@dbarrym
Good to see a bunch of experienced smokers here! As I said these are my first few cooks so I have a lot to learn. I bought this because i’m old and lazy https://www.smokin-it.com/Smoker-p/smkmdl2-gen3.htm it’s been so much fun I am already eyeballing other traditional smokers so I can do big cuts of beef Need to figure out what kinds of wood I like best with each meat.
No wrap on that shoulder and used hickory. on to today i’m already boiling some eggs to make those deviled eggs that sounds fantastic! What kind of wood do you use with eggs?
Smoked some salmon that came out nice for the bagels I made yesterday.
@ScottW58 Looks nice, congrats! Re the best wood for eggs, you want a light smoke wood, I use apple, alder, maple, and occasionally cherry or pecan. For your first try with eggs, use apple or alder. Since the smoke time is generally low, you do want a good volume of smoke but again it needs to be blue or clear (white or grey smoke = very bad! means incomplete combustion and nasty bitter flavors).
And as an update for me… besides being locked in home jail, my back yard flooded in the recent heavy rains and I had 6"-10"’ deep water covering my patio until a few days ago (french drains are clogged apparently) … looking forward to smoking a 4-bone prime rib and some hard boiled eggs (makes the best deviled eggs and potato salad!) this weekend, it’s been a month or more since I last fired one of the smokers up.
Boil then peel and smoke. You want to boil them to the point of being solid but not fully done (be careful in peeling!) for the best texture. I sometimes will boil, chill, then crack the shells but not peel fully to get an interesting pattern on the egg whites (aka, my “crocodile eggs” with some sriracha used for the deviled yolks). Smoke at low temp - 200 degrees or less if your setup allows - for about 20-30 minutes. You can also smoke raw/unpeeled eggs and get some color and flavor but it is not as pronounced - smoke at 225 for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. I’ve done "soft boiled’ eggs this way for some crazy good eggs on brisket hash breakfasts but usually at BBQ comps where I’m up at 4 AM anyway.
Very nice. I sold my Egg when I realized I had 8 different smokers and only 3-4 types were in use regularly (I now have two 60 gal Vortex barrel smokers, a 30 gal PBC, a MasterBuilt 60" electric smoker for doing cold smokes, a fixed stand 60" OK Joe stick burner, a PK Kitchen charcoal grill, and the mack daddy - a Lang 84" offset trailer stick burner with a warming box and built in coolers and wood storage. I admit to using a Pitmaster IQ temp controller on the barrels but the rest are all ‘old skool pitmaster’ manual temp control.
@dbarrym
I understand that for many people, controlling your temps manually is a lot of the fun and sense of accomplishment, but when I’m smoking, people are coming over, and I’ve got shit to do. I really needed a solution to untether me. Maybe some day I’ll get better organized and not need to run around so much, but why deny myself smoked meat in the mean time? Especially if that day never comes? Hey, quick question for you, do you ever smoke portobello caps? My husband went vegetarian on me about 6 years ago, and we just throw them in in a glass dish with about 1-2 hours left, but I’ve always wondered if there’s anything else we should be doing.
@mtb002 I totally get that, when I am doing BBQ for guests at home or work I use my barrels with the IQ controller. No excuses or apologies needed, I’m not a BBQ snob. For me, as I delved deeper into KCBS and SCA competition as a competitor and judge, by manually monitoring temps I learned much about the impact on temp control vs environmental factors (wind, rain, sun) and the fact that each piece of protein/meat can behave very differently really upped my learning and BBQ game. So the manual smokers really helped in my BBQ pitmaster journey.
At the end of the day it’s all about having fun and enjoying some great BBQ (paired with a great match of Vino!).
@mtb002 And yes, i have done porto caps a few times - the key is to keep the temp low (225-250, never above) and use a light wood like apple as the mushrooms really absorb it. You really want to get to the ‘blue smoke’ or no smoke stage before adding the caps to the smoker or you will get an unpleasant bitter flavor.
oh, and smoke them right on the grate - brush with melted butter and the spices of your choice, maybe some Worcestershire sauce for more umami. They are done when slightly soft and ‘wrinkly’ looking.
I’ve got a cheap Masterbuilt electric smoker…amateur, I know, but foolproof. And, I’ve got to thank all you on Casemates (and the prior site) for introducing me to the concept of smoking and of dry aged beef.
Anyways, any smoking and any aging of beef, is better than none at all.
Again, thank you all for kicking my gastronomy up a notch.
@FritzCat I started out with a Masterbuilt 10 years ago, and I still use it for cold smoking (made an external smoker box with a small computer fan to pull the smoke/heat out of the main chamber). It’s all good!
Yeah, if I got a smoker I’d want it to handle cold smoking to make proper lox myself. (In addition to ribs, shoulders - especially lamb, brisket, et al.) What would you recommend?
@klezman Been away for a while but for lox you want a cold smoke…thus I still have my old Mastrebuily electric unit with a home made external smokebox to keep the temps down, usually smoking at night when the temps are in the 50’s-60’s. You can make an external box to hold the food ( I fabbed up a metal box from a very large (2 cu ft.) ammo can with holes cut in it to add two computer cooling fans to pull in smoke from the hot box (the main masterbuilt smoker, using the exhaust port) connected with 3" dryer hose plumbed into the ammo box with another fan on the cold box to pull the smoke through. Masterbuilt sells a kit to do this also, see https://www.amazon.com/Masterbuilt-20070112-Smoking-Digital-Smokers/dp/B008DF6WWE
Well I did it, man i’m having the time of my life with this thing! Apple wood smoked deviled eggs but I use my friends smoking hot sauce that he makes. Smokey and nice but I could have gone a little longer for more smoke flavor…next time!
