We have talked about grilling and smokers before, but I got a couple of new outdoor cooking toys.

Last Father's Day, the kids bought me 5-burner, cast iron griddle. The thing is great. Breakfast is awesome on it. Smash burgers, Cheesesteak subs, tacos, fajitas, steaks w/a great crust on them, etc. I love that thing. Have any of you been able to use one?

My wife and I also bought a pellet fed Ooni pizza oven. It gets unbelievably hot and you can cook a NY style pizza in 60 seconds. I haven't used it much and am still getting the hang of it, because I like my crust a little thicker than NY style, but damn, it makes great pizza. And one of the drawbacks of living in the south is that the pizza joints aren't all that.

I also built a new outdoor fireplace awhile back and a rotisserie. The results have been mixed on that one. A couple of sudden thunderstorms put a damper on the would-be chicken dinner. LOL

I have been wanting one of those propane flat tops for the back yard. We are just so limited in space that I cannot see us squeezing one in.

I have the Kettle Pizza insert for my Weber kettle, and I can that fairly hot (700 degrees) with hickory splits.

My sister won one of those propane flat tops. She essentially gave it to my mom. My sister spends her summer essentially living in her camper on my mom’s land. They put the flattop under a metal roofed open patio. The flat top gets used a ton for summer meals with the family. Most breakfasts get cooked on it. Then it’s the grill or the flat top for dinner.

I cooked for years in the restaurant industry prior to becoming a nurse. I love to cook. One of the downsides of moving far from home, and not having kids of my own, is I don’t have people to cook for. No family dinners. I break out the grill and smoker regularly for myself (meat eater) and my girlfriend (vegan) but no big briskets or such are being cooked.
Life is full of trade offs.

Yeah Frank, the 5-burner griddle takes up a lot of room. But man, it's great to cook on. My wife bought a portable 2-burner PitBoss griddle. We take that when Tailgating and some trips. I also use it when preparing smaller meals like searing Filet Mignon or making things like grilled cheese.

The pizza maker gets to over 900 degrees. I only use oak pellets because they get so hot and our ideal for that pizza oven. They are harder to find, though. I'm sure 700 degrees is more than hot enough. LOL

700 degrees is enough to sear the back of my hand if I lose attention to what I'm doing.

LOL

I missed your post earlier. Flat tops are awesome. I was working as a bartender in a biker bar a long time ago and I was amazed at how great those things were. I did not realize that they made outdoor griddles for the public. My son-in-law bought one to accompany his smoker and I was amazed by the griddle. The kids saw my reaction and got me one for Father's Day. It was pretty cool.

LOL.......as an aside.......I love using the the stainless steel spatulas when cooking. I use two at once and it's cool to just hear them clinking off of one another and the flat top. I feel like some sort of Japanese chef. LOL......not really, but it's still pretty cool.

I love outdoor cooking. I've had a 22" Blackstone for a couple yrs. I use it at home all the time and we take it to the campground when we host out there a few months every summer. I rarely use the grill anymore. I did struggle keeping it seasoned when I first got it, but now with a few years of seasoning it's got a wonderful stick free surface. I scrape it smooth and wipe it down after every cook, then put a thin coat of oil on it.

I have an offset smoker. It's a stickburner (logs only) that needs babysitting but l love the process. You can have those pellet grills, they don't compare. Just did the year's first brisket last weekend.

The kids bought me a wood fired pizza oven last summer, that thing's a lot of fun. It does spit out the pizza's really quick when we have people over. I've also baked small chickens in it. They come out really good, better than the smoker because you can run it at a higher temp. You can get a nice crisp skin.

The last thing I like to use is my tripod over the campfire with a pot called a Can Cooker. I make an awesome camp stew with it, or it's great to put on a nice pot of chili on fall afternoons.

Now, if I can fire up the still I'll be all set, lol.

I have shared this before Ill share it again

Get some pork steaks ( not chops... steaks )
Marinade in baslamic vinegar and garlic powder, salt and pepper for 15 minutes.
Put it on a grill slap on country style dijon mustered flip more mustard.
flip again and again the mustard will burn off. If its done with flame you wont know the mustard was there

Thats it done its amazing
I love it and its so simple

Checked out one of those Ooni pizza ovens at a tailgate last year. Dude was putting out some amazing pies and they were tasty. I know they're not cheap but something that cool is well worth the cost.

