What's in your smoker?

[Smokin Gator]

Here is the dinner:



Pulled chuckie
Rib tips
cole slaw
potato salad
hog peach beans
cake for dessert (not shown)!!!

[Steve]

[T.G]

That's a helluva spread there gator.

[BigAsh]

Originally Posted by Smokin Gator

Here is the dinner:

Attachment 5850

Pulled chuckie
Rib tips
cole slaw
potato salad
hog peach beans
cake for dessert (not shown)!!!

See you went "lite" this time..........fine lookin' eats my friend!

[OLS]

This weekend I FINALLY pulled my head out of my azz long enough to realize
that the reason I rarely ever finish a Boston Butt is that I can't get the smoke
ring down into that huge chunk of meat. I love smoked pork, but that's alot
of pork that is just OK tasting. So barring a Cajun Injector, I just gave up.
Then I thought derh, cut it up into pieces. So I had a butt this weekend and
I cut 5 pieces about 5 inches long x 4 inches deep and wide and left the bone
in section as just a 5 or 6 inch cube. I arranged them out with a few pieces
of boudin blanc and let em smoke away. Came back after three hours and
re-established my coal pile and added more hickory chunks and went another
3 hours....In one word. Perfection. I am never cooking a butt whole again.
At least for my consumption. I waste so much meat, just because I love to
cook outdoors. I might cook a butt and two racks of ribs, and I am bored
with it after a few days, and it's just me eating it. Sometimes my landlady will
take a bunch, but like I said, I am cooking just for the pleasure in cooking.
Now at least I can cook a whole butt and eat it, too.

[Powers]

It was an awesome supper indeed. You're in for a treat Keith when u finally get to taste it at EPIC III

[OLS]

Originally Posted by T.G

If you want a really long burn time, pick up some Rancher brand from Home Depot. That stuff burns forever.

I take a little nugget like this as gold. I have never ventured to THINK about HD selling charcoal.
I need to pick up a bag of quikcrete today, I guess I will try this out.
As for fuel though, I am really a lump charcoal guy. Mostly cause of the fact that briquets
are $hit for big cooking. Like was said elsewhere, you get store brand or cheap and it burns
store brand and cheap. Spend your whole day getting your pile hot again. The chunk is
the only thing I find burns for long periods. I also burn trash sticks alot, as I have several
pecan trees around. I use sticks and twigs to get my fire going, then add the charcoal and
wait 15 mins and i am rolling. Thanks for the tip on the Rancher stuff.

[BigAsh]

Originally Posted by UFPowersmoker320

It was an awesome supper indeed. You're in for a treat Keith when u finally get to taste it at EPIC III

No doubt about it!

[OLS]

Originally Posted by Smokin Gator

I do want to say though... I know I have posted in this thread quite a bit and I don't want to come off as a know it all. There are lots of ways
to cook great Q and I by no means have the market cornered

I think this is a pretty bold statement, cause smoking IS SO varied and has so many nuances that make it a very
private affair. The basics are not even set in stone. When you get to the preferences, it just goes into
so many tangents.
But it is VERY GOOD to be so prolific a poster on the subject, and the photos are great, too.
Personally, I need to be more disciplined about photos. My butt chunks were so gorgeous this weekend
that I think they would have played pretty nice here. But it is a smart man that says "I don't want
to come off as a know-it-all" because it is very easy to do so. I think everyone here
who posts alot is basically saying, " I know a $hitload about this, and this is what
works for me. If you think you want to follow my advice, this is what you can expect.
Your mileage may vary." I think these threads are a great bazaar of ideas and results
and tips and pics. If you can't read the whole thread and emerge a better smoker,
you just ain't tryin.

[OLS]

Originally Posted by OLS

Mostly cause of the fact that briquets
are $hit for big cooking.

Sorry, by this I mean that the kind I tended to buy are $hit for long cooking.
I USED to buy briquets, and 7 in ten times, I bought the cheapest kind.

[wayner123]

OLS, I have had good results too by cutting up a butt. I get more bark that way. However, I don't use that small of chunks/strips. Mostly I just cut a whole butt in half.

If you like those strips/chunks you made, you can always buy Country Style Ribs at your local grocery. All they are is a Pork butt that the butcher has cut up. Sometimes they can be found at lower than whole butt prices.

[Mr B]

Very nice lookin spread there Gator, vary nice indeed.

[T.G]

Originally Posted by OLS

I take a little nugget like this as gold. I have never ventured to THINK about HD selling charcoal.
I need to pick up a bag of quikcrete today, I guess I will try this out.
As for fuel though, I am really a lump charcoal guy. Mostly cause of the fact that briquets
are $hit for big cooking. Like was said elsewhere, you get store brand or cheap and it burns
store brand and cheap. Spend your whole day getting your pile hot again. The chunk is
the only thing I find burns for long periods. I also burn trash sticks alot, as I have several
pecan trees around. I use sticks and twigs to get my fire going, then add the charcoal and
wait 15 mins and i am rolling. Thanks for the tip on the Rancher stuff.

