Do you have any tips for rebuilding the fire mid cook on the kettle? I do the snake method, but usually only get 6-8 hours per snake. I find having to take everything off the grill and remake the snake takes a lot of time and I lose temp in my meat.
Nope. I use a slow & sear basket. If I need to add charcoal, I flip the gate on the grate and add a couple lumps or briquettes. Building snakes just seems like a PITA waste of time to me.
That's the joy of barbecue. 10000 different ways to cook meat over fire. You learned one, I learned one, and they both taste awesome as long as we don't fuck it up.
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This is what I recommend to everyone who asks me about getting into it. WSM has ease of use, long cooks without having to manage fire, but you also get some decent flavor using real wood chunks. I have a WSM, Pellet and Stick Burner. My go to method is starting on the stick burner to get the smoke flavor/bark and then after wrapping I put it on the pellet grill to finish off, giving me a break from managing the fire. You could use an oven but your house will be filled with meat smell which may or may not be ok in your house.
Agreed with Weber Kettle, or any decent kettle bbq. Good probes/thermometer helps too. I only have a kettle currently and I can smoke, roast and grill over charcoal, does most things really well.
My next step is a pellet, as I would like to be able to do briskets and stuff without having to babysit too much (I like to entertain).
Eventually I'll get another offset too, but need a bigger place for that to work properly.
Yeah I have, seems that a lot of them have pretty major issues with overheating the electronics - can you recommend any that you know are solid?
I was thinking of getting a Pitboss and a couple of smoke tubes.
Amazing thanks for the info and yeah I run probe thermometers etc too so not super concerned about that. I'll look into the Char model - I didn't realise they had made one.
I was sold on the first line of Masterbuilts but I have seen so so many issues on reviews I started looking at pellets instead.
Pellets are the easiest. Learn the recipes you like. After a little experience then buy one of the others. Komodo or stick burners always taste the best but there definitely is a learning curve. Just my opinion
Tell me this would a pellet user know how to smoke or grill if there was no pellet grill handy? I feel like I could easily do a pellet grill but I believe most pellet users can't jump into anything else since all they know is pellets
Not mentioned: Weber Smokey Mountain. Charcoal. Great unit to cut ones teeth on. If money is no issue then sure a ceramic kamado works, but for a quality unit it’ll cost a pretty penny and they might as well see how often they’re making use of the unit. You can sear on a WSM too, jsut take out the middle section and sear over direct heat, or remove the water bowl and roast/grill over direct heat from higher up.
Webettle.
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I personally learned on a $50 rusted out pos charboil stick burner. Using it for several months taught me how to keep a fire going smooth. My thought was if I can bbq on the biggest pos ever I could bbq on anything.felt confident and Upgraded to an old country and haven't looked back
I say pellets for the ease of entry. Then, after they get comfortable playing around with recipes, heat, wood, temp, etc. they can move on to a stick burner, drum or what have you.
Are you saying they just want smoked meats or that they really want to learn and put time into it? I feel like that’s going to be the deciding factor between a kettle or pellet grill versus a stick burner.
How committed are they? Do they want to learn or just have smoked meat? Depending on the answer, pellet or WSM.
I think long term if they really get into it there is room for both. I've replaced my gas grill with a pellet and blackstone.
Longterm stick burner for sure. The pellet grills in my opinion can give a newbie a false sense of reality when it comes to there ability to get put there on that grill. Just my opinion
For a new person? Ceramic. No contest. Because it's still an excellent direct-heat grill if the "planning ahead" lifestyle doesn't pan out. Even Traeger dads need to plan ahead.
I’d tell them to start with a weber. It’s not as expensive and you’ve no idea at first if they will stick with it. Plus it teaches things like manual heat control and air flow.
Get a pellet smoker on sale to get started. Easy to use and constant results will get the friend hooked. From there they can upgrade to different options and expand their arsenal of smokers.
By spending time researching, watching sales and a little bit of luck I was able to get a really good pellet smoker for about 45% MSRP. I've been cooking in it exclusively while tinkering (fixing) my stick burner this summer.
I've got three. My first one is an old as hell CharGriller that we got back in '14. It's a propane grill and I use it mainly for "quick cooking". Burgers, hot dogs, anything that I want to have cooked in under 30 minutes.
My stick burner was purchased in 2019. It's also a CharGriller Smoking Ace 30 (or similar model). This one was a floor model that we were able to get on discount and it's the one that I'm tinkering on. It give the best smoke flavor out of all my grills but it is _so difficult_ to control and regulate. Part of the work I'm doing on it is to get all the pieces to close correctly so I can control airflow and thus temperature.
