freeze them raw. i vac them if they aren't already. last ones i got for $.99/lb were from Teeter and were already vac'd.

at $6 for 3.5 lbs of enhanced pork, you kinda got fucked.

[Edited on January 14, 2014 at 6:25 PM. Reason : or you can cook a shit pile and freeze it. it doesn't matter.]

[Edited on January 14, 2014 at 6:25 PM. Reason : either way will beat the shit out of crock pot pork roast]

[Edited on January 14, 2014 at 6:27 PM. Reason : teeter, lowes, piggly wiggly, and food lion. they all put them on sale, but never around a holiday.]

[Edited on January 14, 2014 at 6:28 PM. Reason : use to even see them for $.89 or even $.79, but $.99 seems to be the lowest nowadays]

1/14/2014 6:24:38 PM

So last night ~10pm I took a 10 pound butt out of the fridge and left it out until I saw it around 10am this morning. Should I throw it away or is it fine? I've heard one person say it's fine...need more reassurance though

2/1/2014 12:06:01 PM

nm all reports are that it's ok. smell test was fine.

2/1/2014 12:58:27 PM

the general rule of thumb they'd teach you in a food safety class is that you should go from 40 deg to 140 deg in 4 hours or less. what you did would probably make you fail a health dept inspection.

with that said, it probably won't make you sick.

why did you take it out of the fridge?

2/1/2014 6:38:16 PM

ew. i would throw that sumbitch away.

2/3/2014 9:08:18 AM

^^ was storing it in a kegerator and moved it out to put a keg in...different room in the house

Turned out good. My best yet I think.

2/3/2014 1:07:09 PM

I just got a new gas grill for my Birthday a couple of weeks ago, and have a question about the proper flame size/color.

On my old Char-Broil grill that I had for ~8 years I had big yellow flames that would come around the heat shield and I never thought anything of it. I knew the grill was shot and I had pieced it back together so many times it wasn't the same grill.

However now on my new one I'm seeing information in the manual that all of the burners should have a blue flame and possibly have a small yellow tip. In the burner maintenance section it says that cold weather may affect the mixture and cause some yellow tips, but nothing concrete about temperatures. Am I worrying too much about nothing? Here is a picture of the type of flame I'm seeing:



The two arrows are pointing to some random yellow tips that I see come around the shield. The burners do not have an adjustable air screen, but there is a single screw that I can adjust. I'm not sure what it's doing though, it just seems to be sticking in the stream right after the gas. Will backing that screw out allow more gas into the mixture?

All of the burners are like this, not just the one.

2/3/2014 3:08:44 PM

The vertical smoker makes a great TV stand.

2/4/2014 6:12:14 PM

post the thumbnails so we don't have to side scroll. we'll click if we care.

anyway, thermoworks is having an open box sale on thermapens. if you're serious about grilling, then a thermapen is absolutely necessary imo. and, no, the cheap imitations don't even come close. they only have this sale a couple times a year and they only send the link to folks who sign up for their emails, but here's a link so you can order one. you won't find a better price on a real thermapen.

http://www.thermoworks.com/products/thermapen/splashproof_thermapen_open_box_sale_jan_2014.html?utm_source=Nl-2014Jan31&utm_medium=email&utm_term=ShopNow&utm_content=inbox&utm_campaign=Jan2014-Open-Box-cs

2/8/2014 9:02:40 AM

^someone needs a new monitor.

2/8/2014 10:45:11 AM

^ Yeah, we should by new laptops so we don't have to side scroll this entire page because someone posts a huge pic. Excellent logic there old man


[Edited on February 8, 2014 at 11:14 AM. Reason : also that kettle looks kinda small. anyone know what size it is?]

2/8/2014 11:12:47 AM

what kettle are you talking about? the akorn in str8bacardi's pic? they have a grate diameter of 19.75" and a removable upper rack with a diameter of about 13" iirc, but that grill is a lot different than a kettle. compare those sizes to 18.25" for a large big green egg and 24" for an extra large BGE.

2/8/2014 11:39:55 AM

^^I don't have any extraordinary laptop but it fits in my browser window just fine. i'm not sure where this old man thing comes from (because i'm crotchety?), but you are older than me

2/8/2014 1:06:50 PM

the point is that if we use the thumbnail feature then it doesn't matter what size anyone's monitor is.

2/8/2014 2:05:04 PM

got 3 racks of st. louis spares on right now

3/8/2014 3:20:07 PM

ordered a PID/fan temp controller for the Akorn as well

3/8/2014 3:54:21 PM

So, I've never owned a grill or smoker before. Growing up everyone I knew had large smokers for half pigs and such, but generally pretty shitty grills.

