Best grilling cookware & rotisseries according to redditors
We found 171 Reddit comments discussing the best grilling cookware & rotisseries. We ranked the 85 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 171 Reddit comments discussing the best grilling cookware & rotisseries. We ranked the 85 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
I actually bought one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/Grizzly-Spit-LLC-GRIZSPIT-Rotisserie/dp/B0002GWW80/
Last year, and then told my dad about it, and he was like "uh, no, I got you something better" and thats how I ended up with what I have.
The big complaint I've read about those is that the battery box gets hot, so you should use an aluminum pie plate as a heat shield.
The biggest lesson I've learned is that about every half an hour you need to coat the exterior of the meat with some canola oil, otherwise the meat dries out. The turkey we did was amazing. The skin was black, but when you cut into it was just bursting with moisture.
This one with an 80% off voucher.
So by fermenting the sauce, you encourage lactic acid bacteria like Lactobacillus to give the sauce a distinctive sour taste. It's the same process that takes place with sauerkraut and kimchi. The bacteria that do the work are halophilic, which means they are salt tolerant. Lots of molds and bad bacteria can't tolerate salt. So by salting the raw sauce, you encourage the good microorganisms, and discourage the bad ones.
If you look at the nutrition labels of fermented chile sauces, most won't include vinegar. (They might add citric acid as a preservative.) So the lowdown is you don't need to add vinegar. Just like sourdough, it's going to get sour on its own. Actually, starting with vinegar will slightly inhibit the fermentation process.
This fermentation process is used in countless forms around the world to preserve vegetable products. So, provided the mixture is salted, it won't go bad if you keep fermenting it for longer than a week. People store fermented sauce in jars in a cool place all winter long, and it just keeps getting sourer and sourer. You can ferment your sauces until they achieve a piquancy you find acceptable, then boil and bottle. You should get some pH test strips at a pharmacy or department store; you need to have a pH of 4.6 or lower to prevent risk of botulism.
As far as exotic sauces, well, you can do a Caribbean style sauce with carrots onions, garlic and habaneros/scotch bonnets. Or you might make a sriracha style sauce, but add smoked onions and/or garlic. I recommend a stovetop smoker.
TL;DR warning
Are you willing to invest in some tools? Do you like Five Guys? (skinny burgers) The fastest burger procedure that I know of is Kenji's Ultra-Smash technique, which makes a pair of thin patties in no time. Takes about a minute per burger (two patties with cheese). Details here:
http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/03/the-food-lab-maximize-flavor-by-ultra-smashin.html
You can also do a regular smash burger, which is thicker (McDonalds-thin), but takes longer (~1.5 minutes per side, about 3 minutes total per burger):
http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2012/09/the-burger-lab-smashed-burgers-vs-smashing-burgers.html
The advantage of the ultra-smash is that it's super quick & you can toss a piece of cheese to melt between two patties, so you can pump out a ton of burgers in no time. You will need a few tools, namely:
It's not rocket science, but getting a proper setup will let you have a workflow that makes cooking for a crowd a breeze. I have a big extended family, so I cook in bulk a lot, but I also use this for just my immediate family because it's so fast to get setup. There is an up-front investment required, but everything you'll buy will pretty much last forever, so it's worth it if you like to eat burgers!
So the first two things you need are a metal cooking surface & a heat source that can pump out a lot of heat. I don't recommend a regular grill because they simply don't get hot enough; you need 600 to 700F to do this. You can either do a compact setup (a 2-burger surface with a single burner) or invest in a quality flat-top setup (more expensive, but lets you do more burgers at once). The ideal surface to do this on is a Baking Steel, which is very expensive. There are knockoffs for cheaper, but I like BS because they have a Griddle version with grooves to catch the grease:
http://www.bakingsteel.com/
You can also do it with cast iron. Lodge has a griddle for $25:
http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-LDP3-Double-Reversible-Griddle/dp/B002CMLTXG
If I'm just doing a single regular smash burger at a time, I use a 12" cast-iron pan. $28:
http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Cast-Iron-Skillet-L10SK3ASHH41B-12-Inch/dp/B00G2XGC88/
If you do get into cast-iron, read up on this seasoning procedure (i.e. the way to keep it smooth & slippery without Teflon). It's a bit of a pain, but it's worth learning because anything you buy in cast-iron can be handed down to your kids because it lasts forever:
http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/
