Outdoor Cooking (smoking, grilling, barbecuing, open spit, etc.)

[RoyGBiv]

Couple pork shoulders. Trying Royal Oak briquettes I picked up at Home depot. I like it when they look like chunks of a meteorite. I really dislike my pellet smoker. Hardly any smoke flavor at all. My buddy thought his was the best thing ever till he tried charcoal smoked now hes looking at charcoal smokers.

Attachment 105364

I have bark envy.

I've run 100% charcoal pellets through my smoker and the result still wasn't as good as a charcoal grill. Very good, but not as good.

[rob_s]

I wasn’t too mad at this bark, but I don’t think I’ve gotten the meteorite bark since switching from the charcoal smoker to the pellet.

But I cook WAY more often now

[UNK]

That was at the add charcoal refill point heres finished.

I have bark envy.

I've run 100% charcoal pellets through my smoker and the result still wasn't as good as a charcoal grill. Very good, but not as good.

[CSW]

Pizzas on the Weber charcoal grill tonight, and the wife is in the process of baking brownies for the church sale in Treager as I type.

[Borderland]

Checking the local grocery store ads every week now for fresh Alaska salmon. Smoking something this summer no matter what species hits the stores in abundance. Last year it was Sockeye in June but the forecast isn't looking good this year. I had never smoked Sockeye until last year when the run was spectacular. It isn't my first choice but I'll take it at 10 bucks a pound. Then around August they had an unexpected large run of Coho. So I got in on that and thanked the god of salmon for delivering me my favorite fish in time of need. That saved the season for me. It looks like Pink salmon (Humpies) will be the largest run this year in August. We NEVER used to smoke Pink salmon as they were considered unfit to smoke but that was back in the day when we still had a few Chinook and plenty of Coho. I guess I'll wait to see what comes across the counter for cheap. Whatever it is I'll be ready. It's hell trying to score fresh wild fish to smoke these days. It ain't like feed lot beef.

[Borderland]

Pizzas on the Weber charcoal grill tonight, and the wife is in the process of baking brownies for the church sale in Treager as I type.

I'll take a brownie before any pie or cake. I hope you can sneak a few and she won't notice any are missing.

[UNK]

I wasn’t too mad at this bark, but I don’t think I’ve gotten the meteorite bark since switching from the charcoal smoker to the pellet.

But I cook WAY more often now

The allure of the pellet grill is how easy they are. And minimal mess. Either system youve got to be there if youre going to wrap but definately easier for no refueling with pellets. Theyve got controllers for the charcoal smokers too so being away as long as it has plenty of fuel is no biggie. Those away to work smokes arent really doable with the Weber. Something that had room for a larger supply of briquets would fix that. Some people dont like the stronger smoke taste. Even with the pellet smoker with for example ribs, my daughter cant eat them if they smoke the full time as it upsets her stomach. Her food Id wrap in foil after an hour.
I still use the pellet smoker for getting to temp for a reverse sear on the charcoal. Or for corn on the cob or baked potatoes, side dishes at a different temp than the meat.
It still has uses I just dont use it to smoke meat.

[CSW]

I'll take a brownie before any pie or cake. I hope you can sneak a few and she won't notice any are missing.

Since I'm diabetic, I attempt my best self control as to NOT eat stuff like this;

But the smell of them when they were finished, cocoa and the slightest hint of hickory, was incredible. Had a small one, very good. She wants to bake in it again.

[rob_s]

It still has uses I just dont use it to smoke meat.

Believe me, is prefer charcoal and/or wood, but the set up and cleanup times kept being too much and would keep me from cooking. Particularly shorter cook things like salmon or wings. Spending 30 minutes on the front and back end of a 2 hour cook adds 50% more time and 200% more work (and dirty work at that)

I'm all the pellet grill a “smoke oven” because it's more of an appliance than a grill.

[rob_s]

Checking the local grocery store ads every week now for fresh Alaska salmon. Smoking something this summer no matter what species hits the stores in abundance. Last year it was Sockeye in June but the forecast isn't looking good this year. I had never smoked Sockeye until last year when the run was spectacular. It isn't my first choice but I'll take it at 10 bucks a pound. Then around August they had an unexpected large run of Coho. So I got in on that and thanked the god of salmon for delivering me my favorite fish in time of need. That saved the season for me. It looks like Pink salmon (Humpies) will be the largest run this year in August. We NEVER used to smoke Pink salmon as they were considered unfit to smoke but that was back in the day when we still had a few Chinook and plenty of Coho. I guess I'll wait to see what comes across the counter for cheap. Whatever it is I'll be ready. It's hell trying to score fresh wild fish to smoke these days. It ain't like feed lot beef.

I've never even questioned or noticed what type of salmon I used. Never even occurred to me to look.

I just always look for thick pieces.

As a kid I ate the hell out of smoked mullet and then someone told me it was a “trash” fish. I still love it and buy it when I see it, but that's less and less common.