Poverty and BBQ

[DrHenley]

There is grilling, BBQ and smoking. Three different things entirely. Rather than start an argument, I'll let someone else explain the difference, LOL. But it has a lot to do with temperature.
I grew up in the Memphis BBQ region with some Texas BBQ influence so those are what I think of when I think of BBQ. I never much cared for the east coast style of BBQ. I prefer mesquite and apple wood. I think I'm allergic to hickory smoke, but mesquite I find very pleasant if not overdone. But apple wood is my favorite.
They say the word barbeque is derived from the French term barbe à queue which means "beard to tail" which would mean cooking the whole animal. It could be on a spit or in a pit.

I have found that some brands of chipotle sauce make excellent BBQ sauce. Especially the "Pain Is Good" brand.

 

[old tex]

I'll say this about BBQ. After 3 years overseas I returned & saw a little place selling BBQ. I stopped & checked out the menu & didn't see brisket? (This was South Caralina btw). So I asked, do you have brisket? The answer was "What's Brisket"? Ok, but it's still BBQ, right? So I ordered some & it came served over rice. Rice? Up until that point I had only had Texas BBQ. I tried South Caralina BBQ and discovered that other places didn't know what BBQ was. And they certainly didn't know what GOOD BBQ tasted like. Anyone that served S. Carolina BBQ in Texas would have been hung in the nearest tree.

Side note: Since BBQ wasn't available my first 3 meals when I hit the US were at Baskin Robbins. I didn't have that overseas either.

 

[EastenerWesterner]

I will go by thermometer on my unit.

After that you have style. Dry rub, wet rub sauce for style of BBQ

Previous post about BBQ place in NY, parboiled meat then tossed on smoker is not real BBQ. I now the best chain in NY and MA (7 resturants) slow cooks on oak with a combo of Dry and wet rub. In some cases, I think a 12 hr cook time is too much. But their stuff is good.

With smoking your wood choices have to be pretty specific . Restaurants stick with 1 wood. I personally love hickory, but it is unaffordable when available to me.
I follow my nose on th smoke coming out.

When I move up north I am going to take some containers of Oak. May even buy some Pecan because it cheap here.

 

[d_marsh]

I personally don't have a lot of faith in mounted thermometers, then again I have never had a high end smoker. I use a temperature probe mounted at grate level and a probe in each piece of meat. I keep a BBQ Journal I use to document my recipes, temps, successes and failures so I don't make the same mistakes twice, but can replicate the best foods whenever I want.

 

[EastenerWesterner]

I personally don't have a lot of faith in mounted thermometers, then again I have never had a high end smoker. I use a temperature probe mounted at grate level and a probe in each piece of meat. I keep a BBQ Journal I use to document my recipes, temps, successes and failures so I don't make the same mistakes twice, but can replicate the best foods whenever I want.

I have replaced the thermometers after I double checked my Grilleye Probes.
Come to find out you can calibrate these Thermometers.
One old thermometer sits on my burn barrel cleverly disguised as a smoker. Learned some welding building this. People told me I couldn’t weld rebar to a 55 gallon drum. Some how this rookie did it.

 

[Mountain trapper]

Here's my smoke house. It only smokes. It doesn't grill and it doesn't bbq. In cooler weather I use it a lot; meat, chicken, jerky, cheese, hot peppers etc.

 

[ClemKadiddlehopper]

I like cold smoking as well. I have smoke house envy.

 

[elkhound]

call it whatever ya want...i love a hunk of beef over a fire and smoke at whatever temperate...lol...just cook it...and holler when its ready!

 

[UserNameTaken]

Please don't ban me or put me on ignore... but I have a confession.

I'm a griller, I'm so sorry, I'm unworthy of this tasty thread. Yup, I go outside turn a valve, flick the switch, turn the knob to low (which in AZ means the lowest temp is 340-400 depending on ambient). Then I slap whatever on the grill and go back inside until time to flip it.

Then I slather Mr. Stubbs all over whatever I grilled, beef, salmon, eggplant, and serve, it's all the same.

 

[dademoss]

Please don't ban me or put me on ignore... but I have a confession.

