BBQ/Grill/Smoker Experts: I Need Your Advice

[Mama Hip Rockets]

I just bought the Char-Griller 5050. It is a combination gas/charcoal grill. It also has an option to add on a side smoker.

In the user manual, it says that I can use a water pan on half the charcoal side of the grill to smoke meat in about a third of the time that it would take in the side smoker. I've never smoked meat before, so I'm curious to know how similar/different these methods would be.

Has anybody tried the indirect heat method with a water pan on a charcoal grill? How does it compare with the slower smoking, taste-wise? Is it good enough, or should I just shell out the extra $50-$75 for the side smoker?

Here's the grill:



And a picture with the optional side smoker attached:


http://www.google.com/products/catal...ed=0CG4Q8wIwAg

[Mama Hip Rockets]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

That seems like a LOT of sugar for a brisket. Be careful. Those long smoke times, the sugar will go past "caramelized" and turn to "burnt".

We'll see. It's my first time, so I'll learn from my mistakes as I go. I got the marinade recipe online and it sounded good.

[MTG#10]

Originally Posted by Exoter175

Get the side smoker, with the Water Pan you're not going to get nearly the same penetration with the smoke, or anywhere near the same richness into the meat.

I use a Weber smoky mountain with a water pan. My ribs fall off the bone and every person who has ever tasted them say they're the best they've ever had. They're better than anything Ive ever got in a restaurant in KC that's for sure.

[Stewie]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

That seems like a LOT of sugar for a brisket. Be careful. Those long smoke times, the sugar will go past "caramelized" and turn to "burnt".

Temperatures never get high enough in smoking to caramelize sugars.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Coogs

Here is one I have always struggled with...



vs




...to do the 2nd method, you must lift the lid. Which method is best?

Easy: Both - sorta.

Meat stops truly accepting smoke around 140 degrees (give or take 5 degrees either way). So what I've always done is leave the lid closed at 225 for about 2 hours (that'll usually get you there).

Once you're no longer adding to the smoke ring above 140, the smoke serves to cook a little bit, but more importantly, to create your bark. That's when you spray with the apple juice. It creates what's called a Maillard reaction. The apple juice and its sugars will help the smoke adhere to the outside of the meat. It will layer over itself over and over again and give you that really rich smoke flavor that you get at the good barbecue joints.

I usually raise my heat a little bit when I'm doing that as well. I'll usually do that for another couple of hours to finish. You'll get a nice smoke ring AND you'll get that badass bark that really makes a good smoked meat.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

Thinking of smoking a 2.5 pound pork loin today. Any thoughts on how long this might take at 200-225 degrees?

*cough*

Is this thing on?

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by Stewie

Temperatures never get high enough in smoking to caramelize sugars.

Maillard reaction can occur much earlier though. You generally use less sugar on longer smoked meats because the sugar can turn bitter.

[jspchief]

Have a meat thermometer? I'd go to about 170 internal temp, then wrap it tightly in foil, cover with a towel and rest it for an hour.

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

*cough*

Is this thing on?

3 hours, give or take 1/2 an hour or so.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

Maillard reaction can occur much earlier though. You generally use less sugar on longer smoked meats because the sugar can turn bitter.

Yup, smoke overload.

It's not that the sugar has caramelized, it's that it's just trapped waaaaay to much smoke and the smoke has started to get acrid.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by jspchief

Have a meat thermometer? I'd go to about 170 internal temp, then wrap it tightly in foil, cover with a towel and rest it for an hour.

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk

If it's ever been frozen, I think 170 is way way too high for a loin.

Meat that's ever been frozen has killed off the trichinosis. At 170, you'll be awfully dry just for the sake of being dry, IMO. I'd take it off at about 155 and wrap it for a bit. It should climb up to about 160. That's a perfect temp for a pork loin, IMO.

[Stewie]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

Maillard reaction can occur much earlier though. You generally use less sugar on longer smoked meats because the sugar can turn bitter.

Maillard happens at high temperatures and has nothing to do with low and slow. Sugars don't caramelize at 225.

[Stewie]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Yup, smoke overload.

It's not that the sugar has caramelized, it's that it's just trapped waaaaay to much smoke and the smoke has started to get acrid.

Remind me not to invite you to work with my BBQ team.

[jspchief]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

If it's ever been frozen, I think 170 is way way too high for a loin.

Meat that's ever been frozen has killed off the trichinosis. At 170, you'll be awfully dry just for the sake of being dry, IMO. I'd take it off at about 155 and wrap it for a bit. It should climb up to about 160. That's a perfect temp for a pork loin, IMO.

Frozen? Eww.

I like to hit 165 with a loin, so I said 170 to be safe. But to be fair I do use a water pan.

If it stalled at 155 I probably wouldn't be afraid to take it off.

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Stewie

Remind me not to invite you to work with my BBQ team.

Awwww sadface

Barbecue tough guys crack me the hell up. If anyone was 'right', there wouldn't be 1000 ways to do it.

But you go right on believing that you've unlocked the holy grail.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by jspchief

Frozen? Eww.

I like to hit 165 with a loin, so I said 170 to be safe. But to be fair I do use a water pan.

If it stalled at 155 I probably wouldn't be afraid to take it off.

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk

My old man pulls them at 145 and hasn't killed me yet.

The opinions on pork are just crazy divergent. I'm pretty certain at this point that you could live 100 years pulling fresh pork off at 150 and be just fine, but a lot of people just won't eat it if there's pink in it.