So I smoked/grilled on my Recteq Flagship. So I cut it down to 10#, plus 4 big steaks and 1.5# of scraps for lomo saltado, and 2# of fat to render into tallow. I forgot to photo the ham after I wrapped it in foil with chicken broth and homemade spiced apricot glaze. Everything turned out great!
SnS Kettle
Napoleon 500 Pro gasser grill
Weber Slate 30” griddle
Gozney Arc XL pizza oven
Instant Pot Duo Crisper 8 qt
Cuisinart food processor
Kitchenaid Stand Mixer
Breville Smart toaster oven
Anova Sous vide (Pro version and Standard Version)
Cabella 15” Vacuum Sealer
Combustion Inc Wireless Probes (Gen2 upgrades)
Fireboard v2
Fireboard Spark
Fireboard Pulse (3) probes and S1G antenna
ThermoWorks RFX gateway and 2 RFX meat probes
Thermoworks IR gun
Thermoworks MK4
Thermoworks Zero
Thermoworks Signals
7 Shun knives (paring to 12" slicer)
Misen Chef's knife
Dalstrong Phantom Series Boning Knife
8-9 other knives (enough to get an eye roll from wife!)
2 Mandolins, 1 veggie spiralizer
Work Sharp E5 sharpener
Chef's Choice sharpener
Hone Rolling Sharpener
It all began with a 20-pound Prime Rib from CAL Poly Meats—ribs separated, the crown jewel of this year’s Christmas feast. The game plan? A BBQ showdown between my trusty SnS Kettle and the reliable PK Grill PKTX, fueled by a fierce passion for perfectly cooked beef.
On December 23rd, the roasts received the royal treatment: a dry brine of Kinder’s The Blend, setting the stage for flavor-packed perfection. Both grills were fired up to 250°F using B&B Lump Oak Charcoal, promising a steady heat and smoky richness. One roast hit the SnS Kettle, aiming for medium-rare glory with an excellent crust, while the PKTX embraced its rival roast, both grills prepped for battle.
Over the course of three hours, the roasts cooked slowly to perfection. The smoky aroma filled the air as the crusts developed beautifully. Once the target internal temperature was achieved, each roast was given a quick, intense sear to lock in the flavor. Afterward, the roasts rested for an hour, allowing the juices to redistribute for that perfect bite.
Meanwhile, my daughters worked their magic in the kitchen. They whipped up creamy mashed potatoes and baked homemade sourdough rolls from a starter lovingly shared by my future son-in-law. The family effort made the day even more special.
When the first roast was sliced, the pink, tender medium-rare perfection was revealed. Served with my homemade horseradish, made fresh from the root, it packed just the right amount of heat to complement the smoky beef. Each bite was a journey—a smoky, tender, crusty triumph that left everyone in a blissful food coma.
As we savored the fruits of the showdown, laughter filled the room. With the second roast waiting in the fridge, leftovers are already whispering promises of sandwiches and late-night indulgence. This Christmas wasn’t just about the food; it was about family, traditions, and memories forged over the fire.
The verdict? Both grills delivered in their own way, but the real winner was the family, gathered together in holiday harmony. Here's to smoky victories and more BBQ adventures to come!
Hanukkah dinner: Prime rib, cooked at 225F in the countertop oven. Dry brined the day before then used a version of Mrs. O'Leary's Rub before cooking. Seared on the Napoleon infrared sear burner. Served with latkes from TJ's and broccoli.
