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BBQ question


JeffSchmeff

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Ok, I have a very specific question on BBQing. I'm going to be making my first beer can chicken tomorrow night, and the recipe calls for you to smoke the chicken while cooking it with indirect heat.

I'm using a gas grill (I know, I know), and the recipe recommends making a smoker pouch if your grill doesn't have a built in smoker box. Does anyone have experience with smoker pouches? It looks simple enough: make a pouch out of tinfoil and put the mesquite chips in there, but I'm unclear on where to put it. Does it go down on the burners, or on the grill rack? Also, in what and for how long should I soak the chips? How many pouches will I need? Any advice would be appreciated. :helmet:

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Ok, I have a very specific question on BBQing. I'm going to be making my first beer can chicken tomorrow night, and the recipe calls for you to smoke the chicken while cooking it with indirect heat.

I'm using a gas grill (I know, I know), and the recipe recommends making a smoker pouch if your grill doesn't have a built in smoker box. Does anyone have experience with smoker pouches? It looks simple enough: make a pouch out of tinfoil and put the mesquite chips in there, but I'm unclear on where to put it. Does it go down on the burners, or on the grill rack? Also, in what and for how long should I soak the chips? How many pouches will I need? Any advice would be appreciated. :helmet:

They need to have the chips be soaked all the way through. You want to place them directly on the burner. Ive never used a "pouch" and have always placed my chips directly on the flames. Rmemeber..since yoru smoking you want to take your time with this...its not a go out and get it done real quick situation. Good Luck, you'll do fine...dems is good eats!:hungry: :logo:

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For a reasonable price, you can get "smoke" boxes for a gas grill. It's a small cast iron box you fill with soaked chips, and place on the burner. I use mine all the time with the gas grill. I use to make the tin foil pouches, but this is so much easier. Got mine at the local LOWES...........

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Do you just soak the chips in water, or something else?

Water or Beer if you want. Soak AT LEAST 30 minutes. Make sure the chips are soaked all the way through...and as others have said before cook it slow. Usually takes me a couple of hours with a 5 pound bird.

Good luck!!

:cheers:

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I wash my hands on occasion, I mean it's not like when your peeing your rubbing your hands all over your balls and ****al area, you whip it out, whiz and put it back in.

For what its worth, the guy from License to Grill uses a gas grill, and whenever he smokes something he uses a 50/50 mix of soaked and dry chips.

Just wrap them in tinfoil and poke some holes...no need to get the smoke box. You've already got the foil!! :)

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Gas grills aren't bad if you want to just throw something on the grill real quick and not have to worry about a long/messy cleaning afterwards, but my main preference is charcoal.

Insanity.

If I let my coal burn out, I lean down pull out the catch and dump in a bag, replacing the catch in a 20 second process, neither long nor messy. When I'm ready to cook, I walk downstairs, pull off the upper grill grate, fill up a chimney starter with coal, stuff a grocery sack at the bottom and I light. Then, I do what you gas boys either don't do, or, if you do, takes the same amount of time I take.

I prepare food. I cut fat off steak. I chop veggies. I prepare a butter mixture for corn. I set a table. In 30 minutes I return to my grill and dump my chimney, replacing the top grate. I then go upstairs, get the food and return to the grill, where it is now hot and ready for a quick scrub with wire and cooking begins. It takes the EXACT amount of time for someone to cook on a gas or charcoal grill if they are actually preparing food and setting a table.

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Insanity.

If I let my coal burn out, I lean down pull out the catch and dump in a bag, replacing the catch in a 20 second process, neither long nor messy. When I'm ready to cook, I walk downstairs, pull off the upper grill grate, fill up a chimney starter with coal, stuff a grocery sack at the bottom and I light. Then, I do what you gas boys either don't do, or, if you do, takes the same amount of time I take.

I prepare food. I cut fat off steak. I chop veggies. I prepare a butter mixture for corn. I set a table. In 30 minutes I return to my grill and dump my chimney, replacing the top grate. I then go upstairs, get the food and return to the grill, where it is now hot and ready for a quick scrub with wire and cooking begins. It takes the EXACT amount of time for someone to cook on a gas or charcoal grill if they are actually preparing food and setting a table.

When I cook, I rarely take 30 minutes to prep a BBQ meal... Even if I did, I'd rather be near the fire...which my kitchen is not.

And I've said it once before:

Oh, and if flavor tastes like some sort of impure carbon product (charcoal), then count me out. Flavor in my grilled food comes from the rub/seasoning I use, the natural juices of the food itself, and when it comes to BBQ, any sauce that goes on it. Propane has no flavor to it...It doesn't change the taste of the food, so basically the food I grill tastes the way as I prepared it. I really don't mind that at all.

