The great big BBQ thread.

[RMarsh]

Glad to see that there are some other Weber users out there! I recently bought my first house and my dad has only used a standard Weber charcoal grill for at least the last 30 years, so naturally that's what I had to get for myself. This thread makes me want to BBQ!

[str8tlkr]

Pork loin on the Weber. One wrapped with bacon, one without. Very nice.

[broger]

Has anyone ever got into an argument with someone about 'Q? I've had some fanatics claim that BBQ has to have been smoked to be called such. I have also heard folks say that such a claim is a bit ludacris due to the whole origin of barbecue and Australia and the barbie. I do not have a side on the argument. Anyone here feel BBQ isn't BBQ without smoke?

[fd919]

Here's one of my latest BBQ sessions doing ribs on my Broil King Keg in a snow storm.

[SS502MC]

BBQ in the states started with the slaves along the Carolina coast. If you have heard the term "high on the hog" it means just that. The Plantation owners got the good meat that was higher on the hog and the slaves were left with the bottom and tougher pieces. They learned that by cooking them at a low temperature for a extended time allowed the meat to soften and be more editable. They used pits that were dug out and covered with wet palm frons. True BBQ has always been referred to as low and slow, were as grilling is higher temps over a short period.

A cut like a pork butt is smoked to around 200 degrees. The collagen in a butt does not start to break down until 185 or so. A butt can lose temperature when this happens. When I do butts or briskets, it is a overnight cook for 15 or so hours at 225 degrees. This produces a deep mahogany color with a great bark. You know it all good when you can pull the bone out clean and the meat is juicy from the collagen and falls apart. I have seen people that smoke for 4-6 hours and wrap them in foil and then cook them at a higher temp. Not my style.

I use to have a big trailer smoker, but it was always at the house. Sold it and designed and built my smokehouse. It holds temps a lot better and I have done up to 300lbs of meat at a time. I smoked about 40lbs of cheese last week. Cheese has to be done with temps under 75 degrees or it will get oily.

Bottom line IMO, is that there is a difference between smoking and grilling. That being said, they both have a place in cooking. I have smoke steaks and finish them on the grill, but I would not just smoke one and then eat it. At the same time I would not try and grill a 20lbs brisket.

This is just my opinion and how I feel about smoking(BBQ) and grilling. Everyone can have different views of the same.

Sorry for some of the spelling

[str8tlkr]

Has anyone ever got into an argument with someone about 'Q? I've had some fanatics claim that BBQ has to have been smoked to be called such. I have also heard folks say that such a claim is a bit ludacris due to the whole origin of barbecue and Australia and the barbie. I do not have a side on the argument. Anyone here feel BBQ isn't BBQ without smoke?

I think there are many different styles of BBQ. And typically smoke is present to some degree for BBQ because it involves cooking meat slowly over wood and/or coals. It's not to say that if only charcoal is used (as opposed to raw hardwood) and cooked indirectly without much smoke at all that it isn't BBQ. It's just not heavily smoked. I will say that if you sear meat over hot coals (wood or charcoal) or gas quickly; that isn't necessarily BBQ but rather grilling, which I am also a fan. But there is some distinction between the two. Some do say that true BBQ is using hardwood only. I use a combination of charcoal and hardwood and do prefer some degree of smoke with the BBQ.

[MWS]

Got the BBQ Guru CyberQ Wifi and wanted to take it for a test drive before a serious overnight cook, tried 5 hour sticky chicken...low and slow for 5 hours @ 250. Doesn't make the best skin, but the meat is moist and falls off the bone. Most guides suggest strips of bacon over the breast to self baste, but I thought...hey, those temps and time is perfect for baby backs! All in all it was a boring smoke - I didn't need to fuss with anything - set it for 250...and the little fan on the bottom of my Green Egg regulated it perfectly. I Was able to work around the yard, run errands at Home Depot...it didn't budge. Chicken turned out as expected, ribs required an extra 1/2 hour. I think I'm ready for a 15 hour overnight brisket next, the CyberQ's a winner for sure - I can view/adjust temps from my computer, iPhone and got regular email progress updates.

[fd919]

I've though about getting something like a guru for a while now but I don't do a lot of low and slow so right now. I do have a maverick so it frees me up to do other things but it also doesn't send me email updates! Lol

[Grazor]

Got the BBQ Guru CyberQ Wifi

Is that for real? The old Weber just sends smoke signals, if there is smoke it's cooking, if there is no smoke it's ready (usually).

[MWS]

Is that for real? The old Weber just sends smoke signals, if there is smoke it's cooking, if there is no smoke it's ready (usually).

It may be cheating, but I'm at the age where I'd rather get a good 8 hours sleep through the night than monitoring it every few hours!