Recent content by Dale Groetsema

here is a method I have tried with some success. I have a couple portable grates with legs that allow me to double up my capacity for the smaller meats (ribs, chicken pieces, brisket flats). I purchased at Cash and Carry in the Portland metro area. Place your chicken on the top grate. Position...

Hello all you WSM fans, I am not technically "new" to the VWBB, having joined back in 2000. But I have been away for several years, as Chris knows. Getting my birthday greeting today reminded me of what a great resource this site has been over the years I was active prompted me to come back to...

I stumbled across this thread while checking my memory about brining turkey-feeding a bunch of homeless folks in Portland this afternoon. I was amused and surprised at some of the reactions to Gary and his book (which I confess I have not yet purchased). I've known Gary personally at least 8...

I came up with this great idea then searched this forum and saw that you guys and girls already had been trying this out for several months. Nonetheless, I will share my experience in cooking a brisket on the WSM without the use of a waterpan. Bought a choice brisket, about 10 lbs, but very...

If you really want one, the meat packing houses in Chicago on Lake Street can provide them. When I first moved back to Chicago a few years ago, I was in need of a brisket for a competition. I scheduled a trip to the packing house to get my meat. The butcher came out holding a "carcass-sized"...

I use the a platform similar to the one shown above. I built a frame out of 1 1/2 inch PVC pipe to give some security to the three WSM that I carry on the back to cookoffs, plus all the gear, canopy, family (wife, daughter, and visiting niece) inside a minivan

You know, restaurant work is hard, but if you love it, if you love being your own boss, the time flies. My little brother Harold owns a BBQ joint up in Fairbanks--I'll let him speak for himself next time he logs into this site, but I know he works hard at the restaurant and at his other full...

While I agree that making your own BBQ can result in some of the best eating you've ever had, I also know that it takes lots of practice to make it come out consistently great. And, in the meantime, what do you have for a benchmark of what is great bbq. Not looking for any debate on this, I...

Yep, Marg and Anna are coming along. We are staying at a hotel nearby with a swimming pool. My friends Paul and Mona (who were at Beaverton) also are coming. Looking forward to it

And if you take Jim up on his judging invitation, please don't penalize any team that does not use "optional" garnish as I hear some teams are considering that.

I concur with Jim--never take a picture of the WSM to show the health department. They'd run me out of town. I use a brush or a big of aluminum foil to clean out the dome. That flakey stuff ends up falling on your food--which probably does not matter on a brisket or butt, but it shows up...

A couple weeks ago, I did a catering job for some folks at work. For a flat fee, I promised one brisket and one butt, plus sauce. The day before the event, I was running late, got home about 4pm, and rushed to get the WSM going and prep the meat. I cut open the Brisket package and decided...

I lived in Chicago for three years and regularly cooked in the winter. More than once, I woke up to check the progress on an overnight cook to find a halo of driveway asphalt about 6 inches wide around my WSM. The rest of the driveway was covered with 6+ inches of snow. the biggest culprit...

One other method I saw for avoiding dried out brisket is to place a piece of cardboard underneath the meat in the cooker. A team did this at a cookoff in Minnesota a couple years back. They placed the raw meat on a square piece of cardboard, carved the outline of the meat on the cardboard and...

That is what BBQ is all about--experimenting with different recipes until you find the one you like, then working to make that recipe even better.