You will want a heavy smashing tool as well. I have this massive 2.5-pound cast-iron press. It fits inside the 12" pan above (but not the 10"). $13:
http://www.amazon.com/Update-International-Heavy-Weight-Hamburger-Commercial/dp/B002LDDKZ6
If you plan on doing ultra-smash burgers, you'll need a scraper. This is the one Kenji recommends, but you can probably find something locally: (Home Depot or Lowes)
http://www.amazon.com/Plextool-Wall-Paper-Stripper/dp/B00AU6GQLQ/
Anyway, getting back to the cooking part: you'll need a hi-temp burner. I like Bayou Burners, they sell them on Amazon. I have an SP10: ($50)
http://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-SP10-High-Pressure-Outdoor/dp/B000291GBQ
I use that with my 12" cast-iron pan for when I'm just doing a few burgers for the family. 15 minutes = 5 burgers. You can also slap a flat surface like a cast-iron griddle or Baking Steel on that puppy. Also comes in a square version (not sure how the BTU's compare). I also have some KAB4 burners that I use with my Baking Steel, among other things. More expensive, but larger shell & burner: (more even heat over the cooking surface)
http://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-KAB4-Pressure-Cooker/dp/B0009JXYQY/
For cooking more at a time, you can get a cooktop. Blackstone has a 36" cooktop available, but it doesn't get very hot (don't get me wrong, it's an awesome tool, but I've had trouble breaking 500F on mine, which means you're not cooking 1-minute burgers on it, plus the heating is kind of uneven, so you have to work in the hot spots for faster cook times). Also comes in a slightly smaller 28" version (but it's only like $50 less, so it makes more sense to get the full-sized version because you get so much more cooking area). The nice thing with this setup is that for $299 (or a bit less if you shop around at places like Cabela's), you can cook like 20 burgers at a time, it's absolutely insane! I make epic breakfasts on it. Plus it folds up for transport, which is really handy. We use it for all of our family events & holidays:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DYN0438
A better version is from Tejas Smokers. They make camping stove carts that have burners built-in & have griddles available separately. They get super hot, downside is the cost: you can easily spend $700 on a nice setup.
https://tejassmokers.com/Camp-Stove-Carts/23
Oh yeah, Blackstone did just come out with a compact outdoor griddle which can run off those little one-pound green tanks if you want. They go for around $99 ($79 if you have an Ace Hardware near you). I have not tried this, but it gets good reviews. I'd be curious to see what kind of temperatures it can achieve:
http://www.amazon.com/Blackstone-Portable-Griddle-Outdoors-Camping/dp/B0195MZHBK
So that's a basic introduction to the cooktops: you need some kind of decently-sized metal surface, a hi-temp burner, a smashing tool, and optionally (but recommended) a scraper. You will also want to get a strong, high-quality spatula. A good one is $32:
http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/07/equipment-the-due-buoi-wide-spatula-my-new-fa.html
Available here:
http://www.duebuoi.it/x/uk_usd/catalog/p/spatulas~805-16x10.html
If you opt for cast-iron, get an infrared temperature gun (doesn't work too well on shiny metal surfaces like steel tho). $17:
http://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Lasergrip-1080-Non-contact-Thermometer/dp/B00DMI632G/
A cheap digital kitchen scale is useful too, for measuring out the proper amount of meat. $14:
http://www.amazon.com/Ozeri-Digital-Kitchen-Capacity-Stylish/dp/B003E7AZQA/
This collection of tools ensures that you have the proper workflow: a metal surface to cook on, the ability to bring the surface to a high temperature (and know what that temperature is for precise control), the ability to weigh your meat so you can pre-measure out what you need, the ability to smash the burger down, and also to properly scrape it off. Again, it's not rocket science, but if you have a wussy grill or a crappy surface or weak smashing/scraping tools, you're gonna have a bad time. You just need the right setup to pump burgers out fast!
So on to prep. For ultra-smash, you do a pair of 2-ounce ground beef balls. In the tutorial above, they use a mix of meat for 25% fat. I just grab some regular 80/20 ground plus some salt & pepper. For regular smash burgers, do a single 4-ounce ball (optionally 5 ounces...useful if you have a big cooktop for a bunch of burgers at one time & are only doing a single patty per burger). The nice thing is, there's no special prep required for the meat, so you can make all of your burger balls ahead of time. If you have 10 people & are doing ultra-smash, let's say half of them get 2 burgers, so 15 burgers total, or thirty 2oz balls. If you have 20 people & are doing regular smash, again with half getting an extra burger, that's 30 burgers total or thirty 4 or 5oz balls. So that takes care of prep...adjust as needed. If you're feeding mostly dudes, you'll want to add more seconds (and thirds) to the equation.
