BBQ.... what is your weapon of choice?

[unclebunk]

The English call "grilling" BBQ'ing too and seem to have no concept of smoking meat for extended periods of time. To live life without slow-smoked ribs and pulled pork is hard for me to even fathom.

[callmeox]

Okay, cool. So do you need any special equipment for that? In Germany there is just grilling. BBQ is taken probably as the US version of grilling. Didn't knew that there is a difference. Thanks for the info!

To expand on the short post from my phone:

Grilling is for lean and/or tender cuts of meat and done with direct heat.

BBQ is for cheaper/tougher cuts that become more tender with long/slow cooking and is done with indirect heat.

Most of us here who BBQ/smoke have a dedicated smoker (a popular model among SB'ers is the Weber Smokey Mountain) and Josh uses an Alton Brown inspired home made "flower pot" smoker that probably looks like the one in that link.

A great site for learning about smoking/BBQ is the Virtual Weber Bullet. Lots of recipes and techniques there.

[Josh]

Okay, cool. So do you need any special equipment for that? In Germany there is just grilling. BBQ is taken probably as the US version of grilling. Didn't knew that there is a difference. Thanks for the info!

A lot of the people in this thread have posted the brands of smokers they use for bbq. Do a Google search for those brands and you should see some good options.

If you want to make your own, my homemade smoker is made from the following:

3 bricks
1 large (14 in diameter) terra cotta flower pot with the saucer that goes underneath
1 standard size round "hot plate" like this.
1 old cooking pot or metal pie plate to go on top of the hot plate.
1 small round grill grate (13.5 in)
Oven thermometer

1) Arrange the bricks in a triangle. Place the flower pot on top of the bricks.
2) Place the hot plate in the bottom of the flower pot, threading the cord out through the hole in the bottom. Place the old cooking pot on top.
3) Place the grill grate into the top of the flower pot. Place the oven thermometer onto the grill grate.
4) Invert the saucer for the flower pot onto the top of the flower pot as a lid.

To smoke meat (how I do it anyway):
1) Remove the lid and the grill grate. Plug in the hot plate and turn the dial to medium or medium high.
2) Replace the lid and wait 20-30 minutes.
3) Check the thermometer. If the temperature is between 200-250 degrees F/93-121 C, then the smoker is ready. If it is not hot enough, turn the hot plate up. If it is too hot, turn it down.
4) Remove the lid and place the hardwood of your choice* into the pot on top of the hot plate.
5) When the wood just starts to smoke, replace the grill grate and place the meat on the grill grate.
6) Replace the lid. Cook according to recipe instructions. Be sure to drink plenty of bourbon while smoking the meat!

There's your bbq smoker! I'm not a professional and the flower pot won't do a lot of fancy stuff but it is perfectly adequate for cooking for family or friends. It was inspired by one built on the Good Eats TV program by US food god, and one of my personal heros, Alton Brown.

Cooking tip: I like to put pork ribs and shoulder in a brine before smoking them. 12 hours in the brine for pork shoulder and 6-8 hours for ribs. My brine: 1 quart of water, 1/4 cup of pickling salt, 1/4 cup of molassas, honey or brown sugar. In metric, 1 liter of water, 59 ml pickling salt, 59 ml molassas, honey or brown sugar. Make sure the salt and sweetner are completely dissolved. To completely cover a pork shoulder may require doubling or tripling the brine recipe.

*My favorite types of wood for BBQ are apple, oak, and hickory. Mesquite (a shrub that grows in Texas), cherry, pecan and maple are also popular.

EDIT: Dang, just posted all that before reading Scott's post. Oh well, leaving it up anyway.

[Josh]

Josh uses an Alton Brown inspired home made "flower pot" smoker that probably looks like the one in that link.

That guy is waaaaay too fussy. Yes, having the heat controls on the outside is nicer but not necessary. He also should have just used the saucer intended for the bottom of the pot as a lid instead of getting a bowl for the top like he (and Alton) did. You lose some space, but it's much easier to find.

[callmeox]

I cook with the attached outdoor kitchen. We've had it for two years and mostly grill steaks, sausages and chicken (Aussies typically refer to this as BBQ'ing). I've done a few roasts, and am hoping to utilise the rotisserie for the first time in the next few weeks. I'm also keen to attempt some slow smoking at some stage, but am not sure how to start

That's one heck of a setup, Cam. Wow.

I cooked a sirloin tip roast on the rotisserie yesterday and it came out great. Just a simple rub of garlic powder and seasoned salt and a couple hours spinning over the heat and it made for a tasty dinner (and leftovers).

[cigarnv]

You can BBQ meats you can grill but you can't grill meat that you BBQ.....

[doubleblank]

I have a buddy, Gregg (many of you have met him at prior gazebos), who moved to Perth about 5 years ago. He made up one of those "Alton Brown" flower pot smokers and got to bbqing stuff. His neighbors came over to see what he was up to since they smelled smoke coming from his backyard. They were amazed at the flavors from smoked meats/ribs/chicken/etc since, as we all know, their "bbq" is our "grill". He's one of the most popular guys in his neighborhood when it comes time for a large cook. He and his neighbors have since built a couple of UDSs for the neighborhood's collective use. Gregg has a local butcher he introduced to slow smoking and he now saves the briskets and beef ribs for smoking rather than making it into hamburger meat.

[JB64]

I use a home build reverse flow smoker. Mainly use hickory logs I split and cut into 18" lengths but charcoal and wood chunks work well too. I smoked some spare ribs last weekend using the 3-2-1 method. Three hours in the smoke at about 230, two hours wrapped in foil, and one hour back in the smoke. I apply a little BBQ sauce during the last hour. The attached picture shows a slab after the two hour period.

[cigarnv]

I use a home build reverse flow smoker. Mainly use hickory logs I split and cut into 18" lengths but charcoal and wood chunks work well too. I smoked some spare ribs last weekend using the 3-2-1 method. Three hours in the smoke at about 230, two hours wrapped in foil, and one hour back in the smoke. I apply a little BBQ sauce during the last hour. The attached picture shows a slab after the two hour period.

Nice home build!!! That is a pretty fat rack of St. Louis..... must have come out tasty!!!

[JB64]

Nice home build!!! That is a pretty fat rack of St. Louis..... must have come out tasty!!!

Being a KCBS judge I am not surprised you noted the St. Louis trim on the ribs. I usually smoke the slabs without trimming but since I was cooking for my wife's friends I trimmed the ribs then cut into two rib portions to serve.

I happened to take pictures of my smoke last week so I could upload them to the smoking forum to which I subscribe.