Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Seems like a good deal, about what Amazon has it listed for. I love my Bradley. To some it's not true BBQ, but it works perfect for what i make. Just a note, you won't get the smoke ring as you would with a wood fired pit. Something about the way it smolders the wood pucks. I love that it puts out consistent results without having baby sit it all day long.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

http://tinyurl.com/3bo59vf
This one doesn't come with the extra 48 pellets or cover, but maybe the savings are worth it to some, especially if you are a Jim Beam Fan.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I'd get the one with the pucks. It'll give you a nice variety to try. I keep mine in the garage (detached) so I have no need for the cover, but would be usefull if you did keep it outside in the elements.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

The appeal to me is a "set it and forget it" type of thing-I've never been great at regulating a particular temp with charcoal in the past and don't have the patience to babysit it too much, especially when cooking over this type of duration. May be worth it in the long run I guess...

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

If you're handy with electronics, you can build your own PID device that'll work as a temp controller for the non-digital bradley. You can find directions on the Bradley forum for the parts you need and how to build one.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

It's like $130 more...not sure that by the time I spend the money for parts and figuring out how to do it that it's even worth it.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

You are talking apples to oranges really. Bradley's use electric coils for a heat source, and the pucks are for smoke. It's basically an oven with smoke box.

The WSM uses charcoal/wood (fire) for it's heat source as well as wood for smoke. It's a difference you would have to experience. The WSM is a great smoker but it's not quite set and forget. There are aftermarket items such as the Stoker or BBQGuru, that can make a WSM almost set and forget.

Traeger, Fast Eddie, etc pellet smokers use fire and wood pellets for heat and smoke. They are pretty much set and forget systems.

I don't know of any truly set and forget smokers as pellets and pucks can jam. A wind could blow things over, etc.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

WSM's are very easy to use. If you go to www.virtualweberbullet.com they have recipe sections where they cover stuff all the way down to the vent positions during the cook. Tons of support, both there and on the attached forum for them. Everyone I know who has bought one has been happy with them and has people viewing them as BBQ gods, and most of these guys were gas grillers before they bought WSMs.

If you want automation on the WSM, just add a BBQ Guru DigiQ draft controller:
http://www.thebbqguru.com/products/D...-package).html

Or a Stoker controller.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Looks great from here Pete. Nicely done. :tu

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Understood about the differences between the Weber and the Bradley...just a matter of trying to figure out what I might be more comfortable doing. Pellet systems are going to be way out of my range. Just trying to figure out what I want to do I guess.

With the Weber, if I'm doing a brisket or something like that, how much "maintenance" would I expect to be doing during the process in terms of adding more charcoal? My frustration will be in getting a constant temp without continuously adding more charcoal and that type of thing.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Probably none. 8-12 hour runs on one load of fuel are no problem with the Minion Method:
http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/fireup2.html

You can go even longer with a draft controller and silver bullet jacket, like 16-18 hours.

Once webers settle in to a temperature, vent adjusting will be minimal, running 8 hours without having to touch the vents is common.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Thanks for the info. That makes it a LOT more appealing.

Now I'm trying to determine whether to go with the 18.5" vs. the 22". Typically, I'd only be cooking for my family of 5, but there may be occasions of cooking for ~ 10-12 people. Obviously, it seems like I'd have no issue doing roasts/briskets with the smaller model, but I'd think doing things like BBR's that take up a lot more surface area, you're much more restricted with the smaller model.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

There are two racks in each smoker in an over-under configuration. I don't remember what the vertical spacing is offhand though. You can easily get two 9lb butts into an 18.5". Or a butt on top and a chuck roast under (same thing, ones just from a pig, the other from a cow - cooking is identical) so your chuck has the rendered pork fat dripping on it during the cook. :dr:dr

When you roll the ribs up you can fit quite a few in there, although if you're mopping them, getting to the lower rack will obviously take some time as you have to clear the top rack, remove it, then put it and the food back.

I think this is the 18.5" (if I counted the number of bars in the grate correctly and the note at the top of this page about all the topics being for 18.5" WSMs.) to give you an idea of the size.
http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/ri...tos/britu7.jpg
from: http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/rib1.html

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Just came across this on craigslist, but can't really find anything about it online. Any initial thoughts on this? http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/for/2303149798.html

I know, it's electric, but a little bit of digging makes pellets seem like a great way to go.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

It seems like you want minimal work with smoking. I would go with the Bradley. Or the WSM and a stoker.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

And twice on Monday? ;)

Sent an email already. Waiting for a response.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Looks to be a good buy, but offer 275.00 to 300.00. Also have em turn it on so you can watch it feed pellets and fire up.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

No, pellet grills are not electric. Unlike an electric smoker where you have an electric heating element to provide the heat (like an electric oven) with a smoke generator of some sort to provide the flavor, the burning pellets provide all the heat along with the flavor. Pellet grills do require electricity to kick on the hot surface igniter and run the feed auger, fan and temp control electronics, but all of the work is done by the pellets.