There are a variety of buns you can get. Crap buns will make for a crap burger. See if you can find potato buns or brioche buns. Those are pretty soft. Buns aren't overly hard to make, but I have yet to find a decent recipe that takes under 40 minutes, so I usually only doing fancy home-baked buns for my family rather than a crowd. Buying 5 or 10 pounds of ground beef & making smash balls out of them will take you all of ten minutes, but making buns can take forever. Here's a good recipe if you want to try it out tho:
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/07/light-brioche-burger-buns/
Or this, if you wanna get crazy:
http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/05/fresh-cemita-rolls-mexican-sandwich-burger-bun-bread-food-lab-recipe.html
Or this one, nom nom nom:
http://amazingribs.com/recipes/breads/brioche_hamburger_buns.html
But eh, just hit up Sam's/Coscto/BJ's and buy some hamburger buns in bulk, problem solved. Or find a local bakery that has good rolls. There's a good shootout of buns here:
http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2011/04/the-burger-lab-whats-the-best-bun-for-my-burger-taste-test.html
(continued)
What's your home ventilation like? Depending on that you have a couple of options:
If your kitchen is poorly ventilated, then I'd recommend using a smoky ingredient (liquid smoke, smoked paprika, smoked cheese, etc.) instead.
Recently got a Blackstone 17" flat top griddle in addition to my little double burner stove. My grilled cheese and quessadilla game is next level now.
With this you can cook everything from amazing tuna steaks, to slow cook brisket.
Grill mats transfer grill marks really well and would be pretty good for this.
Slow n Sear!
Adrenaline Barbecue Company Slow 'N Sear Plus - Version 2.0 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HZXPK5E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_lx6YDbFPZ97D5
Get a slow n sear
Adrenaline Barbecue Company Slow 'N Sear Plus - Version 2.0 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HZXPK5E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_zVdQBbTJWKBAY
It might be splitting hairs, but some would argue that 600 degrees is still not hot enough to get the proper rise out of your dough for a "true" Neapolitan pizza. Though you're right that a pizza oven can be made for much less with a Weber Kettle grill and you can still achieve the 1000 degree + heat some suggest you need.
I use this setup, along with the absolutely necessary steel top and a few other modifications. Others have made something like this for even less. When burning white/red oak, olive, or almond wood, I'm able to get things well over 1000 degrees (max heat of my thermometers) inside and cook a pizza in less than 2min.
Now I just need to master the process of making dough. If anyone knows where I can get a good sour dough starter on the cheap, please let me know! =)
Also, for those who care to know, the purist think the best, most simple, most consistent pizza sauce is nothing more than canned San Marzano tomatoes, drained, and crushed up with salt. I've found that—when considering the law of diminishing returns—I can't really argue with that.
Those come with many Bradley smokers.
Amazon has a couple of listings but they're only 3rd party sellers:
https://www.amazon.com/Bradley-Set-4-Jerky-Racks/dp/B000FJZ1C8
https://www.amazon.com/Bradley-Set-4-Xtra-Racks/dp/B000FJZ1BY
As a fan of and dabbler in classic charcuterie, you can definitely make your own bacon, though I'm not sure of taking store bought bacon and curing it yourself. the main things you need are approximately,1/2 tsp prague powder #1(or pink curing salt), 1/8th cup kosher salt, 1 tsp black pepper, and 1/8th cup brown sugar for each pound of pork belly. Once you've made it a few times you can adjust seasonings, add different things like paprika, red pepper flakes or any number of other seasoning. the prague powder is what gives it the pink-ish color and the salt and sugar help cure it. you can also use different kinds of sugars when you are comfortable.
take the thick rind off of the pork belly and rub the curing mix all over it, put it in a ziplock bag in the fridge for 5-7 days, flipping every day. liquid will release and essentially turn it into a brine. this is good. after curing, take it out of the bag and rinse off all the extra salt and pat it dry, then put it back in the fridge uncovered on a baking rack for 6-12 hours. then smoke it at about 175 for about 3 hours or until internal temp of 150 in whatever smoking device you have access to. Before I got my bbq pit with a smokebox I started off with something similar to this. After smoking let it cool to room temp, then wrap it in plastic wrap and then cool it overnight. slice, fry, and enjoy.
What I normally do when I make it is after the final cooling stage I'll slice it all up and put on parchment paper and freeze it. Depending on what all they've done to your uncured bacon you might be able to do cure it like this but I've never done that so I don't know what would happen.
*edit* also instead of relying on some random person on reddit you can always look up a few recipes and go from there.
Here you go. This is the only attachment you’ll ever need.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HZXPK5E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_r777CbTHVNV7N
They make rib racks to lay them vertically. Something like this (check dimensions of course).
I also added an upper rack to my daniel boone with some angle iron so that I could fit some more.
I recently got a brand new Coleman stove but I just found this griddle and I want it soooo bad. If you're cooking for 10+ it might come in handy
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0195MZHBK/ref=asc_df_B0195MZHBK5372281/
Edit: had to replace my old stove after my last attempt to "go camping"
You can do a horizontal rotisserie over a fire no problem, you'll just want to make sure you've got multiple tines going through the meat stack. A single spike like a verticle rotisserie will just spin in the middle.
