The Grilling and Cooking Thread

[China]

Made a green curry with pork.  Used red bell peppers instead of Thai chilis so it wasn't as spicy.

[AsburySkinsFan]

Basic beer can chicken on the grill. There is a lot of discussion about whether this technique does anything to add hydration to the meat. I’m on the skeptical side of that argument, especially since almost all the beer remained. But the full can does provide a nice stand to roast the bird.

 

 

 

 

[Dont Taze Me Bro]

1 hour ago, AsburySkinsFan said:

Basic beer can chicken on the grill. There is a lot of discussion about whether this technique does anything to add hydration to the meat. I’m on the skeptical side of that argument, especially since almost all the beer remained. But the full can does provide a nice stand to roast the bird.

 

Yeah, I used to love doing beer can chickens back in the day.  Bought a rack that holds the beer can too, so it was more stable.  But years ago I read the myths that about how effective it was/wasn't.  

 

https://amazingribs.com/tested-recipes/chicken-recipes/debunking-beer-can-chicken-waste-good-beer-inferior-cooking-technique

 

That pretty much sums up all the details.  Like you said, great stand and it looks cool   As long as one reads the internal temp on the inside next to the can, I'd say it's harmless.  Unless one agrees that the beer cans aren't made for cooking accessories and have concerns about toxins getting cooked in from the paint and plastic on the inside of the cans (on some cans - what the article listed).  

 

What's funny is back in the day before myth busting came along.  If I were to have roasted two chickens, one traditionally and one beer can.  Myself and everyone that ate it would have sworn on their lives the beer can chicken was better because of the beer flavoring/moisturizing the chicken as it slow cooked.  But scientific facts are just those, the beer doesn't even get hot enough to boil and let off steam, never infuses the chicken or keeps it moist 

 

Maybe I'll do a beer can chicken this weekend......

Edited May 9, 2018 by Dont Taze Me Bro

[Kosher Ham]

Roasted chicken. Thanks for the menu idea for this weekend. Haven't made one in about a year. 

[AsburySkinsFan]

10 hours ago, Kosher Ham said:

Roasted chicken. Thanks for the menu idea for this weekend. Haven't made one in about a year. 

I love roasted chicken, it is so easy, and so good!

 

Momma insisted on having a grill that she could cook on. So we added to the deck.

 

Edited May 10, 2018 by AsburySkinsFan

[PCS]

Been grilling on the spot where the outdoor kitchen is going to go. Good thing the old dependable Weber kettle is on wheels as I keep changing the design. Just did a slow cook a couple of days ago on a tri tip my wife picked up at Costco.  Screwed up and it came out just right.

[NoCalMike]

Meat on the bone generally seems to retain moisture all by itself as opposed to grilling something that is boneless/skinless. I much prefer bbqing chicken thighs & drumsticks over chicken breast for that very reason. 

[AsburySkinsFan]

The sacrifice has been prepared for the smoke offering!

 

1 hour ago, NoCalMike said:

Meat on the bone generally seems to retain moisture all by itself as opposed to grilling something that is boneless/skinless. I much prefer bbqing chicken thighs & drumsticks over chicken breast for that very reason. 

No doubt. A chicken breast on the bird is hard to screw up, cut that same breast off the bird and in no time you have sawdust.

1 hour ago, PCS said:

Been grilling on the spot where the outdoor kitchen is going to go. Good thing the old dependable Weber kettle is on wheels as I keep changing the design. Just did a slow cook a couple of days ago on a tri tip my wife picked up at Costco.  Screwed up and it came out just right.

How long a smoke did you do on the tri-tip? Are you using a temp regulator on the kettle? I am hesitant to do a low and slow cook on my kettle because of the lack of heat retention.

[PCS]

Ah crap. A pop quiz.   Won't lie. I winged it a bit. It wasn't a super slow smoke. More like a 90 minute one off heat. I did keep an eye on the temp and had pretty good luck maintaining it.  Like I said,I screwed up and did it right. 

[AsburySkinsFan]

8 hours ago, PCS said:

Ah crap. A pop quiz.   Won't lie. I winged it a bit. It wasn't a super slow smoke. More like a 90 minute one off heat. I did keep an eye on the temp and had pretty good luck maintaining it.  Like I said,I screwed up and did it right. 

