BBQ/Smoking/Grilling

[drop2d]

Originally Posted by Climb2safety

Or

https://www.goldbelly.com/mighty-qui...SABEgKR5PD_BwE

You can get prime for that. Or go a little more and get wagyu.

https://www.snakeriverfarms.com/amer...hort-ribs.html

[Climb2safety]

Originally Posted by drop2d

You can get prime for that. Or go a little more and get wagyu.

https://www.snakeriverfarms.com/amer...hort-ribs.html

I didn’t realize I think that last link was already cooked.

[dmbmuskie]

150 rack of ribs. Amazing.

[dmbmuskie]

Going to buy something dumb here tomorrow. Thursday and Friday are in the 80s, so it will be nice to get one last grilling day in.

https://thirdandmain.com/butcher-shop/

[prdstmnky36]

Originally Posted by dmbmuskie

Going to buy something dumb here tomorrow. Thursday and Friday are in the 80s, so it will be nice to get one last grilling day in.

One last grilling day?? Shit, Ill fire up the grill/smoker in the middle of winter, at least once a week.

[M. Steng]

Yeah, I grill year round.

This is my first year with the smoker but I anticipate I'll be using it during the winter months.

[drop2d]

Nothing will stop me from cooking outside at least once a week (usually 2-3 times in winter, 5-6 times the rest of the year)

[dmbmuskie]

Our house just isn’t set up to cook outside in the winter. Back door is in the living room not the kitchen.

[Climb2safety]

Eating bbq when it’s cold outside is the bomb so yeah, I smoke when there is snow on the ground.

[GSUdawg521]

Not to pile on, muskie but I was thinking the same thing when I saw your post and glad I'm not alone. I'm grilling more this year than ever. Some combination of Covid and eating more at home, my new grill, the natural gas hookup, and just learning more and getting better at it. Also kinda like with what you said, the setup of this new house is good for it: kitchen to sunroom to deck where the grill be.

[prdstmnky36]

I live in the middle of Vermont, in a condo...my deck entrance is a slider off of our living room (living room / dining room is an open floor plan, opposite our kitchen). None of it is gonna stop us from our outdoor cooking.

Originally Posted by GSUdawg521

Not to pile on, muskie but I was thinking the same thing when I saw your post and glad I'm not alone. I'm grilling more this year than ever. Some combination of Covid and eating more at home, my new grill, the natural gas hookup, and just learning more and getting better at it. Also kinda like with what you said, the setup of this new house is good for it: kitchen to sunroom to deck where the grill be.

You still liking that natural gas hookup? I actually thought about you when I went to fill up my extra propane tanks for the winter! Pretty sure my condo assoc wouldn't approve of tapping into our gas lines, but its intriguing! If we were planning on staying here more than a couple years I would definitely inquire about it.

[GSUdawg521]

Originally Posted by prdstmnky36

I live in the middle of Vermont, in a condo...my deck entrance is a slider off of our living room (living room / dining room is an open floor plan, opposite our kitchen). None of it is gonna stop us from our outdoor cooking.


You still liking that natural gas hookup? I actually thought about you when I went to fill up my extra propane tanks for the winter! Pretty sure my condo assoc wouldn't approve of tapping into our gas lines, but its intriguing! If we were planning on staying here more than a couple years I would definitely inquire about it.

Hell yeah! Only drawback as I said is maybe it takes a little longer to get to full heat but I haven't really had an issue cooking.

I mentioned this before I think, and this helps too, but I'm almost positive there's something wrong with my natural gas account, whether it's the meter or what. I seem to be paying almost the same base account fee and nothing more, even last month after lots of grilling and that one day of having the grill on for like 2 hours.

[prdstmnky36]

Originally Posted by GSUdawg521

Hell yeah! Only drawback as I said is maybe it takes a little longer to get to full heat but I haven't really had an issue cooking.

I mentioned this before I think, and this helps too, but I'm almost positive there's something wrong with my natural gas account, whether it's the meter or what. I seem to be paying almost the same base account fee and nothing more, even last month after lots of grilling and that one day of having the grill on for like 2 hours.

What else do you have that runs off your natural gas? Kitchen stove? Hot water heater? You would think there would be at least some noticeable uptick in usage.

[GSUdawg521]

Originally Posted by prdstmnky36

What else do you have that runs off your natural gas? Kitchen stove? Hot water heater? You would think there would be at least some noticeable uptick in usage.

