plowboy's yardbird will do

11/11/2016 7:26:15 PM

Well..did two 6 pound butts yesterday on the performer. Started off very badly when the thermometer was reading 290 but it was actually 450

Had to use the gas grill for about 45 min while I got the kettle cooled down. After that was smooth sailing. The coals lasted about 7 hours using the modified minion method. Overall, it was pretty good first attempt. Definitely learned to keep a couple of working thermometers on hand

11/13/2016 6:30:26 PM

I grilled a chicken last night and my maverick was screwing with me too. I finally started ignoring it and just used the amount of smoke coming from the chimney and the thermometer on the Akorn to estimate the temp. It turned out to be one of my best chickens yet; brined 8 hours, spatchcocked, coated in olive oil and rubbed with a combination of lemon pepper, garlic and onion powder, salt and rosemary, cooked at what I'm guessing was around 350

11/14/2016 6:59:52 AM

I'm on my second maverick wireless grill thermometer and this one has been giving me a lot of trouble lately. I was about to order another one when I happened to stumble across this:
http://www.thermoworks.com/Smoke

I love my thermopen, and if this works just as well, it's worth the $99 to me.

11/16/2016 2:19:41 PM

I use an iGrill mini for ambient temp. Like it because it syncs up to an app on my phone, less clutter with another unit.

Still just use a thermopen for testing meat temp though.

11/16/2016 3:23:06 PM

the problem with the bluetooth units is range

i, too, went through two maverick units. i'm using the heatermeter now and i love it.

11/16/2016 5:12:03 PM

I'm looking forward for these to be mass produced:https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/meater-the-only-wire-free-smart-meat-thermometer-food-technology#/

11/16/2016 5:13:28 PM

a lipo battery in my grill makes me a little nervous, but the Meater looks awesome. i do like having my temp monitoring and auto temp control all in one, though.

11/16/2016 8:52:51 PM

I'm frying a turkey on Saturday, and I saw that with that smoke thing, they have fully submersible probes as well that are rated to 512°, so I called and asked if they would be safe in hot oil. The lady checked with several people and confirmed that they would be. This is going to be awesome, I can have one in the turkey and in the oil. I love this thing already and I've not even used it yet.

11/17/2016 8:13:44 PM

This may be earlier in the thread but I'm a long time gas griller and want to make the jump to something bigger. With Gift Holiday around the corner, I was looking at http://www.samsclub.com/sams/chargriller-akorn-kamado-kooker-red/prod7250347.ip?xid=plp:product:1:47 The CharGriller Kamodo. It has pretty good reviews, and is a 1/3 of the price of a BGE. Basically the largest complain is because the exterior is steel, it will rust after a couple of years while a egg (or similar) wouldn't. Since I've never done it before, it may be worth while to get my first round with a cheaper version, and if I get the bug (and win the lottery) I'll get an egg.

My dumb newbie question...is this style Kamado grill considered a smoker? Or is that different? Seems to me that it would work great, but again I just don't know.

11/23/2016 10:20:00 PM

Yah you're on the right track. Why spend $1000+ when you can spend $300 or less and get the same performance?

Keep a cover on it and you won't have rust issues. I figure that's pretty universal.

Technically it's not a "smoker," but you can smoke and do so much more with it. If you're trying to smoke large quantities of meat then it's not the right rig, but it sound's like that's not the case.

11/24/2016 1:49:19 AM

you can smoke on the chargriller akorn kamado no problem. it will do low and slow 16 hour cooks or 500+ degree pizza cooks and anything in between.

11/24/2016 7:03:39 AM

You can also sear a steak at like 10000 degrees.

11/25/2016 9:19:21 AM

A little late to this thread, but I have a BGE and I use a Maverick wireless thermometer.

I see where some people said they use iGrill. How reliable is it?

When I cook a pig, I have a spreadsheet I use to monitor my cook, recording IT and grill temp each hour.

I'd love a device that records the entire cook so I can review and see if I had flare ups or heat stalls.

11/27/2016 1:01:00 PM

like this?

11/27/2016 1:27:41 PM

Yeah- what's that?

11/27/2016 9:40:11 PM

heatermeter

it ain't for the faint of heart

[Edited on November 27, 2016 at 9:45 PM. Reason : but if i can figure it out, anyone can]

[Edited on November 27, 2016 at 9:51 PM. Reason : bbq guru's cyberq does about the same stuff if you don't want to DIY]

11/27/2016 9:44:35 PM

Yeah, I googled it and when I see the 1st result is github, my ADD kicks in and look elsewhere.

11/28/2016 9:16:50 AM

i have the cyberq and love it

11/28/2016 9:15:23 PM

I dig my igrill. I only have a mini that I use for ambient temp, and the app works just fine sitting in my living room with the probe out on the back patio. Not too much of a distance, to be honest, so I can't speak to what the outter limit of the range is. Was pretty easy to set up, alerts for a dip or spike in temp.

