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OT: HFNYR Official Foodie Thread including Craft Beer, Wine & Liquor

TopShelfSnipes said:
If anyone is serious about BBQ or grilling, try to never buy anything that's made in China.

I've heard good things about these guys. A serious BBQ will probably go on my list sometime in the next few years.
www.yodersmokers.com

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A little competition is a good thing. Especially when you're competing at something that really matters. Like barbecue.
www.yodersmokers.com www.yodersmokers.com
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That's why I usually refurb an older Weber. I didn't realize they moved their operation off shore, however, when I bought this one dirt cheap. You can find great deals on the older ones that were still made in the USA. It's so easy to fix them & parts are readily available. Just need to be willing to get a ton of grease on your hands...BBQs are seriously dirty appliances.

I've been toying with the idea of getting another charcoal grill, but the price of a bag of charcoal is getting stupid & it's a huge waste when I'm usually only grilling 1 or two steaks.

One day I'm going to buy one of those Santa Maria grills I posted earlier in the thread. Nothing better than wood flavor when grilling meat.
 
Boris Zubov said:
I know, really embarrassing. I almost didn't post the pic, LOL. The meat from that farm is so good...it's as flavorful as grain fed beef. Their porterhouses are out of this world.

I just replaced my 3 burner Weber with a newer 2 burner & I'm still getting used to it. I initially installed the grill plates upside down, so everything was sliding around. Still no excuse for the off center marks.

FYI...For anyone interested The newer Webers aren't nearly as well built as the older models. Now made in china with cheaper materials. The older ones were made with 304 stainless which is higher quality & less prone to corrosion. This new one uses 409 stainless which is magnetic & already showing signs of tiny rust specs with all this humidity & rain we've been getting. I might sell this one & buy a refurbished older model from the mid 2000s. When I was living in Vegas, I had a natural gas version from that era, that was just amazing. It killed me to leave that grill behind when I moved back east.
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We have a 3 burner Webber & I just bought replacement heat shield / flavor bars. I have a feeling that I'm gonna need to replace the burner soon. The starter is going also but that's an easier replacement (I think).

We've had it for about 4 years now.

When I sear stuff I leave the top closed until it's like a jet engine in there... put whatever on... leave for 2 mins with the lid open then flip, 2 mins, Flip & twist 2 mins then flip & twist again. All lid open. Then close & bring to temp over indirect heat.

Yours were cooked so perfectly & evenly tho

Can't argue with that no matter what!
 
Riche16 said:
We have a 3 burner Webber & I just bought replacement heat shield / flavor bars. I have a feeling that I'm gonna need to replace the burner soon. The starter is going also but that's an easier replacement (I think).

We've had it for about 4 years now.

When I sear stuff I leave the top closed until it's like a jet engine in there... put whatever on... leave for 2 mins with the lid open then flip, 2 mins, Flip & twist 2 mins then flip & twist again. All lid open. Then close & bring to temp over indirect heat.

Yours were cooked so perfectly & evenly tho

Can't argue with that no matter what!
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I don't like to sear my beef. I've never liked the charred crust that creates, although I know most people love it.

I dropped down from a 3 burner Genesis from around 2008 to a 2 burner Spirit that's about 3-4 years old. The 3 burner was a gas hog & I found myself refilling propane far too often.My GF is away 3-4 days at a time, so there's plenty of days when I'm heating it up to grill one steak. We gave the 3 burner to her Dad to replace the shitty CharBroil he had & he's thrilled with it.

I had a 2 burner Genesis in Vegas that I liked a lot, so I figured I'd go with this 2 burner Spirit as they heat up fast & don't use nearly the amount of fuel. So far I'm very happy with the way it cooks & it ignites instantly. But it's so cheaply made compared to the older versions, it honestly feels like a toy. Definitely not built to last.

Replacing an igniter is easy....parts are readily available as well. You can try scrubbing the burner tubes with a scotch brite pad....I do that once a year.
 
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I have a $350-$400 Charbroil on coveted patio. Many parts were worn out in 3-4 years despite no sun or rain.
 
NickyFotiu said:
I have a $350-$400 Charbroil on coveted patio. Many parts were worn out in 3-4 years despite no sun or rain.
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Sorry to say, those grills are complete junk. They cook so unevenly & fall apart as you experienced...My buddy has one that he keeps replacing every few years with a new one from HD or Lowes despite my protestations every time I see him. My GF's Dad's literally just blew up. LOL.
 