Just my stove, grill, fireplace, and gas furnace. I'm not an HVAC expert, but the guy I had out recently told me something about the system I have only kicks over to gas when it's especially cold, like I guess it's electric down to a certain temperature. My bills were in the low $40s in the few coldest winter months but ever since March it's been between $29 and $33, using about 2 therms each month. I dunno, now that I look into it, sounds like ovens and outdoor grills use the lowest average amount of gas in your house per year. So maybe it makes sense.

But yeah that's another good endorsement for it; even though refillable propane tanks don't cost a ton, I'm pretty sure the natural gas is costing me less, not to mention the hassle of having to get them refilled or worrying about running out.

[drop2d]

Originally Posted by dmbmuskie

Our house just isn’t set up to cook outside in the winter. Back door is in the living room not the kitchen.

I mean, that's just a lazy excuse. I expect more out of you muskie!

At my last house, my grills/smokers were out back. I had to go through a door, down a flight of stairs into the basement, through a slider to outside, then a screen door.... It didn't stop me!

[AlexK79]

Wanted to give a little review of the RT-380 Bullseye after getting it put together and taking it for a first spin this weekend.

In short, it's great! I bought it essentially to replace my Weber kettle. I'll still use my RT-700 for the vast majority of my low and slow smoking, and the Bullseye will be my go to for burgers, brats, wings, etc... The ability to cook/smoke over the wood fire but still have the convenience and speed like a gas grill is just great.

It's got a 15-lb pellet hopper that is offset to the left side with the temp control panel on the front. 4 button operation - power on/off, up/down arrows to set your temp, and a temp display button that allows you to toggle between displaying your set point temp, the actual current temp, or your meat temperature if you're using the built in meat probe. The grill portion itself basically looks like a stainless steel Weber kettle, though it's a bit shorter - I'm 5'8" and with the lid raised the cooking surface is slightly below waist level. About perfect for me, though if you're a tall person you might find it a little bit shorter than you'd like. The lid is on a hinge rather than fully removable and raises a little past 90 degrees.

On the inside, the fire pot is dead center on the bottom of course, on top of that is the flame deflector which controls your airflow and also does a nice job limiting the flare ups when grease from your meat drips down if you're cooking at higher temps. Of course the grill grate rests over that.

For the first run I just made up some 1/4 burger patties from some fresh ground beef I got that morning and set the grill for 450. They came out absolutely delicious, with a great, subtle smoky flavor that noticeable but not at all overpowering.

Pros:
1. Temp control - can set the temp in 25 degree increments from 225-500, and also has 'Riot Mode' when you want to do direct flame grilling/searing. (Haven't tried that yet.)
2. Speed - press the power button, set your temp, and you're done. It gets up to 400 within about 10 minutes. I am loving the idea of no longer having to mess with my charcoal chimneys, wait on the coals, and putz around trying to keep a consistent temperature.
3. Has a built in meat probe for your low and slow cooks.
4. 2 year bumper to bumper warranty. And from my prior experience with my RT-700, I can vouch that their customer service is absolutely top notch. They will replace ANYTHING free of charge even if it's your own fault.

Cons:
1. No Wifi connectivity, so I can't monitor, change temps, etc... vis the app like I can with my RT-700, though I wouldn't expect that feature at this price point.
2. Taller people might find it a bit short.

I attached a few pics - first pic you can see it next to my RT-700 to give an idea of the size.

At $399, I can't think of how you could do better in that price range. If you want the convenience of gas but love the real wood flavor, this thing is for you. It also would be a fantastic option for someone that just wants one grill that can do it all - low and slow smoking with spot on temp control and no need to babysit coals/fire, or hot and fast traditional grilling. Highly recommend!

I believe they're still in stock now at the $399 intro price after the first two drops sold out in minutes. I think they're going to go up to $499 eventually, so worth grabbing one now vs later and save $100. (Free shipping as well - I ordered mine on the evening of the 12th and it was on my doorstep on the 15th.)

[dmbmuskie]

Originally Posted by dmbmuskie

Going to buy something dumb here tomorrow. Thursday and Friday are in the 80s, so it will be nice to get one last grilling day in.

https://thirdandmain.com/butcher-shop/

Place is just absurd, but in the best way.