I'll still use my thermapen for meat temps. stick it in there while basting or whatnot

11/29/2016 8:40:35 AM

I grilled our thanksgiving turkey this year, and I don't think I'll cook one any other way again.

11/29/2016 12:47:20 PM

I like my iGrill, but the range is super shitty. I prefer to use my Maverick ET-733/732 for general temp watching.

11/29/2016 12:47:43 PM

the maverick's range was kinda crappy and it didn't handle walls well for me. now i have an AP setup and as long as the heatermeter and my phone are in range of the AP, i'm good.

11/29/2016 6:00:14 PM

I grilled ours too, but something unusual happened. I cooked it at around 350, then I was gonna jack the temp up for the last 20 or 30 minutes to crisp the skin a bit more. As soon as the temp got to around 375, it started smoking a hell of a lot more than normal for that temp, and all I could smell was burning plastic. Even the turkey smelled like that (still tasted good though). When the turkey was done, my sister needed the oven to reheat some tators that were in a cast iron Dutch oven, but the oven was full so I told her I could throw them on the grill too. The whole time, it still smelled like plastic and there was a black film on her Dutch oven. I'm pretty sure it was the charcoal, it's a kind I've never used before (b&b best lump) but I don't know. It's kind of worrisome.

12/3/2016 11:06:01 AM

did you poke around in the fire bowl afterwards to make sure there wasn't some piece of plastic mixed in with the charcoal? i've found rocks, fiberglass insulation, etc in mine. Wouldn't surprise me if there was a piece of plastic in there.

12/3/2016 12:20:09 PM

I didn't find anything that looked too off in there, but I dumped it all and refilled it from the same bag, cooked last night and didn't smell the plastic, but it still smoked a lot more than it usually does, and still didn't smell like the Royal Oak. I think I'm probably done with this B&B, the only problem is my selection around here in the winter really sucks

12/4/2016 12:03:32 PM

if you're ever down around Wilmington or Carolina Beach, there's a place called the Grill House that has Nature Glo, which I'm told is the Royal Oak food service brand. it's great and the price is good. he gets it by the pallet.

12/4/2016 12:32:56 PM

Thoughts on Traeger grills? I was looking at getting a simple Weber Kettle soon, but I think my mom's looking at getting me a Traeger for my birthday. I've honestly never seen or heard of one. Anything that sets them apart from similar grills?

12/12/2016 11:48:52 AM

My father in law, bless his heart, just sent me a package of Omaha Steaks. My wife is all excited, but I can't break it to her that these are some of the shittiest cuts of meat.

She wants to eat these for Christmas Eve dinner... I'm gonna have to figure out how to tell her I'm not wasting time on these.

12/12/2016 1:56:30 PM

^^Traegers are nice if a pellet grill is what you really want.

^I wouldn't spend my own money on them, but for free? They're at least worth the charcoal it would take to cook them up.

[Edited on December 12, 2016 at 6:28 PM. Reason : dsf]

[Edited on December 12, 2016 at 6:33 PM. Reason : probably wouldn't want them for a special occasion like xmas eve either]

12/12/2016 6:25:57 PM

^Pros and cons of a pellet grill? Sounds like you're not a fan.

And yeah...Omaha steaks aren't THAT bad...especially for free.

12/12/2016 9:09:08 PM

they're just not very versatile. on the plus side, they require almost as little attention as an electric smoker, but you get the taste of wood.

12/12/2016 9:19:32 PM

Yeah...just did a little research. While I do like the idea of "set it and forget it"....doesn't appear to be as good with just regular grilling...basically its a smoker, not a grill.

12/13/2016 2:56:09 PM

When you only need 1 steak to feed everyone

12/25/2016 3:13:28 PM

Any tips for grilling chicken? I know it's a pretty simple question, but I've never been able to consistently grill chicken and get it the way I want it. We buy the bags of boneless chicken breasts, and I'll typically marinade them overnight, heat the grill to about 500, and then throw them on and try to keep the grill consistently around 500, flipping them once halfway through. I'm rarely able to get them just right. Seems like they are always a little over or under cooked.

Also, sorry if this has been discussed, I didn't have time to read back through the thread because I have a job and don't eat my own boogers.

12/28/2016 11:01:44 AM

Get a good meat thermometer for one. Also, I think 500 is quite a bit high, I cook mine around 350 or 400 at the highest.

12/28/2016 11:27:44 AM

500 is too high. Other than that...I have no advice. I've grilled chicken so many times that I always do it right with the eye/feel test. If you can't touch the meat and tell when it's done...then you just need to grill more...and touch your meat more.

I've never used a thermometer for chicken breasts or similar sized pieces of meat. That's for bigger pieces of meat.

12/28/2016 12:04:59 PM

Chicken: 350 - 400, indirect.

