Bassists who grill?

[gln1955]

Never smoked with propane, but I’ve been told since moisture is a byproduct of propane combustion it’s best to use it for wet smoking.
As for using lump charcoal? i really like it in a charcoal grill, not ao much for flavor but for heat and burn time. It gives you some more heat for the same amount as pressed briquettes and usually burns longer; and another + for the chimney.

I've been smoking exclusively with a propane vertical smoke box for the last four years. IMO, the wet smoke/dry smoke thing is greatly overblown. Kinda like tone wood . There isn't enough moisture added from a low gas flame to do much when there is so much outside air being sucked through the smoker. When I make jerky, I have to be careful not to dry it to a crisp. I've also found that using a water pan or not makes very little difference in how moist a brisket or pork butt ends up. It does act as a temperature buffer, but I've pretty much abandoned using one because its just one more thing to clean up.

Don't get me started on wet wood...

 

[Pilgrim]

I smoke with an old style offset smoker. They work. I've modified mine by extending the chimney internally down to the racks (keeps the smoke low instead of at the top of the smoker) and installed a heat shield so the coals can't heat the meat directly.

The biggest lesson I've learned is that you can over-smoke food easily. I smoke turkeys for Thanksgiving and other days, and they only need about 3 hours of smoke; after that I cover them with parchment paper so they get heat but not continued smoke.

I like apple wood for smoke, so that's what I use. My daughter had an old apple tree taken down a couple of years ago, so I have smoking wood for years to come.

 

[fhm555]

I've been smoking exclusively with a propane vertical smoke box for the last four years. IMO, the wet smoke/dry smoke thing is greatly overblown. Kinda like tone wood . There isn't enough moisture added from a low gas flame to do much when there is so much outside air being sucked through the smoker. When I make jerky, I have to be careful not to dry it to a crisp. I've also found that using a water pan or not makes very little difference in how moist a brisket or pork butt ends up. It does act as a temperature buffer, but I've pretty much abandoned using one because its just one more thing to clean up.

Don't get me started on wet wood...

Thanks for the info, my niece is wanting a vertical box but has noI decided if she wants electric or gas. I’ll copy and paste this info for her.
I used to go wet with a couple turkeys in an old bullet smoker. I use a large bottle of red wine with some minced garlic in the water bowl and smoke real low with pecan chips and lump charcoal. It usually takes 12 hours to get a couple turkeys done, but they are really good. Until my last little cajun bullet bottom pan rusted out, it was a regular thing for Thanksgiving, one for us and one to give to someone. They’d get real dark and have a nice layer of red just below the skin. The meat was moist and very tasty all the way to the bone.
I also use a little water pan with my side firebox grill when I smoke butts. I like a little crust, but not when it’s dry and crunchy. I should quit wanting a drum smoker and just get one, but for no more smoking than I do these days, the side firebox setup is getting it done. Not as efficient as a dedicated smoker, but it does deliver a nice smoke if you are willing to fiddle with it.

 

[gln1955]

Thanks for the info, my niece is wanting a vertical box but has noI decided if she wants electric or gas. I’ll copy and paste this info for her.
I used to go wet with a couple turkeys in an old bullet smoker. I use a large bottle of red wine with some minced garlic in the water bowl and smoke real low with pecan chips and lump charcoal. It usually takes 12 hours to get a couple turkeys done, but they are really good. Until my last little cajun bullet bottom pan rusted out, it was a regular thing for Thanksgiving, one for us and one to give to someone. They’d get real dark and have a nice layer of red just below the skin. The meat was moist and very tasty all the way to the bone.
I also use a little water pan with my side firebox grill when I smoke butts. I like a little crust, but not when it’s dry and crunchy. I should quit wanting a drum smoker and just get one, but for no more smoking than I do these days, the side firebox setup is getting it done. Not as efficient as a dedicated smoker, but it does deliver a nice smoke if you are willing to fiddle with it.

Nice. I'm a big fan of smoked turkey. We have few traditionalists around at Thanksgiving, so I smoke one turkey and oven roast another. Plenty of leftovers of both to freeze!

 

[Captain Chaos]

Just put my brisket on. I don't go crazy with rubs. Salt and pepper and Goya Adobo seasoning is what we like.
View attachment 5114289

Got pics of the end product?

 

[CletusMarley]

Got pics of the end product?

This was 8 hours in right before I wrapped it.

 

[Pilgrim]

This was 8 hours in right before I wrapped it.
View attachment 5118446

Looks like nice bark. I find that 8 hours of smoke is a lot for beef. Did it come out OK in terms of not being over-smoked?

And how do you wrap it after you're happy with the amount of smoke on it?

 

[CletusMarley]

Looks like nice bark. I find that 8 hours of smoke is a lot for beef. Did it come out OK in terms of not being over-smoked?

And how do you wrap it after you're happy with the amount of smoke on it?

I usually only smoke for about 3 hours. A couple big wood chunks is usually enough. I like to use either hickory or pecan. I'll wrap after about 2 hours into the stall. I use butcher paper. Once it's probing at 205 ish I'll pull it and let it rest for a couple hours . All I have is a weber kettle right now so I'm using charcoal.