Pizza at Vers' place this summer! (I'll bring the bourbon )

Seasoning is the key w/the griddles. Mine came pre-seasoned, but I seasoned it another 6 times before I used it. My first cook was a pound of bacon and that actually helped season it more. It's got that nice blue-black finish. If anyone out there buys one, be sure to season the sides, as well.

I have only used the pizza oven twice. The pollen sucks right now, but I want to use it more. I like the chicken idea. I read about that being an option before we bought it.

I want to get one of those tripod stands, too. There is something comforting about cooking that way.

Fate, you're welcome to come on over w/your bourbon. LOL

One thing that got my griddle seasoning on track was to fry up a bunch of onions, sliced thickly and enough to cover the entire surface. It was a youtube tip that I saw repeated a few times, but didn't pay much attention to. Once those were done, the griddle top had the deep black, shiny surface I was looking for.

LOL...I hear you, but in reality probably more like the chef working the flattop down at the Waffle House.

Flat grills are underrated. You can put out some good food on those things. You don't need to cook everything over a open flame or glowing embers.

I love my griddle. Not only can you make a pound of hashbrowns, pound of bacon, 8 eggs and 4 pancakes simultaneously, it cooks so evenly, great for burgers and steaks.

Florida is hard on outdoor equipment, and gas grill burners rust through quickly causing large flare ups and hotspots. Seasoning is the key to it working well.

Actually got a good cleaning kit with pumice bricks and all, and scrubbed it down a couple months ago and re-seasoned it. Amazing what the buildup had become over a couple years.

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That’s AWESOME!

During COVID, I took up smoking meats. I have an offset and last year I bought a 36 inch camp chef woodwind pellet grill. I love that thing. I was up to the point of using it every weekend. My wife is mildly anemic so she loves it when I make brisket. Haven’t done it as much lately with the prices of things, like brisket, skyrocketing. I love doing it though.

It comes with a side propane burner attachment that also has a pizza oven you put over top. My wife is first gen Italian American, so she loves using that and she cranks out some really good pizza. I’ve been seriously considering an Ooni or a solo stove for the authentic wood fired style though. We’ll probably move in the next 2-3 years and she is hyper focused on making sure we have an outdoor kitchen area to expand our hobbies, haha.

FATE, what kind of bourbon? I do love bourbon and rye. Makes me think I should start another thread…

I also recently got into smoking meats. The wife got me a Weber Smoky Mountain vertical smoker for Father's Day a few years back. As far as hardware goes, I highly recommend the WSM for anyone who's not 100% sure they want to start buying into the whole smoking thing. It was only a couple hundred $ new, available at all Home Depot's, and just takes regular ol' charcoal and wood chunks. It's also very light and portable (I can fit it (but nothing else) into the back of my wagon), so I can take it to my parents' for Thanksgiving and pack it away nicely in the garage. A neighbor of mine is also an amateur carpenter, and when he has clean cut-offs of an interesting wood he's using he'll give those to me.

That said, now that I'm "in" I'm looking to upgrade. A Traeger, or similar pellet smoker would be nice for the convenience (select a temp and letting tech keep it stable vs fussing with air vents makes smoking largely idiot-proof). I'm also looking at an Egg or offset for the traditional experience (and taste). Once we embark on dialing in the backyard (with the outdoor kitchen), my fancy smoker purchase will happen.


I haven't done a large cook in a while (pork butt or brisket), but lately I've focusing on perfecting ribs and poultry. Beef ribs are up next.

I was stupidly about to ask you what WSM stood for, then I just realized you spelled it out right beforehand.

I definitely agree about the pellet grill. We ended up going with Camp Chef, but like you said, it makes it a lot easier to make things that take a very long time, like brisket. I usually do it Texas style, with just a salt and pepper rub and toss it on the pellet grill with a full hopper around 11 PM. I wrap it in foil when I get up in the morning, and then toss it into a cooler packed with towels after it reaches temp and leave it in there for 3 hours or so. My wife (mild anemic) is a huge fan of any smoked red meat, especially the brisket. It’s a LOT easier than when I’d get up at 3 AM to toss the brisket in the offset.

I love my Weber kettle charcoal grill. Ive never used propane but understand that it has its benefits- especially when cooking steak. - The hotter the better. I've always wanted a brick oven for pizzas. There are a few youtube videos that discuss how to make them on our own and I might delve into it this summer.