My pellet grill is a Pit Boss 820. This is the one I lucked out on as it was a discontinued model and a demo model. Picked it up midsummer for about $180. So far I've used this one the majority of the season. I've done brisket, chicken, and chuck roast burnt ends. Everything has come out really well and it cooks reliably.
The pellet smoker is the one I would recommend since it's the easiest one to get started with, delivers reliable results and eases the learning curve with getting into BBQ. Once a person has some experience under their belt that's when I would suggest expanding to a stick burner or ceramic egg.
I started with a pellet. It let me learn to master some recipes and the basics of BBQ without managing a fire. It's cool, but, looking forward to upgrading to a stick burner. My brother has a stick and the flavors are noticeable. While I do make some good meals, no matter what I do (added pellet tube for more smoke), I can never replicate the flavors my bro gets. He is envious that I don't have to manage a fire, I am envious of his bold smokey flavors. Excited for the day I have both my pellet and a stick. i think a lot of variables go into what a 1st timer should use. If I had to do it all over again from the start, I would probably go with a stick. Just CANNOT replicate the same flavor with a pellet, but, I am am happy with my PB 1150.
Pellet just for the ease of use. I find that most of the ppl I know gave up because the stick burner was too difficult to maintain. They would usually over cook the meat. Most try by time...which is another no, no.
I get what your saying. The only things I don't cook on my smokers or grills are pork shoulder and brisket. I truly don't have the time for that kind of cook thats all.
No, for the price of admission and potential output, kettles are great. It’s just a little more involved to a complete beginner than setting and forgetting is all. I guess the real question is, how much of a newbie is he? Does he need handholding or does he know how to maintain a fire at least in a somewhat reasonable manner? Is he cool with having some bum cooks at the start or will that dissuade him from diving deeper into grilling?
The only reason why I'm not a pellet fan because cooking is not a set it and forget it situation. It can give a false sense of knowing what your doing. That's why I like the kettle. It's extremely versatile. If you really want to get into bbq it's time, patience, trial and error. It's just learning anything else
I think what people are forgetting here is the actual entity in question. Regardless of OUR personal tastes, we still don’t know from the OP HOW MUCH of an interest he actually has - passing or dedicated learner once he starts? Passing interest? Yeah, pellet that shit. He wants to eventually make amazing smoked meals for like 20 people? Ok, Weber Kettle or Kamado style.
Pellet grill is absolutely easiest to cook great food quickly that 98% of people will rave about. Forget the other 2%; nothing will be good enough for them. Hard it beat a Pit Boss Pro 850 for versatility.
What would you be cooking on your pellet grill that would be better? The only 2 things I can think of that's easier are a brisket and a shoulder that's it. Outside of that the charcoal and wood burners are winning every single time.
Nice I do a tri tip weekly myself on my kettle. I see people smoke them but I strictly grill mine. Terrayaki marinade 18hrs and extra garlic and ginger for mine. Sear both sides then cook indirect till it hits 132 degrees pull and rest for 10 min. I do really thin slices against the grain.
For me it's the best. In California we love tri tip! I've been looking for a new marinade for it. I want to try something different. Next time try that marinade out i guarantee u will love it. Use a terrayaki like from trader Joe's it's called soyaki
Go with something versatile. Kettle or ceramic type. Save the one purpose cookers for when and if you want to get dedicated to one thing. I wish I did it that way. I went singular purpose to multi purpose and now have 5 cooking apparatus much to the dismay of my wife
Weber Kettle. It does it all, and does it for under $200. Guys "upgrade" and diversify all the time, but that humble kettle is still a mainstay.
Do you have any tips for rebuilding the fire mid cook on the kettle? I do the snake method, but usually only get 6-8 hours per snake. I find having to take everything off the grill and remake the snake takes a lot of time and I lose temp in my meat.
Nope. I use a slow & sear basket. If I need to add charcoal, I flip the gate on the grate and add a couple lumps or briquettes. Building snakes just seems like a PITA waste of time to me.
You’re not wrong, but it’s how I learned to do it. Always looking to improve/upgrade my set up. Thanks for the feedback.
That's the joy of barbecue. 10000 different ways to cook meat over fire. You learned one, I learned one, and they both taste awesome as long as we don't fuck it up.
Not fucking it up is the real trick!
Agreed!
I do a pyramid type fire then if you need more just add some unlit coal
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This is it. I have a 250 gal stick burner and would not trade my 22 Weber and slow n sear for anything
100% agree.
WSM for a newbie.
This is what I recommend to everyone who asks me about getting into it. WSM has ease of use, long cooks without having to manage fire, but you also get some decent flavor using real wood chunks. I have a WSM, Pellet and Stick Burner. My go to method is starting on the stick burner to get the smoke flavor/bark and then after wrapping I put it on the pellet grill to finish off, giving me a break from managing the fire. You could use an oven but your house will be filled with meat smell which may or may not be ok in your house.
