Logo
  • BBQ Accessory Reviews
  • BBQ Reviews
  • Sauce & Rub Reviews
  • Smokehouse Reviews
  • Smoker Reviews
  • BBQ Books
  • BBQ at Home

ETI Thermapen One

May 19, 2022 by admin · Leave a Comment

The Thermapen One. After a few new names and models from ETI (Electronic Temperature Instruments) in the past few years, the new pinnacle of instant read thermometers was announced in 2021. And while some of the previous models remain on sale with the names ‘Classic’ and ‘Professional’, for this review we will focus on the latest and greatest Thermapen One model. 

Themapen One
[Read more…]

Filed Under: BBQ Accessory Reviews · Tagged: BBQ thermometer, Thermapen

Masterbuilt Digital Charcoal Smoker

April 13, 2022 by admin · Leave a Comment

Sometimes size does matter. Sometimes! Whilst it would be ideal to have lots of space to fill with BBQ’s and the likes, for most space is precious and so we need to be careful with the equipment we choose. But what if you also need a lot of capacity to cook a lot of food at the same time for larger parties and gatherings, and you still only have a small space to play with? Well, Masterbuilt may have the answer for you with their Digital Charcoal Smoker unit. It’s capacity is big, it really can hold a lot of food however it’s footprint is relatively small. The cabinet style design means it’s taller rather than wider meaning it can fit nearly into a smaller corner and take up far less space that other units with the same capacity. It’s a rugged looking unit with it’s handles and glass front and one that immediately catches the eye. But does it cook well? 

We have been cooking on this unit since the late summer of 2021 so have managed to run a fair few cooks through it now giving us a nice rounded opinion which we will share below. Let’s start with some of the technical specs of the Masterbuilt digital charcoal. 

The name ‘digital’ gives you a hint that this unit is controlled by a electric control panel and fan unit, so yes it needs to be located near a power source. You need to plug this unit into a mains socket or a power unit with a 3 pin socket. There is also the ability to connect the control panel to Bluetooth or WiFi via the Masterbuilt app, so being near a WiFi connection will give further benefits and functions with the unit.
The smoker runs on either lumpwood charcoal or briquettes and has a hopper size of just over 7kg. This gives a claimed continuous burn time of up to 13hrs.
Total cooks space across the 4 racks in the BBQ sits at 8500sq cm (1320sq inches). That’s a lot. Masterbuilt claims this is enough space for 20 chickens, 16 pork shoulders, 8 racks of ribs (that’s laid flat on the grates, we are sure you could do far more in rib racks) or 4 turkeys.
Unit height is 126cm, Width is 74cm and depth is 67cm. Sitting on swivel casters, 2 of which lock for easy movement and then also keeping in place.
Temperature range from 105-204c. With the fan assist the unit will heat to 204C in 17 minutes and 205c in 20 minutes.
Water pan for added moisture in the cooking chamber
One food temperature probe included with the option to use up to probes 4 at the same time. 

As always we threw a number of cooks at this grill across a few different temp ranges to see how it got on and give a nice and balanced initial overview. 

The unit arrived to us boxed up and so a build was required, luckily Dad was around to lend a hand with this one. It took the pair of us a good 90 minutes to put this one together with few issues really, apart from dropping the off screw in the long grass. The instructions are pretty comprehensive, just make sure you wire up the switches for the electrical bit the correct way round. We were also supplied with a cover which comes at an extra cost, due to the unconventional cabinet style shape you are probably best to go with a Masterbuilt cover for this unit. They are nice and weighty with a drawstring fastener and you can pick them up for around £45. 

The unit is pretty easy to move around thanks to the four wheels, two of which have locking castors to keep it in place when needed. There is a rugged looking handle on each side of the cabinet that helps with getting it where you need. The same rugged handles feature on the main cabinet door and also the firebox door too. They have a rubberised black handle meaning then remain cool to the touch when the unit is running. Each door also has a locking clasp to ensure a tight fit, this is meant to stop leaks although in practice we did still find some smoke escaping, but not enough to be of concern. At the very bottom of the front panel is the electric control unit. There is a basic blue digital display that shows the units internal temperature, your set temperature to cook at, a timer should you need it and then it will cycle through the probe temperatures if you have them attached. They are also the buttons to connect the grill to Bluetooth and wifi, button for setting the temps, buttons for the timer and a jog wheel for selecting the desired temperature too. All pretty straightforward, and when connected to the Masterbuilt app it shows you all the info you need too. 

