BBQ Smokers

[rrrkkk]

I'd go for it, but make a backup-turkey in a cooking bag in the oven just in case.

Shouldn't be a problem, but remember it takes a long time to smoke a Turkey. Probably an 1.5 hr per # at 225. It's best to brine a bird that is going to cook that long. Smear plain yellow mustard over the bird, the seasoning will stick better the vinegar base will tenderize and you wont taste the mustard.

 

[Cpjlube]

After looking at smokers for quite a while, we decided to build one. Turned into a real project but it works well. You can do the hog in the horizontal side and cook a side dish in the vertical side.

 

[IslandTractor]

IT-it really is idiotproof with the Masterbuilt. Don't know what model you have, but it really is darn near impossible to mess up. If you need a good resource for recipes, here is a good site: Dadgum That's Good Recipes Dadgum site recommends 30 minutes per pound at 225* or 18 minutes per pound at 275. I also have Robb Walsh's book Legends of Texas Barbeque. It's a great book, and has lots of history, stories and recipes. (I also have his Tex-Mex book as well.) When I smoke a turkey, I use water, white wine, lemon and rosemary in the water pan. I smoke with hickory or applewood pellets. Mesquite is a bit strong for poultry. Walsh recommends (for a 12-13 pound bird, two hours breast side down at 275-300, then flip (breast up), baste with Italian Dressing, and cook for another two hours. After 4 hours, start checking the temp until it hits 160. I tend to cool low and slow on the smoker, so I would go with 225*. The lower the temp, the less it dries out, and the more smokiness it absorbs.

Thanks for the encouragement. I'll check out those recipes. My smoker came with cherry, apple, hickory and mesquite chips. I'll avoid the mesquite.

 

[/pine]

I'm working on a custom smoker/grill that's a little different...mostly designed for two things (not at the same time) smoking jerky (I do it the old way) and slow cooking whole beef briskets (min 16-18 hrs.)...will also work well for the regular steaks, ribs, chicken, roasts, fish, vegs, etc...etc..

I'm testing a few different configurations (fire/cooking areas) and am using angle iron and expanded steel for the prototypes...using aluminum sheet metal for the enclosures...would like to think I will switch to all stainless for the final production but will use steel plate (1/8" or 3/16") on the last of the test models (in case I never get to the stainless version)....FWIW...going on two years of testing/modifying etc...

Personally I like the flavor of pecan wood (a member of the hickories) for most meats and fish ...I grew up learning how to smoke fish like mullet, mackerel, king mackerel etc...back then we used "button wood" (the most favorable of all I have experienced) but it being a member of the mangrove it's a no-no...! also used a lot of (any) citrus wood....apple or peach wood is good for less oily fish...just about any fruit wood works good for a lighter smoky flavor...

For an easy "smokey" treat for anyone with a regular gas grill (this is like indirect grilling)...soak some of your favorite wood chips (if you don't have local wood different chips are available at wally-world, HD etc) over-night (forget what the instructions say about soaking for only 30 minutes)...
...On one side of the grill place an old pot 1/3 filled with the wet chips and the burner on high (until the chips start to smoke) add some thin pork chops, chicken wings etc...or whatever on the opposite side (no fire under)...the longer they smoke the better IMO...but it's an easy way to "smoke" food with a regular gas grill...
...add heat/chips as needed...IMO smoked wings or chops make great finger food when watching football this time of year...!

 

[Jim Nelson]

I have 2 Big Green Eggs that I use regularly,a large and a medium,plus a spare large in the basement that I got a heck of a deal on and am keeping until the current large finishes breaking.The lower half has a crack pretty much all the way across the bottom but is still holding together.I cook on one or both at least 5 days a week and we really like the way the food comes out.They are a very versatile cooker, you can grill anything from steak to veggies or bake anything from bread to cheese cake and especially shine with pizza.If you buy them from a dealer they are pricey but I have bought all 3 of mine other than from a dealer so have just over the price of one large in all 3. This of course means I don't qualify for the life time warranty but it works for me.We never go out to eat any more because the food just doesn't measure up.

 

[s219]

Been BBQ'ing for years now, using hickory I collect during hurricane cleanup. I break it into small chunks and let it dry for years before use, which completely changes the character compared to most hickory you buy in stores (which is usually green and enhances creosote production, since the moisture in the wood steams out at 212F and causes creosote gases to condense prematurely). The dried hickory chunks have very little smell compared to green hickory, but the smoke and flavoring seems just the opposite -- more enhanced and concentrated. Would love to hear other's feedback on their wood expertise.