No idea how something that pricey came to be so far from the wealthy parts of Cincy and Louisville.

[drop2d]

Talking about thermometers the other day had me search for a left-handed one again... someone is finally making one!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083JWZ23X/

I wasn't convinced it was real until it showed up last night.

https://imgur.com/a/PwgAI3w

I'm not excited about it being black... but hey, it's lefty so I'll take it!

[GSUdawg521]

Haha, nice! I used the Taylor one I picked up at Costco for the first couple times this week. I like it. It has a blue backlight, and it turns on automatically when you unfold the probe.

I previously had this one. Great reviews, can't beat that price.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The first one I had I left stuck in a piece of meat on the grill for like 5 seconds while I got distracted and the little battery cover melted and disfigured. The seller was nice enough to send me another one that lasted me a while until I accidentally broke the hinge at the base of the probe. Then I thought to look at the first one I had still sitting in the drawer and realized it was fine if I just took the battery cover from the now-broken one. So I have that one again. Pros of that one are it's bright red and I kinda like the magnets on the back; sometimes I'll stick it to the side of the grill.

[WidespreadMule3]

Fav veggies to grill?

[prdstmnky36]

Originally Posted by WidespreadMule3

Fav veggies to grill?

Zucchini / Asparagus

[GSUdawg521]

Originally Posted by WidespreadMule3

Fav veggies to grill?

I do yellow squash and/or zucchini a lot, usually together. Sliced into 1/4" planks or sometimes into spears. Just did this last night with some bone-in pork chops.

Corn.

Sometimes I use the grill pan and do a combo of mushrooms, onions, cherry tomatoes, maybe some squash or zuch, all of which has been marinated in some kinda teriyaki type sauce.

I've done cauliflower "steaks" or a full head of broccoli in big slices which was good but a bit more of a pain.

[M. Steng]

Asparagus always comes out the best on the grill for me.

I do Brussel sprouts on the grill as well, but only on a pan and when I'm grilling everything else and don't want to turn the oven on

I also do little peppers right on the grill with some chile lime seasoning. Grilled onion for burgers always a big hit in the Steng household as well

[GSUdawg521]

My wife got me this as part of an anniversary gift, thinking it was a good thing to bring food in from the grill with.

https://smile.amazon.com/Nordic-Ware...375103&sr=8-15

I wasn't sure how much I used it but I did burgers the other night and cooked some onions and mushrooms right on it on the grill alongside the burgers and it was pretty great. Just moved them to the side when everything was ready, slid it back onto the plastic tray part, and popped the burgers and grilled buns on that plate too and brought it all in.

[WidespreadMule3]

Same for me. Asparagus are fantastic on the grill. I might try sweet potato or something different this weekend. Feel like I'm grilling the same things over and over.

One time I did grill a grilled cheese sandwich. It was fantastic.

[prdstmnky36]

Smoking a nice salmon filet tonight!

[AlexK79]

Originally Posted by prdstmnky36

Smoking a nice salmon filet tonight!

Every time I do salmon I wonder why I don't do it more often. Did one on Sunday, dry cure with salt and brown sugar for about 10 hours, then air dry overnight, into the smoker the next day. I finished it with just a light glaze of BWW Asian Zing sauce and it was phenomenal.

[Timebomb07]

Originally Posted by prdstmnky36

Zucchini / Asparagus

Yup - top two for me as well.

I love quartering a zucc, little oil, s&p and just a quick sear on all three sides to get some marks.

[prdstmnky36]

Originally Posted by Timebomb07

Yup - top two for me as well.

I love quartering a zucc, little oil, s&p and just a quick sear on all three sides to get some marks.

I tend to mix it up, we grew some monsters this summer and were throwing big fat hockey pucks on the grill every other day. I also like them quartered, or even sliced. Usually same seasoning (olive oil, s&p) but occasionally I’ll get kinky and use some Cajun seasoning or some smoked paprika!

[prdstmnky36]

Originally Posted by prdstmnky36

Smoking a nice salmon filet tonight!

Well this was amazing! Up there with the best pieces of fish I’ve ever consumed, and possibly the best thing I’ve ever smoked! Very juicy, tons of flavor, and a perfect amount of smoke...sooooo delish!!

https://i.imgur.com/j0Maltg.jpg
https://imgur.com/a/w68LX9H