Is there anyone closely familiar with smokers? My sister and I are going to buy a smoker as a birthday present for our dad, but we know nothing about it. We consider buying Cuisinart CPG-4000, if you know something about it, or you use it, please write to me. It’s not cheap so we wanna make really good present.
@TiWill I got smoke vault 24 inch that i got from bbq guys but home depot sells them as well. I’m a big fan of it and its better than my previous masterbuild smoker. Really nice temp control for a gas smoker and its easy to remove all the racks to clean, and no underneath smoker flare up
@InFrom@klezman Yep, I’m still in Ithaca, NY and now as a fully minted potato doctor, although because of covid i never actually got to walk across the stage yet, but got my diploma and defended. So once covid is over come visit
Ok, don’t want to rain on your parade, but… I have a simple electric smoker which works very well. Keeps proper temp, timer…simple. The question that I have is; does Dad want complexity, does he want to become a grillmaster, or does he want to simply smoke some meat occasionally?
@FritzCat hmmm I didn’t even think about a simple version. He has a lot of free time, and we though that it could become a kind of hobby for him. But I’ll make a research for something simpler, thanks
I’ll probably be smoker shamed, but I can handle it. And I’ve been waffling on what to buy for months. Limited space, wanted set it and forget it for the most part. Just pulled the trigger on the Smokin-It #1. I might wish I did a #2 but in the mean time I’ll have fun playing with this.
SmokinTex 1100 was the other option.
@kaolis It looks like a nice compact smoker. About the only thing missing in my opinion is a water tray at the bottom (above the chip chamber) to add moisture and catch drips (I realize there is a drip pan beneath).
@Mark_L Water tray easy enough to add, most just put a vessel next to the firebox or either side. I’ve seen a million opinions on how/when/if to use one. Guess I’ve got some experimenting to do.And these are supposedly pretty tight units as far as one needing one. Not functional as a redundant drip tray though obviously. We shall see.
@kaolis
Hey now that’s a nice little smoker! I had one for a while before my future son in law decided that everything coming out of it was delicious and asked me if he could buy it So I ended up getting the pit barrel so I could do larger cooks. Have fun!
I have a pitbarrellcooker and it’s awesome. Very user (read: novice) friendly. I stick to ribs, pork shoulder, and brisket (after a 24-30 hour sous vide bath) for the most part, but love the results.
@Mark_L@radiolysis
I can’t wait to smoke a turkey! I have a hanger for that in the pitbarell, I need to try one hanging and one flat to see what I prefer, although I’m sure I will be happy either way. That’s a nice looking bird Mark!
Reviving this thread. Hubs smokes a fair amount of pork, going to do a brisket next. Any advice, tips, recipes? I know he reads Meathead’s stuff. I’ve seen where some will sous vide first. Thoughts?
@pseudogourmet98
No way I would sous vide it first you want some bark! My best one’s were cooked at 240 or 250 usually around 6 and a half hours or when your thermapen has no resistance when you check the temp, for me around 200 degrees plus or minus.
@Mark_L@pseudogourmet98
I think that depends on your smoker and some people cook it at around 220ish. I think my smoker the Pit Barrel cooks slightly faster not to mention if I go for 220ish it’s more work and I have to pay attention and I’m old and lazy
@Mark_L@pseudogourmet98@ScottW58 whole briskets in the PBC take 6-9 hours from my experience. My last brisket in the BGE took 20-22 hours at around 206-220’s That was the best brisket I’ve had. I normally don’t eat leftovers and was eating that for 3 days alongside the pulled pork butt we smoked too. My chest hurts thinking about it…
@Mark_L@pseudogourmet98@ScottW58 wifey just got me one for Xmas/anniversary/bday and its been a dream. It’s stupid easy to manage the temps and they are extremely consistent when using the conveggtor. I was comfortable enough to sleep my first time using it. Get the XL if your considering one.
@Mark_L@pseudogourmet98@ScottW58 Re whole briskets in the PBC…I was an early user for the PBC and mine is about worn out after 9+ years of continuous use. Typical PBC temps are in the 275+/- range unless you use a temp controller, which I adopted (after much teeth gnashing) about 6 years ago. Combining that plus the ‘minion method’ (Google it) results in reliable temps of 225 for up to 12 hours (depending on the coal type used) which is enough for all but the most difficult stall-prone briskets (more so if you wrap at 150-160, regardless of what Franklin says). Best of both methods - low temps plus PBC ease of use.
Edit - If the stall, after butcher paper wrap, extends past the coal load - use the oven to finish. Seriously… for a home (non-comp) cook, who cares? It’s all about the end result. Cheers, Barry (aka KCBS ‘Team TBD’)
@dbarrym@Mark_L@pseudogourmet98
Not the minion method on the PBC but I have found if I use less coals and close the air intake a bit it will settle down around 240 to 250 then open it a bit more after 3 to 5 hours to maintain temp. I always wrap around 160 and always got through the stall, maybe lucky I guess? Good to see you’re around I will probably need your expertise when I get my next smoker
@Mark_L@pseudogourmet98@ScottW58 Yes, you can keep the PBC temps down but it’s more fiddly with coal load, number of coals to light, and tweaking the intake setting when the temps are below 275. I did the ‘shim the lid with folded foil wedges’ tricks and got really good at it - the PBC is a perfect starting place for serious BBQ (and a lot less $$$ and weight than the BGE, which I also have). But when I started competing, it became a lot less stressful to use the temp controller, pretty much set and forget (still need to get the proper number of coals lit to start, etc). I’ve since moved on to a pair of 60 gallon Vortex barrels and a 60" Lang offset for comps but the good old PBC is still the go-to for use at home. cheers
@dbarrym@Mark_L@pseudogourmet98
Yeah I tried cracking the lid and foil but did not get good at it, I have gotten good with the less coals technics although cracking the lid at the end of a chicken cook gets the skin where I like it. Love my PBC!
