Backyard BBQ for a dummy!

[NYC Mike]

Ok, one more quick question before I pull the trigger on this thing. Right now I am looking at the 22" kettle and a smoker but would this serve both purposes, charcoal grilling and BBQing? If so I will just get it.

click here

-mike

[Jason Perlow]

Thats a pretty standard smoker for BBQ, yep. The WSM is about the same price and easier to use though -- although you will fit more meat into the thing you are looking at.

The WSM is particularly good for newbies because its a "set it and forget it" type of smoker and it maintains its temperature more easily.

Edited August 1, 2006 by Jason Perlow (log)

[Dave the Cook]

Ok, one more quick question before I pull the trigger on this thing.  Right now I am looking at the 22" kettle and a smoker but would this serve both purposes, charcoal grilling and BBQing?  If so I will just get it.

click here

-mike

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Not to get cranky on you, but if you scroll back up to my earlier post (here) and follow the link, you'll find something very similar for much less money. I'm still seeing these in Kroger stores for -- depending on which one you're at -- for $100 to $150.

[rooftop1000]

Ok, one more quick question before I pull the trigger on this thing.  Right now I am looking at the 22" kettle and a smoker but would this serve both purposes, charcoal grilling and BBQing?  If so I will just get it.

click here

-mike

←

Not to get cranky on you, but if you scroll back up to my earlier post (here) and follow the link, you'll find something very similar for much less money. I'm still seeing these in Kroger stores for -- depending on which one you're at -- for $100 to $150.

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Oh yeah....home despot, lowes etc shouldnt be more than 150. Mine was 150 ish at Home Depot

tracey

[Jason Perlow]

I beleive Home Depot carries the Char Broil brand which has a very similar configuration to the smoker he linked above. The one I link to below is smaller but they have bigger ones. I'd go to the store in person to see which ones they have, each Home Depot has different stock.

http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS/EN_US...84+5426&pos=n19

Edited August 1, 2006 by Jason Perlow (log)

[NYC Mike]

On price, I am with you guys all the way, I was just using the pic to double-check for the "style" question and if I can grill and smoke with this unit.

It looks like yes, grilling on the smaller box with the coals and smoke on the upper portion.

-Mike

Edited August 1, 2006 by NYC Mike (log)

[Jason Perlow]

With that unit? No you can't do both. Its a BBQ Smoker. You'd need a charcoal grill as well.

[Dave the Cook]

With that unit? No you can't do both. Its a BBQ Smoker. You'd need a charcoal grill as well.

Sure you can. I've even just put a small fire at one end of the big box and grilled over it before or after a hot-smoke session -- it depends on what temperature you're smoking at. You can even cold smoke using the smaller box (you might have some trouble doing it in the current weather conditions, but fall through early spring, you'll be fine). The larger box is an excellent grill on its own.

[Jason Perlow]

Well, in my experience I've seen those things used exclusively for smoking, I've never grilled on one myself. At the recent Q competition I went to, they had those out just for doing smoking and small charcoal grills like the Weber kettle out for doing grilling.

[rooftop1000]

I have used it for both, like crisping up the skin on smoked chicken pieces. A friend used to just fill the whole thing up with charcoal and rock on.

It came with charcoal grates and cooking grates for the entire space.

tracey

[Lan4Dawg]

Mike, follow Dave's advice and get thee to a Kroger. The grill/smoker is the best deal I have seen out there. They had one at a Kroger near me that included the smoker box for $99.00 (I am certain it was mis-marked and the grill is supposed to be $99.00 w/ the smoker box extra but if you can take advantage of their mistakes then so be it). It is a great unit--esp for the price--and will allow you to grill and smoke. The ones that Kroger is selling are designed to be used as charcoal grills but have the ability to have a smoker box attached. Some of the older models (which is probably to what Jason is referring) were not made of heavy enough mat'l in the larger portion to take repeated charcoal fires and would burn through the bottom after not too long a period of time. As for Barbecues Galore---I find their prices some what high.

As for books--Costco almost always has a grilling/barbecuing/smoking &c book in their book section fr/ Raichlen to Cook's Illustrated to Weber and at great prices (they also have the best price on Kingsford which is great for getting any wood started).

As for wood--convince your parents to purchase 100 acres of prime NW GA forest land--thx c'bagger ":^)--and keep apple, peach, pear, and pecan trees growing that need to be culled. Barring that become friends w/a land scaper and ask him to save any wood you can use for smoking (I get some fruit wood fr/ a neighbor who is a land scaper) or buy an inexpensive chain saw and wait for one of our infamous local thunder storms or tornadoes to fell a couple of big oaks and just show up and ask if you can help w/ the clean up.

btw, I also own a trusty Weber that is, unfortunately, about to fall apart after twenty years and I still use it for most of my regular grilling.

[NYC Mike]

We finally got around to getting it and I am thrilled. Paid $120 at Home Depot during their end of season sale. I waited too long on Krogers and they only had smoke box only left! After our first few smoke attempts it is the way to go!

Thanks for all the help and advice!

-Mike

[Jaymes]

That's a beauty, okay. Congratulations.

[saturnbar]

I feel like I am chiming in here a little late, probably because I am, but what is the preferred method for removing the ash from the Kroger style bbq rig that NYC Mike got. I have never actually used one of those babies but I have certainly admired them from a far. Recently I have had call to step up my production and the overnight brisket followed up by two shoulders the next day on my 22" is getting to be a bit much. The only thing holding me back is I have never been able to figure out how I was going to get the ash out of the firebox. Please help. ch

[NYC Mike]

I shovel it out, there is a very wide door on the left end of the smokebox.

I'll get a pic up when it stops raining.

-Mike

[Dave the Cook]

. . . .

The only thing holding me back is I have never been able to figure out how I was going to get the ash out of the firebox.  Please help.  ch

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Despite the simplicity of barrel-smoker design, there are still variations in how each manufacturer implements certain features. Some brands (Char-Griller, for instance) hang the charcoal tray in the main chamber from stepped square brackets at each end of the tray. The brackets latch onto small hooks on the sides of the chamber. This arrangement has two purposes: you can raise and lower the tray for heat control; and you can remove the tray entirely for cleaning.

As for the smoke box, the Char-Griller has a semi-cylindrical slide-out tray.

[saturnbar]

I could handle a slide out tray. It just seems that the makers of these things don't put much thought into ash removal. I wish the bottom of the fire box could be opened. ch

[NYC Mike]

I could handle a slide out tray. It just seems that the makers of these things don't put much thought into ash removal.  I wish the bottom of the fire box could be opened.  ch

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I wish that too! This one I have dosen't have a tray unfortunatly, but that gives me a great idea! It won't be too hard to rig one up that fits in and out of the side door.

-Mike

[Lan4Dawg]

The Rev puts a heavy duty aluminum tray under the grate to catch ash and gets most of it (he had to learn the hard way to leave enough space for air to circulate). I have an old garden trowel that I use to remove the ash when I am finished (it co-incidentally curves just enough to scrape out the bottom of the ash box). I put it in to an old bucket and then dump it in w/ the composting.