I would likely want something that I can grill and smoke with, probably not in enormous amounts--but large enough to accommodate a Boston Butt of some size. Knowing exactly nothing so far, I was thinking a Green Egg just because I have some friends who are very pleased with them. Anyone have some recommendations for a first time purchase?

3/8/2014 5:18:33 PM

I'm a cheap ass so I love my Weber kettle. If you've got the ca$he to drop, I'm sure NRR and company can give you some great recommendations at different price points.

3/8/2014 5:36:27 PM

The BGE is a nice grill, but it's expensive. $300 gets you the Chargriller Akorn at Lowe's and it will do anything from low and slow boston butts to 500+ deg pizzas and steaks. It's bigger than the Large Big Green Egg and will do anything the egg will do for about 1/3 of the price. It's also not so heavy that you can't throw it in the back of a truck and take it tailgating or whatever. It won't crack like the BGE.

[Edited on March 8, 2014 at 8:06 PM. Reason : ribs were spectacular]

3/8/2014 8:04:33 PM

That actually might be great. I'd prefer to get charcoal, but my girlfriend is kind of ribbing me to go gas because she doesn't think she could use a charcoal grill by herself if she ever wanted to grill something, or wanted to grill "quickly." Any gas grills you would recommend? Probably will get charcoal, but I guess I should pretend to consider gas.

3/8/2014 8:49:57 PM

Maybe she just shouldn't grill.

I have two charcoal grills and a gas grill. My gas grill is a Weber Genesis that's a few years old. I got it off Craigslist and cleaned it up and replaced the flavorizer bars with some off ebay. I use it if I want to be cooking in a few minutes. I can have my charcoal grills ready to go in 15 or 20 mins, though. The gas grill doesn't really get used that much.

[Edited on March 8, 2014 at 9:05 PM. Reason : light charcoal -> go inside and prep food -> return, spread coals, and cook]

3/8/2014 9:02:04 PM

get two grills. I have a nice propane grill that I use when I don't have a lot of time to cook, and a small weber charcoal grill that I use when I want to add the extra flavor from charcoal

3/9/2014 12:03:20 AM

I guess I'll out myself as the "unmanly" griller, but I much prefer propane. Ideally, I'd have a Weber propane, and a smoker of some sort. I like the convenience of propane, and the taste. I really only use charcoal to smoke pork shoulders or get really high temperature sears on London broils, etc. Propane is cheaper, quicker, cooks more evenly, and doesn't have a time window. Granted, people will argue that with proper preparation/experience they're comparable but my personal experience just favors propane.

3/10/2014 12:25:05 AM

can't argue with Hank Hill.

3/10/2014 8:27:05 AM

got my Auber PID controller today

3/12/2014 9:38:46 PM

I tested out the Auber today on a pan of water. I tried the auto-tune function first, but the kamado cools so slowly that by the time the temp came down the fire was out. Instead, I found where someone had talked to Auber and came up with settings that worked on the Akorn. I punched in the settings and still had issues with overshoot right after plugging it in. I figured I would probably need to get it very close to setpoint (250 deg F) before letting the controller take over. Tried that and it worked great. Held within a few degrees of 250 for a couple hours so I decided I was good to go.

Gonna try it on some ribs tomorrow.

3/22/2014 11:41:56 PM

I have a goggle cleaning cabinet in my classroom that is designed to operate between 200 and 250... hmmm....

3/22/2014 11:57:34 PM

anyone ever used one of those giant propane griddles? saw one at academy sports today and was imagining the possibilities...

3/23/2014 3:36:07 PM

Quote :

"or wanted to grill "quickly.""

honestly if you use the charcoal that is recommended for the akorn and a torch to light it the akorn will be ready in 10-15 minutes, this includes when its cold as shit outside!

3/23/2014 9:25:50 PM

Put two butts on at 5:00 this morning for our annual neighborhood/HOA meeting. The Auber has them locked in at 255 deg F.

[Edited on March 29, 2014 at 6:40 AM. Reason : it's almost like cheating when you get it locked in just right]

3/29/2014 6:38:31 AM

welp, the auber cranks out bbq just as good as natural convection

3/29/2014 6:02:07 PM

will be joining the Akorn team in a few days when Discover's 5% cashback switches over to home improvement stores. Very excited...its been a few years since I exclusively used charcoal.

