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Ezrem posted:If you have a Costco near you, look for the Vision Grills BGE knock off. Goes on sale mid-summer for $399. My wife got me one for my birthday this year and it is very nice. How is it for leakage? The price makes it so tempting. I really want to get a kamado of some sort but the Rec Tec pellet smoker is calling my name...
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Dec 19, 2013 00:53
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VERTiG0 posted:How is it for leakage? The price makes it so tempting. I haven't done anything to mine and I can hold temps rock solid just fine. I used it for turkey and short ribs for thanksgiving and they turned out perfectly. This was with wildly varying winds in the 10-20mph range. It's probably not the grill for you if you need an immaculate exterior. Mine was 100% crazed out of the box, where a BGE shouldn't be at all. Ezrem fucked around with this message at 16:12 on Dec 19, 2013 |
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Dec 19, 2013 16:09
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So I smoked a few chickens for my office christmas party. Went to bed at 6pm, so I could get up at 11pm and cook all night and be ready to leave with it hot off my BGE for work by 5am. A co-worker came in this morning with a ham or something and was all I need a way to warm this thing up, its been in my fridge all night. I guess we know who takes pride in delivering a quality product..
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Dec 19, 2013 16:36
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I smoked two ~8lb shoulders for the IT Potluck at work. I also made Eastern NC style sauce to go on one of them and brought some of the sauce we make for the other. I also made a goat cheese panna cotta (bite sized). One of these things was completely gone and the other was barely touched. My coworkers "don't like goat cheese" but if I had made yellow kraft cheese slice panna cotta...
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Dec 19, 2013 16:43
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VERTiG0 posted:How is it for leakage? The price makes it so tempting. They're pretty damned great for the price, I got mine from costco this last march and I love it. My best friend got a BGE last year and after using it I started seriously looking for a kamado style grill to call my own. Mine doesn't leak at all and has gone a full 18 hours on one load of lump, even had some left over after that cook. After trying out my vision this summer, my buddy said he couldn't tell any genuine difference in quality and said that while he loves his BGE it's nowhere the bang for your buck .
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Dec 20, 2013 00:09
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Safety Engineer posted:They're pretty damned great for the price, I got mine from costco this last march and I love it. My best friend got a BGE last year and after using it I started seriously looking for a kamado style grill to call my own. Mine doesn't leak at all and has gone a full 18 hours on one load of lump, even had some left over after that cook. After trying out my vision this summer, my buddy said he couldn't tell any genuine difference in quality and said that while he loves his BGE it's nowhere the bang for your buck Getting the nest, side tables and all-stainless hardware for less money doesn't hurt either.
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Dec 20, 2013 03:07
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Safety Engineer posted:They're pretty damned great for the price, I got mine from costco this last march and I love it. My best friend got a BGE last year and after using it I started seriously looking for a kamado style grill to call my own. Mine doesn't leak at all and has gone a full 18 hours on one load of lump, even had some left over after that cook. After trying out my vision this summer, my buddy said he couldn't tell any genuine difference in quality and said that while he loves his BGE it's nowhere the bang for your buck Can it do high temp cooks?
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Dec 20, 2013 03:11
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One of the really nice things with the BGE, if your the original owner, is the lifetime warranty. If a part cracks or breaks, free replacement.
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Dec 20, 2013 13:57
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niss posted:One of the really nice things with the BGE, if your the original owner, is the lifetime warranty. If a part cracks or breaks, free replacement. That's what convinced me to buy the BGE over the cheaper models. Just be aware that it's cracks due to use/heat/defects and not accidental breakage although I think it's pretty drat difficult to break a BGE short of tipping it over.
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Dec 20, 2013 14:49
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EngineerJoe posted:That's what convinced me to buy the BGE over the cheaper models. Just be aware that it's cracks due to use/heat/defects and not accidental breakage although I think it's pretty drat difficult to break a BGE short of tipping it over. Yeah, the accidental breakage thing kind of goes without saying. That and I like that buying a BGE supports my local small business reseller , vs some large BigBox store. I have cooked on a BGE style knock off and I wasn't too impressed.
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Dec 20, 2013 15:54
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niss posted:One of the really nice things with the BGE, if your the original owner, is the lifetime warranty. If a part cracks or breaks, free replacement. Vision Grills have that same lifetime warranty on ceramic parts...