I’m thinking I’m going to pour some of that 2014 Pedroncelli Port in a pork butt wrap whenever that happens again. Any thoughts or experience with that from anyone?
@ScottW58 tried it twice with a Kansas style rub. Smoked it until 165 in BGE, then threw it in a wrap. Used 350ml first time, 750ml the second time, it definitely liked the full bottle. Had it with kings Hawaiian rolls.
I got an offset smoker late last year. Still learning how to control the heat, but I’m doing my best to make the neighborhood smell good as often as possible
@kaolis That is gorgeous, but I can’t look at this picture and not think you are going to try out the 3-second rule or you really love your dog. (I know the weight of that beautiful belly is keeping it safe, but the precariousness!)
I cured for 16 days, smoked at 175, pulled at 150 not 165 as some sites say. I think the above site says 140-150. A buddy who does a ton of bacon pulls his at 140. Did 1/2 apple, 1/2 cherry. Tasty.
I was going to smoke 3 racks of ribs today (in preparation for family coming) but my electric smoker always tripped the GFCI (maybe got a bit damp since I last used it) so ended up using my charcoal grill (I got through the first two steps of the 3-2-1 method). So far they are tasting good.
I was hoping to find a brisket for sunday, but they seem out of stock at the places I frequent. I ended up with a round so I’ll make some Pit Beef instead!
Ok, salmon and Italian sausage yesterday. Sausage doesn’t look particularly impressive but it was good meat but did take on more smoke than I thought it would. A small piece of boneless pork shoulder/butt a week or so ago. I was a little worried about the pork, really small piece, not much over 2 pounds. Heck not bigger than a lot of pork tenderloins. Anyway did an overnight brine. Then coated in mustard and rub and wrapped in plastic wrap for another overnight. Then a real slow smoke at only about 200 F until the very end which I increased to about 250. Took it to 190 and pulled and rested. Was awesomely tasty.
@kaolis@ScottW58
Ok, so as not to pollute that other thread, I found the original thread here and did a read. Need to visit the links. Also copied your reply to retain context from over there.
@kaolis@rjquillin Well Ron as someone who has screwed up many smoked briskets I would suggest a Trager pellet smoker or maybe a “smoking it” like kaolis has. Unless you have tons of time to practice on an Kamodo or big green egg etc. they are easier to control your heat. Me I’m retired so I have plenty of time to practice. Secondly go to Costco and pickup an inexpensive brisket to practice on before you try the expensive Flannery. Imo brisket is the hardest to master, but when you do oh mama you will never go back ScottW58 said a few seconds ago
Is there really a simple answer for one not yet retired with unlimited time?
Well the pellett smoker “traeger” is the easiest but a full brisket is a 8 to 12 hour cook on any smoker at least.
ScottW58 said 21 minutes ago
Kinda like suggesting I get a car, but not specifying it to be a Smart EQ Fortwo or an Aston Martin Valkyrie.
Currently I have a hybrid charcoal/propane that’s on it’s last bag of briquettes before the bottom falls out like the propane side did last year. Are the Treagers all pellet, or mixed fuel models. Searching now…
@kaolis@ScottW58@rjquillin
Larry has both the Traeger and Kamado. Thanks to @ScottW58 and his pics of ‘meat candy’, all of a sudden there was a Kamado Joe being unloaded off a UPS truck…. Then the calls and texts to @ScottW58, now instigated by Larry, around cuts of meat, ventilation, heat regulation, and smoke time. It was the summer of test meats every single weekend. I digress. From a taste perspective, the Traeger is great for chicken and smaller, less dense cuts. For thicker and larger cuts, there’s no comparison to the Kamado/Egg/Weber. Smoked turkey, ham, brisket only on the Kamado. The Traeger can’t achieve a steady smoke through the entire dense cut. Chicken quarters, steak, ribs, flatirons, Flannery hangers are beautiful on the Traeger. The Traeger is certainly faster for a weeknight or smaller pieces, but on weekends Larry fires up the Kamado and does a smorgasbord of meat, both larger and smaller cuts. The Traeger is old (at least 12-15 years?) and a mixed fuel model so maybe it has evolved with the newer models. Larry hasn’t yet retired and I only use a grill since ‘a day of smoking meat’ isn’t fun for me so both have their purpose. Maybe you need both
@chefjess@ScottW58@rjquillin never used a
traeger but my electric Smokin-it is truly set it and forget it my humble. I have two, one in each place, small ones but fine for us.
Agree brisket is hard, don’t start with that Flannery. And don’t try and do small pieces of brisket, it’s a recipe for disaster pun intended. Analog electric smokers, which is what I have, have a temp swing, can always go pid if that bothers you, doesn’t bother me. You will not get a smoke ring with an electric smoker, but a smoke ring is cosmetic, nothing to do with taste/texture etc etc.
Just finished a small piece of bacon the other day, a little Duroc belly. Aleppo and smoked paprika rub.
@chefjess@kaolis@rjquillin@ScottW58 I also want to smoke some meat. So far I’ve just thrown a log on the side of my grill, which does ok. But I want that full smoky flavour throughout the meat. Taste is king. I also want to be able to handle a brisket but that won’t be a common application. Sounds like pellet grills may not be what I’m looking for.
