Love my weber kettle. BBQ goodness.

[Esau.]

So after last year bbq'n vicariously at a friends place I decided to invest in a 22.5 inch weber kettle. I've had a couple okay cooks so far as I get the hang of it (side ribs, bacon wrapped grillers, homemade burgers, whole chicken etc), but todays was by far the best yet. I imagine this thread will see many more pic by summers end.

I use a modified version of the minion method (banked briquettes on two vent side) for cooking with a few chunks of hickory thrown in for a nice smoky taste (pic below from different cook has applewood). I also foil over half the lower grill to force vents to only feed air to charcoal side, and lid vent on the opposite side of coals to draw smoke. The small cast iron frying pan with water is for extra thermal mass and bread pan to catch any grease (makes clean up a bit easier).



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I picked up two big chicken breasts at the market, bone in and skin on. I brined them on saturday for 7 hours, then washed em off and pat dried. I applied a homemade rub on and under the skin (every crevice I could find actually) and threw them back in the fridge for about 12 hours. Fired up the weber this afternoon and once it hit 225 F I closed the bottom vents entirely (for whole cook). I threw the breasts on at 1:30 and let em go until the internal temp of each breast reached 160 F (about 4:15pm).

Then I wrapped each one singly in foil and let sit for about 15 mins until the internal temp bumped up to 165 F - I grilled some asparagus while I waited and chugged some tankhouse.

They were juicy with a great smoky taste not too overbearing and the rub was awesome.

A handful of tankhouse ales were enjoyed throughout the day.

Homemade brine

8 cups water (3 cups boiled with ingredients below, 5 cups cold to cool brine)
1 cup kosher salt
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp minced garlic (with juice)
2 tbsp rosemary
2 tbsp parsley
2 tbsp black pepper
2 tbsp sage

The rub

3 1/2 tbsp lemon pepper
2 tbsp mustard powder
2 tbsp onion powder
2 tbsp granulated garlic powder
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cumin (wildcard spice - I like to throw a random in for experimental sake)


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[color:red]Before being put on grill:



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[color:red]About 5 minutes before being foiled:





:chug:

[Davey Boy 2.0]

:chug:

[Esau.]

Already forgot I made this thread..lol, so posted this in burger thread first - figured I'd throw it here as well. I've done a pork loin but I forgot to document it. Nothing too fancy this time..

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Got bored sitting around the yard drinking beers, so decided to grind up some beef and make up a few stuffed burgers.

Ground up a couple rib eyes I got from a friend, added a nice mix of seasoning (smoked paprika, mustard powder, granulated onion and garlic powder, fine ground peppercorns and a some organic kosher sea salt and a half pack of dried onion & mushroom soup mix for binding)

Inside I threw some left over (hickory) smoked chicken I had from the other day and some 17 year old grated cheddar I picked up at a family farm shop a couple weeks back.

Decided on lump charcoal for this one, got the grill up to about 375 F and seared each side for about 60 seconds, then closed the bottom vents to drop temp to 275 F removed from direct heat and threw some butternut wood chunks in for smoke after about 10 mins or so, I opened the vents all the way again to raise the temp and threw them back over the coals for a finishing sear. Topped of with homemade wild turkey BBQ sauce, sliced jalapeno and some keen's mustard. Gonna be a good sleep tonight I think..

:chug:

Before and after.

[c-towns]

Dang!

[boiler]

I've had my Weber for about a year now. It's the best. I am going to try a pizza on it this week. I have a Pampered Chef stoneware thing for pizza that should do just fine on the kettle. If anybody has tried such a thing before I'd love some tips.

[Davey Boy 2.0]

[boiler]

good tip

[bouche]

looks great Esau.  I've had a weber for a number of years and one year I kicked it up a notch with cast iron grates.   I got them from http://www.mangrate.com/  when they had a sponsored deal for Adam Carolla's podcast.   steaks are simply perfect when cooked on cast iron.

 

[boiler]

I made my BBQ pizza today.

