I want to buy a smoker (5 Viewers)

[pltrgyst]

....look at this article about baking pizza on steel instead of a pizza stone.

Yes, the steel definitely puts the stone to shame. Unfortunately, it also weighs about three times as much.

And if you use it on an outdoor grill, especially gas, rusting and seasoning are a problem and a chore.

But a straight grilled pizza -- no stone, no steel -- as done by Al Forno in Providence, RI, is heaven!

 

[Schmendr1ck]

The pizza looks awesome. I have never gotten into making pizza on my Egg, although I have bought the equipment. For the gadget geek in all of us, look at this article about baking pizza on steel instead of a pizza stone.

I seriously considered a steel, but the extra weight and care required pushed me to a stone instead. I cannot complain about the results.

 

[joepro]

A few tips for the Kamado Joe users :

The "divide and conquer" system using the half circle heat deflectors is awesome. My latest trick is using the heat deflector on one side and using direct heat on the other side. This works great for searing meats like burgers, hot dogs, and steaks. You sear the items on the direct side and then move to indirect until done. Works great, especially for thick steaks cooked at 550 degrees for 3 minutes on each side direct, followed by indirect until you get the preferred internal temperature.

Need to be sure to use plenty of charcoal. I use lump but sometimes mix in some Kingsford hardwood briquettes to speed up the lighting process. I use a starter can with a kJ starter and some newspaper at the bottom. I tried the new Royal Oak XL lump which was exclusively at Walmart and it is great, but sold out fast. The lighting process can still be a pain, a lot of people use a torch but I’m working on my technique.

There are some amazing accessories for the KJ and BGE grills. The kick ash basket may be the best one. A digital probe thermometer is another must have, a Pizza stone too. I haven't dabbled in the fancy probes with Bluetooth or the fans and crazy gadgets, I think it's almost cheating and I do love to cook.

The KJ and BGE YouTube videos will make you a better cook, also check out Franklin BBQ. Have a great summer!

 

[Darson]

OK, let's get one thing straight - a pizza steel does better than a pizza stone for a conventional indoor oven that can max at 450 or 500F.

But, a pizza steel is way worse than a pizza stone for grills that get temps above 500F. If steel was so great, why do all real pizza ovens have stone floors?

Trust me, I do pizza on the grill every Friday with one done in just under 2 minutes. I can't measure temps because they're beyond the scale of my thermometer but I'm guessing 650-700F. The stone is the king for high temp cooking. The steel is a crutch for cookers that can't get their temps high enough.

 

[TX_Golf_N_Poker]

OK, let's get one thing straight - a pizza steel does better than a pizza stone for a conventional indoor oven that can max at 450 or 500F.

But, a pizza steel is way worse than a pizza stone for grills that get temps above 500F. If steel was so great, why do all real pizza ovens have stone floors?

Trust me, I do pizza on the grill every Friday with one done in just under 2 minutes. I can't measure temps because they're beyond the scale of my thermometer but I'm guessing 650-700F. The stone is the king for high temp cooking. The steel is a crutch for cookers that can't get their temps high enough.

I have THIS and love it. Supposedly goes up to 716 degrees. It's out of stock at the moment though.

 

[TX_Golf_N_Poker]

I've been thinking about getting THIS pizza oven attachment for the Green Mountain pellet grill. Any of you Green Mountain owners have one? How well does it work?

 

[DoubleEagle]

I love to cook pizza on cast iron pizza pans. Awesome crispy thin crust. Not your NY or Chicago style for sure.

cast iron pan

I make my pizza dough from scratch with Italian 00 flour. Dough ball ready to roll out.

Rooled out ready for pan.

Pizza sauce made from scratch with Italian Marzano tomatoes.

Mozzarella and a splash of sharp cheder cheese.

Hard Italian salami.

on to the grill at 400 deg for 15 min.

Ready to eat. Super insulated gloves required to move back to the kitchen.

Plated and ready to eat. Super crispy thin crust. Inredibly tasty!

