Any Real Bbq Fans Here?

Also....any reason you can’t reuse coals? You’ve finished cooking so just douse and let dry for next time?

 

Managed to get some Jim beam smoking chips or something today, plus a chimney starter, so expecting better outcome tomorrow.

assume with the smoke thing I just add a few at the start then maybe a handful more half way thru?

 

Made the classic mistake tonight. Very hot coals, put stuff on, went off to talk to a friend (first time we’ve had company since the lockdown) and forgot I put stuff on the bbq

 

Mac u posh git.

 

When they're brown they are cooked, when they're black they are fucked.
A tad overdone?

 

Soak in what?

 

You can soak them in water overnight so they smoke rather than burn.
You can also get a smoker tray that sits in the bottom of the barbeque, light it in the middle and put the lid on it so no direct heat to the food, just smoke, there's hot smoked and cold smoked methods, but that's a subject on its own.
Failing that buy a smoker, sky's the limit

 

Practice makes perfect Mike, tonight’s shall be a bit better, hopefully. Anyway they all got eaten. The steaks were well done on one side and rare on the other

 

Indeed, I use wood on mine, not charcoal, burn it out then control the temperature with the lid vents, a second rack to rest stuff on, if the barbeque is big enough push the fire one side to cook on and the cooler side to rest on.
The biggest mistake is cooking when it's too hot, if you can hold your hand for six seconds six inches above the coals that should be fine.
Another trick is to wrap things in foil for five minutes to let it rest, much safer that way.
Have fun

 

What, real wood? As in the dried stuff you’d stick on your fire in the house?

I was using lumpwood charcoal not the bbq coals made from pressed & glued dust.

Can you do it with real wood? I didn’t know that.

Thanks for the 6 & 6 tip

I was a bit eager yesterday but we were getting hungry, this timing thing is tricky

 

Doing our first Cook Out tomorrow in a johnsonian approved and controlled manner.

 

I would recommend placing the (unfrozen) sausages into boil water. Then throw in a good pinch of salt to regain a rolling boil for say 5 minutes. Then you can let them rest & place them onto barbaque till outside is nicely browned. This is the boil & burn method bud'

I was a trained chef in a previous career.



Oh and if you want the best sweet onions, ...or try something new. Place a unpeeled onion on the barbaque way before you get the meat on & wait till the onion is BLACK. Then let it rest & unpeel & its amazing.

 

Lumpwood is ok, real wood is better, I use stuff for the fire and bring wood home from work, as long as its untreated and unpainted. Well seasoned and really dry.
I don't use lighting fuel, just paper and kindling, boy scout style, you can use soaked chips on the fire or herbs, chuck it on and catch the smoke. Drop some rosemary in as you cook, some big sprigs if you have it, bay leaves etc.
Use the vents and the lid to moderate the fire, when you've finished shut the vents off and make your own charcoal ready for next time, you don't have to burn the wood right out, you can wake it up with the lid off and close it down with it on.
My lower vents are shut permanently, I just use the lid vent.
Keep stuff moving around, don't cook on it too hot and don't wander off. It'll be great.

 

Check out how the Argentinians cook, always wood and sometimes straight on the embers, they know a thing or two about steaks.

 

Part way thru, well 2 1/2hrs... have noticed the temp started at about 200 and has stayed there all the time. Couldn’t be the external temp gauge, it’s a £25 valiant one I use for the wood burner, but seems odd.

not sure it’s going to last about couple of hours, so I’ve just added a couple of extra coals. But how do you get them going half way? I stuck them one, added some paper and left lid off for 10 mins....

Hope it’s worth it after all this

 

I’ve just basted with bbq sauce. Been on nearly 3hrs. Had to move to above the heat as it’s just not got much.

think the coals I were using that come in an ignite bag weren’t up to the job. After 4hrs (is high is when I’ll take it off) it must be cooked anyway.