Any Time is Grillin Time

[dontpanicbobby]

@olbriar Do you realize there is a Grilling Guide/Cookbook imbedded in this thread?
YOU! Should write it.
You've already coined the title so...

 

[olbriar]

@olbriar Do you realize there is a Grilling Guide/Cookbook imbedded in this thread?
YOU! Should write it.
You've already coined the title so...

There really is some great information in this thread. I'm just one of the many contributors.
I've fanned back through the pages often to see how @Unforgiven cooked this or that, to mention one great source. It's been a fun thread, especially if you have a passion for grilling, smoking, or cooking out.

 

[Unforgiven]

...to mention one great source...

Like all things its a give and take, and in this thread I feel I've unfairly taken more than I've given, especially going back to @olbriar chatting up the pellet grills. Thankfully that's the spirit of BBQ, pals helping pals.

 

[olbriar]

I opened my mouth a few months back at my go to shop for mower parts and repair and had them put my name down if the new Green Mountain Prime smokers ever went on sale. With me being a frequent customer and they a Green Mountain dealer they called today. They went on sale today and for the next two weeks. They only had two like I wanted so I went by there on my way home from work and bought a new smoker. I bought the Green Mountain Prime Jim Bowie. It's the larger of the smokers they make and comes with WiFi. It is a bit of an upgrade from the Jim Bowie I have on the patio. It comes with a view window for pellet monitoring as well as a window in the hood. High temp is 550° instead of 500°. It has a low temp setting of 100° for keeping stuff warm or doing cold smokes. It has an external rod that allows adjustment of the heat diffuser and an external port to accept a shop vac to clean ashes from the fire pot without removing the grate, drip ramp, and heat diffuser. It comes with a storage shelf below the unit and a work table forward of the cooking surface as well as the standard side table. Bottle opener, two meat probes, adjustable grill tool rack, and other little perks that I suspect will be okay... nothing to get excited about. The forward work table, higher max heat, cold smoke, external adjustment on the heat diffuser, and the burn pot vac port are the upgrades I'm excited about. I was able to sell my used smoker today to a guy I work around so with the $150 off sale price and quickly getting my money back out of the used smoker today made me a pretty happy guy. I'll put the super clean on the old and deliver it tomorrow. I'll get the new smoker fired up with a burn in tomorrow afternoon. I'll be smoking something Sunday.

 

[olbriar]

My clean up and delivery of my old GM smoker went as planned today. My son came over and helped with the loading and unloading of the old and then helped with the build of the new smoker. It would have been a fun day but it was a bit chilly and pretty windy. We still had fun, don't get me wrong. Everything went together as it should with the new smoker, no surprises or problems. It fired right up and came up to it's start temp of 150° faster than the one I sold. We then ran it up to 350° and let it hold that temp for 30 minutes which was the suggested burn in temp / time. With plenty of time and beers we ran it up to 550° and let it hold that temp for another half hour. While it was on I connected to the WiFi and played some with that. I did not connect it to my local network yet. I'll likely do that tomorrow and give it a try while I'm out mowing across town. I see the WiFi feature an asset but I've lived without it for years. To monitor and have the ability to adjust my cook while I'm away will be nice but certainly not a must. I'll be smoking flank steaks for the maiden cook.

My take on the smoker....

Pros: I think it's a hell of a lot of smoker and a real bargain at the current sale price.
The build is solid and putting it together was a snap
It's fast to get to temp and holds that temp even on a cold windy day
The out front table will be a great surface for maneuvering cooks in and out of the smoker.
The fire pot vac port will have to be a real asset though I've not used it yet.
The pellet hopper is larger than my older Jim Bowie and holds 18 lbs.
The lower shelf between the legs adds stability to the cooker and makes good use of otherwise wasted space.

Cons: My top whine is the smoker is a 12v dc system instead of the 110v ac system I'm accustomed to.
It has an external converter which is connected to a standard ac outlet and then plugs into the smoker.
It came with a connector to directly connect to a vehicle's 12v system. The sales point is so the unit can be mobile for picnics, tailgating, camping, etc. I think they were off the mark with their thinking. Few people are going to lug a 200+ lb cooker around. The 12v converter creates a problem being out in the elements and requires additional protection. I zip tied the converter to the grill underneath the hopper. With the cover on the grill it should be protected. It's still far from ideal setup and the 12v system is just an ignorant idea IMO.

Meh: The bottle opener, windows, and adjustable utensil rack are gimmicky. They look good and might be employed at times but nothing that I need.

I'm certain I'll have more to add after a few cooks. So far I'm very happy with my purchase.