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Dec 20, 2013 18:15
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niss posted:Yeah, the accidental breakage thing kind of goes without saying. That and I like that buying a BGE supports my local small business reseller , vs some large BigBox store. I have cooked on a BGE style knock off and I wasn't too impressed. Not nitpicking, but some products have accidental breakage warranties. Crown amplifiers are covered from being dropped down the stairs or having booze poured on them.
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Dec 21, 2013 06:39
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Will it work in -30 temps and if so why not use that to smoke your meats?
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Dec 21, 2013 16:38
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sellouts posted:Will it work in -30 temps and if so why not use that to smoke your meats? I have some cheaper Behringer units that I use to heat my home theatre room in the basement. The only solution to the cold weather here is a BGE style setup I'm afraid. Alas.
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Dec 21, 2013 19:47
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I've got a question that I haven't seen answered anywhere. You smoke meat to an internal temp of 205°, right? Isn't that really really high? Steak and Pork are done around 150°. Is there a scientific reason why you heat meat in a smoker so high?
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Dec 21, 2013 23:44
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Pagan posted:I've got a question that I haven't seen answered anywhere. You smoke meat to an internal temp of 205°, right? Isn't that really really high? Steak and Pork are done around 150°. Is there a scientific reason why you heat meat in a smoker so high? Well, you don't HAVE to hit 205 or anything like that. I smoked 16 pounds of ham today that I've been curing for a week, to 160, awesomely juicy and good and hammy. I smoke my bacon to the same temperature. But when you're smoking a shoulder to make pulled pork, you want to have all the collagen and stuff break down.
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Dec 22, 2013 02:24
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Pagan posted:I've got a question that I haven't seen answered anywhere. You smoke meat to an internal temp of 205°, right? Isn't that really really high? Steak and Pork are done around 150°. Is there a scientific reason why you heat meat in a smoker so high? If you take it to 205 you'll generally have "pulled" whatever (pork, beef, etc). You don't have to take it that high,it just depends on what you want. I'll often take pork to 190 so it slices up nicely. Your also thinking of cuts like steaks, where you don't want to take it high. Smoking meat is about taking the crappy tough cuts (brisket, shoulders,etc) and cooking them low and slow so the meat becomes nice and tender. If you cook them like a steak, it would taste horrible and be tough as leather.
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Dec 22, 2013 04:49
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Could anyone point me to an authentic Carolina rub/sauce recipe. I have some NC guests requesting some BBQ. I have never eaten the vinegar Carolina version so I cant make heads or tails of all these different recipes of Carolina pulled pork.
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Dec 22, 2013 22:00
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Pokkahn posted:Could anyone point me to an authentic Carolina rub/sauce recipe. I have some NC guests requesting some BBQ. I have never eaten the vinegar Carolina version so I cant make heads or tails of all these different recipes of Carolina pulled pork. For the vinegar based NC sauce, this is what I use: Ingredients: 1 1/2 cup cider vinegar 1/2 cup ketchup 1 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes For the rub, I usually use the Mr Brown: 1/4 cup ground black pepper 1/4 cup paprika 1/4 cup Turbinado sugar 2 Tablespoons table salt 2 teaspoons dry mustard 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
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Dec 23, 2013 01:52
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Pokkahn posted:Could anyone point me to an authentic Carolina rub/sauce recipe. I have some NC guests requesting some BBQ. I have never eaten the vinegar Carolina version so I cant make heads or tails of all these different recipes of Carolina pulled pork. Eastern or Lexington NC? Lexington style is more vinegar and ketchup based. Eastern is vinegar. Here is what I use for Eastern NC style: 1 cup/240 milliliters cider vinegar 1/4 cup/50 grams firmly packed brown sugar 1 tablespoon dried red chiles 1 tablespoon fish sauce Freshly ground black pepper Kosher salt In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar, chiles, fish sauce, 1 tablespoon pepper, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Bring just to a simmer, stirring to make sure the sugar and salt are dissolved. Taken from http://ruhlman.com/2012/02/east-carolina-barbecue-recipe/
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Dec 23, 2013 18:43
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Pokkahn posted:Could anyone point me to an authentic Carolina rub/sauce recipe. I have some NC guests requesting some BBQ. I have never eaten the vinegar Carolina version so I cant make heads or tails of all these different recipes of Carolina pulled pork. This sauce recipe was posted in this thread earlier by another goon, I can't be arsed figure out who... but I've used it and it's good. Texas Pete is apparently some kind of bottled hot sauce and I have never (is there an "irony" emote)? noticed it for sale in Texas. I used Tabasco. Recipe: Sauce: 4 cups (946mL) white vinegar 2/3 cups (142mL) sugar 1 1/2cups (355mL) Heinz ketchup (any ketchup is fine, Heinz is best) Juice, pulp and rinds of one lemon 1/2 stick of butter 1 teaspoon salt Black pepper and Texas Pete to taste Mix all the ingredients and simmer 2-3 hours until desired thickness. Keeps forever so if you want to double the recipe go for it.
