Dave Bugg wrote:

cl wrote:

I believe most of us like Alton.

If your grill is well sealed, you can try the hotplate in your current
rig.

BG I'm surprised you like him, Cal, since he specifically stated that gas
grills can't produce good barbecue due to water vapor levels given off by
burning propane, which don't exist at to anywhere near the same levels as
burning lump, briquettes, or well-seasoned hardwoods. You need to straighten
that boy out.
Dave


So that would also mean that LazyQ using a propane burner as the heat
source couldn't either?
Likewise, a waterpan equipped smoker can't due to the water vapor.


Seriously, I'm more in with Steve Raichlen (quoted from the 30K grill
thread link):

Raichlen prefers charcoal grills for smoking ribs, pulled
pork and beef
brisket-in other words, real barbecueing (as opposed to
grilling steaks). "Most
gas grills are heavily vented, so most of the smoke just
goes out the vents,
passing by the food without being absorbed," he says.



That is why I made a point in our first scuffle that the gasgrill has to
be modified to minimize venting in order to allow for the meat to be
smoked and maintain a stable temp all around.

-CAL

cl wrote:

That is why I made a point in our first scuffle that the gasgrill has
to be modified to minimize venting in order to allow for the meat to
be smoked and maintain a stable temp all around.

Ya gotta talk to that Alton Brown dude, he's the one to scuffle with. And
while yer at it, tell him to wait until the pork hits at least 190 before
pulling. That butt was not yet ready when he took it off the pit.
Dave

On Thu, 10 Jun 2004 08:26:48 -0500, "Hugh G. Rection"
wrote:

I was watching a food tv show last night and saw a guy make a smoker out of
a large terra cotta plant holder, heating element, heavy duty pan to hold
the wood chunks and a grill. He topped it off with a terra cotta dome and a
replacement bbq thermometer, he said the total cost was $43. Has anyone
tried this? Does it work?


I saw the same thing and have considered trying it if I can find the
parts cheap enough. However, my real plan is to purchase a WSM
sometime soon. I've got a propane smoker (Great Outdoors Big Block),
an electric smoker (Char-Broil H20), and a gas grill (Coleman), but I
think I'm ready to try the real thing now. The wife is complaining
that I got too many grills though.
---------------------------------------------------------
Regards,

Henry D. ---------

Anti-Spam measure in place. To reply, remove "spamfree".

On Thu, 10 Jun 2004 08:26:48 -0500, "Hugh G. Rection"
wrote:

I was watching a food tv show last night and saw a guy make a smoker out of
a large terra cotta plant holder, heating element, heavy duty pan to hold
the wood chunks and a grill. He topped it off with a terra cotta dome and a
replacement bbq thermometer, he said the total cost was $43. Has anyone
tried this? Does it work?


Forgot to mention two observations that I noticed. First, where does
the grease end up in this homemade rig? Secondly, he brined the pork
butt which I've gathered from reading old posts over the last few
days, isn't necessary.
---------------------------------------------------------
Regards,

Henry D. ---------

Anti-Spam measure in place. To reply, remove "spamfree".

Dimitri wrote:

Don't know - about 4 months ago I purchased a Char Broil electric smoker for
60 bucks at Home Depot and I have been experimenting with it ever since with
very pleasing results. The instructions are however almost non existent
hence "experiment".

I like very much the thermostat and the set-it and forget it results.

Dimitri,

There's a competition cook named Kevin Taylor AKA Stogie that is a
big proponant of the charbroil and I'm sure he'd help you get going.
He's a great guy who's known for helping others with BBQ issues.
He's at

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com

Dave Bugg wrote:

cl wrote:

That is why I made a point in our first scuffle that the gasgrill has
to be modified to minimize venting in order to allow for the meat to
be smoked and maintain a stable temp all around.

Ya gotta talk to that Alton Brown dude, he's the one to scuffle with. And
while yer at it, tell him to wait until the pork hits at least 190 before
pulling. That butt was not yet ready when he took it off the pit.


HEhe, I noticed he was having a bit of a time pulling it.

-CAL

Henry D wrote:
[ . . . ]The wife is complaining that I got too many grills though.

I hear that. My backyard is a griller graveyard!

--
Intuitive insights from Nick, Retired in the San Fernando Valley

http://operationiraqichildren.org/

"Hugh G. Rection" wrote...
I was watching a food tv show last night and saw a guy make a smoker out of
a large terra cotta plant holder, heating element, heavy duty pan to hold
the wood chunks and a grill. He topped it off with a terra cotta dome and a
replacement bbq thermometer, he said the total cost was $43. Has anyone
tried this? Does it work?

That was a "Good Eats" episode you saw:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show..._22726,00.html
Episode EA1G04
"Q"

He also did another episode where he made a cold smoker out of a cardboard box:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show...245800,00.html

On Thu, 10 Jun 2004 08:26:48 -0500, "Hugh G. Rection"
wrote:

I was watching a food tv show last night and saw a guy make a smoker out of
a large terra cotta plant holder, heating element, heavy duty pan to hold
the wood chunks and a grill. He topped it off with a terra cotta dome and a
replacement bbq thermometer, he said the total cost was $43. Has anyone
tried this? Does it work?