I've moved away from boneless/skinless chicken breast... IMHO they're too bland. I like to grill bone in... better taste.

And recently I've cooked thighs. Way better taste. If healthy eating is important, then stick with chicken breasts. But my rationalization is that if I ate out or togo, it would be way worse than grilled chicken thighs with skin (or half chicken).

12/28/2016 1:51:27 PM

^^ Not trying to be a dick, but that is some terrible food safety advice. The touch test doesn't even really work that great for steak doneness. I've never heard of someone suggesting it for chicken. I say get a good instant read thermometer and skip the salmonella.

If I'm grilling boneless chicken breasts I usually either cut it into 1/4"ish thick filets or cut it in half and pound the two thicker filets to 1/4" with a meat tenderizer. Then grill on high heat 450-500 for a couple of minutes per side until its done. Its fast, doesn't dry out, and has tons of delicious surface area.

[Edited on December 28, 2016 at 2:13 PM. Reason : .]

12/28/2016 2:12:37 PM

Terrible food safety? If you cut into and it's not fully cooked, then put it back on the fucking grill. Fortunately, my "terrible food safety" method never leads me to that.

Your technique is basically cooking thin chicken tenders. I actually like a nicely cooked, tender, juicy piece of chicken.

12/28/2016 2:39:52 PM

Not to be a dick but you absolutely can tell by touch, on almost all meat.

Also who the fuck cares about food safety when at home and grilling. GTFO with that mess.

[Edited on December 28, 2016 at 3:15 PM. Reason : wash your hands sally. ]

12/28/2016 3:14:19 PM

Quote :

"Also who the fuck cares about food safety when at home and grilling."

I do? And any responsible adult should, especially if you are cooking for susceptible people (e.g. elderly folks).

The notion that you can tell the doneness 100% by touch or looking at the meat or juices isn't backed up by any research -- it is just bits of mistaken conventional wisdom that people still pass around as hard fact. Food scientists have actually researched these ideas and found them to be quite fallible. You should check out barfblog.com sometime. They have written a number of articles that touch on why experts always say use a thermometer. One of the writers there is a professor at NC State.

Of course, you can do whatever you'd like -- it is your grill and your health, I'm just sharing this info for people who might not realize trying to tell chicken is done by touching it might be a contentious idea.

12/28/2016 4:11:58 PM

packfootball, get a quality instant read thermometer like a thermapen. that will take care of the over/under cooked chicken. if you use it enough, you may eventually be able to tell when it's done without the thermometer, but there's no shame in using one. 500 is a little warm for chicken, but i'd rather cook mine at 500 than at 350. i usually shoot for 400-425 when cooking poultry. the main thing you need to remember is that the higher the grill temp, the more carryover cooking you will have. so if you cook at 350, you may only get 5 degrees of carryover. cook at 500, and you may get up to 10 degrees of carryover, depending on the thickness of the cut.

i agree that chicken breasts kinda suck and thighs are much tastier. chicken breast just takes on whatever flavor you give it. it doesn't bring much to the table on its own, but it sounds like getting the correct temp is your main problem.

so i would suggest getting an instant read, cooking somewhere closer to 400 degrees, and pulling the chicken off the grill at an internal temp of 160 and let it rest for a final carryover of about 165.

the thermapen is the single gadget that made the biggest improvement in my cooking, on the grill and in the kitchen.

[Edited on December 28, 2016 at 4:25 PM. Reason : uhu]

12/28/2016 4:22:04 PM

I made a killer brisket in my Akorn grill for Christmas dinner. Did not have many problems holding temp, cooked it about 9 hours.

1/2/2017 9:11:28 AM

I made a killer brisket in my Akorn grill for Christmas dinner. Did not have many problems holding temp, cooked it about 9 hours.

1/2/2017 9:11:28 AM

I made a killer brisket in my Akorn grill for Christmas dinner. Did not have many problems holding temp, cooked it about 9 hours.

1/2/2017 9:11:28 AM

i love brisket. wish they weren't so damn expensive.

1/2/2017 10:33:42 AM

smoked a whole turkey on the Akorn for new years dinner. Came out great - crispy skin and all

1/2/2017 9:04:19 PM

Quote :

"Any tips for grilling chicken? I know it's a pretty simple question, but I've never been able to consistently grill chicken and get it the way I want it. We buy the bags of boneless chicken breasts, and I'll typically marinade them overnight, heat the grill to about 500, and then throw them on and try to keep the grill consistently around 500, flipping them once halfway through. I'm rarely able to get them just right. Seems like they are always a little over or under cooked. "

Grill boneless, skinless chicken breasts frozen.....straight from the freezer to the grill. Around 400-450 is fine.

1/10/2017 8:50:18 AM

http://www.seriouseats.com/2017/03/how-to-reverse-sear-best-way-to-cook-steak.html

3/7/2017 4:30:55 PM