Depending on the condition, $350 sounds like it might be a good deal.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Ditto completely. The Weber is fantastic and as close to set and forget as I want to be. I do over-night cooks for brisket and have had no problem with a little practice. I love them and have two 18 inch smokers. I would love the newer 22, but just can't justify it now. The virtual weber web site teaches you everything you need to know to produce fantastic food. Steve

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I love my Traeger and like playing around with the pellets and mixing them for different flavors. I also have a "stick burner" but have not been using it as much.

As far as rubs. I have used Texas BBQ Rub over the past few years and will never use another one. They have actually won the people's choice award at the American Royal numerous times and the Grand Champion of the Texas Rodeo BBQ Cook-off used their rub (I signed up for their free monthly newsletter. This past newsletter announced this). I am not sure if the promo is still going but here is a special they are running because three of the rubs were used by those that placed in the top 8 for brisket at the Rodeo Cook-off in february.

http://www.texasbbqrubspecials.com/?page_id=2

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

If you decide to go with the WSM, use the link on the Virtual Weber Bullet site. Amazon gives the site a piece of the sale to help keep the website running. (that's how I bought mine)

WSM all the way.
I did cut my teeth on a freebie Charbroil, but the WSM is even easier. I do more overnights, than afternoon cooks.

As for the size? Go with the 22 if you can swing it.
You may not need that extra space normally, but the one day that you could use it, you'll never regret it. Had I know they were comiing out with the 22" I would have held out one more year.....

Big Steel Keg
 

Hi guys,

I'm about to pull the trigger on a Big Steel Keg. While talking to the sales person, he led me to believe the BSK "should last about 5-10 years". Really, that's it!?

Don't get me wrong he was gushing about the Keg and didn't once steer me to the Big Green Egg, which he also sells for twice the price. So what gives? Do these things burn out quickly? I was hoping to see at least 15 years out of this. I've had some cheap propane grills that easily lasted 10+ years with a little TLC. I will definitely give the BSK the same care, but I'm concerned if they will inherently burn out from the in-side out. Is this something I should be concerned with?

Thanks.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I'm starting to think that craigslist ad is bogus. Three emails and not a single response yet and then Traeger won't be within 100 miles over the next 3 months.

Re: Big Steel Keg
 

I'm going to call B.S on his claim. I don't have one but have checked them out in the store and they are built like a tank. If you used it everyday, did not clean it and left it outside with no cover in the winter then yeah maybe.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I pulled the trigger on the 22.5" WSM today and it'll be here tomorrow. We've got 70-80 temps in the forecast for the weekend, so I'll be up for some serious grilling. :tu

I did go through the link for the referral. Now I just need to figure out the seasoning process and get a chimney and put together a rub. I may be off to get a brisket tomorrow to put in Saturday morning.

Anyone have any great rubs they make themselves?

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

:tu:tu:banger

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Okay, maple brown sugar bacon curing, Check.

Garlic/black pepper/juniper/sage bacon curing, Check

now, 7 days with a few overhauls, and then smoker time.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

There are a ton of great rub recipes on bbqbrethren and the internet in general.

The seasoning process is mainly using it to smoke. I would start with something high in fat and rub down the inside with lard. A couple fatties are perfect for seasoning.

The http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/ is a GREAT resource for the WSM. I would go over a few of their mod threads to get a handle on the water pan issues.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

How much garlic do you use in your curing process? I tried some recently, 6 large cloves smashed to a ~3lb piece of belly. Nine days curing and not any flavor of garlic. Thinking I'll have to add a lot more next time.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

What's the secret to nice mahagony colored ribs? Mine tend to come out too dark for my liking. Too much sugar in the rub? The flavor's been good, but the visual aspect isn't what I"m looking for.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I saw recommendations for a "set it and forget it" type of system a couple of pages ago. I came across this one and it seems to be a much lower price with reviews being really good.

