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

[UNM1136]

Problem is that I found our range hood doesn’t vent outdoors, and the central station alarm is *very* fucking loud. I don’t think grilling indoors is an option.

Our place is unusual in that each unit has its own privacy fenced (on two sides, plus the house) front courtyard where gas grills are allowed by code. Having something on the deck in back would be a big convenience for everyday cooking, though. I’m pretty basic when it comes to grilling.

I noticed that the Weber Q2400 I was looking at specifies a 20 minute preheat at 72F. I wonder if it would be usable in a NH winter? It would mostly be burgers and encased meats, steaks and chicken. I don’t see doing any smoking in it (I already have an electric smoker) nor anything too big.

I may just buy it from Amazon and try it out, with the plan of returning it as unsuitable if it doesn’t work out.

Check the reviews of the newer indoor grills. Even if you can't use them inside, taking them outside may be more convenient than the front yard gas grill.

And to be very, very honest...One of my lessons from cooking school was how to get acceptable results with the least effort/time/equipment/ingredients possible. Unfortunately, the answer was "if you can't bring your game up, you should bring the bar down"... You need to cook to YOUR standards, no one elses'. You might have to settle for a grill that does good burgers, but so-so steaks and chickens. Then just buy ("specialize") in what your set up does well. If the grill is even mediocre, to my tastes, it may be enough to do good steaks and chicken when used in conjunction with a sous-vide.

pat

[HeavyDuty]

Check the reviews of the newer indoor grills. Even if you can't use them inside, taking them outside may be more convenient than the front yard gas grill.

And to be very, very honest...One of my lessons from cooking school was how to get acceptable results with the least effort/time/equipment/ingredients possible. Unfortunately, the answer was "if you can't bring your game up, you should bring the bar down"... You need to cook to YOUR standards, no one elses'. You might have to settle for a grill that does good burgers, but so-so steaks and chickens. Then just buy ("specialize") in what your set up does well. If the grill is even mediocre, to my tastes, it may be enough to do good steaks and chicken when used in conjunction with a sous-vide.

pat

Good point. Having the gas grill out front for occasional use and larger functions, and an electric on the deck for everyday burgers, chuk pieces and thinner steaks may be the solution. I think we could live with that.

[RoyGBiv]

Never contemplated an electric BBQ. I enjoyed an electric smoker, until I discovered the pellet smoker.

The way I cook with LP (or NG at my last house) would require 220v service to achieve equivalent BTU's. YMMV.

Will be interesting to see how this turns out and to see some cooking results.

[HeavyDuty]

Running 220 out there is an option if it improves my grilling choices. But this is a Trex deck and is condo property, so no big built-ins allowed.

[ccmdfd]

Never contemplated an electric BBQ. I enjoyed an electric smoker, until I discovered the pellet smoker.

.

What brand(s) do you like for pellet smoking?

Thinking about broadening out from a BGE.

[RoyGBiv]

Honorable (forgot to) mention for the George Foreman grill.
If you're cooking things that don't have a lot of fat (or even if they do), the Foreman does a very solid job.

For example, WifeGBiv prefers beef tenderloin to my Ribeye. For a tenderloin steak, the Foreman does a great job of getting a sear on it where that might be tougher to do with such a lean cut on the outside grill without overcooking (rare side of medium rare). Similar with chicken breast.

Also... We tried the adjustable temp version but found it not worth the trouble. The single temp version works great LINK, only costs about $30. You just need to manage doneness by cook time. And never scrape the removable grates with anything other than the soft side of a sponge. You'll lose the nonstick quality pretty quickly. Wipe immediately with a wet towel and clean after eating, in warm soapy water.

Nowhere near as satisfying as cooking outside on the grill, but, I wouldn't look down on it.... It's the My Pillow of grills. Surprising how well it works.

[4given]

What brand(s) do you like for pellet smoking?

Thinking about broadening out from a BGE.

I have two Green Mountain Pellet Grills, A Davy Crockett and a Daniel Boone. One of the best values for the $ I think. I've have the Daniel Boone for over 7 years and it still works great.


Here is last weekends cook. A choice grade chuck roast sous vide cooked for 36 hours at 135 deg then quick cooled in an ice water bath and kept overnight in the fridge. Smoked in the little Davy Crockett at 225 deg until I got an IT of 125 deg. Super tender and delish!

[BehindBlueI's]

I have two Green Mountain Pellet Grills, A Davy Crockett and a Daniel Boone. One of the best values for the $ I think. I've have the Daniel Boone for over 7 years and it still works great.

Do you plug those in for power to run the auger and electronics? If so, just standard 110?

[RoyGBiv]

What brand(s) do you like for pellet smoking?

Thinking about broadening out from a BGE.

There's lots of good pellet smokers out there. Probably a good time of year to catch a seasonal closeout sale at Lowes or HD.
I have a Pit Boss that has been good to me so far. Just depends on whether you want lots of fancy attachments, programmable, bluetooth, IoT conectivity, or to be able to reverse sear on the same grill (read upthread for more on that). My smoker is 5 feet from my gas grill, so, I just sear over there. Buy something built well that has the features you want and with available parts in case something breaks. IMO, you can get good results from any good smoker using good technique and pellets with a flavor you like.

I've had some great stuff cooked on a BGE. I only tried to cook on one once. A friend made us pizza on his BGE. It was delicious and cool to be able to do that outside, but, it seemed a little "techniquey" to me managing the air flow to get the temp you want. Compared to the pellet smoker.... Turn dial to on, wait 4-5 minutes for it to light, close lid, wait for temp to settle to desired (digital) setting, cook. I usually do the outside cooking.... I had to be out of town for a few weeks in September and my wife asked me to show her how to run the smoker... 5 minutes later she said "That's it?"

[RoyGBiv]

Do you plug those in for power to run the auger and electronics? If so, just standard 110?

Yes. 110 regular outlet. Auger, electronics and fan. The auger channel is also the airway for the firebox fan in my unit.