Virtual Banquet Thread

[t-dub]

But you can't get professional results.

Now you are just being a BBQ snob. Try a Cookshack, you will be amazed. They are wayyyyyy better than other electric smokers I have tried. I'll put my ribs against a wood fired smoker any day of the week, and probably win.

 

[Stu]

Smoker fight!

 

[momofthegoons]

Do I see a 'smoke off' in the making here?

I'll bring the wine/beer and vapables.

I appreciate both of your opinions on this. My son will be a part of this decision, so I'll have to see which he would prefer to work on too.

Lol.... Stu you beat me to it

 

[t-dub]

Do I see a 'smoke off' in the making here?

I'm all in . . . I will take the Pepsi fucking challenge any day of the week with wood fired (dried out) ribs. After I do an event like a Duck's football game, I always have scads of people asking me to open a restaurant or to cater their private event, however, I only cook for friends socially. There will always be one sheepish guy (read BBQ snob) who will come over meekly and ask me how I did my ribs. They are that good. When they hear the smoker I use or sometimes the spice mix, their eyes immediately flash into snob mode, they discount everything I just said and, thankfully, go away. I meet BBQ snobs every year, they are almost all the same. Some people just can't "taste across the plate" so to speak.

Edit: Of course this is with a dry rub rib, NO sauce needed . . .

 

[Frederick McGuire]

So basically over there BBQ essentially = Smoked?

BBQ seems to be somewhat different down here in AUS
for me, This is BBQ:

(Note the 2 vital Aussie food groups - Meat & Beer )

A quick wiki leads me to this difference:
Grilling - hot and quick
BBQ - low and slow
Talk to any Aussie about BBQ, we're gonna think of "grilling" using a "BBQ Grill" Apparently
(and what we think of as grilling, you guys call "broiling" - goddamn, we're all supposed to be using english here )

You haven't lived until you've had a fresh lamb cutlet off the barbie - I'm drooling now just thinking about it

This thread is no good for my diet

 

[t-dub]

BBQ seems to be somewhat different down here in AUS for me, This is BBQ:

Thats grilling Freddo . . . but its ok, most people here mix that up too . . . Nice spread . . .

BBQ - low and slow

Yep . . .

You haven't lived until you've had a fresh lamb cutlet off the barbie - I'm drooling now just thinking about it

So am I . . .

 

[Frederick McGuire]

Thats grilling Freddo . . . but its ok, most people here mix that up too . . . Nice spread . . .

Haha, I just Googled up a picture of a BBQ, but it's pretty fair representation
The snags in that pic are the typical cheap ones you'd get from a supermarket, which I've decided are comprised of 2/3 Anus, 1/3 filler . Those cheapies actually make me feel nauseated after eating them, so I always get premium sausages from the butcher
Switch out 1/2 of those lamb chops for some T-Bones or scotch fillet, and throw on some obligatory chicken skewers, and yeah, that's a mighty fine BBQ selection of grilled meats ()

 

[Reflections]

I bought this grill for my husband almost 7 years ago and we love it! We can grill and smoke. Everything we cook comes out so much more delicious than any other grill we have ever tried.

http://www.elitedeals.com/byc-500-5...HT4wuK0g5WfsfXY9uYhTYTK4ownXyueNOchoCZ5rw_wcB

We use this along with other types of wood

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lumpdatabase/lumpbag16.htm

 

[arf777]

I'm all in . . . I will take the Pepsi fucking challenge any day of the week with wood fired (dried out) ribs. After I do an event like a Duck's football game, I always have scads of people asking me to open a restaurant or to cater their private event, however, I only cook for friends socially. There will always be one sheepish guy (read BBQ snob) who will come over meekly and ask me how I did my ribs. They are that good. When they hear the smoker I use or sometimes the spice mix, their eyes immediately flash into snob mode, they discount everything I just said and, thankfully, go away. I meet BBQ snobs every year, they are almost all the same. Some people just can't "taste across the plate" so to speak.

Edit: Of course this is with a dry rub rib, NO sauce needed . . .

You're on dude. On ribs or anything else. But the true test when it comes to bark, and therefore wood versus electric, is not ribs, but pulled pork or slow-cooked beef. Those are where you get the bark. But if you want a rib-off, we can do that too. If you want to do ribs, I need to make bbq sauce first. Don't have any at the moment. Was planning to make some tamarind bbq sauce next weekend, so I can do a rib-off the following week. I can do a pulled pork this coming weekend.

I am not just being a snob, I am speaking from experience in various professional kitchens. I have used a gas-fired and electric for charcuterie, smoked cheeses and fish, those came out excellent (actually fish and cheese are easier in an electric, as it is easier to keep a specific temp and there are no overcooking or spoilage concerns). Even ribs from them were very good. Indeed, I am saving for a small electric for cheese and fish smoking. Not pulled pork though, or pastrami. Or bacon. Those just taste different and have different texture from wood fired. And yes, some of that is from dryer air. Some of it is also from there being basically no oxygen in a wood-fired smoker- the open flame eats the O2, you get a completely different chemistry affecting the surface of the meat. Wood fired is so much pricier (I have spent almost as much on wood as on meat in the past year and a half, at one smokehouse I know in NC they spend over $30K a year on oak and pecan wood) that if you did not need to spend the $$$ for the signature product, smokehouses in NC and MD would have gone over to gas or electric. Profits would skyrocket, investors would be easier to get, it'd be economically easier to keep a place going in bad economic times. But nobody has switched. Cooks are conservative, but cook-owners like maximizing profits. If the electric would really work commercially they'd be everywhere, not just in fish/cheese/sausage smoking.

