Re: What's in your smoker?
 

[quote=G G;2008600]Did a Roaster Chicken and a 5 lb. New York Strip Roast in the Pit Barrel Cooker today for supper. Other than the chicken taking longer than I thought it went very well. I took the Roast to about 135 and then took it off and tented some foil over it while it rested for 30 or 40 minutes and it was awesome. Chicken was very tasty as well. I love this thing already because I AM NOT a cook, not even close but this thing is so easy anyone should be able to look like a pro.

That roast looks perfect and your pictures are fantastic. I've got a lot of work to do on my photography skills. Thankfully, my food tastes better than it looks.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Cold smoking a noix de jambon (French for ham nugget). It cured for 9 days in a salt/cure #2 mix, rolled in black pepper, tied/netted and into the smoker. Going to cold smoke for about 6 hours with apple wood, then into the curing chamber for drying. Should take about 3-4 weeks.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Just had to cook a brisket today and the largest one they had was just over 3 pounds.

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...pse5e8657f.jpg

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Saw this posted, this looks like it could have a lot of potential in a smoker.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.n...d417ec2d6f4eac

Bacon & Onion Foil Packet Potatoes

2 to 3 sheets of heavy-duty foil
1 packet onion soup powder
10-12 baby red potatoes, thinly sliced
12 slices of cooked and crumbled bacon
1 small onion thinly sliced and diced
1 cup cheese (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons butter
Sour cream for serving (optional)

Spray each sheet of foil with cooking spray. Top each piece with equal portions of potatoes, bacon, 1 packet onion soup powder and mix. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to each serving. Wrap securely.

Grill for 20 to 30 minutes. Or you can bake it in the oven, at 350° for about 35 minutes or till done. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve in foil, topped with sour cream if desired

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

We had our annual work day at the archery club last weekend. I did up around a 100 pounds of leg quarters to feed the crew.

http://oldchurchbbq.com/sharedpictur...0BBQ%20000.jpg

I experimented with a new rub recipe for this one and they came out even better than I could have imagined!

http://oldchurchbbq.com/sharedpictur...0BBQ%20001.jpg

Finished up what was left over for diner last night

http://oldchurchbbq.com/sharedpictur...0BBQ%20002.jpg

We definately have a new rub at OldChurchBBQ!

:dr

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Looks tasty!!!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Velveeta.

Because. Just because.


http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/attach...1&d=1422380540

In case you are wondering, yes, alcohol was involved when this was requested.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Some St. Louis ribs getting ready for the smoker. I used Memphis Dust for the rub.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7425/...c33e3b82_c.jpg

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Making me hungry !!!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Cooked a small (12#) turkey in one of my drums yesterday.

Sorry, no sliced pictures as it went over to a party at a friends house and it wasn't really convenient to take any.

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/attach...1&d=1422810403

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/attach...1&d=1422810408

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/attach...1&d=1422810412

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Great looking ribs James...


Nice looking bird Adam. Your group usually rips and tears at the bird anyways, right?:D;)

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Sauced and ready to eat:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7380/...7dcd07bc_c.jpg

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

did a smoke mac and cheese last night for the Big Game.

also some CC Cookies. Not a big fan of those.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Some nice cooks!

Adam, any thoughts on the A-maze-N smoker I see in the Velveeta pic?
I picked one up but have yet to try it. I've been too lazy to shovel a path to the shed.
Was it easy to light and keep going? Any detectable taste difference?
I guess the Macgyvered Coffee can/soldering gun has been laid to rest.
Are you using pellets or dust?

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Dom, bearing in mind that I'm using the A-Maze-N smoker for just one or two specific things, the A-maze-N smoker is pretty good, it's not perfect for me, but I think it will be ok for the time being. The irons burn up eventually and have to be replaced, I've been though about 5 or so over 3 years, I couldn't tell you how many hundreds of pounds of cheese was smoked, but it was a lot. They changed the design of the SP23L iron I was using, which probably would work, but I also wanted to see if I could get away from the user intervention that is required with the soldering iron, shaking the can to drop new chips against the iron every 20-25 minutes isn't that big a deal, but it gets old when you have many batches to smoke and you have to lift out the grate with the food each time.

Anyway... I'm burning traeger pellets in it, lighting it takes a few times to get the hang of, getting enough of them lit and burning so that it will sustain itself. Aside from that, they work quite well in it. I tried some sawdust type stuff and the more standard quarter sized wood chips in it, neither really worked that well - the sawdust shreds I had wouldn't sustain a burn and the chips didn't smolder properly, they just flamed the whole time.

