El Toro Joe
FYYFF
I use chips in my electric smoker, but if you're putting a gas burner in there, I'd suggest chunks. They should last a little longer.
Smokers (BBQ - not grilling)
- Thread starter Fred W
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Chunks for sure. And with your big firebox you should be able to fit a medium sized cast iron pan in there to act as a heat sink and deflector as well as smoke generator. You'll want the pan up pretty high above the burner. The burner will heat the cast iron to the wood smoking (and burning) point easily even if it were at the top of the firebox.
You can have fun experimenting in making the best smoke. I have found that you only want to feed it one large, or two medium sized chunks at a time so that you get a nice steady thin smoke. Too much wood added all at once gives you the dreaded puffy white smoke. Also you should preheat the wood chunks on the top of the FB so it is well dried out before adding to the pan.
I've tried partially covering the pan to exclude oxygen, and that makes more smoke, but it is white puffy smoke since the wood is smouldering. Smoke quality seems best with the pan uncovered so the wood actually ignites and burns with a small flame.
Adding fist sized chunks about every 1/2 hour for about the first 3 hours is probably all the smoke you'll need in your food. From there you're really cooking with gas! (see what I just did there? :lol: )
You can have fun experimenting in making the best smoke. I have found that you only want to feed it one large, or two medium sized chunks at a time so that you get a nice steady thin smoke. Too much wood added all at once gives you the dreaded puffy white smoke. Also you should preheat the wood chunks on the top of the FB so it is well dried out before adding to the pan.
I've tried partially covering the pan to exclude oxygen, and that makes more smoke, but it is white puffy smoke since the wood is smouldering. Smoke quality seems best with the pan uncovered so the wood actually ignites and burns with a small flame.
Adding fist sized chunks about every 1/2 hour for about the first 3 hours is probably all the smoke you'll need in your food. From there you're really cooking with gas! (see what I just did there? :lol: )
Blind Squirrel
Well-known member
Knifemaker
Not me
Buy it for me ? Really not going to spend $300 here. (Some mixed reviews on that unit it seems)
My quote you posted was basicly saying I'm very happy with what I have btw.
What I am trying to come up with (cheaply) is a way to do 12-18 hour cooks without needing to fiddle with temps/fuel. I'm hoping the gas conversion thing does the trick
What I didn't tell you before is that I let my son take my propane burner and low pressure regulator setup to Vermont with him when he adopted my little Cheap Offset Smoker (the one from the beginning of this thread). Your bringing this up reminded me I wanted to order a new set for my OK Joe, so I re-found the ones on Amazon and just ordered them now. Here are the links:
King Kooker Low Pressure Burner
Sportsman Low Pressure Adjustable Regulator and hose
And if you order a 2 lbs package of Prague Powder for making bacon you'll get to the $50 level and qualify for free shipping (like I did)!
King Kooker Low Pressure Burner
Sportsman Low Pressure Adjustable Regulator and hose
And if you order a 2 lbs package of Prague Powder for making bacon you'll get to the $50 level and qualify for free shipping (like I did)!
TomInPA
Well-known member
Wow, that pink salt is supposed to cure 25 lbs of meat with one ounce! Fred, you just got enough for 800 pounds!
I know... It's a lifetime supply for a teenager.
But I do love me some bacon!
But I do love me some bacon!
Blind Squirrel
Well-known member
Knifemaker
Not me
For some reason I can't get Photobucket to load on my phone....not sure what's happening there..but I was going to post a photo of this, our electric company came out and took down a 65 foot oak tree for us, so I've got about a 30 year supply of wood I can use in my smoker...
Knifemaker
Not me
RacinRay
Living The Dream
Anyone want to talk turkey? Thanksgiving is coming and I smoke a turkey for the family every year. I usually get a fresh 12 -15 lb. turkey and brine it myself. Apple wood and charcoal in my Weber for 3 hours at 325 degrees.
Anyone have a brine or rub recipe they want to share?
Anyone have a brine or rub recipe they want to share?
We have a fireplace in the family room and I have more than a cord of mixed dry hardwood in a little pallet wood shed out back. I've tried using oak and it's a little rough for my tastes. Maple or birch is a bit nicer. Make sure that you remove all of the bark though in all cases.For some reason I can't get Photobucket to load on my phone....not sure what's happening there..but I was going to post a photo of this, our electric company came out and took down a 65 foot oak tree for us, so I've got about a 30 year supply of wood I can use in my smoker...
The biggest commercial orchard in our little town (there were 4 of them) closed up 2 years ago and sold the land off to a developer, who cut down a bunch of the apple trees while clearing for whatever monstrosity of a "village" they intend to build, and have the wood out in piles with a "firewood" sign and phone number next to it. I'm wondering how much they would want for a pickup truck load of it. Having a stack of nice dried apple wood would be very handy for a guy that loves smoked pork and turkey.
Sounds great. What time is dinner?
I think the only part of the brine that actually does anything is the salt, so I just use 1 1/2 cups kosher salt in 2 gallons water and then dump another gallon of ice cubes on top in an appropriately sized cooler. This time of year the cooler left in the unheated garage will not even allow the ice to melt in over 24 hours.
