Who's smoking meat this weekend?

NSMikeD said:

This is my Cookshack Fast Eddy 120 when I compete

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Nice! I've been cooking on a FEPG500 at home for the past few years and it has literally changed my life. We hardly ever turn the oven on anymore unless we're baking cookies. I'd love to have a FEC100/120 but I don't compete and we don't cook enough meat to justify the expense. At any rate I can't imagine it, or anything else, would turn out much better Q than the 500 and it also doubles as a great WF pizza oven.

bwarbiany said:

If you can find it, Kamado Joe via the Costco Road Show is about as perfect as you can get value-wise. And the Big Joe has more cooking area than the Primo Oval XL an with the split half-moon heat deflector allows you to do 2-zone cooking just like the Primo. The Big Joe at these events typically costs $1199 and comes with a lot of the goodies that cost a lot extra on the Primo or BGE.

The nearest road show I can find to Wilsonville, OR starts next week in Tacoma, but it might be worth the drive.

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So check this out...they don't have a Big Joe at the Tacoma show and they won't even facilitate getting one there for me to buy. Apparently they are upgrading that model, so maybe they don't have many left? It kind of soured me on the company to be honest.

HoppyDaze said:

My Traeger is finally done. Now I need to decide between a kamado or just an electric unit. Advice?

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What didn't you like about the Traeger? What model did you have?

I liked my Traeger, I'm just sick of having to replace parts. I had to replace the hot rod three times, the auger pin, the fan and the control panel. Now my auger tube is clogged with swollen wood pellets which means I have to pull the auger out and clear it...not that big of deal but I'm over it. It's been eight years and it's been a great grill for me. Now, I just want something with no electrical parts ...

Thanks, I was asking because a neighbor just purchased one, a pro series 34, replacing an old electric webber (we ran it into the ground ) and I have been looking at a big green egg, but really liked his Traegar.

They're nice when they work, but too many times I had big plans to BBQ and had to deal with a broken grill. My dad got one at the same time and had all the same issues.

@hoppydaze sounds like you are really leaning towards a kamado, can't go wrong there. If you want to save some coin try to get one used. They come up all the time here in Denver.

headbanger said:

Nice! I've been cooking on a FEPG500 at home for the past few years and it has literally changed my life. We hardly ever turn the oven on anymore unless we're baking cookies. I'd love to have a FEC100/120 but I don't compete and we don't cook enough meat to justify the expense. At any rate I can't imagine it, or anything else, would turn out much better Q than the 500 and it also doubles as a great WF pizza oven.

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The FEC110/120 are great, but the are singular in purpose. For home use I am sold on cookers that can do low and slow and then fire up for pizza equally well. Not every cooker can to that - they tend to do one better than the other, That's why the Akorn Kamado is my go to cooker at home. Note: marinating a butterflied lamb right now for grill later for dinner.

I wonder of the folks seeking to drop big coin on a ceramic kamado know what they are missing in something like the PG500. Pellet cookers are so easy to start, they dial in cook temps and the clean up can't get any easier. I would imagine the one is likely to use it more frequently, like you.

HoppyDaze said:

I'm leaning that way right now. If I go kamado; I'm really liking the Primo Oval XL

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Get an Akorn Kamado and then spend $700 on prime rib eyes guilt free .

Nothing against the ceramic kamados . They are beautiful works of art to have in the backyard and amazingly good cookers with the versatility do low and slow one day then pizza the next, but the Akorn has proven to be a great kamado cooker at 1/3 the price.

Smoked two hormel always tender pork roasts yesterday, whatever they are. I had no trouble keeping 275 in freezing temperatures. Even got thin blue smoke, was surprised. I went really lightly on the chips per load based on past experiences of element working more. They were really good, hickory and cherry, cooked to 160 pwr instructions.

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Konadog said:

Thanks, I was asking because a neighbor just purchased one, a pro series 34, replacing an old electric webber (we ran it into the ground ) and I have been looking at a big green egg, but really liked his Traegar.

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My brother bought a traegar and hated it. He was going to return it, not sure if he did.

I bought a Traeger and I loved the simplicity of it but... It didn't get hot enough and the flavor of the smoke isn't nearly as strong as what I got from a simple Weber charcoal. I ended up using it about five times and returned it to Costco. I also had to do some reading to get the thermostat to read correctly.

Have a Webber smokey mountain. love it. did 28 lbs of pork ribs today.
i'm golden ...

NSMikeD said:

Get an Akorn Kamado and then spend $700 on prime rib eyes guilt free .

Nothing against the ceramic kamados . They are beautiful works of art to have in the backyard and amazingly good cookers with the versatility do low and slow one day then pizza the next, but the Akorn has proven to be a great kamado cooker at 1/3 the price.

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I agree, I got mine about a year ago.

The gasket looks crappy but if it holds low temps in spite of it then hell yeah, nice grill. Definitely no reason to get a Webber kettle over that.

NSMikeD said:

Get an Akorn Kamado and then spend $700 on prime rib eyes guilt free .

Nothing against the ceramic kamados . They are beautiful works of art to have in the backyard and amazingly good cookers with the versatility do low and slow one day then pizza the next, but the Akorn has proven to be a great kamado cooker at 1/3 the price.

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As an owner of a ceramic kamado...

...nothing against the Akorn. It's a fine cooker.

