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urnmor · 06-13-2017, 01:47 PM

There are differences in charcoal depending on the wood used. Some use scrap wood while others use oak etc.. Some makers put a lot of little chunks in the bags rather then bigger pieces, some bags even have a lot of stone in it. One time on the Big green egg forum there was and there still might be a thread on how various brands of charcoal burn.

Mollysdad · 06-13-2017, 02:32 PM

Wow! 700 posts on a grill.

joshjack · 06-13-2017, 07:39 PM

Another vote for the Big Green Egg mini max. It is freaking heavy, but you can smoke a turkey breast or small butt, or just fire it up for burgers. I take it on most trips. If I get in a mood to be worried about it walking off on it's on I run a security cable through the handles and lock it to the picnic table or the AS wheels.

Monza · 06-13-2017, 10:35 PM

I'm a Big Green Egg guy but I'm ordering one of these for the Airstream. It's very Airstream like!! PK Grills- anyone here have one? Supposed to perform very well. http://www.pkgrills.com/the-new-pk36...ood-shelf-kit/

(and know I did not read all the previous posts to see if it's been discussed.

urnmor · 06-14-2017, 06:39 AM

I wish you didn't post this about the PK grill because after reading the reviews I wish I owned one for camping. The only downside might be that it must sit either on the pedestal or a concrete table. Other then that it looks like it would be great for smoking ribs and butts while camping. As I cook most of BBQ slow and long I wonder how long the charcoal would urn before having to add more.

joshjack · 06-14-2017, 07:28 AM

The PK grill looks very nice!

I forgot to mention - while I'm a BGE fan myself - I've got a good friend with an Acorn grill. His large weighs less than my minimax and would be very portable. Also they run around $350 so cheap too. Someone wanting a kamodo style grill without the weight or cost should consider Acorn.

gypsydad · 06-14-2017, 11:28 AM

https://www.amazon.com/Green-Mountai...SXSNJ3E753G3M0

I saw this portable Green Mountain grill/smoker last week in Helena, MT at an outdoor supply store. Looked pretty solid if your looking for a grill/smoker combination that is portable.
They also had Traeger and Camp Chef, line but they said they liked the Green Mountain line better as the materials were heavier and the lids closed tighter. I may get this one to replace my small Traeger Tailgater. After 3 years with the Tailgater I purchased from Costco for my cabin in MT, I am really not happy with having to stuff foil in the air vents, in order to retain heat and smoke. My BGE is still my favorite but it is in TX, so need to upgrade from the Traeger. This Green Mountain Davey Crocket may be the answer...I can also take it camping with the AS of course...I may drive the 45 miles to Helena today and just get myself an early Fathers Day present!

uncle_bob · 06-14-2017, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gypsydad

What am I missing here when talking charcoal made in the US?

Does it burn differently if made elsewhere?

Enlighten me please....

Hi

The reason for using hardwood charcoal is that you get some of the "wood" flavor coming through. You don't get as much as you get from wood chips, but it still is there. Oak and Hickory both have a fairly distinctive flavor. They are also relatively high density hardwoods. The charcoal you get from them is a bit denser and burns a bit better. The tropical hardwoods are less dense and the flavor they impart can be a bit weird. Yes, that may be personal taste ....

Regardless of who makes it and where, you can have charcoal with big chunks (a good thing) or lots of bits and dust (not a good thing). You can also have cute stuff like rocks, nails, and tin cans in with it.

So yes, at least to me the "who made it" part does matter.

Bob

Bob

go_lope · 06-14-2017, 06:47 PM

Anyone have a portable grill that mounts to their AS? If so, how did you mount it and what grill? Possibly photos??

Disclaimer: I have skimmed the 36 pages of posts but have not read each and every single one in detail. So, my advance apologies

...

gypsydad · 06-15-2017, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

The reason for using hardwood charcoal is that you get some of the "wood" flavor coming through. You don't get as much as you get from wood chips, but it still is there. Oak and Hickory both have a fairly distinctive flavor. They are also relatively high density hardwoods. The charcoal you get from them is a bit denser and burns a bit better. The tropical hardwoods are less dense and the flavor they impart can be a bit weird. Yes, that may be personal taste ....

Regardless of who makes it and where, you can have charcoal with big chunks (a good thing) or lots of bits and dust (not a good thing). You can also have cute stuff like rocks, nails, and tin cans in with it.

So yes, at least to me the "who made it" part does matter.

