Smoked prime rib
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I've done standing rib on the smoker several times, though lower and slower, on a water smoker, and agree it's nothing short of amazing. What kind of smoker do you use? I've been looking at Traeger systems lately as a means of doing ultra slow and low (like brisket and a couple racks of ribs), since I could do automated 20+ hour "smokes" without having to stay up all night tending the fire. I'm neither lazy nor a purist, but at this point in my life I don't have to do all the scut work to reach self-actualization
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I have three smokers. Most used is a weber 22 charcoal grill, family sized right. Next is a Humphreys insulated verticle smoker. It is powered by charcoal with wood chunks for flavor, but controlled by a fan. It is a tank and truly set and forget. I ran out of room and needed something bigger, my church likes to eat. I now also have a shirley fabrication stick burner. It has the best flavor by far, but you add wood every 30 minutes. On it I cook hot and fast, 275 to 325, and on pulled pork and similar I wrap at 150ish. 6 hours on pork butt.
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Off-topic, but I love the Boxer. We've had several. My son has one (first lived to be 11) and my daughter, who works with a Boxer rescue, and has two of her own. We're pretty much sold on the breed.
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Yeah, fawns with white boots and black masks. They're the best. Our first (family patriarch) was a fawn. He lived to be 15.
My son's first and my daughter's first were reverse brindles. Both died before age ten, but were well loved. My son now has a fawn, as does my daughter who also has a black female (10 years) who has defied the odds for longevity for black Boxers. All of them are beloved pets for the 5 grandkids.
Loyal, loving, smart, playful. Boxers are the best!
My son's first and my daughter's first were reverse brindles. Both died before age ten, but were well loved. My son now has a fawn, as does my daughter who also has a black female (10 years) who has defied the odds for longevity for black Boxers. All of them are beloved pets for the 5 grandkids.
Loyal, loving, smart, playful. Boxers are the best!
My favorite cook on my smoker is prime rib, either as a rib roast with or without bones. Flavor is outstanding.
Brooo if you are looking for a pellet cooker, take a look at Rec Teq. I have had mine for about 6 years now, and if prime ribs, pork ribs, beef ribs, pork butts, chicken wings etc are your thing, you will love these cookers.
Brooo if you are looking for a pellet cooker, take a look at Rec Teq. I have had mine for about 6 years now, and if prime ribs, pork ribs, beef ribs, pork butts, chicken wings etc are your thing, you will love these cookers.
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Reading through a number of threads... you've got my mouth watering and my interest piqued.
For someone entirely new to smoking... any advice re what smoker to get? I have a typical propane grill and it is rusted out/ready to be replaced. Is there such a thing as a combo grill and smoker?
For someone entirely new to smoking... any advice re what smoker to get? I have a typical propane grill and it is rusted out/ready to be replaced. Is there such a thing as a combo grill and smoker?
gmtech825
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You all just rubbing these hunks down or are you doing anything else fancy like injections or brines?
I mostly do pork and chicken on my smoker
I mostly do pork and chicken on my smoker
Oh boy….you may get inundated with options.
As far as advice, get something high quality.
Yes, there are combo grills but most “seasoned” individuals that smoke meat will tell you that most grills can be used as a smoker. I have a Big Green Egg and a Weber Kettle and I can grill or smoke meat on either one. I tend to smoke in the Egg and grill on the Weber.
The two grill/smoker combos mentioned in this thread are very nice. Traeger‘s are easy to find with lots of different options. Recteq is not as well known, but they make a hell of a pellet grill. My buddy has one and he can get that thing to cold smoke or get it so hot, you can do some blacksmithing.
https://www.recteq.com/
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So smoking = wood pellets?
Oleson M.D.
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The best all around grill / smoker is a Weber. I would suggest the 26" Kettle.
These are so easy to smoke on, truly set & forget. I have done Prime Rib and Brisket, and they were better than anything in any BBQ restaurant.
And, the Weber will not use up a lot of fuel. You can get 12 to 14 hour smoking times easily using the snake method.
The Weber is also great for grilling...steaks, chicken, fish.
If you like to manage fire, constantly every 15 to 30 minutes, then a Texas offset smoker is what you want. While these are more labor intensive, you cannot beat them for the quality of the smoke you can get.
We had this smoker custom built for us:
And you absolutely cannot beat a Weber!
Did I mention steaks?
How about pork shoulder?
And a Prime Rib, spinning on the Weber!
