2013 Gratuitous Grill Thread

[steveh_131]

How big do I need to make the firebox to burn 16 hours? How many pounds of charcoal? Lit or unlit?

You talkin about a UDS?

Even a medium sized basket will probably do 16 hours. But I liked his best, with a 15" weber charcoal grate surrounded by a 24" (or was it 18"?) high ring of expanded steel.

Light 20-30 briquettes and dump it on top of a full basket with some wood chunks spread around. A full basket will probably hold 15-20 pounds.

 

[Caleb]

You talkin about a UDS?

Even a medium sized basket will probably do 16 hours. But I liked his best, with a 15" weber charcoal grate surrounded by a 24" (or was it 18"?) high ring of expanded steel.

Light 20-30 briquettes and dump it on top of a full basket with some wood chunks spread around. A full basket will probably hold 15-20 pounds.

double 55 gal barrels setup

 

[Caleb]

Here I am, making ribs in the oven again...

 

[mrjarrell]

Did you give them a rub of liquid smoke?

 

[Caleb]

Did you give them a rub of liquid smoke?

No, but I've thought about it. Never used it before, we're 4 hours in of cooking, too late to apply?

 

[mrjarrell]

No, but I've thought about it. Never used it before, we're 4 hours in of cooking, too late to apply?

You could probably give them a brushing, even this late in the game. Wouldn't go too heavy, tho. They've probably developed a crust by now. I usually rub it directly on the meat before I apply rub, if I'm doing them in the oven. If you're going to make sauce, you could add a bit to the sauce for a touch of smoky flavour.

 

[Caleb]

You could probably give them a brushing, even this late in the game. Wouldn't go too heavy, tho. They've probably developed a crust by now. I usually rub it directly on the meat before I apply rub, if I'm doing them in the oven. If you're going to make sauce, you could add a bit to the sauce for a touch of smoky flavour.

they haven't developed a crust yet...I had to stack 3 racks of ribs and rotating them every hour or so. They turned out pretty well last time, I think they will again. I was wanting to do a sunday dinner for my extended family, but they were too busy. Oh well, more for us...

 

[chezuki]

Did you give them a rub of liquid smoke?

 

[mrjarrell]

Hey, you find a way to get smoke on oven cooked ribs without causing an evacuation of the house. LOL. Liquid smoke is made from real smoke and does a decent job on oven cooked stuff. I even add it to my sauce now and again to get a nice smoky flavour in it.

 

[femurphy77]

When we did the bbq boot camp this spring they told us that once the meat reaches an internal temp of 140 degrees it no longer absorbs any flavor from the smoke due to the chemical reactions between the meat and smoke. But it can't hurt to try!

 

[chezuki]

Now that I'm stocked up, I'll share this info. Meijer in Camby has baby backs on sale for $2.49 per pound!! This is an awesome price, I bought in bulk (400-500 racks ber week) for my former employer and never saw them this cheap.

UDS is running as I type this.

 

[IndyBeerman]

Now that I'm stocked up, I'll share this info. Meijer in Camby has baby backs on sale for $2.49 per pound!! This is an awesome price, I bought in bulk (400-500 racks ber week) for my former employer and never saw them this cheap.

UDS is running as I type this.

Did you happen to notice the pricing on spare ribs? I prefer St. Louis style ribs.

 

[chezuki]

Did you happen to notice the pricing on spare ribs? I prefer St. Louis style ribs.

They had 3 racks of spares left @ $0.99lb, but I bought them all. St. Louis are $2.79 or $2.89 I think. Babies are usually more expensive than St. Louis. I prefer St. Louis as well, but couldn't pass up the price for baby backs.

 

[chezuki]

 

[steveh_131]

Well. Don't those look delicious. Glad to see you're enjoying the trusty UDS.

 

[steveh_131]

Apple season is here!

Did some pruning on the trees and it left me with some decent sized sticks. I saved and cut up the ones that were at least as thick as my thumb. Anyone here ever used sticks that size for smoking? How well do they work compared to chunks?

And do I need to let them season outside for a while before using them?

 

[phylodog]

The greener the better for smoking.

 

[chezuki]

The greener the better for smoking.

Negative. Some green woods (primarily fruit woods) work ok in some smokers. They are going to require quite a bit more heat to burn than seasoned wood, which could be a problem in a UDS. The smoke from green hickory or oak is nasty and makes the food taste nasty. The smoke from green mesquite is actually toxic.


Green apple wood should be fine as long as the UDS is hot enough to burn it, but it may have a bit of a different flavor than seasoned apple.

 

[Caleb]

I may be picking up two drums this evening...how do you guys burn them out?

 

[chezuki]

I may be picking up two drums this evening...how do you guys burn them out?

I filled mine to the top with seasoned firewood twice. Make sure you drill the intake holes first so the fire can breathe.