The bbq photo & recipe thread

[Sway]

Couple of things:

Dome mounted thermometers aren't at grill level, so aren't measuring the right temperature, as food isn't up that high.

Quality - there are one or two fairly accurate dome thermometers, but they don't often come with a bbq!

Meat temp - after all, this is what counts! So many variables means using time is useless, overcooking a big chunk of meat can lead to significant wastage, etc.

I bought the maverick last autumn after a few years if being without - the difference is superb. No more constant lifting the lid to twist a fork in a pork shoulder, wasting heat and delaying things. No more setting a fire before bed to find it's gone out overnight and you've lost several hours cooking time.

Worth every penny!

[don4l]

richatnort said:

what is the difference between getting an electronic one to one of these? Surely they do the same job right?

http://www.wowbbq.co.uk/products/weber-q-200300-se...

For me there is a world of difference.

The main thing is that I can sit indoors and monitor things fairly constantly.

[richatnort]

don4l said:

richatnort said:

what is the difference between getting an electronic one to one of these? Surely they do the same job right?

http://www.wowbbq.co.uk/products/weber-q-200300-se...

For me there is a world of difference.

The main thing is that I can sit indoors and monitor things fairly constantly.

But does that really warrant a £60 price tag?

[don4l]

richatnort said:

don4l said:

richatnort said:

what is the difference between getting an electronic one to one of these? Surely they do the same job right?

http://www.wowbbq.co.uk/products/weber-q-200300-se...

For me there is a world of difference.

The main thing is that I can sit indoors and monitor things fairly constantly.

But does that really warrant a £60 price tag?

It depends.

If you are just grilling stuff over high heat, then you wouldn't need this. If, like me, you have a cheap BBQ where the temperature is difficult to control, then I would say that it is essential.

I only started using the BBQ last August, and I suspect that I would have given up by now if I didn't have this device.

[Frik]

The wireless is a useful feature, but you can pick up probe thermometers for a lot less. I got a couple in IKEA last time I was there for a less than £8 each.

[Tony Angelino]

Anybody invested in a Skewer System for the Weber Rotisserie? Used my rotisserie much more last year than year before, these look like they could be worth £40 odd quid, if only for the boneless chicken kebab type stuff it could lend itself to.

http://www.wowbbq.co.uk/products/weber-rotisserie-...

[pattieG]

richatnort said:

But does that really warrant a £60 price tag?

After using mine for the first time on Saturday I would say yes. Now I need to figure out how to get the grill temperature down from 180c to 110c?

I started with a full chimney starter of briquettes and after around an hour and a half the temperature was still around 170c. I'm assuming I need to put less coals in to start with. Bloody shame I have to work for a living and can't spend all my days cooking on the barbecue!

[thebraketester]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BBQ-Smoke-Grill-Thermome...

Got one similar to that... works great.

[thetapeworm]

I noticed a wide assortment of smokers and interesting BBQs on sale at my local Asda the other day - they all seem to be listed online too. I'm tempted by these two if anyone has any thoughts:

http://direct.asda.com/Uniflame-Junior-American-Sm...

http://direct.asda.com/The-Big-American-Portable-S...

Just thought I'd share in case anyone is looking for something cheap and potentially cheerful.

[badgerade]

thetapeworm said:

I noticed a wide assortment of smokers and interesting BBQs on sale at my local Asda the other day - they all seem to be listed online too. I'm tempted by these two if anyone has any thoughts:

http://direct.asda.com/Uniflame-Junior-American-Sm...

http://direct.asda.com/The-Big-American-Portable-S...

Just thought I'd share in case anyone is looking for something cheap and potentially cheerful.

Based on the prices, I'd guess they would be pretty thin metal, and probably not that well sealed. This will make it harder to regulate the temperatures and lead to a very frustrating time. I bought a cheap-ish offset second hand, and it was a complete nightmare to cook on.

If you're on a budget, maybe look for a second hand weber kettle on ebay? Or - you could make an Ugly Drum Smoker from an oil drum! My UDS cost me approx £60 to make, although a fair amount of time was involved..

[LordGrover]

Uniflame seems to have a wide range: click.

[thetapeworm]

badgerade said:

Based on the prices, I'd guess they would be pretty thin metal, and probably not that well sealed. This will make it harder to regulate the temperatures and lead to a very frustrating time. I bought a cheap-ish offset second hand, and it was a complete nightmare to cook on.

If you're on a budget, maybe look for a second hand weber kettle on ebay? Or - you could make an Ugly Drum Smoker from an oil drum! My UDS cost me approx £60 to make, although a fair amount of time was involved..

I have a Weber already, I should probably just learn to use it

[Sway]

pattieG said:

richatnort said:

But does that really warrant a £60 price tag?

After using mine for the first time on Saturday I would say yes. Now I need to figure out how to get the grill temperature down from 180c to 110c?

I started with a full chimney starter of briquettes and after around an hour and a half the temperature was still around 170c. I'm assuming I need to put less coals in to start with. Bloody shame I have to work for a living and can't spend all my days cooking on the barbecue!