I tend to view an Akorn as less of a "forever" grill/smoker, but for the price of a Kamado Joe / Big Green Egg / Primo, you can buy 3-4 Akorns (depending on the deal). So even if it's not a forever grill, it's not priced like a forever grill, so it's all good.

And the nice thing about the Akorn is that you can buy multiple. The one downside of kamado cooking is that it's difficult to cook multiple items that need different temps. That's one reason I have a Big Joe and a Joe Jr. With the Akorn, you could buy two of them and still be well under the price of ceramic.

I'm extremely happy with my Kamado Joe, and love cooking on it. But I don't think I'd be sacrificing much, if anything, if I'd gone Akorn.

Ham out, like a noob i salted the rub, arghh. Wth was I thinking on a ham. 9 pound pork shoulder still cooking. 2 parts brown sugar and 1 part salt. My usual blank canvas rub. Hickory and cherry. I got 3 hams at only .97 per pound. Great sale. Any rub ideas for other ones?

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@applescrap - get a papa Murphys cheese pizza & a can of pineapple chunks. That leftover ham will make the BEST Hawaiian pizza you've ever had in your life!


My football feast -

Wings over Hickory pellets with my favorite rub & sauce -

Great idea jammin, my son loves Hawaiians. Wife pulled pork at 189 last night late. I was tired. Thats one reason why I usually cook them at 275.

This is tempting

https://portland.craigslist.org/clc/for/5956810987.html

HoppyDaze said:

This is tempting

https://portland.craigslist.org/clc/for/5956810987.html

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At a Costco Road Show, you get the same thing for $779.

@hoppydaze

Seems a decent deal, especially if you like new. I see them going for 1k new(road show would be worth looking into) so 850 is a deal. Offer 700? If no you have plenty of room from there. I see 3 bge in your region. This one is cheapest. I would offer 500 and instant pick up for this one. You never know hiw people get stuff. A lot of times the great deals I get are just passed down. Maybe they got it at an estate sale for a great price and they just want to dump? Thats what I would do, just saying, i like nice stuff and dont mind used at all. Even at 650 not too bad a deal and you get your egg on.

https://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/for/5971296088.html

road show not an option for me so that's kind of a bummer.

Cilantro Lime Chicken - Sofa King good

That's making me hungry lol

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1485556465.447155.jpg pork tenderloin with a sweet and spicy rub on hickory and apple... Going to be amazing

TheMadKing said:

View attachment 386544 pork tenderloin with a sweet and spicy rub on hickory and apple... Going to be amazing

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Hickory and apple, my go to blend.

TheMadKing said:

View attachment 386544 pork tenderloin with a sweet and spicy rub on hickory and apple... Going to be amazing

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Looks juicy! It also looks like a loin not tenderloin. Not sure which one I like better. As long as I don't have to cook it, I'm happy. Apple's an awesome choice for pork. I've always wanted to try Oak and Apple or oak and cherry.

applescrap said:

Looks juicy! It also looks like a loin not tenderloin. Not sure which one I like better. As long as I don't have to cook it, I'm happy. Apple's an awesome choice for pork. I've always wanted to try Oak and Apple or oak and cherry.

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Right you are! Its a loin, and it was delicious!

applescrap said:

@hoppydaze

Seems a decent deal, especially if you like new. I see them going for 1k new(road show would be worth looking into) so 850 is a deal. Offer 700? If no you have plenty of room from there. I see 3 bge in your region. This one is cheapest. I would offer 500 and instant pick up for this one. You never know hiw people get stuff. A lot of times the great deals I get are just passed down. Maybe they got it at an estate sale for a great price and they just want to dump? Thats what I would do, just saying, i like nice stuff and dont mind used at all. Even at 650 not too bad a deal and you get your egg on.

https://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/for/5971296088.html

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I actually ended up buying this for $600. Got a a bunch of stuff from him too. The hard back cookbook, cover, electric element... etc. in really good shape.

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Nice score. My brother has a BGE and loves it.

BBQ Wings on the Weber with a Cone of fire in the middle, works really well to crisp up the wings, 1/4 turn of the lid every 15min, one time around and your done! (at the half way point flip and turn the wings),
Toss in your favorite sauce.

Two words: Deep fry

HoppyDaze said:

I actually ended up buying this for $600. Got a a bunch of stuff from him too. The hard back cookbook, cover, electric element... etc. in really good shape.

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Congrats! I think you'll find it very versatile...

Cape Brewing said:

Two words: Deep fry

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you think they're that much better fried than smoked? whats your process/recipe?

smoked wings + 60 second deep fry = heaven

I saw this strange green thing on my deck and used it, since we are out of gas. Started with kroger frozen chicken breast (nothing but the best chemical solutions added to our meat). Hickory and cherry added into ss box with holes. Cooked directly and indirectly to 165ish, probably a little high.

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Cape Brewing said:

Two words: Deep fry

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Add a few chucks of mesquite or hickory and it adds a whole new level of flavor to your wings!
Place the chucks of mesquite or hickory on top or in the cone.

Cape Brewing said:

Two words: Deep fry

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I learned to make wings working my way through college in buffalo 30 decades ago and am a smoking enthusiast to an obsessive level. I have two deep fryers and three smokers. There is no way i could even estimate the number of wings I've cooked over the years.

In the end, buffalo style gets deep fried and BBQ (and other glazes) goes in the smoker. Both cooking styles will produce great wings.

Got the ribs getting everything done prior to the super bowl party Smoked the wings last night