ProQ Smokers

Thanksgiving/ Christmas meal on the ProQ Excel

2010-11-16T10:57:00.003Z

Christmas is approaching fast, why not do your Christmas meal on your BBQ?
Watch the video to see how we did it a couple of years ago...

ProQ™ Eco Smoker

2010-11-16T10:15:00.004Z

This has to be the easiest and most cost effective way to cold smoke food at home.
If you love foods such as smoked cheese, smoked bacon, smoked salmon, kedgeree, you'll love this product! It is without a doubt the cheapest and easiest way to cold smoke at home.
It can also be used for smoking your own garlic, chillies and salt. Although it is made from cardboard, it will last a long time (just remember it won't last very long if you get it wet).

ProQ™ Cold Smoke Generator - Now cheaper in the USA!

2010-11-16T10:05:00.007Z

Mac's BBQ have teamed up with our good friends at Smokinlicious to bring you our ProQ™ Cold Smoke Generator at a more affordable price (the shipping from the UK was costing a bomb). Plus you'll get to try some of the amazingly good Smokinlicious gourmet wood, as a single use bag is included with every unit. So simple to use, the ProQ Cold Smoke Generator has already proved to be hugely popular by backyard barbecuer's and chefs, in fact just about anyone who's into good food.

Buy Yours Today

Cold Smoked Salmon

2009-11-06T11:08:00.005Z

Got a nice piece of Salmon from the supermarket, so after the tedious job of scaling the side... why don't people here do the job before they sell the fish (I'm happy to prepare fish that I have caught)???
Anyways, put it a dry cure mixture, some coarse salt, sugar and a bit of black pepper. I will leave this in the fridge overnight, then it's on to the smoker for at least 8 hours tomorrow.

No Smoker, but still want to cold smoke food?

2009-11-05T13:33:00.011Z

Now all this talk about smoked cheese must be making your mouth water (the pictures don't help either), so some of you may be thinking... I don't have a smoker/ hooded BBQ, what's the point??
Well just to show you that you can use just about any container to cold smoke in, obviously a bit of common sense is required here, I’ve made a cold smoker using the following items:

A cardboard box, the one I’ve used measures 16” x 13” x 22”.

4 x Lengths of wood doweling, I’ve substituted these for some long skewers.

A ProQ™ Cold Smoke Generator.

A flat baking tray (larger than the base of the ProQ™ Cold Smoke Generator).

2 x Oven grates, or any other grates that will fit.

Wood dust.

Box

Other Bits

Baking tray in place - very important bit of the kit, as this will prevent your box catching fire.
You can use a small paving stone, or something similar that is heat resistant.
Insert the 1st 2 skewers/ dowels
Put the 1st rack in (hope my wife doesn't see this).

All ready to go...
Over the next couple of days, I will be preparing some Salmon, by brining, it will then be the first food item to be cold smoked in the cardboard box.

2009-10-31T23:16:00.003Z

It's been a joy to get feedback from some of you regarding your thoughts on the ProQ Cold Smoke Generator and in some cases you've even done indepth reviews... Thank You!

Below are some of the comments...

My cold smoke generator arrived via US mail on Oct. 28th, 6 days after I placed the order. Your packaging was exceptional. Our average temp here in Wisconsin has dropped to about 45 degrees, perfect for cold smoking. In anticipation of receiving the ProQ I've had a half slab of bacon curing in the refrigerator just waiting for today's test. So far the generator has burned about 4 hours and the inside temp is maintaining within a couple degrees of outside air.

Thanks for providing a simple solution that virtually eliminates the unnecessary hocus-pocus that has developed around the simple art of cold smoking. Darus Wisconsin

"There are a variety of smoke generation products on the market today. But I don’t think there is one that can beat the “ProQ Cold Smoke Generator.” For pure simplicity"... Read more

"This has to have been my most successful smoking session ever and I can't endorse it more highly"... Read More

The mailman just deliverd my cold smoke generator from macsBBQ, I think i'm in love! How easy can something be? Why didn't i invent that? Pieter Netherlands

Once again, thanks for your feedback and please keep it coming!

