A little love for the Webber Ranch and Lang 84

Since I joined this den of insanity I have mostly posted cooks done on my new toy, the Pit Boss Kamado. Let's face it, it is shinny and new, my first Kamado, and a tool I have far from mastered. That said, it is time to show a little love to the old favorites that have been part of the familly since the President was sticking his cigar in...well, let's just say a long time. :biggrin:

First up, winner winner chicken dinner for about 15 (extended familly) done on the Webber Ranch kettle. Everything you love about a Webber kettle, the Ranch does bigger and better. Tonight it was a small indirect fire for chicken thighs with a reverse sear finish. The marinade/sauce is basically 4 parts mayo, 1 part each ketchup and lemon juice and seasoning including a little salt, pepper, worscester etc. (whatever is around seems to work well). It keeps the chicken moist and does not have enough sugar to burn.

Served with a salad and a bow tie pasta with Kasha from Birkett Mills up the road in Penn Yan.



Quick reverse sear/crisping



And on to the plate

Up next? Bacon on the Lang. Sure it is a big off set stick burner, but add an AMNPS and it is also a great cold smoker and that is what we are going to be doing all night long. A full load of applewood will run 14-15 hours completely unattended.

Step 1, load the cured meat



Step 2, light a big ragin' fire



Step 3, blow it out



Step 4, grab a Bell's Oberon and watch the sunset

COS said:

That Ranch is a kettle on steroids. I would like to get me one of them. Nice looking grub.

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It is a bit pricey, but that one has seen heavy use every summer since 1995 so it has been more than worth every penny.

One last check before heading indoors for the night.

Lookin' good, she's puffing away gently.



So, how many hours per pound to get to an internal temp of 165 if you are smoking at 69?

Traditional bacon is cold smoked so it is still raw when done smoking just like commercial bacon. I shoot for an internal temperature under 80 which is part of the reason I do it over night in the summer months. The big metal Lang is very good at dissipating the heat from the AMNPS and only runs a fraction of a degree above ambient, but when it is 90 outside and the sun is hitting a black smoker, there isn't much you can do to keep the inside below 80.

Before the cold smoke, it has to be cured with nitrates and salt to keep it safe. After smoking it gets partially frozen and sliced, and then it has to be cooked before eating. Again, just like store bought bacon, except tastier and cheaper. This batch won't be ready for slicing tomorrow, but I will fry up some of the last batch in the morning and post some pics, but basically it looks and cooks just like bacon.

blazinfire said:

Oh I see! I was under the impression from other posts I've read that you should smoke the bacon to 150 or something like that. Maybe that's if your hot smoking it. Your previous post just confused me thanks for the info1

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There is a lot of fear and misunderstanding about cold smoking and botulism on the Interwebs. I think a lot of writers and bloggers are afraid of liability so they post super scary warnings to leave cold smoking to the pro's etc. but I think they are doing a huge disservice by way overblowing the issue rather than telling the truth.

There are a lot of different ways to make meats safely. Some require expert knowlege learned from an aprenticeship under an experienced master. Others can be done by the home cook. Obviously the most common is to cook things hot enough, fast enough. Basically following the 40-140 for less than 4 hour rule and cooking to certain target temps depending on the type of meat. Another method is to cure with nitrates and or nitrites such as tender quick or cure #1 which is what I used. Anyone who can do a little math and follow directions can safely cure bacon with cure #1. You can also cure meats without nitrates or natural sources of nitrates like celery juice, but that is when things start to get into expert only territory and I don't go there.

With bacon, there are other factors that keep the risk levels low. Even if the cure fails, it is a solid meat (unlike sausage) and botulism is unlikely to get into the interior where it can find the anaerobic conditions it needs. Even then, the bacteria and its toxins are destroyed by high heat, and bacon is usually fried to well over 165 degrees. So, even if I screw up and have horrible luck and get botulism growing in this bacon, it is still going to be rendered safe when it hits the griddle. That makes me a heck of a lot more comfortable than I would be with a cold smoked sausage product that is meant to be eaten raw.

BillN said:

Great post, the Ranch Kettle is one impressive cooker. Can't wait to see the bacon in the morning.

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That's 10 lbs of chicken on there and it's still more than half empty!

Hmmmm, I think it is stuck in the stall.

Breakfast of champions



I think I need a bigger griddle. Does Blackstone make a 72" model?

blazinfire said:

Do you run the amazen smoker in the firebox or in the main chamber?

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In the firebox. It looks small and lonely in there, and you wouldn't think there would be enough chimney effect to pull the smoke all the way under the reverse flow plate and back, but it works great.

Looks like it is almost done.



Oh PLEASE share with me, PLEASE!