Making Charcoal

[n2ize]

Okay, to me a BBQ is more than just a BBQ. Not only do I hand select and hand cut my own meats from a butchers market but I store, prepare and age my cuts to produce the finest grade meats for outdoor BBQ. But it doesn't end there. Once the cuts are selected, cut, aged,m seasoned, cured, etc. then comes the charcoal. I pick my own grades of aged and seasoned hardwoods. Oak, maple, hickory mesquite, etc. and I order these hand picked woods to be made into charcoal specifying the temperature, dwell time, etc. All determined via years of experience to give the finest results in the world. Nothing but the finest goes into my griller or BBQ'ed meats/

[NA4BH]

You, like Clapton, are GOD.

[W5GA]

:bowdown: I am whelmed.

[NQ6U]

I think he's full of shit. But what the hell, it's entertaining.

[NA4BH]

They sell the shit at the Dollar General. Cheap.

I'm wondering how he ages his meat?

They have a pill for that.

[kf0rt]

Say... I'm in the market for a new smoker. Old one blew the propane regulator (seriously) and was getting pretty old anyway.

Budget is about a hunnert bucks.

Advice?

[NA4BH]

You looking definitely for a smoker?

Watch Lowes for year end sales on Char-Griller stuff. I bought the gas/charcoal/smoker thing, and am very impressed with it. All cooking modes. It's heavy made stuff and looks like it will last a long time with decent care. For smoking, I get my wood for smoking from Academy Sports. They have a nice selection of real wood chunks (cheap). Unless you want to make your own.

[KC9ECI]

I grab the cheapest cut of charcoal steak I can get at the store, throw whatever hickory, maple, oak, or cherry I have leftover from work projects in the grill, and once it's reduced to a smouldering pile of coals, I burn that meat into a tasty, tasty pile of charred animal flesh and devour it like the carnivore I am. With a nice cold bottle of homebrewed beer.

[n2ize]

They sell the shit at the Dollar General. Cheap.

I'm wondering how he ages his meat?

They have a pill for that.
Instead of "aging" I should have used the term "dwell time", the amount of time that I allow the meat to marinate in whatever home made BBQ sauce or flavouring is to be used. Often however when I am preparing prime steak I use no flavouring. Instead I allow the meat to fast grill to seal in the natural flavours and then a slower grilling to allow it to cook to the desired degree of tenderness and to allow the meat to pick up the flavourings from the wood. I uses sauces (i.e BBQ , etc.) mainly when I am making short ribs, prime ribs or spare ribs.

[n2ize]

I grab the cheapest cut of charcoal steak I can get at the store, throw whatever hickory, maple, oak, or cherry I have leftover from work projects in the grill, and once it's reduced to a smouldering pile of coals, I burn that meat into a tasty, tasty pile of charred animal flesh and devour it like the carnivore I am. With a nice cold bottle of homebrewed beer.
Actually you can work wonders with inexpensive cuts.of meat.

[W5GA]

You looking definitely for a smoker?

Watch Lowes for year end sales on Char-Griller stuff. I bought the gas/charcoal/smoker thing, and am very impressed with it. All cooking modes. It's heavy made stuff and looks like it will last a long time with decent care. For smoking, I get my wood for smoking from Academy Sports. They have a nice selection of real wood chunks (cheap). Unless you want to make your own.
I have one of those Char-Griller combo units, too. Watch the paint on the charcoal side, I've had mine for 2 years now and it's in need of de-rusting/repainting on the top of the lid.

[WX7P]

John:

You need one of these babies:

http://www.nps.gov/deva/historyculture/charcoalkilns.htm

6925

[kf0rt]

This is the unit we've got:

http://www.brinkmann.net/products/details.aspx?item=810-5600-0

On our second one now (think we paid $99 each). The first one had a number of parts replaced before it turned into a rust bucket. Second one is still serviceable, but it's been discontinued. Never had a propane regulator die before -- the thing was exhausting propane out of it's blow hole. Good smoker, but a bit of a pain if you have to use both racks. I'll probably look around and see if I can replace the regulator, but otherwise, probably looking for something like this:

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=203223806&storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&ci_sku=203223806&ci_kw=%7bkeyword%7d&kwd=%7bkeyword%7d&cm_mmc=shopping-_-googleads-_-pla-_-203223806&ci_gpa=pla#.UDEvMallT5M

I like the idea of the shelves...

