Dug the Smoker Out of the Garage; Should Have Done That Long Ago...

Sac Arrow said:
No, those look good. It was a first attempt. I could have done better.
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Ours could have been better, lots better. We didn't get enough time on them. I think they could have used another couple of hours, but we ran out of time.
 
Matthew said:
Ours could have been better, lots better. We didn't get enough time on them. I think they could have used another couple of hours, but we ran out of time.
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The biggest problem I faced was that I was in a hurry to beat the rain, so I pulled the coals out of the chimney prematurely and didn't get full burn from one side, so I got about a little over 4 hours of cook time. I should have monitored things more carefully but I was faced with other tasks. They came out ok but not great.
 
Rain does make it tough. People ask me all the time, "What do you do if it rains?", well, I get wet. In a contest, we'll try to extend a tarp, or just add more charcoal to keep the heat up as much as possible. Generally, we try to guess when the rain is going to hit, and adjust schedules accordingly. The great thing about smoking at home - once you get a few hours of smoke on the meat, the prevailing theory is it really doesn't absorb any more flavor. At that point, you can wrap in foil (if you want), and finish it in the oven indoors. There is no shame in that.
 
Sac Arrow said:
So I'm going to do beef back ribs today, lump charcoal indirect, maybe a can of water down there to maintain moisture, any tips?
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Where do you find any decent beef ribs that haven't been trimmed to nothing but dinosaur bones?
 
gkainz said:
Where do you find any decent beef ribs that haven't been trimmed to nothing but dinosaur bones?
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I've been wondering if you could order them butchered how you like them for this sort of cooking at the meat locker in Elizabeth... But I haven't called them nor tried it yet.
 
I keep forgetting about Edwards, and they're just down the road from me.
 
Well here is my go at "smoking" some ribs, pre rubbed in the cryo pack. Lump hardwood charcoal in effect. Chicken goes in a half hour from now.

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I'll tell you what. That was awesome. Those are the best ribs I have ever made. Perfect. The heat, the smoke, the seasonings, came together in a perfect storm. Wow.
 
Hams turned out good
 

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Anyway end result. I think the pre-rubbed cryopac helped retain moisture, with the salt in it. Perfect, come clean off the bone ribs.

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Oh, and by the way, I discovered for years I was doing it all wrong. I used to put the chimney on the grill, light it, play hell blowing the paper ashes out, and then replacing. A couple weeks ago I was watching someone lighting the chimney. On the ground. Then the "D'oh!" moment hit!
 

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Sac Arrow said:
Anyway end result. I think the pre-rubbed cryopac helped retain moisture, with the salt in it. Perfect, come clean off the bone ribs.

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Oh, and by the way, I discovered for years I was doing it all wrong. I used to put the chimney on the grill, light it, play hell blowing the paper ashes out, and then replacing. A couple weeks ago I was watching someone lighting the chimney. On the ground. Then the "D'oh!" moment hit!
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That cryopack probably dry brined them really nicely.
 
Necroposting this thread because it was a really good one.

I was in Home Depot (with my kids, oddly enough) getting some supplies for the wife's herb garden one Sunday a couple of weeks ago, when I walk past a little arrangement of offset smokers on the floor that really caught my eye. They showed two sizes, I'd call them small and medium. Uncharacteristically of HD, an employee from the department comes by and asks if I needed any help. I learn that these model are on clearance because Brinkmann is out of business. What mostly caught my eye was the price: the smaller model is selling for $79; the larger is selling for $99. I succumb, but do get the smaller model, which you see here.

Its only partially assembled in tis photo because A) its fooking cold out there -- I'm not going to be using it imminently; and B) my smoking guru says he had a similar model, but ended up using it for griling more than smoking (it can be used for both, thought grilling seems inconvenient, and I prefer my Weber kettle for that). His reason is that he found it very leaky/drafty, and tough to regulate temp. He once again swore by his WSM, but that's another conversation. He did agree that for the price it was tough to go wrong.

I've only partially assembled it because I'm waiting for some seals to arrive. I particularly want to seal the interface between the fire box and the meat chamber, but also the firebox door, and the meat chamber lid. I'm also reading about other mods that are recommended; mostly baffling and chimney extensions. One drawback of the smaller size I got is that temp difference across the grate can be higher than I might like. I read that a water pan can make a decent baffle at the firebox opening, so I'm inclined to try that.

After seasoning, my first planned outing for this unit is for some nice brisket. I am enthused to have the offset firebox to make it easier to keep a 12-hour smoke like that going; and the additional grate real estate over my kettle. Ribs coming soon, too.

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Tri tip and chicken. Dry rubbed. It was super good. Grilled covered though, not smoked.
 
Sac Arrow said:
I'll tell you what. That was awesome. Those are the best ribs I have ever made. Perfect. The heat, the smoke, the seasonings, came together in a perfect storm. Wow.
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:yeahthat: Love it when grilling food comes from together! Nothing better!
 
Smoking-meat.com and smokingmeatforums.com
.
I did a meatloaf in the smoker today. Ground beef, Italian sausage, stuffing mix, onion and garlic powder and mince, salt, papper, and eggs. Mixed it all together, formed a loaf, wrapped in bacon. 4 hours in the smoker at 225 with an internal temp of 155. Pixs enclosed.
It was only the second time I used the smoker since I got it for Christmas. Weather was just great for it.
 

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Would love to know how this works for you. I have a steel file cabinet in the garage I was planning on turning into a smoker but for $79 or $99 I may just go grab one of these from HD.
 
NHWannabe said:
Would love to know how this works for you. I have a steel file cabinet in the garage I was planning on turning into a smoker but for $79 or $99 I may just go grab one of these from HD.
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I'd be a little bit careful about how you go about it. Non heat resistant paint and cadmium aren't great things to be floating around in there.
 
Sac Arrow said:
I'd be a little bit careful about how you go about it. Non heat resistant paint and cadmium aren't great things to be floating around in there.
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Even the new ones caution you about seasoning the device prior to use. If I recall correctly, mine was a 3 hour 285 degree empty smoke.
 
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