Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Nine bucks? That's it? GTFO! Damn, you Texas guys always get the great prices on meat. I doubt I could find an untrimmed lamb breast for anywhere near that cheap, but I'll look.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Looks :dr.....Never tried it....yet!!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

It certainly is the best tasting lower priced meat. Maybe the best tasting beef.
I like the texture of tenderloin, but the taste, ehh.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Just pulled off a batch of cheese that I cold smoked over cherry wood. Just put on a new batch of cheese, this time being cold smoked over mesquite & apple. If I can manage to stay awake long enough, I'll do a batch over either plum or persimmon.


yeah, it's a nice cool night out there, perfect for this plus I bought another new soldering iron, so let's see how long this one lasts...

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Always wanted to try to do this.....How to? Inquiring minds (i.e. me) want to know!!:tu

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Sure. This is method is still kind of new to me, but here's what I've got...


Easy. All you need is a tin can and a new soldering iron.

This page basically covers how to build it:
http://www.smoker-cooking.com/build-a-cold-smoker.html

You could also use a heavy ceramic coffee cup and fill it with chips and just jam the soldering iron down in it.

Couple of "construction" notes:

1) Obviously, you don't have to use smoke pellets. Wood chips are fine, as are dried twigs from whatever smoke wood trees you have around. Since they don't pack as compactly, should fill the can a bit more for twigs and chips, like 2/3.

2) You can do this in basically any grill or smoker. The smoke can doesn't have to be below the food it can be next to it, it really doesn't matter as with all the vents closed, the whole chamber will fill with smoke. If the can is below the food, don't put any food directly in the path of the rising smoke, at it will end up coated with a nasty, bitter, tar type substance.

3) Super cheap wound resistor soldering irons won't hold up here. Wound resistor irons are the ones with the ventilated barrels. Avoid them. One of the solid barrel Wellers which uses a ceramic resistor should hold up fine. I'm using a Weller SP23L. $10-$15 depending on if it comes singly or in a kit with some extra tips and crap. Keep the receipt and packaging handy for the first few runs in case you burn the iron up.

4) If your soldering iron has a removable tip, remove it and check for high-temp anti-seize grease. If you buy a Weller SP23L or SP40L you can count on it being in there. Clean it out as best as you can (a few q-tips work well here, just screw them into the hole and then back out, wipe the threads off on the screw in tip). After cleaning and reassembling the tip, set your iron up someplace safe, plug it in and let it run for 15-20 minutes to burn off any crap you missed.



Smoking notes:

1) It takes about 15 minutes for the smoke to get going. I've done whole 8 oz blocks of cheese for 1 hour total smoking time and last night I was smoking deli sliced cheese, so I only had the iron going for 30 minutes at a time (kind of a SWAG).

2) While the smoked flavors are more intense in the home smoked stuff, don't expect to see the heavy coloration you see in commercially available smoked cheeses.

3) After you smoke the cheese, pull it off and vacuum seal it for a week or two (or longer) to allow it to mellow and blend. Mr. B and I were talking about this earlier in the thread and if you don't have a vacuum sealer, we suppose that a few layers of really tight saran wrap would work too.

4) No need to stop at cheese. I've put a foil tray of pimento stuffed green olives in there and smoked them, a tray of roasted almonds, etc. You could make your own lox or other cured meats, you could put a tray of salt in there and so on, it's whatever you can imagine.

If you do olives, I would not put them back in the brine. Just serve right away or into a clean jar for storage.



(sheez, this post is longer than the whole process... just go do it. It's sooooo easy)

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Doing some chickens today, have a few mesquite chunks in the firebox with standard kingsford briquets. I seperate the skin from the meat and load up that space with garlic, and then I rub down the skin. Hopefully it turns out as nicely today as it normally does!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

You are now officially.... a God :dr

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Many people are Cold Smoking their steaks (about 1 hour)before using their Gas BBQ too.

Pour out a bottle of Paprika onto a Aluminum Foil tray and cold smoke for 1-2 hours. Small bottles of smoked Pap go for $8-$10 in the grocery store.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Thanks Adam!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

If the rain holds off, I plan to do a chuckie and butt (beef and pork) this Saturday. This will be my first chuckie.

I wanted to use Todd's DIRT, but forgot to order and I am BBQ'ing this Sat.

Anyone familiar with Todd's DIRT and have a comparable rub recipe?

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Not familiar but sounds interesting. How do you order it?

