Smokers (BBQ - not grilling)

[Knifemaker]

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

Not sure how Fred does it, but I wrap the whole slabs in two layers of heavy duty aluminum foil right off the smoker and they go right into the freezer. Before wrapping I either brush on some sause or use a spray bottle to mist the surface with apple juice or beer.

This just adds a bit of moisture.

To reheat....I place the still wrapped rack onto a cookie sheet and put in the oven at 225 for an hour or two. I then pull it out, cut open the foil across the top and put back in the oven at 350 for ten to fifteen minutes.

To me, they taste just as good as they did right off the smoker. You don't want to use high temps to "warm them up" if they are still frozen , as you'll just cook the moisture out of the meat. The last few minutes at 350 is to just re-harden the bark and make sure there aren't any cold spots.(And it seems, to fill your house with that smokey aroma..)

Those ribs look great Fred. We will be finishing off that last rack tonight....so likely before Christmas I'll be doing up another smoker full of baby backs to get us through the winter too...

 

[jmdaniel]

I reheat ribs by wrapping in foil, dropping in an ice cube or two, and putting them in the toaster oven; 400 degrees for 20 minutes or so.

 

[Bounce]

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.

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.

You mean the Char-Griller Akorn? That may be the only really good product they make. I had one and when I needed to replace some hardware, I bought another that included larger work surfaces on the surrounding stand (the cooker is the same). Kept the old one for spares.

 

[Fred W]

I agree with the Knifeman, foil wrapped to retain moisture, and maybe add a little either with sauce or something else, and then warm them at a low-ish temp for a good long while. The meat is already fully cooked, probably to 200F range during the smoke. If you keep them tightly wrapped they shouldn't dry out. I've never noticed a big degradation on reheat. Of course freezer damage is possible too.

 

[HotRodZilla]

Nevermind....Sometimes, I hate this shit software.

 

[Knifemaker]

OK. Had the last slab of baby backs. 1 hour at 220, 25 minutes at 350. Freaking awesome.

Cleaned the off most of the bones. Here's a lonely rib left before it was devoured:

Sorry about it being abit out of focus, but I was high on a BBQ overload...

Wife said it was more tender than the ones right off the pit. I agree. Thank you Baby Ray for your wonderful BBQ sause...

 

[eflyguy]

You mean the Char-Griller Akorn? That may be the only really good product they make.

That's the one, and it's pretty poor how it comes from the factory as there is no way to really control the airflow as needed on this style of cooker. It isn't hard to fix, however, with some sealing around the ash pan and lid, and the addition of a coal basket and heat deflector.

The thing that makes it great is that it is insulated steel instead of ceramic - so it gets to temperature quickly yet holds it well.

 

[Fred W]

Nevermind....Sometimes, I hate this shit software.

The file you tried to use was labelled as a jpeg. Just needed to change the extension to jpg (on Photobucket) and it would have displayed in-line.

Toilet BBQ, huh?

 

[Bounce]

You mean the Char-Griller Akorn? That may be the only really good product they make.

That's the one, and it's pretty poor how it comes from the factory as there is no way to really control the airflow as needed on this style of cooker. It isn't hard to fix, however, with some sealing around the ash pan and lid, and the addition of a coal basket and heat deflector.

The thing that makes it great is that it is insulated steel instead of ceramic - so it gets to temperature quickly yet holds it well.

Y'know I have heard that about the seals. I even bought some seal material but have never used it yet. I used a controlled blower for air though. Got a pic of your "coal pan"? What benefit does it add?

 

[eflyguy]

Sorry for the fuzz..

 

[Bounce]

But the purpose? To keep the coals away from the edges and under the deflector?

Did you make it or buy it? I don't have access to a weld(er) so store bought is good.

 

[eflyguy]

It allows you to stack up a bunch of coals for a long smoke. It also protects the sides a little, although I have no idea if that is necessary. You can also grab it and shake it to remove the ash for the next cook.

Mine actually started out just held together with strips of metal, wrapped around the sides and the (provided) coal grate. Expanded metal from Home Depot, cut with tin snips. I welded it a lot later, after I got into welding.

 

[Fred W]

Pretty much the same as what UDS guys like me are using. Getting air to the burning charcoal allows you to keep the intake air flow low but still get adequate heat. Looks good.

 

[Bounce]

Could 12ga copper hold up to the heat? I could "stitch" it with stripped wire from some Romex.

 

[Blind Squirrel]

How to make your own charcoal:

 

[eflyguy]

They sell manufactured baskets for Green Eggs - not saying you should buy one though! They're proud of their stuff.

Can't say about copper - no idea, but I'd be wary of potential fumes.

 

[Fred W]

No, copper is a great, soft metal, but not for exposure to high heat like this.

Make your charcoal basket from expanded steel. Here's the post where I built mine earlier. Of course you could scale it all down to a smaller size, but then you might have to add fuel in mid cook when cooking for 16 hours or more.

 

[Bounce]

They sell manufactured baskets for Green Eggs - not saying you should buy one though! They're proud of their stuff.
Can't say about copper - no idea, but I'd be wary of potential fumes.

1. Yeah. Any time I look at/am tempted by their stuff, I only need to look at their prices to be shocked back into reality.

2. Good point.

3. Nuts, bolts, and washers. Duh! Thanks FW.

 

[eflyguy]

I used metal strips (I think I said that) cut from a sheet with tin snips, and it held together fine.

Just avoid anything galvanized - zinc is nasty stuff!

 

[Fred W]

Anyone have the Thermoworks "Smoke" Dual Circuit Thermometer?

I just got some email spam from them (I signed up for it) for 10% off anything over $50 (use code 'savemore16' at checkout), so that makes it $93 shipped. Since we no longer participate in any of the holiday gift exchange nonsense (excepting for our young grandsons) I went ahead and bought myself one as an early Xmas present. And I'll give my single circuit Mavrick to SWMBO for use in the indoor kitchen oven. Win - win!

3. Nuts, bolts, and washers. Duh! Thanks FW.

And coat hanger wire.... Yeah, simple is my middle name.