I'll stick with my propane until I get a real grill for large events...as in... something that can easily grill a few dozen pieces of chicken or many racks of ribs at the same time.

I guess I do understand why Charcoal = Macho man attitude, but I simply wish people would get over it.

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I guess I do understand why Charcoal = Macho man attitude, but I simply wish people would get over it.

ok...heres Macho...if the charcoal guys think they are so tough...take a match and hold it next to a propane take while the valve is open for an exremely large "BANG":doh:

I mean really, if someone thinks charcoal makes them more of a man I'd be glad to take them in the back of ANY resturaunt kitchen and put them over a gas grill for about 2 hours cooking and see how manly they are.....

*** edit**** DO NOT PUT A MATCH NEXT TO AN OPEN BOTTLE OF PROPANE:D :logo:

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Grilling is an art. Cooking outside on a range, er.... propane "grill" is not.

Adjusting your temperature with a knob is not grilling. You have to know your flame, adjust accordingly, pay special attention to the cooking process. Indirect grilling shouldn't be turning the flame off over here and moving my food over here.... that's bull****.

It's like your looking for an excuse to cook outside.

That's not being "macho" (not my words), but being a BBQ'er.

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Grilling is an art. Cooking outside on a range, er.... propane "grill" is not.

Adjusting your temperature with a knob is not grilling. You have to know your flame, adjust accordingly, pay special attention to the cooking process.

That's not being "macho" (not my words), but being a BBQ'er.

There are hot spots even with propane. You still must understand how to move your food around and turn and rotate it properly. Adjusting your temperature is SMART cooking depending on what/where/how you are cooking. If your going to make any argument for charcoal it's going to be about flavor. Period. Two years of culinary school tells me so.;) :logo:

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Beer snobs and now grilling snobs? Qu'ing is smoking your food in a water or two stage cold smoker (preferably the latter). What you folks with your nose in the air are referring to is grilling. At least out here we know the diff. :doh: Damn no account easterners. ;)

Wrong. Q'ing is simply using indirect heat to slow-cook your food in combination with smoke. You can Q on a Weber, or on a gas grill (just light one side, put the food on the other side). Unconventional? Yes, but its still Q'ing.

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Wrong. Q'ing is simply using indirect heat to slow-cook your food in combination with smoke. You can Q on a Weber, or on a gas grill (just light one side, put the food on the other side). Unconventional? Yes, but its still Q'ing.

Yah, that kind of emulate a two stage smoker. Doesn't work as well though. Your meat cooks too quickly in a Weber even if you use indirect heat. Course, I'm of the opinion to each his own and wouldn't criticize those that don't know better. I just feel sorry for them because they won't know how good 18 hour smoked brisket is. :)

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I'm not an expert bbq-er, but I do cook. Cooking with propane emits water vapor. It's IMPOSSIBLE to get dry heat to grill anything worthwhile. The only pro gas grills have is convenience. Cooking with charcoal has nothing to do with being manly.

If you can't taste the difference between a steak grilled with charcoal over a gas grill you should hang 'em up and retire.

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Insanity.

If I let my coal burn out, I lean down pull out the catch and dump in a bag, replacing the catch in a 20 second process, neither long nor messy. When I'm ready to cook, I walk downstairs, pull off the upper grill grate, fill up a chimney starter with coal, stuff a grocery sack at the bottom and I light. Then, I do what you gas boys either don't do, or, if you do, takes the same amount of time I take.

I prepare food. I cut fat off steak. I chop veggies. I prepare a butter mixture for corn. I set a table. In 30 minutes I return to my grill and dump my chimney, replacing the top grate. I then go upstairs, get the food and return to the grill, where it is now hot and ready for a quick scrub with wire and cooking begins. It takes the EXACT amount of time for someone to cook on a gas or charcoal grill if they are actually preparing food and setting a table.

I have a :pooh:ty charcoal grill now and that sucker takes a while to clean up afterwards. It doesn't have one of those easy clean up ash catchers. (Solution: buy a new charcoal grill next pay) :)

As for all of the grill snobbery that's going around, all I have to say is that good cook can use both. Like i said in my original post, I prefer charcoal but the OP is taking the correct steps to emulating that by using a smoker pouch.

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I'm not an expert bbq-er, but I do cook. Cooking with propane emits water vapor. It's IMPOSSIBLE to get dry heat to grill anything worthwhile. The only pro gas grills have is convenience. Cooking with charcoal has nothing to do with being manly.

If you can't taste the difference between a steak grilled with charcoal over a gas grill you should hang 'em up and retire.

Your statements are kind of contradictory. Cooking with charcoal has everything to do with being manly - because it makes better steak. Like you said, you should be able to tell the difference. And like Art said, its really no inconvenience to fill a chimney with charcoals and let them burn for 30 minutes. :whoknows:

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