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DarrellQ
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IMHO, you can't beat the Yoder Pellet Smoker, which is a tank of a grill made right here in the USA with 1/8" steel. After years with a Big Green Egg, and a short stint with a Traeger that I quickly returned to Costco when I saw how cheaply made it was, how thin the metal was, and consequently, how many pellets it used to maintain heat, I bought the Yoder in 2012. When the Traeger first came out, they were decent and made right here in the USA, but they moved manufacturing to China, and the quality went downhill. The Yoder folks seem like a mom & pop outfit that definitely takes care of heir customers.
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Yoder has 9 pellet smokers.... that start at $2000. Too rich for me...
https://www.yodersmokers.com/pellet/
DarrellQ
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Certainly understand what you are saying! Yes, like everything else, they have indeed gone up. When I bought mine in 2012, I paid around $1200. I truly believe it will last a lifetime. We use it for everything from 12 hour smoking, to a 600 degree pizza oven, to direct grilling of steaks. The only thing we have replaced are two ignitors which are around $40 each. With one of them, I broke it installing it, called Yoder and told them what an idiot I was, and they sent me another for free. That is the type of company I like to do business with! I guess one could buy a cheaper one every 5 years or so, and use enormously more pellets (which aren't cheap!) or spend more initially. Like most things in life, you get what you pay for.
davidabcd
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My family was at my mom's some years ago and there was a plate of bacon in the middle of the not-too-small dinner table. Her Golden Retriever took it all. I was expecting him to get sick from the rich food but luckily not.
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I think the first thing you need to start with is determining how much you want to cook at one time. If it is just for 4 people then a 22' weber kettle grill is perfect. If it is for 10 to 12 people, you need something bigger.
Next is how hands on do you want to be. Do you want to set it and forget it? Get a pellet smoker, good food that can be hands off. The next would be charcoal smokers, those can be hands off or hands on depending on the model and how you want to cook. You can cook for 24 people on a Weber 22 Smokey mountain smoker. As stated by others, the ultimate for hands on is a stick burner. You put wood in every 30 minutes. But, the flavor is the best. If you get one of these don't go cheap. They need to be built out of 1/4" thick steel at least or there will be big temp swings.
Lastly, is there climate issues, i.e. cold. I cook year round in PA, so it gets cold. On my weber kettle grill I have to run it differently in the winter to make enough heat. The stick burner does not care, the fire makes enough heat. My favorite for hands off, and hands on, and winter is this.
The DownEast Beast This makes great food.
smoking = the need for wood
Pellet grills use wood pellets for fuel and smoking. An Egg or a Weber uses charcoal as the fuel, but you augment with wood/wood chips to smoke. Usually the smoking occurs during the fist hour of the cook, the other hours of the cook are about cooking with indirect heat. (It’s an over simplification, but the basic gist)
$2000 is a lot of money. I get it. My Weber kettle is 27 years old (it’s time to replace
) and it will do everything I need a grill and smoker to do. For under $700, you could put a system like this together and if properly protected, it will last a long time. https://www.weber.com/US/en/grills/...ettle-premium-charcoal-grill-26/16401001.html
https://www.smokenator.com/
https://bbqguru.com/storenav/gurucookerguide?DeviceModelId=178&kitId=370
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Holy Tomoly the prices of these things!
… this is why I never say a damned thing when my wife comes home from shopping.
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yes and no, you can start at less than $150 with a weber kettle grill. It depends on what you want to do, how much you want to make, and how you want to make it.
It is cheaper to go out an buy BBQ, but it is cheaper to go out and buy beer to if we factor in equipment and time. But we make beer because it is fun to do so, its a hobby. For me it is the same with smoking, it is fun and a hobby. It is not cheap, but I reminded my wife that it is cheaper than a bass boat. Also, when I do it we have dinner that she did not have to cook. So she is happy there too.
PCABrewing
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Our German Shepard got into a new bundle of Bully Sticks and finished of all (~30-35) of them.
We had to give her Ipecac but she was fine. We were not happy about cleaning up that pile of regurgitated bullys, but it was better than a dead dog.
I know there are great grills and smokers made today but one of the best I remember was my Grandfathers old "Cook'n Kettle".
Not a Weber, it was a all cast iron (~100 lbs) with a removable center section for rotisserie. Once it was hot it stayed hot.
I think it pre-dated Weber by a few years, it definitely lasted longer.
I wish I had it today. I though my brother ended up with it but alas it is nowhere to be found. It must have gone with the sale of the house.
