Smoker..... as in meats

dpkimmel2001

dpkimmel2001

Team Owner
Joined
Apr 1, 2009
Messages
36,150
Points
1,033
Location
Western PA
Pulled the trigger this week on a gas smoker. Been thinking about getting one for a while. The one I was looking at just went on sale for about 25% off so I figured it's time. It arrives sometime today. It wasn't a huge investment so if it doesn't turn out to be something that I'd like to continue, it won't be a huge loss. Because I went along the route of a less expensive setup, I've got some assembly to do. After that, I guess I need to fire it up and 'cure' it. Supposed to be a few hour process.

My wife is picking up some ribs and some chicken to test out this weekend. Sunday will probably be my first attempt at this. If I get the chance, I'll post some pics.

Anyone else got one of these things? Do you use it much? Waste of money?
 
Gas? I have one that looks very similar to this but uses charcoal. The firebox on the end is perfect for my wife and I for burgers, steaks whatever. For cookout the main section does a lot of burgers and dogs at once.
If not covered in snow and ice the smoker gets used year round. Smoking is addictive, You can go nutz in deciding which rub is the perfect rub. Then there's the great wood debate. I used to use cut offs when I was doing woodworking. I have kept in contact with a local saw mill and get pieces of maple [great for pork loin!], cherry, apple that I cut into chunks.

Beer can chicken is pretty easy and you get to drink a beer to boot!

get yourself a good instant read thermometer, you really need one. I picked up a thermapen on sale for$75 IIRC
http://www.thermoworks.com/Thermapen-Mk4?color=5

789792090207.jpg
 
Bobw said:
Gas? I have one that looks very similar to this but uses charcoal. The firebox on the end is perfect for my wife and I for burgers, steaks whatever. For cookout the main section does a lot of burgers and dogs at once.
If not covered in snow and ice the smoker gets used year round. Smoking is addictive, You can go nutz in deciding which rub is the perfect rub. Then there's the great wood debate. I used to use cut offs when I was doing woodworking. I have kept in contact with a local saw mill and get pieces of maple [great for pork loin!], cherry, apple that I cut into chunks.

Beer can chicken is pretty easy and you get to drink a beer to boot!

get yourself a good instant read thermometer, you really need one. I picked up a thermapen on sale for$75 IIRC
http://www.thermoworks.com/Thermapen-Mk4?color=5

789792090207.jpg
Click to expand...
Yeah, went with gas/propane just for convenience. I've got about 20lbs of apple and cherry chips for smoking.

Thermometer arrives today as well.

I think I'm all set. Just waiting on UPS for the smoker and FedEx for the thermometer.
 
I've got an offset barrel and a water smoker (R2D2) burning charcoal at the cottage and both have churned out farking awesome meat. At least I'm told so .. 12 hrs of smoking and I didn't get a nibble of brisket. Kids ate the lot. Haven't managed to get up to the cottage to fire it up this year. Buy a good book on smoking meat. There's a lot that's not so obvious. Like when you're smoking a 10lbs brisket and the temperature hits a plateau and doesn't move for HOURS!!! Keep going ... what's happening is all the connective tissue in the meat is absorbing that energy and transforming into sugars. Keep going ... maybe wrap it in foil. Maybe bring the heat up a hair more. The worst thing about barrel smokers is the lack of insulation. Just the sun going behind a cloud can drop your temp by 10 degrees ... that's enough to scuttle your meal. I tend to start a brisket at midnight, keeping the barrel hot all night. When the sun comes up, the smoking is done (the actual smoke part of smoking happens in the first hour or two ... after that you're just slow cooking) and it's just a matter of maintaining the coals until the meat finishes turning into candy. That blazing summer sun makes it so much easier... so do the 4 or 5 beers. With a little planning, the beers run out right about the time the coals need attention. Good planning is everything.
 
Water? I've spritzed a brisket with apple juice with great results.

There's so many forums and web sites on the internet that I never thought of buying a book
 
Well, UPS wins the delivery war to my house today. FedEx just called having to delay my delivery until tomorrow. I can't say that has ever happened before. Looks like I'll have to wait an additional day to fire this thing up.
 