I'm a griller, I'm so sorry, I'm unworthy of this tasty thread. Yup, I go outside turn a valve, flick the switch, turn the knob to low (which in AZ means the lowest temp is 340-400 depending on ambient). Then I slap whatever on the grill and go back inside until time to flip it.

Then I slather Mr. Stubbs all over whatever I grilled, beef, salmon, eggplant, and serve, it's all the same.

In confession, Me too.

 

[d_marsh]

Please don't ban me or put me on ignore... but I have a confession.

I'm a griller, I'm so sorry, I'm unworthy of this tasty thread. Yup, I go outside turn a valve, flick the switch, turn the knob to low (which in AZ means the lowest temp is 340-400 depending on ambient). Then I slap whatever on the grill and go back inside until time to flip it.

Then I slather Mr. Stubbs all over whatever I grilled, beef, salmon, eggplant, and serve, it's all the same.

In confession, Me too.

I will hold 'em and you guys can smack them with a pecan branch!

Actually I do it all; grill, smoke, BBQ, bake, roast, rotisserie, etc. I have a gas grill, a couple charcoal grills, a couple smokers, etc. I like meat and I like it cooked multiple different ways.

All said and done charcoal grilling is my preferred method, using wood chunks for flavor and indirect cooking with direct searing. But I do a fair amount of smoking in the spring/fall.

 

[dademoss]

I will hold 'em and you guys can smack them with a pecan branch!

Actually I do it all; grill, smoke, BBQ, bake, roast, rotisserie, etc. I have a gas grill, a couple charcoal grills, a couple smokers, etc. I like meat and I like it cooked multiple different ways.

All said and done charcoal grilling is my preferred method, using wood chunks for flavor and indirect cooking with direct searing. But I do a fair amount of smoking in the spring/fall.

ACKKKKKK, not the Pecan branch!!!

 

[Tirediron]

In my opinion gas grilling is for when there is no stove to cook in a skillet . an nice slow wood fire does a great job of meat, but often that would be a roast in a dutch oven, or something, I just don't see the need to drain all of the juices out and have to slather something else on.

 

[Mountain trapper]

In confession, Me too.

OK, me too. Right now it's too dry to build a fire in the smoke house, so I use the propane grill.
I've got a brisket in the freezer. I'm thinking about putting it in the electric smoker tomorrow. I don't use the electric smoker much because the amount of power it uses. I think it takes 1500 watts of electric.

 

[Peanut]

I don’t bbq because I don’t have the time to invest in such a long process. Done right its 8hrs minimum. Besides, in my part of the south there are 3 pit bbq’s within 5 miles, another 5 within 20miles. All these places cook meat correctly. If I want good bbq it’s 5 min away or I can pick some up on the way out of town which I do often.

Like @Tirediron I think cast iron and meat are another match made in heaven. I can’t see the expense of a gas grill when I have a gas stove. I do grill occasionally but only with natural charcoal. I can easily add smoke to burgers, dogs or steaks. In fact I used to make my own lump charcoal, running low at the moment, need to make another batch.

https://www.homesteadingforum.org/threads/making-natural-charcoal.13059/

 

[Mountain trapper]

I don’t bbq because I don’t have the time to invest in such a long process. Done right its 8hrs minimum. Besides, in my part of the south there are 3 pit bbq’s within 5 miles, another 5 within 20miles. All these places cook meat correctly. If I want good bbq, smoked right, it’s 5 min away or I can pick some up on the way out of town which I do often.

Like @Tirediron I think cast iron and meat are another match made in heaven. I can’t see the expense of a gas grill when I have a gas stove. I do grill occasionally but only with natural charcoal. I can easily add smoke to burgers, dogs or steaks. In fact I used to make my own lump charcoal, running low at the moment, need to make another batch.

https://www.homesteadingforum.org/threads/making-natural-charcoal.13059/

That would be convenient. The nearest bbq place for me is about 125 miles away. Because of our dry conditions around here I wouldn't think of building a fire. So this time of year I just use the propane grill. Doing bbq right is a long process. Making my world famous chilli is a long process too, it takes 2 days. First the meat and chilies need to smoke for about 8 hours while everything else is simmering on the wood stove in a cast iron pot. Then it all sits outside over night.
I never thought about making my own charcoal before. I'll have to look in to it.