 

[marchone]

I've been a vegetarian for about thirty years, but when I did eat meat, it was NY strips on the grill, and the way I did it was to "wipe it's a**, and walk it through the fire". Also, bratwurst, and Italian sausages.

My father used to collect apple, pear, and other fruit tree twigs and branches from nearby orchards, and fill a five gallon bucket with water, put the twigs and branches in the water, and put a brick on top to keep them submerged for a few hours. He would put those on top of the coals on one of those old 1950s charcoal grills that he had. He would make the hamburger patties very thin. They would have a red color to them with the apple wood. The flavor was amazing!

I have owned many of the various Webber kettle grills, and think that you can't go wrong for the price. The smallest ones are easy to take on the road, and work great.

Now my outdoor cooking interest is to make wood fired pizza. I need something that can go to 800 or more degrees. Pizza takes less than three minutes at that temp.

The Big Green Egg looked interesting, but the cost is more than I want to spend. I have looked at igloo shaped wood fired pizza ovens as well, but they are also very expensive.

I have a nice 100% stainless steel gas grill that I used on my pontoon boat, but if I try to to cook corn in the husks, its just does not produce enough heat to do the job.

There are numerous LP fired outdoor pizza ovens that I have looked at, but I have yet to find something I am willing to spend the money on.

I like to do meatless kebobs, and seared veggies like peppers and such.

Any recommendations on outdoor pizza cooking would be appreciated. I bet someone here has done it on a Webber. I gave all my Webbers away a long time ago, but I might spring for a new one. I bet a good pizza stone on a charcoal fired Webber would work pretty good. Has anyone here tried that?

A pizzaiolo friend and I once got a Weber gas grill to 750°. Fired it up and added briquettes.

 

[Killing Floor]

The ribs were a hit.

 

[Pilgrim]

I usually only smoke for about 3 hours. A couple big wood chunks is usually enough. I like to use either hickory or pecan. I'll wrap after about 2 hours into the stall. I use butcher paper. Once it's probing at 205 ish I'll pull it and let it rest for a couple hours . All I have is a weber kettle right now so I'm using charcoal.

Makes perfect sense. Thanks!

I also have started wrapping after about 3 hours. I like doing smoked salmon - one hour is enough and the fish is great.

 

[RoadieP]

A little reverse sear action on a tri-tip and smoky baked potato for lunch today. Salt, pepper, garlic and chili powder on the beef. 200° in the smoker for a couple hours until the beef hit 110, then cranked the grill up until the grate was about 500°. Flip flopped it around until the meat hit 120 and off to rest to an almost perfect 129°. Time to eat

 

[bigdaddybass12]

I like to repurpose things. Usually gas grills make bad charcoal grills because of the big open area on the back. You Can’t control the burn. I used a Holland gas grill to make a charcoal grill. It uses top vents and seals at the top/bottom joint opposed to big vent on the back. I used aluminum plate to close the control/tube opening. Holland and phoenix grills use the same process. Excellent made fire box

I replaced the base with a cart from the pharmacy at work. Burns really well, also smokes really well also. I cover the vents with foil to control the burn when smoking. All stainless & aluminum.

 

[pie_man_25]

I had the grill waaay too hot and got it done in about an hour and a half as opposed to at least three, but it was still delicious IMO, just not as "fall off the bone" as it could be.

 

[StereoPlayer]

I used a $99 Char Broil gas grill for nearly 20 years before it rotted out. I had replaced the burners 2x and it worked fine for many years. Finally ditched it when we inherited a Char Broil "Tru Infrared" grill from my late Father in Law.

Never liked that grill, other than the side burner that my $99 version didn't have. This thing has the most inconsistent heat across the cooking surface, so I rarely if ever use it.

In its place I've got a $49 camping grill (Mr. Broil) that I've been using for the last few years. Rather than using the 1 lb Coleman cylinders, I bought the $14 adapter from Amazon so I can use my large propane tank.

This cheap grill works fine, it cooks food like it should. We're empty nesters so I don't need anything excessively large.

Exactly, I don’t want leftovers. It hard to cook for just me and the wife. Hardly worth grilling for just us. We don’t entertain much.
I did grill one steak today that we split.

But I do love grilling in general.

 

[pie_man_25]

Exactly, I don’t want leftovers. It hard to cook for just me and the wife. Hardly worth grilling for just us. We don’t entertain much.
I did grill one steak today that we split.

But I do love grilling in general.

If it helps, usually I'll grill enough for a couple meals at a time.

 

[StereoPlayer]

It does help. But as I said, I don’t want leftovers. We generally don’t want them for another meal/day. Freezer?..they get forgotten. We’re better of without leftovers.

 

[pie_man_25]

It does help. But as I said, I don’t want leftovers. We generally don’t want them for another meal/day. Freezer?..they get forgotten. We’re better of without leftovers.

Yeah I guess I conveniently didn't read that part, sorry.

 

[StereoPlayer]

Yeah I guess I conveniently didn't read that part, sorry.

No problem. grill 2-3 hot dogs?…hardy worth it.

 

[MJ5150]

It does help. But as I said, I don’t want leftovers. We generally don’t want them for another meal/day. Freezer?..they get forgotten. We’re better of without leftovers.

This is a freezer, not a time capsule.

-Rick