@chefjess@kaolis@klezman@rjquillin
I use the Trager for quick quick or small things, I have done a brisket and it works pretty well and you can get a smoke ring. I prefer my Komodo egg because you get better smoke penetration and I like playing with fire for a packer brisket you need room for it so the traeger and egg are big enough. I would advise if this is your first one just cook it low and slow in the oven, won’t be as good but chances are you will be successful. My advice would be buy an egg or trager and practice on Costco briskets. And watch a bunch of YouTube videos on how to properly smoke a brisket… And have fun!
Oh and if you’re looking for videos the Meat Church by Matt Pittman on you tube will teach you how to smoke anything, he is good teaching you time and temperature. Very important.
I’m a big advocate of the Weber Smokey Mountain charcoal smoker. It’s a relatively cheap entry and has a lot of mods available to customize to your needs. Plus it’s been around a long time so there’s a huge online community to draw experience from.
Bought my first WSM in 2009 and it’s still my primary unit. Build quality is solid; zero rust due to porcelain enamel finish. It easily holds temperature 10-12 hours without needing to feed/tend to coals. The grated area on the 22" version is a little over 5sqft total, which is large enough to cook 2 full-packer briskets simultaneously.
I had a traeger for a couple years as well. The set it and forget it ease of a traeger is convenient, but the cook quality wasn’t the same imo. Plus you’re limited by where to plug it in or run an extension cord for an extended period of time.
@AjRod27
Ohh that’s a good call! That was the first smoker I looked at but for some reason I went with the pit barrel for my first smoker, pit barrel is great for chicken and ribs but not much else imo. Maybe I need a ol WSM
@klezman@ScottW58 You’ll have to weigh the pros and cons for your specific wants/needs. The BGE/Kamado is superior at heat retention, so it uses less fuel AND can achieve much higher temperatures, up to 750F. Great for both grilling and bbq. Plus it has that attention piece aesthetic to it.
The WSM tops out at 500F but has more surface area on the grates. Great for large gatherings or batching and freezing. Costs about 1/5 and weights about 1/5 the BGE/Kamado. I take have taken my WSM on car camping group trips and it’s come in clutch.
Both have similar accessories available; temperature control systems, rotisserie attachments, grate configurations. The WSM has limited options for integrated side tables, rolling bases, and external racks though.
Totally missed your comment about which is most smoky. That’s highly debated but WSM has the slight advantage of burning more fuel and creating more convection, which gets more cumulative smoke across the meat.
Also, I just remembered you moved to Chicago. That heat retention could be a huge factor if you’re planning to bbq during the winter months.
@AjRod27 I will grill during the winter for sure, but I’ve got a Napoleon for that. So this will truly be primarily for smoking rather than grilling. But if I’m hearing correctly, any of these kettle-style smokers will get massively more smoke than a pellet grill. What about wood/charcoal offset smokers?
Tips tricks recipes?
Calling @dbarrym!
Why is this topic not titled “What Are You Smoking Tonight?”?
@Mark_L
Lol! some people might get the wrong idea
@Mark_L 4-20… oh yea, that was yesterday.
@jmdavidson1 I thought it was this month.
@Mark_L
iftfy
@rjquillin Better late than never…
LOL… Nice! What did you smoke it on? Wrap or no wrap? As always I am happy to dispense advice and share secrets… just ask.
@dbarrym
Need to figure out what kinds of wood I like best with each meat.
Good to see a bunch of experienced smokers here! As I said these are my first few cooks so I have a lot to learn. I bought this because i’m old and lazy https://www.smokin-it.com/Smoker-p/smkmdl2-gen3.htm it’s been so much fun I am already eyeballing other traditional smokers so I can do big cuts of beef
No wrap on that shoulder and used hickory. on to today i’m already boiling some eggs to make those deviled eggs that sounds fantastic! What kind of wood do you use with eggs?
Smoked some salmon that came out nice for the bagels I made yesterday.
@ScottW58 Looks nice, congrats! Re the best wood for eggs, you want a light smoke wood, I use apple, alder, maple, and occasionally cherry or pecan. For your first try with eggs, use apple or alder. Since the smoke time is generally low, you do want a good volume of smoke but again it needs to be blue or clear (white or grey smoke = very bad! means incomplete combustion and nasty bitter flavors).
And as an update for me… besides being locked in home jail, my back yard flooded in the recent heavy rains and I had 6"-10"’ deep water covering my patio until a few days ago (french drains are clogged apparently) … looking forward to smoking a 4-bone prime rib and some hard boiled eggs (makes the best deviled eggs and potato salad!) this weekend, it’s been a month or more since I last fired one of the smokers up.
@dbarrym Do you smoke the eggs to cook them, or smoke them after boiling?
Boil then peel and smoke. You want to boil them to the point of being solid but not fully done (be careful in peeling!) for the best texture. I sometimes will boil, chill, then crack the shells but not peel fully to get an interesting pattern on the egg whites (aka, my “crocodile eggs” with some sriracha used for the deviled yolks). Smoke at low temp - 200 degrees or less if your setup allows - for about 20-30 minutes. You can also smoke raw/unpeeled eggs and get some color and flavor but it is not as pronounced - smoke at 225 for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. I’ve done "soft boiled’ eggs this way for some crazy good eggs on brisket hash breakfasts but usually at BBQ comps where I’m up at 4 AM anyway.
Big Green egg with a Flame Boss pit fan. Best thing ever. As long as your probes are in the right place, you don’t have to baby sit the smoke. Everybody has their own little rituals, but this is pretty spot on for pork shoulder. I use apple and cherry for the wood.
https://delishably.com/meat-dishes/Ultimate-BBQ-Pulled-Pork-Recipe-Cooking-Pork-Shoulder-Low-and-Slow
Very nice. I sold my Egg when I realized I had 8 different smokers and only 3-4 types were in use regularly (I now have two 60 gal Vortex barrel smokers, a 30 gal PBC, a MasterBuilt 60" electric smoker for doing cold smokes, a fixed stand 60" OK Joe stick burner, a PK Kitchen charcoal grill, and the mack daddy - a Lang 84" offset trailer stick burner with a warming box and built in coolers and wood storage. I admit to using a Pitmaster IQ temp controller on the barrels but the rest are all ‘old skool pitmaster’ manual temp control.