Smoked Cheese On The WSM (Weber Smokey Mountain)

2009-10-31T22:24:00.008Z

Cold Smoked Cheese - The Easy Way!

I love cold smoked cheese and my WSM (Weber Smokey Mountain) hasn't been used for a really long time, so I went out and bought 2 types of Cheddar and some Red Leicester cheese.

Cheese loaded onto the top grill, I used the lower grill to rest the ProQ Cold Smoke Generator on and also left the water pan out.
Cheese is in the smoker, lid on and I'm just waiting for the candle to get the dust smouldering in the smoke generator.

Dust is smouldering, so into the smoker goes the Cold Smoke Generator (luckily the door on the WSM is large enough for it to go through).

Now comes the hard part...

What to do for 2-3 hours while the smoke works it magic??? I decided to set up the Scalelectrix, so I could play with 2 of my boys.

The ProQ Cold Smoke Generator will run for up to 10 hours on a full load of dust (100grams), but on this occasion I only needed a max of 3 hours, so once it was all done, I just moved some of the dust away from the smouldering bit, this I will use on the next batch.

Cheese is ready to come off after 3 hours.

I just have to pat it dry with some kitchen towel, wrap it in cling film and leave it to rest overnight in the refridgerator (some people suggest resting it for up to a week, but I can't wait that long).That's it, SIMPLE!

Cold Smoking Made Easy.

2009-10-21T14:43:00.004+01:00

The long awaited arrival of stock is finally over, as ProQ Cold Smoke Generators arrived yesterday.

Over 200 have been shipped out already!

This cold smoke generator is the easiest and most cost effective unit available on the market today.

Ladies, please DON'T give the man in your life socks this Christmas (or something else mundane and boring) and equally men, DO NOT go down to the store on Christmas Eve for a present (I never have... honest!).
If the love of your life enjoys cooking, the ProQ Cold Smoke Generator makes an ideal and unique gift.

Order yours today!

British BBQ Society National Final 2009

2009-07-29T10:18:00.011+01:00

I was fortunate enough to take part in the British BBQ Society's Competition at the weekend, as a member of "Bite The Bullet" BBQ Team.

Bite The Bullet Team Stand

The event was held at Rother Valley Park, a stunning location, just outside Sheffield.

Although there were only a few teams taking part, the atmosphere was one of good food, fun and a fellowship, the true spirit of BBQ.

Jeremy and Andy - Team Crispy Critters

Overall results:

National Grand Champion 2009 - Crispy Critters

National Reserve Grand Champion 2009 - Bunsen & Burner

Mystery Box
1st Bite The Bullet
2nd Chicago Jack
3rd Crispy Critters

Chicken
1st Bunsen & Burner
2nd Ryan’os Ribs
3rd Stick the Kettle on

Ribs
1st Bunsen & Burner
2nd Crispy Critters
3rd Chicago Jack

Pork
1st Chicago Jack
2nd Crispy Critters
3rd Bite The Bullet

Brisket
1st Crispy Critters
2nd Royal Q
3rd Chicago Jack

Dessert
1st Bite The Bullet
2nd Crispy Critters

BBQ Sauce
1st Crispy Critters
2nd Bite The Bullet

ProQ Cold Smoke Generator

2009-06-27T11:09:00.006+01:00

I love smoked cheese and Salmon, but have always struggled to produce "cold smoke" easily and for long enough periods of time... this got me thinking (not always a good idea).
The last 6 months I've been playing with all sorts of different ideas and materials to try and acheive genuine cold smoke and I think I have finally cracked it!

This unit (which is patent pending) can produce a good steady stream of cold smoke, from just 100 grams of wood dust, for up to 10 hours. This makes it more feasible to do products like smokey bacon, cold smoked salmon and easily does cheese (which only requires 2 - 3 hours).
Production is underway and the ProQ Cold Smoke Generator should be available by mid August.

