The BBQ, Grilling & Smoking Thread

As we all know shootER is black, so that's why he's so good and the BBQing, grilling and smoking. Given your heritage $corp, I expect some amazing things.

So, I've got some hours to kill today, and I've decided to assemble one of my Xmas presents.



Yeah, I know an electric smoker. To be honest I've never been much of a smoker, the one time I tried to build one I had more fun building it, since it was a pain in the ass to run. I figure it can be a nice remedial course. I planned on figuring it out anyway, since I plan on grinding up some pig and lamb to make my own sausage. So I'm about to start putting it together, and I have a small beef brisket and a small pork roast defrosting in the triple digit heat as I type.

Any thought, tips, etc?

I've never used one, but one of my cousins has. He acted embarassed when he showed it to me, but the brisket he cooked that day was out of this world.

It seems pretty simple. It was a gift from my father in law, who loves to smoke. His brisket is spectacular, he cooks it for like thirteen hours on a Kingfisher Cookers smoker.


I'm probably not going to season the pork and beef much beyond salt and pepper, I raised these critters myself, and my meats have mad flavor.

I rarely wrap a brisket unless, towards the end of the cook time, it's starting to get too burnt/black-looking. When that happens, it's usually because I had the heat too high.

Spent the day at my dad's yesterday. It's his 72nd birthday weekend and we had a get-together to celebrate.

A few years ago I bought him this offset smoker, so I cooked a brisket and some sausage on it.



I've been brining pork shoulders for a while now and, since I have a problem with briskets drying out on me, I tried it with this one.



Some pickling salt, some molasses, some brown sugar, ground black pepper and water, brined for about 12 or 13 hours before starting the cook.

Before putting it in the pit, I put a rub of brown sugar, salt, garlic powder, paprika and some other stuff on the brisket.





Although he cook some beans and other dishes, the only thing my dad was under orders to make were his famous deviled eggs. I dunno what he puts in them, but they are good.














The brisket turned out pretty good. Tender, but not falling-apart tender. Good flavor, too.

Since my wife got an A in her latest college class, I made leg of lamb (actually half a leg of lamb) for her supper.







With some scallions and tomatoes.

















The vegetables photograph so well because they're so colorful.

First Sunday of football season calls for some beer brats. These were eaten with brown mustard and banana peppers.






Since my wife doesn't care for pork, she got chicken sausage with spinach and feta cheese.

Chicken breasts topped with onions/mushrooms/piquillo peppers and provolone cheese.

Stop making me hungry so late at night!

I'm about to move to an apartment on the second floor - since the balcony is wood, I can't have a charcoal grill. Even if I did cook enough to warrent purchasing a gas grill, if I'm going to grill, I want it over charcoal.

I'm allowed a gas grill, but only the compact camping grills that use the tiny propane tanks. I'll still be getting one, eventually.

Yea, but you cook more often than I do. I seldom cook - and if i grill, well ... propane sucks.

I wonder if anyone would object if I put a Weber on the roof...

Dry rubbed some homegrown pork ribs which I'm about to drop into the smoker. Split the rack to fit them into my little contraption. The best thing is that I'm taking Littleflow to dance thing which will force me to forget about them for a few hours. I'll toss in some pork sausage for insurance reasons.

We do everything on the BBQ. Even muffins.

Our favorite is to brine a large chicken overnight. Then to take a large can of guiness (even the irish cream one works), stuff fresh herbs under the skin and put it on the beer can chicken rack.

Muffins??

Yup. You can even bake bread on it

If you are going to use the BBQ utilize its full capacity (not me mind you. My husband is not required to do household chores or cooking of any sort but me and fires of any sort have a tendency not to mix so our agreement is I prepare and he'll BBQ)

Here's a how
From the Company's Coming BBQ cookbook you take any muffin recipe, put it on indirect heat in a closed bbq for 25 minutes, rotating pan at halftime.

The book tells you to make cake even.

Not the first time I've cooked in a while, but the first time I've taken photos since my camera died a few weeks ago.


Cooking a couple of beef roasts. Inspired by a friend of mine who cooked one during our annual dove hunt in September. I don't know how he did it cooking over an open fire, but that thing was juicy, tender and delicious.


Searing the meat so there's a nice crust on the outside while it stays juicy on the inside.


Now the slow cook starts (about five hours, in this case).


This is the most awesome place in the world sometimes. I live not very far from an interstate, but you can barely hear it here.


Had a little help.


Coming along nicely.


Bought a truckload of oak last week. I have a virtually unlimited supply of free mesquite wood, but oak is so much sweeter-smelling and not as acrid as mesquite.


Gotta have some poblano peppers.




Roasted corn is awesome.


Everything turned out pretty good. The one roast we ate tonight wasn't quite as tender as the one my friend made, but it was mighty flavorful and very juicy.


BTW, I own this thread.

^^^looks better than the tomato soup I had tonight.

It begins.

Well it's not exactly bbq'ing, grilling or smoking but I'm happy to say I nutted up and finally made a beef wellington (also I can't find a regular cooking thread).





In between the pastry and the beef is a layer of prosciutto with a mushroom, walnut, thyme and garlic duxelle. It was glorious. Pretty labor intensive, but well worth it.

I love prosciutto but never thought of it used that way. Interesting idea.

I've never actually had beef wellington. Would love to try it, but it sounds time-consuming and I've never seen it in a restaurant...

They're pretty fantastic, I'd recommend it for a rainy night when you have nothing better to do.

Here's a quick video:

Link

I find Ramsay's recipe to be the best, and you can get the prosciutto one online.

Ramsay? That the guy from Hell's Kitchen?