Smoking Cheese w/ homemade cold smoke generator

Peach BBQ Sauce - Yummy!

Ingredients:

2 cups peach puree, we used 5 large peaches

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce.

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

Peel the peaches and puree in a blender until mostly smooth.

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and use immediately or let cool and store in the refrigerator until needed. Enjoy!

Review - The Vortex (Kettle grill accessory)

Back in July I picked up my first Weber Kettle grill. While I was researching which grill to buy, I found several accessories I really wanted to try. The one that really caught my eye was the Vortex ring.

The Vortex is a grilling accessory designed to work with Kettle style grills. It's made from 20 gauge 304 grade stainless steel. I guess that's important to people who really know about different grades and gauges of stainless steel, but for the rest of us I'll just say it's quite a solid, sturdy, piece.
My man Alton Brown always taught us to shy away from "uni-taskers" and look for tools that can "multi-task". Well. the Vortex is certainly in the Multi-tasking department.

I've had my Vortex for just about 6 months now and I have to say I'm impressed.  For me, the primary use is chicken wings! We LOVE chicken wings, but lets face it, frying wings is a pain in the butt and right up there on my Doctors list of "Things Rick should avoid.". So what is a guy to do to get crispy wings without dropping them in hot oil?  Enter - The Vortex!

Feelin' HOT HOT HOT!!

Using the Vortex on my 22" in Weber Kettle grill, I am able to produce essentially a convection oven easily reaching temps of over 500-600 F degrees. Screaming hot! The shape of the vortex reminds you of a volcano, so imagine the heat from the charcoal blasting out the top, like lava. Once the heat hits the domed lid it cascades down to the grill surface producing a very hot, very even cooking environment.  That high heat allows the chicken wings to basically "air fry" in their own skin. The results...well, a picture speaks a thousand words so here you go..

I'd say, based on the results we've had so far that the Vortex is worth the $40.00 we spent just because of the exceptional wings alone, but this thing does much more than that!!

The white powder is Corn starch. It helps to crisp things up and create a bit of crust.

Air Fried Potato Wedges w/ the Vortex

KFC! Kettle Fried Chicken

Flipping the Vortex over, so the wide side is up, and filling it with hot coals will allow you to create a high heat searing area for steaks, chops or anything you want to sear super hot and fast.


Leaving the Vortex wide side up and spreading your coals around the outside will create an sort of infra-red heat zone. This works especially well for things like beer can chicken.

Leaving it wide side up will also allow you to easily create a charcoal snake around the outside for true "low and slow" gentle cook. We've wrapped a 2 over 2 charcoal snake 3/4 way around the kettle and smoked pork butts @ 225-240F for 8-10 hours easily.


I'll admit, me and a whole lot of other grilling enthusiasts like the Vortex mainly for the chicken wings, but truth be told, this little steel ring has become one of the main tools in my grilling arsenal.

I imagine the Vortex can be found a a number of different places, but i'm recommending Owens BBQ. Not only do they sell the authentic Vortex unit, but they also have a bunch of grilling products available as well. I have only tried their Buffalo Wing rub so far (BTW- they include a big shaker full with each Vortex order!), but since July I've gone through 3 shakers and will probably be ordering more come spring! I'll do a review of that rub next - it's excellent!


If you're a kettle grill fan (or any charcoal grill really, it'll work!) I definitely recommend giving the Vortex a try.  If I had an extra hand, I'd give it THREE thumbs up!

Review - The 22-inch Weber Kettle Grill

I don't know if a marketing guru has already come up with this, but if not, the Weber kettle grill should be called the Swiss Army knife of the barbecue World. I've used hibachi, gas grills, Offset smokers, ugly drum smokers and a variety of other outdoor cooking equipment but in all my years I've never had the opportunity to try an authentic Weber Kettle grill (I know, right? Have I been living under a rock?). Since me and the missus recently downsized our living arraignments, I had the bite the bullet and unload most of my outdoor cooking equipment. It was a sad day, but I do believe I may have discovered a suitable replacement. 