Feel free to contact me if you'd like more info on this product.

.: Popular Mechanics - For those of you in South Africa, chance to win a ProQ Excel 20 BBQ/ Braai/ Smoker

2009-06-24T09:57:00.001+01:00

Testing The Cold Smoke Generator Prototype

2009-06-11T07:16:00.002+01:00

Yesterday I started testing the ProQ Cold Smoke Generator prototype.
Initial result was a 10 hour burn on 100 grams of Oak dust.
I am really pleased with the results and will continue testing today... updates to follow.

2009-06-10T18:02:00.002+01:00

Now you can sign up for our monthly newsletter, which will include tips, recipes and more.

Cold smoking.

2009-06-10T13:17:00.006+01:00

I'm a fan of smoked cheese, but have always struggled to create cold smoke for long enough periods, without buying expensive equipment... most I ever achieved was about 1 hour, which is ok for some things, like garlic, but way to little if you want to make smoked bacon or salmon (smoked cheese usually takes about 2 hours).
This got me thinking (not always a good idea) that there must be a way to produce smoke, without creating heat, for a much longer time period and several months later I am almost there.
Initial tests on the "ProQ Cold Smoke Generator", produces smoke for around 7 hours using just 120g of wood dust. This device will work in just about every BBQ/ smoker, as long as it has a lid.
Patent has been applied for and is "pending" on the design and as soon as I can, I will post more details.

Top 5 BBQ's

2009-06-01T08:11:00.003+01:00

ProQ Excel 20 makes it into the Sunday Times top 5 BBQ's

Read the full article HERE

2009-05-06T17:41:00.002+01:00

New Website

2008-12-08T16:41:00.003Z

Please take time to browse through our newly designed website, with loads of tips, recipes and more.
Home of ProQ products

ProQ Videos

2008-12-08T16:38:00.002Z

Have a look at the how to videos, including assembly instructions, recipes and more!

HERE

Battle For Bullet Smoker Supremacy.

2008-08-12T09:03:00.002+01:00

Jim 'Rhino' Reincke from the Illinois BBQ Association and a good friend of his Jason (smokey J's BBQ Team), a self confessed Weber fan held a side by side cook-off between the Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM) and our ProQ Excel 20 water (bullet) smokers, to find out how these cookers compare take a look at the videos below.

Part 1

Part 2

Chris Allingham of The Virtual Weber Bulletin Board Reviews The ProQ WSM Stacker by ProBBQ Ltd

2008-08-08T16:31:00.002+01:00

2008-08-08T09:03:00.008+01:00

Mack’s Potato Bombs

Great for using up left over mash, but I’ve found that there’s seldom any “left over’s” in our house, so I have to make them from scratch.

Ingredients:

10 medium sized potatoes (makes about 35 – 40 1.5 inch diameter balls).

Fillings – Whole olives, salmon, chilli, strong cheese (Danish Blue).

Crust - Bread crumbs, dried herbs, sesame seeds, finely chopped nuts, or any mixture of these.

Method:

Make up some mashed potatoes, remembering to make them a bit drier than usual, as this will make the mixture easier to work with. Let the mash cool. Take a small amount out, roll it between your palms to form balls that are about 1.5 inches (35mm) in diameter.

Make a hole, using your finger, in the middle of the ball (this is where your choice of filling will go, I’ve used good quality olives for this tutorial), insert the filling and close the hole.

Spread your choice of coating for the crust on a chopping board, I wanted a Mediterranean “feel” for these, so I used a mixture of bread crumbs and herbs de Provencal on these. Gently roll the potato balls in the coating mix until they are covered.

Herbed Potato Bomb ready to cook.

Refrigerate the completed “bombs” overnight (this allows the filling to infuse the potato).

Place some non-stick baking paper on the grill of your BBQ or smoker, if you don’t mind missing out on the smokey flavour these can even be done in the oven.

You will want to cook them at around 250°F - 300°F (120°C - 150°C) for 25 – 30 minutes adding your choice of wood for smoke flavour to the fire.

