Grill Supplies

I just broke down and became a "true" BBQ Griller and bought my first charcoal grill. In an effort to find true BBQ greatness, I was wondering if anyone out there can give me some leads on getting some great woods (hickory, apple, cherry) to smoke meats and fish with. I really do not want to buy the bags at Home Depot since who only knows how long they have been sitting on the shelves....

Any leads to wood suppliers in the West Suburbs would be great.

Thanks,

Kevin

KevinT wrote:Any leads to wood suppliers in the West Suburbs would be great.

Thanks,

Kevin

Berger Brothers has a good selection and good prices. Probably worth the trip to buy a larger quantity. You could then zip over to Peoria Packing for some pork. As a caution neither place accepts credit cards or checks. Cash only.

Lump Charcoal Resource
Berger Bro. Charcoal Supply
1186 North Cherry Avenue
Chicago, IL 60622
(312) 642-5538

Peoria Packing
1300 W. Lake
Chicago, IL
(312) 738-1800[/url]

Hi,

What exactly did you buy?

For starting the fires, run to buy the Weber Chimney, which was highly recommended by Gary. Fill it up with the wood charcoal on top (not brickets) and loosely stuff newspaper under the bottom grate. Light it, go away and you have suitable coals in 10 minutes or so. Building the fire was my major obsticle, I always blamed it on not going to boy scouts. Building fires and tying knots, great skills not well covered in Girl Scouts.

Berger Brothers does accept checks; perhaps not out-of-state checks. A 40 pound bag of wood charcoal, not brickets, is around $16.

Peoria Packing I went to for the first time yesterday. They accept cash, LINK cards and there is an ATM machine on the premises. I bought almost 14 pounds of pork shoulder and a few pounds of hot links for $19.80, just to give you an orientation.

The meat room is kept refrigerator cold. All the meat is out in the open, no plastic, no packaging, no nothing. You are expected to wear plastic gloves as you move around. I saw cuts of meat I have read about, like pork bellys with or without bone, but never really saw before.

I was also advised the first 4-5 days of the month as well as just before holidays, they are so crowded they meter people into the place. Though at 7:30 on a Thursday, Gary and I were nearly the only customers.

Good luck you are in for quite an experience.

Having seen posts about where to buy different fuels for BBQ and grilling, I was wondering if anyone would be willing to talk about their different uses and characteristics. Am I losing out by using the Kingsford?

HI,

Until someone chimes in, you may want to consult this earlier thread.

Regards,

First off what I'm about to tell you about Kingsford may shock and alarm you. I would never cook, Grill, or Barbecue with Kingsford or any other briquette. They contain coal, borax, clay, coal tar, lime, sawdust and that's just the beginning. Lump charcoal is by far is the best fuel to use when grilling or barbecuing. The only other fuel that is better is hardwood burned to coals.