 

[Tirediron]

I don’t bbq because I don’t have the time to invest in such a long process. Done right its 8hrs minimum. Besides, in my part of the south there are 3 pit bbq’s within 5 miles, another 5 within 20miles. All these places cook meat correctly. If I want good bbq it’s 5 min away or I can pick some up on the way out of town which I do often.

Like @Tirediron I think cast iron and meat are another match made in heaven. I can’t see the expense of a gas grill when I have a gas stove. I do grill occasionally but only with natural charcoal. I can easily add smoke to burgers, dogs or steaks. In fact I used to make my own lump charcoal, running low at the moment, need to make another batch.

https://www.homesteadingforum.org/threads/making-natural-charcoal.13059/

I wouldn't even know where to go buy some decently cooked meat, some local guy make pretty decent meals, but prolly not close to what you are used to

 

[DrHenley]

Please don't ban me or put me on ignore... but I have a confession.

I'm a griller, I'm so sorry, I'm unworthy of this tasty thread. Yup, I go outside turn a valve, flick the switch, turn the knob to low (which in AZ means the lowest temp is 340-400 depending on ambient). Then I slap whatever on the grill and go back inside until time to flip it.

Then I slather Mr. Stubbs all over whatever I grilled, beef, salmon, eggplant, and serve, it's all the same.

It's all good, man. I have my druthers but whatever floats your boat is good for you.

 

[Peanut]

@Mountain trapper These days I can buy cheap lump charcoal at walleys. In my op it’s poor quality from south america, mine is far better, night n day difference. About 20yrs ago lump charcoal was difficult to find so I started researching how to make my own. I had the wood and materials so why not make it?

Once I came up with a good design for a cooker I experimented with about 20 different kinds of hardwood. Finally settled on red oak, it makes great charcoal, naturally pitted, lights easy and burns smoothly. Oak was better than the rest of the hardwoods. Red oak was far better than the rest of the oaks. In a pinch I’d use white oak with mtn oak in 3rd.

There was a lot of trial and error but once I learned to read the 3 types of smoke the cooker puts out it got easy. I sold it at the farmers market along with smoking woods. I sold lots of pecan, peach, oak, hickory for beef and pork and cherry wood for fish.

 

[Patchouli]

I have thoughts of making my own charcoal for reals. Just thoughts.

 

[Mountain trapper]

@Mountain trapper These days I can buy cheap lump charcoal at walleys. In my op it’s poor quality from south america, mine is far better, night n day difference. About 20yrs ago lump charcoal was difficult to find so I started researching how to make my own. I had the wood and materials so why not make it?

Once I came up with a good design for a cooker I experimented with about 20 different kinds of hardwood. Finally settled on red oak, it makes great charcoal, naturally pitted, lights easy and burns smoothly. Oak was better than the rest of the hardwoods. Red oak was far better than the rest of the oaks. In a pinch I’d use white oak with mtn oak in 3rd.

There was a lot of trial and error but once I learned to read the 2 types of smoke the cooker puts out it got easy. I sold it at the farmers market along with smoking woods. I sold lots of pecan, peach, oak, hickory for beef and pork and cherry wood for fish.

I wish I could buy charcoal in bulk. I go through a lot when I'm smoking. I use the charcoal to get the wood burning and to keep it burning slowly.
I'd like to get some bulk pecan, oak, peach, hickory etc. I get alder from my son and can get apple, plum and cherry locally, it grows wild around here in places.

 

[ClemKadiddlehopper]

I will hold 'em and you guys can smack them with a pecan branch!.?.....

OH NO! Gomez,
Smoke 'em with willow.

 

[SoulSeeker]

The best smoked fish I ever had was from my aunt in Alaska. She would put it in a brine for 12 hours then smoke it for another 12 hours. It came out so good we called it fish candy. I've tried smoked salmon from stores and about gagged. My mom would put ribs in a pressure cooker for 15-20 min then in the oven was sauce to finish them off. We kids didn't know this wasn't BBQ. I read that BBQ is a word taken from the Caribbean Islands Barba-Coa. Cooked in a pit for hours. I see there is a Latin American dish called Barbacoa also so I don't know how correct that is. I don't care really how it's prepared, just do it and call me when it's ready!

 

[Mountain trapper]

Here's the inside of my smoke house. It's small, but does everything that we need it to do.