Backyard cooking enough with all this fishing talk
- This topic has 42 replies, 16 voices, and was last updated Apr 25, 2011 at 12:19 am by
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Great food shots. I’m going to have to give the ABT’s another try my first batch was disappointing.
Dusty, I have done the beer can chicken both ways, and the aluminum holder that I have is much easier I rotate the bird a 1/4 turn every 1/2 hour and it is much easier with the base plate on the holder. I’ll fix one this weekend and post some pictures.
I don’t need another hobby but Beer making would seem a natural extension is anyone into that.You really can’t speed up the cooking time on a pork butt the idea is low and slow. It’s a tough piece of meat and you want one with plenty of cap fat and marbling. You have to
….and don’t forget…..because the heat is radiated a full 360 degrees, and because of the ceramic’s ability to hold the heat….you can cook twelve hours on a double handful of lump charcoal.
The egg is a neat griller/smoker….the only down side is that it lacks capacity, and the cost…For the same dollars you can get a nice Weber kettle, a bullet smoker, and a fishing trip…
Here’s some Q from Memorial Day..2 racks of Baby Backs, some spare ribs, two pork butts (lower grate), and plenty of room to spare.
Pork butts get rubbed 5 days in advance, then smoked for 6-8, then in foil for 6-8…Ribs get rubbed the night before and go for about 6 hours. Dang I’m gettin Hungry!the main thing that the egg has over a smoker is it can also double as a grill, wood over for bread(fantastic) Pizza oven, etc…
Yep, the ceramic grill/smokers are very versatile.
Recently my good friend from India taught me how to make the Egg into a Tondoori Oven!!! The internal temperature will get as high as 650 F. Then you open it up full throttle and throw off the top and the flames are like a jet engine. Then place a heavy fire safe (autoclave safe) stone in the bottom for a fire shield. Buy a long 4′ metal rod (skewer) from Home depot and pierce the Tandoor chicken with an L shaped bend in the bottom to hold the chicken in place. Stick that baby straight down the top tube and wear heavy fire-safe gloves. 6 minutes and you have the best Tandoor chicken in the world. This method also makes great Naan bread; just slap the dough on the side and hold in place 2 minutes. Yum.
Nobody has a weber smokey mountain????
Definitely a step up from the brinkman’s, and it does a great job with regulating the fire.
Dusty,
Here’s the chicken stand taht I use.
Kinda makes me feel sorry for the chicken. Tall boy or regular sized can?
D.For big quantities of food, I like barrel smokers. For my college graduation party, I did 28 half chickens in 2 barrels. They are old smuckers jam or juice 55 gallon barrels with coals in the bottom and meat hanging in the top. 1 hour 20 minutes for chicken to perfection!
Throw in a keg of Sierra Nevada Crystal Wheat and some of your favorite beans… Good times!
Nice stuff Tyler my UDS is just about complete. When I was in Oklahoma this spring Dusty introduced me to ranch style beans, now my favorite.
Every smoker has its pros and cons. Some of the downsides on ceramic are cost, weight, less mobility and limited capacity, to name a few. On the plus side, they hold a consistent heat, retain moisture and go very easy on fuel. A steady heat at night will hold until morning, usually without any need to get up. (A good trick is to have a drip pan, because the fats dripping to the hot coals creates some unhealthy stuff and causes temp spikes.) All in all, I like my ceramic and would buy it again without hesitation. 30 lbs of pork is about the max it will fit.
On the other hand, I like helping to cook whole hogs every now and then. Obviously, that takes a different type of cooker, involves less sleep and usually involves more adult beverages.
So what’s the cook time on say a Boston Butt in an Egg versus in a cheaper smoker? Does the Egg accelerate it, or convey a different flavor, or just look cool? I am not knocking it – I think those things are fascinating; I’m just wondering.
Zach
This is a very rough rule of thumb, but somewhere in the range of 1.5 hours for every pound of butt, with a cook temp of 220. Could be as quick as 1 hour or as slow and 2 hours. No way of knowing – it will hit a temp plateau (or maybe two of them) where the meat temp stalls
I know that I am showing up to this thread a little late in the game but can’t say no to a food thread.
I found this site while looking into some dutch oven cooking ideas for a fall hunting trip to South Dakota and a spring trip to the White with Uncle Dusty. Loads of good stuff so I thought i’d pass it along.
http://livefireonline.com/outdoorcookingguild/I use a Grill Dome ceramic cooker at home:
I can fit four butts (starting @ 12 lbs each) on there with no problem. That is slightly more than I thought it would handle.
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