 

[TX_Golf_N_Poker]

I love to cook pizza on cast iron pizza pans. Awesome crispy thin crust. Not your NY or Chicago style for sure.

cast iron pan

View attachment 475309

I make my pizza dough from scratch with Italian 00 flour. Dough ball ready to roll out.

View attachment 475310

Rooled out ready for pan.

View attachment 475311View attachment 475312

Pizza sauce made from scratch with Italian Marzano tomatoes.

View attachment 475313

Mozzarella and a splash of sharp cheder cheese.

View attachment 475314View attachment 475315

Hard Italian salami. View attachment 475318

on to the grill at 400 deg for 15 min.

View attachment 475319

Ready to eat. Super insulated gloves required to move back to the kitchen.
View attachment 475320
View attachment 475321

Plated and ready to eat. Super crispy thin crust. Inredibly tasty!

View attachment 475322

That sounds like an amazing pizza crust. Just the way my wife and I like it! I've never seen a cast iron pizza pan. Are they hard to find?

Another question. I've not yet made my own pizza from scratch, but I'm hoping to start soon. Any reason other than preference that you put the ingredients on top instead of the cheese on top?

 

[Darson]

I have THIS and love it. Supposedly goes up to 716 degrees. It's out of stock at the moment though.

I have the same one! It reads out of range so I guess we’re well above 700F. My pizzas cook in 2 minutes. Actually my wife likes hers a little under 2 mins.

 

[DoubleEagle]

That sounds like an amazing pizza crust. Just the way my wife and I like it! I've never seen a cast iron pizza pan. Are they hard to find?

Another question. I've not yet made my own pizza from scratch, but I'm hoping to start soon. Any reason other than preference that you put the ingredients on top instead of the cheese on top?

Available from Amazon.

I like the meat on top so it crisps up a little.

 

[TX_Golf_N_Poker]

Available from Amazon.

I like the meat on top so it crisps up a little.

that was really lazy of me not to just check Amazon myself.

 

[Leonard]

I have no experience with cast iron pizza pans, but cast iron cookware in general, and skillets in particular, is another rabbit hole to go down.

We have two vintage Griswold skillets that belonged to my wife's grandmother. Inexpensive Lodge cast iron is total sh!t by comparison. There are companies that make the good stuff (Field Company, Finex, or you can just get the good old stuff on eBay). There is really no comparison. Now the thread is getting jacked.

 

[k9dr]

 

[Indyscammer]

 

[TX_Golf_N_Poker]

Here's a little BBQ pron of my own. My sweetie wanted Baby Back ribs for our 25th anniversary dinner tonight. First pic is the dry rub about 30 minutes in. Second pic is just now, first layer of glaze. Should be ready in about 45 minutes.

 

[BruceWayne]

 

[gopherblue]

I have no experience with cast iron pizza pans, but cast iron cookware in general, and skillets in particular, is another rabbit hole to go down.

We have two vintage Griswold skillets that belonged to my wife's grandmother. Inexpensive Lodge cast iron is total sh!t by comparison. There are companies that make the good stuff (Field Company, Finex, or you can just get the good old stuff on eBay). There is really no comparison. Now the thread is getting jacked.

Field makes a good simulacrum of a quality vintage skillet like a Griswold.

 

[Old State]

I went the route of a ceramic grill several years ago. Went with a Primo because it was oval and made in the USA. Went ceramic because they can hold BBQ temps with minimal adjustments and get really hot.

They really are efficient for BBQ but to be honest the flavor just doesn’t match offset bbq or pellet grill. You have to make sure that the thing has been burning for a while and that you can barely see smoke...otherwise you get an acrid flavor.

As for high heat, what no one told me was that you will run through a ton a gaskets doing that. So the whole Neapolitan pizza dream was a bust.

I just ordered an Ooni Koda 16 for pizza and if I could do it again I think I’d go with a Rec Tec pellet BBQ for ....bbq. I tend to just grill on propane because it’s faster.

 

[Lemonzest]

First time trying to do pork butts and also first time attempting to cook overnight. It was a success! I got up at 3 AM to add more fuel and these were ready in about 12 hours at 250F.