Enjoy!

ProQ Excel 20 and WSM Stacker arrive in the USA.

2008-07-18T11:21:00.007+01:00

After what must seem a very long wait (I know it's been frustrating for us too) the newest additions to the ProQ range have finally arrived in the USA and are available from Fred's Music & BBQ

ProQ Excel 20 - Click HERE to see all the features

Stacker for the Excel 20 - More details HERE
WSM (Weber Smokey Mountain)Stacker - More details HERE

A few lucky people have already received theirs, this is what's being said so far...

"All in all I'm pleased with this purchase. A nice addition to my "Q" lineup". Full story here.

"All in all the WSM operated the same as she always does with the stacker". Full Story here.

Don't forget, the Illinois BBQ Society will be running "The Battle for Bullet Smoker Supremacy" a head to head comparison between the ProQ Excel 20 and the WSM (Weber Smokey Mountain) on the 9th of August 2008. Keep up to date HERE!

To read more about these products visit www.probbq.co.uk, or why not come along to our FORUM.

A Great Event!

2008-06-16T12:24:00.004+01:00

The British BBQ Championships held last weekend (14th June) was a great success.

The Winning Team - Dr Sweetsmoke's Smooth and Slow BBQ Team.

Thanks to all the teams, judges and organisers for making this an event to remember.
More pictures and info will be available at www.probbq.co.uk soon.

Unique Eco Rotisserie

2008-05-22T14:57:00.004+01:00

This has got to one of the "must have" BBQ gadgets of all time!

The Kipgrill (translates to Chicken Grill) us the rising heat created by the fire to turn a space age rotor which then spins the spit rod. Totally Eco-friendly, as it doesn't require batteries, electricity or nuclear power to work. Click HERE to see more info.

Make your dad happy this Father's Day!

The Movie

BBQ Championships come to the UK!

2008-05-20T14:42:00.002+01:00

Finally it's being organised, the 1st ever British BBQ Competition.
This event will be held on the 14th June in the quaint town of Ilminster, Somerset. All are welcome to attend, but if you are wanting to compete, there are only a few places left, so hurry.
ProBBQ Ltd are proud sponsors of this event, for more details please click here or on the logo.

Turduken

2007-12-31T05:12:00.002Z

De-bone a chicken, duck and a turkey, instructions can be found HERE. Place the duck inside the turkey and the chicken inside the duck, sew the turkey together again, cook for about 7 hours on your smoker at 220 -250 Deg F, or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165 Deg F.

Full instructions on how to do a Turducken can be found HERE, but feel free to experiment.

2007-12-24T06:39:00.000Z

New BBQ Forum

2007-12-02T09:44:00.000Z

I've recently set up a forum to discuss anything to do with BBQ, so whether you are a beginner or a seasoned pro, feel free to come in and share your BBQ experience.
You can go straight to the forum by clicking HERE

Video of us at the Jack Daniels 2007 BBQ Competition

2007-11-21T10:20:00.000Z

Back from the "Jack"

2007-11-05T17:00:00.001Z

Wow, what a blast!
Flew into Buffalo, NY and then drove down to Tennessee (don't ask!) with Terry and Donna from Smokinlicious.

Dr Smoke... da wood man!

ProQ's on parade.

Going to the "Jack"

2007-10-18T09:54:00.000+01:00

Really excited about this trip (been on quite a few this year, but this is THE ONE).

19th Annual Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue

Can't wait, I leave here on Monday... fly to Buffalo to meet with the guys from Smokinlicious, then take a leisurely drive down to Lynchburg, Tennessee (quite a way). I'll post some pictures as soon as I'm back.
The team we sponsor, Simcoe County Smokers, will be competing using the new ProQ WSM Stacker (Pimp your Weber Smokey Mountain) + some ProQ Frontiers.

