Originally Posted by OLS (Post 1279147)

Then I end up with a fridge full of food, no one to eat it, and hardly any excuse to make more.
Utterly depressing.

Originally Posted by fxpose (Post 1280156)

I did several cooks over the entire weekend, including this Costco salmon on Home Depot cedar. Cedar fencing was not treated but for some reason it did not have that same true cedar plank aroma.

Originally Posted by T.G (Post 1280171)

Is that white cedar?

I think the planks often sold in markets and gourmet shops are typically red cedar which has a stronger aroma.

Originally Posted by fxpose (Post 1280202)

I think that was the case.

Originally Posted by forgop (Post 1280372)

I've eaten way too many BBR's since my smoke on Sunday. 1 full rack Sunday, a half rack for breakfast, lunch, and dinner yesterday, and another full rack for dinner tonight. :tu

Here's the only photo I took of them.

On another note, I think I'm gonna give up on the "fall off the bone" aspect of them. I feel like I'm trying to get them so tender that they seem to get a bit dry in some spots. It might be a bit more chewy off the bone, but I seem to be failing in that aspect. Then again, I don't foil them or anything...and my temps are usually in the 225-235 window for most of the smoke, so it's not that I'm too hot.

Originally Posted by forgop (Post 1280379)

You should probably give these a try:

http://www.amazon.com/Cedar-Grill-Pl...6894569&sr=1-2

I might get some myself. I'm wanting to give Salmon a try, although I'd be more tempted to want to grill it rather than smoke it.

Originally Posted by OLS (Post 1280739)

For me, and whatever I am doing, it's right, lol, I think that temp is at the low end of HIGH, Duane.
I tend to smoke mine for two hours and cook alone for another hour. My temps never get over 220.
That is a mighty small matter of 10-15 degrees, and might not be the issue at all, but I never have
tough ribs and they are inherently juicy, almost ****ographically so. It might also be the cuts,
I bought some cheap ones at the Super Mercado and they were ALL tough. The rack was almost 3 feet long, lol.
Y'all get a lot of good pork up your way, so that's probably fine, too. I never foil ribs, and nowadays I slap on
sauce after the smoke for that last hour. It might be the cooker, maybe you need to use a much lower temp for
the same time. Your temp might be too concentrated in that small space, great for smoke, bad for heat. :sh

Originally Posted by 357 (Post 1281006)

Got a new charcoal grill so I was thinking about using my old kettly style grill for a smoker. Good tips here that I'm going to try:

http://www.amazingribs.com/tips_and_...ill_setup.html

I'll get some pics when I actually give it a shot.

Originally Posted by T.G (Post 588391)

At the risk of embarrasment in comparason to what you've got going in your pit...


http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/263...ledchicken.jpg

Originally Posted by Chainsaw13 (Post 1281068)

Adam, where did you get your firebricks? I want some for my Bradley to help maintain a more consistent heat, plus some for my over to bake on.

Originally Posted by 357 (Post 1281084)

So in this situation firebricks would be used to absorb heat in order to help regulate it (in place of the water pan) ?

Originally Posted by OLS (Post 1281091)

ooooh, baby this picture is the one that gets me HOAR-neee.
I always wondered if you chopped up the chicken skin and liberally dispersed it through the meat.

Originally Posted by ucla695 (Post 1281100)

^ ^ Great pic of how to set-up fire bricks in a kettle smoker too.

Originally Posted by OLS (Post 1275943)

Well, there is something to be said for being early, especially on a holiday weekend. BUT it is not good for the food in this case.
I smoked some bacon this evening, and on the bad side, I needed this ready for a friend tomorrow, so I pulled it a day or even
two early from the salting container, and I even pulled it early off the smoker. I smoked my last batch for 6 hours+ and it was
phenomenal. This won't be terrible, but it is a little flabby in terms of shrinkage that you like to see. It was cured with only
kosher salt and brown sugar for 2 days. It looked great when I cut it, and smelled as good, but again, flabby. Couple that with
the fact that the way I get this belly meat for now is cut into these sections you see here. NOT a full belly, which will tend to
make it a bit salty, since there are so many sides in contact with the salt...I DO like how it makes up in the pan, though, the half
slices or even third-slice size, makes it very easy to cook well.

BLABLABLA, and I also cooked a dozen chicken legs that I needed to finish in the oven, as the bacon needs to cook just below
actual cooking temps to smoke and not cook. AND NOW, pics............

Originally Posted by 357 (Post 1281146)

That's awesome. Seems like a better solution than the water pan. Anything I specific I should look for if I wanted to pick some up (beside the right size to fit)? Are they easy to shape to fit that rounded bottom?

Originally Posted by LostAbbott (Post 1281478)

Brad-

Yeah I got to a butcher for my belly and they sell it in about 10lb slabs. I have only done twenty lbs. so far and the first was in a brine, that made basically candy bacon. It was great, but I need to try something simpler. I think I am just going to do salt, brown sugar, and pepper...

Originally Posted by OLS (Post 1281891)

I would love to hear what the details of 'candy bacon' are. How it comes to get that name.
My best batch was peppery and garlicky, which somewhat inhibited the smoke, but made
for good meat in the end. I sliced up my batch from last night, that slicer is going to pay for itself
fast, considering my landlady thinks it is in storage and I am using it full tilt, lol. I am going to start
dealing with a butcher for true slabs. Ironically, I do not need to be messing with bacon now, I need
to drop 30-40 lbs before I start planning the perfect bacon. I am at a critical stage now on weight,
teetering at the edge of non-obesity but loaded with potential. It's getting too close.

Originally Posted by Chainsaw13 (Post 1282173)

Was that too much?

Originally Posted by 357 (Post 1283430)

where do you get good wood/woodchips for smoking?