This is a question a lot of people are asking, what BBQ charcoal should they be using for smoking or grilling.
Too many people don’t fully think about charcoal, and just go for the cheapest and most available, [Read more…]
I was very fortunate to have been sent a Weber Summit Charcoal Grilling Center by the kind folks at Weber and Riverside Garden Centre to review and get to grips with. It’s a beast of a kettle BBQ but with the insulation of a ceramic kamado style, sitting beautifully between the two. Still relatively lightweight that it can be moved around on the cart with ease, and yet sturdy enough to make you realise this is definitely a premium grill.
Cooking direct and Indirect (using the substantial baffle) and swapping between the two is very easy, lighting made simple with the gas starter canister under the coals, you really feel like there is nothing that you can’t cook with ease on this grill. The best thing of all is the level of control that can be achieved by using the air inlet, because it doesn’t have the thermal mass of a ceramic grill, it’s quick and responsive to ramp the heat up or cut it back.
I’ve really been able to achieve some great results with this grill. Here’s a video of my first impressions of the weber summit charcoal.
The stainless steel twin walled Kamander is a Kamado BBQ style grill and smoker that allows you to sear or smoke slowly, it’s a sturdy bit of kit that is well constructed. Here’s a first look at the Kamander and it’s features.
If you want to cook with charcoal on your BBQ but you want to get things going quickly, then you need an electric chimney starter.
The 3 here have a heat source and a fan to get the charcoal lit in super quick time.
Check out the video for my thoughts, all three of these charcoal starters will do a great job to get you going.
https://shop.americanbbq.co.uk/electric-charcoal-fire-starter-wand-210-p.asp
I’ve been using this classic sized Quinta over the summer and have been really impressed with it, it’s an absolute bargain price wise for someone looking to buy a Kamado, but not quite being able to afford the more expensive brands. For value for money terms the Quinta gives a lot of bang for it’s buck. Which is what I found with the Quinta Small that I had tested previously. [Read more…]
I was very excited to get this book sent to me to have a good read of pre release. Jess Pryles is co-founder of the Australian Barbecue Alliance, and a serious cook of all that is meaty. The cover doesn’t leave you in any doubt as to which way this book is going, with a beautiful cote de boeuf.
Her new book has just been released and is available in a couple of days.
There’s a great start to the book with tonnes of relevant info and techniques, a section on Meat Science, BBQ setups, and techniques such as spatchcocking chickens, and one of my favourites “the ultimate condiment spread”.
There are plenty of recipes that follow, with some stunning photography to get you licking the pages. Chicken, Game, Pork, Lamb, Beef and sides are all covered, and a Foundations and Finishes section at the end, stuffed with rubs and sauces etc.
There a re plenty of recipes that cover a great range of cooking styles, and regional styles from the US and around the globe, which is great to see.
It’s great to see game getting such a strong mention, as this is often overlooked, coffee-rubbed kangaroo fillet, quail and venison feature here.
Being a beef nerd myself, the beef chapter was full of inspiration, advce on cooking the perfect steak, and some great BBQ favourites such as Twice-cooked cola short ribs and some awesome burgers.
I’d definitely say this book had something for everyone…well maybe not vegetarians…
There’s certainly lads of recipes and inspiration that I’m going to be trying out myself.
Hardcore Carnivore is available for preorder for £20 hardback. Available on Amazon
I was very fortunate to spend a day at Grillstream HQ in Hertfordshire, and was able to cook on the Grillstream Gourmet Grill, I’ve cooked on a fair few gas grills with variable results, and the biggest issue I usually have with them, especially the cheaper models is the heat is uneven and the fats often flare up when they hit the hot surfaces same as the spreader bars above the burners. [Read more…]
If you prefer not to get your BBQ Charcoal from a garage there are plenty of great options out there, and hardcore BBQ’ers can get through an awful lot of charcoal even in the winter months when it becomes harder to pick up charcoal. So to get bags of charcoal delivered straight to your door is a definite bonus for a lot of people. There are some good quality charcoal available that can be delivered to your home. [Read more…]
Apple & Whiskey are great friends for a lot of flavours, and in this Smokin’ Yankees Apple & Whiskey BBQ Sauce they certainly make for a wonderful naturally sweet, well thought out sauce. It’s really great seeing the BBQ scene developing in UK & Ireland, and there are some teams who are really getting their products out which is great to see. Unlike a lot of American sauces they are not too sweet, and it suits my palate perfectly. [Read more…]
I’ve tired out plenty of wireless thermometers, and often the build quality lets them down, for me the simpler the better with a bit of kit like this, and let the software on the device do the majority of stuff. The Inkbird IBT-2X is certainly a good price for a bluetooth thermometer, coming in at £23.95 including delivery, simple, easy to use, very easy to connect to your bluetooth enabled device. [Read more…]