Christmas Turkey

2007-09-10T15:58:00.000+01:00

Yeah, yeah, I know it's a bit early, but hey some of us need all the practice we can get.
Right 1st you want to get hold of a turkey, frozen will need to be defrosted completely, or fresh from your butcher or if you're that way inclined go and kill your own bird, just remember that it needs to be at room temperature and the feathers must be removed, before it goes onto the smoker... this will ensure that the smoke penetrates.

Lift the skin of the turkey, and try to loosen as much of it as possible.

Insert pesto/ rub or your own "secret" mixture (we all have one) underneath the skin.

Once you have about 3 table spoons of the mixture under the skin, use your hands to gently massage the bird, in order to get the mixture spread evenly..... believe me, there'll be quite a few blobs off the stuff lying around your work area (it's a messy process), and if your work area was hygiene friendly to start with, use these wayward blobs to rub the outside of the turkey... this'll help whatever herbs and spices you use to stick to it.

This is what she should look like, prior to going on the BBQ/ Smoker

You want to maintain a cooking temperature of between 200 - 250 Deg F for about 5 hours. Throw some wood chips/ chunks on to the coals every 30 minutes or so, depending on how much smoky flavour you require. I usually check the internal temperature of the turkey at about 4 hours into the cook, by inserting a food probe thermometer into either the thickest part of the breast or thigh. The bird is done when the internal temperature reaches 165 Deg F. A point to note is that once removed time must be allowed for the meat to rest and that during this time the meat will continue to cook as the juices re-distribute themselves.

She's done!

Bronze Award

2007-09-10T15:36:00.000+01:00

We were awarded the bronze for "Innovative new products" for our ProQ Smoker at a trade show (Spoga) held recently in Cologne, Germany. This is a major achievement for us and we're delighted to say the least.
We have a few new products on the drawing board, so next year, who knows.... we may even get silver or gold.
Thanks must go to all the people who've tried and tested our bbq's, then come back with suggestions, some of which we've included in the latest models.

Steve Raichlen in Germany

2007-09-08T09:07:00.000+01:00

We recently attended a trade show in Cologne, Germany (Spoga) where we launched our range of smokers and accessories. As well as being a great event, the largest display of BBQ equipment in Europe, we were awarded the Bronze for "innovative new products"..... just when we thought it couldn't get any better, Steve Raichlen, of BBQ Bible fame, visited our booth. It was an honor and pleasure to meet him, such a nice guy and my only regret was not being able to spend more time with him (unfortunately I had previous engagements, so couldn't take up his offer to go to dinner).

ProQ Wins In Canada!

2007-08-29T17:45:00.000+01:00

Several teams competed in adverse conditions (a storm blew through, taking some tents with it) at the 3rd round of the Canadian BBQ Championships held in Merlin.
Here are the results:

Chicken

1st - The BBQ Effect - 461 pts.
2nd - Simcoe County Smokers - 459 pts.
3rd - Swines & Bovines - 435 pts.

Brisket

1st - Smokin' in the Igloo - 469 pts.
2nd - Simcoe County Smokers - 467 pts.
3rd - Diva Q - 446 pts.

Pork

1st - Simcoe County Smokers - 449 pts.
2nd - Diva Q - 448 pts.
3rd - Swines & Bovines - 440 pts.

Ribs

1st - The BBQ Effect - 460 pts.
2nd - Simcoe County Smokers - 458 pts.
3rd - Diva Q - 457 pts.

Grand Champion

Simcoe County Smokers - 1833 pts.

The winners! - Sponsored by ProQ Smokers
More happy ProQ users - The Q Crew

Barrie Brews & BBQ

2007-08-29T17:14:00.000+01:00

What a blast, the weather was excellent, the venue perfect and the people great. Beer and BBQ, what more could a man ask for?

This was the view from our stand.

The Belgian BBQ King -Kurt... what a great guy!

Looking towards the competing teams.
The winners! - Team Cedar Grilling

Stuffed Chicken Breasts

2007-06-24T10:12:00.000+01:00

This is one of my favorite dishes done on the BBQ, it's really simple, quick and tastes great too!
Take your chicken breast, slice it in half, to leave a nice, large and flat piece of meat to work with.
On this occasion I've roughly chopped some Oregano, Lemon Thyme and Red Pepper. Add some Brie cheese and a few spices.

