Hasty Bake first cook -- what should I cook?

[IowaGirl]

Santa delivered a Hasty Bake cooker a little early this year. I've been wanting a charcoal cooker that can grill as well as smoke, but no one cooker stood out in my mind until recently. The recent 20% off sale encouraged me to pick a Hasty Bake. The cooker arrived the middle of last week, but there's been no chance to do anything with the cooker so far except get it out of the box. It arrives almost entirely assembled, so it's pretty much ready to go already.

I want to give it a test burn and then try my newbie hand at cooking something. I've never cooked on charcoal, so I'm wanting to try a meat that's not too pricey and fairly forgiving. It also needs to be something that cooks reasonably quickly for a weeknight meal. I'd love to do a longer smoke, but that's not going to happen for a few more weeks.

So knowing how y'all love to offer your opinions, solicited or not, here's your chance to shine --

What should I cook, fellas? Blasphemy ribs? Chicken? Burgers? What?

[RonB]

How about a smoked chucky? It's a medium length cook, so might be doable.

[Greygoose]

Pork butt is usually a no fail and it gets better as you tune up ur skills

[Attjack]

Tri-tip and asparagus.

[FireMan]

Hey, treat yerself & the hub. Cook a couple of wibeyes! Congrats on the new cooker. How bout some pics, especially of the first cook! 🕶

[tbob4]

I second the wibeyes. It will season the whole thing.

[mrteddyprincess]

Take away everything from me for the rest of my life, but don't take away my BBQ chicken thighs done right with a good sauce! I am married to BBQ chicken thighs. :-) Great news on your new cooker! Enjoy whatever you want to cook!!!

[IowaGirl]

Thanks, MrTeddy. Of all the parts of the chicken, BBQ thighs are my top favorites too.

[Razor]

Yep, same here, and it will help season things up a bit.

[tenphases]

Wibeyes, tri tip, asparagus all of it is great and easy to do. I wouldn't attempt to smoke for a long period, you will drive yourself insane!! Thankfully the good people at Hasty Bake put out a "fire managment 101" series. I tried it and it works, just watch the vids and order the right charcoal. Its a precise charcoal set up but it works well. Whatever you do enjoy!!

https://youtu.be/SwawSZpwAQI

[IowaGirl]

I saw that video too -- been trying to do my homework while I wait.

[Troutman]

Former Member?

[jfmorris]

A quick weeknight cook for me would mean something direct grilled or cooked indirect hot and fast, like steak or chicken.

Charcoal is not a huge leap, you just have to get used to the extra time it takes to get the grill going versus a gas grill. Master two zone grilling, then go to smoking.

[Bill P]

IowaGirl Congratulations on your buy. For me I would probably cook a chicken (or two?) for a first run. Good luck on whatever you choose.

[willxfmr]

I would go reverse sear steaks. That's lets you do a little smoking, a little grilling, and a whole lot of enjoying. As long as you keep a temp probe in the steak, you will have almost zero risk since how exactly the steak gets to your preferred doneness is not all that important. Just leave yourself enough wiggle room to put a decent sear on.

[radshop]

Even though it's not my favorite... given the constraints, I would go with chicken halves. Not too expensive. Easy. Quick. Forgiving. Add some veggies (asparagus, squash, veggie skewers, or whatever floats your boat) and some murphy potatoes (the Meathead recipe), and you got yourself a complete meal on the Hasty Bake.

Oh, and did I mention I've been wanting a Hasty Bake for years, and I'm probably going to win one in the giveaway next month.

[IowaGirl]

I was thinking I'd win the November giveaway ... but I didn't. But the dent in my pocketbook isn't quite so deep what with the sale.

[DavidNorcross]

Steaks, whole chicken, tri-tip, chucks. All good!

[fzxdoc]

For the grill: chicken. That way if your learning curve is a bit steep the first time, you won't ruin a pricier cut of meat like a steak. For the smoker: a nice forgiving pork butt.

And congrats on your Xmas gift. What Hasty Bake model did you get?

Kathryn

[IowaGirl]

I got the Continental with the black base -- the downsized version of the Gourmet. I would have liked the Gourmet, but the price difference was a deterrent and I also have a nice Weber gasser as backup. I figure with two levels of cooking racks, the Continental offers plenty enough room for smoking. And I'm normally grilling only for two people. I have to say compared to the Weber, this new cooker is a petite little thing, but I think it will do well. But time will tell....

[Troutman]

I agree on the chicken theme. Chicken gives off a lot of fat and will help season your new cooker. Congrats on a really fine cooking machine !!!

[IowaGirl]

Thanks for the encouragement. I'll keep y'all posted on how things go. Life is crazy right now -- I have a small biz that is crazy busy right now with holiday shoppers, so it's a good thing I have grilled and smoked foods in the freezer to warm up for supper. But about 10 days from now, all this busy-ness will instantly dry up and I'll have more time to enjoy cooking.

[texastweeter]

what's your business?

[IowaGirl]

texastweeter -- I manufacture and sell gift and home decor items made out of leather and sleigh bells. I also restore antique sleigh bells for people and do odd bits of custom leather work. What I don't do is traditional tooling and carving.

[fzxdoc]

I've always been attracted to the Hasty Bake, IowaGirl , and will really enjoy following your learning curve. I'm particularly interested if it sears as well as your gasser with Grill Grates. If it doesn't, no worries. You've still got the gasser. But I'm guessing it might sear pretty well, presuming the coals get up pretty close to the grate.

Have fun with your new toy. There's nothing in our hobby like breaking in a new grill or smoker. So much to learn, and so much good food to eat.

Kathryn

[IowaGirl]

I figure I might slip 2-3 of the Weber's Grill Grates into the HB once I start getting the hang of how the HB works. That will be a fun experiment. But you are right -- the Weber does a good job of searing, so it's a strong backup option.