Now I get why so many people are so enthusiastic about cooking on a kettle. My 4th cook on the kettle and with a fair breeze in the windy city of Port Elizabeth things went like a breeze. Even though I am still a learner driver on the kettle I wanted to try something different with my cook and smoked in the 300 to 320F range. I usually run my vertical gasser at 240.
Used real charcoal clumps not briquettes and not too sure if I will again as they burn a lot faster than briquettes but then again I find the briquettes we get have a paraffin type of smell and I detect same flavour in the meat when done. It’s not bad but I have a dislike for it.
I had to place more charcoal about 5 hours into the cook and after doing that my kettle ran slightly higher than my target temp for an hour or so.
Total cook time for pork belly (MMD) was around 4 hours and the beef short rib (S&P) close to 8 hours.
The pork belly was excellent.
The beef rib was bought for me when I did the 40th birthday party 2 weeks back and I already had determined before that cook that the meat was substandard and I wasn’t expecting a good result this time either. I did pull the ribs a little early when the temp was at 195 and only the bottom muscle was probe tender.
The top muscle was dry and the bottom reasonably tender and moist. I fear it needed to go that little extra and rest in cambro, unfortunately neither happened. I know it should but time wasn’t on my side. "Loadshedding" was to happen and the family was hungry. Naturally they all said the beef was good but I know better.
That said I love cooking on my kettle even with all its small faults.
Belly
Beef Rib
Used real charcoal clumps not briquettes and not too sure if I will again as they burn a lot faster than briquettes but then again I find the briquettes we get have a paraffin type of smell and I detect same flavour in the meat when done. It’s not bad but I have a dislike for it.
I had to place more charcoal about 5 hours into the cook and after doing that my kettle ran slightly higher than my target temp for an hour or so.
Total cook time for pork belly (MMD) was around 4 hours and the beef short rib (S&P) close to 8 hours.
The pork belly was excellent.
The beef rib was bought for me when I did the 40th birthday party 2 weeks back and I already had determined before that cook that the meat was substandard and I wasn’t expecting a good result this time either. I did pull the ribs a little early when the temp was at 195 and only the bottom muscle was probe tender.
The top muscle was dry and the bottom reasonably tender and moist. I fear it needed to go that little extra and rest in cambro, unfortunately neither happened. I know it should but time wasn’t on my side. "Loadshedding" was to happen and the family was hungry. Naturally they all said the beef was good but I know better.
That said I love cooking on my kettle even with all its small faults.
Belly
Beef Rib
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