Cook. Then snuff out by putting it in an old covered metal pail that I had...T
     
  12. Nurburgringer

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    #987 Nurburgringer, Jul 30, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    yeah that's how I used to light lump (american) charcoal when I had the Smoke Hollow, with some briquettes.

    The boy demolished a big plate of leftover yakatori chicken and rice for his dinner, and now that he's in bed am going 3 days in a row with the hibachi.

    Tonight's menu: Jamaican jerk gulf shrimp, and fresh brats to go on egg sandwiches tomorrow morning.

    Loving this little grill.
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  13. tomc

    tomc Two Time F1 World Champ

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    #988 tomc, Jul 30, 2016

    Great conflagration! Nice looking backyard.

    I also go on a kick of choosing one grill over the other for a week or so. Lately, my old 18" Weber bullet has been in heaviest rotation, mainly for things it wasn't designed for - wok burner, pizza oven, burger griddle, Dutch oven cooking, etc. I've got so much accumulated pecan logs/branches on our property, I've been mostly using that as fuel. Honing my wood cooking skills...T
     
  14. Nurburgringer

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    #989 Nurburgringer, Aug 6, 2016
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  15. tomc

    tomc Two Time F1 World Champ

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    #990 tomc, Aug 6, 2016

    I thought with annatto, it would be more intensely colored. Post some pics after grilling on your new hibachi. And, also let us know how you like Killen's. I too am interested to know if they live up to the hype...T
     
  16. Nurburgringer

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    #991 Nurburgringer, Aug 7, 2016
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  17. Nurburgringer

    Nurburgringer F1 World Champ

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    #992 Nurburgringer, Aug 7, 2016
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  18. tomc

    tomc Two Time F1 World Champ

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    #993 tomc, Aug 7, 2016

    Stay hydrated. It was a toasty 90+ at 10 am this morning...T
     
  19. tomc

    tomc Two Time F1 World Champ

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    #994 tomc, Aug 7, 2016

    I'm hungry just looking at your pics!! That's a pretty diverse wood selection. I thought most places use one, two at most...T
     
  20. Nurburgringer

    Nurburgringer F1 World Champ

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    #995 Nurburgringer, Aug 7, 2016
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    Yeah I bet they don't use nearly as much pecan as oak and hickory.

    After a 2 hour nap I'm now snacking on the stuff we brought home. Yum.

    Verdict: definitely one of the best briskets I've ever had, but for me not worth the ~$30 in gas and tolls to get to.
    I got the 3 meat/2 side plate: mixed brisket, pork belly and jalapeno sausage with creamed corn and greens for $15.
    Wifey had the beef rib with mac&cheese and rancho beans for $16.
    Plus a pound of brisket to go which they somehow forgot to charge us for as I learned on the way home when the wife told me everything only cost $40.
    Prices were a little lower than on their online menu, slower business?

    The pork belly was the highlight for me. Totally succulent and perfectly smoky.
    Brisket and beef rib were even smokier, which I like, but the rub was just a little too peppery. ~1/8" thick coating of medium ground fresh pepper, basically an au poive effect. I scraped some off, which I've never done.
    Wife was very happy with the beef rib, but said Black's was just a little juicier. Reviewing the pics it looks like a shorty rib on her platter. If you buy them by the pound ($20 I think) you probably get full ones, as seen in the pic of the carvers.

    The house-made (pork) sausage disappointed. Maybe it was just too-finely ground, but the interior was almost like a meatball consistency. Very juicy and good flavor I just like a sausage with more bite/chew.
    Sides were really good. Greens, beans and corn in particular.

    Glad we went there once and cool to hang out with buds we hadn't seen in a while but especially after F-chatter Ryan turned me onto Brook's Place (trailer in an Ace Hardware parking lot 10 minutes from my house) we won't be making the hike down to Killen's again anytime soon. At least there was no traffic and we cruised around the beltway in the old E38 at 80-90mph.