Chicken Pot Pie on the Weber Grill

 I like to smoke meat a lot, but I also like to grill and just generally cook outdoors. In a 3-bedroom home w/ a couple of acres for a back yard, it's easy to have a little arsenal of BBQ cooking weaponry to choose from. In a 2-bedroom apartment complex, not so much. I needed the most versatile cooker I could get. I opted for the classic Weber 22-inch kettle grill. I went with copper color because it was different than the traditional black, but that'd be my 2nd choice, were I to get another one (wink, wink).  

The grill comes packaged quite nice & secure and only has a handful of parts and requires only basic tools to assemble (screwdriver, hammer and the little wrench doohickey that comes with the grill). Me and the missus had it together on the kitchen floor in about 30 minutes. 

KFC=Kettle Fried Chicken! 

                           

There’s a couple of things to watch out for. Well, one really. Make sure the legs are set so that the front leg is under the grill handle and the two legs with wheels are to the back. I’ve seen a few videos where folks have missed this little detail. It won’t affect your BBQ, but it will certainly make moving the grill around a LOT more complicated!  

Snake Method on the 22-inch Weber Grill

The versatility of the Weber Kettle Grill is amazing. Using the coal baskets together or a Vortex insert you can achieve super-hot temps for searing or direct grilling. Moving the baskets to one side of the kettle allows for a large amount of indirect grilling area on the grate. Heck, I’ve even used the snake method with my charcoal briquettes and smoked pork butts for 8 to 10 hours with ease. A few weeks ago, we added a few fire bricks & a pizza stone to the grill and was able to make fantastic pizzas & calzones at around 600F!  

The Weber Kettle 22-inch kettle grill has damper controls below the kettle and on the lid. I’m still learning the ins and outs of the lid vent, but I am able to control my temperatures pretty easily with just the lower damper. The lower damper also does an excellent job of clearing ash from the kettle into the ash catching bowl mounted below the kettle. A quick squeeze of the ash bowl handle and the ash bowl un-clips from the kettle so you can easily empty ash from the grill.  

Texas Twinkies & Chicken wings on the Weber Kettle w/ the Vortex 

The cooking grate is stainless & high quality. The grate I got has the two wing doors on either side that lift and allow easy access to your heat source without having to remove a hot, loaded grill grate.  The lid fits well and, while it does leak a bit when smoking low & slow, it hasn’t really affected the outcome.  

Sesame Ginger Roasted Chicken on the Weber.

Hopefully someday soon I can get back to a place where I can have my whole arsenal on display again, but for now the Weber 22-inch Kettle Grill has become an outstanding substitute. So much that I don’t even like the term “substitute”.  Whether I get the Pit back together or not, the Weber is now a permanent member of the BBQ team. If you’re considering a grill purchase, I’d highly recommend this unit.  Two thumbs up for the Weber 22-inch Kettle Grill!  

The Vortex from Owens BBQ (more about this little monster later!)

Review - The Weber iGrill2 Bluetooth Connected Thermometer

I am a “gadget guy”, so it is no surprise why I got so excited when my son handed me the Weber iGrill2 Bluetooth Connected Thermometer. One gift to cover two passions -gadgets and BBQ – the kid has been paying attention!

Lots of seasoned BBQers have honed their skills to the point where they can test done-ness by touch and appearance. I have not attained that level of BBQ skill yet, so I rely on thermometers and temperature probes.

Now, on their packaging Weber tells me that with the iGrill2 I’ll be able “grill and smoke at an award-winning level”. I can tell you with complete confidence, if your BBQ game isn’t already pretty strong, a thermometer is not going to take it to an award winning level. However, for most people, an accurate and reliable thermometer is very helpful in produce quality BBQ. Especially one that is not tied to the Grill/Smoker. The iGrill2 fits the bill.

                                                                  Here's what you get

        

The iGrill2 comes with a base station capable of handling 4 temperature probes simultaneously. With the click of the right or left arrow on the base station you can switch between all four probes, allowing you to cook four different products that the same time. Since I’m not BBQ’ing enough to feed an army in most cases, I just use two probes for my cooks. One for the meat and one for the ambient temperature of the smoker/grill. Each probe is color coded to coincide with the probe channels on the Weber iGrill app. The app allows you to choose the probe for ambient temperature.

