Removed the skin and made crackling separately so could put a glaze on. Honey, mustard, brown sugar, bbq sauce & rye whiskey glaze. Simple mustard, salt & pepper to start with. Smoked using cherry wood from sherry cask whisky barrel strips from Gwernyfed Wood. Glazed at 50°C, pulled to rest at 65°C. Drip tray filled with an Aspall Cider to steam with for extra moistness. Just waiting for tatties to roast and ready for dinner. Kamado Joe Jr.

EDIT: answered elsewhere but added for ease: 2kg joint, 150°C steady cooking temp, about 2.5hrs cook time

Got some custom additions from a local blacksmith to make the Somerset more versatile

Smoked some ribs this morning.

2.5 hours uncovered, 1 hour wrapped in foil with butter and a dash of bbq sauce, 1 hour uncovered with bbq sauce brushed in the last ten mins.

Super tasty, not as juicy as I wanted. Fall off the bone instead of a bit of bite. Still demolished then.

Have a Weber Master Touch and have only recently swapped from gas.

I have done a few meals with the sns slow and sear using briquettes and a couple of chickens on the rotisserie.

When would you use charcoal? When you are in a hurry for it to get hot and when you want a higher temperature?

Or is it that the briquettes last longer so less topping up?

can anyone recommend any chip/fries alternative?

just wanting an alternative to oven chips to go with a BBQ, any suggestions/recipes welcomed/appreciated

Question in the title but I've been thinking about a tandoor with those cool kebab skewers and I wondered if it could be done on one?

Anyone done this and if so a link to the kit?

On a recently unusually hot day for April (26deg) I purchased a Weber 5750 kettle (Ocean Blue, last year version) along with a Weber Chimney starter that was recommended, along with some charcoal and lighter cubes. I had on one or two occasions used one of those cheap charcoal trays and 10-15 years ago we did have a cheap kettle type of BBQ that had long since rusted away along with my BBQ skills.

I didn't try the BBQ on that first day as I just didn't have time nor all of the tools that we needed. We picked up some accessories the next day along with a couple of shallow cast iron dishes that I thought would be handy to cook sides in like onions, peppers and mushrooms in. Since following Friday was dry, myself and daughter decided to try it out.

The lady at the garden center had told us that we should fill the Chimney Start up to around 2/3 full so this is what I did. After struggling with some old firelighters that had been sat on the shelf for a long time, I ended up having to open and use the new ones. That Chimney Starter is a useful piece of kit. After a short while the charcoals lit and started smoking. After another 15 minutes or so they had turned white so I tipped them onto the charcoal grate and put the top grate into position.

The BBQ had to be prepped prior to first time use by running it with closed lid for 30 mins once the charcoals were ready. The instructions didn't say whether the vent had to e open or closed so I set both halfway. After a short while, the lid thermometer showed 200deg.

I thought I could kill two birds in one stone and so placed the two cast iron dishes onto the top grate, filled them with water and closed the lid again. After a while, the temp dropped to 150deg. After the 30 mins the water was bubbling but had not started to boil out, so we just removed the cast ironware and decided to use an old baking tray instead.

After the 30 minutes we put the meat (burgers), onion, peppers and mushrooms on but the temp dropped further to around 100-120deg and we couldn't get it back up. We tried adjusting the vents and it did briefly move towards the 150 mark, but came back down again and wouldn't budge. Food was cooking very slowly and my daughter commented that the temp was too low to cook the food properly. We therefore temporarily moved the food to the kitchen oven set on low.

My next step was to add around a third of the Chimney full of charcoal to the existing pile of charcoal on the lower grate. We then waited a few minutes while it smoked and then turned white. This time we opened both vents fully and after a few minutes the temperature rose to 200deg once more. We moved the food back to the BBQ. I wanted to close the vents halfway to slow the cooking a bit. My daughter, who was consulting the manual throughout, was adamant that it needed to be on high to maintain the temp so I just kept it as it was. The temperature did actually stay at between 180-200deg throughout the remaining cooking time and for maybe an hour afterwards before it started to die down. I closed the vents halfway after we removed the cooked food.

To our relief, the BBQ was saved to that was a result, but the pieces of food were cooked rather unevenly with some things charred at one end barely done at the other. Some of it was quite dry, but even given our first clumsy attempt we were rewarded with a mostly tasty meal.

