Smokers (BBQ - not grilling)

[Fred W]

Maybe just a commercial grade pizza pan of the right diameter? Not sure what the ceramic or stone would add other than to act as a heat sink.

I'm going to have to devise some sort of stand-offs to get the diffuser up a few inches above the top of the charcoal basket. for when using a full load of charcoal. I tend to over-fill my basket and only end up burning half of the load (or less), but that;'s better than than having to mess around with reloading it in the middle of the cook.

edit - I just did a google search for cast iron pizza pan and it looks like you could score one for a little more than $20

 

[Cav47]

Square Cast Iron Griddle would fit your needs here. I use one on the grill to sear meat.

I put a little olive oil in it and put it over the highest heat. It get real hot. Throw the meat on there and it flash seals the outside.

I have also used the square griddle to act as a deflector to keep direct heat off of meat. The drippings will collect in there and will either burn off, or be able to be disposed of after. The bad part was the 10 in handle. I couldn't fit the handle in the grill without it sticking out of the front, causing lots of heat loss. A grinding wheel took care of that. Vise grips work good now as a handle to move it around in the grill. They are not expensive and pretty durable.

 

[Bounce]

For someone on a budget, Alton Brown showed how to make a smoker out of terra cotta flower pots and a few odds-and-ends for a little over $50.

https://www.naffziger.net/blog/2008/07/05/the-alton-brown-flower-pot-smoker/

 

[Knifemaker]

I think the ceramic tile is a great idea, but I'd suggest a porcelain tile...as it's not very porous and would

be easier to clean. Clay flowerpots will handle heat... I met a guy that used stacks of the real tiny

(Like 3" diameter) flower pots to raise or lower the cooking grate on a homemade grill....he had three stacks spaced evenly apart to hold a round grate or his pizza stone.

As for mopping my Q.... Some like it wet. And I've found cooked on sauce tastes much better than poured on sauce..

 

[gixxerjasen]

I love the sauce vs no sauce arguments. I'm a guy who loves sauce with his BBQ and love to try all kinds of new sauces. For me it's about half of the equation and a sauce can either enrich or ruin a finely cooked piece of meat.

Granted, I can see the thinking on if a piece of meat is good and cooked well it doesn't need the sauce. but then, that's kind of like saying that the FJR is perfectly fine the way it was as a Gen I, and it really didn't NEED ABS, ES suspension, and still doesn't NEED more HP. But damned if we don't want that on it.

 

[Fred W]

I'm squarely in the middle of the sauce wars. I always cook my meats without it, prefer using a dry rub of some type. But I'll almost always eat the meat with some kind of sauce on it. It's just what makes BBQ taste like BBQ to me.

The great part is that there is really no right or wrong. Whatever floats your barbecue boat!

 

[08FJR4ME]

I go both ways,

Uuuuuuugh, did I realy say that!

Dave

 

[Knifemaker]

It's just what makes BBQ taste like BBQ to me.

Same here. Although when cooking pork I always use a rub, even if I sauce it later.

I know folks tell me I shouldn't put BBQ sauce on the meat while its cooking, and that it just makes the food grates harder to clean...but I don't care...

For our Oktoberfest this weekend I'll be making brats...some I will baste with BBQ sauce while cooking and some I won't...same with the ribs, as I know not everyone likes it that way.

The quality of the meat IS a factor....when you're talking steaks. When I see someone slather up a fillet mignon at a restaurant with A1 sauce, I want to walk over and shoot them in the head.

 

[gixxerjasen]

Smoked, I don't sauce. But if I'm doing BBQ Chicken, I can't not sauce them while cooking. It's what my dad did when I was growing up and I freaking love it.

I do like a little steak sauce on occasion.

 

[Fred W]

With the current price of beef, I'm a big fan of anything that comes from a pig, lately.

 

[Knifemaker]

the proud new owner...

https://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y539/Knifemaker1954/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpskqnbxvlx.jpeg

 

[08FJR4ME]

Nice job, much better than I thought it would be. They finished it up quite nicely. I like the additional control on the vent pipe. Nice touch.

Good luck, waiting for the first reports.

 

[Knifemaker]

Thanks.

Sorry ....but it seems I'm having trouble again posting photos. Don't know if it's photobucket or my iPhone with the new OS I downloaded recently.

Tried the usual edit of putting img - backslash img thing around the direct link provided,but it's not working. (Now ends with .jpeg not .jpg)

Inside view:

https://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y539/Knifemaker1954/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsp13agklk.jpeg

Anyway....going to do the "seasoning" run tomorrow...

 

[Fred W]

Oh my. That is a very sweet looking pit.

And yes, the new owner looks justifiably proud. Who among us would not.

I think the "control" on the stack is just a remote way to move the cover. We usually just leave the exhaust wide open and control the inlet air, but who knows?

Congrats. As Dave said, they did a really nice job finishing her up.

 

[TomInPA]

Knifemaker, make sure you use the JPG extension on your photos, not JPEG. Photobucket supports both, but this site only allows JPG, so I suspect the problem is you are uploading jpeg. I'm not sure why you are getting JPEGs on Photobucket, but believe me, this extension is the problem with your photo posts. Try changing all pictures to the extension .JPG before uploading, and I bet you will have better luck.

Sweet looking unit, and I like the diamond grate.

 

[Bounce]

Sauce on the side makes everyone happy.

Happy on the side makes for a good way to start with your new gear.

 

[LittleJon]

Very nice set up. And I'm also a fan of rub, with sauce on the side. We like to make up our sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's as the base, add whiskey, add super secret spices) and throw that in a pyrex bowl and set it in the smoker for an hour or two.

 

[Fred W]

Great idea on smoking the sauce. I'm definitely going to have to try that one. Thanks.

PS - Did you ever put the sauce bowl under the meat to catch some of the drippings? Hmmm...

 

[Knifemaker]

Well, as I post from my iPhone, not sure there's anyway to change the pics from a jepg extension to a jpg. My chat with Apple last night was a waste of time. They just said that the two are interchangeable but never answered why the new OS changed saved photos as jpeg instead of jpg files like it did before the update. They just said to contact the administrator of the forum and ask they why it won't accept the other format....

So, looks like I'll have to dust off my ancient laptop and try posting photos from that.

I'll be "seasoning" the pit after work today...will try to get some photos up after.

 

[Fred W]

For some reason your files are named "jpeg" as they are uploaded to Photobucket. Probably an iOS thing. I only post photos from a PC. I just email my iPhone photos to myself and then upload them from the PC.

If you were somehow able to rename them a "jpg" on the phone first and then uploaded, then I'm sure they would be compatible with the forum, but since it's just this forum that has the picky software... no big deal I guess. Just using the links to PB as you did works fine.