I find that I do about 1.5 lbs per time. The racks that I have only fit that much, give or take. However, I may get another set of the same ones so I can increase my output. I have this set of racks: http://www.amazon.com/Bradley-Set-4-Jerky-Racks/dp/B000FJZ1C8
FWIW, I live in a small apartment and smoke my own bacon and other things all the time. I've got one of these stovetop smokers and it imparts a great deal of smoke to the meat without actually producing much smoke at all. Your place will smell a little but it is no worse than regular cooking and really, there are worse things than having your place smell like bacon for a couple hours!
I bought a Slow N Sear, but you co do without. If you need to do a 10+ hour smoke, do the snake method, if less, just pile a bunch of charcoal off to one side.
​
Most important is you are only firing up a dozen or so coals in the chimney first, and dump them off on one side of the unfired charcoal. The unlit stuff will catch with time, and give you a long cook. You don't need more than a dozen coals fired off to begin with to get to 225 on a kettle.
​
After you dump hot coals on the cold coals, drop 2 or 3 wood chunks on top of your pile.
Have you ever tried to use a Cameron's smoker?
It's not "true" smoking, but it does put a great smoky flavor into food. I live in an apartment and use mine all the time. I've used it to make everything from spaghetti sauce to poultry.
Stovetop smoker for smoking food inside. Works amazing.
Blackstone Signature Griddle Accessories - 36 Inch Grill Top Accessory for 36 Inch Griddle - Non Stick Coating - Foldable Windscreen - Drip Tray Included https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004FKUMKE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_NOx3Db6S44ZQM
Napoleon Gas Grill Round Rotisserie Stainless Steel Grill Basket 64000 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078YCR3MH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_0WOBCb5431G5A
I got some of those as seen on TV grilling mats. [like this] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KJVTB96/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_RD-AzbG5RG5P9) sorry for the animal cruelty in the ad.
I'd have to agree with the pit master... Albeit, I am biased as an amateur BBQ enthusiast. I'm not saying oven brisket can't be good, but it is an apple to oranges comparison. The cooking process is very different without smoke exposure. I feel like liquid smoke is a poor means of replicating the flavor. It can be done right but easily overdone. What kind of space are you working with? There are small vertical smokers. Do you have any room for a small grill? [This] (https://www.amazon.com/Stovetop-Smoker-Stainless-Indoor-Outdoor/dp/B00004SZ9D) seems like more trouble than it's worth but may be an option if you have good ventilation.
Ask and ye shall receive.
https://www.hammacher.com/Product/84974?cm_cat=ProductSEM&cm_pla=AdWordsPLA&source=PRODSEM&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzqHniPmv1wIVQhuBCh31QgMbEAQYAyABEgKo3PD_BwE
https://www.amazon.com/Stovetop-Smoker-Stainless-Indoor-Outdoor/dp/B00004SZ9D
http://www.dopehome.com/indoor-meat-smoker
No, I have a gas griddle and kettle. Here is a link to the griddle, I am very happy with it. Plugging in small items into the power strip should be fine, but they do not recommend plugging in energy-heavy items like blow dryers and electric kettles since it could trip the breaker. That being said I think some people got away with it last year without tripping the breakers since it was colder than usual and the A/C wasn't working very hard.
they come out awesome! recently I've been seasoning with JonesyQ Love Rub (been using that for everything since I discovered it), and cook over a full basket of coals (I don't scooch the coals up to the side or anything), with a medium-hot fire. need a hotter fire to get a nice crust.
the other thing I've been doing a lot of is wings on the joetisserie with this
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078YCR3MH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
just season them up (JonesQ Love Rub), and roll them over a hot fire for 10mins or so. they come out great
This is the answer you're looking for. If you have a weber, pick up the Slow n Sear, it's an inexpensive answer to having a smoker.
Not OP but it's probably something like this. I've never personally used them though so hopefully OP can chime in on what he thinks of them.
> hard time getting lump charcoal to maintain a steady low temperature once it drops into the 50's.
Yeah, air-flow control gets wacky as the air gets denser.
Have you looked into getting a Smokenator?
Will your apartment complex allow a 22" Weber kettle? If so, get it and either a Smokenator or a Slow "N Sear to go with it.
With either, you can become a confident smoker. I've done ribs, chickens, turkeys, pork shoulders and briskets on my Weber. This Sunday night, I'm smoking a 13 pound brisket for Memorial Day.
Nope, not at all!
http://www.amazon.com/Stovetop-Smoker-Original-Camerons-Stainless/dp/B00004SZ9D
It's nothing like the fancy stuff you guys are used to, but it gets the job done.
Noice! I grew up going to Mountain Mike's every weekend and dumping my entire allowance into their TMNT: Turtles in Time arcade game. How's the land of 10,000 lakes treating you?
If you can get the hang of making the dough doing pizza at home is surprisingly easy and cheap. Plus everything tastes better when you make it yourself. Everybody should at least try it at some point.
