Grizzly'sBBQ

Starting your Smoker / Grill

When starting your smoker, DO NOT use lighter fluid. Unless you want that beautiful piece of meat to taste like a refinery. Invest in a Charcoal Starter like the one on the right. Once the charcoal turns grey, pour it into the firebox and add your wood.
Your temperature is controlled by adjusting your “intake” and “outflow” vents. The picture at right is a smoker with an offset firebox. The intake is nearest the firebox and the outflow is usually the chimney or vent furthest from the fire. In adjusting the vents you typically would leave the “outflow” vent wide open and adjust your heat with the “intake”. In the event the fire becomes way to hot simply shut both vents for a while to bring it back down.
If possible place a metal or glass pan in the smoke box and pour in some water, beer, or even wine to help maintain moisture in the chamber.

Fuels:

• Charcoal Briquettes: These consistently sized briquettes are made from primarily sawdust and other additives. These additives may include abinder which is usuallystarch. Some briquettes may also includeand sodium nitrate (ignition aid),(ash-whitening agent), and other additives like paraffin orsolventsto aid in ignition. Once the coals have burned to an ash white, almost all of these additives have been burned away. In 1920 Henry Ford was mass producing the automobile in his factories and found he had quite a bit of scrap wood and sawdust left over from his manufacturing process. So he found a method of slow burning this leftover material and invented the charcoal briquette, which he found people would buy as fuel for their outdoor grills. For years a good portion of every Ford car dealership was reserved for the sale of grills and charcoal.

• Hardwood Charcoal: This is usually the preferred fuel of most serious BBQers. It is an all natural hardwood which has been “carbonized” and produces much higher temperatures and less ash then briquettes. woods: These are your natural wood logs, chunks or chips used mostly for flavoring. The most common cooking types are; Hickory, Mesquite, Pecan and
• Apple. Each imparts a different and distinct flavor to your meats. They are also normally not used as the primary heating source, but used along with a lump hardwood charcoal or briquettes.

• Gas: The most common type of grilling gas is Propane which is compressed into tanks for recreational use. Another less common type is Natural Gas. This is the same gas that is used by many homes as a fuel source for central heating systems, hot water tanks and stoves. The main advantage of Propane to natural gas is the portability (usually stored in 20lb. tanks) and a much hotter flame (produces twice the BTU’s of natural gas). The main disadvantage is cost. Propane can cost up to 6 times more than the same amount of natural gas.

Bottom Line:
If I am going to grill some burgers or chicken (fast and hot) I have no problem with using briquettes. However, never add additional briquettes to a fire while the food is still cooking as this will allow those petroleum byproduct “additives” to burn away and into that wonderful piece of meat you are about to eat. Additionally…….NEVER USE LIGHTER FLUID as an ignition source. There is always some unburned fluid on some of the unburned charcoal and surrounding area which will vaporize as the coals burn. The best way to start your fire is with a fire chimney. These will generally get your coals hot within minutes….naturally. However if you MUST use an artificial ignition source use one of those “Fire starter” sticks. They are usually small (about the size of your finger) and will burn off completely by the time the fire is ready.

If I am going to be doing a long low “BBQ smoke” I prefer the lump hardwood along with hickory or fruit wood chunks. It produces a good hot bed of coals which I find are easier to control with my vents.

I also have a gas grill that comes in handy on a very regular basis. Easy on easy off, heats up and cools down quickly. I will also use it for burgers, chicken and even fish. It is perfect for a quick grilled dinner. I will also use it when I glaze a rack of ribs which I have just smoked for hours.

Types of Outdoor Cookers:
There are several different types of grills & smokers around and even more styles of each type. The most common types of grills are:

Charcoal Grills - This was by far the king of outdoor cooking in the mid 20th century. These were simply cookers where charcoal was the primary fuel source and the meat was cooked directly over hot coals. The predominant Kettle style grill was introduced by Weber in 1951 and remains one of the best and most reliable charcoal grills to date.

Gas Grills - With the advent of gas grills in the 1960's, outdoor cooking entered a whole new era. Faster, cleaner and easier but lacking that natural "smokey" flavor. The industry countered that flaw by introducing the smoke box, a small box which held wood chips which when burned added a smoke flavor to cooked foods. Grills with multiple burners can be easily configured for indirect heating.

Smoker - The smoker type grill uses indirect heat and wood chunks or logs to cook and flavor the meat. These also come in several different styles including the "Bullet" style and the "Offset". The "Offset" smoker uses a firebox which is offset from the cooking chamber. This allows for easier stoking of the fire during the long slow cooking process and is the primary choice of most competition cooks. The offset also comes in a wide variaty of styles and sizes, from the backyard model to the very large trailer mounted models.
The Bullet type is very popular among many, more serious backyard barbecuers. Although the coals are located directly below the cooking grate, it utilizes a drip pan between the two which acts as a diffuser and allows for indirect cooking.

Kamado / Convection Grills: - The Kamado style grills, which are made out of ceramic have been around for centuries. With the advent of such modern day Kamado's as the Big Green Egg and the Primo, these types of grills have seen a tremendous increase in popularity. Although much more expensive then your standard charcoal grill, they are also much more efficient due to their convection heating and thick naturally insulated walls which affords excellent heat retention.
A very similar style grill hitting the market today is the Convection style grill. Although very similar in style to the Kamado it is generally manufactured out of two layers of steel with a layer of insulation between. It too is very efficient and enjoys excellent heat retention.