BBQ4Dummies » Equipment and Materials

Review: Kamado Charcoal Grill

LC — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 23:23:12 +0000

Similar to the Big Green Egg, the Kamado is a highly versatile BBQ unit that can smoke, BBQ, smoke, and grill. Ranging from $400 to $1800 depending upon size, finish, and accessories, they are a long lasting unit and can do justice to your best BBQ recipes. We’ve had ours going on 6 or 7 years and the exterior looks as good as the day we bought it. In fact, the picture of the one on the home page is the same one we have.

There’s quite a bit of history on the Kamado and it truly does it all–smoking, bbq’ing, grilling, oven, you name it. We’ve cooked turkeys, ribs, tri-tips, burgers, pizza, fish, and quite a bit more on it. Maintaining temps from 150 to 700+ degrees on it is pretty easy. The slow and lows are great for cooking briskets and pork butts. The higher temps are great for pizzas and steaks. They have serveral different sizes, and our larger one is the #7 and we’ve had 9 tri-tips on there before at the same time and they all came out perfectly. We also have a #1 for taking with us when we go camping. It weighs less than 100 pounds, while our #7 weighs in at about 600 pounds! There are 3 starting options–charcoal, gas, and electric. We have the gas option and use it to start the charcoal (we use extruded coconut for charcoal–check out this link for more than you’ve ever wanted to know about charcoal. We can cook at about 8 hours on a small basket of charcoal at 350 degrees!

The Kamado Charcoal Grill has a great forum with useful recipes and tips. Compared to the inventory at Home Depot this is a big investment, but we’re major outdoor cooking fans and use it all the time. I can honestly say I’ve never made something on the Kamado that hasn’t been a hit. My personal favorite is my maple raspberry and chipotle tri-tip. Delicious! Although this may sound like an advertisement, I assure you I have no interest in Kamado. I just appreciate my Kamado Charcoal Grill and think it’s one of a kind. It’s also a great conversation piece when people are over. “What is that thing” is one of the first questions I get when we go outside.

This is a picture of both Kamados. They come in a wide variety of colors and textures too.

Here’s a picture of what’s under the hood. The thing I like most about my Kamado is that I can have 3 grills going at the same time. They sell optional lower/upper racks that you put grills on, and are then able to cook all sorts of stuff at the same time.

The temperature of the Kamdo is regulated by two things: The first is the top damper. Just a simple twist and you have modified the air flow which will raise/lower the temperature.

The draft door works in conjuction with the damper to control the temperature.

A thermometer is handy in maintaining just the right temperature.

A tri-tip after about 60 minutes on the grill.

I use a Thermapen for checking temperatures of the food I cook. At just under $100, it’s more expensive that some other options, but it’s deadly accurate and I’ve never had a problem. And if you like extremes, you can even get a remote sensor that you connect to your food and will beep inside the house when it’s at a certain temperature.

Cooked to perfection!

This article was originally submitted by Elk Grove Online member Divot Maker, proud Kamado owner and master griller.

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Smokers and BBQs–Buying and Building

How To Lower Food Costs and Retain Quality

LC — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 02:00:04 +0000

When you put out food for a group it’s always a balancing act with quality vs. pricing. We must understand that most of the grocery stores, caterers, and restaurants lie. They will mislabel, represent previously frozen as fresh, and claim to use ingredients they do not. Here are some ways I cheat down the costs without sacrificing quality, and some things on which you must never cheat:

Seafood
Shellfish often freezes better than fish, if done properly which is either flash freezing on a factory boat or frozen in milk at home. If I am going to serve fish as an entree I will not serve anything frozen or previously frozen, period. Shellfish, specifically shrimp, can be OK. Clams and mussels and crabs, NEVER. They don’t freeze well. For smoking, I prefer fresh but will accept frozen in some cases depending on the variety, the texture, and the smell test. Other than Costco, I will not buy any seafood without a good whiff test. If there is the slightest presence of ammonia, the fish should have been sold yesterday, and you walk away. I reject about 1/3rd of the fish and shellfish at Bel Air, and they are as good as any non-specialty store.

Brining can cure a lot in seafood, specifically texture. Through simple osmosis, brining ejects the existing liquid and replaces it with your fresh ingredients. It can firm up a slightly mushy fish or shellfish nicely and properly and add flavor. What brining will not do is make old fish good. Old fish belongs in fishwrap.

Spices and Seasonings
If they are used for sauces, you must have them fresh. I clean out my spices every 6 months and replace them. If available, I use a small coffee grinder for the freshest spices possible. For brines or marinades, you can definitely cheat here. Cheating for me is the Dollar Store or Big Lots for bulk seasonings like dehydrated onion, garlic, honey, and similar generic ingredients. Salt is something with which I never cheat. I use only sea salt or kosher salt because it tastes better and holds up to slow cooking better, and you use a third less of sea salt than table salt for the same recipe. Never use anything iodized. If I am doing a sauce or marinade that requires Soy, I only use Aloha Shoyu, but in brines I easily substitute less expensive Kikkoman. That’s the bottom for me. That awful strong Soy taste in many Chinese restaurants is from crappy, bulk soy. Don’t use it–it will bite your taste. I use a lot of maple syrup, and only 100% pure maple syrup will do. The artificial stuff breaks down and does not take heat well. I buy it at Costco in bulk and it’s not that expensive there.

