What's next after a WSM

[YetiDave]

I can taste a hell of a big difference between places like Reds BBQ and my own BBQ, that's for sure

[slemps]

It's difficult as I guess you need that same person cooking all types to give a fair test. But most people will have their preferred method and won't necessarily know how to cook well on other machines.

[tommo666]

I can taste a hell of a big difference between places like Reds BBQ and my own BBQ, that's for sure

Speaking of Reds, ASDA are selling Reds bbq sauces and rubs..

[Tiny]

Hi,
To answer the question I think it depends what you want your next BBQ adventure to be. Ceramics I guess are the ultimate in the charcoal world, although of course you could go for some loviatan monster from the USA. For convenience I love my GMG, very versatile and does it all with minimal effort.

Having a GMG now would not go back to charcoal, is it cheating? Probably but as folk have said before there are so many variables in BBQ that which fuel you use and how you control temps are just a couple the pellet smoker ticks off the worry list
Cheers Tiny

[Vibe]

Hi Tiny,

Do you also use a separate thermometer with your GMG? I have a Maverick ET-733.

1 probe on the GMG for the meat is fine but I also would like a grill therm (I know it should be what the machine says but wouldn't mind being sure of this, also the other probe can then be used for another meat. Or once I get to trust my grill I have 3 meat probes etc...

[YetiDave]

I must admit that I didn't realise some pellet poopers actually produced any fire. I just assumed they were all electric with basically just a hot plate for the smoke. Still kinda think it's cheating, but a bit less so than before

[Vibe]

With this you must also think using an IQ110 is also cheating.

Actually any advance on a stick burner must be cheating?

[Tiny]

Vibe,
No don't bother for a number of reasons

1st I don't think the grill temp makes a huge amount of difference imho, because we are men and this is a proper hobby we will obsess 5 or 10 degrees hither and thither but provided its about right then I think it is ok
Second I tend to cook only 1 joint at a time so no need for extra meat probes, if I did then I would just move the probe to test each joint in turn, I now have a pretty good idea of the heat map of my GMG so know where the hotter and cooler spots are
Finally I was attracted to the GMG because of the wifi to my apple device. I am blind but with the apple accessability then I can monitor and adjust grill temps from my iPhone as well as keeping a check on the meat temp so an maverick would have me back relying on sighted help to read the temps for me......

That said if you have one I don't see any harm in using it at all, to your point if roasting 3 joints would save pfaffing with the meat probe.

GMGs are lovely!
Tiny
.

[YetiDave]

I do think they are a bit yeah, Vibe. It takes all the skill out of fire management when you can just turn it on and press go.

YMMV!

[Chris__M]

It all depends on why you do BBQ. For some, it is the challenge of building and maintaining the fire, and perhaps doing things traditionally; for others, it is the creative cooking - designing new taste and flavours; for others still, it is simply socialising and entertaining folk with good food.

I think all are valid aims. Personally, I am all about producing food that tastes great in the easiest way possible; most of my bigger cooks are at events like board-game sessions or music-making, where I am participating in the event as well as cooking for everyone. Time spend building and tending a fire is time that I am not socialising and making music. Having a system where I can perhaps spend the evening before doing all the preparation, but then press the switch and let the grill do the rest for me - that is more time spent with my friends.

So why do I use a pellet grill, and not just stick the food in a domestic oven, or under an electric grill? Because the food tastes fantastic - that isn't just my biased opinion, but also the folk I cook for. I couldn't achieve the quality of food I cook on my smoker in a normal kitchen.

Plus, I am a gadget geek, and a lot of my friends are too. I can completely understand someone not seeing the point of being able to monitor a grill/smoker remotely by wifi, but for many of us who work with computers and electronics, it is as much a point of kudos amongnt our peers, as maintaining a minion setup or keeping a wood fire going is for the traditionalists. "What that? Yes, that's the IP address of my BBQ."

When it comes down to it, I think it doesn't matter how you cook your BBQ - if you are producing tasty food, and the hobby is putting a smile on you and your friend's faces, then you are doing it right.