I got a friend who swears by this cast iron pizza man: https://smile.amazon.com/Lodge-Baking-Pre-Seasoned-Round-Handles/dp/B0000E2V3X
Personally I prefer a traditional pizza stone because I have bad luck with cast iron: https://smile.amazon.com/Unicook-Ceramic-Grilling-Resistant-Rectangular/dp/B06XGV3RS4/
One of these days I want to step it up and buy a Blackstone propane pizza oven but that's a lot of coin to drop on an outdoor cooking item I'll probably only use a couple times a year.
This Stovetop Smoker works well for a friend of mine.
They actually make these, she even mentions Camerons in the video
http://www.amazon.com/Stovetop-Smoker-Original-Camerons-Stainless/dp/B00004SZ9D
My wife got me one for Christmas, and I've used it for smoking a few times so far. I've used it so far on fresh tomatoes (for making Bloody Mary mix), salmon, chicken, and pork chops. A little teaspoon of the wood chips (they go a long way...) produces a lot of smoke.
It definitely works well for smoking delicate meats (and now I'm going to try it on cocktails!). Putting smoke into pans covered with foil / plastic wrap, and into ziplocs, the smoke will leak into the room, so be aware of that. Also, I've found for some things that 2 or 3 applications of smoke may be needed.
I am looking forward to experimenting with teas and dried herbs (Earl Grey-smoked pork?) - but don't think coffee would work in it.
Will this work on anything large you want to smoke? Probably not. But something like ribs, with maybe several applications over several hours? Maybe.
You might also look into a stove-top smoker. It will cook and smoke, but also something you want to use with a window open...
It's a Slow N Sear. I think it's this one: https://www.amazon.com/Adrenaline-Barbecue-Company-Slow-Sear/dp/B01HZXPK5E/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=slow+n+sear&qid=1562335881&s=gateway&sr=8-3
I also struggle with finding gifts for my dad. Does he like to grill/BBQ? Maybe you can can get a set of grill utensils or I saw some cooking mats for a grill on Amazon. Or you could get a set of knives, a gift card to a restaurant, one of those survival pocket tools, a baseball cap of one of his favorite sport teams, a new wallet or phone case/wallet combo, fancy hot sauce or BBQ sauce, etc. Good luck!
For what this is worth I own a cheap vertical offset, Original PK Grill, Weber Smokey Mountain, Weber Performer, A Smokey Joe, A Weber Spirit Gas grill, and an Oklahoma Joe offset. I have experience with all of these grills/smokers and they all have their plus's and negatives.
Here is what you are looking at. You can't get a smoker to grill, but you can get a grill to smoke. If he is looking to steak and burgers, but also smoke a bird, smoke a butt, smoke some ribs etc, then you want a grill that also does well as a smoker. For the money, IMHO, your best bet if your budget is in the 500-800 range is to get a Weber Performer and a Smoke and Sear attachment. That grill, with that smoker attachment, will cook not only near everything but it will cook near everything perfect. The only thing you might struggle with is brisket. But brisket is not a beginners cut of meat to smoke with.
Grill - https://www.amazon.com/Weber-Performer-Premium-Charcoal-Grill/dp/B00N634UJK/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=weber+performer&qid=1562791435&s=gateway&sr=8-7
Smoke n Sear - https://www.amazon.com/Adrenaline-Barbecue-Company-Slow-Sear/dp/B01HZXPK5E/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=smoke+and+sear&qid=1562791531&s=gateway&sr=8-1
The Trager's are nice. However, they are electric and pellet. Which means that you are relying on pellets and electricity to cook. If you get a storm, and your power goes out, you are SOL. If you can't find pellets, you are also shit outa luck. Also, With the Trager's, the more complicated they are, the more things there are to break. The Weber is literally a steel bowl with a hard ass paint on it. You can use charcoal, wood, or a mix of both. If you keep it out of the rain, and keep it covered, it will easily last a decade or more. The same can not be said for the Trager's firebox.
PS Buy Meatheads and Franklins books, they are well worth the money.
Just my opinion. Good luck!
As some added clarity since I use the same smoker, I ordered this and used it last weekend and it was amazing. I was able to get at least 6 hours of burn. I was making ribs so it only took about 5-5.5 and there were still unashed coals left. With it I can maintain a solid 250F.
I leave the stack damper/lid fully open. And I've insulated my doors with this. And for filling in around the seams, such as the stack or the firebox I purchased this. Those both will take about 24 hours to "cure" according to the directions.
Otherwise I think it's a solid entry-level smoker and hope you enjoy it!
P.S I know someone may ask if that charcoal cage was worth it and the quality is great, the inserts turn it into a snake method cage , and it feels quite sturdy.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004FKUMKE/
The more I think about it, the more I realize I don't really need it. I suppose it's probably meant for people doing catering or something like that. I originally thought I would swap it on and use it for burgers and dogs, but that seems like a lot of work and the griddle works fine for burgers anyway. I think it would still be nice to have grates for something that's extremely fatty and I want the fat to drain away quickly, or for something like veggies where I don't want it directly on the entire griddle (asparagus, maybe?)