This is the hardest part ..... roll everything up, then tie the roll in several places with natural string, don't use string that has been treated/ coated with anything. Baste the rolls with some lemon juice and let them sit in the fridge for half an hour (this will give you time to get your fire ready).

You'll want to prepare your BBQ for indirect cooking, or you could use as "water" smoker as I have done. Pop the food (add wood chips to heat source, if you want a smoky flavour)on and cook at 300F for 30 minutes.
Cook the rolls directly over the fire until nice an brown, you'll notice cheese dribbling out, if your tying skills are not up to scratch.

Serve and enjoy!

Launching ProQ In Canada

2007-06-22T08:38:00.000+01:00

We will be exhibiting the ProQ Water smokers at the Canadian Open BBQ Championship, which is being held in Barrie, Ontario from July 6th - 8th. So if you are in the area pop in and say hello. I have never been to a large bbq event, so I'm really looking forward to it. When I return I'll post a few images......
The picture below, shows our stand/ booth at the Mid Atlantic BBQ trade show, which we attended in earlier this year.

Father's Day Supper

2007-06-17T20:00:00.000+01:00

After sitting around all day, being pampered, I decided to treat my special family to some tasty BBQ food (the fact that I felt like some myself, also helped).
There wasn't too much to choose from in the freezer, but I remembered that I had some prime pork loin steaks, squirreled away, which would make a quick and easy BBQ meal.

To prepare the steaks, all I did was baste them with some apple juice, sprinkle a few herbs and spices on...... mainly rosemary, then just let them sit in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Next, set up your grill to cook indirectly, this only works if you have a grill with a lid. You want to cook them in this way for 20 minutes at around 300F. I added some Hickory wood chunks to the charcoal, to give me a smoky flavour.
After 20 mins, you want to grill them directly over the coals/ heat for 2-3 minutes either side.
They should now be ready to serve........ enjoy!

Hmmmmmm…. Ribs done low and slow

2007-06-14T13:54:00.001+01:00

Ribs need to be trimmed, see here, before you can lovingly apply your favourite/secret rub to them.

I've used some Iced Tea rub on these, but a rub is fairly simple to make, just blend a few of dried spices and herbs together, rub the mixture onto the ribs.

Use a "foodsaver" bag (one that seals) to place the ribs in, and refrigerate overnight.

Get the charcoal going and place the water pan in position as in the pictures above .

Remove the ribs from the fridge about an hour before you want to cook them, this will ensure that they are at room temperature, which will allow the smoke to penetrate the meat more easily. Baste the ribs, a simple sauce can be made by using Coke (not the snorting kind!), tomato sauce/ ketchup, honey and whatever herbs and spices you like.

If you have one, use a rib rack, this will enable you to fit more ribs on your Q and allows the smoke to get to all parts of the meat.
The cook should take at least 5 hours, so make sure you are using a full load of good quality charcoal briquettes and keep the smoker temperature between 200-250°F.

I used a ProQ Frontier Water Smoker for this batch of ribs.

Add wood chips or chunks to the fire to create smoke, this should be done for the first 2 hours. I used Hickory wood chunks for this rack.

You will need to baste the ribs every hour.
After 3 hours, remove the ribs from the smoker and place them on some heavy duty tin foil, baste heavily with the sauce, wrap the tinfoil around them, making sure there are no holes in the foil. Put the parcel back on the smoker for another 2 hours, keeping the temperature at 200 °F (there's no point putting any wood on the fire at this stage).

After 5 hours total cooking time, remove the foil, baste for a final time, drop one of the grills onto the fire (as per the picture above)bowl brackets and quickly sear the ribs on either side for 30 seconds, caramelising the sauce.

The Ribs should by now look something like they do in the pictures below, but be warned…. They won't look like that for long!

Enjoy!