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Grilling and BBQ in Western Canada


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I thought I'd try to start a variation for a thread - all about bbq. I know from a question here and there on eGullet that there are indeed enthusiastic grillers in Western Canada but there are also zealous smokers as well. So here are a few questions to start things off:

- what's your favorite dish to grill?

- do you know how to tell if your steak is done (without cutting it all up on the grill)?

- do you use charcoal or stick to the "easier-to-use" gas?

- sources for charcoal, woods and cookers

- what do you want to know how to do better on your grill?

- what secret ingredient do you like to play with while outdoor cooking?

- and if you are willing, what did you screw up for your guests?

Let's see if we can be resourceful and let people learn by our mistakes or by the same token, share with others what works well.

Have at it....

Brian

Edited by BBQ Brian (log)

Brian Misko

House of Q - Competition BBQ

www.houseofq.com

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Misko,

You are a hack !! :raz:

I will not be revealing any of our team's tried and true BBQ secrets to you.

You will have to do what I did.............sleep your way to the top !! :sad:

click here to see what I had to go through!!!

Signed,

BBQ Neil

I thought I'd try to start a variation for a thread - all about bbq.  I know from a question here and there on eGullet that there are indeed enthusiastic grillers in Western Canada but there are also zealous smokers as well.  So here are a few questions to start things off:

- what's your favorite dish to grill?

- do you know how to tell if your steak is done (without cutting it all up on the grill)?

- do you use charcoal or stick to the "easier-to-use" gas?

- what do you want to know how to do better on your grill?

- what secret ingredient do you like to play with while outdoor cooking?

- and if you are willing, what did you screw up for your guests?

Let's see if we can be resourceful and let people learn by our mistakes or by the same token, share with others what works well.

Have at it....

Brian

Neil Wyles

Hamilton Street Grill

www.hamiltonstreetgrill.com

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- what's your favorite dish to grill?

chicken thighs

- do you know how to tell if your steak is done (without cutting it all up on the grill)?

finger poke plus timing it

- do you use charcoal or stick to the "easier-to-use" gas?

gas grill

- what do you want to know how to do better on your grill?

rotisserie, never done it

- what secret ingredient do you like to play with while outdoor cooking?

hardwood shavings from my wood lathe

- and if you are willing, what did you screw up for your guests?

a raccoon stole a prime rib directly off the hot grill 5 minutes before ready, in front of eight guests that i didn't know very well

we grill out here on the right coast too.

Peter Gamble aka "Peter the eater"

I just made a cornish game hen with chestnut stuffing. . .

Would you believe a pigeon stuffed with spam? . . .

Would you believe a rat filled with cough drops?

Moe Sizlack

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Nice Neil, nice... I learnt from the master on which end of the tongs to use too. So far I seem to have the right end (plus a few trophies).

Charcoal sources? Keith - all depends on where you are... the national chains carry coal but typically briquettes - lump is that much harder to find. Overwaitea had it (Hard Coal) in stock recently while I've seen lump in CDN Tire in Trail, BC but not in the lower mainland... go figure. Best bet though is a good bbq outlet that sells hardware - they'll likely have the better quality stuff.

Brian

Brian Misko

House of Q - Competition BBQ

www.houseofq.com

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- and if you are willing, what did you screw up for your guests?

a raccoon stole a prime rib directly off the hot grill 5 minutes before ready, in front of eight guests that i didn't know very well

Oh my... now that's a story. Back up plan - hot dogs or Bella Pizza?

Brian Misko

House of Q - Competition BBQ

www.houseofq.com

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Also; Where do you buy hardwood lump charcoal other than Cambodian Tire, the only reliable local source I've found.

Kerrisdale Lumber has at least a couple of varieties - BGE is one, can't remember wha the other is.

- what's your favorite dish to grill?

big juicy steaks, veggies of all sorts, esp. corn on the cob (when yummy local yellow corn is in season).

- do you know how to tell if your steak is done (without cutting it all up on the grill)?

poke it

- do you use charcoal or stick to the "easier-to-use" gas?

good ol' Weber charcoal kettle

- sources for charcoal, woods and cookers

Kerrisdale Lumber, Cdn Tire

- what do you want to know how to do better on your grill?

Smoking and slow cooking (

- what secret ingredient do you like to play with while outdoor cooking?

Still getting the basics down and learning how to use indirect heat, wood chips etc. I love my chimney thingamajig.

- and if you are willing, what did you screw up for your guests?

No big disasters... yet.

