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Smokin' -- Charcoal, Hardwoods & Pellet BBQs

MVI

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a buddy of mine is on the KCBS pro circuit and that got me thinking...



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What BBQs do you guys use at home or out for camping?


let's see em !
 
a buddy of mine is on the KCBS pro circuit and that got me thinking...



1659141836079.png




1659141922537.png



What BBQs do you guys use at home or out for camping?


let's see em !
Love my Traeger. Hardly use my charcoal Webber since getting the pallet burner a few years ago. Mid winter here at the moment so the Traeger sits in the Gazebo out of the weather and I sit in the warmth of the kitchen / lounge with my Traeger App controlling the burn from a warm distance away. No more fretting all is well under the lid is a big plus for me plus I get to socialise more with my grandkids instead of having to hover around the BBQ.
 
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A few years ago, I dug out our poured concrete back patio, it was pitched into the house and causing water problems. This past spring, I finally got all the projects done to the point that I could build a grilling deck back there. In the past, we had propane but I wanted more flavor.

We starter with a Weber Performer. The quality of this grill was really nice but I did not realize how large 22” was for feeding 2 people. The fires I had to build were really big for just a couple burgers. If you have a larger family, this will work great. So I ditched that grill.

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Then a friend loaned me a Kamado Joe Jr. The size of this was perfect. 14” diameter. Setting a good 225° temp was really easy and it did not require a lot of attention. I smoked a bunch of different items on it with great success. Even baked pizza on it. I could not stray too far. It is best to walk past it every 15-30 min and make sure the temp gauge is where it should be. It is very high quality. A full basket of charcoal can last 8+ hours at 225°, with enough to crank up the temp at the end to grill some veggies.

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I am not a millennial but I have some lazy millennial traits. We now have a pellet grill from GMG, the Trek model. I can sit in my recliner and pull my phone out and turn the grill on. Actually, I can be anywhere in the world and control the grill. It sends me push notifications when pre set temps are achieved. If I want to cook meat at multiple temps, say 225° until the internal temp gets to 150°, then 300° till the internal temp hits 165°, I can program that and it will do it automatically. Once the 165° is reached, it turns off and the meat can rest for a bit. I can still monitor the meat temp, when the grill is off. I have only used it a couple times but so far, it is a winner. One notable downside, I contacted GMG after getting the grill, to ask about weather, they said the front control panel is not totally waterproof. The grill is technically 12v power, there is a transformer box that is external to convert the 110 power. The GMG rep said they were not sure how weatherproof that was either. I have a waterproof cover to go over everything but I am not sure what I will do if it starts raining while in use. One notable upside, since it is 12v, it is very portable and can easily be powered by a car/truck. I am not sure how much we will take it with us on trips. We have a folding charcoal grill that woks really well for camping in the van.

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Love my Traeger. Hardly use my charcoal Webber since getting the pallet burner a few years ago. Mid winter here at the moment so the Traeger sits in the Gazebo out of the weather and I sit in the warmth of the kitchen / lounge with my Traeger App controlling the burn from a warm distance away. No more fretting all is well under the lid is a big plus for me plus I get to socialise more with my grandkids instead of having to hover around the BBQ.


Yep. I have a Camp Chef, but same basic deal. Power it up, set the temp, and go back inside for a beer. Monitor and control from anywhere. Best part is the temp and time alarms so I don't forget about it while out wrenching or drinking.

I will admit that the flavor is not quite 100% of a true charcoal fire, but damn close enough considering how easy it is.
 
I fell to the pressure of pellets. We got a GMG Crocket. It’s one of the smaller travel size.
There’s a learning curve to it, but it’s rather finicky. Tried a few things on it. It’s ok at best. Mostly sits covered in the garage now.
I was so excited to get it too. 🤷‍♂️🙃
 
I’ve got a Bradley college fridge style smoker too. Much easier and much more consistent results in my experience.
Only complaint is it’s fairly susceptible to wind, hence the tarp surround in the pic. Doing wings for the superbowl.
Just recently made some venison sweet balogna. It’s super good!!
 