                                                            The Android App-Home screen

The iGrill2 comes with 2 probes included, but if you need more, they’re fairly inexpensive (i’ve seen them for about $15-$20 for 2) Each probe is high heat resistant and Weber claims they’re good up to 620F. I have not tested that claim, but I have maintained temps of 450F and had no problems. The base station is powered by 2 AA batteries (included). It’s also magnetized so it can be attached directly to your smoker/grill. I believe the rubber base is heat resistant. I haven’t read that or been told it, but I’ve attached mine to the side of my Ugly Drum Smoker (which probably gets up to 250F or more.) and I’ve experienced no melting rubber or deformities. I can say, with confidence, that up to about 250F, you’re safe. Over that and you may have melted pile of plastic – I don’t know and I’m not willing to test it. When in doubt, just set the base on a shelf. The probe leads are four feet long and come with nifty little plastic doohickeys that make it easy to wrap and store the probes neatly when you’re done

                                        iGrill probe and nifty plastic doohickey to wrap the probe lead

The Weber iGrill app that connects to your iGrill2 is very simple to use. It connects easily, much like any other Bluetooth connected device. I’ll provide a list of connectable devices below. Once it’s connected and paired, the app allows a variety of ways to monitor your cook. Across the bottom of the app, you’ll find “Temperature” and “Timers”. The iGrill2 allows you to set reminders at their own “standard” temperatures. For example, a whole Chicken is well done at 165F, so choosing “Chicken, Whole” will automatically set the alarm for 165F. Alternatively, if you’d rather have your chicken at 160F, you can set the temperature alarm to your own custom temps.

                          

 All four probes in one place! 

Set up your own timer            View your cook in a graph                                                    

Under the Temperature tab, the app will display all four temperature probes simultaneously for a quick look. Tapping on the active probe gives you access to that specific probe. If you’re a color coordinated kinda guy or gal, the probes include colored probe indicators to allow you to easily differentiate your probes It also allows the option to select the probe as a “done-ness” probe or as an ambient temperature probe to monitor and maintain the temperature of your grill/smoker. The app also allows you to view your temperatures in a graph, showing the rise and fall of your temperatures over time. This gives you a very good idea of how to gauge things like the dreaded “stall”. It also allows you to upload or share screenshots of your temps to social media or just to save for your own analysis later on. The app also alerts you when the base units batteries are getting low. 

I’ve been using the Weber iGrill2 for a while now and I love it. I’ve tested the probes repeatedly and they continue to maintain accurate readings  over time (I test with both boiling water and ice water, because I’m just that obsessive.). Since my Smartphone is basically attached to the palm of my hand, it is super convenient to be able to whip it out while I’m doing other tasks and check on the progress of my prized BBQ.

The description states that the Bluetooth connectivity can reach up to 150 feet. I’ve not tested this with a measuring tape, but I wouldn’t argue with a that statement. I’d have to say my only real complaint about the Igrill2 is, although it’s far less than 150 feet between my recliner and smoker (maybe about 50 feet), the Bluetooth does not connect very well through walls & windows. I am sure that is not the fault of Weber, but rather just the nature of Bluetooth connectivity – it needs a direct line and doesn’t play well with obstructions. 

All in all, the Weber iGrill2 has definitely been one of the better gadgets I’ve gotten over the last few years. It’s used almost every weekend and has preformed admirably throughout. I use mine regularly in the smoker, grill and the conventional oven in my kitchen. I have had to replace one probe, but I’m pretty sure that was my fault for not being more gentle.

The iGrill2 comes with the following:

1 Base station

2 Probes

2 Probe wraps (doohickeys!)

2 Colored probe indicators

2 AA batteries

1 extra magnet

It’s compatible with the following devices:

iPhone 4S and later

iPad 3^rd Generation and later

iPad mini and later

iPod Touch 5^th generation and later

(requires iOS 7+)

Android 4.3+ (w/ Bluetooth technology)

The Weber iGrill app is available for free in both the Apple App Store or Google Play store.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any experience with comparable devices so I can’t tell you if it’s better than this unit or that unit, but I can tell you the device performs as described and has been a dependable addition to my BBQ Toolkit!

Wood choices for BBQ. What's your favorite combo?

Pulling the bone