    We got there at 10:20 and had food at 11:20.
    Line was probably only 10 minutes when we left at 12:30.

    Next up on the TX BBQ bucket list: Taylor TX.
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  21. tomc

    tomc Two Time F1 World Champ

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    #996 tomc, Aug 7, 2016
    Great report! Pork belly. Tell me more. I bought a pork belly at Costco last week, and I'm looking for ideas apart from bacon. I cut it into quarters. The first quarter, I rubbed with brown sugar, salt, property, garlic powder, a smidge of cumin and chili powder. Let sit over night. Then poured a can of cola into the bag holding the belly. Let sit for half day. Smoked for ca. 4 hours. Turned out not bad, but could be better. Hence, I'm looking for ideas.

    BTW, you ever been to Burns? North side of town. Great que...T
     
  22. SCFerrari

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    #997 SCFerrari, Aug 7, 2016
    Looks like a great time -
     
  23. Nurburgringer

    Nurburgringer F1 World Champ

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    #998 Nurburgringer, Aug 7, 2016
    Thanks Rob it was a really fun day out. Dropped the little guy with my parents and it reminded me and the wife of when we were just 2 :)

    Tom - no I haven't heard of Burns, but it's now on the list! Only 30 minutes from us (in Houston, basically next door :p). Have a couple friends that live very close, will meet up with them there for sure.
    https://www.google.com/maps/place/Burns+Original+BBQ/@29.885648,-95.4980215,11z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xb8ec9fe8efdfa24f!8m2!3d29.876978!4d-95.4210528

    Searching back through this thread for "belly" brought up the couple times I've smoked it:
    http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/140468044-post24.html
    http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/140557193-post49.html
    http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/140792436-post95.html

    But they came out firmer than the ones today at Killen's.
    Some of it may be the pig/style. Today's were really thick, more "asian" style then the flatter ones I usually get.
    When I can get the really thick ones I tend to do them in the dutch oven with Daniel Boloud's recipe: marinade in soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, scallions and hoisin then brown and braise for 3-4 hours.
    He's the authority on braised pork belly, wonder if he's ever had it smoked like I had today...
    Bear Cuisine: Daniel Boulud on Pork Belly

    BTW you said you rubbed your pork belly with "property". What's that?!

    I'm kicking myself for not asking Killen's pitmaster more about how they did theirs. Almost worth going all the way down there again just for that...
    Wouldn't be surprised if they did a two step: braising then smoking or vice versa. It was just so much more juicy and succulent than what I got.
     
  24. tomc

    tomc Two Time F1 World Champ

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    #999 tomc, Aug 7, 2016


    Peppery?!? Aha. Bloody auto correct. Pepper. ☺️

    Thanks for those leads. I smoked my belly by placing it in a foil pan, and leaving half the cola marinade in. Smoking for an hour or so. Then flipping the belly. Adding the other half of the marinade. Smoking a couple more hours. It looked like this when I took it out.

    [​IMG]

    Color was good, I thought. Very most. Unctious is the appropriate foodie fancy word..Taste was toward the sweet side, so something like hoisin to add a bit more spice is a good idea. Maybe mae ploy.

    Thanks, again, I look forward to reading those posts...T
     
  25. Nurburgringer

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    #1000 Nurburgringer, Aug 20, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    watched a cooking show last night where they grilled very tasty looking flank steak. Never done it before so headed to the butcher shop this morning.
    The "Flank steak" didn't looks as nice as the "Fajita sirloin", so splurged on $7/lb vs $4/lb and got a 2 pounder. Marinating now in this recipe (minus the water and lime juice, running out now for the limes): Fajita Marinade I Recipe - Allrecipes.com

    Will be going on the hibachi over mesquite briquettes later this afternoon, then served fajita style with roasted hatch peppers, fresh salsa, guac, fresh tortillas, rice and beans.

    Not sure what the difference was between flank/skirt/sirloin, from the cow diagram looks like they're from the same area.

    Anyone else have a favorite flank/skirt/fajita recipe for the grill?
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