Smokers (BBQ - not grilling)

[Fred W]

The best is when you start the fire, throw the meat on, seal it up and don't do crap all day except pull it off when it's done. Then you get to listen to folks say "Oh wow, this is so good, you did such a good job, I can't believe you spent X hours cooking this all day!"

Shhh... you'll give away the secret.

Bounce's reply seems to apply here. Shhhh!

We had some of the local NERDS over to Casa W for "Brew an Q" yesterday afternoon. When they heard the pulled pork had been smoked for over 14 hours I think it made it taste even better. Let's just say that nobody went away hungry!

Smoked some baby backs, for six hours, ready to finish off on the grill (with sauce), for dinner.

Photo evidence or it didn't happen.

 

[El Toro Joe]

Here ya go Fred...

 

[Fred W]

Mmmmm...

Those look awesome.

How the heck did you keep the grille so clean? Just firming them up on the gas grille or something?

 

[El Toro Joe]

I wire brush the grates after preheating the grill. And yes...just finishing them off (3 with sauce, 3 just dry) on the Weber, before dinner. I don't sauce them in the smoker.

 

[Knifemaker]

Well , did my four racks of St. Louis ribs Sunday. I used only lump charcoal and assorted wood chunks for the cook, with my altered 3/2/1 method I described before. I however sauced mine on the smoker. Unfortunately starting off in the morning with a slight hangover from the wine tasting we went to Saturday, I forgot to line the bottom of the cooking chamber with foil. So, going to fun cleaning that out later.

Good news is the wife said they were the best I've done so far. Here's the required photos:

 

[Fred W]

Those look great too.

But what's this "lining the cooking chamber with foil" stuff?

I thought all the baked on drippings were part of the flavor generation mechanism?

 

[Knifemaker]

Those look great too.
But what's this "lining the cooking chamber with foil" stuff?

I thought all the baked on drippings were part of the flavor generation mechanism?

Well, yes, but to a point. Enough fat drippings collect on the baffle and they can ignite. (Not to mention sugars and stuff in slopped on BBQ sauce) Even if they don't burst into flame, you'd end up "smoking" your meat with them.

I usually take the food grates and fire them up on my gas grill to burn leftover stuff off them, and scub them off with a wire brush. The baffle on a reverse smoker does catch everything that drips off the grates, so it's fairly easy...if you cover it with foil, to clean them off.

The actual sides and lid only need to be cleaned when you see stuff flaking off. (You don't want stuff falling on your meat right?)

Many pit guys will power wash their smokers when the stuff starts to build up.

Now my gas grill, I only clean off the grates as El Toro does....

 

[Fred W]

I was just teasing. I clean my grates (a little) and I'll eventually scrape the diffuser plate on the offset someday. Can't cover it with foil or I'll get no smoke up through the holes.

The Ugly Drum just burns all the drippings in the fire below. The sides on that are getting a pretty heavy layer of black.

 

[ionbeam]

...I clean my grates (a little) and I'll eventually scrape the diffuser plate....

^^^^ He takes the grates off and leans them against the smoker then Cerberus Petey and Charlie come along and give the racks a good tongue lashing, leaving shiny clean grates and happy doggies

I guess this is no way I should be treating Fred after the fine BBQ party last weekend and all the good pulled pork we piggiered down.

 

[TomInPA]

Now that's a great grill cleaner! I got a couple of those, and they'd love the job.

 

[Knifemaker]

...I clean my grates (a little) and I'll eventually scrape the diffuser plate....

^^^^ He takes the grates off and leans them against the smoker then Cerberus Petey and Charlie come along and give the racks a good tongue lashing, leaving shiny clean grates and happy doggies

That's funny, but I have many times taken my grates that were covered with unburnt barbecue sauce and bits of stuck in meat, and just tossed them next to a tree in my yard. Within a day or two, ants, that live by the tree, pick the grates clean. If there are some burnt on (black) spots, I've heard you can spray them with sugar water and the ants will clean those off too....

 

[HotRodZilla]

Thought this was slightly interesting if not kind of humorous, while still strangely relevant:

 

[Fred W]

Started passing the BBQ baton this Mother's Day weekend.

Kids were all home to see their Mommy, and our son asked if we could do some smoking together. Got a couple of large pork tenderloins from the local market because I know they cook up quick, are always delicious, and hard to mess up on. We used my original little Cheap Offset Smoker (shown in past posts), the one that I had converted to a full reverse flow design and installed a small ring gas burner in the FB. Used some apple wood chunks in the smoke pan and cooked the pork for a couple of hours at 225F. Pulled it at 145F internal and let it rest for a couple of hours in the faux cambrio before dinner. Came out awesome. Sorry no pics. I know, I know... it never happened.

Next day we packed up the little COS into the back of son's Jeep Liberty for the trip up to its new home in Vermont.

 

[Bounce]

...Jeep smells wonderful for next 2 months.

 

[Knifemaker]

That's nice to hear Fred. On one side your son may not visit as much as he can do those awesome dinners himself, but on the other hand you will have more to look foreword to when visiting him...

 

[Fred W]

You are both spot on. That was the best "car freshener" that old Jeep has ever seen. And it will be nice to see what the boy can turn out on that little smoker.

They live in an idyllic location in VT, renting a small log cabin on the large property of a gentleman's horse farm. I wish I could wake up to the view that the little smoker will have from now on from their front porch. They also "farm sit" occasionally for a couple in North Woodstock who raise tasty critters of all sorts and serve them in their little restaurant on premise. The barter system is alive and well in VT, which means they get some of the best meat in the northeast in (partial) exchange for their watching the farm on weekends. Naturally, we visit them quite often.

 

[gixxerjasen]

I grew up in that VT barter system, wish I still could live up there.

 

[Knifemaker]

Well, going to do up a dozen or so of the bacon wrapped chicken thighs this Saturday for our "Pre-Memorial Day BBQ"

I've done them several times on my grill, but this will be the first time doing them in the smoker. May toss a pork loin in there too...

Guessing will only take about 2 hours (same as when I used the grill) ... Question here will a two inch diameter pork tenderloin cook at about the same rate? Which would you stick the probe in, the chicken or the pork?

 

[gixxerjasen]

I'd plan on finishing those on the grill. Bacon doesn't seem to get as crispy in the smoker. Plan accordingly to not have them overcooked.

 

[Fred W]

I agree. A 5 or 6 lb Pork Loin Roast will reach the desired 145 internal in around 2 - 2 1/2 hours at 225-235F. I usually plop the thicker roast on the hotter end of the smoker, if there is one, as you are really smoke roasting it.

Tenderloins I like to keep the temps as close to 225F as possible because they are so much thinner, and I want to get the maximum smoke penetration in them for the time they are cooking.. They will be done in maybe 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

The chicken can probably be pulled at around the same time and temp as the tenderloins and then finished on the brazier or gas grill. You'll want the internal to be at least 165F.

It would be good to have a second (maybe a third?) probe thermometer or else have a quick reading probe to check on them all when the tenderloins get near done.

PS - what time should we be over for dinner?