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By: Max Good
West of Memphis Ironman 3 is a grill with an offset firebox attached. Their unique, modular component design allows you to slide out the three burner gas system and replace it with a charcoal firebox insert. 3/16″ steel plate construction should do a good job of retaining heat when used as an offset smoker. These clever and ruggedly attractive hand-made products combine an unusual mix of BBQ cooking tradition and technology.
Gas burners are cast iron. The heavy steel stand is on wheels and has an LP tank shelf on the bottom.
In addition to The AmazingRibs Best Value Gold Medal, West of Memphis won the 2012 Vesta Award for Charcoal, Wood, Barbecues & Smokers
Manufacturer:
West of Memphis BBQ is a family owned business in Mesa, AZ, that designs and manufactures a mind boggling assortment of steel smokers, grills, cabinets, kitchens and tailgating systems. These clever and ruggedly attractive hand-made products are modular and combine an unusual mix of tradition and technology. They morph before your eyes as fireboxes convert from charcoal and wood to gas with ease and cookers switch from smokers to fryers to pizza ovens. In the picture below you can see many of their components. Like Legos, they can be assembled into infinite configurations. They even have a trailer mounted options.
West of Memphis made their first grill in December 2010, sold their first model at the end of 2011 and won the VESTA Award from Hearth & Home Magazine for Charcoal, Wood, Barbecues and Smokers in March of 2012.
I caught up with owner, Steve Goldenstein, for a brief conversation and within 10 minutes my head was spinning; the man is on fire with ideas and enthusiasm. Meathead had exactly the same experience. With 300+ products and counting, I had to stop and ask how the heck he did all this in such a short time. Turns out Goldenstein owns Studio Iron, LLC; a big art and architectural metal forge. So he’s no novice when it comes to metal fabrication.
These are handsome, handmade systems. Standard construction is all plate steel, but you can order the shiny stainless stuff if you wish. My first impression was they have a Wild West look, but Goldenstein was actually inspired by very old, ornate metal grills and ovens he saw in Italy. My second impression was they must be expensive. And they can be, but you can get started (remember these are modular and the possibilities are endless) for about $600. For that price you get a wood/charcoal cooker with a 480 square inch iron cooking grate and a stand on wheels. Add $300 for a lid and you’ve got a smoker. For a couple hundred bucks more you can slide out the wood/coal insert and replace it with a gas burner module or have the ability to change from one to the other. After that the sky is the limit for this imaginative grillmeister: Santa Maria Grills, Ovens, Elaborate Pit Smokers and Tail Gating Systems and 45 different cooking components like deep fryers, chili roasters, rotisseries and woks.
Grates are cold rolled steel, sandblasted, oiled and burned. Goldenstein says it is similar to cooking on cast iron, but his grates are pre-seasoned. Just like cast iron, however, they will rust if not maintained. He declares all West of Memphis products are 100% made in America and will never be anything else. Initially, every cooker was a custom order and all sales were direct. Now they are working with a few distributers and have put together popular configurations in their Ironman Series. Lead times range from a few days for basic models to 4 weeks for a large, made to order moveable pit.
Published On: 2/23/2013 Last Modified: 3/3/2021
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The PK-360, with 360 square inches of cooking space, this rust free, cast aluminum charcoal grill is durable and easy to use. Four-way venting means it’s easy to set up for two zone cooking with more control than single vent Kamado grills. It is beautifully designed, completely portable, and much easier to set up for 2-zone cooking than any round kamado.
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.
The FireBoard Spark is a hybrid combining instant-read capability, a cabled temperature probe, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. We gave Spark a Platinum Medal for pushing the envelope of product capability while maintaining high standards of design and workmanship.
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 amazing Karubecue is the most innovative smoker in the world. The quality of meat from this machine is astonishing. At its crux is a patented firebox that burns logs above the cooking chamber and sucks heat and extremely clean blue smoke into the thermostat controlled oven. It is our favorite smoker, period.
Click here for our review of this superb smoker
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.
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!
From TBoneJack, the unofficial Poet Laureate of The Pitmaster Club:
AmazingRibs is where you go,
To get the best advice,
You’ll find out how, to smoke a cow,
And it will turn out nice.
Smokers, gadgets, recipes,
Charcoal, gas, or wood?
The how, the why, and what to try,
When things arn’t going good.
Selection, prep, and cook techniques,
Marinades and such,
Rubs and brines and temps and times,
And how to use the Crutch.
Brisket secrets are revealed,
For moist and tender meat,
The point, the flat, the rendered fat,
The proper mix of heat.
I found out how to smoke spare ribs,
Great bark and taste and worth,
I want some more, I’ll have them for,
My last meal on this Earth.
Memphis Dust did suit them well,
I served them without sauce,
Not 3-2-1, not overdone,
No precious flavor loss.
Jambo, Lang, or Meadow Creek,
It’s hard to make the call,
Almost a crime, so little time,
I’d like to try them all.
I’m not ashamed, I’m not alone,
‘Cause many have this lot,
But I’ll admit, here in the Pit,
My wife said Not! Not! Not!
Weber, Brinkman, PBC,
No need for budget breach,
They cook great food, just ask me dude,
‘Cause I have one of each.
Obsessed I am, I know it’s true,
They call it MCS,
I saw the doc, he was in shock,
He too is in this mess.
Myron Mixon, Johnny Trigg,
Cool Smoke’s Tuffy Stone,
Harry Soo, Chris Lilly too,
And Moe who cooks alone.
They’re all good, I like them fine,
I’m sure they cook good Q,
They’ve earned the right, I see the light,
I’ll give them their fair due,
But I have learned, thru many cooks,
This web site is da bomb,
For what to do, browse over to,
AmazingRibs dot com.
Tired of seeing popup ads?
No need to throw a fit,
Don’t you know, just spend some dough,
And join us in the Pit.
And if you travel, don’t despair,
No further should you look,
The answer’s clear, put down your beer,
And order Meathead’s book.
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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