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I used to use a Weber charcoal, then a Charbroil propane, now a Traeger. The charcoal Weber was great but the fiddle factor, petrol starter fluid, and lack of temp control got the better of me. The Charbroil...just a big no. I'm very happy with my Traeger. I've never screwed anything up with it and maintenance/cleanup is not above my pay grade. I did salmon last night and it came out beautifully.

Question for other pellet users: Can you tell a taste difference among the various types of pellets? I think I have nearly every type of Traeger wood pellet but I'm hard pressed to tell whether they impart a difference in taste.
 
Hmm, interesting. We're looking for a new BBQ Grill as our old barrel style is slowly succumbing to the environment and age. I've always used Charcoal, my parents switched to gas many year ago and my in-laws went to the pellet style. Not really interested in gas, but I'm curious about the pellet grills so I'm here doing some reading and internet searching also.

I've seen at a Sam's Club, a Charcoal Grill that had a gas igniter, used a small bottle of gas for the charcoal ignition like for a camping stove. Along with a Traeger Pellet Grill and other brand names. I went to GMG webpage and read about their Crockett (updated and renamed to Trek) and the other bigger grills. Another reason I've always liked charcoal is no electrical power is needed as we've used it for cooking some years ago when we were without power for several days. Although I did notice on GMG site that they talked about their portable ones using 12VDC power so it was possible to run the electrical and electronics from a 12V Battery. Hmm, Ideas...

Looking forward to further reading.
 
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Hmm, interesting. We're looking for a new BBQ Grill as our old barrel style is slowly succumbing to the environment and age. I've always used Charcoal, my parents switched to gas many year ago and my in-laws went to the pellet style. Not really interested in gas, but I'm curious about the pellet grills so I'm here doing some reading and internet searching also.

I've seen at a Sam's Club, a Charcoal Grill that had a gas igniter, used a small bottle of gas for the charcoal ignition like for a camping stove. Along with a Traeger Pellet Grill and other brand names. I went to GMG webpage and read about their Crockett (updated and renamed to Trek) and the other bigger grills. Another reason I've always liked charcoal is no electrical power is needed as we've used it for cooking some years ago when we were without power for several days. Although I did notice on GMG site that they talked about their portable ones using 12VDC power so it was possible to run the electrical and electronics from a 12V Battery. Hmm, Ideas...

Looking forward to further reading.
I have access to a large pellet grill/smoker at work. I’ve had way better luck with that than I have had with the very small GMG I have at home.
Yes, the travel size does come with a cigarette style plug that has a very long cord. It also has spring loaded clips that you could attach directly to a battery. It’s a nice touch.
I really just need to spend more time with it to learn its nuances. My frustration may very well be user error to some degree. Or at least it could be user expectation?
A buddy of mine has the same one and he raves about it…🤷‍♂️
 
Rainy day. Moved the smoker to the sawmill shed. Doing the Lord's work today.
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Propped up on the other side of the shed in a hammock with a book. I'm about to starve to death smelling this thing 😁
 
Glad someone else uses a gas smoker. I hate dicking around with charcoal (just never got the hang of it) and I've been using a gas smoker for almost 2 decades now. Does great beer-can chicken, pork loins, fish, brats and sausage. I'm going to try smoked mac and cheese next when I do a pork roast soon. I've used various types of wood over the years and had about the same results, along with similar results with and without a water pan. Major advantage for me is the place we moved to 7 years ago uses propane for the water heater, stove and oven and the original owner who had the place custom built (with 26x36 well-insulated detached garage with a half bath) was smart enough to run an underground line for the main gas feed out to the garage porch, so I have a hose and quick-disconnect for both my grill and smoker.

Anybody ever do one of these?


I did one a long time ago, slightly overcooked it because it's lots of uncooked sausage starting out and wanted to be sure it was fully done inside. Quite the tasty heart-attack-waiting-to-happen though.

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This gas smoker was given to me. Someone threw it out, my buddy grabbed it and let me have it. It's doesn't use much fuel. No complaints here!
 
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