http://store.pitmasteriq.com/iq110.html

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I'd say less dark smoke, more clear burn, but the way the bradley works, I'm not sure you can control that. Also, different smoke woods will leave a different colored bark, for example hickory leaves a darker tint on the outside than say, apple, which leaves things a lighter bronze.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Interesting. I honestly can't remember the last time I did ribs in the Bradley. Maybe I'm thinking back to my old stick burner setup. I'll keep that in mind about the types of wood. I usually stick to the lighter woods for pork, with probably Oak being the heaviest. The hickory and mesquite are for things like chicken when I want the quick smoke flavor but not totally cooking in the Bradley.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I have learned with all things throwaway, ALWAYS double what you think. My dad
taught me that when boiling crabs. He said with all the ingredients, put in what you
think it should be and then double it. ALWAYS came out perfect that way. And by
throwaway, I mean you pour out the water for seafood, and you do not cook the brine/
marinade for the bacon.....

Man this thread is ripping today. This was a reply to Chainsaw's question about garlic.
Now on another page, lol. Guess I typed for too long.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

So, my brand new 22.5" WSM arrived today. In a matter of 15 minutes, I had the thing assembled and working on my chimney. (I wish I had known about the chimney years ago-would have saved me a lot of cussing and charcoal fluid). I couldn't believe how damn big that thing was.

I have 2 pork butts on the middle level and a pork loin on top ready to see how my first batch goes. I'm using about a 50/50 combination of mesquite and hickory as well. Will post pics of the end results later tonight.

I'm nervous as hell as to how it'll turn out as I've never done this before.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Wow, you didn't waste any time. I'm hoping to do my inaugural cook on my 18.5" (that I got in Feb) this weekend.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

It's 71 degrees and I've been craving some pulled pork like crazy. I just couldn't help myself. :noon:

Now I just need to be patient for another 5 hours I'm guessing before it's ready to pull off.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

:banger

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Found that pulled pork makes a decent carnitas substitute. Took some and added to a cold stainless pan (non-stick might work too). Put over a med-low flame and let it gradually heat. After a while it starts to carmelize. The natural fat still left in the pork should be enough to keep it from sticking. Turn every so often, brown to desired doneness. Put on some corn tortillas with some cilantro and onions and a bit of hot sauce.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Did you rub the inside of the smoker down with a fat/lard first?

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

No, reading around on the virtual weber site, it said there wasn't any seasoning necessary and it just takes a few times of firing it to start building it up. Otherwise, I would have done whatever was necessary to season it.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Here's my first loin off the grill. I pretty much did this without a thermometer cuz the one I have is pretty much junk. 2 loins around 4.5 # each were on about 2h45m right round 225 give or take for the most part. Very moist and good smoke flavor.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Looking good Duane. Nice smoke ring.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Nice looking work for your first cook. :tu

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I managed to put it in foil for about 15 minutes before tearing into one of the cuts. :D

Gonna try to be real patient with the butts though. I figure those will be coming off around 11pm tonight or so. Wondering if I can wrap with foil, place in cooler, and leave just like that overnight before ripping it apart.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Been there, done that. :D

Absolutely. Just wrap them up in a few layers of HD foil, and stick them in a cooler and use kitchen towels to take up the empty airspace and the butts will stay warm for many hours. Exactly how many hours is hard to say and kind of depends a bit on how big they are and how well the cooler keeps heat, but I've held some smaller ones (like 4-5lbs) in a crappy disposable styrofoam cooler for about 3-4 hours, pulled them out and after tearing off 3-4 layers of foil, they're still plenty hot and even steaming a bit.

If you want, you can pre-warm the cooler by filling it with hot tap water and throwing the towels in the clothes dryer on high for a few minutes.

Probably want to put a few folded towels down under the butts or the heat could warp the cooler liner.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Both cuts were about 15.5 # total. They're on the bottom rack and the smoker for the most part has held in the 230 range give or take a little. Probably will flip them over at the 4 hour mark.

Thanks for cooler warming suggestions! It's a 28 qt Coleman my wife just got so it's about perfect size to throw in a couple of butts and a loin.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I can't say that I've ever noticed a difference in the butts that I flipped/turned versus the ones I haven't, so I don't bother to filp/turn them anymore unless I'm using a cooker that I know to have very uneven heating.

Thank Brent (smokin' gator) I think I got the cooler warming trick idea from him.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Plus butts don't like to be flipped, lol. My favorite part, that fat/meat strip on the bottom sticks like crazy.
Some people say, fine, no one in their right mind would EAT that, but I do. I like the way the fat nearly all
renders out and leaves that bacony flap of burnt meat I adore. Nice smoke ring, Duane, that's not easy on
a pork loin.