Ok, 90 minutes seems about right for a single load of charcoal. Are you using chips, pellets or just the charcoal for the smoke?

[Skinsfan1311]

On 5/9/2018 at 8:07 PM, NoCalMike said:

Meat on the bone generally seems to retain moisture all by itself as opposed to grilling something that is boneless/skinless. I much prefer bbqing chicken thighs & drumsticks over chicken breast for that very reason. 

 

Thighs are my favorite, but the wife will not eat them, or drum-sticks.    

 

Cooking moist boneless breasts is easy.  Dry-brine with a little kosher salt the night before, and cook to 160 degrees, (measured with an accurate digital insta-read thermometer) and they'll turn out moist every time.  FDA recommends 165, but that's BS.   If you pull them at 165, the carryover will take them up to 170 and it will be dry.   Regardless of type, (bone-in, boneless), they must be pulled when temp hits 160 in the thickest part of the meat, and they'll turn out great. 

 

The challenge to boneless breasts, is that they can get away from you quickly, because they cook so fast, and unevenly.  If you take the temp to 160 in the thickest part of the breast, the narrow ends dry out.   I flatten them by sticking them in a storage bag and pounding them out with a cast-iron skillet.  This allows them to cook uniformly.   

[NoCalMike]

4 minutes ago, Skinsfan1311 said:

 

 

The challenge to boneless breasts, is that they can get away from you quickly, because they cook so fast, and unevenly.  If you take the temp to 160 in the thickest part of the breast, the narrow ends dry out.   I flatten them by sticking them in a storage bag and pounding them out with a cast-iron skillet.  This allows them to cook uniformly.   

 

I also find that a lot of people throw on these hulking breasts that are way too thick and should either be sliced thinner or at least butterflied.

[Skinsfan1311]

On 5/9/2018 at 9:16 PM, AsburySkinsFan said:

The sacrifice has been prepared for the smoke offering!

 

No doubt. A chicken breast on the bird is hard to screw up, cut that same breast off the bird and in no time you have sawdust.

How long a smoke did you do on the tri-tip? Are you using a temp regulator on the kettle? I am hesitant to do a low and slow cook on my kettle because of the lack of heat retention.

Blasphemy!!!     

 

On the assumption that you already have a kick-ass insta-read digital thermometer, if you have a Weber kettle, you must have one of these.  https://abcbarbecue.com/product-category/slow-n-sear/ , and one of these https://www.thermoworks.com/Smoke 

That's all you need to cook low and slow, all day.   No need to buy a smoker.   

 

 

[Skinsfan1311]

1 minute ago, NoCalMike said:

 

I also find that a lot of people throw on these hulking breasts that are way too thick and should either be sliced thinner or at least butterflied.

 

Agreed.    If they're that big,  I cut 'em in half before pounding  them out.     They're also great because they cook so fast.   

 

When I do chicken, at the ES tailgates, I bring 20 lbs of them.    Pound 'em flat the day before, dump 'em in storage bags with a Pinoy-style marinade, (usually Mama Sita's & Banana ketchup), and toss 'em on the grill.   Cut 'em in chunks, and serve with a  Thai peanut Sriracha dipping sauce.    When I'm feeling lazy, I marinate in Italian dressing, and serve with BBQ sauce.  Easy Cheesy....tongs in one hand, beer in the other.    Even at tailgates, I cook to temp.   I have an inexpensive, high-quality insta-read digital thermometer, just for that purpose.

 

 

[AsburySkinsFan]

7 hours ago, Skinsfan1311 said:

Blasphemy!!!     

 

On the assumption that you already have a kick-ass insta-read digital thermometer, if you have a Weber kettle, you must have one of these.  https://abcbarbecue.com/product-category/slow-n-sear/ , and one of these https://www.thermoworks.com/Smoke 

That's all you need to cook low and slow, all day.   No need to buy a smoker.   

 

 

OK, how accurate is that? 8 hours on a single charcoal fill? How does it burn THAT long?

[dfitzo53]

I have one, I can confirm it works beautifully. I've used it for chicken and ribs. 

 

Edit: I don't know exactly what they mean by unattended. I was checking periodically to monitor temps of course, but I didn't have to add charcoal or anything. 