Poultry
Both turkey and chicken are very forgiving for smoking. I am not picky about fresh or frozen, even for holidays. While I’d never use a frozen breast for an oven prep, you honestly cannot tell the difference when smoking or BBQing, and this makes a huge difference in cost. I prefer a Zacky’s previously frozen from Bel Air–never miss with those. Forget free range and all that hype for chickens when smoking or BBQing. Just make sure it’s fresh and the color and odor are right and buy on cost. Beer can whole chicken is a great smoky, greasy meal and I use the cheapest chickens I can find for it.

Pork
The only pork I do with any regularity is a Boston Butt for pulled pork sandwiches, and ribs. I buy butts mainly on price and appearance. It’s real junk anyway. The best butts/shoulders I’ve ever had are from SYSCO and sometimes I’ll tap a restaurant to sell some out the back door. Quality ribs are extremely critical. I will not buy any rib not in Cryovac, and getting good spares has become next to impossible during some seasons. I went one entire season with doing spares because the quality was so bad. I now buy nearly all my ribs at Costco, and I normally use baby backs. It’s hard to beat a good spare, however, if you can find them.

BBQ and Smoking Cheats
Basically there are none. It’s done when it’s done and a good quality digital thermo is your best friend. What I do use that virtually no one on the west coast does is curing salt for my brined items. Not only does it ensure that all bacteria is killed and your finsihed product is much less likely to spoil, it really adds some texture and opens up pores of tight grained poultry, fish, and some pork to receive the smoke better. Every trip to the South I go into a Wal-Mart (it’s common in the South) and throw a bag of Morton’s TenderQuick into my luggage. Never seen it here in California.

Most people have no idea of the risk they take by eating at a BBQ restaurant. As we cook at low temps, the chances of botulism are probably tenfold of anywhere else. Get nailed once and you’ll learn the hard way. I did at a place that uses initials. Pay close attention to the cleanliness and refrigeration if you can see it, because there is probably not one local BBQ joint that takes the extra step to cure meats.

For wood, NEVER cheat. Never use anything but seasoned hardwood. I beg and buy wood from all over the country for different flavorings, but the local white oak and cherry are my staple supplies. The best wood overall is Pecan, but the cordwood too expensive to bring in. I do use pecan chunkwood in my Cookshack for a few items. Avoid mesquite except for grilling wood. It’s too hot and too strong for anything but a big, tough brisket.

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Smokers and BBQs–Buying and Building

Essential Outdoor Cooking Gadgets: Marinade Turbocharger

LC — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 19:39:16 +0000

There is no shortage of gadgets for outdoor cooking, probably because it’s a somewhat male-dominant activity ,and we have about as much resistance to toys and gadgets as the ladies have to tolerating our messes! However, most of them range between superfluous and useless. This one is a long time personal favorite of BBQ4Dummies, and will make your end product more tasty while saving you precious prep time.

Steve Raichlen is a nationally known expert on BBQ. He is a prolific author, runs BBQ University for hands on learning (at a fancy price too), and a few years ago developed the Steve Raichlen Marinade Turbocharger.

The purpose is to penetrate the meat to be marinated or brined quickly with needle-sized penetrations so as not to allow the existing fluids to drain from the meat, nor to provide large escape holes for fresh brine, which may happen when a kitchen knife is used for the same purpose.

A 15 lb. turkey can can be fully penetrated in less than 30 seconds, and a pork butt in 15. I use the Marinade Turbocharger for nearly all poultry, large cuts of pork, and always for tri tip and brisket. It has stainless steel needles, and is dishwater safe. I have no negative comments on this gadget. It does as Raichlen claims, and looks as good as new four years later. It’s highly recommended for anyone cooking large, tough cuts of meat, and essential if you do any production cooking. About $25, widely available on the internet.

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Smokers and BBQs–Buying and Building

LC — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:38:38 +0000

First, some terminology.

Smoking is normally done from 150 deg to 200 deg, never higher. Cold smoking, a process used for lox, cheese, and bacon, is done at 80 degrees and takes special equipment to smoke at or below the outside ambient temperature. Smoking uses wood in chip or chunk form for home smokers, usually with a primary heat source of an electrical element, or wood/charcoal.

Barbequing is done from 200 degrees to 300 degrees, with by far the most common range from 225-250 degrees. Above 300 degrees you are roasting or grilling. True barbequing uses wood exclusively, with no secondary heat source.

Grilling is by far the most common method of outdoor cooking in the West, and is a high heat method, usually performed at 350 – 600 degrees. The Weber is a grill, NOT a barbeque!