I've used Meathead's "Simon and Garfunkle" rub recipe before on a bone-in turkey breast and it was pretty darned good. You want to lift the skin over the breasts to form pockets and smear some of the rub on the breast meat under the skin. Grease up the outside with some olive or canola oil before rubbing. then dry rub all over the bird. Light apple wood smoke was what I went with and it was perfect. Very subtle, not at all "in your face" smoke flavor.
Wish my family would let me smoke a bird for T-day, but we have "traditions" to uphold.
Edit - Forgot to mention... I've been having trouble getting to Photobucket lately too. Twice now my router has been blocking me from getting to the web site due to DNS issues (my router is the DNS server for my home network), through the inline photos hosted there all show up fine. Rebooting the router has cured the problem both times now. I haven't investigated it any further than that.
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Knifemaker
Not me
I used a combination of Meatheads rub and poultry seasoning ( left out the white sugar and ginger.) for the turkey roasts I smoked.
This year I too will be doing a traditional baked bird...even though they did like the smoked one last year.
Photobucket seems to be working this morning...here's that photo:
From what I've read, those pellets are mostly oak. Also that you really can't tell how a wood will taste without actually trying it out. An oak tree here on a lake in Missouri will likely produce a different smoke than an oak from the northeast. I've used a bit of the oak I have around here in the smoker already, haven't noticed much of a difference (but this was on my secound rib cook where I used three other woods) Our property is covered with Oak and Shaggy Bark Hickory....and we've only harvested some oak trees that have died. I've heard of using the bark from the hickory too...
We don't have a wood burning fireplace, but do have a chiminea on the deck and a fire pit/table on the dock that we occasionally burn wood in.
I think if you have a chance to score a truck load of applewood, you should do it before someone else does. About every fourth house here seems to have a smoker in their yard, If someone was selling applewood it would go fast...
This year I too will be doing a traditional baked bird...even though they did like the smoked one last year.
Photobucket seems to be working this morning...here's that photo:
From what I've read, those pellets are mostly oak. Also that you really can't tell how a wood will taste without actually trying it out. An oak tree here on a lake in Missouri will likely produce a different smoke than an oak from the northeast. I've used a bit of the oak I have around here in the smoker already, haven't noticed much of a difference (but this was on my secound rib cook where I used three other woods) Our property is covered with Oak and Shaggy Bark Hickory....and we've only harvested some oak trees that have died. I've heard of using the bark from the hickory too...
We don't have a wood burning fireplace, but do have a chiminea on the deck and a fire pit/table on the dock that we occasionally burn wood in.
I think if you have a chance to score a truck load of applewood, you should do it before someone else does. About every fourth house here seems to have a smoker in their yard, If someone was selling applewood it would go fast...
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Smokers are not as popular in the northeast yet. People aren't as crazy over real BBQ up here as they are down south and in the midwest. For a lot of these Yankees, Barbecueing is cooking a couple of hot dogs and hamburgers on the gas grille.
It is starting to catch on though.
It is starting to catch on though.
eflyguy
Well-known member
For the thanksgiving bird, if you haven't, try frying it. Amazing...
Here's a good explanagtion of how to do it.
In 3 parts
https://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6c8_1321977725
https://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b11_1321977957
https://www.liveleak.com/view?i=f2f_1321978368 (building the frying rig)
In 3 parts
https://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6c8_1321977725
https://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b11_1321977957
https://www.liveleak.com/view?i=f2f_1321978368 (building the frying rig)
eflyguy
Well-known member
You don't need a fancy rig as long as you're really careful and take an extra step to dry and preheat the bird - for which you need an infrared thermometer (to read surface temp)
Gas burner and large frying pot with basket - sold everywhere. I've had electric. Nope - takes to long to recover when bird is added.
Make the brine in the cooking pot, and drop the bird in. adjust (saving excess brine) until bird is covered but pot not full. Remove bird. Note liquid level (score on inside of pot).
Brine for at least 24hrs (in a white trash bag covered in ice inside a gatorade-style drink dispenser)
>>Drain, and put into hot oven until it is dry and surface temp is at least 200F while oil (remember that level?) heats to 325F.
Load into basket and using silicone protective gloves lower it SLOWLY into the oil.
Be prepared to have a gorgeous, moist meal in 15-20 minutes!
Gas burner and large frying pot with basket - sold everywhere. I've had electric. Nope - takes to long to recover when bird is added.
Make the brine in the cooking pot, and drop the bird in. adjust (saving excess brine) until bird is covered but pot not full. Remove bird. Note liquid level (score on inside of pot).
Brine for at least 24hrs (in a white trash bag covered in ice inside a gatorade-style drink dispenser)
>>Drain, and put into hot oven until it is dry and surface temp is at least 200F while oil (remember that level?) heats to 325F.
Load into basket and using silicone protective gloves lower it SLOWLY into the oil.
Be prepared to have a gorgeous, moist meal in 15-20 minutes!
Knifemaker
Not me
Well ordered the burner and regulator from Fred's links. Found a nice square cast iron pan at Home Depot that looks like it will slide right in where my coal basket went. (May have to trim down the handle)
Photos to come after I get the stuff...
Photos to come after I get the stuff...
