Smoker recommendations
- Thread starter CJ Beat Hard
- Start date
I love using Royal Oak lump charcoal, but yes gravel is routinely left in the ashes.
Someone told me it gets scooped up with the wood when they make it into charcoal. I’ve never questioned it, I have no clue how else it would get there lol!
This is the right answer. For years, I have proposed a HORT/GIAO double blinded q/pizza off. I will dust all of your asses. Badly. Cooking is science. I excel at it. Keep posting some of your laughable answers. It's funny as shit to read. And no, a bge is not the be all/end all for pizza. Wow.
And oh yeah, the cowtipper is correct.
Yep, Royal Oak is the craziest. The price to quality of charcoal is really good, IF you get a good bag. But I've found wood that's only been partially carbonized, nails, and that orange twine that they use to tie pine straw. I've seen that more than one, and it's all black and sooty, so if you miss it and its in the fire, its nasty business.
People that have more patience than me break several bags of Royal Oak and sort the pieces, end up keeping maybe a third of it, and still come out ahead of the premium lump brands cost per pound wise. Now I'm a cheap bastard, but that ain't me.
I tried Royal Oak and had a horrible bag. First and last time I used them
That Kamado looks nice, and it did catch my eye, because at first glance it looks like a kamado version of the kettle shape.
My problem with kamados is that while I like to smoke, I grill 10x more than I smoke, and probably 95% of the time I'm using a two zone, reverse sear method. Especially with steak, which is probably the most frequent thing I grill. I've got to have a cool/medium side, and a inferno hot side, I just have to. And generally kamados come to a small base for the charcoal, far below the meat, which makes that two zone setup mostly ineffective. And the Weber is no different:
Sure, you could pile the charcoal on one side and that side would be hotter, but you're just not going to get say, 275 on one side, and 650 one the right side. By the time the heat radiates up and out, it's just not happening. I also suspect, but don't know to be true, that the insanely good insulation that makes a kamado so good for smoking, makes it much worse for two zone cooking, as the heat probably spreads out and holds much better. When I had the Akorn version, it was just never awesome for two zone grilling. And there are so many other options, at a fraction of the cost, that allow for two perfect zones.
I could get a kamado that would satisfy in two zones, but it would have to be the XL or XXL, those are the only ones that are more wide than egg shaped, and at $2000-3000, I would just never.
EDIT - Just saw that the Weber kamado is designed to be able to move the charcoal grate up to the level where the diffuser plate is in that picture. That would put it basically where it is in the kettle, and given the wide surface area...that's a big winner. Should be able to do two zone grilling at least as well as a kettle. This is definitely something that's on my radar now.
I love the shit, I light it up and let ‘er eat. May the odds be ever in my favor!
What grill are you using for your dual zone setup?That Kamado looks nice, and it did catch my eye, because at first glance it looks like a kamado version of the kettle shape.
My problem with kamados is that while I like to smoke, I grill 10x more than I smoke, and probably 95% of the time I'm using a two zone, reverse sear method. Especially with steak, which is probably the most frequent thing I grill. I've got to have a cool/medium side, and a inferno hot side, I just have to. And generally kamados come to a small base for the charcoal, far below the meat, which makes that two zone setup mostly ineffective. And the Weber is no different:
Sure, you could pile the charcoal on one side and that side would be hotter, but you're just not going to get say, 275 on one side, and 650 one the right side. By the time the heat radiates up and out, it's just not happening. I also suspect, but don't know to be true, that the insanely good insulation that makes a kamado so good for smoking, makes it much worse for two zone cooking, as the heat probably spreads out and holds much better. When I had the Akorn version, it was just never awesome for two zone grilling. And there are so many other options, at a fraction of the cost, that allow for two perfect zones.
I could get a kamado that would satisfy in two zones, but it would have to be the XL or XXL, those are the only ones that are more wide than egg shaped, and at $2000-3000, I would just never.
EDIT - Just saw that the Weber kamado is designed to be able to move the charcoal grate up to the level where the diffuser plate is in that picture. That would put it basically where it is in the kettle, and given the wide surface area...that's a big winner. Should be able to do two zone grilling at least as well as a kettle. This is definitely something that's on my radar now.
22" Weber Kettle, or an Original PK. The original PK is actually the most perfect two-zone grill ever, but it has other inconveniences around the size and cleanup that sends me to the Weber most of the time.
Well, crap. The more I look at this, I think I'm going to need to get it. I think this is going to end up being a divorce present to myself to commemorate no longer having to collaborate on significant purchases. Found a great review here, a few years old though:
A few years ago I sold my Weber master touch kettle for the Performer version, the one with the cart. Having the side table always seemed nice, and more importantly, I just liked the support of it being in a cart rather than the aluminum legs.