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Dec 23, 2013 18:58
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Here is how I do NC vinegar sauce: Get a pint mason jar to mix it in. All measurements are eyeballed. 2 teaspoons of good tomato paste big pinch of salt Fill 1/2 full of good, unfiltered apple cider vinegar, the cloudy stuff. Red pepper flakes until at least a finger of them are floating on top. Fill the rest of the jar with white vinegar Shake the hell out of it every few hours, it really wants to sit for a day before serving. I usually make it when I apply the rub to the pig.
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Dec 23, 2013 21:23
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GEEKABALL posted:This sauce recipe was posted in this thread earlier by another goon, I can't be arsed figure out who... but I've used it and it's good. That's me. It's my grandmother from Lexington's recipe.
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Dec 25, 2013 00:22
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I got a MECO electric smoker for Christmas. Anyone have any experience with these? It seems pretty cheaply made (riveted side wall), and the Amazon reviews are not encouraging. I am looking for an electric smoker that can reliably hold 100 degrees. Please advise.
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Dec 25, 2013 22:39
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Picked up my new xl big green egg and now I need to finish building the table for it. This thing is so crazy big I'm so excited to be smoking again soon
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Dec 26, 2013 06:28
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BraveUlysses posted:Picked up my new xl big green egg and now I need to finish building the table for it. This thing is so crazy big Congrats. Are you building the standard BGE plan table from nakedwhiz? If you are you should really use a pocket jig so there are no visible screws. It's so worth it. And if you didn't get a plate setter or equivalent device I highly recommend it.
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Dec 26, 2013 08:02
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That's 2 shoulders on the smoker for tonight. Haven't done this for a while! Let's hope I haven't lost my touch...
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Dec 26, 2013 08:28
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I got the Masterbuilt 30" electric smoker(and wood chips! and some heavy duty meat gloves!) for Xmas. I thought I'd ask for this one to get started with and make sure I was really interested before I got a WSM or BGE. I've been reading/researching/watching BBQ for about a year now so I'm pumped to go get some pork butt and try to make a few of those and then move on to ribs or brisket. I wish I could emote through text how excited I am to loving cook some loving BBQ.
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Dec 26, 2013 10:24
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sellouts posted:Congrats. Are you building the standard BGE plan table from nakedwhiz? If you are you should really use a pocket jig so there are no visible screws. It's so worth it. Thanks for the tips--I did get the plate setter and I think for the table I will end up getting a stainless steel surface with a lip for it. I have a friend who's dad works at a metal fab shop where they build a lot of custom steel countertops. I started the table a couple of months ago but my Large BGE was stolen so I put it aside until I found a replacement. Now I have to figure out how much extra reinforcement it will need to accommodate the extra weight.
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Dec 26, 2013 17:24
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Mob posted:I got the Masterbuilt 30" electric smoker(and wood chips! and some heavy duty meat gloves!) for Xmas. I thought I'd ask for this one to get started with and make sure I was really interested before I got a WSM or BGE. I've been reading/researching/watching BBQ for about a year now so I'm pumped to go get some pork butt and try to make a few of those and then move on to ribs or brisket. Your next move should be to order an AMNPS, and get a bag of Traeger hickory pellets at your nearest Ace / True Value hardware store... Or anywhere else that sells them. After having 3 other kinds, and switching to Traeger, there's no comparison. With chips, you will be constantly babysitting the smoker, and producing OK, but somewhat ashy/acrid smoked meats. Congrats on getting an MES, you're going to enjoy the hell out of it. :-)
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Dec 26, 2013 18:28
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I also got a MES 30" for Christmas. I followed the instructions to heat it up before using. Going to do a couple simple smokes with some cheap Costco pork tenderloins to start, because it kinda smells like burnt plastic still. Good to know about the traeger pellets. Also is the amnps much better than the normal.chip burner ?