I did beef ribs yesterday while I was getting the lawn back under control. I think I did ok for my first go at it. I tried to wing it with a random concoction I whipped up as a sauce for when I wrapped them. I also left my smoker open while I was wrapping them, and the big gulp of air cranked up my fire for too long.

TLDR: way over-seasoned, and could've been more tender. Oh well. Kroger beef ribs served their purpose. Next time I'll do better.

Haha it’s all about learning, man! That happened to me when I left mine open as well. Thought I might need the extinguisher. Caused me to chat a pork butt - on the outside.

Did you do a 3-2-1 method with beef ribs? I’ve only done pork spare, and I typically do 3 hours on the smoker, 2 hours wrapped, and 1 hour in the smoker again with the sauce.

Pretty much. For ribs, I look for good color and the beginning of retraction, then wrap. When I have my fire under control, that's usually about 3 hours.

I wrap, put them back on, and will check about every 30 minutes for more retraction. For beef, I stuck a temperature probe in there and let that be my guide. For pork, I just watch for retraction (plus I'm usually butting up against dinner time). When I sauce at the end, I only put them back on the smoker for ~20 minutes to let the sauce tack up.

Stopped into the Lodge factory store today. That place makes me want to spend money.

A Classic great American company hmmm new thread?

I don't know if we spent enough for a new thread. I did get that cast iron sauce cup and brush I had wanted though.

Last night stopped and picked up some sirloins, potatoes and broccoli. $20.56

Sliced the potatoes into a "chips" about 1/8-1/4" thick. Little olive oil, cracked black pepper, garlic salt.
Cut up the broccoli, put in a steamer basket with some cracked (put some garlic salt and rosemary in the water below.
Seasoned the steaks with a little olive oil, black pepper, Montreal steak seasoning, tenderized lightly.

Put the steam pot on the griddle and turned on the 1 burner and let it sit 15 minutes, then threw on the potatoes over light drizzle of olive oil on the surface. Got both of those cooking probably another 10 minutes. Then threw on the steaks, flipped them over after 3 minutes, cooked another 3 minutes. Apparently I had the burner on real low on that side, so I had to turn them 2 more times for a minute or 2 with higher heat to get them to medium.

But it all came out great, steaks were so tender and juicy and full of flavor.

I have taken heed of my portion sizes these days and we both only ate half of each steak, which leaves us enough to make a plate for lunch today. So a steak dinner and lunch for 2, for about $5 a plate.

Added benefit, no heating up the kitchen/house with the stove or oven. When you live in Florida, that is a thing.

I have never been big on olive oil for cooking. It tastes wonderful in a salad dressing or for dipping breads and what not, but if has the lowest smoke temp of all the major oils. It tends to burn and break down, leaving a off flavor.

It starts to break down around 350 degrees, and unless you are trying to poach your steaks, your grill temp is way higher than that. It isn't dangerous to use that way as some have claimed in the past, but it does leave a off flavor IMO.

Maybe try not using any oil on the steak. I never coat the meat in oil. Just the seasoning. Just season a bit longer before you grill to allow the salt's to start to dissolve.

I used the oil to help keep the seasoning on the steak, and help keep the meat from searing to the surface on that first contact, it's very light. I usually use A1 or Worcestershire, but found I was out of both.

I understand. I wasn't trying to condemn, just trying to help.

I discussed the part about the seasoning. Put in on the meat 30 minutes before you cook. It will stick.

To prevent sticking, for as little used, just wipe down the griddle with a canola oil or a quick shot of spray. The meat you used also plays a part. I love a meaty sirloin, but it is the lean cut with little fat to help self season. I find those great for open grilling, but in a pan or flat surface, yeah, they need help to not stick.

At any rate, it sounded like a pretty solid meal to me.

This is good to know. Thank you. I kinda have 2 modes for steaks depending on the dinner situation (quick and "right"). When I'm cooking some beef for a normal dinner I'll use some oil (usually olive) just out of habit... but I'll start looking at others.

Personally I use safflower oil for all things grilling. I really don't like the flavor of canola (rape seed) oil.

Depending on what I am cooking i will coat the meat. Typically when I grill if I wipe the grate it just bursts into flame before I can get the meat on there if I am doing something like steak with direct heat.

j/c...