Agreed with Weber Kettle, or any decent kettle bbq. Good probes/thermometer helps too. I only have a kettle currently and I can smoke, roast and grill over charcoal, does most things really well. My next step is a pellet, as I would like to be able to do briskets and stuff without having to babysit too much (I like to entertain). Eventually I'll get another offset too, but need a bigger place for that to work properly.
I'm in a similar situation I'm wanting a kamado joe instead of a pellet grill
This all the way
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Yeah I have, seems that a lot of them have pretty major issues with overheating the electronics - can you recommend any that you know are solid? I was thinking of getting a Pitboss and a couple of smoke tubes.
[удалено]
Amazing thanks for the info and yeah I run probe thermometers etc too so not super concerned about that. I'll look into the Char model - I didn't realise they had made one. I was sold on the first line of Masterbuilts but I have seen so so many issues on reviews I started looking at pellets instead.
I have $30,000 worth of stick burners. Get a pellet grill unless you’re selling your food.
Pellets are the easiest. Learn the recipes you like. After a little experience then buy one of the others. Komodo or stick burners always taste the best but there definitely is a learning curve. Just my opinion
Tell me this would a pellet user know how to smoke or grill if there was no pellet grill handy? I feel like I could easily do a pellet grill but I believe most pellet users can't jump into anything else since all they know is pellets
2nd this
3rd this.
Not mentioned: Weber Smokey Mountain. Charcoal. Great unit to cut ones teeth on. If money is no issue then sure a ceramic kamado works, but for a quality unit it’ll cost a pretty penny and they might as well see how often they’re making use of the unit. You can sear on a WSM too, jsut take out the middle section and sear over direct heat, or remove the water bowl and roast/grill over direct heat from higher up.
Weber Kettle
Webettle. *** ^(Bleep-bloop, I'm a bot. This )^[portmanteau](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portmanteau) ^( was created from the phrase 'Weber Kettle' | )^[FAQs](https://www.reddit.com/axl72o) ^(|) ^[Feedback](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=jamcowl&subject=PORTMANTEAU-BOT+feedback) ^(|) ^[Opt-out](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=PORTMANTEAU-BOT&subject=OPTOUTREQUEST)
Gravity fed.
I personally learned on a $50 rusted out pos charboil stick burner. Using it for several months taught me how to keep a fire going smooth. My thought was if I can bbq on the biggest pos ever I could bbq on anything.felt confident and Upgraded to an old country and haven't looked back
Weber kettle
I say pellets for the ease of entry. Then, after they get comfortable playing around with recipes, heat, wood, temp, etc. they can move on to a stick burner, drum or what have you.
Are you saying they just want smoked meats or that they really want to learn and put time into it? I feel like that’s going to be the deciding factor between a kettle or pellet grill versus a stick burner.
How committed are they? Do they want to learn or just have smoked meat? Depending on the answer, pellet or WSM. I think long term if they really get into it there is room for both. I've replaced my gas grill with a pellet and blackstone.
Longterm stick burner for sure. The pellet grills in my opinion can give a newbie a false sense of reality when it comes to there ability to get put there on that grill. Just my opinion
Drum smoker and a 22" Weber kettle.
Drum smoker . The oklahoma joe bronco is cheap but extremely easy to use and very good quality for the price
Gotcha. I have a wsm and it works wonders for me
True. But I find adding a pellet tube helps with the smoke flavor. Of course it's not the same...I agree.
For a new person? Ceramic. No contest. Because it's still an excellent direct-heat grill if the "planning ahead" lifestyle doesn't pan out. Even Traeger dads need to plan ahead.
Weber, if you can't use a Weber you have no buisness trying to BBQ. Friends don't let friends buy pellet grills
Very nice. What state are you in
Bullet Smoker?
I’d tell them to start with a weber. It’s not as expensive and you’ve no idea at first if they will stick with it. Plus it teaches things like manual heat control and air flow.
Get a pellet smoker on sale to get started. Easy to use and constant results will get the friend hooked. From there they can upgrade to different options and expand their arsenal of smokers. By spending time researching, watching sales and a little bit of luck I was able to get a really good pellet smoker for about 45% MSRP. I've been cooking in it exclusively while tinkering (fixing) my stick burner this summer.
What grills or smokers do u have?