 

How I made it:

 

Pizza sauce - from Sobey's to which I added some fried garlic, which I grew and just finished curing

Pizza Dough - For this I used Rich's Della Suprema, which you buy frozen, thawed it out in fridge overnight and then let it sit on the counter four  an hour to bring it to room temp. Then I rolled it out and brushed it with olive oil and let it sit for about an hour to rise.

 

While this was going on I filled up my chimney with lump charcoal to get that going. When the charcoal was ready and spread out I put the pizza stone on the BBQ to heat it up. Since I was outside, I slipped back to the garden and grabbed some spinach, cilantro and basil.

 

Nothing else very fancy, some ham, dry-cured pepperoni, mushroom, red and green pepper, mozza cheese and some home grown broccoli.

 

Once the stone was warm enough, I took it in and assembled it all on the stone and put it on the BBQ. I do admit to leaving it on a bit to long (almost an hour) and I burnt the crust a bit. Next time I will probably just go with about 40 minutes. Overall, it was a damn fine Pizza. 

 

And here are some pictures:

 

The Music I listened to while doing this:

 

 

The dough I used:

 

 

The Garlic I grew and just finished curing:

 

 

The charcoal being lit:

 

 

Pampered Chef Pizza Stone being preheated:

 

 

All the ingredients ready to go:

 

 

Putting it all together:

 

 

 

And the final product:

 

 

I had a little bit of overhang there but I prefer homemade stuff to look imperfect but taste perfect. 

[Esau.]

looks great Esau.  I've had a weber for a number of years and one year I kicked it up a notch with cast iron grates.   I got them from http://www.mangrate.com/  when they had a sponsored deal for Adam Carolla's podcast.   steaks are simply perfect when cooked on cast iron.

 

steak.jpg

 

 

I've been thinking about picking up the cast grill for exactly that, and I agree nothing beats bbq on cast when doin steaks. I've been smoking a fair amount of ribs lately (pork back & side and beef sides) so I picked up one of these > http://www.broilkingbbq.com/accessories/lifestyle/rib-rack-roast-support.html < It's sturdy and has more than one use, ribs obviously but I'm looking forward to smoking a roast next.

[Esau.]

I've had my Weber for about a year now. It's the best. I am going to try a pizza on it this week. I have a Pampered Chef stoneware thing for pizza that should do just fine on the kettle. If anybody has tried such a thing before I'd love some tips.

 

 

Pizza looks great Chris, I haven't done one myself since I haven't picked up a stone yet so no tips to offer, but I plan on doing one soon and I'll be referencing your post above. Thanks for sharin'.

 

I'll be doing a smoked apple pie soon, so I'll be sure to get some pics and write up a small review/walkthrough etc.

 

 

A couple weekends ago friends and I had a couple webers going smoking different kinds of meats: wild turkey breast, venison roasts, side ribs, back ribs etc and a sh!t ton of ales. Good times.

 

I really need to remember to get some pics when I do these cooks, which was sorta my reason for this thread..lol. I always get too excited about the food and cook then forget to take some pics.

[Esau.]

Oh yeah, for anyone interested, my friend John, who's a cabinet maker is making these custom work stations for weber or green egg owners. 100% untreated red cedar, with clear finish. I'll be getting mine by labour day.

 

 

If you're interested in a workstation (or need some custom cabinets), let me know. If you're on facebook check out John's page and drop him a message that you heard about his stuff.

 

Website: http://www.craigcustomcabinets.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Craig-Custom-Cabinets/164789613607684

[boiler]

That's beautiful. Do you know if the kettle can just pop in and out or is it mounted in there?

[Esau.]

The kettle can be removed. It's hard to see in the pics above, but to either side of the grill there are two removable inserts. When you unscrew those you can simply lift the kettle out and re-attach the legs (if you're taking your weber camping for example). The handles help support it, but there are two other supports that the kettle edge rest on for added stability.

 

You would have to re-attach the handle casings as well of course , as they need to be removed for a correct fit. But that's just a couple screws. The lid can also be hung on the side of the workstation.