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Boris Zubov said:
Sorry to say, those grills are complete junk. They cook so unevenly & fall apart as you experienced...My buddy has one that he keeps replacing every few years with a new one from HD or Lowes despite my protestations every time I see him. My GF's Dad's literally just blew up. LOL.
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I had 2 previously of the cheaper $150 versions. Thought this might hold up a little better. Its not the end of the world though. I replaced the 4 burners. The worn out upper shelf part I don't bother replacing. I got mine at Lowes. Not sure why they would cook unevenly for other people. The flames on all 4 burners are same heights. I haven't had the uneven problem.
 
NickyFotiu said:
I had 2 previously of the cheaper $150 versions. Thought this might hold up a little better. Its not the end of the world though. I replaced the 4 burners. The worn out upper shelf part I don't bother replacing. I got mine at Lowes. Not sure why they would cook unevenly for other people. The flames on all 4 burners are same heights. I haven't had the uneven problem.
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The burners get clogged. No spider web protection. I've seen it on a few of them...especially the $200 versions.
 
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Boris Zubov said:
The burners get clogged. No spider web protection. I've seen it on a few of them...especially the $200 versions.
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Oh I could see that. Mine is a more expensive version with triangle things on top of burners. Maybe they helped me. Burners didn't clog but disintegrated a bit over 4 years.
 
NickyFotiu said:
I had 2 previously of the cheaper $150 versions. Thought this might hold up a little better. Its not the end of the world though. I replaced the 4 burners. The worn out upper shelf part I don't bother replacing. I got mine at Lowes. Not sure why they would cook unevenly for other people. The flames on all 4 burners are same heights. I haven't had the uneven problem.
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Generally two things to never get at Lowe's are lawn tractors and grills.

A friend I knew bought one of those cheap Chinese offset smokers from Home Depot. Bought a whole bunch of sealant and heat approved paint and spent the better part of a week "fixing" the grill.

It was still rusting out in less than 5 years.

As for lawn tractors, unless your property has a perfect 0% grade at all possible angles, anything they sell in the big box stores is going to have a cardboard transaxle that will evaporate under the slightest load.
 
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I have a four burner Weber Genesis and a "large" (it's not) Smokin-It electric smoker that did cost a whole lot of money -however- it's completely stainless steel and I can throw everything in the dishwasher. I'd buy it again in a minute.
 
TopShelfSnipes said:
Generally two things to never get at Lowe's are lawn tractors and grills.

A friend I knew bought one of those cheap Chinese offset smokers from Home Depot. Bought a whole bunch of sealant and heat approved paint and spent the better part of a week "fixing" the grill.

It was still rusting out in less than 5 years.

As for lawn tractors, unless your property has a perfect 0% grade at all possible angles, anything they sell in the big box stores is going to have a cardboard transaxle that will evaporate under the slightest load.
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I hopefully will not need a new grill for another 5 years but what would you recommend? I paid around $350 which was already a step up for me. I think this is the one.
 
Wife and I are starting a wine collection. Mostly Italian as that's what we're familiar with. We usually just buy and drink same day/week.
 
Crease said:
Wife and I are starting a wine collection. Mostly Italian as that's what we're familiar with. We usually just buy and drink same day/week.
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I stick to mostly French & Italian. Usually, you won't go wrong with Bordeaux's, Medoc's, or Cote's du Rhone in the $20-$35 range. I'm also a big fan of Cab Franc, but they are harder to find at a local wine store.

As much as I like California reds, recently I've read too many bad things about the additives the winemakers are throwing into the vats. I have food sensitivities & can feel it in my skin when I drink certain ones, so lately I've avoided them all. European wines are a safer bet, as are Argentinian Malbec's. I've had a few South African reds as well that were very good.

TopShelfSnipes said:
Generally two things to never get at Lowe's are lawn tractors and grills.

A friend I knew bought one of those cheap Chinese offset smokers from Home Depot. Bought a whole bunch of sealant and heat approved paint and spent the better part of a week "fixing" the grill.

It was still rusting out in less than 5 years.