The app allows you to connect the grill, browse an every growing list of recipes, set temperatures up and down, set timers and also look at the probe temperatures if you have them connected. If you are new to connected grills then all these features are pretty much the norm these days. Enables you to set the grill going and walk away knowing you can check on the grills progress wherever you may find yourself that has an internet connection. If you aren’t venturing far afield then you can stay connected via Bluetooth too. 

Around the back of the grill there is a small vent hole cut into the pressed metal shell, but around the front is where this grill stands out a little as it has a pretty much full-sized glass front, allowing your or your hungry family and friends to look in at what BBQ delights await them. Quite unique to have and means you can check on meat colours and bark formation without needing to open the door and allow any heat to escape. The phrase “If you’re looking you aint cookin” really does not apply on this unit, firstly you can see through the glass and secondly you can check temps on your app. I say you can see through the glass, that is if you clean it after each cook, we found as you would rightly expect that it gets a bit difficult to see through with a few hours smoke build up. But I will say this, it cleans up easier than my indoor oven door does.
Once the catch is flicked and the glass fronted door is open you are really met with just how much space this unit offers. There are 4 shelves in total that all come included with the unit, and each shelve can be placed on its hanger that can clip into the side wall of the unit in multiple positions and heights, eight in total. This means you can have larger items in and remove shelves, or small items in and have it fully loaded with all 4 shelves. The racks themselves are pretty sturdy, we have seen units in the past when under load the shelves suffer, but these took some fair weight in some of our cooks and did not bend out of shape. Under the lowest rack there is a hanger that holds a water pan to keep that nice moist air running round the unit. The pan isn’t particularly big so you may find it needs a top up during higher temperature cooks. Top tip always fill with hot water to the unit doesn’t use more energy and fuel just to heat the water.
Then under this is a diffuser that can be set to different positions depending on the heat you are aiming to cook at, and a big angled drip pan to catch all the juices running down from what you are cooking. On the side of the unit there is a handy rubber probe inlet that feeds into the main cabinet, this means there is no need to feed wires in through the door hinges risking pinch damage. Then down to the lower access door to which houses the firebox. This door is also held with a latch but inside has a layer of metal gauze style gasket to keep all that heat in. Behind this sits the ash pan to collect all the spent coals and ash, easily removable but must always be done with heavy duty heat resistant gloves, it gets very hot. And the internal charcoal basket gets even hotter still.  The charcoal basket has a lighter holder, we used the standard wax coil tumbleweeds and then piled the coals above, around and filled the basket. There is a removable insert which creates an almost snack method effect as the fuel burns around it. We have also seen people add wood chunks into this centre section although we didn’t try this. We ran cooks with both lumpwood and briquettes and found the latter to give a longer burn time as you would expect. The temptation here is to load the basket right up, but do so, then add wood chunks on top and you may not be able to get the basket back into its drawer. We preferred wood chunks on the bottom then coals on top no higher than the basket rim. Light your starter in its holder through the mesh basket and slide it carefully back into place and shut the door. Next to the unit you find the fan tower which guides the flow of air down onto your fuel source and keeps the unit at your desired temperature. None of us like spending ages reading a manual but this units has a few quirks that mean it’s worth a scan, and to keep to hand for reference. There are a few ways to light the grill and set up the diffuser depending on the heat range you are looking to cook at, so check these beforehand to keep temps in line with where you want them, light it or set it up differently could see you waiting longer to hit temps, or wondering why the temps are creeping past what you have the grill set to. Worth a read. 