@dbarrym
I understand that for many people, controlling your temps manually is a lot of the fun and sense of accomplishment, but when I’m smoking, people are coming over, and I’ve got shit to do. I really needed a solution to untether me. Maybe some day I’ll get better organized and not need to run around so much, but why deny myself smoked meat in the mean time? Especially if that day never comes? Hey, quick question for you, do you ever smoke portobello caps? My husband went vegetarian on me about 6 years ago, and we just throw them in in a glass dish with about 1-2 hours left, but I’ve always wondered if there’s anything else we should be doing.
@mtb002 I totally get that, when I am doing BBQ for guests at home or work I use my barrels with the IQ controller. No excuses or apologies needed, I’m not a BBQ snob. For me, as I delved deeper into KCBS and SCA competition as a competitor and judge, by manually monitoring temps I learned much about the impact on temp control vs environmental factors (wind, rain, sun) and the fact that each piece of protein/meat can behave very differently really upped my learning and BBQ game. So the manual smokers really helped in my BBQ pitmaster journey.
At the end of the day it’s all about having fun and enjoying some great BBQ (paired with a great match of Vino!).
@mtb002 And yes, i have done porto caps a few times - the key is to keep the temp low (225-250, never above) and use a light wood like apple as the mushrooms really absorb it. You really want to get to the ‘blue smoke’ or no smoke stage before adding the caps to the smoker or you will get an unpleasant bitter flavor.
oh, and smoke them right on the grate - brush with melted butter and the spices of your choice, maybe some Worcestershire sauce for more umami. They are done when slightly soft and ‘wrinkly’ looking.
Just realized there’s a lot of BBQ slang and buzzwords there… some links to help explain:
https://langbbqsmokers.com/lang84/lang84_deluxe.html
https://www.hunsakersmokers.com/ (these are THE BOMB for most BBQ cooking jobs)
https://pitbarrelcooker.com/ (great for family size barrel smoked BBQ)
https://www.pkgrills.com/ (absolutely the best charcoal grills - for 60+ years)
https://www.oklahomajoes.com/longhorn-reverse-flow-offset-smoker (good starter stick burner)
https://pitmasteriq.com/
https://amazingribs.com/more-technique-and-science/ingredients-glossaries/cooking-and-barbecue-lingo
I’ve got a cheap Masterbuilt electric smoker…amateur, I know, but foolproof. And, I’ve got to thank all you on Casemates (and the prior site) for introducing me to the concept of smoking and of dry aged beef.
Anyways, any smoking and any aging of beef, is better than none at all.
Again, thank you all for kicking my gastronomy up a notch.
@FritzCat I started out with a Masterbuilt 10 years ago, and I still use it for cold smoking (made an external smoker box with a small computer fan to pull the smoke/heat out of the main chamber). It’s all good!
Yeah, if I got a smoker I’d want it to handle cold smoking to make proper lox myself. (In addition to ribs, shoulders - especially lamb, brisket, et al.) What would you recommend?
@klezman Been away for a while but for lox you want a cold smoke…thus I still have my old Mastrebuily electric unit with a home made external smokebox to keep the temps down, usually smoking at night when the temps are in the 50’s-60’s. You can make an external box to hold the food ( I fabbed up a metal box from a very large (2 cu ft.) ammo can with holes cut in it to add two computer cooling fans to pull in smoke from the hot box (the main masterbuilt smoker, using the exhaust port) connected with 3" dryer hose plumbed into the ammo box with another fan on the cold box to pull the smoke through. Masterbuilt sells a kit to do this also, see https://www.amazon.com/Masterbuilt-20070112-Smoking-Digital-Smokers/dp/B008DF6WWE
Well I did it, man i’m having the time of my life with this thing! Apple wood smoked deviled eggs but I use my friends smoking hot sauce that he makes. Smokey and nice but I could have gone a little longer for more smoke flavor…next time!
I thought it was another type of smoker thread
Is there anyone closely familiar with smokers? My sister and I are going to buy a smoker as a birthday present for our dad, but we know nothing about it. We consider buying Cuisinart CPG-4000, if you know something about it, or you use it, please write to me. It’s not cheap so we wanna make really good present.
@TiWill I got smoke vault 24 inch that i got from bbq guys but home depot sells them as well. I’m a big fan of it and its better than my previous masterbuild smoker. Really nice temp control for a gas smoker and its easy to remove all the racks to clean, and no underneath smoker flare up
@tiger7610 Hey stranger, seems like you haven’t posted in a good while! Still hanging by Cayuga’s waters?
@InFrom @tiger7610 Are you a fully minted doctor, I hope?
@InFrom @klezman Yep, I’m still in Ithaca, NY and now as a fully minted potato doctor, although because of covid i never actually got to walk across the stage yet, but got my diploma and defended. So once covid is over come visit
Ok, don’t want to rain on your parade, but… I have a simple electric smoker which works very well. Keeps proper temp, timer…simple. The question that I have is; does Dad want complexity, does he want to become a grillmaster, or does he want to simply smoke some meat occasionally?
@FritzCat hmmm I didn’t even think about a simple version. He has a lot of free time, and we though that it could become a kind of hobby for him. But I’ll make a research for something simpler, thanks
I’ll probably be smoker shamed, but I can handle it. And I’ve been waffling on what to buy for months. Limited space, wanted set it and forget it for the most part. Just pulled the trigger on the Smokin-It #1. I might wish I did a #2 but in the mean time I’ll have fun playing with this.