 

[t-dub]

I know in NC they spend over $30K a year on oak and pecan wood) that if you did not need to spend the $$$ for the signature product, smokehouses in NC and MD would have gone over to gas or electric.

You continue to miss the point. The project at hand here is a recommendation for a smoker for @momofthegoons to consider. I can assure you she isn't wanting to open up a real pit, or some kind of fire tending nightmare, for her cooking at home. Not everyone finds value in the scientific model of "excellence" when a pragmatic approach is obviously needed . . . some of us want ease of procedure AND excellence in results.

@arf777 You can rant on all day about history or the way it has to be professionally done and to all the expense and hardship, but when I can make a rib, without sauce of any kind, much easier that will out perform most of the other offerings out there . . . please . . . with less hassle and cleanup . . .

I seriously doubt we could agree to a competitive rule set for the competition, I mean your ribs need sauce after all which I say is just a way of covering mistakes. Keep your hopes up though . . .

A little "food" for thought . . .

Why are electric smokers and wood-fired pellet grills the best choice for you?

• Our technology has eliminated the need for labor intensive manual operation required in old-fashioned pit barbecue smoking
• You can slow cook to render fat from the meat
• Our smokers and pellet grills are inexpensive to operate with the Cookshack thermostatically-controlled system
• Our electric smokers feature double-walled stainless steel with 850°F Spin-Glas® insulation for superior heat retention, fuel savings and maximum cooking performance
• Our electric smokers and pellet grills are easy to clean up
• Our customer service is second to none! When you call us, you will get to talk to a service representative that has over 15 years of experience. They use our equipment every week so they can help you with recipes, settings and all aspects of using the accessories and equipment.
• For service 24/7, we have a forum dedicated to all things barbecue
• When you use our smokers and pellet grills, you will have a consistent product every time
• Our products are manufactured in Ponca City, OK by our master craftsmen; we have been making them here since 1962!
• They are ruggedly built to last!
• Our wood chunks in the electric smokers and our food grade wood pellets in the pellet grills will make your food taste great
• All of our equipment has a 30-day Risk-Free Money-Back guarantee and a 2-year limited warranty
• With capacities from 20 lbs to 100 lbs, we have the equipment that will fit whatever smoking and grilling needs that you might have!

 

[beach bum]

It's nice to have options. And now sounds like @momofthegoons has good info on which to base a decision.

And a cookoff was making my mouth water. I wanted to volunteer to judge!

Now can we all go back to the gentle place that is this thread?

 

[Frederick McGuire]

Pressure cooked Thai red chicken curry with basmati rice:

I seriously love my pressure cooker

 

[arf777]

You continue to miss the point. The project at hand here is a recommendation for a smoker for @momofthegoons to consider. I can assure you she isn't wanting to open up a real pit, or some kind of fire tending nightmare, for her cooking at home. Not everyone finds value in the scientific model of "excellence" when a pragmatic approach is obviously needed . . . some of us want ease of procedure AND excellence in results.

@arf777 You can rant on all day about history or the way it has to be professionally done and to all the expense and hardship, but when I can make a rib, without sauce of any kind, much easier that will out perform most of the other offerings out there . . . please . . . with less hassle and cleanup . . .

I seriously doubt we could agree to a competitive rule set for the competition, I mean your ribs need sauce after all which I say is just a way of covering mistakes. Keep your hopes up though . . .

A little "food" for thought . . .

Why are electric smokers and wood-fired pellet grills the best choice for you?

• Our technology has eliminated the need for labor intensive manual operation required in old-fashioned pit barbecue smoking
• You can slow cook to render fat from the meat
• Our smokers and pellet grills are inexpensive to operate with the Cookshack thermostatically-controlled system
• Our electric smokers feature double-walled stainless steel with 850°F Spin-Glas® insulation for superior heat retention, fuel savings and maximum cooking performance
• Our electric smokers and pellet grills are easy to clean up
• Our customer service is second to none! When you call us, you will get to talk to a service representative that has over 15 years of experience. They use our equipment every week so they can help you with recipes, settings and all aspects of using the accessories and equipment.
• For service 24/7, we have a forum dedicated to all things barbecue
• When you use our smokers and pellet grills, you will have a consistent product every time
• Our products are manufactured in Ponca City, OK by our master craftsmen; we have been making them here since 1962!
• They are ruggedly built to last!
• Our wood chunks in the electric smokers and our food grade wood pellets in the pellet grills will make your food taste great
• All of our equipment has a 30-day Risk-Free Money-Back guarantee and a 2-year limited warranty
• With capacities from 20 lbs to 100 lbs, we have the equipment that will fit whatever smoking and grilling needs that you might have!

