G
Guest
Guest
Hey,
This site's so great I feel like an expert after 3 cooks (chicken, baby backs, pulled pork)! In case it helps any other newbies, here are some things I didn't know going in (even after a fair amount of TVWB research) and would have liked to have learned earlier:
1) What a smoke ring is: http://home1.gte.net/res004na/ring.html. So *that's* why my chicken tasted, as my wife said, "like really good ham hocks".
2) Can't reuse smoke-wood for another cook, except as charcoal.
3) Probe thermometers are the bomb, one for the grill and one for the meat. I've never lifted the lid except to turn/baste/remove the meat.
4) *Remote* probe thermometers are even better! I love being able to read the temp without going outside. Downside: I end up checking the temp once every five minutes, 'cause it's so darned easy.
5) Go ahead and get the oil pan. No mess, no fuss.
6) Don't count on BBQ Galore having what you want in stock--just order from Amazon.
7) I wasn't going to regret getting the WSM instead of the Kamado.
8) Mr. Brown takes his sweet time!
9) Don't waste your time on small cooks, throw a lot of meat on there and freeze the excess. Figure not enough meat is one of the reasons I've had to close the bottom vents almost completely (Minion method).
10) I could have been smoking for all these years instead of indirect cooking on a kettle grill.
11) Who needs alt.food.barbecue when you got TVWB. (Well, OK, I still read it--but not as much as TVWB.)
Number 9's still conjecture for me, since the most I've cooked at any given time was the pork butt. But I get the impression most folks have meat on both racks, to get the most out of their effort.
BTW, except for #10, I haven't really gotten bitten (at least, too hard) by any of these issues.
Would be interested in comments on any of these, or your own tips for newbies.
--Tom
This site's so great I feel like an expert after 3 cooks (chicken, baby backs, pulled pork)! In case it helps any other newbies, here are some things I didn't know going in (even after a fair amount of TVWB research) and would have liked to have learned earlier:
1) What a smoke ring is: http://home1.gte.net/res004na/ring.html. So *that's* why my chicken tasted, as my wife said, "like really good ham hocks".
2) Can't reuse smoke-wood for another cook, except as charcoal.
3) Probe thermometers are the bomb, one for the grill and one for the meat. I've never lifted the lid except to turn/baste/remove the meat.
4) *Remote* probe thermometers are even better! I love being able to read the temp without going outside. Downside: I end up checking the temp once every five minutes, 'cause it's so darned easy.
5) Go ahead and get the oil pan. No mess, no fuss.
6) Don't count on BBQ Galore having what you want in stock--just order from Amazon.
7) I wasn't going to regret getting the WSM instead of the Kamado.
8) Mr. Brown takes his sweet time!
9) Don't waste your time on small cooks, throw a lot of meat on there and freeze the excess. Figure not enough meat is one of the reasons I've had to close the bottom vents almost completely (Minion method).
10) I could have been smoking for all these years instead of indirect cooking on a kettle grill.
11) Who needs alt.food.barbecue when you got TVWB. (Well, OK, I still read it--but not as much as TVWB.)
Number 9's still conjecture for me, since the most I've cooked at any given time was the pork butt. But I get the impression most folks have meat on both racks, to get the most out of their effort.
BTW, except for #10, I haven't really gotten bitten (at least, too hard) by any of these issues.
Would be interested in comments on any of these, or your own tips for newbies.
--Tom
