No pics as I just didn't have time but I fired up the grill tonight for the first time in weeks and did burgers, stuffed jalapeños, and stuffed an anneheim peppers.
Cooked a chicken on the pellet smoker. I brushed it with some olive oil, rubbed in a bit of beer can chicken seasoning, set the temp at 300, then put the potatoes on after the first hour. Only problem was that the chicken fell apart when I took it off the smoker. Guess that wasn't a bad thing....
Moist chicken falling apart is always a gooder thing I'm letting the GF cook this week, not much light left getting home after 6. I did have to make the spaghetti sauce last night - 17 dozen times and she still can't match mine
St Louis cut and loin back ribs with a few sausages, on my cheap$100 Imperial Kamado #4. The Kamado was a good CL find, cooks as good as a thousand dollar big green egg. Probably better, it's made of black earthen clay.
Did you find out if that cooker is really worth the big money you were led to believe? Glad it is cooking and not in some collector's private stash
I have an egg. Don't know that I'd pay over $1k for it again. $100 bucks is a "smokin" deal though! I'll say this for it - it's the best smoker for winter use. No problem holding steady temps, even on the coldest, windiest days. And it uses the charcoal very efficiently - close the vents when you're done, and there will always be some left over for the next time! My biggest knock with it is the amount of smoke it produces when cooking at low temps. It burns so efficiently, that it stops producing much smoke after an hour or so, at which point you need to stir it or add more smoking wood. But in order to do so, you need to remove the food, grate, and the ceramic heat plate, to access the fire box. I built a little outdoor kitchen island for it from some used kitchen cabinets I scored. Here's a pic of it set up at my old place:
i haven't put it on Ebay, or tried local on Craigslist to sell it. I'm told , refurbished, it is worth 1K. I'm happy with it as is,. i'll just use it. I have been looking for another second hand one since, and not much to be found, even on a large budget.
Attempted to smoke some country style ribs. I am such a newbie - Learning how to balance the smoke to get a cool bark. This time was too little. I managed to create a mini smoke ring. Oh well...next time. They were still awesome though!
Those look awesome DB. Smoke ring on such a small cut of meat such as country style spare rib is tough. So much fat sweats out during the initial warm up, makes it hard to penetrate the meat
Thanks. I want to ask something. I have always soaked wood chips per internet instructions and then added them in a little homemade foil pouch to the fire. I wasn't happy with the smoke so I picked some dead oak twigs and threw them on the fire. The smoke was much better. Next time, I want to soak the wood chips then let them dry out for a day. What do you think?
I like to use chunks rather than chips. It's lower maintenance - never got chips to produce more than 1 hr of smoke. I used to soak, the smoke definitely lasts longer when the wood is wet. These days I have a virtually unlimited supply of black cherry, and I just toss it on green.
"Attempted to smoke some country style ribs." Those look like a fantastic attempt. I see nothing wrong with them except they aren't on my plate. As far as the smoke question, I use a pellet smoker or green wood like Shawn C. said.
It is rainy and raw here, around 45 degrees. I've posted this meal before. It is a cream of tomato soup with ground sausage and tortellini. A nice fresh French bread sandwich to go along with it. The stove is running nicely on punks and uglies, chasing the chill away.
Roast beef on the rotisserie. The best accessory for a gasser. Will make some mashed potatoes and broccoli too.