John "JR"
Minnesota/ United States of America
******************************************** Grills/Smokers/Fryers Big Green Egg (Large) X3
Blackstone 36" Outdoor Griddle 4-Burner
Burch Barrel V-1 Karubeque C-60 Kamado Joe Jr. (Black) Lodge L410 Hibachi Pit Barrel Cooker Pit Barrel Cooker 2.0
Pit Barrel PBX
R&V Works FF2-R-ST 4-Gallon Fryer *******************************************. Thermometers
FireBoard (Base Package)
Thermoworks ThermaPen (Red)
Thermoworks MK4 (Orange)
********************************* Accessories Big Green Egg Plate Setter
Benzomatic TS800 High Temp Torch X 2 Bayou Classic 44 qt Stainless Stock Pot
Bayou Classic 35K BTU Burner Eggspander Kit X2 Finex Cat Iron Line FireBoard Drive Lots and Lots of Griswold Cast Iron Grill Grates Joule Water Circulator
KBQ Fire Grate Kick Ash Basket (KAB) X4 Lots of Lodge Cast Iron Husky 6 Drawer BBQ Equipment Cabinet Large Vortex Marlin 1894 .44 Magnum Marquette Castings No. 13 (First Run) Smithey No. 12 Smokeware Chimney Cap X 3 Stargazer No.10, 12 ******************************** Fuel FOGO Priemium Lump Charcoal Kingsford Blue and White B&B Charcoal Apple, Cherry & Oak Log splits for the C-60 ************************************************* Cutlery Buck 119 Special
Cuda 7' Fillet Knife Dexter 12" Brisket Sword Global Shun Wusthof ********** Next Major Purchase Lone Star Grillz 24 X 48 Offset
Some Christmas caroling and prime rib!
Pre sear before the cooking, sous vide, 134 F/8 hours.
Finished product after the broiler sear. (Ripley was in waiting)
Nice slices with some sauce I made from the purge.
I know. I guess he was lucky that nothing bad happened with that much food in his stomach, so with him being ok, all you can do is laugh and wonder what else you can have for supper.😆
I think the shock of a disappearing roast was in the dog's favor. When she tells that story, she sounds more incredulous than anything.
Once the shock wore off, she probably wasn't too happy supper disappeared, but the dog was too uncomfortable to care if he got fussed at. 😆
I was thinking it was our childhood dog that moved in with my brother, but it might have been their other Golden that was the culprit. I should ask and find out how mad she actually was at the time, if she remembers.
First, am I ready for a world in which my kitchen appliances need firmware updates?
I took about 1/2 pound of shrimp and seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, Italian seasoning, and olive oil. And into the air fryer they went!
Ten minutes later (four minutes of pre-heat and six minutes of actual cooking, with a basket shake half-way through), they were done!
Freaking delicious! I will go one minute less next time. And....no cast iron pan to clean and season. I think I could get used to this.
Same with my Traeger, not sure I like that my appliances need software updates. Dumbest one is my friends Toaster. It can't go to the bread bin, open the bag and load itself with bread, so why do I need an app to start my toast? I am already there adding the bread....
Kamado Joe Big Joe III
Pit Barrel Cooker
Camp Chef Flat Top 900
Weber Performer 22
PowerFlamer Propane 160
Meater +
Thermoworks Smoke
Thermoworks Thermapen
Temp Spike
When all you have is a hammer.....another dish in the air fryer.
I did baked potatoes in it. Poked some holes in some russets, slathered with olive oil and sprinked with salt. Preheat the fryer for four minutes at 400 F and then let these potatoes go for 40 minutes at that same temp.
I am impressed with this thing. Not only is it cooking food faster than my large, conventional oven, it is cooking itbetter. I've never had potato skin this crispy with the interior so fluffy.
This is very much going to turn into my inclement weather cooking machine. (Apt that I am currently under a tornado watch as I write this!)
I served the baked potato with a heaping amount of leftover chili.
(Honestly, there is a baked potato under there.... you can just barely see it at the seven o'clock position.)
HotSun No, not at all. I don't see myself doing baked potatoes in a conventional oven ever again. This thing cuts 30-40 minutes (oven pre-heat plus the time saved in cooking) off the time.
I love my KBQ! I smoked a 7 lb., 3 rib roast that was oiled and covered in a dry rub, bagged, and placed into the refrigerator for three days. I prepared the KB with a water bath in the bottom and set the temp to 250°F. I used a Meater probe set for rib roast at 140° internal temp. Outside temp here in Anchorage was 30°F. 2.75 hours later, I pulled it out of the KBQ and placed it on a tray in the indoor oven until dinner was ready. I have to say that everything worked together for the PERFECT cook! Except when it came for photos. I forgot to take one after I sliced it. So that picture was taken after it had been in the refrigerator for 24 hours: it was a perfect medium throughout when sliced! Bordeaux wine, mashed potatoes with gravy made from the drippings into the water bath, dressing, steamed asparagus, and homemade rolls made up the meal. Tapioca pudding with fresh strawberries was the dessert! Great company made for a very good Christmas meal!