SmokinTex 1100 was the other option.
@kaolis It looks like a nice compact smoker. About the only thing missing in my opinion is a water tray at the bottom (above the chip chamber) to add moisture and catch drips (I realize there is a drip pan beneath).
@Mark_L Water tray easy enough to add, most just put a vessel next to the firebox or either side. I’ve seen a million opinions on how/when/if to use one. Guess I’ve got some experimenting to do.And these are supposedly pretty tight units as far as one needing one. Not functional as a redundant drip tray though obviously. We shall see.
@kaolis
So I ended up getting the pit barrel so I could do larger cooks. Have fun!
Hey now that’s a nice little smoker! I had one for a while before my future son in law decided that everything coming out of it was delicious and asked me if he could buy it
you’re an all-star
@mediocrebot
get your game on
@ScottW58 You have a future son-in-law?? Congrats!
@mediocrebot
You were supposed to reply “go play”.
Smashmouth fail.
I have a pitbarrellcooker and it’s awesome. Very user (read: novice) friendly. I stick to ribs, pork shoulder, and brisket (after a 24-30 hour sous vide bath) for the most part, but love the results.
HIKING! VIKINGS! STRIKE KING [BRAND FISHING LURES]! AWESOME!
@kaincif you haven’t hung a bird in the pitbarell you aren’t livin
@ScottW58 what’s the difference in results between a hung bird and a flat bird?
@radiolysis
No clue but the results are amazing.
@radiolysis @ScottW58 I’ve smoked some good flat (spatchcocked) birds. Once I smoked a turkey, I never wanted it any other way.
@Mark_L @radiolysis
I can’t wait to smoke a turkey! I have a hanger for that in the pitbarell, I need to try one hanging and one flat to see what I prefer, although I’m sure I will be happy either way. That’s a nice looking bird Mark!
@Mark_L @radiolysis @ScottW58 if you want taste testers for a Thanksgiving turkey you know where to find us
@klezman @Mark_L @radiolysis
I can’t wait!
@ScottW58 Well I guess I know what my next smoke will be. Thanks, the photo helped sell it.
2nd smoke and it was dang good! 1st was some wings that I didn’t put much thought into and they were just ok.
Reviving this thread. Hubs smokes a fair amount of pork, going to do a brisket next. Any advice, tips, recipes? I know he reads Meathead’s stuff. I’ve seen where some will sous vide first. Thoughts?
@pseudogourmet98
No way I would sous vide it first you want some bark! My best one’s were cooked at 240 or 250 usually around 6 and a half hours or when your thermapen has no resistance when you check the temp, for me around 200 degrees plus or minus.
@pseudogourmet98 @ScottW58 I have heard that a full brisket will often take 13 hours or more.
@Mark_L @pseudogourmet98
I think that depends on your smoker and some people cook it at around 220ish. I think my smoker the Pit Barrel cooks slightly faster not to mention if I go for 220ish it’s more work and I have to pay attention and I’m old and lazy
@Mark_L @pseudogourmet98 @ScottW58 whole briskets in the PBC take 6-9 hours from my experience. My last brisket in the BGE took 20-22 hours at around 206-220’s That was the best brisket I’ve had. I normally don’t eat leftovers and was eating that for 3 days alongside the pulled pork butt we smoked too. My chest hurts thinking about it…
@Mark_L @pseudogourmet98 @TechnoViking
How easy is maintaining temps in the BGE? I’ve been considering getting one.
@Mark_L @pseudogourmet98 @ScottW58 wifey just got me one for Xmas/anniversary/bday and its been a dream. It’s stupid easy to manage the temps and they are extremely consistent when using the conveggtor. I was comfortable enough to sleep my first time using it. Get the XL if your considering one.
@Mark_L @pseudogourmet98 @ScottW58 Re whole briskets in the PBC…I was an early user for the PBC and mine is about worn out after 9+ years of continuous use. Typical PBC temps are in the 275+/- range unless you use a temp controller, which I adopted (after much teeth gnashing) about 6 years ago. Combining that plus the ‘minion method’ (Google it) results in reliable temps of 225 for up to 12 hours (depending on the coal type used) which is enough for all but the most difficult stall-prone briskets (more so if you wrap at 150-160, regardless of what Franklin says). Best of both methods - low temps plus PBC ease of use.
Edit - If the stall, after butcher paper wrap, extends past the coal load - use the oven to finish. Seriously… for a home (non-comp) cook, who cares? It’s all about the end result. Cheers, Barry (aka KCBS ‘Team TBD’)
@dbarrym @Mark_L @pseudogourmet98
Not the minion method on the PBC but I have found if I use less coals and close the air intake a bit it will settle down around 240 to 250 then open it a bit more after 3 to 5 hours to maintain temp. I always wrap around 160 and always got through the stall, maybe lucky I guess? Good to see you’re around I will probably need your expertise when I get my next smoker
@Mark_L @pseudogourmet98 @ScottW58 Yes, you can keep the PBC temps down but it’s more fiddly with coal load, number of coals to light, and tweaking the intake setting when the temps are below 275. I did the ‘shim the lid with folded foil wedges’ tricks and got really good at it - the PBC is a perfect starting place for serious BBQ (and a lot less $$$ and weight than the BGE, which I also have). But when I started competing, it became a lot less stressful to use the temp controller, pretty much set and forget (still need to get the proper number of coals lit to start, etc). I’ve since moved on to a pair of 60 gallon Vortex barrels and a 60" Lang offset for comps but the good old PBC is still the go-to for use at home. cheers
@dbarrym @Mark_L @pseudogourmet98
although cracking the lid at the end of a chicken cook gets the skin where I like it. Love my PBC!