Edited May 11, 2018 by dfitzo53

[AsburySkinsFan]

8 minutes ago, dfitzo53 said:

I have one, I can confirm it works beautifully. I've used it for chicken and ribs. 

 

Edit: I don't know exactly what they mean by unattended. I was checking periodically to monitor temps of course, but I didn't have to add charcoal or anything. 

How much ars you preheating your charcoal? 

I use a chimney and dump once the smoke stops and steady flames are out the top.

[Skinsfan1311]

1 hour ago, AsburySkinsFan said:

OK, how accurate is that? 8 hours on a single charcoal fill? How does it burn THAT long?

It is 100% accurate.  Most of my cooks go longer. 

It uses the "Minion Method". (Google it)

In a nutshell, you light 14 briquettes,  in the Slow n Sear. After they've ashed  over, you dump in a chimney starter of unlit briquettes, a few chunks of your favorite smoking wood on top, fill the reservoir  with hot water, and adjust the vents, (each kettle is different, use the guidelines that come with the SnS) My lower vent is open about 1/4 and the top just a crack, the restricted airflow causes the unlit briquettes to slowly light,(think of a very, very slowly lit fuse), over the course of hours.  Temps hold, rock-solid.  I easily get 8+ hrs out of mine.  I've only added charcoal, in those rare occasions when a cook exceeds 9 hours.

 

Trust me, aside from the hinged grate, this is the single greatest accessory ever made for a Weber kettle.  

53 minutes ago, AsburySkinsFan said:

How much ars you preheating your charcoal? 

I use a chimney and dump once the smoke stops and steady flames are out the top.

Read above..

Edited May 11, 2018 by Skinsfan1311

[AsburySkinsFan]

9 minutes ago, Skinsfan1311 said:

It is 100% accurate.  Most of my cooks go longer. 

It uses the "Minion Method". (Google it)

In a nutshell, you light 14 briquettes,  in the Slow n Sear. After they've ashed  over, you dump in a chimney starter of unlit briquettes, a few chunks of your favorite smoking wood on top, fill the reservoir  with hot water, and adjust the vents, (each kettle is different, use the guidelines that come with the SnS) My lower vent is open about 1/4 and the top just a crack, the restricted airflow causes the unlit briquettes to slowly light,(think of a very, very slowly lit fuse), over the course of hours.  Temps hold, rock-solid.  I easily get 8+ hrs out of mine.  I've only added charcoal, in those rare occasions when a cook exceeds 9 hours.

 

Trust me, aside from the hinged grate, this is the single greatest accessory ever made for a Weber kettle.  

Read above..

Got it. Placing my order...WITH a hinged grate.

[dfitzo53]

Yep pretty much the same story for me in terms of vents. Just open barely enough so the coals don't go out. 

[Dont Taze Me Bro]

I bought a slow n sear a while back.  Haven't used it yet   

[PCS]

On 5/10/2018 at 7:04 AM, AsburySkinsFan said:

Ok, 90 minutes seems about right for a single load of charcoal. Are you using chips, pellets or just the charcoal for the smoke?

Just the charcoal in this case. 

[DCSaints_fan]

Just ordered this cheapie cabinet smoker from Amazon 

https://www.amazon.com/Dyna-Glo-DGO1890BDC-D-Vertical-Offset-Charcoal/dp/B010759GGQ/ref=sr_ph_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526075629&sr=sr-1&keywords=dyna+glo+smoker+wide

 

Looks like it could fit maybe 8-10 racks of baby backs.  Gonna try it out next week, after sealing it up with silicon and the high temp gasket.   I actually wanted to go with a "real" cabinet smoker, like the ones you can get here https://www.bigpoppasmokers.com/grills-smokers/cabinet-smokers but those are pricey (like $2000), and take 8 weeks to build and I don't have that much patience. 

Edited May 11, 2018 by DCSaints_fan

[LadySkinsFan]

It's a baked boneless, skinless chicken thighs night with mashed potatoes and broccoli.

[AsburySkinsFan]

Roasted another one last night. FTR, there’s no beer in the can, it is only there for stability because my roasting stand didn’t seem tall enough.

 

Oh and I just ordered my charcoal basket from ABCbarbeque and a hinged grate from amazon. Now the only question is, brisket or pork butt first?