All Things BBQ

[grsthegreat]

holy c***, the yoder 640 is double what i paid for it 4 years ago.

 

[ljjhouser]

holy c***, the yoder 640 is double what i paid for it 4 years ago.

Tis true. I am sorry to seem them focus so much on pretty much only the commercial end. The Cheyenne is what I considered a "perfect" lifetime home smoker. At that time it cost $1200. The used on I got still looks like new. Best $800 I have spent in some time.

Here is one that is a little more reasonably priced:

Yoder Smokers YS640 Competition Cart Christmas Ornament​

(4 Reviews)
$11.95 free shipping on orders over $89

 

[stewg]

I know you posted last year, but these look nice.

KONNECTED JOE™ DIGITAL CHARCOAL GRILL AND SMOKER​

 

[two_bit_score]

The used on I got still looks like new. Best $800 I have spent in some time.

Sounds like the winning deal!

 

[Wolverinefarm22]

I started with a Walmart clearance special. It was awful to smoke anything on and became relegated to smoking over direct charcoal when we would dogs, burgers, or chicken by the pond out back.

From there the wife bought me a Masterbuilt electric smoker. Did a decent job of cooking better bbq with little effort. But I decided it still didn’t hit the spot compared to bbq I had tasted.

My next purchase was an Oklahoma Joes Highland offset reverse flow smoker. The BBQ game improved tremendously with wood splits vs electric with chips or charcoal. In the years since I started cooking for our local VA and some school related events to earn some extra cash.

Since that wasn’t enough I have since purchased a drum smoker which does a pretty good job, and a Masterbuilt gravity feed smoker that I would rate maybe a 5/10. I would recommend either for a beginner who doesn’t want to tend a fire, but for great bbq flavor I always go back to the offset smoker as the others just don’t create the same depth of flavors and amazing bark as my offset.

Haven’t purchased any new smokers since the Masterbuilt gravity smoker and will probably sell it and the drum as I rarely use them anymore. For me it is offset all the way.

Luckily the few neighbors we have around love to bbq as well and they all love to compete. Until my bbq became their wives and kids favorite.

 

[gsganzer]

To me, BBQ has to be authentic, cooked over real wood. It can be pit, offset, egg, etc. It just needs to be something that requires some amount tending.

I'm cooking a steak tonight. I think I've gone all over the map with cooking steaks. At home, I've been sticking with a marinated steak cooked in a cast iron skillet over my built-in patio burner. At deer camp, I do rubbed steaks over a mesquite grill. Every time I cook a steak, I'm trying to make it the most recent "best". I've come to the conclusion that success is directly proportional to the quality of the steak cut.

 

[gsganzer]

Wolverine,
You need to share that baked bean recipe. That looks good! I always like trying new recipes.

I travel all the time and I have a really good meal per diem, so I've become a real foodie. When I'm home, I love trying some new things. My wife and kids aren't as culinary adventurous as I am, so it tempers some of the things I try. But I still come up with some meals that are family favorites.

Eventually, I want to compile a cookbook/photobook to leave my kids, that has all our great memories and meals in one place.

 

[Wolverinefarm22]

Sure the beans are easy
1 can dark kidney beans drained
1 can light kidney beans drained
1 can black beans drained
1 can navy beans drained
1 medium size yellow onion diced
4-5 strips of bacon (sub pulled pork or chopped brisket if you have some leftovers to use)
10-12 ounces of bbq sauce
1 yellow and 1 red bell pepper diced (sub any bell peppers you want)
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon black pepper

This is what I sell. If I am cooking for family/friends I will add
2 jalapeños diced
1 teaspoon ancho chili powder

Step 1: cook bacon to a soft/chewy texture, remove and cut into 1 inch pieces

Step 2: mix everything together

Step 3: cook at whatever temp your smoker is running
4 hours at 225
3 hours at 250
2.5 hours at 275
2 hours at 300

Note: Stir a few times over the first 2 hours then cover with foil at lower temps. If your cooking at 275+ cover a little earlier.

Let it stand for maybe half an hour before serving

As far as making a recipe book for kids, the wife and I started this a few years ago and thankfully she’s a wonderful cook in the kitchen. Hope the kids take after her but I won’t complain if they want a little extra bbq help too.

 

[aesanders]

I love my smoker, Southern Q Limo Jr. Fabricated in Georgia. It can cook better than me.

 

[jaxs]

To me, BBQ has to be authentic, cooked over real wood. It can be pit, offset, egg, etc. It just needs to be something that requires some amount tending.