PS. For those shopping for a smoker I am a big fan of the Weber Smokey Mountain 22". Go with the largest one at 22" as you have more space for cooking. The smaller ones won't fit a big brisket easily.

 

[colter ripton]

just bought an xl big green egg and built this table for it.

 

[liftapint]

just bought an xl big green egg and built this table for it.

View attachment 479571View attachment 479572

Could you please come build some stuff for me?

 

[Lemonzest]

just bought an xl big green egg and built this table for it.

View attachment 479571View attachment 479572

Sweet looking setup, let the good times roll!

 

[CantSpellPoker]

Your terrain looks like it has bear-potential too. Does it?
I'm worried about starting a midnight smoke, because I think bears will come "investigate" my grill over night!

FYI: Saw a lone black bear in the backyard down near the lake at approximately 7 AM yesterday. So yes, I will be mindful of doing any smoking when I'm not awake or easily available to run outside and blow a whistle lol

 

[ECUMaverick]

I have my eye on one of these https://franklinbbqpits.com/ - has anyone tried/seen one in the wild?

 

[PocketAces]

OMG Mel! You NEED to get yourself a Kamado Joe "Big Joe". It's like a Big Green Egg, but better built and with more accessories. I researched the hell out of smoker options for months, obsessing about it. I must have watched 100 youtube videos and read every page of every smoker forum I could find lol. Because I'm an idiot like that. I was trying to decide between a pellet smoker like Traeger or Green Mountain Grills, or a kamado grill like Big Green Egg or Kamado Joe, etc, or a stacked professional style unit with a separate smoker box like a Yoder. I ended up going with the Kamado Joe 'Big Joe' and I couldn't be happier. I've had so much fun smoking ribs, briskets, pork butts, steaks, lobsters, salmon, and everything between for the past 2 years or so. YOU NEED ONE! These things are AMAZING! And you're going to want the biggest size if you want to smoke briskets. I almost went with the smaller grill size, but I'm glad I went with the big one.

Costco sells these at their "road show" events. It's the best option price-wise. Here's a link to the schedule below. Looks like they'll be in Tukwila 4/10-4/19. The only problem is that these things are INSANELY heavy. It's about 400+ lbs. I had to leave mine in the back of my SUV for a week before I could get someone to help me set it up. It's super heavy and the weight distribution is very awkward to deal with.

https://www.costco.com/kamado-joe-schedule.html

View attachment 446896
View attachment 446899
View attachment 446900
View attachment 446898

just bought one myself. Absolutely love it.

 

[RainmanTrail]

I have my eye on one of these https://franklinbbqpits.com/ - has anyone tried/seen one in the wild?

Haven't seen or used one, but I'd be confident that you can't really get one much better than that. But they're definitely harder to cook with than a ceramic. Takes more time and attention from you during cooks to maintain temps.

 

[TX_Golf_N_Poker]

I have my eye on one of these https://franklinbbqpits.com/ - has anyone tried/seen one in the wild?

Aaron Franklin is a LEGEND in Texas BBQ. If his name is on this pit, then it will cook!

As @RainmanTrail pointed out, there are different types of smokers for different levels of involvement, shall we say. As long as you've done your research and decided that you want an offset, stick burning smoker, you can't go wrong with this one.

 

[RainmanTrail]

Aaron Franklin is a LEGEND in Texas BBQ. If his name is on this pit, then it will cook!

Yes, he's great. He has an awesome course you can take on Masterclass where he goes in depth on everything from picking wood & trimming fat to the cook itself for all sorts of different meats. Highly recommended.

 

[Moto]

I would go with a Traeger! Since I bought my Ironwood, I have been nothing but satisfied. The food is phenomenal, the flexibility is amazing, the company website, recipies, and 24/7 phone support is rediculous, and the wifi connected to your app for remote control is sick! Will never own anything else! Trust me on this one https://www.traegergrills.com/shop?...Q6R7JxHAmpxUgreSnnmzpENo5lziZ_KxoC988QAvD_BwE

 

[CantSpellPoker]

A few from this weekend. My Camp Chef performed flawlessly.