Avocado Oil FTW.

520° smoke point; smooth, mild, buttery flavor works in all recipes. Everything from eggs in the morning to a steak marinade. Pretty much all I use now.

Try it and you'll never go back.

Whatever works for you...I use corn as well. I use so little in that way I don't really taste it. If I griddle cook, I have to do it in a cast iron skillet since i don't have a griddle anymore.. I don't even have to oil it because it is already well seasoned.

When I have to give it a good cleaning and reseason, I just fry up 6 slices of bacon, strain the bits and rub it down with bacon grease before baking the pan for 30 minutes in a hot pan in the oven.

Along the same lines as whether to use olive oil to season a steak before grilling or not, I have read that black pepper should be avoided as a rub because it burns and leaves an acrid taste. After I read that, I started using salt and garlic powder on both sides instead. If I want pepper I just add it after cooking.

I've learned to love my skillet. I think my season still has some growing room, but I started things out with grapeseed oil.

I didn't take it as condemning. Appreciate the input, I just prefer the olive oil when I don't have the others, as I feel the Canola oil gives it a somewhat fishy taste.
I don't know why, but to me Canola oil on a grill smells like week old fry oil that was used to cook fish sticks.

Sadly, my wife is ingrained with eating at 6pm, when you get home at 5:20-5:30, that doesn't leave a lot of time for letting things marinade, so I typically hasten the process on my night to cook.

I have a question....

I'm not all that familiar with griddles. Can I get the same effect by just plopping a big flat piece of metal on top of my gas grill?

Maybe.

To some degree it depends on the metal you use. But in reality that is what a griddle is, a big flat piece of metal.

Yes. Absolutely.
I tried to tell my brother this, but he had his heart set on getting rid of his existing grill and buying one of those BlackStone griddles. Rather than having the best of both worlds, he simple changed which one he didn't have.


I would recommend buying a cast iron griddle that fits inside your grill, though, and not just grabbing a piece of sheet metal you may have laying around. Aside from it not having oils and other residues that sheet metal may have, or God-forbid, being galvanized, it will be thicker and heat more evenly thus giving a better result.

Lodge makes one that is roughly 16" long, and I think you can even pick it up at Home Depot for under $40, among other big box stores.
Ideally, measure the grates of your grill, then see if you can find a cast iron griddle the same size... then, you can just set them on top of your existing grates and you could have as much McDonald's or Burger King as you want (griddle vs flame-broiled).

I agree w/you about cast iron. My griddle is cast iron and thick. It also has 5 burners and is capable of getting way hotter than any gas grill I have ever owned, which is important when searing or making smash burgers. I love the griddle and have only used my gas grill twice since I received the griddle last Father's Day.

Sure. You just need at least 3/16" thick (7 gauge) steel so it won't warp and heat will be easy to control. I've used portable griddles in the restaurant biz, they work surprisingly well, even on top of range burners.

My neighbor has one of those that almost covers the entire cooking area of his gas grill. It's old, heavy, seasoned and puts out a lot of good grub. The only benefits of the Blackstone over that is the ease of cleaning with the grease trap and being able to use both at the same time.

I'll definitely co-sign on the cast iron as well. Just avoid massive temperature changes and don't ever drop it. Cast iron is actually fairly brittle, so just take care of it. If you want to see it shatter, get it up to about 800° and drop it in a sink of cold water.

This is kinda meant for oober, but jfan brought up the point about seasoning. That's very important. I seasoned mine 6 times [even though it came pre-seasoned] six times before I used it. My first cook was a pound of bacon, which actually helped season it further.

jfan brought up another point up about the grease trap on outdoor griddles. Where does the grease go when you use one of the griddle tops on a gas grill that Purp and Fate were talking about?

Yeah Fate. They are heavy. I never lift mine off. It was heavy just getting it on when I assembled it. It's 40" x 22". We do have a smaller one that my wife bought. It's only 18" x 14" and has only two burners. It's easy to move around and I take it when we go shooting, camping, and tailgating.