One product that I saw used in this Youtube video was GrillGrates.
Definitely get the classic 1 and put some of your savings towards extras (ash basket, cast iron griddle, grate rack). I've had a classic 1 for three years and it's great (and it was $1000 when I bought mine). $750 is a no brainer!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C9XJ28J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MON188E/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TG16HN8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I use this
This One Isn't bad
Agreed.
$13 on amazon and its prime: http://www.amazon.com/Charcoal-Companion-Non-Stick-Reversible-Roasting/dp/B000OHBXJ6
$18 for stainless: http://www.amazon.com/Charcoal-Companion-CC3096-Stainless-Reversible/dp/B0045I6CIC/
Don't waste your time cleaning it.
There's a stovetop/outside grill smoker you can get in various sizes.
My dad has a Little Chief electric smoker, and they make a smaller version. (http://www.amazon.com/Smokehouse-Products-Mini-Chief-Smoker/dp/B001NZRLTO). I personally have had the Emson 5-qt indoor electric smoker (https://home.woot.com/offers/emson-5-qt-electric-indoor-pressure-cooker-smoker?ref=cnt_dly_tl), but it only lasted about a year. There are some stovetop smokers as well if you want to go that route, like the Camerons (http://www.amazon.com/Stovetop-Smoker-Original-Camerons-Stainless/dp/B00004SZ9D/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1450200138&sr=8-2&keywords=indoor+smoker) that have good reviews.
Yup. It's one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Camerons-Products-Stainless-Stovetop-Smoker/dp/B00004SZ9D
I had one in my old apartment. Not too bad for chicken and fish, but it did smell like you'd been smoking meat indoors.
I had a similar problem the last couple of weeks. I made these two recipes and substituted pumpkin for squash. The enchiladas are time consuming, especially waiting for the beans to cook down, but oh so delicious. You will get at least 10 meals out of it - and it freezes well.
Enchiladas
Aromatic Beef Stew
Also I smoked some pumpkin in my stovetop smoker and pureed it and added it to this Black Bean hummus recipe I found on reddit - whoa delicious.
You're not going to get a good pellet or offset smoker for $300. In that price range if you want to do charcoal your best bet would be a Weber Kettle and add a Slow 'N Sear. If you want something easier to manage as a beginner, the Camp Chef Smoke Vaults are really good options. I started with the 18" and then bought the 24" and converted it to natural gas so I never have to worry about changing propane tanks again.
Smoke Vault 18
Smoke Vault 24
Thanks! Is this the deflector? https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009E8NATC/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1519660334&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=Akorn+deflector&dpPl=1&dpID=31CljtEArKL&ref=plSrch
I heard that about the temp being hard to drop -- I'll try to be conscious of that. I want to get it now so I'll hopefully have a decent idea by time summer comes.
Any probe you recommend? I have a thermapen, so set on the instant read.
Appreciate the advice!
There's also the option of using an inexpensive stovetop smoker. Obviously you wont be able to cook anywhere near the volume of a larger, freestanding smoker, but the stovetop smokers work fantastic all the same and you can't beat the price/convenience.
Two things that I use all the time that I don't see mentioned:
Stovetop Smoker. With all the meat I cook, being able to smoke it gives it a whole new depth of flavors without adding any carbs and makes even simple dishes special. Very inexpensive too once you buy the initial smoker. I bough a bunch of different types of wood chips and they've lasted me about half a year now. Even in my small apartment there's hardly any smoke leak (although I do crimp foil around the edges to help keep it in) and I've never set off the smoke detector with it. If you do have an big outdoor smoker this one is nice for doing smaller portions or if the weather's not great outside. Highly recommend it if you like smoked foods.
Vacuum sealer is the other item I use all the time. I like buying certain staples from Costco in bulk (chicken/beef/pork/etc) and being able to portion it out and freeze it has helped cut down on the cost of keto a lot. It's also useful as a good timesaver or to keep food fresh for longer even if you don't freeze it. For example, I often only use about a quarter of an onion in a lot of recipes, but I'll chop the whole thing and seal the rest so it stays fresh for the next few days. I'll then take however much onion I need out the next day and re-seal the bag.
I don't have a brand I recommend over another, I personally have a Rival that I got for Christmas. A lot of people really like Foodsavers and I see them at Costco all the time. They can be inexpensive (~$40) for a basic one or more costly if you want extra features like canning or automatic sealing or different speeds. I do recommend not using whatever brand of bags they tell you to use however. What I do is buy cheap bulk bags such as these and use them instead. Zero problems with them and much cheaper than the brand name ones. I do keep a roll of 'cut your own' around in case I need something bigger, but I find for about 90% of what I do the smaller bulk bags work fine.