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Dec 26, 2013 18:34
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jonathan posted:I also got a MES 30" for Christmas. In my opinion, there's no comparison. The chip tray is a sheet metal pan that sits directly above an electric coil, and it's enclosed enough that it doesn't quickly ignite the chips--they smolder for most of their "life." The smoldering creates a thicker, white smoke that doesn't have the same aroma as the wispy, blue smoke that's released from combustion of most hardwoods. I find the thick, white smoke to impart acrid and ashy flavors, not unlike the smell you get from a burning newspaper. I find the wispy blue smoke to impart a sweeter smoked flavor, more akin to what you smell when entering a good BBQ restaurant, or if you live in an area that gets cold in the winter, the wonderful smell of a nearby wood-burning fireplace. With the chip tray, I found I had to put very small quantities of chips in at a time, so they'd get hot enough to combust. That led to a lot of babysitting, as I was adding 8-10 chips at a time, every 30 minutes or so, and for the first 10 minutes, they'd still be giving off the white smoke that I find less desirable. If you add a lot of chips, you get plumes of thick white smoke for quite a while, and then you get a fire inside your MES and wildly fluctuating temperatures. The AMNPS puts out that wispy, thin blue smoke for about 6 hours with both ends lit, and 10+ if you just light one end. It also forces you to have proper airflow, because it will go out if it's starved for oxygen. Stale smoke tastes like ash to me as well, so ensuring the AMPNS stays lit in turn ensures a nice flow of fresh smoke. Here's what you get from the chip tray: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3LBaRZ9XSE From the AMNPS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7oYnCttVbQ The difference, side by side, would looks something like this: 
PainBreak fucked around with this message at 20:48 on Dec 26, 2013 |
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Dec 26, 2013 20:45
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PainBreak posted:
Awesome and thank you. Going to try to find a retailer in Alberta. Quick question, you mentioned airflow. How does one achieve airflow with an MES. I see there is an upper vent...
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Dec 26, 2013 21:10
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jonathan posted:Awesome and thank you. Going to try to find a retailer in Alberta. Top vent wide open, chip tray pulled out 1", chip loader pulled out slightly. The heat from the element will create convection that will draw in air from the bottom, and send it out the top vent. Cold smoking's a little trickier, so sometimes I put a small fan on low, blowing toward the chip loader area.
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Dec 26, 2013 21:26
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GEEKABALL posted:....Texas Pete is apparently some kind of bottled hot sauce and I have never (is there an "irony" emote)? noticed it for sale in Texas. I used Tabasco... I agree it is hard as hell to find Texas Pete hot sauce in Te...   Yeah maybe not as the first store I went to had it.
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Dec 26, 2013 21:31
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PainBreak posted:Top vent wide open, chip tray pulled out 1", chip loader pulled out slightly. The heat from the element will create convection that will draw in air from the bottom, and send it out the top vent. Forgot about the chip loader. Can the MES retain enough heat with convection taking place ?
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Dec 26, 2013 22:18
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jonathan posted:Forgot about the chip loader. Can the MES retain enough heat with convection taking place ? Oh yeah, the element on those is more than powerful enough to maintain 275F (max temp) with the vent wide open, the chip loader out, and the chip tray open. It's appropriately oversized.
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Dec 26, 2013 23:09
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OK cool. It took awhile to heat up when I was breaking it in. Roughly freezing outside. I'm wondering if it will be able to maintain 225f on the colder days. Considering a thermal blanket of some sort maybe...
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Dec 27, 2013 07:29
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Top sirloin roast, 1.1kg (2.5lb). Going to smoke this as my first thing on the MES. Any tips ? I assume the lack of fat means I should only go for medium rare. I've got mesquite, cherry and hickory. I was thinking of doing a simple salt/pepper and olive oil rub on the outside, and maybe inject it with a garlic/salt solution. Should I cook it at 225 or crank it up to 275 ? Its -15c right now outside. I'm not 100% sure it will reach 275.
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Dec 27, 2013 23:39
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jonathan posted:Top sirloin roast, 1.1kg (2.5lb). Wrap in bacon to avoid drying it out.
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Dec 28, 2013 00:52
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