STEbbq post about Meathead smoked salmon got me going in that direction yesterday! Y’all know I’m a sucker for a fish dish! 😁😎
I did notice that in the book, Meathead suggests scraping off the dark brown (muddy) flesh and in the recent video interview he say’s it’s ok / good for you. I prefer to scrape it.
Is this the "Schmancy Smoked Salmon" recipe from the free side? If so, I do this one all the time and absolutely love it. Next time try making the "Provencal Smoked Fish Pate" with it that is also on the free side. It's spectacular.
Getting to this late, but here was Christmas Eve dinner. The weather didn't cooperate for doing any of this outside and I got off to a late start. Anyhow, this started the Saturday before Christmas Eve:
I deboned a rib roast (4 ribs) and dry brined for about 80 hours. It was about 8 pounds give or take, before dry brining. I wrap mine in gauze while it dry brine:
Unfortunately I was running behind schedule, so I didn't get a good pic before roasting. Let's just say, it looked very good. The roast was already pretty tight, but I tied it in a couple places. I wet the surface, rubbed with Mrs. O'Leary's cow dust, and roasted. I would have waited for a while if I had had more time, but it worked in the end.
Roasted at 230F on convection roast mode; when the temp hit 119F, I cranked the temp up to 500F and removed at 130F.
Here we are; looks like it came out a bit medium than medium rare, but no complaints from the family:
I had also made potatoes au gratin, which I haven't made from scratch in a couple decades:
Yellow potatoes, cheddar cheese (a little smoked cheddar), butter, rice flour, milk, cream, pepper.
Simple French green beans with butter and onion. I made an au jus, too. We ate at 8pm, which is late for us, but there were just the 4 of us, so it was fine. I served with Salchetto Riserva Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2020, one of our favorite wines.
A+ all around. I usually do my rib roasts with S&P, but I figured I would try Meathead 's rub. My wife, the beef aficionado of the family, loved it.
Featured dessert:
Cognac pecan tart (I usually use bourbon). The cognac was a great choice. My DD stole a pecan (11 o'clock position). The dark chocolate drizzle was a mess, but it tastes good. As many others, we had a ton of other treats and food.
This year we hosted Xmas day dinner for the first time ever, as my in-laws recently sold their house and are preparing to move.
6 lb choice rib roast…picked the best looking one Costco had and it’ll be hard to tell me it’s not prime marbling!
Dry brined for 24 hours, liberally covered in Mrs O’Leary’s Cow Crust, and tossed in a 225° oven with two MEATER probes to monitor temps. Gravy fixins in the pan below - the entire cook according to Meatheads prime rib method on the free page, sans the outdoor cooking.
MEATER app confirms my oven runs fairly close to temp. Noticed +/- 10° swings throughout the cook.
Pulled and rested at 115° while I finished the gravy. Got the broiler piping hot and seared.
I have no complaints about how this roast came out!
My wife set a beautiful table, as she always does.
Eleven of us enjoyed a wonderful day together!
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Last edited by Santamarina; December 27, 2024, 01:53 PM.
Christmas Dinner:
Cooked a CAB rib roast and carved some salt cured Smithfield country ham off the bone for biscuits (bunco buns). My Dad always sends us the ham each year and it's one of our favorites. The rib roast was about 8.5lbs before removing the bones and trimming, that brought it down to 5.5lbs. My rotties got their Christmas gifts that evening, raw meaty rib bones. We had all the other standard fare such as homemade mashed potatoes, fresh snapped beans for the green bean casserole, rolls, deviled eggs and what have you. Smoked the prime rib at 250 on the Weber kettle with one chunk of post oak till IT hit 122. Then rested it tented with foil while getting the smoker up to 475-500. Placed it back on the grate, poured melted compound butter over the top and closed it up for 10 minutes. Took it off, rested a few minutes then sliced. Definitely one of the tastiest I've done. Used Jess Pryles method she recently put out on video from start to finish. We had prime rib sliders last night for dinner and I'm using the rest for prime rib soup tonight. Rainy and cold here in Western NC so should hit the spot. I need more deviled eggs!
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