I saw that show last summer and had to have one. I bought smaller
pots than he had, because it was towards the end of the season and
that's all Walmart had. I already had a hotplate, grill and small
cast iron skillet; and bought a replacement pit thermo for $5 on
clearance. About $20 total. Works great as far as I'm concerned.
I've done butts, chicken and beef ribs. Operating temps did fluctuate
some, between 190° and 225°. Butts took me 8 or so hours (195° +).
Don't know who could complain about this set up...fuel cost minimal
(elec. and couple handfulls of hickory chunks); almost foolproof
operation, and food tastes great! I still have my silver smoker for
briskets and/or multiple butts. I already made some mods...used a
masonary bit and drilled into the lid and made a handle with a bit of
a dowl, and drilled in the side of the lower pot for a few screws to
make the grill more stable. One note, I helped a friend build one and
the hotplate kept burning out (no x-tra cost, K-Mart gave him a
refund)...must have been a bad batch. We went to Goodwill and got him
one for $2...also got me a couple of spares g...

Tex

Jason in Dallas wrote:

Alton is ingenious, well-versed in culinary technique and also a good
teacher using my vavorite pedantic vehicle: analogy. In his books he
stresses technique and science so that the reader can apply them at
home to create food instead of simply duplicating recipes. Conversely
guys like Emeril show you what *they* do but don't give you the
knowledge to transfer the art to your own kitchen.


Which is exactly why I love Alton. I learn alot about HOW foods cook, which
is more important than the recipes themselves. The scientific aspect of
cooking is fascinating and allows you to do things correctly. Alton's little
forays into quick and easy equipment substitutes don't interest me that
much. I'll be using our Kamado (when it arrives) for smoking, not a couple
of clay pots.

P.S. I am a noobie to this newsgroup (and to Q'ing - I've never done any
real Q!). I'm looking forward to lots of experimentaton this summer, trying
to get my Weber Kettle to do it all until the big K comes in. Wish me luck.


--
Jessie
----------------------------------------------------------------------
"Start off every day with a smile and get it over with." - ($1 to W.C.
Fields)

In article , "Jessie"
wrote:


Which is exactly why I love Alton. I learn alot about HOW foods cook, which
is more important than the recipes themselves. The scientific aspect of
cooking is fascinating and allows you to do things correctly. Alton's little
forays into quick and easy equipment substitutes don't interest me that
much. I'll be using our Kamado (when it arrives) for smoking, not a couple
of clay pots.

AB is one of the few celebs at Food TV that isn't a chef and doesn't
own a restaurant (or six). His resume sticks out like a sore thumb
among his fellows at Food TV. I think that has something to do with why
his show is as good as it is.

P.S. I am a noobie to this newsgroup (and to Q'ing - I've never done any
real Q!). I'm looking forward to lots of experimentaton this summer, trying
to get my Weber Kettle to do it all until the big K comes in. Wish me luck.


Good luck surviving the dreaded 'longest wait'. Round the clock
counseling is available for a nominal fee from our cheerful staff.....
BTW, there's no better way to get from noob to Q-dude/Grill-dude than a
K. Talk about your Alton Brown style multitasker.....

monroe(wait until you're checking the ConWay site every few hours)

Jessie wrote:
Jason in Dallas wrote:

Alton is ingenious, well-versed in culinary technique and also a good
teacher using my vavorite pedantic vehicle: analogy. In his books he
stresses technique and science so that the reader can apply them at
home to create food instead of simply duplicating recipes. Conversely
guys like Emeril show you what *they* do but don't give you the
knowledge to transfer the art to your own kitchen.


Which is exactly why I love Alton. I learn alot about HOW foods cook,
which is more important than the recipes themselves. The scientific
aspect of cooking is fascinating and allows you to do things
correctly. Alton's little forays into quick and easy equipment
substitutes don't interest me that much. I'll be using our Kamado
(when it arrives) for smoking, not a couple of clay pots.

P.S. I am a noobie to this newsgroup (and to Q'ing - I've never done
any real Q!). I'm looking forward to lots of experimentaton this
summer, trying to get my Weber Kettle to do it all until the big K
comes in. Wish me luck.

Welcome to the club, you're gonna love your K. A word of caution - there is
a learning curve, so start with the basics and perfect your technique before
you start experimenting.

Jack Curry
-the wait is a bitch-

Jessie wrote:

Which is exactly why I love Alton. I learn alot about HOW foods cook, which
is more important than the recipes themselves. The scientific aspect of
cooking is fascinating and allows you to do things correctly. Alton's little
forays into quick and easy equipment substitutes don't interest me that
much. I'll be using our Kamado (when it arrives) for smoking, not a couple
of clay pots.


Alton had a recent Q&A session on egullet:


http://forums.egullet.com/index.php?showforum=150




Brian Rodenborn

Jessie wrote:

Which is exactly why I love Alton. I learn alot about HOW foods cook, which
is more important than the recipes themselves. The scientific aspect of
cooking is fascinating and allows you to do things correctly. Alton's little
forays into quick and easy equipment substitutes don't interest me that
much. I'll be using our Kamado (when it arrives) for smoking, not a couple
of clay pots.

Dude, you need clay pots to cook your pork butt and prime rib. Plus you
need an ironing board to make your ravioli. I now know this thanks
to Alton.

Kidding... I think he's great. Just a bit over the top sometimes.

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com

Reg wrote:




Dude, you need clay pots to cook your pork butt and prime rib. Plus you
need an ironing board to make your ravioli. I now know this thanks
to Alton.


Then there's the guy who did a pork butt on the sneaker rack in an
electric dryer....