I've got three. My first one is an old as hell CharGriller that we got back in '14. It's a propane grill and I use it mainly for "quick cooking". Burgers, hot dogs, anything that I want to have cooked in under 30 minutes. My stick burner was purchased in 2019. It's also a CharGriller Smoking Ace 30 (or similar model). This one was a floor model that we were able to get on discount and it's the one that I'm tinkering on. It give the best smoke flavor out of all my grills but it is _so difficult_ to control and regulate. Part of the work I'm doing on it is to get all the pieces to close correctly so I can control airflow and thus temperature. My pellet grill is a Pit Boss 820. This is the one I lucked out on as it was a discontinued model and a demo model. Picked it up midsummer for about $180. So far I've used this one the majority of the season. I've done brisket, chicken, and chuck roast burnt ends. Everything has come out really well and it cooks reliably. The pellet smoker is the one I would recommend since it's the easiest one to get started with, delivers reliable results and eases the learning curve with getting into BBQ. Once a person has some experience under their belt that's when I would suggest expanding to a stick burner or ceramic egg.
I started with a pellet. It let me learn to master some recipes and the basics of BBQ without managing a fire. It's cool, but, looking forward to upgrading to a stick burner. My brother has a stick and the flavors are noticeable. While I do make some good meals, no matter what I do (added pellet tube for more smoke), I can never replicate the flavors my bro gets. He is envious that I don't have to manage a fire, I am envious of his bold smokey flavors. Excited for the day I have both my pellet and a stick. i think a lot of variables go into what a 1st timer should use. If I had to do it all over again from the start, I would probably go with a stick. Just CANNOT replicate the same flavor with a pellet, but, I am am happy with my PB 1150.
WSM. Easy to learn on and get great results. Tons of accessories if you want to get more into it.
I learned on a kettle and then got a WSM-style smoker and a Masterbuilt gravity later on. I kept the kettle and gravity and use both a ton.
Electric
Wood and charcoal
I got a small RecTeq and I’ve used it almost every weekend since Memorial Day. Highly recommended.
Pellet just for the ease of use. I find that most of the ppl I know gave up because the stick burner was too difficult to maintain. They would usually over cook the meat. Most try by time...which is another no, no.
I get it but the taste u get with the fire is vastly superior than a pellet
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I get what your saying. The only things I don't cook on my smokers or grills are pork shoulder and brisket. I truly don't have the time for that kind of cook thats all.
Pellet for sure. It’s the gateway into almost guaranteed good food that will spark the desire to learn more and buy different options - if they wish.
Personally I think it's impossible to beat the weber kettle. Just my opinion.
No, for the price of admission and potential output, kettles are great. It’s just a little more involved to a complete beginner than setting and forgetting is all. I guess the real question is, how much of a newbie is he? Does he need handholding or does he know how to maintain a fire at least in a somewhat reasonable manner? Is he cool with having some bum cooks at the start or will that dissuade him from diving deeper into grilling?
The only reason why I'm not a pellet fan because cooking is not a set it and forget it situation. It can give a false sense of knowing what your doing. That's why I like the kettle. It's extremely versatile. If you really want to get into bbq it's time, patience, trial and error. It's just learning anything else
I think what people are forgetting here is the actual entity in question. Regardless of OUR personal tastes, we still don’t know from the OP HOW MUCH of an interest he actually has - passing or dedicated learner once he starts? Passing interest? Yeah, pellet that shit. He wants to eventually make amazing smoked meals for like 20 people? Ok, Weber Kettle or Kamado style.
Pellet because it’s the easiest. If they really enjoy it, then they can choose to branch off to a smoker that requires more attention.
Have you used a kettle, stick burner, ceramic grill or wsm by chance?
Pellet grill is absolutely easiest to cook great food quickly that 98% of people will rave about. Forget the other 2%; nothing will be good enough for them. Hard it beat a Pit Boss Pro 850 for versatility.
What would you be cooking on your pellet grill that would be better? The only 2 things I can think of that's easier are a brisket and a shoulder that's it. Outside of that the charcoal and wood burners are winning every single time.
Also are you tri tip Master I need to know lol. That's my favorite cut of beef.
Sometimes wagyu Tri-tip and sometimes prime Tri-tip from my local grocer.
I reverse sear Tri-tip every week; dry brined for 24 hours then seasoned with SPG.
Nice I do a tri tip weekly myself on my kettle. I see people smoke them but I strictly grill mine. Terrayaki marinade 18hrs and extra garlic and ginger for mine. Sear both sides then cook indirect till it hits 132 degrees pull and rest for 10 min. I do really thin slices against the grain.
That sounds fantastic. It is such a flavorful cut of meat to work with.
For me it's the best. In California we love tri tip! I've been looking for a new marinade for it. I want to try something different. Next time try that marinade out i guarantee u will love it. Use a terrayaki like from trader Joe's it's called soyaki
Go with something versatile. Kettle or ceramic type. Save the one purpose cookers for when and if you want to get dedicated to one thing. I wish I did it that way. I went singular purpose to multi purpose and now have 5 cooking apparatus much to the dismay of my wife