Yeah I tried cracking the lid and foil but did not get good at it, I have gotten good with the less coals technics
I’m thinking I’m going to pour some of that 2014 Pedroncelli Port in a pork butt wrap whenever that happens again. Any thoughts or experience with that from anyone?
@TechnoViking
I would love to hear how that comes out
@ScottW58 tried it twice with a Kansas style rub. Smoked it until 165 in BGE, then threw it in a wrap. Used 350ml first time, 750ml the second time, it definitely liked the full bottle. Had it with kings Hawaiian rolls.
I got an offset smoker late last year. Still learning how to control the heat, but I’m doing my best to make the neighborhood smell good as often as possible
And with some homemade slaw and pickles, it only took 12 hours to make this sandwich. Worth every minute
@capnjb
Looks great
I love this!
1st time Dino Ribs
Yum!!!
@kawichris650
Hell yeah!
Well done!
Clearing out the freezer and busting out the PBC to sharpen the blade. Cornish hens, beef ribs, pork ribs smoking in hickory. Now, what to drink?
@TechnoViking
Love it! Did some short ribs in the PBC today
@ScottW58 @TechnoViking
Note to self: Don’t lick the iPad. You don’t have taste-o-vision…
But damn those look good!
Love the food porn. Just a few more pics, and…
My first slab o’ bacon in my little Smokin-it
@kaolis
That’s beautiful! I have to try that soon.
@kaolis That is gorgeous, but I can’t look at this picture and not think you are going to try out the 3-second rule or you really love your dog. (I know the weight of that beautiful belly is keeping it safe, but the precariousness!)
Porter Road pork belly. This was my guide but modified a bit:
https://www.makinbacon.net/eq-curing
I cured for 16 days, smoked at 175, pulled at 150 not 165 as some sites say. I think the above site says 140-150. A buddy who does a ton of bacon pulls his at 140. Did 1/2 apple, 1/2 cherry. Tasty.
@kaolis
Thanks! Love the calculator
@kaolis late to the party but for what it’s worth I’ve pulled at anywhere from 150 to 165 and I can’t tell a difference.
Okay maybe a little excessive but I have to smoke it once in my life, 15 pound Wagyu packer brisket
@ScottW58 Let us know if we can help you take it down
We’ll grudgingly accept some of the responsibility for that onerous task!
@ScottW58 Holy (half a) cow!
@InFrom @ScottW58 Holy sh*t!
I was going to smoke 3 racks of ribs today (in preparation for family coming) but my electric smoker always tripped the GFCI (maybe got a bit damp since I last used it) so ended up using my charcoal grill (I got through the first two steps of the 3-2-1 method). So far they are tasting good.
@Mark_L Meh, just run an extension from some other outlet…
And keep those rubber soles between you and mother ground; no bare feet.
@Mark_L We had my ribs last night (along with some grilled bbq chicken). They were some I the best I have done.
Traeger pellet smoker here. I pretty much smoke everything in it, even meatloaf. But I have no patience for brisket.
@eljefetwisted
You don’t need patience if you do it overnight
@ScottW58 I know. Living in the fire country you’re programmed to never leave fire unattended.
Here is one I have to try pretty soon or after I get reloaded on lipitor haha. And yes my church is the Meat Church!
@ScottW58
Instead 0f sprinkling with the honey bacon spice blend you could just use crushed Lipitor.
@karenhynes
LoL!
I was hoping to find a brisket for sunday, but they seem out of stock at the places I frequent. I ended up with a round so I’ll make some Pit Beef instead!
I like almost every meat that is cooked on the grill, better than any other way, but I’m no Hank Hill; charcoal is my way.
Carried a baby grill in my trunk, for years, when I went fishing, and many times I’d meet strangers over a beer/cookout behind the car.
Yes, different days, but met everyone from Doctors, to Army Rangers, and you’d never know the difference over some smoky meat, and a cold beer.
Ok, salmon and Italian sausage yesterday. Sausage doesn’t look particularly impressive but it was good meat but did take on more smoke than I thought it would. A small piece of boneless pork shoulder/butt a week or so ago. I was a little worried about the pork, really small piece, not much over 2 pounds. Heck not bigger than a lot of pork tenderloins. Anyway did an overnight brine. Then coated in mustard and rub and wrapped in plastic wrap for another overnight. Then a real slow smoke at only about 200 F until the very end which I increased to about 250. Took it to 190 and pulled and rested. Was awesomely tasty.
@kaolis
Looks great! Need to do another pork butt soon, but a real sized one
@ScottW58 I was nervous on that little guy…but it called my name. Next one will be big boy school, but hey I’m not ashamed!
About 11 hours in and maybe 3 hours to go, it’s taco night tonight
God this butt smells fantastic right now!
Hey looks like bacon cuz it’s well just bacon…but sliced this little guy up today…it’s just bacon…
@kaolis
oh mama that’s beautiful
@ScottW58 Not that folks aren’t smoking but after a year I thought a little bacon love was appropriate
@kaolis
Indeed it’s been a couple of years since I did one, need to get on that !
@kaolis @ScottW58 drool
@kaolis @ScottW58
Ok, so as not to pollute that other thread, I found the original thread here and did a read. Need to visit the links. Also copied your reply to retain context from over there.
Is there really a simple answer for one not yet retired with unlimited time?
@kaolis @ScottW58
Kinda like suggesting I get a car, but not specifying it to be a Smart EQ Fortwo or an Aston Martin Valkyrie.