3/30/2014 12:58:02 AM

Great deal on the Maverick Wireless Thermometer (ET372):

http://slickdeals.net/f/6822196-maverick-et732-wireless-thermometer-camerons-man-claw-38-ac-fs-prime?src=pdw

3/30/2014 9:42:38 AM

that is a good deal, especially if you've got Prime. the remington-branded version is always $45, but it's not Prime and it doesn't include the meat claws.

http://smile.amazon.com/Remington-Wireless-BBQ-Thermometer-17339/dp/B008PU3OJ6/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1396187992&sr=1-1&keywords=remington+remote+thermometer

[Edited on March 30, 2014 at 10:03 AM. Reason : csV]

3/30/2014 10:02:14 AM

In your experiences, what's cheaper around Raleigh, propane tank refills or exchanges?

4/4/2014 9:18:43 PM

I got a bunch filled at costco recently for a pretty good deal.

4/4/2014 9:58:30 PM

Yep, gonna be hard to beat costco refill prices

4/5/2014 1:05:29 PM

Yeah, 12 or 13 bucks I think.

4/5/2014 1:51:55 PM

Im about to grill a bunch of stuff.

4/5/2014 5:19:32 PM

Costco seconded.

4/5/2014 6:03:57 PM

set up the akorn today and seasoned it. Then cooked a couple of steaks and some chicken breasts. Went pretty well...need to figure out how to control the temperature better with the vents and amount of lump. Very satisfied with the grill though.

4/5/2014 11:15:34 PM

The trick with the Akorn is cut the vents back before it reaches desired temp, its very easy to get it warmer by feeding it more air, hard to cool down once you get it too hot. Usually once your coals are ready you can almost shut the bottom vent and it will keep the temp you want.

4/8/2014 5:46:47 PM

What's the benefit of reverse searing?

4/8/2014 6:38:37 PM

^^Brinkmann makes junk. Don't waste your money. If you really feel like you need an offset, save up and get a decent one. You'd be better off to just build an ugly drum smoker. Does your Akorn not meet your low and slow needs? Mine does low and slow wonderfully and I could probably cram over 20 lbs of butts on there if I really wanted to.

^http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/cooking_temperatures_and_reverse_sear.html

4/8/2014 7:18:20 PM

http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/offset_smokers.html

http://amazingribs.com/bbq_equipment_reviews_ratings/grill-smoker-combination-grill-smoker/brinkmann-trailmaster-57-vertical-smoker

4/8/2014 7:32:03 PM

Quote :

"Does your Akorn not meet your low and slow needs? Mine does low and slow wonderfully and I could probably cram over 20 lbs of butts on there if I really wanted to."

Never Tried. Did not figure I could keep the lid closed the entire cook like they say to.

4/8/2014 9:08:20 PM

why not? get the maverick ET-732 thermometer and there's no need to open the lid.

and you can open the lid for very short periods during a low and slow on the akorn, but it'll just let the heat out and extend your cooking time. sometimes when i open mine to check tenderness at the end i'll have to leave it on a little longer. it'll come back up to about the same temp if i make it quick. leave it open too long and the fire will pick up and your temp will come up higher than what it was before. of course, towards the end of the cook jumping up from 250 to 275 or 300 isn't a big deal at all.

then you can just get the Auber controller, lock in the temp, come back in 10-12 hours and have bbq.

[Edited on April 8, 2014 at 9:39 PM. Reason : definitely try the akorn before you buy another smoker, especially one of those pieces of crap]

4/8/2014 9:38:27 PM

So do you guys not pepper your steak until after grilling, so the pepper doesn't burn? I feel like I read that somewhere.

4/10/2014 11:10:27 PM

I put pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. If I have time, I dry the steak by leaving it on a plate in the fridge for a few hours. Use sea salt either 40 minutes or more before grilling, or immediately before putting it on the grill. Honestly, I think you get a better sear doing it on a cast iron skillet on the stove as hot as you can get it (maybe put a bit of peanut oil on the steak) and finishing it i. It smokes n the oven with a digital thermometer. It smokes up your kitchen like hell while searing, though. Propane grills are fine if yours gets super hot and can get a good sear. I don't like using charcoal unless I'm smoking something or doing a bigger cut like London broil, but that's just me.

Pretty much anything is highly debated as far as the perfect steak, but that's what works best for me.

[Edited on April 10, 2014 at 11:54 PM. Reason : .]

4/10/2014 11:52:53 PM

best sear i can get without smoking up my house is by putting the steak a couple inches over ridiculously hot hardwood lump charcoal

4/11/2014 6:22:22 AM