REDRAW: November 2019 "Great Giveaway" Sweepstakes Winner!

[RickyBobby]

Good lookin’ bird! Well done!!!

[Mr. Bones]

Fantastic Job, Brother!
Thanks fer takin us all along on yer Test Drive, an I'm findin myself lookin forward to some more of yer shenanigans, as well...

[dmcannon99]

OK, weather did not cooperate, so not able to post any pictures of the grill, but I am including a capture of the first cook from the grill, a 12 pound turkey, which you can see was spatchcocked (the only way I cook whole turkeys anymore...).

This was my first try at a non-propane grill (or smoker) in years, so it was a bit of a challenge. However, I wanted one of these under my belt before the actual "big day" came up. I used lump hardwood, which seems to be the recommendation of the manufacturer, but I think I will go with Meathead's recommendation for the next try and go with briquettes. I think they are likely more reliable and consistent, although part of the problem with this bad, I think, is that it was an off brand. It didn't have any foreign objects that I could see (not even tarantulas...), but the lumps were all over the place in size, including quite a bit that was so small they passed through the tray's grate.

Anyway, perhaps the next time I will be able to get more shots, but for now it is time to carve the bird and see how it turned out. Looks great, but the real key is how well the family digs into it. I will say that it is not the mahogany color I got from the last one out of my smoker, but we shall see.

[Mo Porkplease]

Congrats and awesome choice. I look forward to seeing some cooks from that bad boy!!

[dmcannon99]

Just finished putting it all together (have to work, ya know) and will try for a picture of the completed grill tomorrow if the weather allows...getting dark now.

Worst part of assembly Getting that film off the stainless steel parts. Ugh.

[Smokin' Hole]

My heart sank when I logged on to retrieve the spatchcock turkey recipe and saw the forfeited monthly giveaway. Congrats dmcannon99 and excellent choice. Well, back to smoking that turkey. I have company coming and doing a trial run. Bee saf all.

[Craigar]

Congratulations dmcannon99 ! I cant wait to see your pics and read about your experience.

[FireMan]

Pics, pics, & more pics now, please, pretty please. Whas up?

[mountainsmoker]

Congrats and let us know how you like it. The best thing is to find a good charcoal. Go to the Free Side and track down what type it uses and then what type is best within those types.

[B-30]

Nice!!!

[dmcannon99]

OK, the grill arrived today (along with the BBQ sauce and voucher for Porter Road), and I am anxious to get started.

The grill came via freight and was on a pallet. For those wondering, it is mostly complete, with the grates, side/front tables, etc., in a box inside the bottom. In other words, only minutes away from use. I will need to go get some charcoal so I can give her a shot. It comes in at just under 200 pounds, so it's fun to get it ready and in the back yard.

Once it is all put together and ready for showtime, I'll post some pics. For now, allow me to say that the metal is of a higher gauge than I expected, given some of the postings elsewhere on the site. It seems plenty sturdy, and is certainly more stout than my smoker. The current grill I have is a large stainless propane unit that is heavy gauge, but doesn't have the "sear" capability this one is known for; it's great for generic grilling, but not so great for smoking and/or searing.

FWIW, I intend to try this bad boy out on some searing for its first use, although my wife wants to see how it does with smoking. I'll try a spatchcocked turkey next week - done them several times in the smoker, so that will make for a good comparison test. Ever since the first time I did this with the big bird, that is what everybody demands...regular roasting does not compare.

Man, I'm salivating already...

[For-A-Song]

Congrats man, great choice!

[Rob Johnston]

Congrats!

[BillCIII]

Congratulations

[Delmuth]

Congratulations.