The construction of the unit is generally good, the price point means this grill sits in the lower mid section of today’s prices. And as such the cabinet is not insulated at all, and it’s a lot of flat metal to react to the weather you are cooking in. So as such, the unit clearly has to work harder on colder days meaning your burn times may be reduced. In exceptionally cold weather or high winds you may consider wanting to protect the unit by using it in some form of shelter or gazebo. Most of our cooks have been on finer weather days and so the unit did not struggle. 

So exactly what have we cooked? We decided to go in big for cook number 1 with this Masterbuilt unit and it really was all or nothing. It was a risk but one we felt we had to take.
2 briskets and 2 pork shoulders. For this because of the height on the pork shoulders we removes one rack, then had a brisket on each of the lower two racks then the two pork shoulders on the remaining top rack. This was going to be a long 10-12 hour cook low and slow in the 107-135c (225-275f) regions depending on the stage of the cook. Deflector set, water pan filled, firebox loaded with Kamado Joe Big Block lumpwood (since this cook masterbuilt have also brought out their own line of charcoal sized specifically for their units), smoking wood in, tumbleweed lit, temps set on the control panel, so now time to walk away and let the unit do it’s thing.
To start the heat ran a little over the set 107c temp but only by 10c so was still well within my range so I didn’t intervene, and sure enough the temps settled in withing 40 mins and it ran as expected right through until my first check at 6hrs. At this point I wanted to check the briskets and swap them on the shelves, made easy as the shelves slide out (as long as you have somewhere to put them, drop the higher one down and put the one that was out back in it’s place. With me? On checking over both briskets and shoulders the cooks were pretty even, one section on the lower brisket was darkening a little sooner but no issues I also checked the fuel and all was well but was over half way round the snake at 6hr in. I shut all the doors and let them smoker run for another 2hrs. After the checks so additional oxygen had obviously got in and after the initial recovery from the lower temps of letting the heat out, again the until climbed to 15c over for a short time before dropping back down, again this small increase was no issue. At the 8hr mark the pork shoulders and briskets were both ready to wrap, with the briskets being a little further on than the pork. This could be position in the cabinet or purely just down to the meats themselves being different, sadly I wouldn’t know unless I ran the exact same cook the opposite way round. On checking the fuel again, I decided a top up was needed as the cook was going to run for at least another 2-4hrs, so some unlit lumpwood back in to start burning back on itself, no more wood at this point as the meats were all wrapped. Slowly over the next few hours each of the briskets first, then each of the pork shoulders got done. As each one was ready they were put in the cooler ready to be served. If I had one complaint of this whole first cook it would be the mess on the drip pan I had to clean up. Maybe it could be foiled for easy clean up, lesson learnt. A solid first cook, all the meats got nice colour and flavour, cooks was easy with no messing around needed, the Masterbuilt just ticked along and did it’s thing and did it well. 

Cook number 2 we went for a capacity test with small items so this time it was wings. I ordered in 5kg of 3 joint wings thinking that was a good test for the Masterbuilt. I was wrong, 5kg didn’t even touch the sides as you will see from the pictures. I am confident this unit could have handled 20kg+ across the 4 shelves. The wings would be more tightly packed in, but I think the unit could handle it. And that’s exactly what this unit offers, a huge opportunity for capacity if you need it whilst taking up less floor space due to the vertical cabinet design. For this cook it was a dry water pan and a higher temperature as we needed to crisp up the skin on those wings. Wran at 135c for 45 mins to lay down some nice smoke flavours then when the wings has started to colour up we raised the temperature to 175c and watched the skins start to bubble up. Within 25 mins we spotted that we needed a shelf rotation to even the cook up across the shelves, again this could be because we different rubs on the wings so some may have darkened sooner due to the sugar content. It only took another 10 minutes at the higher heat and they were ready to come off and again we were pleased with the results. The higher heat cook showed that there are some areas across the grills that get hotter than others, but this is marginal and the same can be said of most grills. Whilst we misjudged the capacity, 5kg of these wings was more than enough to keep us happy. The smokey flavour was definitely present and the skins crisped up well from the higher heat finish. When cleaning down the unit after this higher heat cook we did notice the mesh fire basket had twisted slightly from the heat. Whilst we were surprised it really has no effect on the running of the unit, it still fits fine, it just has a small twist. Whether this would increase over time we don’t know as of yet, but in all the subsequent cooks it hasn’t got any worse. Just a small note on our experience, again, not an issue at all but wanted to write it in. 