 

[ocnbrze]

hey guys so i'm thinking about grilling my turkey this year. i want to grill it vs smoking it. so what do you think is the best way to do this? i was think about pre-roasting it, then with an hour or two go finish it on the grill. does this make sense? should i do it the other way around? or just cook the turkey in the grill the while time.

i'm also thinking i want to butterfly the turkey for faster cooking time.

thoughts?

 

[olbriar]

I've never done a spatchcock cook on a turkey. Whole chickens turn out great! If my memory serves me, @Unforgiven did a spatchcock turkey but my memory often fails me. Perhaps he'll chime in.

If I were attempting the cook, I'd brine the bird over night. Then I'd rinse the bird off and cut the spine out and then break the bird down. I'd then butter up the bird and even separate the skin from the breast a bit and butter that as well. I'd then season the bird with salt, pepper, rosemary, and sage. I think I'd try cooking the bird meat side up at 325° - 375°. Spatchcocked will quicken the cook but I'd start the bird early without a clue how long it might take to cook. The thigh is the meat to check for temp and 165° would be my target. My guess is two, three, or maybe four hours cook time. I just don't know. I like to rest my cooks so as I said, I'd start it early.

I hope Unforgiven will have better information for you. It sounds like a fun cook and I'm sure it will be great. Enjoy...

 

[olbriar]

The maiden cook on my new Green Mountain Jim Bowie prime was flat iron steaks. I cooked them low and slow, wrapping them at 160° and put them in my hot box when they reached 195°. They were generously seasoned with coarse salt and coarse pepper after they were rubbed down with avocado oil. I spritzed them with apple juice and worchestershire sauce. They are so good and tender if you don't mind investing five hours or so in a die for steak. Well worth the time in my opinion.

The new smoker performed well. I instantly fell in love with the shelf out front of the cooker. It makes everything so much easier. I was not that fond of the WiFi though it worked. After the wrapping of the steaks, I opted to use my normal BT probes for monitoring my cook. The Wifi might have merit if your cook was that predictable. It's set up to cook off of a chosen cook profile that you create or using a preset profile. It will cook at a given temp until the profile tells it to change the temp. That can be by time or by a temp reached. Monitoring that cook or editing along the way can be done from the phone. That's all well and fine but it's not spritzing the meat and it isn't wrapping it either. And I'm just not going to set up and cook and come back hours later.. just not my idea of smoking meats. I'm the guy that wants smoke in his eyes and an excuse to grab another brew. I like my BT probes better. Set an alarm temp and it lets you know when it's reached it's target. It eliminates the guesses when you want to do something even when you might get distracted. Everything else about the cooker worked as it should. Smoke is smoke and it made plenty of it. It was very good at holding a given temp only varying a degree or so once in a while from it's setting. The auger is a bit noisier than my old smoker but the fans made less noise. No biggie on either.. just an observation. I liked the smoker and loved the steaks it smoked. I foresee a lot of fun on the patio in my future.

 

[Unforgiven]

I've never done a spatchcock cook on a turkey. Whole chickens turn out great! If my memory serves me, @Unforgiven did a spatchcock turkey but my memory often fails me. Perhaps he'll chime in.

If I were attempting the cook, I'd brine the bird over night. Then I'd rinse the bird off and cut the spine out and then break the bird down. I'd then butter up the bird and even separate the skin from the breast a bit and butter that as well. I'd then season the bird with salt, pepper, rosemary, and sage. I think I'd try cooking the bird meat side up at 325° - 375°. Spatchcocked will quicken the cook but I'd start the bird early without a clue how long it might take to cook. The thigh is the meat to check for temp and 165° would be my target. My guess is two, three, or maybe four hours cook time. I just don't know. I like to rest my cooks so as I said, I'd start it early.

I hope Unforgiven will have better information for you. It sounds like a fun cook and I'm sure it will be great. Enjoy...

I can't suggest anything better than that. You nailed it my friend.

The maiden cook on my new Green Mountain Jim Bowie prime was flat iron steaks. I cooked them low and slow, wrapping them at 160° and put them in my hot box when they reached 195°. They were generously seasoned with coarse salt and coarse pepper after they were rubbed down with avocado oil. I spritzed them with apple juice and worchestershire sauce. They are so good and tender if you don't mind investing five hours or so in a die for steak. Well worth the time in my opinion.