It stays right there.
Unless you're cooking bacon, which if you're going to do on a griddle, I'd just do in the oven, on parchment paper a cookie sheet, it shouldn't be too big of an issue. Of course, that is determined by volume. If you're cooking a ton of waves of burgers, then, yeah, fat is gonna need to be drained...... I'd simply use some tongs and tip the fat toward a back corner and let it burn off inside the grill. Worst case, you keep an old coffee can and use a set of oven mitts and pour off the fats between waves.

oober, you might want to take a look at some videos on YouTube about cooking on a flat top griddle. They are very versatile. I would also keep in mind the grease factor. I like making the bacon, eggs, and potatoes on the griddle all at once. Also, it's actually great for making things like Filet Mignon. You can adjust your temperatures on the griddle w/the burner knobs. Sear the filets for about 2 minutes per side on high heat, then finish cooking on another part of the griddle at 450 degrees. Once you move them to the cooler temperature, you keep dousing them w/melted garlic butter that you melt in a small pan accessory. Again, you are going to have a lot of liquid to deal with, but it's not an issue on a regular flat top griddle. And you won't find a better tasting filet mignon anywhere. But again, check out some videos. Philly cheese steak is another great recipe. Shrimp fried rice. Blackened salmon. Fish tacos. Hibachi. Korean sandwiches. Every chicken dish you can imagine. Just don't use tomato sauce on cast iron. Latkes. On and on and on...

Yeah, I wasn't about to make one. Definitely would hit up Lodge or similar. Was just curious if I was missing something before I spent money on something for the grill.

This is where the regular cast iron will shine.
Do the bacon first, then cook the potatoes in the bacon fat. Do the eggs just as the potatoes are almost done and have seasoned the surface enough that they shouldn't stick.

Yeah, I have a cast iron skillet that I've slowly begun to love. I am similarly anal-retentive about seasoning.

And Roger-that on tomato's.

Thanks!

When I use my Lodge stove top griddle I have gloves I can pick it and drain it. There is a small grease channel along the side.

No doubt. You would really need cast iron for a better heat distribution. They sell those. I see them at Lowes and places.

Like any cast you would need to season the thing or sticking could be a problem for a good while. Unless the griddle is to big, you could easily bake it out in the oven in your home kitchen.

Speaking of cast, that is the go to of pans. When my mother passed, my sister and I had to negotiate over who got what of the cast iron that she got from her mother.

It's the only way I cook steaks anymore. Sear them in a very hot cast iron skillet, then finish them in a 300 degree oven for 6-7 minutes give or take. Remove and let rest for 15 minutes.

This is ideal for a portable "plate" style. The coiled handles dissipate heat and the raise sides prevent grease overflow. There are also models with a groove or well (similar to a blood vein around a cutting board) so too much grease doesn't accumulate on the cooking surface...

Cleveland was recently rated top 3 in the Nation for cities to enjoy pizza, Columbus also in the top 4. ( some magazine 3 months ago).

Totally agree... I typically will reverse sear thought... slow cook it until its about 120-125... then heat up the grill and sear it on a cast iron to finish it off...

Have you tried sous vide for your steaks?

Bro- I can't imagine what that process does to a steak.
And yes- I know what 'sous vide' is-

Talk to ya boys.
Make us smarter.
411 is a good thing.

I've used the sous vide with steaks. You don't need a long drawn out cook, but if you sent the circulator at 125 then the steak is never getting past 125. Hot sear after and you can have a perfect steak.

I like the sous vide for sausage as well. never miss the mark with it.

Man, I got a pizza oven last year and learned from this guy's youtube... I could always make decent pizza, but he took my game to the next level.

Which oven did you get?

I have the Ooni Fyra 12 and use oak pellets. I have only used twice. Still learning the quirks of the things. Maintaining the proper temperature has been my biggest issue.

Lol. That looks like a major operation. I really have no desire to make my own pizza dough. I really don't have the knack for baking. I just use the stuff in the tube or the ready made crusts from Sofo's, the local italian deli. Clem will know what I'm talking about. Vers is right about temp control. Mine will get up over 600 in the blink of an eye if I'm not careful.

Any tips from you experienced guys who have Pizza Ovens similar to mine will be greatly appreciated. I have a lot to learn.

The best tip is good dough can't be rushed. Give it time to cold proof.

Thank you.

One more question, do you rotate your pizza a quarter turn every 15 seconds?

We do turn it, though not sure it is that quick. When we are making pizza I am the one that preps and puts it in the oven and takes it out, she monitors, turns and domes it as needed.