Originally Posted by OLS

Sorry, by this I mean that the kind I tended to buy are $hit for long cooking.
I USED to buy briquets, and 7 in ten times, I bought the cheapest kind.

To me, I've found that it doesn't matter if it's briquettes or lump; cheap is cheap and crap is crap and being cheap doesn't necessarily make it crap, and crap isn't always cheap.

True there is a greater number of fuels that are both cheap and crappy in the same bag. Some of the cheap briquettes are pretty bad (usually house brands), as are some of the cheap lumps (like cowboy, best of the west, imported royal oak). But there are also some really good inexpensive lumps (US made royal oak) and some good inexpensive briquettes (and KF is actually very reasonably priced when purchased in large 30-40+lb packs)

Some cooks like briquettes, some like lump, some like logs. It's whatever works for you, as there is no one be-all, end-all fuel that is perfect for everyone.

[LooseCard]

Originally Posted by OLS

Sorry, by this I mean that the kind I tended to buy are $hit for long cooking.
I USED to buy briquets, and 7 in ten times, I bought the cheapest kind.

It is definitely a place where 'you get what you paid for' comes into play.

I've heard great things about "Wicked Good Charcoal" but have yet to try it.
I'm a steadfast user of the K-bluebag. And I rarely do anything other than overnight Butts (until this year...!!).

[OLS]

Haha, I am glad I didn't get that cowboy stuff today. For some reason Rancher's select or
Rancher's choice or whatever slipped out of my mind,and besides I was at Lowe's anyway.
But I looked at that stuff, and thought, no, you HAVE coal for now. But I did pick up a
cheap smoker to replace my old dinosaur. I picked up one from a friend who's apartment
mgmt told him it needed to be gone from the pool area or it would be tossed in a dumpster.
I smoked with it all last year. The bottom is near rusted out, and I couldn't move the vents
anymore, they were so greased in and rusted out that the tabs almost tore off...So I got this device.
I am good enough to not need the best quipment to get the best results. But for about
half of what I was prepared to pay, I will do fine with this.
I remember my Mom used to bring home those Country style ribs back when I leved with
her after my Dad died. I only ever grilled them. I might have to check on smoking some
next time they go onsale.

As for coal, I tend to use Kingsford lump or another highend lump. OR I just burn whatever tree
I have cut down lately or on my lunch hour I tend to cruise the streets looking for woodpiles
out by the street.

[OLS]

You gotta read this....
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lumpdatabase/lumpbag6.htm

In fact, you REALLY gotta read THIS.....
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lumpindexpage.htm?bag

Sorry if this is placed elsewhere already, but what was found in the COWBOY brand charcoal,
also sold as FreshMarket and WholeFoods, Martha Stewart and Williams Sonoma charcoal .
PLYWOOD, lol.

This page was extremely helpful to me, because I use Kingsford lump which is rated very low
for crappy sizes and excessive dust, and I shun "Best Choice" (Piggly Wiggly store brand), but
it is actually rated as very good and is made by Royal Oak. Learned something quite useful today.

[T.G]

That's a very good site, whenever I run across a brand I'm thinking about trying, I'll check it there first, depending on what they have to say, I might or might not try it.

Yeaup, I've seen those photos. For gilling I predominately use lump and I've personally seen some questionable stuff come out of various bags of lump over the years. I tend to use KF briqs for the BBQ pit because they are the most consistant fuel you can buy, every briquette, every bag, is exactly the same.

I think it was a bag of cowboy that I found used nails in about 10 years ago.

[OLS]

Good old cowboy lump charcoal???

[OLS]

OH MAN, it's almost officially the weekend and I have YET to purchase my first meat for the new grill.
I have a ton of stuff frozen and ready for a moment's notice should a great weekend pop up, but this
new grill calls for something special. I put it together last evening, and I did a pretty good job. Calls for
2 people, but so did my large tin shed. I had so many ropes, pulleys and bungie cords in service, I
LAUGH at two person jobs, HA. Modified it as called for on the interwebs, and am going to season it
this afternoon and maybe begin a cook tonight, too. I am guessing a brisket, but I am dying to do that
superslab, what does Raichlen call it again? ...it came to me in a dream and now I have forgotten it.
One word. --interweb--dern, can't find it easy. A clop, a clup dangit

[T.G]

Originally Posted by OLS

I am guessing a brisket, but I am dying to do that
superslab, what does Raichlen call it again? ...it came to me in a dream and now I have forgotten it.
One word. --interweb--dern, can't find it easy. A clop, a clup dangit

I'm not sure. I'm a big fan of Steve Raichlen, even traded some recipes with him a few years ago, but dammed if I can place the name for what you're talking about.