Awesome BBQ

Someone recommended this ORION BBQ COOKER (Home Depot $139) and I have to say it makes the most amazing Ribs, Chicken, Pork Chops and Salmon steaks I've ever eaten. Everything I've cooked in it so far has been awesome.

It's just amazing and to cook/smoke six racks of ribs it only takes an hour and a half and they are perfect. Just set it and forget it. No worries about burning or under cooking. Just fall off the bone chicken and ribs. You can even cook a whole turkey in it (I can't wait until Thanksgiving) and add smoking chips if you want.

Just don't forget the homebrew!

I know your serious but this line,

It's just amazing and to cook/smoke six racks of ribs it only takes an hour and a half and they are perfect. Just set it and forget it. No worries about burning or under cooking. Just fall off the bone chicken and ribs.

Sounds like an energetic infomercial.

In any event I got my first smoker last month, its one of those tall square ones. (propane) And I love it! But its a full smoker and it takes half a day to cook in!

Looks intriguing, but all those exposed coals would just be asking for trouble with my two young sons.

Ok, where's the pics of the finished Q?

Congrats on the score, Thwizzit!

BBQ's my other "thing". Love getting the smoker out in the warm weather!

Sounds like an energetic infomercial

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That's how I feel It's so easy. You don't have to keep checking it and it comes out perfect every time

EdWort said:

Ok, where's the pics of the finished Q?

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Sorry, I haven't taken any yet. I usually can't wait to start eating. I'll remember to take some this weekend.

Thwizzit said:

That's how I feel It's so easy. You don't have to keep checking it and it comes out perfect every time

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Yeah, it's the same with the Big Green Egg, but there's something about stepping outside with a cold beer and a stogie and checking on the Q anyway. I especially like it during the winter on overnight cooks. The cool crisp air, the stars are out, and the aroma of smoked brisket or pork go well with adult beverages.

It is an interesting design!

I saw those at Home Depot while looking at new BBQ's for my old man for Father's Day. I thought they looked pretty interesting, but was curious how well they worked.

findthefish said:

I thought they looked pretty interesting, but was curious how well they worked.

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Well, I think it works great. I've never BBQ'd so well I definitely recommend it.

It is an interesting design!

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It's pretty cool. There is a drip pan inside that you can add a bit of water to when you cook fish to help steam it a bit and the wood chips go on the inside around the drip pan. The charcoal stays on the outside so you don't get any of the carcinogens on the meat, you don't get flame ups and you also put a few coals on top which helps circulate the heat inside so everything cooks evenly.

I have another charcoal grill to do burgers and such but I now use this for the ribs, chicken and fish and you can cook a 20 pound turkey in 2hrs.

This Thanksgiving will be better than last years TurDucken!!!

I like it but I'd need a dual purpose that I can grill on as well.

If it had a suspended fire basket and some vents then it'd be perfect.

Taipans said:

I know your serious but this line,

It's just amazing and to cook/smoke six racks of ribs it only takes an hour and a half and they are perfect. Just set it and forget it. No worries about burning or under cooking. Just fall off the bone chicken and ribs.

Sounds like an energetic infomercial.

In any event I got my first smoker last month, its one of those tall square ones. (propane) And I love it! But its a full smoker and it takes half a day to cook in!

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Sorry, but you cannot cook ribs properly in an hour and 15 minutes. The whole idea about low-n-slow cooking is that it takes that much time for the connective tissue to break down and render out. You can achieve the same fall off the bone if you wrap your ribs in foil, but that does not mean they will be good.

It looks interesting, but I would not use it for ribs, pork butt, or brisket as those product require time to break down connective tissue for tenderness.

EdWort said:

Sorry, but you cannot cook ribs properly in an hour and 15 minutes. The whole idea about low-n-slow cooking is that it takes that much time for the connective tissue to break down and render out. You can achieve the same fall off the bone if you wrap your ribs in foil, but that does not mean they will be good.

It looks interesting, but I would not use it for ribs, pork butt, or brisket as those product require time to break down connective tissue for tenderness.

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It sounded more like a fancy grill to me, I tried the "add chips to the grill" method which was kind of a joke compared to when I finally used a smoker. The first thing I cooked on it was (bone in) chicken breasts. I used Hickory wood, a dry rub, and it took around 6-7 hours to cook. Doing ribs next weekend, which again will take 1/2 a day to get done! But its well worth the time and effort.

