anybody out there tried a tri-tip on the KBQ? Never cooked one, but looking around it appears the way to cook these is all over the place. One smokes... one grills... one sous vides... one turns every 2 minutes.... one turns once... Was thinking of smoking for internal about 115? and then searing on the top of the KBQ to 135? Any thoughts are always appreciated. Just happy I can get this cut as I see a lot of folks can't.
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slvance I have yet to cook a tri tip on the KBQ but it would be great for it. I cook tri tip just about weekly. Reverse sear is the way to go. Trim as much silver skin as you can and dry brine/rub a couple hours in advance ( i like big bad beef rub, but i usually salt, coat with garlic powder, then add BBBR). If you like the smoky flavor, let it run with both vents open around 225-250 until internal temp of 115 (in a KBQ this will probably be 45 mins if I could guess since it cooks fast), then I usually add some kind of oil or clarified butter or beef tallow (all with some Big Bad Beef Rub Mixed in) and sear to 125/130. I think 135 is too much unless you like your meat medium/medium well. Even Med Well tri tip is great though! Let me know how it turns out!Comment
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smokinfatties I did the tri-tip and was thrilled with the result. I ended up not doing it on the KBQ - just seemed like a waste of time. Did it yesterday and just followed the directions in meatheads book... I did internal to 110 and seared for 5 minuted each side.Comment
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For starting the KBQ, Only use lump. and fill the chimney all the way up. Then once you have the coals going, dump them in and put some logs on right away. And fill the fire box plumb full. You shouldn't have to wait more than 10 mins for the cooking chamber to heat up. its not insulated so it will heat up fast. The better and bigger bead of coals that you start with the better. I use a torch to light mine. I would highly recommend you picking one up. They work great!Originally posted by Doug Rogers View Post
Glad to hear your first cook went well. What kind of wood did you use? I try to put the thicker part of the ribs towards the back of the cooking chamber. This will give the thickest part more exposure to the rear damper. This will help to preserve the thinner parts of the ribs.
Also try to run your KBQ with both dampers open on rib cooks. This will give you full flavor from the wood. But make sure that the firebox lid is on when the fan is running otherwise you will suck cold air into the chamber.
The best woods to use for ribs are fruit woods. I like to use Cherry with a small mixture of Oak. But Cherry is my go to for pork products. As for the beef I try to lean towards Oak and maple for my smoke profile. But you can't "over smoke" something in KBQ so experiment a little bit to see what flavor profile best suits your interests.
Keep plugging a way at it. We will get you to BBQ Nirvana before you know it.Comment
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I should have said I almost never use my lid - I have once or twice.
I rarely have the upper poppet open so I'm not concerned about the lid helping or hindering in that regard.
I'm not concerned about fuel use. Firewood in my area is not expensive. Not really concerned about sparking as I keep my KBQ far enough away from anything that I don't want to go "fwoof!".
You want one of the pathways for air to be sucked in through the top of the firebox and not just the sides. The top lid is clearly designed so that it doesn't seal off the top of the firebox completely.
I've only had my KBQ since this Spring so I have not gone thru winter usage with it. I know that it will inevitably use more fuel in winter and if I find that I'm having to reload the firebox every 5 minutes perhaps then I'll explore more use of the lid. And perhaps rig up a bit of a lightly insulating blanket to wrap around the sides/rear of the cook chamber.Comment
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You have had some incredible cooks on the KBQ Ernest !! All the pics and information you provide is greatly appreciated and has given me some great ideas for my cooks. Thanks !! DaleComment
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Question. How do you clean your KBQ? Or do you? I clean the racks of course, but since I have had it I have done around 6-7 cooks and have not cleaned anything else. The bottom of my fan unit is pretty dark brown and the door is pretty dark. But, to quote the manual - "You can hose it out if you like.". It sounds like (except for the 100 hour maintenance) all you really need to do is get anything solid out that the pan did not catch. What do you do? Do you hose it out? Do you remove the rack holders and the hot air spreader? Here's a pic of my weekend ribs. I'm no Ernest as far as presentation, but the ribs were really good.Comment
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Quailsroost Smokers prep your meat at least a couple of hours early and then let it stay cold in the frig. Put it directly in the smoker from there... (it's not really a smoke ring, but don't tell anybody). -
Quailsroost Smokers - almost forgot... congrads on the KQB... welcome to the family
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slvance, great looking ribs! Love the bark and whatta smoke ring. Well done.
I have been cleaning the inside of my KBQ every other cook. Like you, I do the racks after every smoke - Bills recommendation of stainless steel scrubbing pads works great. I also use a 1 1/2 Winco steam pan on the lower rack to catch all the grease. I usually line it with aluminum foils and throw it away after every cook.
Right now, the weather is warm enough to pull the hose out and give the inside a rinse. I haven't removed the rack holders - I just put the hose on "jet" and blast away. I do scrub the door itself a bit with the SS scrubbing pads. Tip the KBQ forward to drain all the water and gunk out - and leave the door open for the day to dry.
As far as the fan unit, I check it when I am cleaning and when I see some build up, I use an old toothbrush and a can of Dust-Off compressed air to blow it pretty clean.
With the cold weather setting in - I imagine I will NOT be rinsing every few smokes. I will clean the inside every thaw ;-)
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slvance
​​​​​​​For Cleaning the KBQ.....
I typically take out the runners and the grates and give them a good scrub outside then I put them in the dishwasher for a few cycles. This usually gets all of the gunk off. Then I spray out the inside of the cooking chamber with the hose. I try to get as much as I can but with cold water, the grease tends to stick on the inside. Then I use dish soap and a heavy duty scrub brush to clean it all out. Especially behind the door, where the water runs out and the gunk gets all piled up. If you have a pressure washer, that is what I would use to clean it.
When its too cold outside, I just take it to a self service car wash and give it the good clean. This works the best because of the warm water and the soap is included in the spray. Give it a good rinse and its all like new.
For the control box:
I CAREFULLY take the blades off the control box and soak them in Sodium Hydroxide/ hot Water mixture. You can also use oven cleaner too. But Sodium hydroxide works best because it doesn't foam all over the place. And it eats away all of the baked on proteins, creosote and anything else on the beds. This step might be overkill but I like to get everything back to new when I do this step. Not sure about anyone else, but on my control box I have an enamel like coating that forms on the grates that protects the fans. This stuff is eally hard to get off the stainless. I have found that heating the coating with a torch quick softens it and you can wipe it off. Then I clean the under belly of the control box with more NaOH and I am good to go. The thing I am most concerned with is cleaning the fans and the underbelly of the control box.
I realize that not everyone is gonna want to go out and buy Sodium Hydroxide or even oven cleaner or do this though of a cleaning job, But I am a firm believer in the notion that if you take care of your equipment, it will take care of you. (Heck, My pick up has 241,000 miles on it)Comment
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Spinaker Thanks for the write up... I plan on cleaning out the box tomorrow (cause my back just went out (*&$^%%%#*) but what worries me most is the control box... I think my first batch of wood was too green and it cause a lot of build up... see attached... I'll take you advice on the NaOH...
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I use the heavy duty oven cleaner spray.
Spray while it's still warm, leave on for some time and hose it after a little scrubbing.Comment
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Has anyone tried to smoke salmon in the KBQ? I would think that meatheads recipe would be amazing in the KBQ. But here is my thought, Do I go hot and fast to better caramelize the brown sugar or do I go looooow and slo for this one?Comment
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