I'm still dialing in the times and such. With the iron, the smoker was completely sealed, with this, it needs an air inlet and and open exhaust so for cheese where you need a fair amount of smoke because it's not as absorbent as other foods, I've found that I need to have two ends lit.

I also discovered that the height of the pellets is important, you have to fill it almost to the top rail or it won't burn properly.

My biggest concern when getting it was it heating the chamber up too much and melting the cheese, this has yet to occur with any of the batches of cheese and as easy as velveeta melts, it didn't happen, so that's probably a non-issue.

Taste wise, there is no noticeable difference between it and the iron that I can attribute to it.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

A follow-up: this was the first time I've used the full Memphis Dust recipe (including grinding the rosemary to a powder) and WOW, is it tasty. I'm probably going to just throw out all of my other rib rub recipes and stick with it from here on out.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Thanks for the tips, Adam.
I'll likely only use it for cold smoking cheese, nuts, and such.
I feel the rest of my smokers produce enough smoke, so there's no reason to use it for additional smoking.
I see yours is on a rack, close to the cheese.
I was planning on putting mine on the bottom of the PBC.
Should I elevate it some, for better airflow? Or do you think it will be fine sitting on the bottom?

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

It's just close to the cheese in that photo because I'm using an old weber 18" grill and it's sitting on the charcoal rack. I suppose I could try to balance it in the center of the bowl, but I just never bothered to because the rack was simpler.

I think it will be fine on the bottom of the PBC, might even work better than the way I have it set up in the photo because the extra distance will disperse the smoke and heat enough that you can put cheese on the entire rack, including directly above it. I would think the extra air space in the PBC will help to keep temps down too.

If I fill one of the 3 channels on it with traeger pellets and light both ends, it runs for about an hour and a half which is sufficient in the weber to smoke most cheeses (some need more, some need less, sometimes the pellets don't smoke as well). I can't say, you might need more time in the PBC because of the extra volume. And, captain obvious chiming in, for cheese and some cured meats you have to do these early in the morning when the air is still cool and the sun hasn't started hitting the smoker.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

BTW, Dom, it's interesting that you mention using the A-maze-N smoker in the PBC, my plan when switching over to it was to eventually build a smoker (yeah, another one :fp) that was much larger than the weber 18 and would hold multiple racks as I'd really like to have the capacity to run 20 lbs or so at once. The weber was just kind of messing around until I had a chance to build the larger one.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Smoked burgers with feta cheese and caramelized onions

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

How exactly did you prepare these? They sound delicious.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Great looking BBQ':tu

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

+1 I'm interested, too!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Mini bacon explosions, on a stick.

http://youtu.be/7uMaONUiAZY

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Genius! BBQ meatsicles. Thanks for the ideas, Bob! :tu

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Pretty cool. Thanks, Bob.
I'd never be able to make them that small and get the cheese to stay in. :)
I really need my yard to defrost so I can get out again.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

After all the snow and cold weather, I need this,

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...pssuzijyvt.jpg

and this.

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...pscdrofbbd.jpg

It's going to be a good dinner. :D

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Looking forward to seeing the "after" picture!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

10 hours later,

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...psukgkmiyq.jpg

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps2vypbthe.jpg

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Looks good.

Making me jealous!!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

:dr

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I have the Amazen Tube Smoker. I've only used it once with the included pellets but I had great results using a large charcoal grill. I just put it onto one of the charcoal pans and used the cooking surface along with the warming rack for my items. I smoked a ton of peppers and some cheese. Peppers got dehydrated and ground for seasoning. Cheese got waxed and saved for later.

I bought a bag of apple wood pellets at BassPro that I'll be using next time I cold smoke. I had no issues with heat or it going out the first time. I lit with a torch as recommended. I think if you follow their specific instructions you'll be fine.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I smoke most of my meats a bit above "normal". I do port butts around 250-275. I do brisket around 275-300. I've only had one complaint of dry meat and that was when it was eaten after reheating, (and not reheated by me). My cook times are usually a bit quicker.