As for lawn tractors, unless your property has a perfect 0% grade at all possible angles, anything they sell in the big box stores is going to have a cardboard transaxle that will evaporate under the slightest load.
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Even the John Deere tractors that are sold at Lowes are built with cheaper components.
 
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Crease said:
Wife and I are starting a wine collection. Mostly Italian as that's what we're familiar with. We usually just buy and drink same day/week.
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I don't know too much about Italian but recommend some decent Cabs from CA etc. in the 12-30$ range & some higher.

I don't mess w anything above like 80$ usually.

Caymus from Napa is quite good but a little pricy at around 80$
 
Riche16 said:
I don't know too much about Italian but recommend some decent Cabs from CA etc. in the 12-30$ range & some higher.

I don't mess w anything above like 80$ usually.

Caymus from Napa is quite good but a little pricy at around 80$
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If you like Caymus, the Wagner family that owns Caymus has a few other brands that are much easier on the wallet but are excellent to drink. These are two I recommend highly...

Red Schooner is a Malbec that the grapes are shipped to Caymus from Argentina where they process them & bottle them in their facility. One of the better bottles I've ever had & it usually retails for about $45.

Conundrum is a Cab/Syrah/Zin blend for about $20 & pretty widely available.
 
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Boris Zubov said:
If you like Caymus, the Wagner family that owns Caymus has a few other brands that are much easier on the waller but are excellent to drink. These are two I recommend highly...

Red Schooner is a Malbec that the grapes are shipped to Caymus from Argentina where they process them & bottle them in their facility. One of the better bottles I've ever had & it usually retails for about $45.

Conundrum is a Cab/Syrah/Zin blend for about $20 & pretty widely available.
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Will try for sure! Cheers!
 
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Boris Zubov said:
I stick to mostly French & Italian. Usually, you won't go wrong with Bordeaux's, Medoc's, or Cote's du Rhone in the $20-$35 range. I'm also a big fan of Cab Franc, but they are harder to find at a local wine store.

As much as I like California reds, recently I've read too many bad things about the additives the winemakers are throwing into the vats. I have food sensitivities & can feel it in my skin when I drink certain ones, so lately I've avoided them all. European wines are a safer bet, as are Argentinian Malbec's. I've had a few South African reds as well that were very good.


Even the John Deere tractors that are sold at Lowes are built with cheaper components.
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If I drink wine I prefer Montepulciano or super Tuscans because it’s what I came up on, and as a strict bourbon drinker I find the palate the most similar and easy to appreciate.

Tonight, with my world imploding I drank a handle of Jameson, which marks the first time I drank Jameson at all since I was in the Air Force.
 
Riche16 said:
I don't know too much about Italian but recommend some decent Cabs from CA etc. in the 12-30$ range & some higher.

I don't mess w anything above like 80$ usually.

Caymus from Napa is quite good but a little pricy at around 80$
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Did Caymus conduct some sort of brainwash campaign? I’ve never seen a wine mentioned/recommended more by people of all sorts of wine backgrounds. It’s so overpriced for what it is.
 
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Agreed, I've had it once and found it overly concentrated, sweet and lacking balance. Unless you prefer that sorta thing (which apparently a lot of Americans do), there is much better for the price. Below are a couple I've had recently that I liked quite a bit that are well below the asking price for Caymus:

Buena Vista Cabernet (massive bargain - have seen it at costco a few times for around $30)
Mt. Veeder Cabernet
Freemark Abbey Cabernet

On the lower end I really like the Gabrielle Ashley Cab as an everyday drinker. In general, when it comes to affordable Cabs I tend to stick with stuff from WA or Chile as a lot of the cheap Californian ones are pretty damn uninspiring
 
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The best “house wine” you can keep stocked in your cellar or kitchen, in my mind, is Cantina Zacagnini. $15 and blows many $60 bottles away.
 
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lakeshirts37 said:
Did Caymus conduct some sort of brainwash campaign? I’ve never seen a wine mentioned/recommended more by people of all sorts of wine backgrounds. It’s so overpriced for what it is.
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You're absolutely right....it's almost like the name is easy to remember so it feels like people use it to impress others. I've had it a couple of times, but I didn't find it earth shattering...nor did it stand out from the 100 other California Cabs I've tried. Off the top of my head, Tobin James for $35 & Stags Leap for $65 are two bottles I preferred over Caymus. I'm sure I can add about 10 cabs to that list.
 
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