Cook 3 was just a benchmark cook for us, ribs. We always get a good picture and feeling for how a grill runs when we throw some ribs on one. And these were two nice big racks of thick meaty spares at that. To go with the ribs we ran some sides of buttered corn and a big tray of mac n cheese too just to see how the Materbuilt handles more than just the big meats. Another cook run on lumpwood charcoal and this time with some maple wood chunks for smoke. We knew this was around a 5hr cook at the 120c mark, adding in the mac n cheese and corn for the last hour. This grill isn’t really about the full on high heat cooks, more about the low n slow to hot and fast ranges, not the sear stage. So this was the last of the test cooks before the review was written. As expected this cook ticked along exactly as had expected and the results on the ribs were as good as most. The smoke levels from the unit vary during the cook depending on how much wood you have added, how much the fan is assisting the cook and blowing on the fuel source. On of the things we did note is that when the smoke is in full flow there are some small gaps on the main glass door where smoke escapes, not an issue apart from if you like to keep your grills clean, this will be another area that needs a scrub up after the cook. We also learnt you can’t bring the temperature on the unit down on this unit with the controller in the same way you can with other Masterbuilt units. At the end of the cook your fuel will continue to burn until it is spent, so only add the fuel you need for the cook so as not to waste any. 

In its time on test the Masterbuilt digital charcoal smoker ran without issue, the build was relatively simple, the unit offers a massive amount of cook space for its footprint. The build quality is good enough for the price range, were this unit to be fully insulated etc you would expect to pay a minimum of twice as much if not more. Yes, the temperature range means you won’t be searing like a traditional BBQ, but the clue is in the name, ‘smoker’. The unit has an RRP of £499, and that’s a lot of cooking space for the money, meaning if capacity is what you need then this should be on your consideration list. You will definitely get a longer run time for overnight cooks without top ups using briquettes rather than lumpwood but fuel choice is down to your preference. There are a few leaks in the doors where smoke escapes, the temps did run a touch over on occasion, there are a few hot spots and yes, the fire basket did twist a little. But does any of this matter? In our opinion, not really. The results from the cooks, the flavours it gives, ease of use, the capacity, the digital controller, being able to run the unit via the app. All of these things really do stack up to making the Masterbuilt a solid product to consider if you are in the market for this type of smoker. 

Website – https://uk.masterbuilt.com/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/masterbuilteu/?hl=en
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/masterbuilt
Artust
Twitter : @ArtustBBQ
Instagram: @Artustbbq
Advert. Paid promotion. Full disclosure. This review was paid for by Masterbuilt to cover the cost of ingredients, content creation and my own time. But I am still entitled and have given my full and honest opinion on the grill above

Filed Under: Uncategorized ·

Masterbuilt 800 Gravity Series

November 22, 2021 by admin · Leave a Comment

The age-old BBQ argument. Convenience of gas, flavour of charcoal. But which do you prefer? Some of the stats out there show that gas is still a firm favourite in many a back garden these days but, there is also now a growing army of fans of flavour, who are moving across to what is considered by many, to be the longer winded and more involved version of BBQ cooking, and that’s charcoal.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: BBQ Reviews, Smoker Reviews · Tagged: Masterbuilt 800, Masterbuilt Gravity

Weber Connect

August 16, 2021 by admin · Leave a Comment

Weber connect

The old BBQ saying of ‘If you are looking, you ain’t cooking’ has been around for many years, and all those lid lifters out there have been cautious ever since. But imagine knowing exactly what was going on inside your BBQ and not having to be a lid lifter? Knowing your exact grill temperature and how close to being done that prized steak is all at the same time in the palm of your hand?


Welcome to the world of the Weber Connect.


Weber have had a few digital temperature monitors in the last few years with their previous versions of the iGrill devices, but 2020 saw the launch of their ‘Connect’ hardware fitted into grills such as their Smokefire pellet grill. And now that same technology is available as a standalone unit called the Weber Connect Smart Grilling Hub. Is this the one to now get really excited about? Read on to learn more.