The new smoker performed well. I instantly fell in love with the shelf out front of the cooker. It makes everything so much easier. I was not that fond of the WiFi though it worked. After the wrapping of the steaks, I opted to use my normal BT probes for monitoring my cook. The Wifi might have merit if your cook was that predictable. It's set up to cook off of a chosen cook profile that you create or using a preset profile. It will cook at a given temp until the profile tells it to change the temp. That can be by time or by a temp reached. Monitoring that cook or editing along the way can be done from the phone. That's all well and fine but it's not spritzing the meat and it isn't wrapping it either. And I'm just not going to set up and cook and come back hours later.. just not my idea of smoking meats. I'm the guy that wants smoke in his eyes and an excuse to grab another brew. I like my BT probes better. Set an alarm temp and it lets you know when it's reached it's target. It eliminates the guesses when you want to do something even when you might get distracted. Everything else about the cooker worked as it should. Smoke is smoke and it made plenty of it. It was very good at holding a given temp only varying a degree or so once in a while from it's setting. The auger is a bit noisier than my old smoker but the fans made less noise. No biggie on either.. just an observation. I liked the smoker and loved the steaks it smoked. I foresee a lot of fun on the patio in my future.

<------is jealous of your new toy.

 

[olbriar]

I found a use for the WiFi on the new Green Mountain Prime. I can start the smoker and then run it up to the desired cooking temp from my phone. It's not a big deal but I will definitely utilize the feature across the winter months. Naturally it will require the removal of the grill cover the night before but I can see firing up the smoker from the kitchen while I'm prepping my cook. Instead of bundling up to run outside and start the smoker and then running out there again to turn it up to my desired cook temp, it will be just one cold trip out to put the meat on. I can turn the grill off (running it through it's shut down blow out sequence) from my phone as well. Being as I'm already out there bringing in my cook it's not a great perk. I will likely use the GM server to monitor my cooks this summer. I have four lawns that I mow on Sunday mornings. I can see the advantage of checking in now and then while I'm across town. It's the early smoke period of most of my cooks so I have always felt confident in leaving it unattended while I mow. It will add a bit of assurance that all is well.
Why not put it to use?

I grilled burgers tonight. It was misty, windy, and cold out but the burgers were great. I haven't decided what I'm smoking this weekend. I plan to run to Costco Saturday and I'm betting something will get my attention. I'm thinking of something beef or fish with a big ol ham on the menu for Thanksgiving. If nothing calls my name, I think I'll spatchcock a chicken. Talking about it here a couple of days ago made me hungry for the dish.

 

[ocnbrze]

"spatchcock".........i never heard of this terminology before. is it an east coast thing? midwest thing? i always have used the term "butterfly".

do you think i should "spatchcock" the turkey first then brine? or brine then "butterfly" the turkey?

 

[olbriar]

I have no idea the origin of the word spatchcock. When I think of butterflying a chicken I think of almost cutting a chicken breast through from end to end so that it will lay flat on the grill. I suspect the words are interchangeable.

I would brine the bird first just for the ease of handling it. Walmart sells super large zip-lock bags that are ideal for the process. I'm sure they can be had elsewhere. When I brine my turkey I'll place it in such a bag and I just use salt and cold water. I use a large cooler to ice down the bird for safe keeping over night. The bags keep the bird submerged as well as protect it from the cooler ice water. I hope you have some super duper poultry shears.

 

[olbriar]

I struck out at Costco. Their meat counters were full of big cut cooks with the anticipation of family gatherings over Thanksgiving. The only thing I was really tempted to buy was a whole rack of beef ribs. They had a lot of meat on them and the rack was at least a dozen ribs long. There was a lot of meat between and on one side of the racks. Beautiful to say the least but priced accordingly. I wasn't willing to pay over $150 for a lot more than the wife and I could begin to eat so I passed them up. What a wonderful cook that would be for a group. It was simply a beautiful rack.. man! They also had a big cut of pork belly that I'd love to smoke. Two packages of ribeye cap steaks drew my attention but neither package looked that great to me. Anyway, I went home without and then hit up my local butcher for something good.
He hooked me up with a KS strip loin roast. He had two saved back for someone that didn't follow through. This is a roast size chunk of the loin that KC strips are cut from. Originally priced at $43.70, I bought the loin for $11.23. It helps to have friends in the meat cutting business. I plan on cooking it like I smoke a chuck roast. I'm anxious to see how it turns out.

Today I'm smoking some pork shoulder blade steaks and some ears of corn.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

Beef ribs are to darn big.
That bone.

 

[olbriar]

Beef ribs are to darn big.
That bone.

They are indeed. When I was a kid, my mother often made her soups out of beef ribs. The meat was cheap and darn good when slow cooked. Now it's a delicacy and it's price reflects that. The ribs make a great eat when smoked out. It's like steak on a stick. Fun and tasty they are and incredibly tender. The ribs I see at my local market have all but no meat beyond the bone, just the connecting tissue between. The racks I was eyeballing at Costco had a good inch and a half of meat on them. They were beautiful.

