Outdoor cooking - Barbecues, Barbecue, BBQs, BBQ, Smokers, Grills. And Ribs.

Thanks for all the advice on dutch ovens. Basic non-enamelled one ordered. Weather even looks good to get its first outing at the weekend!

Thanks they’d been on my provisional list though thought with butcher opening times would have been difficult for me to get sorted, but see they’re open later. Planning a reconnaissance trip to some localish ones at lunch today to see who’s got what and then hopefully pick something up from one of them on Thursday.

Pulled pork can out last night at 1am.

My timing may be a bit off...

To do:

• second deflector, so that I can go hotter without searing the underside of the joint.
  
• some decent probes that aren't all over the shop.
  
• remember to chuck the wood chips in at the beginning, not after 8 hours.
  
• might have been better fat side down.
  
  

Still. Pulled pork for breakfast is a pretty good start to the day.

2 Attachments

Golly that looks tasty

Looks good to me.

When you say timings are off, how long did it cook? I've never has pork shoulder cook in less than 15hrs. I cook at 110°c.

I highly recommend thermoworks signals, they're not cheap but they rock solid and definitely worth it, I bought some cheaper well reviewed ones on amazon first that were all over the place.

I put a couple of wood chunks in the middle then a couple on the edges of the charcoal which all catch throughout the cook, seems to work well for me.

I've fat up and down and I honestly haven't noticed any difference in taste, fat down prevents the meat sticking to the grill. All US recepies online cut off the thick skin which I've never bothered with, the fat falls off after the cook and you can throw it in the oven for pork scratchings.

I follow this and it's pretty foolproof.

https://www.meatchurch.com/blogs/recipes/pulled-pork

100% cosign the praises of the signals/billows combo too

Can not recommend the hot guts links more, if you do go with T&G! I’m sure last time I ordered London delivery by bike was possible, but can’t see anything about it on their website now..

Looks great! Having cooked 10s of pork shoulders now, I am confident that fat down works best for me (I think maybe shielding the meat from direct heat slightly better?). I am also content that the marginal difference between 235 and 275 vs the amount of time saved cooking, 275 every time. I don’t bother wrapping personally, but plan accordingly. These days I cook with 4/6 hours contingency because it only gets better rested for that long.

Actually just realised that they have a shop on Lower Marsh so will give them a call at some point and hopefully go pick up on my lunch break on Thursday.

When you say timings are off, how long did it cook?

It was about 12 hours - I was aiming for 8, but temps took a while to come up & I didn't want to just blast it. At 10ish, I realised there were some colder spots, and turned the meat around to finish.

Who knew how much pulled pork a 6 year old can eat in one sitting. They're an animal.

A hungry 6 year old is a terrifying thing.

Our son, at age 6, destroyed a friend's 16 year old son in a burger-off. Brutal.

I told the six year old that we had eaten pulled pork burgers. The look of disappointed rage that we had dared to eat *their * meat was a sight to behold.

They were placated when they say the other two full tubs still left.

The look of disappointed rage that we had dared to eat *their * meat was a sight to behold.

Heh heh heh.

So posessive.

Got everthing set up and prepped last night, things were lit at 8 this morning but it was really struggling to get up any heat, looks to be there now so just trying to get it stabilised at 130ish as recommended on the video I'm following.

MEATER Plus Wireless Meat Thermometer - £30 off at Costco - £70

I'm not fully convinced by my Meater. Because it's so fat compared to a normal probe it only really works with big lumps of meat. I've struggled with putting it in stuff like chicken.

I also often don't have a sacrificial potato so can't use it to get the initial temperature before I start cooking.

They're a neat idea but not quite as good as I hoped.

I guess they have their place - in particular if you have a rotisserie.

Anyhoo - first beef rib cook on the new kamado.

36 hour dry brine (because timing error), then ~8 hours at 125 to get them to 95.

I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out. Again, the fat could have gone on the bottom, and the 6 year old suggested less pepper in the rub, but otherwise pretty good.

I also need bigger lumps of wood for smoking - it had all but disappeared by the time things were up to tempeatutet to start cooking, hence the rather thin smoke ring.

(There's a finger poking juice money shot too, if you're that interested.)

3 Attachments

First use of the (gas) BBQ for us this summer, 250c, 6 mins each side with the lid down and 10 mins rest, medium/medium rare .

1 Attachment

How are people cooking whole chickens on their BBQs these days?

I'm thinking keeping it whole, rather than spatchcocking or boning out completely.

Spatchcock and smoke still but it is easy to oversmoke it . Beer can / Dr. Pepper can chicken is just weird and can get in the bin.

Cornell chicken is actually good. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/221091/cornell-chicken/

Cornell chicken

Imma try this tho. Ta!

Although - "1 tbs poultry seasoning" >>>>>>>>>>

I just tend to leave the chicken whole and put a rub under the skin (not a recipe as such usually just garlic, chilli flakes, chipotle and lime, salt, pepper, garlic) then olive oil on the outside of the skin with the same rub but replacing the salt and pepper with more coarse ground sea salt (little crack rocks of the stuff) and whole peppercorns than appears necessary. Cook on indirect heat and the skin goes very crispy and salty and the meat has the taste of the rub in it rather than just the skin.

Serve with hasselback potatoes sprinkled with the same rub before cooking and some coleslaw - all seems to go down well.

Here's one I did yesterday

1 Attachment

I've done beer can method with whole chicken several times and it's been good.

Not in the bin at all. :)

This stuff is pretty tasty.

https://worldfamoushotsauce.co.uk/ols/products/chucky-dust

The sherbet powder in the formula works really well. His ghost pepper chips seasoning is pretty dang nice too.