I'm cooking a steak tonight. I think I've gone all over the map with cooking steaks. At home, I've been sticking with a marinated steak cooked in a cast iron skillet over my built-in patio burner. At deer camp, I do rubbed steaks over a mesquite grill. Every time I cook a steak, I'm trying to make it the most recent "best". I've come to the conclusion that success is directly proportional to the quality of the steak cut.

gsganzer have you attended one of The BBQ Breathern Bashes? More often than not it's on Ray Roberts near Pilot Point but always along IH35. Oops you missed the Spring 2024 April 6 but a Fall get together will soon start taking shape. I haven't gone over there last two years due to achy bones and bad eyes. You'll never have opportunity to taste more examples and have more people taste yours and maybe swap pocket knives.

 

[workinonit]

To us in the Pee Dee and Lowcountry of SC, BBQ happens around Christmas or Thanksgiving timeframes and involves a whole hog cooked on my hog cooker with the coals of oak wood burned in a barrel. Usually takes at least 12 hours. Our sauce is a vinegar based but over the years it has evolved to something that is a bit on the sweeter side and tons of flavor.

Anything else that we cook outside is called grilling. I'm in the ReqTeq camp for pellet grills. Quite amazing piece of technology that will cook almost anything and do it very well. I do want to try the charcoal pellets.

 

[gsganzer]

gsganzer have you attended one of The BBQ Breathern Bashes? More often than not it's on Ray Roberts near Pilot Point but always along IH35. Oops you missed the Spring 2024 April 6 but a Fall get together will soon start taking shape. I haven't gone over there last two years due to achy bones and bad eyes. You'll never have opportunity to taste more examples and have more people taste yours and maybe swap pocket knives.

I haven't even heard of it. I'll be looking for it now though. I love BBQ and because I travel, I get to try all the regional differences. I'm still partial to beef brisket, TX pit style.

When I try out different BBQ places, I always pay particular attention to their sides. I figure they probably know how to smoke meat, otherwise they wouldn't be in business. But I'll often find their sides mediocre, like soured coleslaw or baked beans that are too sweet.

I think I'll end up smoking a spatchcocked chicken for the weekend with "wolverine beans".

 

[Molalla1]

I haven't even heard of it. I'll be looking for it now though. I love BBQ and because I travel, I get to try all the regional differences. I'm still partial to beef brisket, TX pit style.

When I try out different BBQ places, I always pay particular attention to their sides. I figure they probably know how to smoke meat, otherwise they wouldn't be in business. But I'll often find their sides mediocre, like soured coleslaw or baked beans that are too sweet.

I think I'll end up smoking a spatchcocked chicken for the weekend with "wolverine beans".

I love a spatchcocked chicken, it's the only way in my book . . .

 

[gsganzer]

I love a spatchcocked chicken, it's the only way in my book . . .

Agree. Spatchcock is my new go-to for chickens and the Thanksgiving turkey. Brine it overnight, then rub and smoke it. A great way to get flavor to every part of it. I'll use the leftovers and carcass to make chicken tortilla soup. That recipe is also in this forum.

 

[Yander]

I put butter under the skin of the turkey breast and spatchcock. I'm talking like half a stick on each breast. Keeps the breast meet moist. Flatten the butter out to cover the breast. Room temp butter


It slows the cooking down on the breast to allow the legs and thighs to get done at the same time as the breast.
I did 5 turkeys each year for the past two holidays this way.

 

[gsganzer]

Maple-bourbon brine and then 8-hours on the ceramic grill. Perfection!

 

[Molalla1]

Maple-bourbon brine and then 8-hours on the ceramic grill. Perfection!
View attachment 871207

Nice gsganzer !!

 

[gsganzer]

Oh my gosh, it's so incredibly tender and juicy! I could eat the whole thing in one sitting. Wow!!!

I cut off one of the drumsticks. When I went to cut into it, it ALL came off the bone. So freaking tender and flavorful, it's unworldly. Unbelievably good!

 

[workinonit]

8 hours? For a chicken? I guess the skin holds it together. Wornder what temp that cooks at?

 

[gsganzer]

8 hours? For a chicken? I guess the skin holds it together. Wornder what temp that cooks at?

It was cooked at 200 degrees. It had a nice subtle red smoke line in the meat. With it being brined, I don't even think it's possible to dry it out.

What's nice about spatchcocking, is you can almost choose how long you want to cook it. Turn the temp up and grill it and be done quickly, go low and slow, or pick anything in between. I always use a Thermopro temperature pen and make sure I'm about 170 degrees in the thickest part.