Off Topic: Wood/Coal Cooking

[blueroadster]

Curious if others are addicted to cooking with wood/coal and where you have eventually migrated to over the years.

Growing up, we had the traditional Weber kettle and regularly cooked food over an open fire pit as well. Good times and great food. Modernization introduced costly gas grills that were more convenient to use but also resulted in lackluster flavor. I tried numerous gas grills over time but each eventually found their way of "accidentally" dropping several stories down onto the ground to later be scraped/recycled.

Fast forward, I went back to coal/wood for cooking and am loving the flavor regardless of the cooking vessel used. Long time personal favorite that still uses coal in a pizza oven is Sabatini's Pizza in Exeter, PA.

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[ModJPB]

Most delicious way to make food. If you're offering to cook, where is the meetup at? Jk....kinda.

 

[blueroadster]

Most delicious way to make food. If you're offering to cook, where is the meetup at? Jk....kinda.

Not at that level just yet. To support a large group, I’d have to phone a friend that is finishing up a custom build using an old 500 gallon propane tank.

I tried gas for a year or two and then switched back to wood and coal for the last decade. During that time, the Weber Performer and WSM have been the workhorses. Last year, I used the CTR to haul stones to build a custom 36” fire pit for more cooking options.

Other friends have expensive Kamado grills that also serve up some great food at a smaller scale. I am not ready for upgrading to a custom 500 gallon propane tank or Kamado grill. I am however considering the Spider Grills Giant Huntsman as the next upgrade to cook for medium sized groups. It is a kettle style grill that provides a 26" cooking surface area while offering better heat retention closer to a Kamado grill.

 

[blueroadster]

Last year, I also thought about building a custom grill using a 55 gallon drum. Creativity got the best of me I guess. It resulted in a searing machine that actually functioned better as a yard debris incinerator.

 

[Cueyo]

Me and my buddy who smoke meats on the weekend used charcoal for a while. We then hopped over to this smoker he got and started using wood pellets. Best smoked brisket I had on my life was on that, and then we could never replicate it haha.

The grille broke recently and my buddy couldn't source the the igniter even though I offered to find him the stuff and fix it If he'd pay. We're back to charcoal now.

 

[zymmer4]

I have been cooking over an open fire for over 60 years. I use different size kettles, a vertical smoker and my preferred unit, my ancient Brinkman Pit Boss offset smoker. I use charcoal, lump charcoal, and many varieties of hard woods, depending on my method of cook, to fuel my cooks. I have cooked on three continents and in very many countries..The results are always predictable and delicious, rgardless of what is being cooked..from monkey to iguana lizard, to camel to salmon. I cook all year round..my outdoor kitchen is hot every month of the year. This is my current outdoor kitchen.

 

[PointByPatrol]

I use a big green egg, been pleased with it!

 

[Nothing]

I have a NG pipe outside for a gas grill, but I only use a Weber kettle. It's very consistent, just takes 15 minutes to get started, but worth it every time for anything from burgers to steaks and chicken. I have a pizza stone setup too but TBH it's a PITA. On charcoal it gets up to like 450-500 and pies take about 4-5 minutes. If I throw some wood in there it gets up over 700 and takes 90 seconds, but it doesn't last long and makes too much smoke. My oven is electric and can do 550F, turning out in about 4 min and it's much easier. If I had space and time for a wood fired refractory oven that would make some good pizza.

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