What actually is the Weber Connect? Most grills you will see will usually have an old dial style temperature gauge on the lid, think of the Connect as the ultra-modern tech filled version of that dial, one that comes with it’s own app for your mobile device crammed full of info and recipes. All of which will help you to cook better food, more safely as you nail those temperatures and keep the dishes as tender, juicy and tasty as possible. Sounds good right?


Out of the box the unit is simple, you get the Weber Connect hub itself, which is a sleek looking black unit not much bigger than a large box of matches. The unit has 4 holes along the top into which you plug in the digital probes, which brings us onto the 2 probes included in the box. The first of the probe is for ambient temperatures inside your BBQ and comes with a grill clip included to help you attach it at grate level in your BBQ. This is easy to identify as the ambient probe is much shorter and a little thicker with no sharp end. This is handy as it takes up less room when placing it on the grill. And the second probe is a food probe which is longer with a narrower and sharp tip to help with insertion into your chosen food and speed of temperature measurement. There is also a leaflet to help with pairing the unit to you phone or tablet etc, then a USB charging cable and a small instruction booklet. That’s all you need to get started.


Should you need them further down the line you can buy additional probes so that you can have 4 reading all at the same time. The cables on the probes are covered in a wire mesh to give them some additional durability and protect them from the high heats in the BBQ. The cable length is around 1 metre so long enough to keep the Weber Connect hub safe and away from the grill. The Weber Connect hub does have a handy magnetic base but you clearly have to be careful not to stick it to a surface that will get hot.  

Pairing the device was actually way easier than expected and following the leaflet I had the Weber Connect app downloaded onto my mobile phone in just a few minutes, and shortly after the device was connected, paired and set up too. I have to say I get extremely frustrated when technology just doesn’t work as easily as you expect it to in 2021, so I was happy that Weber had made this process so straightforward. Please note this was paired to an Android device so I cannot comment on connecting to iOS. Weber state that the unit will work with any device running  iOS 12.1 or Android 7.0 or later. There are 2 ways to pair your Weber Connect hub to your mobile device, the first being Bluetooth and the second being Wi-Fi assuming your router signal will reach to where your BBQ is located. Bluetooth obviously only has a limited range but I did find this to be stronger that on some other devices I have used, staying connected through my garden, into my house and running fine when sat in my lounge.  

The device did arrive with a little charge in the unit but the advice is to fully charge the unit before it’s first use. This took a couple of hours using the supplied USB cable plugged into one of my phone chargers, and there is a led charge indicator light letting you know at what stage in the charge you are, push down on the Weber Connect unit and it will display the charge percentage on the screen. We haven’t fully tested the battery life as of yet but we would expect it to run for even the longer cooks for bigger cuts of meat.

Once charged, clipping in your first probe fires up the device and the screen will start to read the temperature of the inserted probe on the screen. If you insert more than one probe for your cook then a simple press down on the unit will move the screen to showing the next probes temp. As mentioned this unit can monitor up to 4 temperature simultaneously. So if you have that big cook up planned, you can monitor your BBQ temperature plus the temps of 3 other foods, such as a brisket, a chicken and some salmon all at the same time. Not only will the unit itself show you the temps but, turn on the Weber Connect app and once the unit is paired you’ll see those temps displayed in an easy layout on your phone screen too.

And here is where Weber Connect really steps up a level and if you are new to BBQ or just need a helping hand to nail a few recipes, the app comes pre-loaded with an ever growing list of recipes and handy tutorials. Once you have scanned the 5 categories of red meat, pork, poultry, lamb or fish, under each tab there will be a number of new recipes for you to try out. It will give you a picture of the finished dish, rough prep and cooking time, a list of ingredients you’ll need, then run you through all of the prep and cook complete with videos and tips too. This really can help even the most novice of cooks step up their game and try something new or that you perhaps hadn’t felt confident to do before. And it gets a little more clever too, say you had your BBQ running a little hotter than the recipe says and your meat is cooking a little sooner than expected. In this instance the probe in the meat will read that the temperature is climbing a little faster and adjust the cooking time down so you don’t overcook your food.

It fully adapts to the cooking situation to make sure you can nail your chosen dish. During the cooks you can allow the app to send alerts to your mobile device to let you know when the next step of the cook is needed, or when a target temperature has been met, making sure you stay fully in control all the time without having to always lift the lid, or always be sat right next to your BBQ. It gives you more time to prep other dishes or spend time with family and friends whilst you know your food is cooking away safely.


If you are cooking something you know how to cook or something a little more basic, you can simply use the app to set a timer or a temperature alarm. Again, giving you a little peace of mind away from the BBQ whilst the cook ticks along.

I have used much more basic versions of units like the Weber Connect hub for many years now, just to give me a level of confidence that the BBQ is staying at the right temperature for longer cooks, and with a probe in big meats to tell me when they may need to be wrapped or taken off. The Weber Connect hub is the new era of these units and takes all the best functions and then some to help you stay ‘connected’ and with that extra helping hand you may need. You know that Weber will continue to develop the app and add more and more content and recipes to help you keep cooking on the BBQ and trying new things.


Some things to note, the probes have to be looked after and that means carefully cleaning regularly to keep them both safe and hygienic but also functioning correctly. The probes are not fully waterproof so have to be cleaned with a little TLC so as not to get water into the cables. You also need to be careful not to pinch the cables in the lid of your grill when closing it, so use a light hand and don’t slam it shut on the cables. If, down the line you do develop a fault with a cable then they are easily replaced at a relatively low cost. The probes have a wide temperature range but they can be maxed out on very high heat searing cooks so be mindful of this and damaging them.

The Weber Connect unit itself is described by Weber as being ‘Weather resistant’ but my advice would always be to store it away from the rain, as lets face it we do get a lot of rain in the UK. In the past I have just covered my units with a ziplock bag next to the BBQ.

During my test cooks I ran the Weber Connect for a lovely Tomahawk steak, a rack of lamb and a picanha amongst others. All of these were cooked on the Weber Mastertouch charcoal kettle grill, but you can obviously run this device on any grill you wish. Two things stood out that impressed me most and they were the connectivity, with the device staying connected through all of the cooks where some devices on the market may struggle. And then also the way the device adapts to the cook and changes the times accordingly, it really is very clever. Look forward to running this for many more cooks and seeing how it would handle a long overnight cook for example. My guess based on the results so far is just fine.


Available across many retailers and online now with an RRP of £155.39, go out and look up those deals.
Web: https://www.weber.com/GB/en/accessories/cooking/igrill-and-thermometers/3202.html

Instagram: @WeberUK

Facebook: @WebergrillsUK

Artust

Twitter : @ArtustBBQ

Instagram: @Artustbbq 

For clarity this review is paid promotion and the unit was gifted for the review. I am still entitled to review the product with an unbiased view and voice my own truthful opinions.

Filed Under: BBQ Accessory Reviews · Tagged: thermometer, Weber

ProQ Digital Probe Thermometer

July 14, 2021 by admin · Leave a Comment

If you are in the market for an instant read thermometer then there is a new option to consider from the team at ProQ. Speak to most people in the BBQ world and they will say a thermometer is one piece of equipment they would recommend again and again. And forget the old school analogue ones your parents may have used to check a turkey once a year, these are the new school digital versions giving you an accurate read out in seconds. So, whether you are grilling steaks and looking for that pink perfection or smoking a brisket and looking for that finishing temperature as well as probe tenderness, the ProQ digital probe thermometer may well be the tool you need. 

Coming in at a price point of £25.99, the ProQ model lands itself in a very competitive place in the market for this type of device. Especially considering the 2 year limited warranty they are offering too. 

I have been using my ProQ model for the last few months before writing this review and have to say, for the cost of the unit I have been very impressed. Straight off the top, the feature I like most is being able to easily switch between Celsius and Fahrenheit on the display by simply holding down a button. Being from an age where I learnt all my recipes and cooks from American BBQ books, I am more familiar with Fahrenheit as a measurement than Celsius. But I appreciate that some people are the opposite way so it’s easy on this unit to switch between both.