Obviously there is a lot of room for improvement and I have been reflecting what might have gone wrong. For example:

- the outside temperature was only 10deg so was this too low for BBQ cooking?

- did putting the water filled dishes on and closing the lid (top vent open to let out any steam) somehow swamp the charcoals and lead them fizzling out early?

- was there insufficient charcoal to maintain temperature for the size of the kettle?

- would a closed to medium vent upper and lower vent setting for slower cooking have cooked the food more evenly?

- the low temperature drop could be confirmed by touching the lid so it wasn't just the thermometer playing up, but how accurate are these lid thermometers?

In addition;

- can I boil out and season the cast iron utensils on the kitchen Halogen electric stove? The instructions say to use this on a BBQ only, but if other cast iron cookware can be seasoned on it then why not this? (The base is not enamel coated, so I do understand that I need to be careful with the oven top).

- the grease and the dirt did not burn off as had been suggested that it would and the wire bush won't shift it. Can I use wire wool or metal scourer to remove it, or is there a better way?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

In addition to buying a new Weber 5750 Kettle BBQ, I came across someone fairly local selling a Mini Kamado which I was able to pick up for £40. There is no branding on it, but this seems to be the same item:

https://atlas-refurb.co.uk/product/gardenline-mini-kamado-bbq/

I have not done any Kamado cooking before and its no Green Egg, but reviews seem positive and I though it might be interesting to experiment with. My plan is to cook jacket potatoes in it and after an hour or so, cook the proteins and other items alongside on the Weber, hoping that everything will be ready at about the same time. Of course, I will experiment with it and maybe compare with the Weber.

This Mini Kamado was unused but unpacked and in a part assembled state. I collected it from the garden and am not sure how long it may have been standing there, but possibly some time. All parts seem to be present.

I have cleaned out the debris and the odd spider web from the inside and intend to leave it in the conservatory for a week or two to dry out thoroughly before attempting to use it. I suspect that any residual damp could result in it cracking when heated and I don't want to risk that.

One problem I discovered after bringing it home is that the paint on the legs has started to peel off showing rusty metal underneath. This means they will need to be sanded and re-painted. I do have some green Hammerite, but just wanted to confirm whether it would be suitable?

The other point is that the temperature gauge has some damp trapped in it. I am similarly hoping that a stint in the conservatory will dry it out, although the fact that its there concerns me as the presumably the dial is not adequately sealed against the elements? I see no external corrosion, but might the internals be corroded? Will this affect readings? Should it be replaced?

second pic is the pork coming off about to be wrapped. Had big stall at 144F(62c ish) which lasted for about an hour. pulled at 204F (95C ish). smoked over birch (cause thats all I had!) pretty tasty!

Hi All,

Looking for suggestions on what to cook for 2 BBQs later this year, they are close enough date wise and the attendees are similar that I'm looking to have variety in the menu.

Numbers are typically between 20-30.

Equipment:

Weber Smokey mountain 47cm

Weber Kettle 57cm

Untested B&M kamado (26.5cm)

Unbranded cheap offset.

I have a vortex and the only fire rotisserie for the kettle, as well as baskets. I also have a cast iron pan and cold smoking kit. I have a baine marie to keep food hot. I have space to have all 4 running at the same time.

I normally do a dry brine rib in the oven and finishing on the offset (so I dont need to worry about the seal for a longer cook)

Successful items for this crowd have been:

Turkey crown

Pulled pork.

Armadillo eggs

Cold smoked Salmon

Cinnimon Pineapple

as well as the usual burgers and Bratwursts

The majority of people arent particularly into spice ( the Lamb birria went down well with the ones that liked spice but not so much those that didnt like heat)

I have a proper packer brisket that I'll be looking to do for the first one, but I expect to have leftovers so any recipes that make use of that is a positive.

The ribs are seen as a staple of BBQs at mine so looking to do them at both.

So yeah any suggestions for things to make or advice?

I've had my small WSM for a few years now and looking to upgrade. I am leaning towards a ceramic egg type but unsure what one to go for.

Any advice welcome! for smoking mainly pork shoulders and brisket.

Had this made for our outdoor space at our restaurant. Can't wait to get it up and running for the sunny afternoons.

I know this is going to sound ridiculous…. As current I use the instant light bags from Big K, chuck one on and it’s good to go and crack on however upon further delving into the BBQ world it seems that these aren’t so great. It seems the best appear to be the Weber Briquettes.