Truth.
I'm all up in Sofo's on a regular.
I love that store.

Just one of the cheaper models that home depo carries. WPPO Le Peppe in black. I'm not laying out 5K for one of the monsters, don't make them often enough for that.

That is the best way. Outdoor stuff doesn't last, and every few years something new is going to come along. You can grill just fine on a Weber drum grill, and smoke in just about any cheaper smoker you want, and I am speaking from experience. I have spent several $thousands over the years on various equipment that in the end did no better than the items mentioned above that you can get for maybe $400 tops. At best the expensive gear might make it a little easier.

When they rust out or one spring you just don't feel like cleaning them up anymore, throw them out and get some new ones.

I don't expose my two griddles and pizza oven to the elements. I keep them on one of our screened porches.

Oh, and I didn't go crazy w/the pizza oven. It was either $349 or $399. I can't remember which.

Mine has a lower chamber for the wood/charcoal and an upper cook chamber with a stone. I know everything says that it's ok to have a temp well over 600 degrees, but when the thermometer on my unit is that high it burns the crust before the cheese/toppings are done. It works best when the temp is between 4-500. Maybe the thermometer is inaccurate? I use about a 1/3 chimney of preheated charcoal and wood chunks and let it settle in for a half hour or so before putting the pizza on. I use mine regularly, maybe every 2 wks or so. It also does an awesome job on baked chicken.....makes a nice juicy bird with crisp skin.

Sounds like yours is nicer than mine. I have to use a gun thermometer because there is no built-in thermometer. We got the one that uses pellets. I have found that oak is by far the best pellet choice for the ovens. Burns hotter and cleaner. They are a little harder to find, i.e. they don't have them at places like Lowes, etc. I haven't tried the chicken yet. Excited to give it a whirl. Have you tried Cornish Hens? Man, I wish I could still grouse hunt. No better bird for eating than grouse. In my opinion, of course.

I think the kids paid around 250 for it, it was a gift. It's definitely not one of the expensive units. I use a combo of charcoal and hickory chunks. I let it settle, burn and adjust the dampers for a while until I get the thin blue smoke before putting any food on.....just like using the offset smoker. We're actually making pizzas today before heading to a hockey game....the local ECHL team is in the finals.

That looks like it would do the trick. I assume that is pellets.

I have a Pizza Kettle that goes on the Weber I use hardwood sticks. I keep hickory splits for the Yoder and spilt em down and cut em in half for the pizza oven.

Here is a link to a review of the Pizza Oven we have if anyone is interested. Probably not...LOL...but what the heck. It has pics included and gives a better description than I did.


https://www.gardeningetc.com/us/reviews/ooni-fyra-pizza-oven-review

I've thought about the Ooni for a while. I want one that is bigger capacity (16") and allows wood. The stone on mine is 15" wide and can feel a tad tight at times.

I can't speak to pizza ovens. I never had the desire to bake a pizza. I kept mine in a covered area as well.

Those are really nice, but they are about $800. I double checked ours and it was $349, although we did add accessories. You do have me a little worried now, though.

Oh I don't mean to worry you. Use what you have, enjoy it and if you find it doesn't work for you, get something that will.

Too many people start with the top end of things and realize it isn't for them. I do get buying what you think you need as sometimes you can't reinvest smaller to get larger, but buying larger than you need is usually a waste.

We may need to add some pictures to this thread as well.

I've got 3 slabs on the smoker right now. I use my own version of the 3/2/1 method. I rub them the night before with equal parts kosher salt, ground black pepper and brown sugar. To this I add garlic powder, onion powder, cumin and paprika. Sometimes cinnamon and/or cayenne powder. I then wrap them and put them in the fridge overnight, and leave them in the fridge until they're ready to go on the smoker (offset stick burner). I read that meat will stop taking smoke once it reaches a certain temp, and I find this to be true, so I start cold to allow it to take on more smoke. A lot of folks will tell you to bring the ribs to room temp before putting them on. I maintain my smoker at 250-300....shooting for 275, but I don't sweat small fluctuations. Once the ribs are on, I'll wrap them in foil at the 2hr point after coating them with a mixture of butter and brown sugar. I'll leave the on for another 1-1.5 hrs.....I'll take them off when they're really limp and unwrap them. I then put them back on for another hour or so and take them off when the meat is shrinking from the bone and thermometer probe goes in like butter. Now these are just short of fall off the bone ribs, and won'd win any competitions due to their soft texture....but this is the way my family and I like them. They are absolutely delicious, even without sauce.