 

I forget the exact measurement, but there is a gap around the entire kettle and the cedar, John's done several long cooks (8-12 hr etc) and hasn't seen even the slightest bit of discolouration on the cedar - I checked last time I was at John's and we were cooking and the heat wasn't an issue for the wood. It probably isn't necessary but I like being extra safe, so I'll be adding a small heat shield around the kettle, between it and the cedar. It'll simply rest on the supports.

[Esau.]

 

Weber 1974.

 

 

 

[Esau.]

Did some pulled pork this weekend. I didn't take many pics, but here's a couple from about 3 or 4 hours in. That's a 9.13lb pork butt and a small rack of ribs to snack on while we cooked. Started a bit late in the morning (about 10:30am), ran weber at 210-230°F grill/kettle temp and we pulled it when it reached 190°F internal temp - about 9:30-10pm.  Beech & oak wood chunks used for smoke, if I recall correctly. Basted with apple juice-apple cider vinegar and water mix each time we added more lump or wood. (approx. every 75-90 mins)

 

Sorry about the size of the pics.

 

 

 

[Esau.]

 On the grill now (about 1hr):

 

Coffee brined (12hrs) pork side ribs (plus bonus meat attached to them) with a honey & pumpkin based rub. Low & slow (@ 200 F) for first hour while getting initial hickory smoke. Now up to 225 for next 2 hours, then I decide whether to foil em for an hour or leave em be for 2 more hours.

 

I don't usually pre cut my ribs but this rack came with some bonus meat not completely trimmed from the rack (long cut in front and on far right). So I decided to experiment.

 

Seconds before hitting the grill:

 

[Esau.]

One and a half hours in. Quick peek while I added more hickory.

 

[fluffhead77]

Goddamn you!!! I want ribs now. 

[Esau.]

Today felt like a good day for a peameal sausage fatty. Excuse the poor light, my phone has no flash and stove top no light.

 

Bacon - weaved, then peppered and spiced with my pulled pork spice (not shown).

 

 

Peameal & cheddar sausage, shaped and rolled in ziplock. Cut one side of baggy off and lay sausage on top of bacon weave, again seasoned with custom rub (below).

 

 

Rub:

 

Mustard powder

Cayenne

Turmeric (always! its good for you, and makes all the juices yellow)

Ground cumin

Onion powder

Garlic powder

Smoked paprika

 

Then on top of that I laid out some 17 yr old cheddar slices (too lazy this A.M to grate, or at least clean grate afterwards) and also added some cheddar curds.

 

 

Next some veggies I grew: spinach, yellow & red pepper, mushrooms a friend grew, and a small amount of smoked pulled pork I had leftover from last weekend. Seasoned again (generously) with ground pepper, garlic salt and pulled pork spice. I threw in some dijon mustard, franks hot sauce and a glop of some homemade BBQ sauce I made.

 

 

Rolled the sucker up toothpicked and tied, used the remainder of the above rub on the outside and now it's sitting in the fridge awaiting grill time (2pm today) where it'll cook at 210-225 for about 3hrs or until it reaches a 165-170 internal temp. Probably use cherry or peach wood for smoke - whichever is already chunked up.

 

 

 

 

 I tend to get too excited and hungry and usually forget, but I'll try to remember to snap a pic when I throw on the weber and when it's done.

 

 

[edit to add]

 

Was a tad bit late due to whiskey, but it's on the grill now (as of 2:35pm). I got lazy again and just went with hickory wood for smoke since it's all I've cut up this week.

 

It's not the prettiest fatty I've made...

 

Edited August 22, 2014 by Esau.

[Davey Boy 2.0]

[Davey Boy 2.0]

at least the whiskey would stimulate the appetite real good

[Esau.]

 It does, and did. Just wish he'd left the bottle.

 

Downed half of the fatty anyway, will reheat the other half over the weekend. Turned out damn tasty.

 

It may look burnt, but it's not, that's the 'bark' created from the rub. I forgot to get a pick on grill, so with all my might I took it back outside for this shot.

 

 

 

My phone sucks for indoor pics, but here's the first slices. I'm amazed I was able to hold off long enough to take these last two..lol

 

 

 

Now to find that neighbour of mine and get back into his whiskey. Cheers.