We don't use it for grilling (have a natural gas grill for that). I'm not seeing any Char Griller smokers on the Lowe's site -- which model are you folks using?

[kf0rt]

Could always get a smokin' gun. :rofl:

http://www.scottrobertsweb.com/images/smoking-gun-grill-med.jpg

[NY3V]

6926

Smoker? Will he do?

[n2ize]

This is the unit we've got:

http://www.brinkmann.net/products/details.aspx?item=810-5600-0

On our second one now (think we paid $99 each). The first one had a number of parts replaced before it turned into a rust bucket. Second one is still serviceable, but it's been discontinued. Never had a propane regulator die before -- the thing was exhausting propane out of it's blow hole. Good smoker, but a bit of a pain if you have to use both racks. I'll probably look around and see if I can replace the regulator, but otherwise, probably looking for something like this:

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=203223806&storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&ci_sku=203223806&ci_kw=%7bkeyword%7d&kwd=%7bkeyword%7d&cm_mmc=shopping-_-googleads-_-pla-_-203223806&ci_gpa=pla#.UDEvMallT5M

I like the idea of the shelves...

We don't use it for grilling (have a natural gas grill for that). I'm not seeing any Char Griller smokers on the Lowe's site -- which model are you folks using?
I am seriously considering getting a smoker. However, I am not interested in gas. I want to do all my cooking and smoking using all wood combustion. Gas works but it is just not the same. For me it has to be all woods all the way.

[kf0rt]

I am seriously considering getting a smoker. However, I am not interested in gas. I want to do all my cooking and smoking using all wood combustion. Gas works but it is just not the same. For me it has to be all woods all the way.

The guy who got me started in smoking did that. Wood only, and he's a helluva backyard chef. Did all his smoking in a huge metal "bowl" (for lack of a better word). Nothing fancy or even commercially purchased. I need to learn how to do that. All my smoking has been done with the water method, using gas. Usually turns out perrrrfect. Or at least DamnGood. ;)

[ka8ncr]

About 8 years ago, I bought a Brinkman grill/smoker. It's huge, and it's held up remarkably well. I looked on their web site and they don't seem to make any longer.

Anyway, I've found that you get a much cleaner and hotter fire with real wood charcoal as opposed to the Kingsford briquettes. The down side is, it doesn't last as long and the temperature is hard to keep stable. Seeing that it is more expensive, I use Kingsford with nice oak or shagbark hickory slabs. I'll light the briquettes and get a few slabs going, then move them off to the side. Makes a lot of tasty smoke while grilling.

If I'm really doing the smoker thing as in a long run on a piece of brisket, I'll use the slabs on a small bed of real charcoal and baby sit the thing carefully. While drinking beer.

Sort of disappointed Brinkman doesn't make anything like the model I have. Makes me wonder if I'll be able to find charcoal grills/smokers like that in the future. All I see at Lowe's are the SUVs of propane grills; obnoxious multi burner things.

[NA4BH]

Academy Sports has huge bags of split wood that is perfect for the smoker. If I remember correctly, they are around 10.00.

[n2ize]

The guy who got me started in smoking did that. Wood only, and he's a helluva backyard chef. Did all his smoking in a huge metal "bowl" (for lack of a better word). Nothing fancy or even commercially purchased. I need to learn how to do that. All my smoking has been done with the water method, using gas. Usually turns out perrrrfect. Or at least DamnGood. ;)

Years ago long before he retired from the local electric company my Dad knew this guy from his job who hated his wife so he would smoke meats. I am not kidding, according to the guy, his wifes family was into smoking meats and were supposedly very good at it so he decided to start smoking meats to prove to his wife he could do it as good if not better.

In any event he did some excellent work. Now, according to the guy one of the best meat smokers was an old refrigerator. You strip out all the electrical stuff, remove any plastic panels, wiring, etc, and just keep the metal frame and the shelves and doors. The fire (smoke generator) (gas or wood) goes down in the bottom and you place the meats being smoked on the shelves. The whole thing can be kept in a garage, barn, or outside in the corner of the yard, farm, or wherever. According to the guy quite a few smokers were using this old refrigerator setup. I don't know how well it would work with the new refrigerators we have these days.

