BBQ question to coal or not to coal

[pugboy]

cleaned up the rust inside, got some light surface rust all around with the recent rain and washing
rust remover will eat that fast.

some more work, beginning to get rather weary of this but the end is near, just the main grills and cut some diffusers for the indirect heat.

[SR]

nice nice

might do a smoker soon as well

did some legs for my neighbour this weekend for a lime
stag infused with grace jerks seasoning

man come up to meh an say

it bess

woman want to put me on the corner to sell

[SR]

abc had a killer sale on gas grills saturday
$2300
cant beat that even if you try to bring it yourself from florida

[Gladiator]

Hey Guys

I did a smoked/Brined turkey a couple weeks ago. Thought I'd share some photos since I see the topic of brining being discussed.

The brine is made up of salt, sugar, spices, herbs in about 1 gallon of water. You MUST NEVER use salt with iodine in it. There is a NON IODINE salt (Mortons) in Tru Value. Also you need a couple grammes of sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite (curing agents). If you lucky you can get a Morton's salt with all the curing agents mixed in one.

The Salt - Improves texture and aids in curing
The Nitrates and Nitrites - Cures and adds colour and texture
The Smoke - adds taste colour and preserves the meat.


First Wash with Vinegar- tenderizes the meat and loosens the skin




Inject with Brine-Brine must sit in fridge for about 2 days before using. You need to get a good needle and syringe. I have a professional stainless steel unit...



Soak in brine for 36Hrs in the fridge in a stainless steel bucket or normal clean bucket. Also place weights to sink the bird to allow proper soaking. I have some stainless steel plates but a clean ceramic plate or 2 will work.





Soak in water for 6 hrs- this removes the excess salt and adds moisture. Let the bird sit for 12 hrs in the fridge after this step to cure.



Prepare Dryrub- spices you prefer, can be the same stuff you made your brine with. Use olive oil and coat the bird then generously rum the mix inside and out. Let it sit for a couple hours after rubbing.


Rubbed bird ready for smoking



Light Coals using your chimney starter if you have one - $80 in Bhagwansings Hardware




Arrange Grill- arrange for indirect grilling - Place coals to the side with drip pan in the middle. Place some red wine, beer or rum with some water in the drip pan.




Soak Wood a couple days in advance - I use Hickory chunks. Remember not to oversmoke, you just want a whisp. One chunk at a time for a little smoke, too much smoke will make the meat bitter.




Grill for about 3-4 hours. Baste with butter every 30 mins. Stick in a thermometer and when the meat reaches 100 degrees Celsius its done. If the outside is getting too brown cover with foil.




Lay the bird down breast down for about 30 mins to allow juices to go down. Carve and serve



See the pink colour of the meat. Its very moist and has the same taste almost as a christmas ham.



Try some smoked meat soon and let us know how it goes.....

[pugboy]

good advice with the wood, it is always safer to use less than more
i see a butterball label in the back, are you aware butterball turkeys are prebrined already ?
you may not have gotten the full effect of your efforts but should be good anyways.

I looking for a natural turkey for the longest while.

any idea what temp your grill ran at and how the skin came out ?

poultry normally needs to be smoked at a higher temp(300f) than pork/beef(230f)
otherwise the skin comes out rubbery

[Gladiator]

good advice with the wood, it is always safer to use less than more
i see a butterball label in the back, are you aware butterball turkeys are prebrined already ?
you may not have gotten the full effect of your efforts but should be good anyways.

I looking for a natural turkey for the longest while.

any idea what temp your grill ran at and how the skin came out ?

poultry normally needs to be smoked at a higher temp(300f) than pork/beef(230f)
otherwise the skin comes out rubbery

You can get natural turkeys at UWI farms by Mt Hope there, they should have around christmas time. The butterball pack is just the string I saved from my Christmas turkey...

I used a clip on thermometer to keep the temp of the smoker/grill to about 150 degrees Celsius. When the temp dropped I just add some more coal chunks. Also regulated the heat by adjusting the vents at the bottom of the grill.

The skin came out thin and crispy. The thicker skin around the thighs etc came out a little thicker. I usually do chickens though, they brine better due to the smaller size. The turkey came out well, nice colour, taste and texture.

[pugboy]

where is the entrace to that farm ?

[Chemical]

Looks good Gladiator however :

2 days for brine = 48 hrs
soak in brine = 36 hrs
soak in water = 6 hrs
bird to sit = 12 hrs

TOTAL TIME = 102 hrs = 4.25 days before bird starts to cook on the pit !

I'll pass on this method

[SR]

try this instead
24hrs soak in brine dont use as much salt

rinse with cold water pat dry then dry rub seasoning and maybe some olive oil

i use a gas grill and wood chunks for smoke that can be soaked for 24hrs in water as well

heat grill up to start the smoking process
drop the heat down and maintain 250-300 depending on the size of the bird
close grill cover and leave alone for 2 1/2 -3 hrs
baste bird if you think its neccesary

so prep work done friday evening

grill on sunday morning and enjoy for sunday lunch

[X_Factor]

u all think 26g aluzinc sheets will be good for a homade smoker?
im not sure how the aluzinic reacts with heat for long periods of time...its pretty cheap compared to steel sheets
*imagine a cuboid frame and the aluzinc sheets gonna be the faces around the frame so it will be like a box

[Chemical]

Anyone ever tried bbq'ing a smoked chicken before. I see Tru Value has the Erin Farms smoked chicken for approx $110

[Gladiator]

Looks good Gladiator however :

2 days for brine = 48 hrs
soak in brine = 36 hrs
soak in water = 6 hrs
bird to sit = 12 hrs

TOTAL TIME = 102 hrs = 4.25 days before bird starts to cook on the pit !

