How often do you eat Que?


 
JeffB

JeffB

TVWBB Pro
I love BBQ as much as the next guy and I've really enjoyed getting to know my WSM 22.5 and the 3 smokes I've done on it so far (2 BB's and 1 Chicken). Not ready to do a brisket yet.

I'm wondering, however, how often do the folks on this forum actually eat Que? Are you smoking every weekend? Ever get tired of it or the process of getting it done and getting it right? It's definitely time consuming.

Is it healthy to be eating smoked foods all the time?

Just wondering.
 
I cook most of my food on a grill or smoker but as far as traditional bbq goes I would say once every couple months......It's probably not healthy to always be cooking over fire but it has to be better than eating out!

Clark
 
Grilled food, almost daily. If I cook at home, it's on the grill 9 out of 10 times. I cook at home on average 4-5 days a week.

A lot of times I will do smoked items on the grill rather than traditional BBQ, like a pork chop with a chunk of pecan.

But for traditional BBQ, pork butt, ribs, chicken, brisket, 1-2 per month I cook it, but eat it 4-5 times.

I won't get too far into the "health" argument about "smoked" foods. Some people believe it may even cause cancer, but what doesn't? There was a pretty good discussion on here about the health aspects of grilled & smoked foods, I suggest searching for it if you are interested.

I am sure a lot of the items we choose to BBQ aren't the healthiest cuts of meat. But you can definetly smoke & grill leaner cuts that are better for you.

I very much enjoy cooking and also enjoy getting better at it each day. So nope, don't really get tired of trying to improve. But it's not for everyone, ie my wife
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We eat Q about once a week and everyone in the house seems to like that frequency. From what I have read Q "could be" a little unhealthy but in my almost 70 years I've heard this about almost everything people eat. We like it and my wife and I are not expecting to live to be 100 so we're going to enjoy our "golden years".
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I smoke on average once a week. I take left overs for lunch 2-3x a week. So I guess I'm eating Q 3-4x a week. If I weren't practicing for comps it would probably be a bit less. I heard that "practice makes perfect" so before long I should be getting that GC,(ya think?).

Mark
 
2 to 3 times a month for me. Just this past Saturday night, just after 9pm, I got the urge to throw a pork shoulder on. So I went to the market and got a small one (5 lbs), threw that nicely rubbed baby on and had pulled pork mixed with chorizo for breakfast the next morning. Beautiful! Sammies for lunch.

It's become more than just a hobby for me.
 
I ask because I'm curious, but also because I've smoked some ribs 2x this month and they are good but I don't think I'd want them more often than that. My wife (scientist) also thinks that smoked foods are not that healthy so she's not looking for Q that often.
 
Originally posted by Jeff Bryson:
My wife (scientist) also thinks that smoked foods are not that healthy so she's not looking for Q that often.
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Jeff, I smell trouble!

Smoke more variety and you won't get so tired of it. If it's the "smoke" per se then cut back on the smoke wood. The cooking method itself is great!!!!!

Mark
 
Originally posted by Jeff Bryson:
I love BBQ as much as the next guy and I've really enjoyed getting to know my WSM 22.5 and the 3 smokes I've done on it so far (2 BB's and 1 Chicken). Not ready to do a brisket yet.

I'm wondering, however, how often do the folks on this forum actually eat Que? Are you smoking every weekend? Ever get tired of it or the process of getting it done and getting it right? It's definitely time consuming.

Is it healthy to be eating smoked foods all the time?

Just wondering.
Click to expand...

Jeff, GO FOR THE BRISKET, HIGH HEAT!!
It's much easier than you think. Heck, if I can do it, you can.

We eat Q about once or twice a month, I only smoke maybe once a month, we eat from the freezer.

No, I don't get tired of all it takes, and I don't shive a ghit about any health issues.
Gotta die from something.
I'm 61, gonna be 62 in March, might start smoking again in a few years if I can afford it.
 
Originally posted by Jeff Bryson:
... My wife (scientist) also thinks that smoked foods are not that healthy so she's not looking for Q that often.
Click to expand...
I think that bears further research (No pun intended, but I have to take humor where I find it.
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)

I understand that the brown bits that result from higher temperature grilling contain carcinogens. Unfortunately they're very good tasting carcinogens. I don't think the same substances are produced by the lower temperatures encountered in smoking. The color comes from the smoke. (I don't know if that contains any Bad Things(tm). I'm sure studies have been done.

From Purdue's web site:

Research suggests that grilled meat may increase the risk of certain types of cancer. Red meats, poultry and fish produce compounds called heterocyclic amines (known carcinogens) when cooked at high temperatures. Another type of carcinogen called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are formed when animal fat drips onto hot coals which then flame up and deposit the carcinogens on the meat.
Click to expand...

There seems to be a lot less information (at least what I would consider authoritative) for carcinogens in smoked meat.

To answer your original question, almost daily if I'm allowed to include anything I cook on one of my Webers. That includes grilled vegetables and fish as well as roasted and smoked meats. I just smoked two butts, a brisket and 5 lb of bratwurst. Most of that will go in the freezer and come out to be the basis of meals in the coming weeks. I'll also take some to our kids place (baby nearly two weeks overdue) to save them some cooking.
 
It varies. If I'm test cooking for comps then it's about once or twice a week, but those are what I call mini-cooks. For instance if it's chicken then I'll just do 2 or 3 thighs, just to try out a flavor. If the cook is for dinner then it's maybe once a month. Of course I'm cooking at comps roughly once or twice a month.

Is it bad for me? Probably. So is most of the garbage people eat these days. Been to McDonald's lately? I'll stack my ribs up against their Big Mac any day.

Russ
 
I'll chime in on this. I grill a few times a week and normal Q a few times a month. I have to say, I laugh a little at the "health" that has been brought into question. I know health should be taken seriously, so I'm not trying to offend anyone with my comments. First, as someone upstream already said, name me something that hasn't been tied to cancer! Along those lines, some recent studies have been done which have found trace amounts of carcinogens in the food that was cooked over charcoal or wood. Being the nut I am, I actually read 3 studies on this subject. I laugh because I'm a Quality Manager and look stats for the better part of my day. Yes they are right that carcinogens exist in the food when done. The trace amounts are such that you'd have to ingest a cow a day for it to be remotely an issue. Let's just say you can make data say almost anything you want it to! Again don't mean to take up a lot of time here or offend anyone! You should take your health seriously!
 
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