Look what followed me home. Can I keep it?

[Stinky The Clown]

I saw this jobbie at our local Ace Hardware/Weber Dealer/BBQ Emporium last year. It looked really interesting. Light it and forget it. No hassle, no basting, no tending, no nothing. Pop in the food, light it, wait an hour or three (depending on the tonnage you put inside it) And enjoy!

http://orionoutdoors.com/products/cooker/



This is an odd sort of device. It isn't a charcoal grill. It also isn't actually a smoker, although it does, indeed, smoke. What it is, really, is a sealed charcoal convection oven/steamer. Sort of. As you can see in the picture above, the charcoal goes in the ring around the bottom and in the thing that looks like a chimney (but absolutely is NOT) at the top. Meat or fish is placed inside along with some wood chips.

Here's mine as I put it together this morning. This is the completed unit with the lid on it





Here it is with the lid off. It has three grates inside that you can use to load it with smaller cuts or you can use just one or two for larger cuts, like roasts. The tripod looking thing is the poultry rack. The poultry goes over it and there is an accessory handle for lifting it in and out. It sits on the bottom rack and requires the other racks be removed.





This is the unit with the rib hangers in place. All grates are removed. The ribs are pierced between the second and third bone and then hung from one of these three hangers. Each hanger can hold two racks.





And here is a better picture of the poultry rack. I have it on the top grate so it can be seen, but in use it actually has to sit on the very bottom grate, way down inside the unit.




These things get rave reviews except for one thing. They're fuel hogs. This thing needs 15 lbs of charcoal to fully fire. But that will run it for up to three hours. They say you can use less charcoal for smaller loads and then, if it starts to burn out, you just add more.



Anyway, tonight I'll try something. I need to see what the store has, but I'm thinking ribs.

[hippywife]

1. But...but...but...

it's not copper! That's what I was thinking when I saw the header of your post. LOL

Looks like some serious animal flesh consumption is scheduled for your summer.

And if Sparkly says you can keep it, who are we to say otherwise?

:hi:

[Stinky The Clown]

4. They were out of the all copper deluxe model

:rofl:

Actually, this is all stainless steel. It should last forever.

[catnhatnh]

2. Hoo-Hah!

Y'all wanna flame war??? Here it is:
http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/tm.aspx?m=258079&high=DMed
This post about your adoptee has about a thousand replies split between real folk, BBQ purists (it don't work), and what appear to be paid flacks (praise JEEZUS, it's a miracle) with low post counts...

But betwixt the flames there are hints into how and how well you can get the bitch to behave. Frankly I am curious and await your product review...

[Stinky The Clown]

3. Knee-jerkers

The second or third post says it calls for instant light charcoal, so right away its crap. The fact is, the charcoal and the food never mix. Ever. The charcoal is on the outside, providing heat. The food, along with natural, 100% wood, wood chunks, are on the inside of a sealed container.

As one reviewer elsewhere remarked (paraphrasing) "People, including the manufacturer, don't know how to categorize, and therefore very quickly form just plain wrong opinions. You have to use one to understand it."

I liked the concept. It is to smokers what a superautomatic espresso maker is to espresso - it makes a 98% perfect product with 10% of the effort and skill needed for the old fashioned way.

[Stinky The Clown]

5. So .... ribs it is ...... and man, are ribs SPENDY!

I literally can't recall the last time I bought ribs. Without exaggerating, its been decades. These things are *P*R*I*C*E*Y*.

The Safeway had three kinds of ribs. They had baby backs at $5.99(!!)/lb and spare ribs at $3.99/lb. At this price, each rack, whether spare ribs or baby backs, was in $15.00 to $18.00 range.

Then they had imported Danish baby backs in a 10 lb box, frozen, for $24.49. Each box was five or six racks

I bought the Danish. I have one rack almost fully thawed and it appears fine. The proof, of course, is in the eating ...... so we'll see.

My first go-round with the new cooker and I want to keep it simple. A little hickory smoke and a mild rub. No BBQ sauce. I prefer dry ribs to wet. Most BBQ sauces are a little too cloying for my taste.

[Stinky The Clown]

6. Ribz - 1 hour and 15 minutes - Falling off the bone good - smokey taste - NICE

I used a small amount of a rather mild rub. My goal was to learn to cook the rubs. The time suggested in the recipe book that came with the smoker was absolutely perfect. And I used half the charcoal they suggested, and will use even less next time.

These ribs are really, really good and I am confident will get even better with repeated attempts.

[NMDemDist2]

7. sweet!!!!

doncha love new toys??

yum :P

[hippywife]

8. Those look fantastic and

perfectly done. Glad you're happy with it. It'd be a bummer to buy a new toy like that and not have it live up to expectations.

We just had ribs here, too, 'cept it's too windy to cook out of doors (I almost gotten beaten to death hanging out the laundry. :wow: )

I put four country style ribs in the crockpot at noon with sauerkraut, pepper, and granulated garlic (no salt.) Had them with some little red creamer garlic and butter potatoes. Very delicious.

[The empressof all]

9. WOW!

I'm so jealous of Sparkly. My husband doesn't like "barbecue" and has absolutely no interest in grilling, tailgaiting or out door "typically manly" pursuits. I could so get into the smoking and outdoor cooking thing in a heart beat. I have a regular propane gas grill that I fire up maybe two or three times a year. I've coveted a big green egg for years but just can't justify getting one. So was this thing spendy? I see the drill in the photo....can an idiot put it together? How would you cook a big brisket? Would I have to hang it?

[Stinky The Clown]

10. I paid $139 for it. MSRP is $149.95, so no big bargain. It is easy to put together.

The drill was hardly needed. You have to put two screws into each of four leg. You have to put one screw into each of three grate rests. You have to put two screws into each of three rib hangers. That's it. And to be honest, I wound up using a hand screwdriver cuz it was just less awkward.

Given that it is all stainless and a very original design, I thought the price was fair. Not overly expensive like some smokers.

You know, the Big Green Egg, while different from this, is a good example of a device that is not quite what it appears to be. At first glance, it seems like a big, thick, heavy, bulky Weber Kettle wannabe. But it isn't. It is a unique appliance that gives similar results, but gets there differently.

We grill year round. Some weeks, it might be four times, some weeks none or one. Blizzard or blazing heat doesn't matter. Our meals are fairly ordinary and mainstream. We just adapted a few to the grill cuz it tastes better (we think) and maybe just as important, has almost no clean-up!

Now I got a secret for ya ...... Sparkly's a vegetarian! Well .... sorta. She doesn't eat meat simply because she doesn't like it. She will eat any kind of fish, though. Some meals, I do a tuna steak for her and a big ol' pork chop for me. Or we both have salmon. Or I fry up a ham slice and she'll have just the vegetables and then maybe (or not) make some sort of "bean dish'. Or she'll have ne grill some tofu. If you're interested, let me know and I'll post how we do ours. It is as satisfying, taste wise, as any meat item on the grill. And it doesn't try to imitate meat. It is tofu and celebrates the virtues of what it is.

But most important is the notion that vegetables on the grill are every bit as good as meat. Maybe even better. For each protein item we cook, we usually grill two or three vegetables to go with it. And we often plan the vegetables to be leftover so as to use them in a new dish in the next day or two. There's not a vegetable we haven't grilled. Even tomatoes and endive and fennel and leeks and ...... name it.

[Tesha]

31. we're a no-outdoor-grill house...

Mr T never wanted to grill outside - but wanted ribs... ah ha!

rub the ribs (or any type of meat) with something yummy
place on a rack in a tightly covered roaster
with some yummy liquid in the bottom like beer or cider
roast/steam until very tender
move ribs to a baking dish and slather with a yummy bbq sauce
roast for another 15-30 minutes

falling-off-the-bone nobody-ever-guesses yummiest-ever bbq!

[Sparkly]

11. Okay, here's MY side of the story.

Just because I have to gripe.

Stinky's been sick -- don't know if he mentioned that -- and can't take cold meds because of his other meds and ailments. So on my way back from dance rehearsal, I stopped by the drugstore and got a thermometer (somehow we'd lost ours), some saline nasal spray, milk he needed for his latte in the basement office area, and a vaporizer. I imagined coming home to him lying on the sofa, miserable, and me playing Florence Nightingale.

Instead, he was out in the driveway. I announced that I'd gone to the drugstore -- he said he had, too. Huh? That really steps on my role as Florence.

Me: I got you a thermometer!

Him: Me, too. Actually, I got two of them.

Me: I got you saline nasal spray!

Him: We had that.

Me: I remembered milk -- did you know they have milk there?

Him: Yeah, but I got milk someplace else because the dates there didn't look good.

Me: What's today?

Him: I'm sure it's still fine -- the dates were just, you know, soon.

Me: Fine. I'll use it upstairs.

(Chivalrous offer to trade milks didn't come, while the milk was turning as I stood there, bags in hand.)

Me: And I got a vaporizer!

Him: Thanks! I'll use it! Really! ... Well, I got this....

Then I realized he was putting together the contraption pictured above. Evidently he is feeling better.

Now that I've seen this post, I'm doing the math on how much I am now entitled to purchase on ebay. (Smoker + pig matter = two new sundresses, one pair sandals, and assorted frivolities.)

[hippywife]

12. See!

There's always an upside. :rofl:

I'm sure you do a lovely Florence when permitted. :hug:

[Sparkly]

17. I did just set up the vaporizer

WITH the special smelly Vicks stuff added to the water... Seeming the whole time like I knew exactly what I was doing. Managed not to spill anything or cause a fire. Dogs are looking a bit disgusted with it, but Stinky's not complaining so far. :D

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

13. Just to let you know,

ideeli is having an awesome fendi sale. I just got a new Coach so shot my wad, but you go for it!

[Sparkly]

16. Not familiar with ideeli...

... do tell!

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

20. Oooh. (EDITED)

Here you go: http://www.ideeli.com/events/coming_soon

And if I invite you I get $25 off my next purchase. DH will love that! :rofl:


Crumbs. It's invitation only & you can't even peek. You could probably google and get an idea. They just sell very high end clothes, accessories, etc. at about half the cost.

[Stinky The Clown]

22. I have to tell a little secret about Sparkly ......

...... she is far and away the singularly most frugal shopper in the world. There have been times when she and SparklyJr have been out for HOURS shopping for clothes. They come back with 15, 20 items, maybe more.

And they spent less than $150. Often less than $100.

You look at the tags and it is ...... I dunno, let's say ...... a coat. $250. Marked down through a series of prices to $200/$150/$75 ..... then on sale at half off, plus the 40% coupon, then the final sale markdown taken at the register and her $250 coat is $3.00.

Yes. $3.00. Less than a gallon of milk.

Now ..... some of this stuff finds it way into plastic bags to be picked up by one charity or another, but on balance, Sparkly is the least spendy person I have ever known.

[Stinky The Clown]

14. Yanno .... I *did* mention this to you. You *did* say it was okay.

I *did* mention it was mostly a meat cooking appliance. You *did* say that was okay cuz the Cameron smoker for shrimp was about all you really needed. I *did* offer to try smoking vegetative matter. You *did* say "don't bother".

And knowing you, you don't really need an excuse to indulge your sundress fetish.

I'm going to go lay on the couch now, Flo.

[Sparkly]

15. Yeahrightsure...

Stinky: So we gotta pay bills and get taxes done remember tomorrow we're installing that screen door I'm thinking of getting a new outdoor smoker I put my jacket in the hamper to wash whenever how about sandwiches for supper?

Me: Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay...

:P

[hippywife]

18. LOL!

Now that's really funny. :rofl:

Around here it used to be we would think the same thing at the same time. Now one of us says something and a few minutes later, the other one says it like it's something new. It's like we're on an "I'm not really listening" time delay. Twelve years of marriage. I guess it had to happen sometime. :eyes:

[pengillian101]

21. Is this an Ashton/Demi PUNK?

Two DU members who live together, yet talk online?

Ashton Kutcher is known for his "That 70's Show" child and the Punk'd TV series and not much else. Demi Moore must be as immature as he is to get divorced and marry him.

Seems odd to me that folks living together communicate on message boards instead of in real life.

:-)

[Stinky The Clown]

23. We place cell calls to each other, too. From across the room.

We send e-mail when we're in the same room.

We Skyped the other night, quit that, and did iChat for a while.

We also talk. And do live schtick.

Demi checked with us before she dumped Bruce. We didn't approve of Aston cuzza the age difference, but what the hell ....... cougars are so *in* these days.

[pengillian101]

24. You laugh... but...

They really do post their mundane daily crap. Who cares?

Immaturity at it worst. Demi must be so really stupid and immature to get divorced and marry him. Same immaturity age apparently. 20+ years between them.

No wonder Bruce Willis dumped her. Their daughter Rumor even tells her Mom to grow up. How embarrassing is that. Yet rumor has it that Rumor the daughter has a crush on Ashton.

And we all thought OUR families had stuff???

[eridani]

19. Hell yes, keep it!

15 lbs isn't so bad if you use it to cook up a bunch of stuff for freezing as well as your meal.

[sazemisery]

25. Bad Clown! Bad Clown!

If I keep Mr.sazemisery from looking at this page you will be forgiven. If not I will finally have to build a shelter for all the cookers he already owns. Not to mention the La Caja China Box I have to keep talking him out of buying.

[The empressof all]

26. Oooooh I want one of those too

You never know when you're gonna be called upon to cook a pig afterall.

[Stinky The Clown]

27. Man, that China thing looks great .......

..... if you're FEEDING THE FRIGGIN STATE FAIR!

:rofl:

The small one, it says, can do a 70 lb pig or 16 to 18 whole chickens.

And am I seeing things are is that a plywood box with wheels and a grill inside?

[sazemisery]

28. Exactly, with stainless steel liner.

One of the reasons he hasn't bought one is my dad says he can make one cheaper. I would like to steer him the Orion way. Amazon has them for $131.00.

[The empressof all]

29. No...It really is a magic box

I've eaten Pig from one of these things. It's mindblowingly good. I don't know how it works but it's fricken amazing if you enjoy pig roasts. I'd drive 100 miles for a good pig.

[Stinky The Clown]

30. I am REALLY trying to stay composed here after reading your comment.

My soda just ran out of my nose, though ....... and my keyboard is soaked .......

:rofl:

Okayokayokayokayokay ....... :sigh: ........ :whew:

I'm back ......


Hahahahaha

[The empressof all]

32. Have you seen the pretty Kamado?

I want one of these too. My neighbor has one. It's the precursor to the Green Egg. Not big enough for a pig but still...If you're gonna collect outdoor cooking devices I'd go for the blue one.

http://www.barbecue-smoker-recipes.com/kamado-barbecue-grills.html

Great recipes at this site too

[Stinky The Clown]

33. I know for a fact the Bug Green Egg makes great grilled pizza.

I bet this thing does, too.

[Stinky The Clown]

34. Self-delete - Wrong place

[The empressof all]

36. I'm going to try the barbequed cheese

There's a recipe for Camebert/fruit skewers that looks good but I'm going with the Halumi first

"Halloumi is a hard cheese traditionally made in Cyprus and is ideal for the barbecue grill because of higher-than-normal melting point compared to other cheeses.


The resistance to melting comes from the fresh curd used in the manufacturing process being heated before being shaped and placed in the brine. Note how when eating it, it makes your teeth squeek!



Ingredients:-



750g / 11/2lb Halloumi cut into 1 cm thick strips
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 plum tomatoes skinned seeded and diced
1 red onion finely chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Black olives (optional)



Method:-

Mix up all the ingredients and marinate the cheese for 4 hours. Place the cheese slices into a barbecue rack and place on barbecue grill with hot coals and brush on the marinade a few times.

TIP - Hot coals will help the surface of the cheese go brown and crisp and a barbecue rack gives a little extra spread of surface should your halloumi soften too quickly.


When the halloumi takes on a light suntan, remove from the grill, place in a serving bowl, dress with the black olives and pour over the remainder of the marinade."



http://www.barbecue-smoker-recipes.com/vegetarian-barbecue-cooking.html

[sazemisery]

43. We have a BGE and yes, pizza is teh bomb!

It has a gadget they call a plate setter (ceramic) that sits on top of the fire box and you place your pizza stone on top. We cook the crust until done but not brown and then add toppings and cook til done

[Tab]

42. I've been called a pig

(hopefully I'm a good one)

How far away do you live?

[Stinky The Clown]

35. Monday night - Whole CHICKEN

I brined it for two hours, Then rinsed it and patted it dry. I put on a poultry rub I got at Costco.

I pulled pulled all the extra fat I could find. I then separated the skin from the meat and put the rub under the skin - including down into the legs - and in the body cavity I like to make two slits in the skin, on the back, parallel to the backbone, but centered over the thighs. I go in here to subcutaneously rub the backs of the thighs. This gets pretty much all but the wings seasoned.

The bird is now on the poultry tripod thingus, on the bottom grate.

I fired it up with two thirds regular charcoal and one third match light. It started slower, but also with much less drama. Yesterday's flames had helicopters circling with water hoses on alert. (See top picture in OP and multiply by 10)

I'll check in later, hopefully with pictures.

[Stinky The Clown]

37. The chicken SUCKED - Total Failure

The book says an hour and 10 minutes.

I opened it at an hour and 10 minutes. No skin color, internal temps of 138.

Back in for another 20 minutes. A tiny bit of skin color, internal temp of 182

Here is what it looked like .....



.... which is to say limp and unappetizing.

Then I cut it open. Red in the joints. The rest of supper's ready. a 4 minute nuking and it is fully cooked but has the texture of ...... crap.

Back to the drawing board for chickens ......

[The empressof all]

38. What a disappointment!

I can do a beer can chicken in my gas grill in about an hour. I didn't go back to look at the specs for this cooker thing but does it have a temp indicator or can you add one somehow? You'd think that it would have been more than cooked in an hour and half of cooking time. What's up with that?

[Stinky The Clown]

40. Okay, it is several hours post fiasco. Here's my post morten theory .......

To follow it, you hafta look at a picture of the cooker thingus.

Charcoal goes in the bottom ring and in the chimney looking thing at the top.

That's the end of the facts. Now the theory ......

Since there is no heat source within or below the cooking chamber, it must work most by conduction heat, not radiant heat. In other words, it depends on the metal getting hot from the charcoal lying on it and touching it.

I did not empty the ashes and remains of yesterday's charcoal.

Ashes are actually a form of insulation.

It rained overnight. The ashes were damp. Damp is denser and, in this case, effectively if not actually, more insulative. The new fire was built atop this layer of insulation.

Conclusion: Much of the charcoal's heat went up in the air instead of into the cooker.

Result: Pale, limp, flaccid, undercooked chicken.

[pengillian101]

39. I recognize that chicken!

We did one on the grill awhile ago too and it looked like that. Bought a Beer can chicken holder for the grill and all that.

Heh, chicken was red at the bone. Nothing worse than undercooked chicken. Threw the whole thing into a soup pot and that was that. ;-)

[mtnester]

41. You bunch of dang enablers!

The lot of you!

:)