BTW, if there's an RD near you, get a free membership and save money.

http://www.restaurantdepot.com/

I get Choice grade brisket, often certified angus beef, for under $4/lb all day everyday. Under $3.50 if it's on sale. Bone in pork butt was on sale for $1.24/lb last time I was there and $1.12/lb if you buy a case (6 twin packs). Chicken leg quarters are usually under $0.60/lb too. Bacon I get 15 lbs for $24.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Sadly,

"*Restaurant Depot is wholesale only. To qualify for a free membership account, on your first visit you need to show a valid reseller's permit (business license) or tax-exempt certificate (for a non-profit organization) and show proof that you are authorized to purchase for said business or organization."

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

True but it doesn't specify that the business has to be in food service. Any business license will work.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I'm still SOL.
:sad

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I know it's not for everyone. My wife has a baking business on the side; bread, specialty cakes, etc. A $40 visit to the county clerk got us a lifetime membership to R.D.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Thanks Mike; We do have one here in Louisville, but never been there. My wife and I do have a little business that may work. How is it different from Costco/Sams for food? Online shows mostly resteraunt equipment. Is it worth it for the meats and other food items alone? Thanks.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Mike, I do see your prices for choice brisket which is much better than Costco, at least the last time I visited. My above question was overall how you think, if you know, their prices compare to a Costco. Thanks.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

For those interested in Restaurant Depot without a business license, you can join the KCBS.
One of the benefits of membership are day passes to Restaurant Depot.
Just go to the customer service desk, show your KCBS membership card and they'll issue you a pass.
You'll have to show your card and get a new pass each time, but there are no limit to the amount of times you can go.
Membership to the KCBS is $35 a year.

http://www.kcbs.us/

Hover your mouse over the join/renew tab on the top right of the screen and the member privileges should appear.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

:wo

Thanks, Dom.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

:tu

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

It's a little tricky to pull their flyer up but here's a link to March 2015 flyer for your region. This gives an idea of some of their items but is far from all of them.

http://www.restaurantdepot.com/Branc..._midstates.pdf

I don't regularly shop at Costco but my wife does shop and Sam's Club. She is amazing at knowing which stores sell each item at the cheapest. She tells me that while not everything is cheaper at RD, most items are, especially meat, cheese, SPICES, cooking oil and flour. Given my love of BBQ and my wife's baking business we rip through certain things. Flour she goes through over 50 lbs/month and if busy it can be over 100 lbs. Most condiments, sauces, garnishes, and other items like that are far cheaper. Produce is about a wash but since they only sell bulk size containers for produce, we don't buy much of it there as it will spoil before getting used. The meat selection is amazing, they have nearly everything. The cooler is probably 30,000 sq ft. for the location by me. Bring a jacket, hat, and gloves as you'll want to spend time in there. Deli meat at 1/3 the price of most places but it's unsliced. For that reason I'm looking into a commercial grade slicer. They sell whole lambs for $2.99/lb. They have Choice grade Angus top round for $3.19/lb, 81/19 ground chuck for $2.99/lb (sold in 10 lb tubes), pork spare ribs are $2.08/lb. Cheeses of every sort, including exotics/imports, for half what you pay at Kroger & much cheaper than Sams.

My wife still gets household items like paper plates, napkins, Windex, etc at Walmart, most produce at Kroger, and a few odds and ends at Sams.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Very cool Dom. Thanks for the info. I may just have to look into that membership too.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Wow, finding the events list on KCBS website is solid gold. I'll be planning a few weekend trips to some of the local events. I think we should even plan a herf around one.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Dixieline (a San Diego county home improvement chain) has a sale going onthis week for Traeger pellets. 20 pound bags are $11.99! All 8 varieties. No limit. They are regularly $16.99. And ~$14.50 at Costco - and usually only hickory and mesquite.

I bought 8 bags today.
Score. :wo

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Nice Peter. I broke out the UDS Monday for the first time this year. I did two pork butts that had been cut in half horizontally. I tried OLS's method of creating more surface area and thus more bark on my PP. It seems to have worked well. Moisture and flavor were very good and there was definitely more bark to go around. I only got a before pic as the after would have had to been taken pretty early in the morning Tuesday.

Did cutting it in half reduce cooking time significantly?
Posted via Mobile Device

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

It did reduce time but not in half. Maybe a 1/3 or so less time. I picked a bad night for smoking meat as the temps plunged in the early AM hours which threw my timing off a bit. My UDS holds temp very well when ambient temps are above 25 but that night it dipped down around 15 until the sun came up.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

:tu