 

[olbriar]

Speaking of those beef ribs, I've experienced the volume packing problem before. Passing up those ribs have pushed me over the top. I'm seriously considering the purchase of a food vacuum sealer. With such a tool I could have easily cut that rack into fourths and vac-packed three portions for future smokes and had one portion to smoke tomorrow. I could have put the fourths in freezer zip-locks but they aren't good for long term storage. I'd love to have a vacuum chamber but I don't want to invest that much and storing it would be a problem. I've looked at the external vac sealers and they vary a lot in price. I don't mind seriously investing in the project and I only plan on buying once. The cheap models do not interest me. The popular mid range units I've found have a pretty short service life. So, I'm looking at the low end "commercial" vac sealers. The unit that is at the top of my early research list is the ARY VacMaster Pro 350. If anyone has experience with or opinion on vac sealers, I'd certainly enjoy your input.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

My nephew has a smaller one he seals a vegetable product with. I'm not sure why though. They sell so quickly.
Anywho
Are beef ribs sauces mainly A1?
Pork ribs sauces run the gamut from spicy to sweet.
What sauce goes on beef ribs?
Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[olbriar]

Taste preferences influence beef rubs. Personally I love the flavor of beef and don't care to mask it. I rarely put anything on beef besides salt and pepper. Once in a great fashion I'll add some garlic. I have a couple of different commercially sold beef rubs that I've tried. They taste great on beef but I taste the rub instead of the meat. It's all a matter of what you like. Today I'm smoking a KC strip loin roast. My plan is to season it with just coarse sea salt and fresh coarse ground pepper. That's how I like beef.

After reading up on my KC strip roast I find it's basically a poor man's prime rib cut. I plan on smoking it accordingly. I'll let it rest for a couple of hours before cooking. I'll rub it down with avocado oil and generously season with salt and pepper and place in a 250° smoker until it reaches 120° internal temp. I'll then tightly wrap it in foil and place in my hot box for a couple of hours. Just prior to serving, I will put a nice sear on the roast,
and serve it with some horsey sauce. Tossed salad and baked potatoes chunks will compliment the roast.

 

[olbriar]

The KC roast turned out great. It had a bit of gristle in it but was excellent for eleven bucks.

 

[Unforgiven]

Speaking of those beef ribs, I've experienced the volume packing problem before. Passing up those ribs have pushed me over the top. I'm seriously considering the purchase of a food vacuum sealer. With such a tool I could have easily cut that rack into fourths and vac-packed three portions for future smokes and had one portion to smoke tomorrow. I could have put the fourths in freezer zip-locks but they aren't good for long term storage. I'd love to have a vacuum chamber but I don't want to invest that much and storing it would be a problem. I've looked at the external vac sealers and they vary a lot in price. I don't mind seriously investing in the project and I only plan on buying once. The cheap models do not interest me. The popular mid range units I've found have a pretty short service life. So, I'm looking at the low end "commercial" vac sealers. The unit that is at the top of my early research list is the ARY VacMaster Pro 350. If anyone has experience with or opinion on vac sealers, I'd certainly enjoy your input.

I use the seal a meal all the time and keep meat frozen for months without issue. I just use the retail Seal-A-Meal or whatever they are called. I've burned through 3 of them in the past 15 years or so. I do buy my rolls of bags on Amazon as they are about $0.10 on the dollar versus the retail bags.

That one you listed is pretty reasonable prices for a commercial one, so it may be worth the extra for a beefier device.

Also, you can do quick marinading of meat as the vacuum sealing draws the marinade into the meat.

 

[olbriar]

I use the seal a meal all the time and keep meat frozen for months without issue. I just use the retail Seal-A-Meal or whatever they are called. I've burned through 3 of them in the past 15 years or so. I do buy my rolls of bags on Amazon as they are about $0.10 on the dollar versus the retail bags.

That one you listed is pretty reasonable prices for a commercial one, so it may be worth the extra for a beefier device.

Also, you can do quick marinading of meat as the vacuum sealing draws the marinade into the meat.