The trick I've found is when initially loading the lit coals and getting the temp set, to pre-empt the thermometer and damp down on the vents prior to getting close to target temp - slowing the rate of temp increase (or if you go too far, stalling the q temp or even reducing it) so that you can slowly bring it up to where you want it.

Helps that the coals respond fairly quickly to a change in airflow supply, and a metal walled q will never be so well insulated you're waiting hours for temp to drop.

In a ceramic, with it's heatsink walls and super insulation could take hours to drop!

[badgerade]

thetapeworm said:

badgerade said:

Based on the prices, I'd guess they would be pretty thin metal, and probably not that well sealed. This will make it harder to regulate the temperatures and lead to a very frustrating time. I bought a cheap-ish offset second hand, and it was a complete nightmare to cook on.

If you're on a budget, maybe look for a second hand weber kettle on ebay? Or - you could make an Ugly Drum Smoker from an oil drum! My UDS cost me approx £60 to make, although a fair amount of time was involved..

I have a Weber already, I should probably just learn to use it

Ah in that case, yes, the weber would be better at smoking/indirect cooking than either of the ones you have linked to

[richatnort]

Sway said:

The trick I've found is when initially loading the lit coals and getting the temp set, to pre-empt the thermometer and damp down on the vents prior to getting close to target temp - slowing the rate of temp increase (or if you go too far, stalling the q temp or even reducing it) so that you can slowly bring it up to where you want it.

Helps that the coals respond fairly quickly to a change in airflow supply, and a metal walled q will never be so well insulated you're waiting hours for temp to drop.

In a ceramic, with it's heatsink walls and super insulation could take hours to drop!

Sorry dumb question but what do you mean by damp down on the vents and stalling the q temp?

[Sway]

There are no dumb questions!

Usually when grilling, you have an excess of air available, and the temp is dictated by the amount of lit fuel.

When smoking, it's the opposite - you have more fuel than the air supply can burn.

So, I normally start off with a 3/4 full basket in the bbq, and half a chimney lit. Pile it on, and put the lid on - top and bottom vents wide open.

As the temp increases, when it's about 50 degrees under what I want, I'll leave the top (exhaust) vent wide open, and close up the bottom vents until there's just a crack open. This will reduce the air available, so there's a limited amount of burning that can happen. Done perfect (which isn't necessary), the temp rise will slow right down, then just before it hits what I want I'll close down the bottom vents a little more - this should create an equilibrium, where there's just enough burning happening to maintain the temp where I want. Sometimes I'll need to open them up a little, sometimes close them a little more.

Remember, each adjustment takes 15-20 minutes to take effect, so patience is key!

Anymore questions, just shout!

[richatnort]

Sway said:

There are no dumb questions!

Usually when grilling, you have an excess of air available, and the temp is dictated by the amount of lit fuel.

When smoking, it's the opposite - you have more fuel than the air supply can burn.

So, I normally start off with a 3/4 full basket in the bbq, and half a chimney lit. Pile it on, and put the lid on - top and bottom vents wide open.

As the temp increases, when it's about 50 degrees under what I want, I'll leave the top (exhaust) vent wide open, and close up the bottom vents until there's just a crack open. This will reduce the air available, so there's a limited amount of burning that can happen. Done perfect (which isn't necessary), the temp rise will slow right down, then just before it hits what I want I'll close down the bottom vents a little more - this should create an equilibrium, where there's just enough burning happening to maintain the temp where I want. Sometimes I'll need to open them up a little, sometimes close them a little more.

Remember, each adjustment takes 15-20 minutes to take effect, so patience is key!

Anymore questions, just shout!

Thanks Sway for the advice that makes way more sense now! By a basket do you mean a basket full of wood? Also do you use dry wood or soaked wood as i've read that dry wood is the best way?

[Sway]

Basket is the charcoal 'container' - I've got two half moon baskets in my Weber, and a big basket in my Pro Q. That's with lump wood charcoal (I use a locally produced one that's lovely big chunks).

For smoking wood, you can use chips or lumps. Used to soak, now I don't bother and just distribute over lit and unlit coals to ensure a prolonged smoke generation.

If you've got a lot tree surgeon/landscaper, worth asking for big chunks of oak/fruit wood and leaving it out under a cover for six months to season...

[richatnort]

Sway said:

Basket is the charcoal 'container' - I've got two half moon baskets in my Weber, and a big basket in my Pro Q. That's with lump wood charcoal (I use a locally produced one that's lovely big chunks).

For smoking wood, you can use chips or lumps. Used to soak, now I don't bother and just distribute over lit and unlit coals to ensure a prolonged smoke generation.

If you've got a lot tree surgeon/landscaper, worth asking for big chunks of oak/fruit wood and leaving it out under a cover for six months to season...

ahhh cool so something like this? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weber-Charcoal-Briquette-...

I've got Friday off so i'm going to go buy a Weber Bar-B-Kettle 57cm. Why have two baskets in it? Do two fit on one side well enough as i know your meant to have only have light and meat on the other side

[Sway]

I don't smoke so much on my weber kettle now I've got the Pro Q, but I tend to have both (one each side) with drip tray in between and meat in the centre.

Seems to work well with the airflow, and prevents uneven cooking.