What You Need to Smoke

A smoker can be very forgiving, and can be built with a few spare parts. The internet has sites and videos showing the use of a hotplate, a small pan, some wood chips, and a cardboard box. Make no mistake, as long the the smoke has proper venting and you are vigilant about maintaining a temp around 160 – 185 these home made smokers work fine.

For one who smokes primarily salmon or other fish, one of my favorites, the smoker that most of us grew up with in the Northwest, is the Luhr Jensen LIttle Chief These are currently on closeout at Wal-Mar for $60, regular about $85. My Little Chief lasted for about 15 years, and it turned out some fine smoked salmon and trout. If that’s all you want to do, go for this one.

I use a Cookshack Smokette for most of my smoking. The Cookshack is not inexpensive at around $500 complete street price, but it’s beautifully built and has an accurate variable temp control, while the Little Chief is a fixed temp of 175 (they wont tell you that; I took several readings in mine). If you are smoking now and want a larger box with much more flexibility , I cannot recommend the Cookshack enough. Plus, there’s a great website, www.cookshack.com with a very active forum, many posts from professional caterers that use the Cookshack.

Buying a Barbeque

My barbeque is from Pitts and Spits in Houston. I had it custom built and it was close to $3000 shipped. You can turn out just as good Q as I on a much less expensive unit with some practice, and most people in the West aren’t into BBQ enough to spend that kind of dough. To me, one who BBQs nearly every weekend, it was a great investment.

Prior to that and an Oklahoma Joe’s vertical BBQ, I had a $100 Coleman water smoker than was tall enough to BBQ, and that’s where I started getting people’s attention with some great Q. The challenge in BBQing is to get the product far enough away from the heat source to get the surrounding temp around 225 deg. There are only two ways to do this–vertical height or horizontal length.

To get a GOOD barbeque, you’re going to have to spend over $1000 due to the heavy steel and industrial grates used. To get a USABLE BBQ, I’d look at a Brinkman unit at Home Depot or similar stores for around $100 – $200. The main disadvantage is that these units are not strong enough to use cordwood as your heat source; you use charcoal and wood chunks. That gets expensive and charcoal is not as good as cordwood, but it’s so close many cannot tell the difference. Check their site athttp://www.grillshowroom.com/brinkmann.htm?gclid=CKWJ-6KJn5kCFRIcawod6Gyppw

The advantage of a vertical unit is that they are cheaper. The disadvantage is that you will not be able to do a full rack of ribs without cutting them up. Frankly, I like vertical as the heat is more even, so if you can find a large one, go for it. The horizontal BBQs are more common as they can take 50 lbs easily. The disadvantage that the fire box is on one end so the heat is uneven. You simply rotate the product every few hours, not a big deal.

Want to build a barbeque? Google “Barrel Barbeques” and you wil find instructions on how to build a more than adequate BBQ from a 55 gallon drum. It’s fairly easy and can be done for under $200 with the racks and hardware. Of one thing you can be sure; it will be MUCH sturdier than a Home Depot unit.

You can smoke with a BBQ, but you have to be careful to keep a very small fire to keep the temp down. I smoke about 25% of my products on the pit. You can BBQ with a Cookshack as well, but you have to work at it. This is a very heavily insulated unit and thus moist from the wood burning. I’ve been very successful with turkey, chicken, my BBQd rice in small quantities, and killer pastrami, but for ribs that need a good “bark” I have yet to be satisfied. Many owners, through opening the door to let out the moisture, report excellent results, however.

The Traeger

This is a fine product from the Northwest. For about $1000, you get a machine that burns pellets, and can smoke, barbeque, and grill. This is an electric unit.

The disadvantage is that it doesnt reach a high enough temp to blacken when grilling, and you do not have the control over the other temps you might desire. Most Traeger owners love their units, however. I wouldn’t say no to looking and testing if you’re willing to part with the money. Personally, I don’t like them. I want to see heavy wood smoke and work hard when BBQing–the electric element doesn’t do it for me. But that’s personal. I also think they are overpriced. The Cookshack is a better unit and a much better buy, in my opinion. This can be generally confirmed with owners who have both, in several discussion boards, but I’ll reiterate the Traeger has many happy users too.

Grilling

Just a few comments here. The most common discussion is gas vs. charcoal. I think the answer is simple, and I have both. I use gas when 1) I am lazy, or 2) when the grilling process is under 5 minutes. No way in 5 minutes is your food going to benefit from the added flavor of the burning charcoal. And, those smoker boxes in gas grills are worthless. My gas Weber will be 19 years old this June and works great. Weber, for the money, is the best buy out there.

I have a Weber charcoal grill with a gas lighter. That REALLY makes it easier and I would totally recommend one. I, and you should too, only use lump mesquite charcoal, not “Kingsford” crap with the binders and such. Yes, charcoal grills impart a nice flavor and they often burn hotter than gas grills. For any kind of roasting, or grilling more than a few minutes, charcoal grills are better.

There you have it, at least the basics. Remember, you can’t BBQ with a smoker, but you can smoke with a BBQ. And, as to the time involved, there’s saying most of us have learned to live with–”it’s done when it’s done.”

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