Dude, I do not 'need' sauce for ribs to cover up anything. I want the sauce if I'm going to EAT THEM. What is the point if I'm not going to eat them the way I like 'em when they're done? I personally do not like ribs without a glaze-type sauce. I know plenty of folks like them in dry rubs or in non-glaze sauces. I do not. And since i live alone, I am the only person who will be eating any ribs I make. I'll gladly do ribs, but not in a mode that I don't want to eat. No reason but personal taste. Unsauced ribs win awards all the time, they are just not my cup of tea. I don't even like Carolina (thin vinegar) sauced ribs, while in most of my bbq I like NC techniques.

Cover up for mistakes? I don't even know how to make ribs with "mistakes". They may be the easiest smoked or grilled meat to make.


And if you ask someone with a professional background in something a question, that is the basis the answer is going to be on. I spent a long time (and training) learning to think about food and food gear that way, and do not know any other way to approach it. So sue me.

My point was in part that you can get a wood-fired smoker, that can give professional bbq results, without buying a $2000 unit. Brinkman specifically makes a cheap wood-fired. They also make very easy to use gas and electric smokers, though for ease of use the electrics you recommend are likely the best (and are better than Brinkman electrics). But I know quite a few people who bought electric or gas because they thought there wasn't an affordable, reasonably sized wood smoker.

Like I said a before, the main difference won't be with something like ribs, but with the bark-dveloping pulled meat or with bacons. It is pretty easy to set a standard for pulled pork and bark - we both use the dry rubs of our choice (or we can agree on a standard one like brown or maple sugar, salt, and some herbs and spices) then fire 'em up and compare bark. Which I have said is the biggest difference. You can make good ribs without even owning a smoker of any kind (a normal grill jury-rigged o smoke with some wood chips plus parcooking can produce very nice ribs).

 

[momofthegoons]

@arf777 and @t-dub

I really appreciate all of your advice. And hate that the two of you are arguing over this. Makes me wish I hadn't brought it up.

I think both of your suggestions have merit. And, in this case, which method is 'best' is subjective. So please... let's not argue about it any more.

Besides... at this point the only way to solve this would be for the both of you to make me dinner. And since that can't happen......

No more of this bickering. I don't want to break out the whip.

 

[RUDE BOY]

It just ain't BBQ without sauce where i come from. 'Dry rubs', now that's a Texas BBQ kinda thing that needs to stay in Texas imo.

Damn cool though that I actually feel hungry after just reading the last page and a half of this thread and I never ever really feel the pangs of hunger anymore, think this is the first time I've felt the need to eat in a couple years. (i just force food down a couple times a day now so I do't go back to a feeding tube)

 

[grokit]

Killer dry rub w/kickass sauce ftw

 

[momofthegoons]

Killer dry rub w/kickass sauce ftw

That's how I like them too.........

 

[t-dub]

I always serve sauce, for those who like it, on the side, where it belongs. It doesn't touch the rib during the smoke.

 

[arf777]

I like the way the sauce caramelizes when applied still over heat. Only at the very end though. Don't like when the sauce goes on earlier. It gets too thick and scorched.

Beef, though, even ribs, I do likes some dry rubs. Unless I'm actually curing the beef, where I like wet cures better than dry at the moment. Mostly because I don't have access to a good dry cure space. Really hard to do unless you live in a house with a well-ventilated cellar. Though if you have a well-ventilated cellar, dry-curing beef and ham is surprisingly easy, if time-consuming (the cures can take months). Can even make your own prosciutto if you have a good cellar. I bet prosciutto or bresaola cured sharing air-flow with a grow room would taste all herby and awesome.

 

[momofthegoons]

I'm starting to get stuff ready for my annual 4/20 party... which will be on the 19th this year since 'they' had the audacity to have 4/20 on a MONDAY!!!!

 

[grokit]

@momofthegoons
Oreos covered with cannabutter icing?

 

[momofthegoons]

@momofthegoons
Oreos covered with cannabutter icing?

Canna infused chocolate. But they aren't very strong. Just a hint of cannaoil.....

 

[arf777]

Canna infused chocolate. But they aren't very strong. Just a hint of cannaoil.....

Have you ever tried using fresh canna as a flavoring rather than oil for medicating? A little of a peppery or citrusy strain tastes awesome with chocolate, vanilla or fruit.

 

[beach bum]

@momofthegoons, how did you create the pretty leaf on top? They look quite delicate!

 

[momofthegoons]

Have you ever tried using fresh canna as a flavoring rather than oil for medicating? A little of a peppery or citrusy strain tastes awesome with chocolate, vanilla or fruit.

I have. And yes, it is a wonderful addition. This was more of a spur of the moment addition to the white chocolate chips I was melting to get a gloss....

I've had trouble making medibles though. They are usually way too weak. Except for the one time my brownies were like LSD, lol. I'm still trying though.

@momofthegoons, how did you create the pretty leaf on top? They look quite delicate!

I used a mold. Then I used petal dust with a paint brush to add the color.