Currently I have a hybrid charcoal/propane that’s on it’s last bag of briquettes before the bottom falls out like the propane side did last year. Are the Treagers all pellet, or mixed fuel models. Searching now…
@kaolis @ScottW58 @rjquillin
Larry has both the Traeger and Kamado. Thanks to @ScottW58 and his pics of ‘meat candy’, all of a sudden there was a Kamado Joe being unloaded off a UPS truck…. Then the calls and texts to @ScottW58, now instigated by Larry, around cuts of meat, ventilation, heat regulation, and smoke time. It was the summer of test meats every single weekend. I digress. From a taste perspective, the Traeger is great for chicken and smaller, less dense cuts. For thicker and larger cuts, there’s no comparison to the Kamado/Egg/Weber. Smoked turkey, ham, brisket only on the Kamado. The Traeger can’t achieve a steady smoke through the entire dense cut. Chicken quarters, steak, ribs, flatirons, Flannery hangers are beautiful on the Traeger. The Traeger is certainly faster for a weeknight or smaller pieces, but on weekends Larry fires up the Kamado and does a smorgasbord of meat, both larger and smaller cuts. The Traeger is old (at least 12-15 years?) and a mixed fuel model so maybe it has evolved with the newer models. Larry hasn’t yet retired and I only use a grill since ‘a day of smoking meat’ isn’t fun for me so both have their purpose. Maybe you need both
@chefjess @ScottW58 @rjquillin never used a
traeger but my electric Smokin-it is truly set it and forget it my humble. I have two, one in each place, small ones but fine for us.
Agree brisket is hard, don’t start with that Flannery. And don’t try and do small pieces of brisket, it’s a recipe for disaster pun intended. Analog electric smokers, which is what I have, have a temp swing, can always go pid if that bothers you, doesn’t bother me. You will not get a smoke ring with an electric smoker, but a smoke ring is cosmetic, nothing to do with taste/texture etc etc.
Just finished a small piece of bacon the other day, a little Duroc belly. Aleppo and smoked paprika rub.
@chefjess @kaolis @rjquillin @ScottW58 I also want to smoke some meat. So far I’ve just thrown a log on the side of my grill, which does ok. But I want that full smoky flavour throughout the meat. Taste is king. I also want to be able to handle a brisket but that won’t be a common application. Sounds like pellet grills may not be what I’m looking for.
@chefjess @kaolis @klezman @rjquillin
for a packer brisket you need room for it so the traeger and egg are big enough. I would advise if this is your first one just cook it low and slow in the oven, won’t be as good but chances are you will be successful. My advice would be buy an egg or trager and practice on Costco briskets. And watch a bunch of YouTube videos on how to properly smoke a brisket… And have fun!
I use the Trager for quick quick or small things, I have done a brisket and it works pretty well and you can get a smoke ring. I prefer my Komodo egg because you get better smoke penetration and I like playing with fire
@chefjess lol oh yeah I remember all those calls, had to turn off my phone I kid I kid.
Oh and if you’re looking for videos the Meat Church by Matt Pittman on you tube will teach you how to smoke anything, he is good teaching you time and temperature. Very important.
I’m a big advocate of the Weber Smokey Mountain charcoal smoker. It’s a relatively cheap entry and has a lot of mods available to customize to your needs. Plus it’s been around a long time so there’s a huge online community to draw experience from.
Bought my first WSM in 2009 and it’s still my primary unit. Build quality is solid; zero rust due to porcelain enamel finish. It easily holds temperature 10-12 hours without needing to feed/tend to coals. The grated area on the 22" version is a little over 5sqft total, which is large enough to cook 2 full-packer briskets simultaneously.
I had a traeger for a couple years as well. The set it and forget it ease of a traeger is convenient, but the cook quality wasn’t the same imo. Plus you’re limited by where to plug it in or run an extension cord for an extended period of time.
@AjRod27
Ohh that’s a good call! That was the first smoker I looked at but for some reason I went with the pit barrel for my first smoker, pit barrel is great for chicken and ribs but not much else imo. Maybe I need a ol WSM
@AjRod27 @ScottW58 so if I’m only going to have one, you saying a WSM or BGE is going to be the best results once I figure my shit out?
@AjRod27 @klezman or a komodo but I don’t know if you have the patience for either lol.
@AjRod27 @ScottW58 if it’s less frustrating than a difficult 10 year old I’m good.
And I should note that best results means most smoky!
@AjRod27 @klezman
Well yeah it’s less frustrating than that!
@klezman @ScottW58 You’ll have to weigh the pros and cons for your specific wants/needs. The BGE/Kamado is superior at heat retention, so it uses less fuel AND can achieve much higher temperatures, up to 750F. Great for both grilling and bbq. Plus it has that attention piece aesthetic to it.
The WSM tops out at 500F but has more surface area on the grates. Great for large gatherings or batching and freezing. Costs about 1/5 and weights about 1/5 the BGE/Kamado. I take have taken my WSM on car camping group trips and it’s come in clutch.
Both have similar accessories available; temperature control systems, rotisserie attachments, grate configurations. The WSM has limited options for integrated side tables, rolling bases, and external racks though.
Totally missed your comment about which is most smoky. That’s highly debated but WSM has the slight advantage of burning more fuel and creating more convection, which gets more cumulative smoke across the meat.
Also, I just remembered you moved to Chicago. That heat retention could be a huge factor if you’re planning to bbq during the winter months.
@AjRod27 I will grill during the winter for sure, but I’ve got a Napoleon for that. So this will truly be primarily for smoking rather than grilling. But if I’m hearing correctly, any of these kettle-style smokers will get massively more smoke than a pellet grill. What about wood/charcoal offset smokers?