I'll pass on this method

I hear yuh...

However its worth it, remember for a smaller bird (Chicken) you wont have to brine as long. As SR said maybe about 24 hrs.

Also remember the purpose of the salt is not to make the meat salty but to alter the structure of the meat to make it moist and with a better texture rather than the traditional dry poultry meat.

The 48hrs for the brine to sit can be done anytime, just make it and let it sit for the spices and herbs to soak in.

The extensive preparation of smoked meat is the main reason why its so expensive at the supermarket.

Will try to get the directions for the UWI farm, last time I remember turing in by lok Jack and taking the lights to head back east and it was somewhere in the back there on a road on the RHS opposite a TTEC building. You can also get chickens and fresh cows milk there too.

[X_Factor]

so i've found 2 perfect barrels to make a smoker like the one "pugboy" is presently doing
only thing the barrels contained cleaning chemicals...
wat i wanna know if i wash with gas, detergents 3 or 4 times and then burn it for a couple hrs
will that be sufficient so i can then create the smoker with no harmul vapours etc

[Chemical]

^^Personally the Kingsford is way too expensive so im leaning towards a gas grill now plus one can control the temp much better.

[X_Factor]

so i've started building my double barrel smoker
basically same design gonna be used as what "pugboy" has up with a few alterations
dont hav any sort of time frame for it to be completed as the welding aspect of it is the most difficult
will post pics tmr

[pugboy]

kingsford used to be pretty cheap when pricesmart first started selling them
$110 for 2 big bags, its a lot more now.

I use the imported guyanese coals which are $65-75 a crocus bag
but you have to be careful as sometimes you get a bag with only small pieces and vice versa
much better than manufactured briqs though, no ash mess but harder to light.

[Gladiator]

kingsford used to be pretty cheap when pricesmart first started selling them
$110 for 2 big bags, its a lot more now.

I use the imported guyanese coals which are $65-75 a crocus bag
but you have to be careful as sometimes you get a bag with only small pieces and vice versa
much better than manufactured briqs though, no ash mess but harder to light.

Where can I get those imported guyaneese coals to buy??

[pugboy]

I get them from a place in Grande, but I have seen many places advertising them in central.

Finally got something worthwhile after all this time and effort.
Was able to get it cranked to 320+F
Jerk chicken cooked juicy and not burnt as it was indirectly cooked.

[Gladiator]

Good job man.... looks delicious!!!

[X_Factor]

ahhh boy...like u get tru with the project

i still stumbling around

[pugboy]

yeah, finally. I need to do some shifting of the plates inside though
the right side little hotter than the left.
Also I have to rig up the ring burner on the last pipe
and the charcoal basket not very well constructed, will have to do it over
as the openings too big.
I want to make a grill of some sort to sift out the little pieces/powder in the guyanese coals.

[Chemical]

^^One must note that the briquets are even in shape & size for consistent heat when lit whereas the local coal comes in all different sizes making it alot more difficult to BBQ without burning / undercooking .

I agree the Kingsford has become way too expensive now. I sometimes use the RANCH BBQ briquets from Argentina (Tru Value) in an orange & black bag. I don't know what type of wood they use to make it, however IMHO it gives a better flavor than Kingsford.

[pugboy]

"all different sizes" is an understatement,
I once got a bag practically full of dust.

They bring them in containers from Guyana, in speaking to one of the local importers
he say the Guyanese agent simply collects them from all kinds of people over there
so must have scammers over there too

[X_Factor]

anyone knows anyone who can do some cheap mig welding

[SR]

bought some butterball turkey breasts
gonna try doing a slow smoke on them on the grill for xmass

[pugboy]

I like them, easy to cook in oven too
just rub with olive oil and bp

btw there is a boneless and boned version

[X_Factor]

http://www.amazon.com/Propane-Turbo-Tor ... 253&sr=8-1

saw these selling locally for 250.00
ultimate coal igniter and roaster!
not the same brand though
its on my list to get month end....

[Chemical]

^^Just finished a 22oz CAB Rib Eye with Kingsford Mesquite coals & my own garlic bread.

Ribeye bought @ Hi Lo St Augustine for $93.27 (I asked them to give me a special cut 1.25' thick. Would have preferred the Porter House but was feeling lazy to drive to POS (Malabar gourmet sotre)








These coals gave it a really nice flavor.

Steak done medium rare.

It tasted great !

[X_Factor]

nice marbling in that cut
im sure it was really tender

[Chemical]

Yeh it was...next wk will be some johnsonville sausages...I got them @ JTA Cross Crossing.