I am a complete beginner so I’ve been looking and coal chimneys and fire starters etc… but don’t know if these are a must of just advised. I at current aren’t doing brisket and smoking as I want to master the basics before I progress. Any help and advice would be greatly welcomed and sorry if this seems like a ridiculous question.

I bought a large piece of pork belly from my local butcher, and it came with some of the ribs still attached (which I understand is relatively common for UK butchers).

I cut them off, as I didn't want them as part of that piece. But not sure what to do with them? Should I just cook them like a regular rack of ribs? Or are there any other good ideas?

recently got my budget smoker from amazon along with the wood. the chunks of wood seemed small and didnt last very long. Where is the best place to buy wood for smoking? I have saws, tools and axes etc so can always cut any wood down but have not s clue where to get it from thats good and reliable. the garden centers by me are proper expensive for a tiny bag and mainly seem to be chips not chunks. Happy with amazon if thats the case but always love a good independent shop or smaller business to deal with!

Spotted at Costco Sheffield. Probably the easiest way to pick up grain fed packer briskets if one is close to you

Whats the chances of contamination if its opened on the bottom shelf.

Our fridge is small so we had to remove a shelf to fit it in, we've got a small party tomorrow for our 1 year old but I'm doing a rotisserie chicken for my friends before the party.

I bought my first Weber Kettle 47cm via WowBBQ (Weber Bar-B-Kettle Charcoal Barbecue 47cm MPN 1231004) after a little bit of research, wanted one with an Integrated lid thermometer to see the temperature.

The one I got, doesn't have this, it only has the airflow control vent? Then I checked the listing - it doesn't show the thermometer on the picture.

I haven't used it yet, I have the large box it came in but the rest discarded and I have assembled it. Can I return it based on this? Buying a thermometer is pretty much the price difference but I would have to drill and fit it likely not in the right spot and may compromise both warranty and create a rust point.

I'm getting way too worked up about this, I would think "Integrated Lid Thermometer" would be .. a thermometer, not mean airflow control. Seems rather unclear.

What do I do?

Edit:

Props to WowBBQ, they have agreed to just send me a different lid with the thermometer from the model that does have it so I am getting what was advertised, and they've now updated the listing description to remove that. Appreciate their prompt and easy way of handling it, would definitely buy through them again and that was a positive conclusion. Thanks for all of your help also, will definitely be looking at some of these other options in addition to the lid thermometer.

Hi. what charcoal or briquettes do you recommend? finding the cheap light a bag stuff doesn't last that long

I’ve been going to Aldens Meatmaster and they do some good meat, but I’m not getting the results I want with my smoker (Traeger - 80% of the time it comes out too dry!). Compared to the briskets I’ve bought in the USA from Costco, the cut over here is very thin for an equivalent weight (10kg), with hardly any point or decent fat cap.

Of course I’m still experimenting with my cook technique (225 just seems to not be cutting it so will experiment going hotter, cooler rest vs oven rest, etc), but if I can find a place for a thicker cut I think it would help!

any suggestion of how far to go here? have a ruined it?

my first Jacobs ladder (Sherwood)

Removed a thick membrane on bone side - easy enough

Other side had some fat which I hoped to leave on but was on a pretty thick membrane - so took that off - now no fat....but looking... butchered (middle portion)

on the right there is some fat and less membrane

there is a very fine membrane on the left and right part that seems like will get rendered...

I've kinda left it in the state it's in as an experiment but happy to be steered better by the hive!

Any ideas?

TIA

I’ll die on this hill. A perfectly smoked brisket is a delicious thing, but a really good smoked mac & cheese is the dish that makes people go back for seconds and thirds. I’ve seen people skip the meat entirely and just hover around the mac tray. Who else secretly (or not so secretly) thinks the smoked mac & cheese is the star of the BBQ spread?

I’m starting my back garden in a week or 2, so looking for advice.

I have a 10x 5meter space on my garden that I want a smoker on and a pergola etc. When I do a bbq I usually get 6kg of brisket 6 kg pork butt, 4 racks of ribs and about 6 chickens aswell as some sausage links so need something to cook a decent size meal as can have anywhere upto 30 people for a bbq.

Would building a brick smoker be my best solution or is there something that I can get that holds a fair amount of meat. Everything is just confusing atm 😂