If you keep an eye out on meat sales and buy in bulk or buy a lot of meat that's about to expire for cheap, I think the vacuum sealer will pretty quickly pay for itself.
And tossing it out there, one item that's not necessary but in the 'nice to have' category is the immersion blender. Great for thickening soups since we don't add cornstarch or other traditional thickeners, and it's nice for other things like making your own mayonnaise. I also use it for making my own marinara sauce - mine has zucchini and cheese blended in. Again, not necessary and you can probably use a regular blender for this, but the immersion blender is really nice and convenient.
whats a manageable price for you? i have two of these traeger rib racks and theyre fantastic, solidly built, and fit 8 ribs in a single go
Welcome to the club. Here are some things I have noticed about the WSM:
When you lift the lid to look/spritz/adjust, you lose some heat but the open top of oxygen makes the fire burn more. When i open the top for a couple minutes and close, the temp falls then jumps up 10-15 degrees higher than normal and then falls down to the previous temp.
Use wood chunks rather than chips. Chips burn hot and fast and produce some nasty smoke, chunks burn slower and produce less hardcore smoke then the chunks turn to a piece of coal and burn out.
Experiment, experiment, experiment and let us know. Nothing better than someone coming out with a tip that i try and works awesomely.
Invest in a rib rack for the WSM, you can put ribs on it, flip it upside down and put your pork shoulders in it and make it easy to move without disrupting bark, lat it flat and put a huge packer brisket over the top until it loses some size.
I have this:
http://www.amazon.com/Charcoal-Companion-Non-Stick-Reversible-Roasting/dp/B000OHBXJ6/ref=pd_sbs_lg_4
Works like a charm.
Good luck, cheers!
Have you never heard of grill mats? It's apparently a thing.
You might try a Cameron's Stovetop Smoker. I've been using it for years - for beef, pork, chicken and fish. It's a real treat for indoor smoking.
The Stovetop Smoker is a tightly sealed metal drawer that sits on the stove. As the burner underneath heats up, the wood chips smoke, sending smoke around the baffle, up to your food. Very little smoke escapes, so there's not much to vent.
They usually come with a few types of wood chips and a recipe book. Try the Scotch Eggs or smoked trout.
Yeah I also use a chimney for normal cooking. I think it would be way too hot for smoking if you light with the chimney.
Char broil makes their own diffuser which is what I have:
https://www.amazon.com/Char-Griller-6201-Smokin-Stone/dp/B009E8NATC
Nope... inside smoking:
http://www.amazon.com/Stovetop-Smoker-Original-Camerons-Stainless/dp/B00004SZ9D/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408223268&sr=8-1&keywords=cameron+stove+top+smoker
I have one similar to this, don't know the exact size difference, but I can get 20 or so wings in there. Takes 20-30 minutes or so and if you prep correctly, it's almost no clean up.
Do you have the smoking stone?
https://smile.amazon.com/Char-Griller-6201-Smokin-Stone/dp/B009E8NATC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1465761524&sr=8-1&keywords=akorn+stone
The Akorn seems like it would cover both bases quite well. The only issue is that I've never bbq'd with charcoal lol.
Fair enough. Still no interest in propane, though - at $50 or even for free. Table and bin are nice if you have a need or desire for them, particularly in your case since they were free. If I was going to spend $200 on upgrades I've been eyeing the modular cast iron grate and the "Slow 'N Sear" for awhile, but haven't been able to get myself to pull the trigger.
Get one of these badboys and eat like a king out on their patio area (if they have one). If they don't go to a nearby park.
https://www.amazon.com/Blackstone-Table-Top-Grill-Tailgating/dp/B0195MZHBK/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=portable+griddle&qid=1566998646&s=gateway&sr=8-3
You could also get an electric griddle to put in your room but most hotels do not want you cooking in your room - a fire hazard.
Thanks for the reply, couple more questions for ya:
For the burn out clean do you just run it all vents open with or without the baffle in? How easy is it to clean the RF baffle/tube?
How’s the seal on the door? Should I get some gasket?
Is the door on the firebox like a square foot? Wondering what size splits I should buy
Also thinking of getting a charcoal basket like this to do minion method so I don’t have to throw a split on every ~45 min every cook. And maybe an ash pan to go under to make cleaning easier? Would love to hear your thoughts on that
Thanks again!!
I've found that with my egg knock-off (Char Griller Acorn Kamado) the restriction of airflow is a good thing. The convection caused by the shape of these smokers is fantastic for cooking at high temps, and reducing the amount of fuel you need to use, but I suspect it's this very convection that's "grabbing" air from the vent on the top, and pulling oxygen down to the coals.
After I put the stone in place, I found that the temperature was MUCH easier to control.
I use a combo of a dutch oven and stovetop smoker, and I can't ever go back to crock pot style pulled pork or brisket. I tried many different non-smoking recipes, and there's just no contest when compared to smoking.
The foil is going to just bounce the heat down, so, I don't think placing anything above the foil is going to do much.
According to this page,
https://www.amazon.com/Made-KettlePizza-Stainless-Baking-Steel/dp/B016X26ZY8/
the Kettle Pizza steel is 3/16" thick. You can match that thickness, but I think 1/8" should suffice and save you a couple bucks.
The steel that I recommended to you before was shorter to allow a small gap on the front. After thinking about the large gaps that Kettle Pizza puts on the sides of their steel, I'm thinking that I might need more space for air flow/better combustion.
If you've got $160 to spare, you could buy their version on Amazon. I've never priced a trapezoid shaped piece of steel, but assuming the cuts are about the same as right angle cuts, this should run you no more than $50
https://imgur.com/gallery/mblXAqb
If cuts other than right angles start driving up the price, you can always settle for NY bakes- which I think foil might give you.
I sized this steel to be 1" longer on the front and back so you can just set it right on top of the kettle insert.
Charcoal isn't going to do much in this kind of setting. You want flames, and, to get real flames, you need a pretty healthy amount of hardwood- and the wood can't be directly below the stone. The pizzaque weber insert approaches this somewhat ingeniously with a wire cage that pushes the coals/wood to the sides of the kettle.
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1002/1362/products/PC7001-pizzaque-kit-kettle-grills-3.jpg?v=1535385496
You'll want to fashion something similar, perhaps out of chicken wire.
There ya go. $26
I thought I did until I saw the price tag. I can live without it.
​
https://www.amazon.com/Napoleon-Rotisserie-Stainless-Basket-64000/dp/B078YCR3MH/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1550757377&sr=8-3&keywords=napoleon+basket
Sorry for this cut and paste abortion on mobile - Stovetop Smoker - Stainless Steel Indoor Or Outdoor Smoker Works On Any Heat Source - with Recipe Guide and Wood Chips https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004SZ9D/ref=cm_sw_r_fm_apa_5MWjzb29J7V1E
Smoke it on a stovetop smoker.
This article will give you a good overview: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9901E0D6153FF934A25752C1A9629C8B63
This is the smoker you want: http://www.amazon.com/Stovetop-Smoker-Original-Camerons-Stainless/dp/B00004SZ9D/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1416272496&sr=1-1&keywords=cameron+stove+top+smoker
A turkey is too big to fit flat inside the smoker. You'll be making a dome of heavy-duty aluminum foil, smoking the bird on the stove for an hour or so, and finishing it off in the oven.
Don't worry about collecting a piece of cookware you'll only use once. A stovetop smoker is a wonderful tool for an apartment dweller. Salmon, chicken, pork, and root vegetables are out of this world when cooked on a smoker.
> Maybe more with a fancy rack gizmo but i'm not sure how that would work; I can't see how it would.
The fancy rack gizmos are not very complicated. A rack like this one will let you do cooks like this pretty easily. (Not my image or my cook. I have done similar, but didn't think to take pics)
I've had the Smokenator for a few years and I'm a fan.
https://www.amazon.com/Smokenator-Smoker-Weber-Kettle-Grill/dp/B00L9JCN8S
Yeah. Like this. https://www.amazon.com/Grillaholics-Grill-Mat-Accessories-Manufacturers/dp/B00KUJCH66
Lowes has a Char-broil rotisserie for $34.99
Other notables for under $50 (or near it):
Dyna Glo
Rotis pro
Griz'ly spit
Only Fire
and there is a bunch more.
I smoked meat in my oven a few times when I lived in an apartment.
You can buy something like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004SZ9D or build your own with a large aluminum foil pan, lots of aluminum foil, and a baking rack. Regardless, you should use special indoor wood chips and the Camron instructions for indoor smoking. As you can see from the reviews, a lot of people do smoke indoors. It will make your apartment smell like BBQ and if you have a sensitive smoke detector, you may want to cover it or take it down (I have always had to take down apartment kitchen "smell" detectors everywhere I have ever lived)
With this method, I got a nice smoke taste on the meat, but not as much as a real smoker, so I also added liquid smoke to my BBQ sauce. Now that I have a real smoker, I still add liquid smoke to my BBQ sauce as it just makes it better.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XGV3RS4
I got this for my KJii and it works great : Grate Rack for a Classic KJ - Fits Classic Only https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TG16HN8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_3UC7CbBW9KB4X
Why don't you look into getting a Slow and Sear for your Weber?
Portable folding grill - $28
Universal BBQ Rotisserie kit $33.57
Schumacher Multi-functional Portable Digital Power Station - $99
$150 and you get something that's a bit bigger but much more useful. The Rotisserie kit pulls 4W. The Schumacher power station is probably good for 40 to 50 hours of powering the rotisserie on a single charge. It could easily do a few hours of grilling, completely charge a few phones, power some lights, and still have enough power to jump start a car once or twice.