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Through the interwebs:

http://www.toddsdirt.com/

I hear and read, this is the must have rub for beef.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Had a hunk of less than thrilling brie cheese in the refrigerator, so I decided to toss it in the cold smoker with some hickory last night, see if it helps it out. Left it in there for about an hour and fifteen minutes or so, maybe a bit longer, hopefully that will make it more interesting.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

The best deal is the pounder at a $1 per oz. But shipping is $7.30 for a single bottle. But $10 for 3 bottles. Chance to save some coin maybe? Anyone interested in a group buy?


Rough math with estimated shipping says with 10 people a pound bottle would be approx. $19 to you instead of $23. hmm

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

If you are a member of BBQ brethern, I believe there are some pretty good discounts he will give. Just a FYI.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Yeah, 15% discount.
I'm down wit' the Brethren.....

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Went to PW for the reduced rack, and I see a disturbing trend. Used to be reduced was
greater than half off. Now they lop off a dollar and call that reduced. And frankly I don't
blame em. I think a lot of undesirables in the area poke their thumb through the plastic wrap
and then come back two days later to buy it reduced cause of the dark, dry spot. In fact
I know a few people were doing it. Maybe this new pricing structure will keep em from
doing it. Not sure, though. I think they are just driving up the food cost in the end and
then not even buying their handiwork.

But I digress, lol. Found at least one pack of ground meat that was not highway reduced
robbery. And it seemed by the prices that chuck roasts were onsale, so I got about 5 of those.
People with keen memories will remember I let my last batch of four roasts spend the night
in the truck. Won't ruin THESE, though. (I hope) ;)
I got some tortilla chips and some avocados at El Supermercado last week, so I am gonna
chuck me up some Mexi beef as seen on this thread. Gotta go to the bank and float a loan
so I can buy some cheese, now.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Sounds yummy. Hope to see pics. :tu

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Okay gods of the smoker. I have my Brother, Sister In Law, 9 and 11 year old nieces and 14 month old nephew headed into town.

Give me some ideas for things to smoke that will go down well with all the ages and won't take a whole day smoke.

Any recipes would also be appreciated.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Pics? Brad?

Never happen.


Brad's cooking stories are kind of like letters from Penthouse Forum for BBQ. It's all about your imagination.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Been awhile since I fired up the smoker. Have some guest coming into town this weekend so I plan on doing a few slabs of ribs. Anyone know of any good rubs, procedures, and or tips?

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

BRTU baby!

Ribs = nice fun, messy, delicious finger food!

Depending on the kids, you might want to back off the cayenne power in the rub and go with more chili powder (which should be milder) or even substitute with paprika (which will most definitely be milder). Then again, by that age, I was already eating entire jars of chili paste with a spoon, so you might not need to modify anything.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

See the link in my response to Jason's aforementioned question above.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I have some discount rub, only fell on the floor once, and most of the dog hair and dust
furballs are picked out of it. But I hear it IS good.
TG, you said it, I always eat first, think of pics later. But I guess I will promise or something.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

You might be surprised to see how well a Pork Butt goes over with the kids. My 3 yr old daughter loves it. I think she just likes saying "pork butt" too, but that's besides the point. You can do it hot and fast which will take about an hour a pound. If you do it in 4lb cuts, you can have it done in 4-5 hours. It's cheap, easier clean up than ribs and more appealing.

Thighs are pretty quick and easy. In less than 3 hours you will have delicious thigh meat, that even the picky "white meat only" eaters will gobble up.

Also, you can make up some MOINK balls which are fun finger foods. Pretty quick too. I once saw a guy make a hoagie/sub from MOINK balls and cheese. YUM!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Most definately! Thanks! :tu

Sounds like trail mix.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

MOINK balls? Got a recipe or directions? I have heard of them but never tackled them as of yet.


The Pork Butt is a good one, but I guess I should of prefaced my question by letting you know I had 5lbs of frozen pulled pork and another 5lbs of carnitas in the freezer from my last smoke.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

You can also simmer or pressure cook the butt and then put it on the smoker to finish. Simmer for a 2 hours or so. I am not an expert on pressure cooking, but I think 1.5 hours will suffice then a few hours on the smoker. Both methods will allow the seasoned cooking fluid to get into the meat better than just seasoning the butt (which gets little penetration).