The actual probe section you use for checking temperatures folds away into the handheld section, keeping it safe and out of the way; and the very tip of the of the probe narrows, meaning the holes left in your food, when checking temps, can be kept to a minimum. The thin, tip end also means the unit reads temperatures very quickly, giving you an accurate reading in around 3-5 seconds; meaning the food does not have to be kept out of the cooker any longer than necessary when making those checks. Handily, the device is also IPX5 waterproof which certainly helps with the always changing UK weather, wiping it clean or spills from cooks etc.

The screen is backlit, so can be used at night or in darker places too. And another handy feature is a USB charge cable is supplied in the box, so you can always keep it topped up as it has a lithium-ion. And finally, the unit has a magnet on the back to help you keep it somewhere safe, just not somewhere hot! 

At this price, the unit is definitely worth a look and will help you to know exactly what the temps are, of whatever you are cooking, meaning you know you are at a safe temperature; so you don’t need to overcook food and dry it out, and overall you will be making more enjoyable meals. 

I was gifted this unit to test, but am entitled to write my own opinions on the device. The link to the product on the ProQ website is noted below. 

If you have used and have any feedback on one of these units or have any questions, let us know in the comments. 

ProQ Digital Probe Thermometer
Tweets by ProQSmokers

https://www.facebook.com/ProQSmokers

https://www.instagram.com/proqsmokers/

Artust

Twitter : @ArtustBBQ

Instagram: @Artustbbq

Filed Under: BBQ Accessory Reviews · Tagged: BBQ thermometer

Sosij

June 9, 2021 by admin · Leave a Comment

Sosij

Think you know your way round a decent sausage on the BBQ? It may be time to have a re-think. If you aren’t familiar with the name Sosij it may be worth looking them up. Whether that be because you fancy something a little different, or you want to see their collaborations sausages they have been coming up with of late.


Hailing out of Bristol, Ali is the sausage handling mastermind behind the company, and after 15 years of cheffing and running kitchens he turned his hand to street food and then making sausages. That turned out to be a very good move on his part as his products seemed to be an overnight social media success. He was selling out as word got around about the weird and wonderful flavours coming from the Sosij stable. The flavours kept coming and then Sosij bombs were born. Sausagemeat balls wrapped in bacon. Look them up.


After sitting back for a while, I saw a post pop up on Instagram saying there was a selection of the Sosij range available as a one off, so I decided it was time to part with some money and give them a go. The pack I bought included some of Sosij’s Irish Black butter pork and apple sausages, some Cajun peach pork sausages, some smokey bacon pork sausages, some cheddar jalapeno pork sausages and Texas hot links beef and pork sausages. Quite the collection.


Needless to say it hasn’t taken me long to get stuck in over the last few weeks cooking them in a variety of different ways from super low and slow smoking for a long time, to fast grilling, then back to normal smoking as part of a BBQ platter. Each time I have been impressed with what I have eaten and it leaves me wanting to cook the next pack. The first thing you notice is how plump these sausages are, not your usual banger by any means. The packaging catches the eye as do the variety of flavours. These sausages cook up so well and retain a good snap and the ones I have cooked to date always stay nice and juicy too. Favourites for me so far being the hot links as a part of a BBQ platter and the Irish black butter ones in a breakfast sandwich.


Then, only one week after placing my order Ali announces his latest idea, subscription boxes. So, having just had my order arrive should I be re-ordering so soon? Well when I heard the limited-edition flavours in the first box, I knew I had to try them. Birria beef cheek taco sausages??? Then Brazilian linguiça sausages? I am yet to try both of these so can’t comment but the feedback I have heard has been all good. In each subscription box you also get a pack from the range, a surprise pack, the box I had included some breakfast patties which were really good, I built a monster breakfast muffin with mine, and then this pack had a sauce in from the Upton Cheney chilli company and a big pack of rub. Delivered fresh and safely to your door for the princely sum of £45. There has been a second subscription box since where Sosij collaborated with Chef Thom Bateman from The Flintolock. It sounded amazing so I really can’t wait to see what the June box holds.