Bob

Bob

I do understand the wood part of good charcoal. Having had 6 smokers over the years, I have an appreciation for various smoking woods for food, especially for salmon where I try to use only Alder when I can find it usually in chips or chunks. Here is a guide which some may find useful on wood flavors when smoking.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/g...-to-smoke-food

I have a BGE I use in Austin where I use the lump charcoal and a Traeger at our place in Montana. As for hard wood charcoal containing "other" trash, I have indeed found rocks in some grocery store brands in Austin, such as Central Market brand, and have stopped using that charcoal; think it was from Mexico?

With my BGE I have been using Royal Oak last few years. I just never observed if it was made in US. I normally use Kingsford with my Weber for quick grilling and add wood chips or pellets using the smoking tube. Your right about the inconsistency of "lump" hard wood charcoal sometimes not having enough "lumps"! I hate it when the bag has so many small pieces with lots of dust!

As for the pellet smoker situation I mentioned earlier, I am looking at replacing my 5 year old Traeger Tailgater, which has intermittent issues of keeping temperature and with the size, just does not impart enough smoke flavor compared to other bigger smokers I have used over the years. I do like the features of the Green Mountain and others which now let you control temperature of the smoker, the amount pellets feeding the smoker, and also temperature of your meat so you don't over do it....all with WiFi remote control through your phone!

I will let you know what I come back with today to replace the Traeger. I guess I need to start looking at the quality of wood pellets next!

**Hans627** · 06-19-2017, 05:15 AM

With so many posts about portable grills I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with this one.

I did a search and did not find this specific grill.

It is appealing as it is light weight!

Thanks for any input!

joshjack · 06-19-2017, 06:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hans627

With so many posts about portable grills I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with this one.

I did a search and did not find this specific grill.

It is appealing as it is light weight!

Thanks for any input!

Meh, 8000BTU...

Seagars · 06-29-2017, 01:29 PM

OMG. Easy, great smoke, one button start, temps up to 550 degrees, portable,
It is however electric.
This is by far the easiest way i have prepared camping food of all types.
Last week at Moonshine Creek, we did burgers, chicken, pork loin and 10 oz. fillets.
check out www.rectecgrills.com. They are in Augusta GA
I still love my volcano, but now I don't have to wait anymore than 5 mins to reach temperature

gypsydad · 06-30-2017, 01:22 PM

Well, I got the Green Mountain Grill, Davey Crocket model mentioned earlier last week. Got it at Sportsman's Warehouse in Helena; I got a $340 price with my military discount including 2 bags of pellets. Amazon also has for $320. https://www.amazon.com/Green-Mountai...mountain+grill

Pretty cool and it is portable if we want to take it camping. I am doing 10 lbs of ribs tomorrow, so will let you know how it preforms.

Looked closely at the RecTec line; heard good things about that grill also. I would only want the smaller size with 2 of us, and the smaller size does not have the smoke stack; only slots in the top which, like my small Trager, does not do a good job of letting you control the smoke like the smoke stack does...now I know someone here will likely debate that statement

, but I ended up putting tin foil on my Trager and it still did not allow me to get the right smoke flavor some times. My BGE is the best, but I think this GMG will work for us up here in MT for the time being...

Seagars · 07-01-2017, 06:02 AM

They are all good. I love the ease of use. Did steaks last night at 550 *

gypsydad · 07-02-2017, 10:18 AM

Well, I cooked 10lbs of baby backs yesterday on my new Davey Crocket smoker...5 hours at 210 worked great! I was able to monitor the temperature on my phone while attending the Lincoln annual 4th of July Parade...temperature was spot on entire time. I could have adjusted up or down, and if I had used the meat thermometer on a different cut of meat, like pork butt, I could have adjusted up or down without coming back home.

Really great features on these new smokers!

I like that is portable so I can take it camping or move it around easily. Nice smoker for sure!

gypsydad · 07-09-2017, 12:32 PM

I have used my GMG Davey Crocket now a few times. Last night did a tri-tip, using the meat probe. I was able to control the temperature using my cell phone while I was in town, 5 miles away here in Lincoln....worked great!

I was able to set the cooking temp at 220 and the meat at 130 using the probe...The phone signaled when meat temp reached 130 and I was able to shut down the grill automatically from my settings when I started it up. Tri-tip was done to med-rare perfection with nice smoke flavor, but not overpowering. So far, very impressed.