I was wondering how the marinading worked. It sounds pretty cool. I find the unit I'm interested in on Amazon but at a crazy price. ($800 & $1,200) I find it elsewhere at $330 or so. It's big brother can be had at Amazon for $400 and it will do 16" wide bags. I can't see the need for that and naturally it's more expensive. I have found the one I like at a restaurant store online. It's priced within my budget and considerably cheaper than I can find it elsewhere. In fact, it's so much cheaper, I'm a bit leery of purchasing there. I googled up your sealer and it looks legit. If you are getting five years use from one, and at it's price, perhaps I need to rethink my purchase. I only plan on buying once but I doubt I'll live to 200

 

[Unforgiven]

I was wondering how the marinading worked. It sounds pretty cool. I find the unit I'm interested in on Amazon but at a crazy price. ($800 & $1,200) I find it elsewhere at $330 or so. It's big brother can be had at Amazon for $400 and it will do 16" wide bags. I can't see the need for that and naturally it's more expensive. I have found the one I like at a restaurant store online. It's priced within my budget and considerably cheaper than I can find it elsewhere. In fact, it's so much cheaper, I'm a bit leery of purchasing there. I googled up your sealer and it looks legit. If you are getting five years use from one, and at it's price, perhaps I need to rethink my purchase. I only plan on buying once but I doubt I'll live to 200

Let me put it this way, if I was to buy one today, for the price, I'd go with one of those ARYs. They aren't much larger than the one I have (discontinued) and being built for commercial use should hold up to more vigorous elements. I killed my previous two by drawing too much wet (meat juices, marinade, etc.) into the vacuum, because the mitigation thingies built in weren't up to snuff. I'd expect them to be better with a commercial product. Plus, looks like bigger motors (so better / faster vacuum), wider sealer (so you get fewer failed seals, which are rare, but they do happen), and you can get attachements (which I never use, so I don't bother ).

Regardless if you get a $100 one or a $300 one, you can grab meat on sale and save it for later, so it will pay for itself. Below is a NY strip ($70) and a pork loin ($12) that I turned into 10 1 1/2 inch steaks and 3/4 lbs of stew beef, a pork rib roast, loin roast, and about a dozen center cut pork chops. I've also bought entire rib roasts (i.e. prime rib or rib eye steaks) and sealed them up and eaten them months later and they taste like I just picked them up at the butcher (those may be easier to seal in the one the uses up to 16" bags ).

Spoiler: Lotsa meat

Whatever you do, don't buy branded "Food Saver" bags. They charge you about $50 for a 25' roll where I can get two 11" x 50' rolls on Amazon for under $20. The only difference is they don't have white lines every inch along the sides so you can measure your bag size nor a white stripe to write the contents on. Neither of those are worth a premium price IMO.

 

[olbriar]

That, Sir, is an impressive display of meat! I do appreciate your information and opinion. Means a lot to me. I'm still looking at different buying options but it seems everything I look at I'm comparing to the ARY. What I really want is a vacuum chamber. They draw a vacuum across the bag and it's contents as well as the area around it. Then it seals the bag and releases the pressure in the chamber. The vacuum within the bag is sealed. This method does not draw the moisture out of the bag and ruin the sealer. You can even seal a bag of water. The bags do not require the texture within allowing the air to flow so the bagging rolls are cheaper. However, the chambers are much more expensive... go figure. I'll go with an external sealer and most likely the ARY. Just hearing your vote of confidence on a vac system has made me a buyer. With just two mouths to feed, I have to pass up so many meat selections. Most everything is packaged singularly at a gouge or in a family pack designed for four. I'm not even talking about bargain bulk buying, I'm talking my everyday shopping. I can't help but think a vac sealer will be the answer.

 

[olbriar]

It's all your fault. You talked me into it. I went with the bigger unit. At least I have the option for the big bags but will likely use the 12" most often. After reading up on some forums, I bought from a different vendor. It cost me fifteen dollars more for a better line of communication and customer relationship. I hope I don't need to bother them but I feel better knowing I can. The unit comes with some bags and a 50' x 12" roll. What brand are you using @Unforgiven ? I'd like to snag up a 15" roll and I should be set. I'd post up a review when I receive it but I have nothing to compare it to so it would be pretty lame. Pretty excited to press it into service however.

 

[Unforgiven]

It's all your fault. You talked me into it. I went with the bigger unit. At least I have the option for the big bags but will likely use the 12" most often. After reading up on some forums, I bought from a different vendor. It cost me fifteen dollars more for a better line of communication and customer relationship. I hope I don't need to bother them but I feel better knowing I can. The unit comes with some bags and a 50' x 12" roll. What brand are you using @Unforgiven ? I'd like to snag up a 15" roll and I should be set. I'd post up a review when I receive it but I have nothing to compare it to so it would be pretty lame. Pretty excited to press it into service however.

Let me know how it works out and congrats. Here are the rolls I bought last...
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CT9KZL8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
...but I really just go on Amazon and look for the best price when I need them.