Those sound like they would be delicious. And I'm with you when it comes to putting sauce on smoked meat. If the meat is smoked properly, putting sauce on it actually ruins the deliciousness of the meat itself. Sort of like putting A-1 on a great cut of steak.

Yeah, who would do such a thing .... when there is ketchup available ......

It's impossible for sauce to ruin the taste of meat if the meat is perfect, you dip the meat into the sauce.
Now, if Ribs are without sauce, they can be fine, but a good sauce added to the equation can also be fine.
A1, I don't know how anyone puts up with that flavor, but they stay in business so others must have different tastes.
BBQ cooking is over celebrated.

What bothers me lately is, "fresh cracked" eggs. all eggs have to be cooked right after they are cracked.
What is next in moronic advertising? all meat dogs? how about two handed sandwich? No, I got it! A "picked up" sandwich.

If you enjoy our " picked up" sandwich, with it's "fresh cracked" eggs, and get some " open mouth" flavor in your moronic advertising it won't make me forget that it cost my " hard earned" money just to get it to eat.
Advertisers, and sales people should be given less resources by society.

You can put sauce on smoked meat if you like. It's only another flavor that mixes with the smoked flavor. I don't like anything that compromises the flavor of well smoked meat. Adding another flavor only dilutes and compromises that flavor. To each their own.

I agree. If one likes the flavor of a sauce on BBQ, which I do in limited quantities, you add it at the table to enhance the flavor, not saturate the meat in the cook process.

It is a seasoning. If you like your chili hot, fine, but you don't make the whole darn pot hot.

Ribs cooked the way I described have more that enough flavor and seasoning with the thin crunchy bark and the melt in your mouth meat underneath. But some people just won't eat barbecue without sauce, so I have to have some on hand. I never put it on while on the smoker.

No need to and why you should do it that way.

Like I said, in the end I like some sauce on my BBQ. For ribs, a think like on one side.

For sandwiches of pork, many times simply some slaw does the trick. Other times I like some other. As mentioned, sauce is a last option to be added at the table by the person eating. In no case it is anything like eating a manwich sloppy joe or something similar. Probably more like dab of bearnaise sauce to go with a steak.

I like wet ribs, I like dry ribs, I like ribs. I like mine to have some bite, not fall off the bone. I won't wrap them because of that.

I do think wet or dry ribs are close to the same thing. The meat is seasoned, a rub is basically a dry sauce.

It depends. Pulled pork can/should be sauced up. Brisket... not so much, IMO. I like my beef ribs more plain, but pork ribs sometimes get a glaze at the end of the cook (this is more dependent on how late I am with the food).

Ok, this thread got me off my butt.

As a few know, my wife and I sold our hose last Oct. We no longer needed a big house or lake access as we sold the boat several years ago. We moved in to a nice new apt complex..a 2 bedroom job.

As such, we can't have open flame grills on our patio, we have to go with an electric grill. I finally went out today and got one because reading about all the grilling got me wanting to do that. The deal is I have never used an electric grill, so I was a little worried about how one would perform. I have to say i am pretty pleased.

I ended up getting a Weber Q1400. More than big enough to cook for the two of us, thought I don't see any real possibilities to smoke anything with one element, so there is nowhere to off-set, and the lid isn't all that high. I could get a pork tenderloin on there, but that would be about it.

I just cooked some burgers. Figured I'd just start simple and cheap if everything came out badly. I got some hickory smoke going with several soaked wood chips in a foil pack I set on the empty part of the grate. They tasted great. Better than I expected having been pretty much a charcoal and wood cook my whole life.

I am excited. I'll have to fool around with the timing so I have everything ready when the chips start to smoke, but it looks like I will be able to put out some good grub outside again.

I may try a few beef filets this weekend, I am curious how those will turn out. I am just not sure how I want to attack those. I am not sure if I just want to go for it all on the grill....maybe high heat at first to sear a bit, then back down the thermostat to finish, or just high heat for several minutes on each side to get the grill marks and pick up some smoke flavor, then pan finish in a 325 degree oven.

If any of you have had experience with electric grills, any tips would be welcomed.