If you're not entirely sure on the smoking angle, a Masterbuilt Electric Smoker is a GREAT entry point. Amazon currently has the 30" version for $199. It's a great smoker, and it's something that you don't ever really need to "move up" from, although many people do. It's dead simple, just plug it in, set the temp, and add your smoking wood. And it makes great food.
It's just a smoker though--can't really operate as a grill.
Other options for a dedicated smoker at lower price point would be the Weber Smokey Mountain, which is charcoal. They're great devices, and they use charcoal, so you get more likelihood of a real smoke ring--which electric won't provide.
For combo smoker/grill, the lowest price option is the weber kettle. IMHO it may be a little more work-intensive than the kamado options I recommend below, but it's insanely versatile and the price point can't be beat.
I think the best option for a combo is any sort of Kamado. If you want a Big Green Egg or Kamado Joe, you're spending >1000, but there are lower cost options like the Akorn (steel) or Louisiana or Vision grills (ceramic). A kamado can handle everything. Smoking, roasting, grilling, baking... If you want one grill to rule them all, I believe it's the best combo device.
Generally if you are looking for a combo device, I wouldn't recommend pellet grills unless you're looking at the high end of the market there. Most of the market (i.e. <$1200) has difficulty getting a good sear due to inability to hit high temp and because they are designed for indirect heat. They make really good smokers and operate very well for roasting, but they're not the best at grilling.
Another hungry moment, you're living a great life with all this meat and pizza too, not to mention the beer! Man I thought my brewing hobby was busy, you guys got me beat with all this smoking! Great job everyone!!!
PCABrewing
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We had one and it was OK at hitting the higher temps (500+) but it took a while to get up there. Once it was hot it worked well.
As you say it was decent at smoking and we had three different pellets plus the generic.
My brother DOES have that one now.
Yeah, I've got an older Traeger (hand me down from my father-in-law; he was downsizing his grill apparatus due to limited patio space after a move).
Trying to get much above 425 is very hard. Newer models may be better; I don't know.
If I were buying a pellet grill for myself I think Rec Tec would be the minimum entry point for me, but I'd look at Fast Eddy, Yoder, MAK, any of those if I really went that route.
The bigger issue than temp, IMHO, is indirect heat. The Traeger has the indirect heat spreader plate and you're just not going to get a good sear over that thing. I've found that if I have the Traeger at max temp (450 on the dial), and I place the meat at the extreme front of the grate or extreme back--where the heat comes up around the heat spreader plate--I can actually sear. But about the only meat that is the right shape to do that is pork tenderloin lol...
I think a lot of the high end pellet grills have a direct heat zone where you can actually sear. But the lower price points don't have that.
Again, that makes those lower price point pellet grills EXCELLENT for smoking or roasting. And if you have a weber kettle next to them for searing, well, you're in business. But they're not particularly good on their own for searing.
NickTheGreat
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I really want to try this some time. A friend of mine has done a couple using the Thermoworks method, with the freezer and all that.
https://blog.thermoworks.com/beef/science-of-perfect-prime-rib-roast/
I'm curious, but I'm going to wait on beef prices to come down . . .
https://blog.thermoworks.com/beef/science-of-perfect-prime-rib-roast/
I'm curious, but I'm going to wait on beef prices to come down . . .
Uhhhhhh I am moving somewhere CLOSE to you!!! Maybe NEXTDOOR! LOL I see your a tad passionate about your food and your gear! NICELY DONE!
Cheers
Jay
Oleson M.D.
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Let me add that while we have the dedicated offset firebox smoker, the Weber can do the same thing, is much easier to manage, uses 1/10th the fuel, and costs pennies on the dollar.
Honestly, I would put a Weber Kettle (22 or 26") up against anything on the market.
You can grill, bake, smoke, roast, rotisserie, pizzas, etc., etc.
Honestly, I would put a Weber Kettle (22 or 26") up against anything on the market.
You can grill, bake, smoke, roast, rotisserie, pizzas, etc., etc.
I have six cookers currently. Three kettles ( two Weber’s and a classic Happy Cooker), a portable propane grill for tailgating, a Weber Genesis gasser and my Rec Tec 680. They all have their own purpose, although my kettles get used the most, 3-4 times a week For high heat grilling and searin. I love the Rec Tec and the Q I get off it. Easier to use than the Kettles for smoking meat. If you don’t want to baby sit a stick burner, the pellet grill is a good entry into bbq and smoking meats.
and yes I do brine and or inject depending on what cook is taking place for any of my cookers.
and yes I do brine and or inject depending on what cook is taking place for any of my cookers.