Edited to add the lump charcoal database (fwiw):

link

Edited by run2eat (log)
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I buy charcoal from Johnstone's. I use a weber chimney to get the coals red hot nice and fast. I use a Weber smokey mountain cooker, and a Weber charcoal kettle for regular BBQ. I have done smoker BBQ on the kettle, and it turned out not too bad. You just need to set the fire to one side, and put the meat on the other side, with a pan of water inside, opposite the coals. I've been using the Minion Method in the smoker, and it works great. Nice even temperature of 225-250 F.

I just took down some trees and have some applewood i'm going to dry. I also have some wood from the plum tree. Do you think the plum wood will be good in the smoker?

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Lump charcoal was at the Burnaby (Willingdon & Lougheed) Crappy Tire today. Royal Oak & Hard Coals. 7.99 a bag for the Royal Oak ... I forget how much for the other. I however was looking for briquettes which I nabbed at Home Depot ... again about 7.99 for the larger bag.

I've also seen lump at: Superstore, Safeway and Save-On

Why the love in with lump? Is it the heat? I find it too unpredictable for smoking.

Brian ... any luck sourcing inexpensive Namchar? Johnstone has it but at $12 for the smaller (2kg ?) bag it's a bit steep. Kerrisdale is pretty pricey too.

Joe! Another Bullet-Head! Let me know if you'd like to get rid of some of that apple.

A.

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I just took down some trees and have some applewood i'm going to dry.  I also have some wood from the plum tree.  Do you think the plum wood will be good in the smoker?

I have never smoked with Plum but my track of thought is ANY hardwood from a fruit tree is worth the try. So when's the test?

Why the love in with lump?  Is it the heat?  I find it too unpredictable for smoking.

Brian ... any luck sourcing inexpensive Namchar?  Johnstone has it but at $12 for the smaller (2kg ?) bag it's a bit steep.  Kerrisdale is pretty pricey too.

Lump? Um, I find it's better to control heat especially in a Weber smoker... if you loose heat, open a vent a touch and wham, there it is back again. Briquettes seem to take longer to re-ignite. Or is that simply just me? By the same token, I used Kingsford last week, because I was in a pinch, and I don't want to be too far out of line, but the product is crap compared to other types of charcoal.

NamChar? Well, it seems to have run into a few challenges in getting to the market on a consistent basis... I too have run out of sources, at least inexpensive ones...

I love the charcoal links - those are fantastic!

My plan for the weekend involves teaching my longtime buddy who's visiting from Montreal how to properly cook ribs... from start to finish 7 hours. Guess what? It might involve a bevvie.

Cheers,

Brian

Brian Misko

House of Q - Competition BBQ

www.houseofq.com

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Lump?  Um, I find it's better to control heat especially in a Weber smoker...  if you loose heat, open a vent a touch and wham, there it is back again.  Briquettes seem to take longer to re-ignite.  Or is that simply just me?  By the same token, I used Kingsford last week, because I was in a pinch, and I don't want to be too far out of line, but the product is crap compared to other types of charcoal. 

Hmmmm ... maybe I'll give lump another shot, especially since it seems to be much easier to find in the Lower Mainland. I just had a major problem keeping the heat down the first couple times I used it. Maybe now that I've got a couple years of smoking under my belt I'll have better luck controlling.

Intersting about your Kingsford experience Brian. The guy at VirtualWeberBullet is in LOVE with the stuff. I'm going to try Royal Oak "Plus" a try this weekend with my ribs. I still have a couple bags of NamChar left which I will use for the overnight butt-smoking ...

A.

Smoke-Geek

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[

My plan for the weekend involves teaching my longtime buddy who's visiting from Montreal how to properly cook ribs...  from start to finish 7 hours.  Guess what?  It might involve a bevvie.

Cheers,

Brian

Lucky friend! :wub:

A truly destitute man is not one without riches, but the poor wretch who has never partaken of lobster. - anonymous
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Whole Foods carries organic (!) charcoal. Johnstone's has everything, including one of the best steak sauces I've tasted.

I use a gas grill but I'm thinking of buying a smoker. Right now I do the planking thing when I want a real smokey flavour.

Fave thing to grill? Anything that my guests don't expect. Foccaccio as a starter is always a big hit, and for a side dish I do teriyaki rice cakes (I make sushi rice the night before, press it in a plastic wrapped pan with a weight on top, then cut it up and brush it with sauce). Lately I've been cooking New York strip steaks marinated in a honey-mustard sauce and they've been terrific. As for doneness, I use a timer.

Oh, and best tip? Use a ball of foil to clean the grill.