[boiler]

damn, that looks good.

I had never heard of brining meat until I read this thread, so thanks for that Esau. I decided to try the method out with some ribs myself. I didn't really use a recipie, just sea salt, sugar, water and a little scotch. I left them in the brine for about 6 hours.

I made up a little spice rub, I did write it down but threw it away by accident. I'm pretty sure it went something like this:

1 tbs Sea Salt (too much for my taste, will reduce next time)

1 tbs White Sugar

1 tbs Brown Sugar

1 tbs Garlic podwer

1 tbs Cummin

1 tbs Chili powder

1 tbs Paprika

1 tbs Dry Mustard

1 tbs Black Pepper

1 tbs Dried Chive rings

I rubbed that mixture on the ribs and let them sit for 1.5 hours. I then added some tomato sauce to what was left over for some homemade BBQ sauce to be applied later while the ribs were cooking. I also took this time to soak up some hickory chips:

Out to the Weber, this is the charcoal I used:

I used the charcoal on one side and a couple of stainless steel dishes with water in them on the other side (another technique I learned from Esau), barely had the bottom vents open and the lid vents also about 50%+ closed on the opposite side of the charcoal. The ribs cooked this way for about 3 hours, only opening to add more hickory chips and put some sauce on about half way into it. I also threw some zucchini in there a little later which good ol geomouse thought I was roasting condoms. lol.

I didn't use the rub for my kids rack, they got some glutton free BBQ sauce:

te

After a few hours:

I drank a bunch of these:

and had this view in my backyard while I was doing it:

Some of my listening:

And finally, they ended up being tender enough to eat off the bone, even for someone without a single tooth:

[Esau.]

Awesome Chris. Looks tasty. I still haven't tried mesquite yet. I'll have to give it a go sometime.

 

If you're finding 1 tbsp of sea salt is making your brine, rub (or meat) too salty, you can use less of course, but can also just shorten the brine time (or use more water), not use salt in your rub (if you used it in brine for example) or switch the type of salt you use. From what I've learned and from my own experience I've found kosher salt (the flake kind) seems to give me the best results. I had a couple over salty cooks myself and it sucks.

 

Rinsing the meat under cool water after brining is a good practice too, then pat dry with paper towels. Rising helps remove any excess salt.

 

This site has a great write up on the difference in the amounts of salt vs type of salt. (eg: ionized vs kosher vs sea). It covers just about everything to do with BBQ (smoking or grilling) so don't let the name fool you.

 

Amazingribs.com - The zen of salt

 

Here's a snip from the link above:

 

You must be aware of which salt you are using when you follow a recipe that measures by volume because the grain size can make huge difference on the amount of sodium, i.e. saltiness. For example, one teaspoon of table salt, which is a small cubic shaped grain, contains less air than one teaspoon kosher salt, which is a larger flake and has more air between the grains. So if the recipe calls for a teaspoon of Morton's kosher salt and you use a teaspoon of table salt, the results will be saltier.

 

They typically refer to Morton's Kosher since it seems to be the most popular, but I've only used no name bulk barn kosher and have nothing bad to say about it. 

 

I've found my best results with brines are when I boil only one or two cups of water then add salt, sugar & spices then stir until completely dissolved. Then turn off burner and let mixture cool completely and add the remainder of required water for the brine (eg: 6 cup water brine, I only boil one cup). If you're pressed for time, you can accelerate the cooling process by adding cold water & sticking in the fridge/freezer, or add some ice cubes and let melt to cool. Just make sure the water is at least room temp (cooler the better though) before putting the meat in it to avoid starting a cooking process.

 

 

Also, I typically only brine pork or poultry. For red meat I'll use a marinade or paste or use what is often referred to as a "dry brine" (contradiction I know) which involves only salting (mildly) one side of the meat and letting it rest until the salt draws the moisture out to the surface of the meat and dissolves the salt then reabsorbs the remaining moisture again. There is some controversy over this but I've found it works well when I've used just the right amount of salt.

 

Amazingribs.com - Dry brining

 

Cheers.