Both methods can be done ahead of time and then put the cooled half-cooked butt on the smoker the next day.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

http://noexcusesbbq.com/recipes/moink-balls

That's pretty much the basic recipe. Be careful... they are VERY tasty and you might get people asking for them, all the time.


If you already have the pulled pork, then thaw it out. I forgot to mention that, but re-heated frozen pork butt is 95% as good as getting it off the smoker. It's a little more oily, but that never hurt anything but the front of your shirt. You could cook it the day, week, month before they come down and then thaw it out, re-heat and serve.

As an aside, kids love to dip food into condiments. If you can provide an array of sauces or dips, that would go over well.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

First off, you never rush BBQ.

Second, you don't need to worry about seasoning all the way through the meat for a pull since you're going to shred it and mix it all up anyway.

If you pressure cook the butt, you might as well just skip the smoker, add some liquid smoke to the pressure cooker "broth" and just go from the pressure cooker to the oven, since the pressure cooker will take the meat temperate up past the point at which the proteins bind so it won't really absorb any smoke flavor. You'll get some residue sitting on the surface but that's about it.

If you want liquid seasoning in the meat, marinade for 24-48 hours. Or get an injector. Or stab it and stuff garlic cloves and dry seasoning into the stab wounds. Just rubbing the meat with seasoning, wrapping tightly in saran wrap and leaving it in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours will also impart flavor into the meat.

If you want to speed up a butt cook, smoke it until it hits anywhere from 140 to 160, double wrap tightly in foil (shiny side IN - be amazed how many people f-that up), then up your smoker temperature to about 245F and let the meat cook until it hits about 200-205F internal. The foil will trap the heat and cause a faster temperature rise, while the trapped juices will braise the meat and break down the connective tissues rather quickly. If you are doing smaller cuts, or lower fat cuts, it will also help reduce the chances of drying out. Overall, I've found it reduces the cooking times by about 15-20% give or take.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Only change I would make in that Moink recipe, never having done it before, is to skimp on
the bacon and cut it into 3rds. Bacon can be applied in two ways, stretch and non-stretch.
I like to stretch when I apply it to long peppers (btw TG, I did these in the mountains last
weekend and they were Anaheims and they ROCKED) But bacon will stretch a long ways and
not tear. It would be GOOD the other way, but half a slice of bacon for a meatball seems
like alot of bacon. But they ARE MOINKS and not MOOINKS, so maybe bacon is a real major
ingredient. But the stuff is so expensive. If I used an entire half-slice, I would wrap
the entire meatball, not just around the equator. Blablabla. Great, now I have to make
those, too. :D

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I don't rush it, but that is his intention. I figure out when I want to serve it and just go back in time to know when I have to put it on.

I have had the pressure cooked then smoked butts a few times and for sure it's different than doing butts "traditionally". They were all with jerk seasoning.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Been dying to get into smoking but not sure what I should go for to begin with.

Will this do the trick for a beginner or should I go for something more robust?

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Char-Broil...44440301526288

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

That's the biggest debate in the world, I think. But if you can get that rig at
that price, I say jump on it now. I paid 139 for the grill without the firebox.
I can PM you the link to the modifications that make it more effective.
Simple stuff, fun with dryer hose. But that'll do you. Most will tell you
that you should double that cost and get a Weber Smokey Mountain.
I don't agree, I think that this unit serves as a perfectly workable smoker,
but also gives you a huge grill surface for direct grilling. And you can raise
or lower the coals in two seconds with this rig, which to me is outstanding.
Yeah, I like the Char-Griller.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

OLS Char-Griller and Char-Broil are two different companies. I have a Char-Griller and I love mine. When I was looking I just wasn't impressed with Char-Broil's offest smoker/grill combo's. They just felt flimsy. I think you can get a good smoke with it but I don't think it'll last more than a couple years.

I'd say it depends how long you are gonna keep the grill/smoker.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Oh-HO, I totally missed that. I guess they all look alike to me, lol.
That would explain why the price is significantly lower. That would also
explain why the firebox is on the opposite side, lol. Like KYdsid said, if
you want to give it a shot based on cost, and knowing it is an exploration
of sorts, you might be OK. But I vote with him on the Char-Griller. (Lowe's)
I do not think I really needed to get a new smoker, especially based on the
fact I am trying to find a way OUT of Memphis, but the grill grates were getting
thin on my old rig and the bottom was coming apart. I should have waited awhile
to get the CG, but I didn't and now I will have to MOVE it, lol.
But a word to your mutha, I DID NOT get the firebox, and I still smoke every
couple weekends in the indirect method, and very successfully.
Maybe going whole hog so to speak is better left for when you are hooked.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