Edited by Paul B (log)

Paul B

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Whole Foods carries organic (!) charcoal.

Ummm, forests are all pretty much organic. People are stupid, those obsessed with being 100% organic even moreso. It'd be good if you could find 100% organic wild sockeye to grill on your organic charcoal.

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Great thread! BBQ Brian offered us a successful overview of bbq (pulled pork sandwiches) in Chef Tony’s cooking class last fall. He was also hawkin’ a tasty Apple Butter BBQ sauce that I was lucky enough to get a bottle of.

I have a Weber Kettle in Vancouver, and just purchased a Weber Bullet with my brother (although it will be located in Nova Scotia so I’ll only have access to it several times/year).

I recently purchased a rotisserie for the kettle called the EZ-CUE.

http://www.ezqueinc.com/kettle.htm

185 US for the 6 “cradle set-up, so definitely not cheap, but worth the price in my opinion. It may pay for itself by 2010 - you have to think long-term. Anyways, this rotisserie and company comes highly recommended. I have been more than pleased with this product.

I find a great selection and better prices for woods, lump, bbq accessories in Washington (Bellingham for me). I don’t get there very often though. In Vancouver, Army and Navy sometimes has wood for a decent price. I’ve also seen some at Winners on occasion.

I would appreciate feedback on a Weber Chimney Starter: I presently use an electric starter to light my coals/wood for the kettle. It works great, but I wonder if I should I get a Weber Chimney Starter as well? For longer indirect cooks, say brisket and pork butt on the kettle (which I have not yet attempted), I’m thinking that it might make the process much easier. I did purchase a Chimney Starter for the Smoker, but as I mentioned, I have never tried it and won’t have access to it until next year.

A few random tips that I’ve learned/picked using the Kettle:

- Always keep top vents open, regulate airflow with the bottom vents

- A small terracotta pot makes a cheap and efficient ash catcher for the Silver Kettle Model.

- A hinged cooking grate is extremely useful for longer indirect cooks in which you have to add additional fuel ($10-$15)

- Cut big pieces of lump into smaller pieces with a hatchet so you have more consistently sized pieces.

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I would appreciate feedback on a Weber Chimney Starter:

the Weber chimney makes lighting the BBQ very easy. I don' like the taste that starters add to the BBQ. just load the chimney with charcoal, and place it on the BBQ. I crumple up some old newspaper underneath and light that. 9 out of 10 times works on the first light. I find the coals in the chimney are red hot in about 15 minutes. One full chimney is plenty for cooking one meal in the kettle, and enough for starting the smoker.

I usually have coals leftofver after cooking, because I close the vents right away. You get paranoid when you live in an old wooden house. I often add the leftover coals back to the chimney next time I cook...waste not...

Edited by jchaput (log)
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He was also hawkin’ a tasty Apple Butter BBQ sauce that I was lucky enough to get a bottle of.

yeah that Brian ... always hawkin' somthin'. That BBQ class is coming up again at NWCAV in June.

I would appreciate feedback on a Weber Chimney Starter

Joe's given you good feedback on the chimney starter. the only thing I would add is that there are other less expensive models out there than the Weber starter. Johnstone's has the Weber on for $27, but they also have another for $16 ... Broil King or something. I've had 3 of them for about 2 years now.

They are indespensible, especially if you ever get out to the maritimes to see your Bullet. If you're doing a 14-18 hour brisket smoke, it's nice to have another chiney of coals ready to go when the Minion method runs out at 3 in the morning!

Another benefit ... no lighter fluid. Awful stuff that, and it adds a nasty flavour to your food.

A.

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I ditched the paper in the base of the chimney for a portable butane stove... like the ones you see at Asian markets and are about $20. Place the chimney right on it and fire it up... less smoke than the burnt paper and well screaming chimney in under 10 minutes. The downside however is I completely burnt out my camping stove now. Oh well...

Thanks for the comment about the sauce - we finally got it together and launched it in stores last month - currently about 40 stores in the lower mainland with more to come.

I never would of though about Army and Navy re: sources for bbq stuff... what else is in their bbq aisle?

And Par, since you brought it up, I like using a discarded floor matt under our kettles - like the ones you see at an office building or an apartment - rubber backed carpet front... perfect for dropping grease, burning coal and whatever else.... its already a discarded item.

I love the grilled rice idea from Paul - I'll add that to the "gotta try" list.

As for making your own charcoal, um, holy over-the-top batman! Let me guess, no store bought sauces either? Hee hee

Brian

Brian Misko

House of Q - Competition BBQ

www.houseofq.com

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