PKGrill new to me! Lovin' it.

[Industrial Toys]

The side tables on the coleman just fold down. We owned a bunch of the normal cheap grills, and for even cooking this thing is the best we have used.

 

[Sigarms]

Ok, long time ago I use to do some dutch over cooking camping along with the wisperlite, that said, NEVER EVER grilled in my life. Had some people over the weekend, and picked up an el cheapo from lowes that seemed to actually turn out ok (everyone loved the food, and I'll have to admit, the ribs weren't bad).



However, this is what's driving me up the wall. Cooking temperature. How do you get it to where the grill can maintain an even 300F to 350F and how long can the grill maintain a constant temperature?

Just a guess, and I could be wrong, but one of the reasons why some grills cost a lot more due to insulation and less air leakage?

I believe I could of done the burgers better by raising up the charcoals after I put the ribs on the warmer, but is there a formula of somekind with the charcoal height to the rack?

I picked up charcoal Friday on the way back from TN, and I couldn't believe the selection LOL

 

[dragoneggs]

Hey Sig, welcome to the club!

Yes, the more expensive BBQs are thick walled steel or in my case, cast aluminum. The Big Green Egg is ceramic. They hold (regulate) the heat better than the thin walled cheapos. And they also last a lot longer as they don't rust out. Often, folks will 'season' the outside of their steel bbqs with vegetable oil to keep them in good condition.

 

[om21braz]

Ok, long time ago I use to do some dutch over cooking camping along with the wisperlite, that said, NEVER EVER grilled in my life. Had some people over the weekend, and picked up an el cheapo from lowes that seemed to actually turn out ok (everyone loved the food, and I'll have to admit, the ribs weren't bad).

View attachment 672179

However, this is what's driving me up the wall. Cooking temperature. How do you get it to where the grill can maintain an even 300F to 350F and how long can the grill maintain a constant temperature?

Just a guess, and I could be wrong, but one of the reasons why some grills cost a lot more due to insulation and less air leakage?

I believe I could of done the burgers better by raising up the charcoals after I put the ribs on the warmer, but is there a formula of somekind with the charcoal height to the rack?

I picked up charcoal Friday on the way back from TN, and I couldn't believe the selection LOL

Sig, I can hold any temp between 225 and 500 for as long as I can keep pellets to it and the power stays on with a pellet grill. Typically gas will do the same as long as the lid stays closed. Seems wind bothers many gas grills more though.

 

[Sigarms]

Sig, I can hold any temp between 225 and 500 for as long as I can keep pellets to it and the power stays on with a pellet grill. Typically gas will do the same as long as the lid stays closed. Seems wind bothers many gas grills more though.

Pellets out of my league for now. Got enough charcoal for a while now as I wanted to try some of the varying "flavors".

Wife did buy that do hicky for starting up the Charcoal (works nice as my wife said she'd shoot me if I used lighter fluid:laughing. Figured out don't fill it all the way up and lay everything in or the temp will be high for a while. I had a meathod I forgot with the dutch oven with ambers, just need to figure out how to control the temp better with this type of grill.

Considering everyone loved the ribs and burgers, didn't screw it up as bad as I thought could happen (I'm a pessimist at heart because if it turns out good, you're ahead of the game IMO).

That said, when the grill was smoking really good, I did see some leakage around the grill. Starting to understand why I was wrong when I thought anyone who would pay a couple of bills for even a cheap grill was nuts. Generally you get what you pay for. Never forget when I first saw the price tag on one of the green egg grills LOL

Did call my buddy to make sure he reserved a cow for me next year. Actually looking forward to playing around with cooking now more than I thought I would.

Ironically enough, it was this thread that started me talking about it with my wife again. My wife's smarter than I am. First grill will be a training session for the more expensive one down the road LOL

 

[dragoneggs]

The challenge with briquettes and lump charcoal is knowing when/how much to feed the fire. I also have a Traeger pellet grill and it is quite easy as the auger (feed screw) speed is controlled by a temp setting.

Watching the temp on a charcoal bbq where you are manually feeding is obviously much more work and I'm learning slowly. I recommend a remote wifi/bluetooth temp monitor. Ideally two channel so you can monitor the temp of the bbq and also the internal meat temp.

Keeping the lid down and opening only when necessary is also helpful. Cold days and wind make it more difficult. I have seen some BBQ blankets marketed. No idea how effective or worth it they would be though.

 

[Sigarms]

Watching the temp on a charcoal bbq where you are manually feeding is obviously much more work and I'm learning slowly. I recommend a remote wifi/bluetooth temp monitor. Ideally two channel so you can monitor the temp of the bbq and also the internal meat temp.

Keeping the lid down and opening only when necessary is also helpful. Cold days and wind make it more difficult. I have seen some BBQ blankets marketed. No idea how effective or worth it they would be though.

Holy smokes, a monitoring kit is 75% the cost of my new grill!:laughing:

That said, I guess a tool like that does make sense.

Being my first time ever grilling with an "offical" grill, and with those ribs, I spent a good 2.5 hours at that grill.

I'm assuming something like this?

 

[mark02tj]

I have something like that for my Big Green Egg. It's called a Cyber-Q. Not only does it monitor the temperature, it has a little fan that blows on the fire box to keep the temp constant. Works great for "long cooks" such as brisket or pork butt. Sometimes I use it for ribs as well, but ribs and chicken are a little more forgiving on temperature variations.

The bad thing with cooking outside is that it can become an obsession. The funny thing is that my dad never grilled/bbq'd/etc. so it's something that I had to learn on my own. Fortunately the internet makes that easier now. Last night I made tacos. I did the meat and also warmed up the taco shells on my Blackstone Griddle. Worked great and the cleanup was a lot quicker and easier than cleaning a skillet. Tonight will be chicken leg/thigh quarters smoked on the Egg. I also might try using some "Duck Fat spray" on them and finish them up on high heat to crisp up the skin. Yeah, obsessed! LOL!

 

[dragoneggs]

Holy smokes, a monitoring kit is 75% the cost of my new grill!:laughing:

That said, I guess a tool like that does make sense.

Being my first time ever grilling with an "offical" grill, and with those ribs, I spent a good 2.5 hours at that grill.

I'm assuming something like this?

View attachment 672243

Yep, not cheap but for long cooks, very handy and convenient!

Thermoworks products are very high quality. You are probably best to buy direct at Thermoworks.com as there are knock offs floating around and also you can get discounts frequently buying direct. I think first order is 10% off.

Another cool tool for faster cooks is their ThermoPen Mk4 for instant read. Great for steaks, chicken, fish where you are shooting for a specific temp. I bought a couple for Xmas presents for my son and SIL at I think 25% off. I'd watch for sales. Get on their email list if you are interested.

 

[dragoneggs]

The bad thing with cooking outside is that it can become an obsession. The funny thing is that my dad never grilled/bbq'd/etc. so it's something that I had to learn on my own. Fortunately the internet makes that easier now. Last night I made tacos. I did the meat and also warmed up the taco shells on my Blackstone Griddle. Worked great and the cleanup was a lot quicker and easier than cleaning a skillet. Tonight will be chicken leg/thigh quarters smoked on the Egg. I also might try using some "Duck Fat spray" on them and finish them up on high heat to crisp up the skin. Yeah, obsessed! LOL!

You can say that again! :drink: