Quick cooks (weeknights) on an offset?

[GarthFader]

Hey guys,

I've just picked up my Hark Tri-Fire, and will be seasoning it this weekend. However i'm already starting to question whether i'll get enough use out of it and it hasn't even arrived.

We usually have steak/snags/chicken etc for dinner, and I currently cook them on the gas hooded BBQ I have, it's quick, it's easy and i've got no real complaints about it.

I bought the offset to do some real low and slow cooks on the weekend, pulled beef/pork, ribs, lamb etc. And my pastrami (which until now i've done on the gasser with chips/pellets. But with just these cooks, i'm only likely to use it once, maybe twice a fortnight. I'd like to use it for more of my midweek cooks to get the extra flavour, not necessarily from smoke, but just the delicious charring you get from wood fire.

How practical is it (and how cost effective)? to fire up the offset just to cook a couple of steaks/snags, Does it take long to get to cooking temp/coals if you're just using the firebox grill?

Another thing i'm slightly concerned about is having a scorching hot firebox sitting, waiting to extinguish and cool... especially with a very curious dog that like to get all up in my grill. Is there a quick way to extinguish and cool the coals?

[Jester]

How practical is it (and how cost effective)? to fire up the offset just to cook a couple of steaks/snags, Does it take long to get to cooking temp/coals if you're just using the firebox grill?

It's not practical unfortunately. I don't touch my stick burner for any cooking less than 3 hours. Minimum 30-45 minutes to get a coal bed.

I use a pellet grill for mid week steaks and snags when I want the wood taste with convenience.

[gussigan]

for weeknight cooking if you want to use the offset I would just use the firebox itself as it has a grill on it

the main problem with it is it is very hard to shut down the fire like you can in a weber because you can't close off all the airflow particularly well and as a result you will burn up all the fuel you put in for your steaks

I wouldn't worry too much about your dog, it doesn't emit a great deal of heat for the most part, my biggest worry with my dog is when i'm using the starter jug because sometimes little embers or small lit heat beads fall out (although so far it's only ME that's stepped on one)

I use the Weber Go Anywhere for mid week cooking as it's insanely efficient and easy to shut down - I think I can do about 3 separate cooks on half a jug of heat beads if I need to

[GarthFader]

What is the startup time for the little Webber?

[chriso]

What is the startup time for the little Webber?

I cooked on mine last night using lump charcoal and time from getting it out to putting some food on was probably around 15 minutes.

Ours is also used for quick midweek cooks. Last night was grilled corn, capsicum and steak.

[gussigan]

yeah 15 minutes is probably pretty accurate

I usually just put on a chimney of heat beads or charcoal, go prep any food i need to or do something else, come back out and dump them in the weber and 5 mins later it's ready to roll

[2browndogs]

Startup time is mostly about how you light it - chimney or Looftlighter will get you going in 15mins.

[urbangriller]

Fifteen minutes and you've got a good charcoal fire, same as any charcoal BBQ.

If I'm doing that, I light the fire as I walk in the door, then change, pour a beer and start to prep the tucker, the fire is always ready before I am!

Chris

[greeny03]

Much the same routine as Urbangriller! By the time I have used the looftlighter set the drip tray it's 8-10 mins with charcoal, not heat beads! Then prep the food and in that time the temp has come up nicely and away we go!'

[GarthFader]

What about cleanup post cook. Do you clean out straight away? Wait til it cools the clear it out?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[gussigan]

I have drip trays for the meat so the only thing to really clear out is the firebox

Depending when I cook I usually do it first thing in the morning as it does take a while to die down and cool off

[gussigan]

also be careful of the inside edge on the firebox that the grill plate sits on - reasonably sharp! sliced myself on it while sweeping the ash out

[Basher]

Garth I thought the same concern about limited use of my kamado through the week.
By the time you get home- after 6 usually, the kids need feeding and there is not enough time to crank up the Kamado.

However, lately, on most Sundays while the kamado is fired up, I throw in a whole seasoned rib fillet and drop the temp to below 100 degrees for an hour. This only cooks it to blue rare but it's enough to impart the great smoky flavour.
I foil it and wrap it in a towel on the bench for a few hours then leave it on a plate in the fridge under glad wrap through the week.
When I come home through the week i slice off steaks in sizes to suit hunger, leave them on the bench until they are room temp( or bag them and submerge in warm water if you are in a rush).
Then sear them on the gas bbq plate.
It's worked well and is really convenient.
The middle of the rib meat looks like its been dry aged and has that nice firm putty feel to it.
The flavour is superb.
Give it a go and let me know what you think.

[Zorba]

Startup time is mostly about how you light it - chimney or Looftlighter will get you going in 15mins.

i must be doing something wrong with my chimney then, usually at least 25 mins for me. do you wait until all beads are white before putting them in?

[2browndogs]

Hi Zorba - 25mins is not unusual, particularly if using heat beads, which i find slower to get going.

I only use lump charcoal, and depending on what type/size, it is quicker or slower to light. eg. Gidgee is slower to light than say, mallee or stick & branch charcoal. Ambient temps also make some difference.