Just a note on carcinogens, if you burn wood chips your releasing carcinogens. The bags of chips I buy have a warning for pregnant women on the back. I just didn't want anyone to think wood is 100% safe. I don't have any fears, but my pregnant wife has tried not to over consume smoked meats.

In any event not dogging the grill, it looks to do a nice job. But I still would recommend a true smoker for the lazy sundays.

This is what mine looks like,

EdWort said:

Sorry, but you cannot cook ribs properly in an hour and 15 minutes.

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O' ye of little faith...

Thwizzit said:

O' ye of little faith...

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Sounds like a challenge to me. :rockin:

An HBT Rib Throw-down is in order.

EdWort's Apfelwein Spritzed 5 hour Big Green Egg Ribs
vs
Thwizzit's 75 minute Orion Convention Steamed Ribs.

Bring it!

Where's Bobby Flay when you need him.

EdWort said:

Where's Bobby Flay when you need him.

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i would guess either getting a manicure or a bikini wax..?

Or making some ridiculous oil infusion to try to convince people that tex-mex food is gourmet.

EdWort said:

An HBT Rib Throw-down is in order.

EdWort's Apfelwein Spritzed 5 hour Big Green Egg Ribs
vs
Thwizzit's 75 minute Orion Convention Steamed Ribs.

Where's Bobby Flay when you need him.

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To heck with Bobby, lemme judge this thing!

I'm sure you can break down all the connective tissues in a rack of ribs in 75 minutes...so long as you've got a pressure cooker!

orfy said:

I like it but I'd need a dual purpose that I can grill on as well.

If it had a suspended fire basket and some vents then it'd be perfect.

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Here's a nice dual purpose (perhaps dual processor as well!) grill. Low cost, sturdy steel construction, good ventilation for proper charcoal utilization. Definitely a multitasker!

Is there a way to control the temperature in that thing?

You need to figure a way to put a circular grate around it on the outside so you can grill appies while you smoke the main course.

BlindLemonLars said:

Here's a nice dual purpose (perhaps dual processor as well!) grill. Low cost, sturdy steel construction, good ventilation for proper charcoal utilization. Definitely a multitasker!

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Now I understand what "Powered By Vista" means.

EdWort said:

Now I understand what "Powered By Vista" means.

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Why? Is that thing burning dried dung?

Chairman Cheyco said:

Why? Is that thing burning dried dung?

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That's a polite way of saying it. :cross:

EdWort said:

Now I understand what "Powered By Vista" means.

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Must be an AMD machine, they run a lot hotter than Intel.

EdWort said:

Where's Bobby Flay when you need him.

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Bobby boils his ribs prior to grilling let me judge (I am easily swayed by aged Apfelwein).

I agree with you about pork butt/brisket because those very large cuts of meat you could cook the outside with the inside still needing time for the fat to render, but I am not sure that ribs/chicken/turkey etc... is the same. It might be, never tried.

Jonnio said:

Bobby boils his ribs prior to grilling

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Does he really?!? Good gawd... You sure he wasn't making rib soup?

Come to think of it, I've never seen him make anything as fundamental as a rack of ribs. He's usually busy squeezing green liquid onto a blue corn and duck confit quesadilla. Then I reach for the remote...

EdWort said:

Sounds like a challenge to me. :rockin:

An HBT Rib Throw-down is in order.

EdWort's Apfelwein Spritzed 5 hour Big Green Egg Ribs
vs
Thwizzit's 75 minute Orion Convention Steamed Ribs.

Bring it!

Where's Bobby Flay when you need him.

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Ed are you talking about baby back or spare ribs? I just smoked some spare ribs today for about 4 hours and they were still tough tough. I guess I'll have to start smoking spare ribs 6-8.

RodfatherX said:

Ed are you talking about baby back or spare ribs? I just smoked some spare ribs today for about 4 hours and they were still tough tough. I guess I'll have to start smoking spare ribs 6-8.

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Spares go well with a 3-1 (or 2) -1 approach

3 hours in smoke, 1 to 2 wrapped in foil wit a little apple juice, 1 more in smoke.

RodfatherX said:

Ed are you talking about baby back or spare ribs? I just smoked some spare ribs today for about 4 hours and they were still tough tough. I guess I'll have to start smoking spare ribs 6-8.

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I buy pork spare ribs, then trim them St. Louis style. There's the 3-2-1 method that works very well.