So would this one be better.

http://www.chargriller.com/store/pro...products_id=34

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

The Char-Griller side fire box is less than $50. Just sayin. ;)

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Dunno stupid websense is blocking the site. But the biggest thing Char Griller has going for it is that it is thick gauge steel compared to the other manufacturers. Trust me you'll notice it when you go pick up the box. :r

This is the one I bought though: http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showpo...2&postcount=40

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Build a UDS. Simple to build, cheap, and turns out great BBQ. Offsets are great if you don't mind sitting by the smoker, adding wood. But the UDS is better imo for a starter.

The Weber Smokey Mountain is another great smoker, but very expensive.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Agreements on the heaviness of the box, lol. I was hearing complaints about how the steel was
nothing like the OLD Char-grillers, but I found it to be fine at 1/8 inch thick. It ain't no 1/4 inch
trailer rig, but it works. As for the UDS, I would like to have one one day, but not at this flux
stage of my life. Not sure Roger wants to build one, either. But you never know. The UDS is
more of a comittment to smoking that I get from his words that he is not quite ready for. The
Char Griller is much more versatile than a UDS as well.
Sometimes people like to grill a steak or burgers. UDS are for smoking. You can cook on one,
but it is more trouble than with the Char-Griller, IMO.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

And granted, if I had my druthers for a smoker, I would take the UDS over the BGE or the WSM.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

You know I never even THOUGHT about buying the SFB model or the add-on.
Well, that's not true, it was a money deal, but when I smoke, it has always been
meat on the left 2/3 of the grill, coals on the right 1/3, throw some chips on the
coals and go upstairs for a few hours and check later. I turn out great food with
indirect grilling. I would LIKE to have the box, but I do not miss it at all. A man
adapts, lol. Plus the fire box always peels paint or rusts, and my grill just rolls on
with it's original powder coat finish, lol.

Of course, like TG says, MAYBE I turn out great food. No one has ever seen it, lol.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

It's definately right up there with cello on or off.


Roger,

WSM, side-firebox, ECB, UDS, firebricks inside a weber kettle, BGE, whatever; Each of those pits has different characteristics that make it stronger in some areas and possibly weaker in others, but it really comes down to how much you're going to use it, how much you want to spend to get it and spending the time to learn your pit after you buy it or build it.

Don't let the idea of having to modify the pit slightly deter you from one or the other, with the possible exception of the BGE, any of those pits, including the WSM, could need tweaking or modification coming out of the box. It's not a big deal.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

LOL.

I was never questioning the quality of what you turned out, I was quesitoning if it even existed or not. ;)






Nah, I'm just flippin' you crap bro, see, I have a grill or a smoker going 4-6 times a week on the average, sometimes even more, (I think this week it was more like 10-12 because in addition to the norm, I was cold smoking cheese every night in a second rig, each night with a different smoke wood so I can compare the results eventually) and I don't take pictures of everything either.


--------


BTW: just noticed the comment about anaheim chilies for the abts, cool. (did I make that sugguestion? I forget...)

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

how do you cold smoke cheese?

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Tim can and new Soldering Iron. Simpleest way! :r
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Listen to TG. - Also, consider where you're going to keep and/or use it.
Make sure you are making a purchase that will fit where you are thinking.

I started with a Char-grill 'capsule' style, and have worn that out. Yes, I upgraded to the Weber and have never looked back.
I use my for grilling too, and not just smoking. I cooked off some Drummies and thighs, and the wife was amzed at how tastey they were (I hads to explain the charcoal vs. Gas difference).

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Bingo.



GOF,

I wrote a post on it here with some links and notes:
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showth...209#post893209

Some rambling notes in there, hopefully they'll save people a little bit of time.

A few pages back, I posted a photo, although I don't think the photo shows the smoker can, just a loaded cooking grate (and it was a crappy photo too).







PS: Happy to report that I still have not managed to burn up the new 20W Weller iron that I picked up (SP23L something like that). Even after a two hour long run last night.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

It sure is a debate and I would get the WSM. I have owned both and the WSM is much easier to make BBQ. Grilling, it's limited, but for pure BBQ, the WSM has a steadier temperature and uses less charcoal.

I like being able to use logs on the offset style and it is much better for grilling.