Smokers (BBQ - not grilling)

[Bustanut joker]

Yep 2 or 3 hours is all I've done so far with a tenderloin. I've tried several different ways to keep it moist but nothing good thusfar.

However I've had excellent results with a shoulder butt roast. I believe the fat in them keeps them moist.
I also butterfly them and add a couple sliced apples and tie 'em up before burning them.

 

[Blind Squirrel]

Some cuts (tenderloin being one of them) do better with high heat because of the lack of fat to keep them moist.

 

[eflyguy]

.. or sous vide, finished over fire..

Discussion of beef has me thinking of ribs again - beef ribs - but now wondering how a small rib roast/prime rib might do. Hmmm...

 

[biknflyfisher]

Any of you smokers out there use the Oklahoma Joe's Longhorn model? I'm looking for some opinions before I make the plunge for one.....

I've been using a Brinkmann vertical box smoker and need something bigger.

Thanks,

Brian the biknflyfisher

 

[Fred W]

I have an OK Joe Highlander, which is exactly the same as the longhorn but with a slightly smaller cooking chamber. If you look back through this thread I detailed the mods I did to my OK Joe, and with those relatively small changes, I would say it is a very capable offset smoker. Unless you go to burning wood, it will never be as efficient as many of the vertical format units, but if you want to smoke old school with true indirect heat on an offset, it’s a very good unit for the minimal investment.

 

[biknflyfisher]

Fred: my BIL has the Highlander with mods and he kicks out some incredible brisket. He did two "prime" briskets from Costco and they fantastic!

I'll look back through the thread to see if I can find your mods.....

 

[Knifemaker]

There are many how to videos online on modifying an Oklahoma Joe smoker, here's a simple one:



Biggest thing to do is just seal up some of the major leaks. Just Google "modding an Oklahoma Joe" and you'll find a lot of info...from simple to even converting to a reverse smoker.

I really liked the idea of a reverse, and was lucky enough to find a builder to make one for me. However a simple offset can turn out some excellent Q. Without spending a lot of money.

The Oklahoma Joe smokers are perhaps the better ones on the market that fall into that category. A few simple mods and you're good to go.

 

[eflyguy]

Controlling airflow (which means no leaks) is key to just about any of them. There's no way to keep temperature under control if you can't control airflow.

I've had vertical drum, side box, and a kamado. When you learn their quirks, they all work well. The kamado I like most because it is the easiest to maintain a uniform, low temp, but can also be turned up to 11 for things like pizza..

 

[BikerGeek99]

For The Game yesterday, I smoked some wings and some stuffed jalapenos.

The short of it: they were all delicious!

Longer version:

A while back, Sooze got me this thing that holds jalapenos upright so that you can stuff 'em and grill / bake 'em. And that's what I did - I used 4 oz. of cream cheese, some finely-diced red bell pepper, chopped up cilantro, and some shredded cheddah. Mixed that all up, put it in a sammich bag, cut off a corner and used that as a piping bag to stuff the peppers.

For the wings, I marinated them overnight in buttermilk and some blackening seasoning that I got at the Alden Mill house (Clicky). Yesterday morning, I pulled 'em outta the buttermilk marinade, separated the drummies from the flappers, patted 'em dry, hit 'em with some southwest seasoning (also from the Mill House) and let 'em sit in the fridge for aboot 6 more hours.

In the smoker, the jalapenos went on the top rack, and the wings took up the next two racks. I used apple chunks this time - I like the chunks MUCH better than chips. The chips catch and burn, resulting in the cabinet temperature spiking and then dropping. The chunks made controlling the temperature much easier.

After aboot 40 minutes in the 225 - 275-ish range, I cranked up the heat to full for another 10 minutes to crisp up the skin a bit.

Pulled everything out, and didn't take any pictures because it was all too tasty to bother. Deal with it.

The first time I used the smoker, I smoked some wings and they really weren't that good. These, however, were excellent! They had a nice smoke to 'em and were cooked through without being over-done. To me, the key this time was using my remote thermometer to monitor and the cabinet temperature and adjust up or down as needed.

 

[Bounce]

I cheated. It was cold and I'd been ill for 2 or 3 weeks. I used the pressure cooker to make some chicken tortilla soup instead.

 

[Knifemaker]

^ Well you could have at least put a few drops of Liquid Smoke in it........

 

[08FJR4ME]

I had the last of my ribs tonight for supper.

 

[Bounce]

^ Well you could have at least put a few drops of Liquid Smoke in it........

Ick. I hate LS.

 

[Knifemaker]

^ Well you could have at least put a few drops of Liquid Smoke in it........

Ick. I hate LS.

Was meant as a joke ... because this is a thread about smoking foods.
However, have you tried making your own?

Alton Brown method last few minutes of this video:

 

[BikerGeek99]

I had the last of my ribs tonight for supper.

Outta curiosity, do you smoke a bunch at a time then freeze 'em / put 'em in the fridge, and then re-heat 'em?

 

[Knifemaker]

I had the last of my ribs tonight for supper.

Outta curiosity, do you smoke a bunch at a time then freeze 'em / put 'em in the fridge, and then re-heat 'em?

I do. I do up 6 slabs at a time. We eat one and freeze the rest. My wife insists the ones that have been frozen are better. I too need to smoke another batch, we finished off the last frozen one weeks ago!!!

 

[Fred W]

Same here. I cook as many racks as will fit in the smoker, which is about 5-6 full racks of baby backs, unless Im cooking something else at the same time.

We can usually only eat 2 full racks at a sitting, and thats only if my daughter brings over her husband and son who love them. Wife Joann can only eat a couple of ribs (lightweight!) and I can only eat 4 or 5 myself without feeling disgusting later.

We agree with knifemakers wife, and appreciate them more as leftovers than the day of cooking. Same with the smoked pork shoulder and smoked sausage. I tend to like the smoked pork tenderloins and pork loin roasts better the day of cooking, maybe because they are not as heavily smoked.

I sure wish the iceberg would melt in my back yard soon so I could drag the smokers back out of the shed. Next summer Im planning a new back yard patio expansion to park the smokers on. :lol:

 

[Knifemaker]

I think pork tenderloins/pork loin don't taste better as leftovers because of the lower fat content. When reheated they just aren't as moist as they are right off the grill or smoker. Like a lean steak, you need to eat them right after they are cooked. Now pork loin can still make some nice sandwiches, but they don't taste the "same way" as they do freshly cooked.

I'm looking here for a pleasant weekend to do a smoke, but it's supposed to be like 60 degrees tomorrow, but cold and snow expected this Saturday and Sunday I might have to take a vacation day from work just to get this to happen....

 

[Bounce]

So, in keeping with the subject, consider these "sides".

Home made potato soup.

 

[BikerGeek99]

Cool.

Thanks for the idears, guys. It's looking like the weather will be good enough for me to load up the smoker with some ribs this weekend!

I'll let you know how it goes.

Looks like I need to stop at Costco on the way home...