3 hours indirect with smoke.
2 hours wrapped with foils
1 hour direct.

Take some brown sugar and honey and lay it down in the foil, then put the ribs on it meaty side down, then add a bit of apple juice then wrap.

OMG, it rocks!

Laurel said:

Or making some ridiculous oil infusion to try to convince people that tex-mex food is gourmet.

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BlindLemonLars said:

Does he really?!? Good gawd... You sure he wasn't making rib soup?

Come to think of it, I've never seen him make anything as fundamental as a rack of ribs. He's usually busy squeezing green liquid onto a blue corn and duck confit quesadilla. Then I reach for the remote...

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Have either of you ever tried his recipes

I would much rather have high end Tex-Mex than tired old French Pate

EdWort said:

I buy pork spare ribs, then trim them St. Louis style. There's the 3-2-1 method that works very well.

3 hours indirect with smoke.
2 hours wrapped with foils
1 hour direct.

Take some brown sugar and honey and lay it down in the foil, then put the ribs on it meaty side down, then add a bit of apple juice then wrap.

OMG, it rocks!

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How do you cook it indirect? Like my smoker has a rack system that sits above a water pan, below that sits the tender box, then the gas flame.

niquejim said:

Have either of you ever tried his recipes

I would much rather have high end Tex-Mex than tired old French Pate

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I have. My love of chilis and chili powders actually arose from watching his 90's series, "Grillin' & Chillin." He taught me about dry rubs, and to this day I regularly make a pork tenderloin that is based upon one of his recipes. Because of him, I still buy ancho and chipotle powder by the pound, and make my own habanero powder. He also taught me to make chimichuri...until friends from Argentina showed me the correct way to make it!

While he's helped inspire my love of cooking, as a chef I consider him a lightweight, even by "TV Chef" standards. I've eaten at Mesa Grill several times, and while it's a bona fide high-end restaurant, with great service, there is a "sameness" that permeates everything they serve. (Emeril's restaurants suffer from the same problem.) He's clearly a great businessman (which in itself is respectable) but as a chef I find him unoriginal and uninspired, and for lack of a better term...ethnically confused.

I was flipping around the other day, and saw him making hamburgers. "Now we're not making the backyard hamburgers you grew up with...today we're making tuna burgers, cooked rare with southwest spices and a sauce with an Asian flair." I wanted to vomit.

So, I guess I'm not a fan of "Tex Mex," high end or otherwise. I'd rather have classic French cuisine...or Italian...or Mexican...or Texan.

Taipans said:

How do you cook it indirect? Like my smoker has a rack system that sits above a water pan, below that sits the tender box, then the gas flame.

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That will get it done. Indirect just means the food is not directly above the heat source...it is either physically offset, or there is something with mass (like your water pan) between the heat and food.

Be sure to peel the membrane from the back of those ribs. That will help the smoke permeate the meat.

I know it's against the laws of nature to be able to cook/smoke fall-off-the- bone ribs in an hour and fifteen minutes and I apologize, but the ribs we cooked (in our Orion Cooker) for the 4th of July (in an hour and fifteen minutes) were amazing.

Here are before pics of the ribs (cooked and pulling back beautifully from the bone) and After being picked clean...

I know it's heresy and it's not possible so I won't try and persuade 'real smokers' to think otherwise but..Man, oh, man were they good!!!!!

Thwizzit said:

I know it's against the laws of nature to be able to cook/smoke fall-off-the- bone ribs in an hour and fifteen minutes but the ribs we cooked (in our Orion Cooker) for the 4th of July (in an hour and fifteen minutes) are amazing.

Here are before pics of the ribs (cooked and pulling back beautifully from the bone) and After being picked clean...

I know it's heresy and it's not possible so I won't try and persuade 'real smokers' to think otherwise but..Man, oh, man were they good!!!!!

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Those look awesome! Whatever works, man.

I found this old thread while researching the Orion Cooker. A guy I work with bought one, brought it to work and did a 13 lb Brisket in 4 1/2 hrs. The all agreed it was the best Brisket they had ever eaten. No small feat considering these guys are Firefighters. AKA, Eating Machines.

He just told me he has also done 3 racks of Baby Backs in 1 1/4 hrs. Fell off the bone clean.

As luck would have it I was on vacation and missed the treat.

Sounds like the Orion is a winner to me.