Quote:
Originally Posted by Ahbroody
Okay boys need a little input.
So I picked up the smoker for 20.00. Not a bad starter especially for the price
 |
Can't tell for certain from the photo, but that looks like one of the older ones that was built out of heavier metal than they use nowadays. Good score.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ahbroody
I modified the chimney as I read its an issue. My question is how shold I set up the bricks or should I use bricks. I did some ribs the other night. Going to do a tritip tonight and want to nail it.
 |
Few things...
There are a few potential problems with red clay bricks... Sometimes the clay used in the construction of the brick has compounds in it that you don't want venting into the firebox as you would end up eating them, at best, they taste off, at worst, they're toxic. Red bricks also trap moisture and can shatter when heated. Finally, they aren't anywhere near as good a heat sink & buffer as refractory firebricks. You should be able to find firebrick at ACE hardware or OSH or any rockyard. Two firebricks should cost you less than $4. If you must use red brick, I recommend wrapping them in a few layers of heavy duty aluminum foil.
Just place the bricks across the drum to form a barrier, it's not really critical if they are overlapping or butted up together. All you are looking for is to restrict the charcoal to a small area at the end of the chamber opposite the exhaust. How much area? Fill a chimney with briquettes, and dump them in, then mound them up into a tight pile, then put the firebricks a little bit further out than that, allowing room for a bit more charcoal and smoke wood. If you have an angle grinder and a dust mask, grinding them to match the contour of the drum is a snap, firebrick is very soft.
Any major air leaks should really be sealed. This means the bolt holes on the back side and the airgap around the firebox door. These things aren't a big deal to a grill, but can be a very big deal to a smoker/bbq.
I'm not sure what the chimney issue is that you are referring to, but what I see that extension doing is causing smoke to bottle up inside the pit. This could lead to a layer of carbon and creosote on the food. If you are going to use the extension that you have in place now, since it's galvanized tin, I would build a hot fire, grab a can of PAM cooking spray and spray it down inside and out a few times during the burn to bake a layer of oil onto it, to prevent the chance of any metallic off flavors.
As for tri-tip, I wouldn't smoke it. Indirect cook at medium-high heat (350-375) until about 130 internal (30-45 minutes depending on the thickness of the cut). Use oak or grape vines for smoke, or get a bag of Lazzari mesquite lump and cook with that. Either make your own rub or pick up a 2lb jar of Pappy's seasoning rub at costco or sam's and a 2lb container of granulated garlic and mix them together 1:1. Rub meat down with that a few hours before cooking. You could also dump some Lea & Perrin's worcestershire sauce (all other brands pale in comparison) over the meat, then coat with rub, wrap tightly in saran wrap, and put back into the refrigerator for a few hours. After it hits about 130F internal, pull the meat off, allow to rest for 10 minutes, slice very thin, pile it high on fresh sourdough or french rolls and top with fresh salsa.