Smokers (BBQ - not grilling)

[Fred W]

My experience with the pellet smokers is that all of the horizontal cooking chamber ones have uneven heating and lackluster smoke flavor. The firepots always cause a hot spot right over them, so you either cook something small in the central hot spot, or distribute your meat around the cooking grate away from the hot spot.

After a couple of years with my Pit Boss horizontal, I picked up a Pit Boss 5 series vertical cabinet smoker. The heat is far more uniform throughout the cooking chamber, and for some reason it puts out much more smoke flavor in whatever I’m cooking, using the same pellets. One feature of the PB vertical is the “smoke” setting. The cooking temperature in that position is very low, about 120 F, and it generates a lot of smoke. I often start my cooking with the Smoke setting for about the first hour, then crank it up to normal cooking temperature.

Since I got the vertical smoker I seldom take out the horizontal. The only thing the horizontal does better is grilling. The vertical is a much better smoker. Price is typically about $500, but I got mine in a scratch and dent clearance from Tractor Supply for a healthy discount. In retrospect I would gladly pay full price considering how well it works.

PS - we scored a free frozen turkey from BJ’s this year and already had picked up a bigger one for the family dinner. The freebie was only a 14 pounder, so I intend on putting that on the Vertical pellet smoker sometime over the winter, after the Thanksgiving Turkey overload has faded.

 

[Bounce]

Those are the advantages of the acorn/kamodo cookers (like the BGE and less expensive options).

Unfortunately I misplaced my sous vide stick somewhere and need to get another one. Sectioning a turkey and sous vide-ing it always ends well.

 

[Auburn]

This showed up in my FaceCrack page today. Though it might be of use here

 

[Fred W]

Nice! I glommed that to print and laminate. Thanks

 

[Knifemaker]

Well as usual, we are again not going traditional for Christmas dinner this year.
I scored a nicely marbled brisket point, along with a certified angus flat. Do to the prediction of rain all day tomorrow, I nixed my original idea of doing them in my UDS and instead will be using my pellet smoker, which I’ll have to position just inside the garage. I have injected the crap out of the flat with beef broth, and dry brined the point with salt, fresh ground pepper, and a local beef rub. I’ll be cooking them at 250°F and wrapping them for the stall with pink butcher paper.
Photos to follow….

 

[JoelTheMole]

I have had a little 2 burner propane grill with those little "flavor" saver metal tent like things over the burners for years. I used to just use it to grill food normally, but my native Texan wife REALLY likes smoked food. A few years back after we bought a house I was planning to buy a real smoker and get more serious, but as an experiment I just started putting some banana leaves/stems plus wood chips to the side of one of the burner tents and run just that burner on low with the other one off to smoke stuff.





My wife, and several other women we know, REALLY likes the flavor this imparts, so I just havent bothered to do anything else, I just keep using this ghetto little setup. I have stopped bothering with the wood chips though, and use just banana leaves, as I have a LOT available:


Keeps the wife and pocketbook happy.

 

[Fred W]

Another Christmas holiday is upon us already. Man, how time flies!

Last night we had the Italian, traditional feast of the seven fishes (only 5 this time), and today I’ll be smoking another prime rib-roast since last year’s was such a big hit. Only 5.25 lbs since we’ll have fewer guests this year. I’ll be employing the same techniques as last year, vertical pellet smoker for a couple hours to get it to about 118 internal, then pull it for a rest while SWMBO gets the sides ready. Last step is the short high temp sear on the gas grille, partly so the house doesn’t get all smoked up. Hopefully remember to take the money shot.

Merry Christmas everyone!

 

[Knifemaker]

Point on the left, flat on the right. Oddly after five hours, the point is at 197 and the flat is at 180 . I did pump up the cooking temp to 300 a few minutes ago.
I trimmed A LOT of the fat off both. Will likely let them rest in the cooler for a few hours once they hit 203.

 

[Knifemaker]

Point on the right. Flat on the left. Both were awesome.

 

[Fred W]

I did grab a couple of photos of the results, unfortunately I wasn’t able to get the sliced beef shot. I was late, as BBQ often is, and the crowd was ravenous.





Second photo of the ribs, which I separated from the ribeye before cooking. I was sort of hoping to score one, but my two grandsons were too quick for me.