But it turns out I kind of hate it. The regular kettle had a hook or a holder that you put the lid on that held the lid parallel to the grill. But the performer holds the lid not quite parallel, so it overhangs like a third of the grill, so it's a pain dealing with food with the lid overhanging it. So I have to put the lid on a side table to work anyway. Also, getting to the ash removal is way more of a pain on the Performer because of the legs, and you can't easily see the slots to fit it back into. I'm like the only Weber fan in the world that doesn't like the Performer version it seems like.
This would be an excellent excuse to replace it.
Things require creativity and improvisation. In the kitchen or the lab.
I have the Weber Summit Charcoal and it’s legit. Got mine when then still came with the propane lighter assist that I’ve never used except for a plate rest. I occasionally pair it with with a SNS low profile, and I’m looking to add a Spit on Fire rotisserie sooner than later.That Kamado looks nice, and it did catch my eye, because at first glance it looks like a kamado version of the kettle shape.
My problem with kamados is that while I like to smoke, I grill 10x more than I smoke, and probably 95% of the time I'm using a two zone, reverse sear method. Especially with steak, which is probably the most frequent thing I grill. I've got to have a cool/medium side, and a inferno hot side, I just have to. And generally kamados come to a small base for the charcoal, far below the meat, which makes that two zone setup mostly ineffective. And the Weber is no different:
Sure, you could pile the charcoal on one side and that side would be hotter, but you're just not going to get say, 275 on one side, and 650 one the right side. By the time the heat radiates up and out, it's just not happening. I also suspect, but don't know to be true, that the insanely good insulation that makes a kamado so good for smoking, makes it much worse for two zone cooking, as the heat probably spreads out and holds much better. When I had the Akorn version, it was just never awesome for two zone grilling. And there are so many other options, at a fraction of the cost, that allow for two perfect zones.
I could get a kamado that would satisfy in two zones, but it would have to be the XL or XXL, those are the only ones that are more wide than egg shaped, and at $2000-3000, I would just never.
EDIT - Just saw that the Weber kamado is designed to be able to move the charcoal grate up to the level where the diffuser plate is in that picture. That would put it basically where it is in the kettle, and given the wide surface area...that's a big winner. Should be able to do two zone grilling at least as well as a kettle. This is definitely something that's on my radar now.
It weighs next to nothing compared to the ceramic kamados and I haven’t had to replace a single part in >4 years with cooks ranging from 225 to >700.
I bought mine from a BBQ store but they occasionally pop up on local marketplaces for a fraction of the price of new.
Camp Chef customer service turned me off their products. The paint started peeling off of it within two months and I keep it covered when it isn't being used. The griddle top on the Sidekick attachment rusted out after two uses even though it was seasoned the correct way.
They wanted me to go donate it and take a picture of the donation instead of sending me a new one. I don't have an issue with donating it but if your product is defective, don't make people jump through hoops. The features on it were great and it held a decent temp. From all the posts I've seen in online Camp Chef groups, the issues I have are common in the Woodwinds built in 2020-2021.
This. I used to use nothing but Lumberjack until Rural King stopped carrying them. You can't find them in the JAX/St Aug area.
The RK location in Gainesville used to carry them and I used to go there for work on a weekly basis. They sold them for 8/9 bucks a bag and I used to load my trunk. Started using Bear Mountain and they're good but they're not Lumberjack.
The "Performer" has a flip-up table. The one with the kettle mounted into a permanent cart table is called the "Performer Premium".
I have the Performer because I didn't have room for the full-size cart version. I have no issues with the lid.
Cookinpellets 100% hickory is available on Amazon for $35 for a 40lb bag. About twice the (in-store) cost of lumberjack, but they're a good pellet. You can get lumberjack on Amazon, but they're crazy expensive compared to in-store.
Yeah, that's it. I don't know if mine has a manufacturing error or what, but the lid when in the holder just doesn't clear the entire area above the grill like my regular kettle did.
Perhaps I glossed over it but did anyone actually post that a green egg is the be all/end all for pizza? I certainly would never post such a thing.
I generally think smoking foods probably infuses bad things into them whether pellets or plain old wood. I love it anyways when it comes to pork, and we don’t do it that often so who cares. For a pork butt, the Traeger produces god damn delicious results with almost no effort. We had two on yesterday for 10 and 12 hours respectively, and it was interesting to track the internal temp differences. The smaller started out faster and got to the stall around 155 first. Then they were both at 155 for a few hours, and then the smaller one pulled away and got done about 2 hours earlier. The second one was for leftovers so we were done eating when I pulled it. They were both good but shit the extra finish on the bark over 12 hours rather than 10 was amazing. CSB.