I did get to try some of the meats this guy smoked. It was damned good. Her made a great smoked breakfast sausage, and a really great smoked bacon. He even made a salt free smoked bacon for my Mom which was really good. Ever since then I've had a hankering for some good ol' fashioned home smoked meats.

[X-Rated]

Could always get a smokin' gun. :rofl:

http://www.scottrobertsweb.com/images/smoking-gun-grill-med.jpg

Another damn gun thread.

[W1GUH]

Many great smokers here (http://www.420girls.com/420/). (According to Ernie, of course.) NSFW, BTW.

[n2ize]

I outdid myself again !! This past weekend I was using supermarket steaks that I did not pick out myself, I was using a commercial charcoal mixture of hickory, oak, with a touch of mesquite and I was using a Weber kettle style grill instead of my usual cast iron stove. Instead of using the high heat of my iron stove with open drafts to adress and deal the steaks I used the lid the goes over the top. Two - three minutes each side and then open grill all the way. The steaks came out perfectly. I was getting complements all night long. Great taste, tender enough to melt in your mouth, and a slight hint of hardwood leading those at the table to a new and exquisite experience in great steaks. Seems like these days no matter the meat, the stove, the charcoal, etc. I get it right every time. I am, tops when it comes the the charcoal grill.

[W3WN]

I do miss a good (let alone great) cut of beef for a steak. Since her gastric-bypass, the boss can't tolerate red meat though. So most of my grilling these days is chicken.

I've found best results when I have time to plan. I've experimented with different marinades (well, when I can... she strongly prefers Teriyaki-based marinades, and often will turn down anything else).

Two things I do that seem to really improve the taste, regardless of the marinade used:

(1) Skin the chicken. I also remove excess fat at the same time. (Chicken skins & fat are cooked down to make crispy snacks for the dog, which she loves)
(2) Marinate in a covered bowl for at least 4 hours, 24 is even better. If there's not enough sauce to cover, turning the chicken every few hours ensures an even coating.

Also, I usually buy the chicken in relative bulk -- most of the chains sell, for example, thighs for $1.59 a pound for small quantities, but $1.29 (on sale even $.99) a pound for 5 lb or more. I'll marinate a whole batch at once, but only cook that day what we're likely to eat. The rest goes into the freezer (with extra sauce, of course) for future use.

[wa6mhz]

I just LOVE BBQ!!! But it is way too PRICEY to purchase, and way too time consuming to prepare.

SO, I just eat Queasy Dillas and Top Ramen. Tastes terrible, but for every dollar I SAVE on food, that is a dollar towards a nice radio I have to spend! The Tapioca Puddin sure makes the Queasy Dillas go down faster. Tapioca is food of the GODS!!

[NY3V]

Okay, to me a BBQ is more than just a BBQ. Not only do I hand select and hand cut my own meats from a butchers market but I store, prepare and age my cuts to produce the finest grade meats for outdoor BBQ. But it doesn't end there. Once the cuts are selected, cut, aged,m seasoned, cured, etc. then comes the charcoal. I pick my own grades of aged and seasoned hardwoods. Oak, maple, hickory mesquite, etc. and I order these hand picked woods to be made into charcoal specifying the temperature, dwell time, etc. All determined via years of experience to give the finest results in the world. Nothing but the finest goes into my griller or BBQ'ed meats/

Sounds a tad anal to me, ;)

[n2ize]

I just LOVE BBQ!!! But it is way too PRICEY to purchase, and way too time consuming to prepare.



SO, I just eat Queasy Dillas and Top Ramen. Tastes terrible, but for every dollar I SAVE on food, that is a dollar towards a nice radio I have to spend! The Tapioca Puddin sure makes the Queasy Dillas go down faster. Tapioca is food of the GODS!!
I know, the less you spend on food the more you have to buy some more radios.. :lol:

But you should give BBQ-ing a try at lkeast. iit's not that expensive. You don;t need a fancy expensive grill. Most of the time I use an ordinary portable cast iron charcoal grill. Neither do you have to go for the expensive prime cuts of meat ,,, Even plain ol' fashioned burgers and hot dogs can be a real treat off the grill. Chuck steak or sirloin, come out great, chicken, etc. Give it a try one day. You'll be very glad you did.