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So, I've got a Weber Genesis (3 burner, plus sear burner) that can get to 700°F for a good sear, a Blackstone 2 burner flat top grill, a portable Weber 2000 gas grill for camping and tailgates, but what I want to add is a reliable hands-off smoker. I saw the Traeger and thought that an automated pellet smoker would be a "set and forget" solution that I could, well, set and forget, at least until wrapping for the Texas stall. After reading some of the comments here, I'm no longer convinced that Traeger should be my go to purchase. Again, my goal is a pellet style automated smoker as a stand alone device. Normally cook for 6-8 or fewer people. What should I be looking at?
The best pellet cooker lines would be along the lines of Yoder, Memphis, MAK, Blazin Grills And FEC/Cookshack. Next level would be Rec Tec. Next down from that would be Treager and GMG. Each has a line of cookers and prices accordingly. Weber came out with a pellet cooker last year that initially had issues but they made a few corrections now. There are a few others, I named the biggest names. As mentioned I really like my Rec Tec for smoking and low cooking and was at price point I wanted six years ago. My other pits serve their purposes. Not sure if that helps. Hope we did not hijack the thread. Sorry. PM me if you want any more specific info.
Sounds like the Traeger (or equivalent pellet grill) would be a great addition, quite frankly. It's great for smoking and roasting, the two things that may not be the ideal cooking styles for your existing gasser or flat top.
A lot of people complain about quality issues on a Traeger, but honestly when you sell millions and millions of any product, you're gonna have a few lemons. Most of the other brands don't have enough product on the market for quality issues to make much noise.
I wouldn't be scared about Traeger. And given that you're not looking for some of the features of the high-dollar pellet grills, it seems that spending more wouldn't be helpful for your purpose.
Other brands in the mainstream price point that I'd look at would be Rec Tec or Green Mountain Grills, if you want other options from Traeger.
ITV
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I have multiple Weber grills and a ceramic Vision grill, all charcoal/lump fueled.
My favorite for smoking is my Weber Smokey Mountain, I have the 18" version which cost under $400.
For "regular" grilling I use my Weber kettle grill, I even have a rotisserie attachement that I use for whole chickens. I prefer this over all other methods including beer can chicken.
I use my ceramic grill for pizza, smoking smaller portions of meat and grilling in below freezing weather due to the ability to retain heat very well.
My son has a pellet smoker which he likes for the convience. I prefer the taste of the charcoal over pellets plus the charcoal cost less. Most pellet grill owners don't like the "mess" of charcoal and adjusting vents to control the temperature.
Oleson M.D.
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The nice feature with Weber is the rotisserie option. Nothing beats a chicken, or a rib roast cooked on the rotisserie!
kaffeenjunkie
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The one thing professional chefs strive for with a standing rib roast is even coloration when the roast is cut. I used to do one every Friday night. I do 4 hours at 225° to internal temp of 120° wrap in plastic wrap and foil and put into a cooler (cambro hot box) to rest. You will find at a lower temp that color is completely even across the roast.
The smoker behind that beauty is a Cookshack Fast Eddy pellet smoker. Set and forget. They do make a smaller version.
The smoker behind that beauty is a Cookshack Fast Eddy pellet smoker. Set and forget. They do make a smaller version.
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ITV
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Thanks for the photo, now I want to smoke one.
What was your target internal temp on the prime rib roast?
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jcfontario
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I started for about 15 years with a COS (Cheap Offset Smoker) bought for $150 from a Home Improvement Store. The metal was thin so it had horrible temperature control even though I wrapped it with pink insulation, but it did help me learn how to cook.
Then as a retirement gift to myself, I bought this monster stick burner smoker from a guy who owned a metal fab shop and built it himself. The firebox is 1/2 steel and the rest of it is 1/4" steel. The lid is so heavy that it needs a counterweight. The whole unit weighs about 1000 lbs so it isn't going anywhere (and required that the deck be reinforced to handle the weight). But it is always fun to fire it up with some hickory or cherry logs. Now I am getting hungry.
Then as a retirement gift to myself, I bought this monster stick burner smoker from a guy who owned a metal fab shop and built it himself. The firebox is 1/2 steel and the rest of it is 1/4" steel. The lid is so heavy that it needs a counterweight. The whole unit weighs about 1000 lbs so it isn't going anywhere (and required that the deck be reinforced to handle the weight). But it is always fun to fire it up with some hickory or cherry logs. Now I am getting hungry.