If you want to try some of the Sosij products you can find them being sold online by Village Butchers or wholesale by Longcroft and Old. The subscription boxes go straight onto the Sosij website as noted below. When you try them, let us know what you think in the comments section below.
Website – https://www.sosij.uk/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/sosij_uk/?hl=en
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/sosijuk/

Artust

Twitter : @ArtustBBQ

Instagram: @Artustbbq 

Filed Under: Meat Reviews · Tagged: BBQ Meat, sausages

Camp Chef WoodWind Wifi 24 with Sidekick

April 29, 2021 by admin · Leave a Comment

Camp Chef WoodWind Wifi 24 with Sidekick
Camp Chef WoodWind Wifi 24 with Sidekick

The Camp Chef Woodwind Wifi 24 is a new Pellet Grill to the UK BBQ Market, I’ve been really enjoying cooking on this grill, and it has a lot of features that make it stand out from the competition. Not only does the pellet grill side of things have some clever features, such as the easy to clean fire pot, it has a sliding firepot cover and slotted grease tray, which gives an element of direct heat, so unlike a lot of pellet grills you can get a great sear on a steak.

The other real feature of this grill is the Sidekick sideburner, which has a good few additions that make it ultra versatile, such as a plancha, a pizza oven, and a grill box, so while you can low n slow your ribs and brisket in the main pellet grill. You can whip up a few pitmaster privilege extras while you’re waiting. In this video I show you what is possible to cook at the same time. Look out for a future camp chef unboxing video coming up.

Please check out my video on this cracking grill below for more details.

And visit the Campchef Website

Please note I was sent the CampChef grill to review, and create content for, but I was free to share my views on this grill.

Filed Under: BBQ Reviews, Smoker Reviews · Tagged: BBQ review, grill, Pellet Grill

Whistler Bibury 5 Video Review

April 11, 2021 by admin · Leave a Comment

The Whistler Grills Bibury 5 gas grill, is a beast of a high quality stainless gas grill. Could this be the best gas grill of 2021…

[Read more…]

Filed Under: BBQ Reviews · Tagged: Gas Grill review, Grill review

Whistler Bibury 5

April 8, 2021 by admin · Leave a Comment

If you, or someone you know, is in the market for a premium gas grill for the garden this summer, then read on. Could the new range from Whistler Grills be the one you should choose? This review is of their top of the range Bibury 5 model and will help you to answer some questions you may have around this, and any of the Whistler Bibury range. 

[Read more…]

Filed Under: BBQ Reviews · Tagged: Gas Grill review, Grill review

HamrForge Old Ironsides

February 22, 2021 by admin · Leave a Comment

This week I have a look at the Hamrforge Old Ironsides reverse flow smoker that is pretty compact and will sit on a tabletop.

HamrForge Old Ironsides
[Read more…]

Filed Under: BBQ Reviews, Smoker Reviews · Tagged: BBQ review, Hamrforge

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 11
  • Next Page »

BBQ Magazine Subscribe Now!

My latest book

For all the latest in UK BBQ

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

My Book now available!

Facebook Group

Archives

  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • November 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • April 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • April 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • July 2018
  • November 2017
  • August 2017
  • June 2017
  • April 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • August 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015

Categories

  • BBQ Accessory Reviews
  • BBQ at Home
  • BBQ Books
  • BBQ Reviews
  • Meat Reviews
  • Sauce & Rub Reviews
  • Smokehouse Reviews
  • Smoker Reviews
  • Uncategorized

Top Posts & Pages

  • ETI Thermapen One
  • Grillstream Gourmet Grill
  • Outback Jupiter 4 burner Hybrid BBQ
  • Masterbuilt 800 Gravity Series
  • Whistler Bibury 5
  • Green Olive Firewood Co.
  • Build your own digital forced draft smoker controller
  • Quinta Kamado Small
  • Inkbird IBT-2X Bluetooth BBQ Thermometer
  • ProQ Excel - Smoker

Pages

  • About Us and Disclaimer
  • CountryWoodSmoke Group Map
  • UK BBQ Map