The burger bit is so-so, but you have to like anything with the character "Tony Soprano" in it!

Versatile Dog cooking out:

Perfect! Life doesn't get much better than that.....

Unless our beloved Browns win the SUPER BOWL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've got chicken thighs and corn on the grill.

Chicken thighs are my favorite cut of chicken. They are hard to screw up. They are always juicy. And the crispy skin. Yum. I like to stuff mine with fresh herbs.

I just did salt and cayenne pepper on them. Some BBQ sauce on the side for dipping... wonderfully crispy delish skin.. yum

Chix-thigs, as we always called them, are so much better with skin on and bone in. I just sprink them with salt and garlic powder and bake at 350 until they're crispy. My fave dinner with steam in bag veg. I usually order a family pack of 8 thigs and repack in freezer bags with 2 per quart sized bag. My last order from the grocery had to be delivered, bc my truck was in the shop, and they sent me boneless/skinless. I foolishly kept them. They're no good.

My go-to is thighs & drumsticks coated with GFS' Jamaican Jerk Seasoning.
Smoke for about 2 hours.
Make a standard brown gravy, but season it with some of the jerk seasoning and one scotch bonnet/habanero. Move chicken to a dutch oven or a large covered skillet and pour gravy over. Simmer or put in the oven for 30-60 minutes.

Serve with red beans & rice and a Caribbean steamed cabbage

Switching gears just a bit.

When I lived in Ohio, I belonged the a "Sportsmen Club." We all went in and bought some land in S. Ohio. We built the cabin ourselves. The woods were deep and full of game. Guys would go and hunt deer. I was not a deer hunter, but did go twice w/my Compound bow. We hunted grouse, pheasant, turkey, etc, etc. Deep ravines w/tons of trees and cover were great for bird hunting. Anyway, our club had a spit [rotisserie] that we would occasionally use.

I used to host an annual party at my home where we would roast a pig. I would borrow the spit and of course, all the guys from the club would be invited. We would get up and cook a 80 to 100 lb plus hog on the spit. We were kinda backward and we used sheets of plywood to help keep the heat in and we would keep soaking it so it wouldn't go ablaze. I remember some of the sophisticated wives of some of my friends and co-workers who were not part of the club would say they would never eat the poor pig. Of course, the meat was so freaking delicious that almost every gave in. My wife made alternative dishes for the squeamish.

Anyway............do any of you guys have experience w/that? It's some of the finest meat you will ever eat. Any tips or tricks? Any cool stories. Believe me, we had plenty. LOL

I agree. I have never understood the love for poultry white meat. Just due to the nature of how you have to cook chicken or turkey, the white meat gets dry and basically flavorless IMO, even when it is cooked perfectly.

Pass the gravy please.

I did the same. We leased some property in NE Tennessee. Not many hogs up there. When I went to visit family in south Alabama, we went hog hunting a lot. They were all over the place and there was no season for them as they were considered pest animals. I also hunted hogs in Florida, again, they were everywhere.

I like pork of any kind...wild or farm raised. As for cooking, in S Alabama you didn't do the ground cooking, luau thing so much, it was spit or smoking.

I did do some ground cooking in Florida with friends. We cooked Cuban style. In Florida it was much easier digging the pit in the sandy soil. If we couldn't find the banana leaves to cover the pit, we used cabbage leaves. You could find this anywhere and they worked just as well.

As for Cuban cooking, think a lot of limes and oranges with cumin and oregano as your marinade.

I've never tried cooking one in the ground. Is there a big difference in taste?

From a moisture standpoint I think there is. How one thinks that impacts "taste' might be subjective. A smoked pork shoulder might seems dry to some, but it tastes pretty darn good.

The heat in the ground pulls moisture out of the ground. All the soaked leaves you use also hold moisture.

I love Cuban food. Just to turn the discussion a bit, you can make great cuban pork in the oven at home, or even a croc pot for a larger cut of pork.

Basically just marinate pork loins in a few cans of OJ and 1/2 cup lime juice. Some water to cover. Add a very liberal amount of cumin, oregano, and garlic and some salt to the brine. Sit it 24 hours in fridge and cook as usual.

A tip on any brine, add ice cubes at the beginning to get the temp down as fast as possible so you aren't marinating in a bacteria stew for the first few hours until the fridge finally brings the temp down.