When you do fire it up go slow for the first hour or so then let'er rip wide open.
I went to a local butcher and asked for out of date and can't sell hamburger and if he had any fat scraps I'd buy them too. I had to explain what I was doing and he was ok with that

I did the beer can chicken as my first smoking venture and it was ok but got better as I went along. Brisket and ribs followed.
Doing a beer can turkey breast this weekend, I have a rack
 
I dont know why, but smoking meat does not toast my goat, I think its the smell of smoke that kills it for me. I had a large smoker for a few years and never once did I use it. But I do love me grilling meat, do that at least once a week.
 
When smoking, your choice of smoking woods is important. Some folk think mesquite/hickory is for everything. The wrong choice of wood (or even just the smoke from adding unlit briquettes) can really destroy the flavour. I only use lump charcoal and start it in a chimney to keep unplanned smoke away. For anything that's going to be on long, fruit woods are my only choice. I might add a little hickory for grilling steaks or burgers to add flavour ... but for really smoking meat (low and slow) it's never used.
 
I also use lump, aka 'cowboy' charcoal and start it in a chimney, I never use starting fluid.
Apple is my #1 go to wood for smoking especially for pork and poultry closely followed by maple and cherry.
 
Got the smoker a day late and only had time to assemble it. Going to cure it in the morning with the plan being to smoke a rack of ribs tomorrow afternoon.


808b92e480cc2ce681dbcdb30fde7aaf.jpg
 
Bobw said:
I watch this guy, http://www.pbs.org/food/web-shows/bbq-with-franklin/
I don't care for Raichlins project smoke show
Click to expand...
Watched the two part video on the ribs segment. Followed the instructions. Couldn't be happier. The smell was great all day long.

We recently had a pig roast. The guy that cooked the pig for us made us some extra bbq sauce. Used it yesterday. Good stuff.
 
Bucky Badger said:
You did good with the ribs!!
Click to expand...
Thanks. We done cooked good yesterday.

I'd like to thank Bud Light for keeping me hydrated during the smoking process. Also, a shout out to Big Joe Captain's Chair Pool Float's for keeping me high and dry while taking lazy river laps around the pool. And finally my Big Bobber Floating Drink Cooler, capable of floating a 12 pack along with the required ice allotment. All of these things, and more, aided in a successful first smoking. :D

Next up.....

Chicken

Probably the weekend after next. :cool:
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
Thanks. We done cooked good yesterday.

I'd like to thank Bud Light for keeping me hydrated during the smoking process. Also, a shout out to Big Joe Captain's Chair Pool Float's for keeping me high and dry while taking lazy river laps around the pool. And finally my Big Bobber Floating Drink Cooler, capable of floating a 12 pack along with the required ice allotment. All of these things, and more, aided in a successful first smoking. :D

Next up.....

Chicken

Probably the weekend after next. :cool:
Click to expand...
As always you're just having too damn much fun. If there is such a thing. :D
 
So what's on the menu for this weekend? The beer can turkey we did last weekend was good but due to it being a lot bigger than a chicken it took quite a while longer. Worth the wait though.
Now this weekend,,
Oyster season opened today! My son is taking tomorrow off so we'll be having oysters along with a bunch of other seafood.
 
Now this is going to be like "totally" odd - but if you want to win a local ribs contest (which I have twice)...do this:

Get some ribs.

Then put them (cut up) in a slow cooker (big crock pot) for about 3 hours on low using apple juice as your liquid. Then pull them out carefully (so as they don't fall apart) - use your favorite sauce....then either roast them in an oven for awhile or put them on the grill for a bit.

The ribs will be perfect.
 
Today's smoke..... 10lbs of grade A beef brisket hickory smoked. 1 hour per lb. Late dinner but it should be awesome.

Pic of post rub and placing into the smoker.

0e87a4d6d961dd697a926807c7a9d67d.jpg
cc0dcfb685983f12eae684116db8ec6a.jpg


Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk
 
Go by the internal temp your temp probe shows rather than 1 hour per pound.
 
I've got a probe in it. 1 hour/pound is kinda a standard time at the temp we're cooking at.

Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
I've got a probe in it. 1 hour/pound is kinda a standard time at the temp we're cooking at.

Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

What temp are you smoking at? I try to maintain 225° but I don't worry to much if it goes a little higher as some recommend 240°. Going lower presents more of a problem in my book. Longer cooking times for one but it did toughen the bark on one that we didn't care for.
 
Looks amazing, but I died a little inside when I saw the last picture of the meat covered in sauce.
 
Baby backs loaded into the smoker about an hour ago. Cherry smoke today.

8299dedcb9c18aeba3dc9571fc740127.jpg


Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom