Smokers (BBQ - not grilling)
- Thread starter Fred W
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Only a 30 gallon drum, so about the size of a small WSM, but at the price of a big one. I also wouldn't want to hang my meat on hooks when cooking as the distance from the burning fuel will vary too much. If I had to have a vertical smoker that was no DIY, I'd just go with a 22" Webber Smokey Mountain. That's a nice pit.
jmdaniel
Has A Well Known Member
18 pounder, 5.5 hours on the WSM, no peek, guests said it was one of the juiciest turkeys ever. Neighbor getting ready to carve, one of my Dals offering to supervise...
08FJR4ME
-WYNPRO-
Good size bird, the Dalmatian seems quite interested. Much like my dogs would be.
Looks good,
Dave
Looks good,
Dave
Nice looking bird
TomInPA
Well-known member
Dogs think BBQ is the best.
NMRoadRunner
A Bulls work is never done!
Weber Smokey Mountain's (WSM's) are the best cooker out there in that price range, hands down. And anybody can run one with very little work once you get the temps regulated. The drum cookers just don't balance heat well. And they cost the same or more the a WSM.
Define "drum cooker."
If you mean a horizontal offset, then yes those do requires more fiddling, and have some amount of a temp gradients along the (much larger) horizontal cooking surface. But WSMs add cooking space space by stacking racks, and the temp varies on those greatly as you get closer to the heat source. An offset has a big advantage over a vertical cooker in that it cooks by indirect heat only. Not true of any vertical cooker.
If you meant a vertical drum cooker (UDS) I would disagree. It run essentially the same as a 22" WSM, except that it (probably) doesn't have the access door to the fire area, so while it can't be tended in mid-cook, it is typically even tighter and more fuel efficient than a WSM, so no tending is needed for 12 to 16 hour cooks.
I agree that the WSM (especially the big 22" one) is a nice pit. But I don't think it is necessarily better at everything than the other options out there. And it isn't all that cheap either. Lowest price I see on the 22" model is around $400.
If you mean a horizontal offset, then yes those do requires more fiddling, and have some amount of a temp gradients along the (much larger) horizontal cooking surface. But WSMs add cooking space space by stacking racks, and the temp varies on those greatly as you get closer to the heat source. An offset has a big advantage over a vertical cooker in that it cooks by indirect heat only. Not true of any vertical cooker.
If you meant a vertical drum cooker (UDS) I would disagree. It run essentially the same as a 22" WSM, except that it (probably) doesn't have the access door to the fire area, so while it can't be tended in mid-cook, it is typically even tighter and more fuel efficient than a WSM, so no tending is needed for 12 to 16 hour cooks.
I agree that the WSM (especially the big 22" one) is a nice pit. But I don't think it is necessarily better at everything than the other options out there. And it isn't all that cheap either. Lowest price I see on the 22" model is around $400.
jmdaniel
Has A Well Known Member
I like mine. The one thing I want to try with it is running the water pan empty on a brisket. Some of the BBQ places here in Central Texas, (Cooper's in Llano, for example), cook brisket at higher temps than normal, and for shorter periods. If I could do that, and of course, with semi predictable results, it would be easier to smoke a bigger cut. The 22" WSM I have will easily fit a 18 pound brisket, but I don't want to tend the fire that long.
jmdaniel
Has A Well Known Member
Blind Squirrel
Well-known member
Bacon made easy (according to this forum post) https://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?13312-Bacon-made-easy
Yeah, it is easy. That is essentially what I did to make my (Canadian) Back Bacon, which came out great, except that, following Meathead Goldwyn's advice, I used a wet brine (more uniform and accurate curing coverage) and the curing brine was made from Prague Powder rather than Tender Quick. I don't think the wet brine was any more of a hassle than the dry bring that guy recommends, and has some advantages. Wet brining for too long is no big problem since the meat will only achieve a nitrite density of the curing solution by osmosis. Dry brining for too long can result in excess nitrites in the meat, which is not such a great idea.
I also calculated exactly how much nitrite (Prague Powder) to use and for how long based on the the weight and thickness of the meat, using the Dr Blonder spreadsheet tool that Meathead provides links to on his website. Just saying to cure for a week may not be long enough to get to the center if you have a big hunk of meat.
YMMV.
The clarification is because some folks thought this thread was about smoking cigarettes or cigars from the original title: "Smokers - Let's talk about it". Not sure why Bounce added the "not grilling" part, except for the humor of it. Some people think that browning weiners on a gas grille is BBQ.
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Mostly because some people are still confused about the fact that their grilling isn't BBQing.
Knifemaker
Not me
Yeah, I think in every state above the Mason/Dickson line, saying you're "barbecuing" means you're cooking stuff on a grill, usually outside, and there may or may not be barbecue sause available. And "BBQ" is most times meat that's grilled with BBQ sauce put on it at some point. Living pretty much on that line, I've used the term myself, but after getting the smoker I now use the term "grilling" for stuff off the grill.
But, I have in the past done BBQ on the grill......ribs not placed over burners, and wood chips used to flavor the meat is technically barbecue, even if it's done on a grill.
The vast majority of food I cook is done on my grill....even veggies..
But, I have in the past done BBQ on the grill......ribs not placed over burners, and wood chips used to flavor the meat is technically barbecue, even if it's done on a grill.
The vast majority of food I cook is done on my grill....even veggies..
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I was schooled years ago by someone who explained that BBQ is a noun; not a verb.
Cooked up 5 racks of baby backs on the OK Joe yesterday. Used the gas burner and hickory wood chunks in the smoke pan. Got some really good smoke into these. The smoke ring penetrated most of the way to the bone.
One went in our bellies and 4 into the freezer, for the long cold nights ahead.
(There is no sauce on those. Just the dry rub and lots of smoke)
One went in our bellies and 4 into the freezer, for the long cold nights ahead.
(There is no sauce on those. Just the dry rub and lots of smoke)
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08FJR4ME
-WYNPRO-
Fred,
Do you leave them whole to freeze or cut them up first? They look great. I will be grilling tomorrow. Steaks and chicken.
Dave
Do you leave them whole to freeze or cut them up first? They look great. I will be grilling tomorrow. Steaks and chicken.
Dave
Full House
Well-known member
Looks yummy, How do you reheat the frozen ribs? I've just reheated leftovers in the oven but they never taste nearly as good as just out of the smoker,Cooked up 5 racks of baby backs on the OK Joe yesterday. Used the gas burner and hickory wood chunks in the smoke pan. Got some really good smoke into these. The smoke ring penetrated most of the way to the bone.
One went in our bellies and 4 into the freezer, for the long cold nights ahead.
(There is no sauce on those. Just the dry rub and lots of smoke)
thanks
John 18.5 WSM
eflyguy
Well-known member
I agree with everything you say about the WSM except it's not necessarily "the best" cooker in that price range - the Akorn kamado is in the same price range, and after a couple of fixes to seal it up, works as well as the ceramic eggs for a fraction of the price. You can also regularly pick one up for <$200.
Yes, I've had both. The WSM is the best of the (commercial) vertical drum smokers, but there are alternatives in the same price range. If I needed to replace my Akorn, I'd probably get another one.
Again, to be clear, I think the WSM is great.
