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

[weller_tex]

I use Fire King lump for grilling. I will usually soak some chips (currently oak, before that persimmon) in beer, wine, cheap bourbon or some other liquid and throw them onto the coals right before I put the meat on.

I have tried the chips soaked in something other than water and have never been able to discern a difference. Maybe I am not using the right stuff.

[Josh]

I have tried the chips soaked in something other than water and have never been able to discern a difference. Maybe I am not using the right stuff.

Yeah, I'm not sure it makes much of one but it does smell nice when I first throw them onto the coals!

[bgageus]

I don't compete...it sounds like a great gig but I don't think I have the chops yet. I cant think of any competitions in my area, but I would have to look for them.

They will be in Canton this year for the Sams Club (June 28th I think), if your interested in seeing what a competition is like I can hook you up with them and you could help cook, just PM me.

And to keep this on topic. I mix half Royal Oak lump with Kingsford. The Briquettes will burn for at least 10 hours in the WSM. I also prefer to soak myself in beer and bourbon before putting the chips on the fire.

[Luna56]

I've used the Weber 18.5 for years now and it's hard to beat the simplicity of it. I only grill/smoke over wood now and find it vastly superior to any of the commercial briquettes. Normally I'll use hickory and oak, sometimes a little apple if I have some handy. Trout or salmon over alder is fantastic.

I think the secret to great wood grilling is to wait until you've got a good bed of embers before you toss the meat on. The flavor of the wood really comes through and penetrates better than merely generating a mushroom cloud of sooty smoke. Try it and see if you agree.

A couple of tips (I'm enjoying reading all the tips here too):

1. Don't use one of those brass brushes to clean the grill. They leave behind little brass fibers. When you see a gazillion of these glinting on the surface of your perfectly grilled medium rare ribeye it's heartbreaking. You don't want to ingest these.

2. Let your steaks age in your fridge, uncovered, for two or three days before you grill. I put mine on a cookie cooling rack over a cookie pan so air can circulate. Sounds a bit weird, but it makes an enormous difference. You'll notice that the steaks get a little brown on the surface and that the meat has "tightened up" (it's more solid and doesn't sag when you pick it up). This extra aging really concentrates the flavors and it was a huge revelation when I tried this earlier this year.

Damn, I could go on for days about this, I'll shut up now. Glad grilling season is here (it never really ends for me, I grill in two feet of snow sometimes).

Happy Grilling! Cheers!

[callmeox]

They will be in Canton this year for the Sams Club (June 28th I think), if your interested in seeing what a competition is like I can hook you up with them and you could help cook, just PM me.

And to keep this on topic. I mix half Royal Oak lump with Kingsford. The Briquettes will burn for at least 10 hours in the WSM. I also prefer to soak myself in beer and bourbon before putting the chips on the fire.

Man, that's my anniversary. Poor timing...I think I'll have to take a pass.

[stiffchainey]

What's the exact difference between grilling and BBQ?

[callmeox]

Grilling = hot and fast
BBQ = low and slow

[White Dog]

As Scott points out, grilling is cooking directly over hot heat. Think burgers, steaks or vegetables. When you cook something with indirect, low heat over a long period of time, then you have true BBQ. Ribs, pork shoulder, and brisket are the holy trifecta.

[stiffchainey]

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!

[camduncan]

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