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By: Max Good
Bubba Grills 250 Reverse Flow Smoker/Grills and trailers have many options and range in price from $2600 to $4400. The model pictured at the top of this page is loaded. It has two 61″ x 21.5″ top cooking racks, a 61″ x 25.5″ bottom rack and four 24″ x 28″ racks in the rib box. All models come standard with 15″ wheels, 3500 pound axles, slide out racks, safety catches on the doors and a propane lighter in the BBQ fire box.
Manufacturer:
You gotta love these guys. Lonnie “BUBBA” Smith puts his cell phone number on their logo and it goes on every cooker they make. He calls it the BBQ Hot Line. When you buy one of his cookers, you become part of the Bubba Grill Family. All these fun overtures that embody the spirit of BBQ wouldn’t mean as much without being attached to such beautifully crafted and engineered cooking equipment.
Smith spent 31 years as a process engineer for high speed manufacturing and has extensive knowledge of vacuum technology and design as applied to manufacturing processes. He feels vacuum air movement is the opposite of smoker air movement. “Cooking is not just radiant heat”; he states” it’s moving hot air effectively”. Indeed they are known for large reverse flow smokers where the chimney is located right above the firebox. Hot air from the firebox is guided along the bottom of the large cylindrical cookbox, then reverses course and moves across the upper area and escapes out the chimney on the same side where it came from.
Smith and his son, Lee, built a “Pappa Grill” for Father’s Day in 1991. In 2004 they assembled the Bubba Team composed of friends and family and began winning competitions and doing catering. Bubba Grills offers large capacity cookers and a couple smaller backyard models. They welcome your ideas for custom cookers. Smith invites buyers who pick up their Bubbas to join the team and cook with him for a couple days before heading home.
Published On: 4/5/2013 Last Modified: 4/16/2021
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Napoleon’s 22″ Pro Cart Charcoal Kettle Grill puts a few spins on the familiar kettle design. In fact, the hinged lid with a handle on the front, spins in a rotary motion 180 degrees. It’s hard to beat a Weber kettle, but Napoleon holds its own and adds some unique features to make the 22″ Pro Cart a viable alternative.
Green Mountain Grills Trek smoker
Green Mountain’s portable Trek Smoker is one mean tailgating and picnic machine. But it’s also gaining popularity with people who want to add a small, set it and forget it pellet smoker to their backyard arsenal. And with their WiFi capabilities you can control and monitor Trek from your smart phone or laptop.
Winner of the National BBQ Association’s product of the year award. This 8.5″ x 11″ magnet contains more that 80 benchmark temperatures for meats (both USDA recommended temps as well as the temps chefs recommend), fats and oils, sugars, sous vide, eggs, collagens, wood combustion, breads, and more. Although it is not certified as all-weather, we have tested it outdoors in Chicago weather and it has not delaminated in three years, but there is minor fading.
Char-Broil’s Grill2Go x200 is a super-portable, fun little sizzler made of heavy, rust-proof cast aluminum. The lid snaps shut. Grab the handle and you’re off to the party! Char-Broil’s TRU-Infrared design produces searing heat while reducing fuel consumption. A 16 ounce LP gas canister is enough to keep you flipping burgers for hours.
The flat top does the burgers and the fryer does the fries. Use the griddle for bacon, eggs, grilled cheese, and so much more. And why deep fry indoors when you can avoid the smell and mess by doing it outside!
We always liked Grilla. The small 31.5″ x 29.5″ footprint makes it ideal for use where BBQ space is limited, as on a condo patio.
Click here for our review on this unique smoker
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When you make rubs at home we recommend you add salt first them the herbs and spices because salt penetrates deep and the other stuff remains on the surface. So thick cuts need more salt. We put salt in these bottled rubs because all commercial rubs have salt and consumers expect it. You can still use these as a dry brine, just sprinkle the rub on well in advance to give the salt time to penetrate. For very thick cuts of meat, we recommend adding a bit more salt. Salt appears first in the ingredients list because law says the order is by weight, not volume, and salt is a heavy rock.
Sprinkle on one tablespoon per pound of meat two hours or more before cooking if you can. Called “dry brining,” the salt gets wet, ionizes, becomes a brine, and slowly penetrates deep, enhancing flavor and juiciness while building a nice crusty “bark” on the surface. Sprinkle some on at the table too!
Are they hot? No! You can always add hot pepper flakes or Chipotle powder (my fave) in advance or at the table. But we left them mild so you can serve them to kids and Aunt Matilda
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