For years I mainly did pork ribs and chickens, with occasional Thanksgiving turkeys and beef briskets. My goto rib recipe was 2 hours at 250F with smoke, then another 4 hours at 250F wrapped in foil (that part could be done in an oven). Great fall off the bone texture. We recently switched to smoking pork butts -- they are great to feed a crowd and a lot less finicky to work with than birds and briskets. A hobby has been smoking sausages -- I normally use italian sausages and them run them under hickory smoke off to the side of the main course. They come out pretty darn good.

Recently, we got this recipe for rub and sauce, and it's become my new favorite for pork butts:

Rub
3 tablespoons dry mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Sauce
1/2 cup yellow mustard
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

It's more of an orangy "Carolinas" type sauce, with some tangy zing and bright tastes. Works wonderfully with pork.

 

[bamboozled]

One I built a couple of years ago.

Library Slideshow by hos_fabrication | Photobucket

 

[/pine]

IMO...this is a great thread, great stuff!...:thumbsup::thumbsup: to the OP for starting it...!

On the subject of (dry) rubs...I like a commercial product called: 'Butt Rub'

BTW... a not so commonly known (high end) steak house secret is using dry mustard on steaks...it really brings out the flavor of beef...

 

[General Lee]

I'll be breaking in the Horizon this weekend with some ribs, and either chicken or venison. I'll post some here in this thread.

 

[General Lee]

.I'll be breaking in the Horizon this weekend with some ribs, and either chicken or venison. I'll post some here in this thread.

s219 - I may try your sauce, thanks for sharing that.

 

[PhysAssist]

I'd go for it, but make a backup-turkey in a cooking bag in the oven just in case.

No, no, no- make the back up a deep fried turkey.

We have had our Charbroil branded vertical LP smoker for about 5 years and finally rusted/burnt through the combo water and smoke drawer, so now I just put the wood (apple, hickory, cherry (black/wild or domestic), ash or walnut depending on meat and mood- all from trimming trees on our property) in an old aluminum pan on the bottom, and put a large corningware pan filled with water on the shlf above it, and it works way better than the OEM drawer tray.

Thomas

 

[Gunny]

Right now I use a smoker that I built after I couldn't find one that I liked anywhere near me. Five foot long chamber with burn box on one end, chimney on the other. The chimney extends down inside the chamber about 3/4 of the tube diameter to keep a lot of smoke on the meat.

I have developed an interest in those pellet smokers, going to start looking at them real hard after Christmas. From what I've read, they might just be the ticket

I keep a supply of aged apple wood chunks in the garage. Whenever I can find an apple tree that's been blown over or died for some other reason, I cut the trunk up into 6" lengths and let them air dry for a year or so before I split them up, love the flavor it imparts to the meat (mostly boston butt for pulled pork or pork shoulders for sliced)

 

[Jim Nelson]

Been BBQ'ing for years now, using hickory I collect during hurricane cleanup. I break it into small chunks and let it dry for years before use, which completely changes the character compared to most hickory you buy in stores (which is usually green and enhances creosote production, since the moisture in the wood steams out at 212F and causes creosote gases to condense prematurely). The dried hickory chunks have very little smell compared to green hickory, but the smoke and flavoring seems just the opposite -- more enhanced and concentrated. Would love to hear other's feedback on their wood expertise.

For years I mainly did pork ribs and chickens, with occasional Thanksgiving turkeys and beef briskets. My goto rib recipe was 2 hours at 250F with smoke, then another 4 hours at 250F wrapped in foil (that part could be done in an oven). Great fall off the bone texture. We recently switched to smoking pork butts -- they are great to feed a crowd and a lot less finicky to work with than birds and briskets. A hobby has been smoking sausages -- I normally use italian sausages and them run them under hickory smoke off to the side of the main course. They come out pretty darn good.

Recently, we got this recipe for rub and sauce, and it's become my new favorite for pork butts:

Rub
3 tablespoons dry mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Sauce
1/2 cup yellow mustard
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

It's more of an orangy "Carolinas" type sauce, with some tangy zing and bright tastes. Works wonderfully with pork.

My go to sauce is
1 cup pomegranate juice
1 cup maple syrup (the real stuff,not Aunt Jemimas)
1/2 cup Sweet Baby Ray's
Simmer until it just starts to thicken stirring often. We like this on anything but is especially good on ribs or a but.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

IMO...this is a great thread, great stuff!...:thumbsup::thumbsup: to the OP for starting it...!

On the subject of (dry) rubs...I like a commercial product called: 'Butt Rub'

BTW... a not so commonly known (high end) steak house secret is using dry mustard on steaks...it really brings out the flavor of beef...

Butt Rubb is a great commercial rubb. I also like Cains BBQ spice and it's not as spicy as the Butt Rubb. I make my own rubb from my own special recipe, which I use exclusively any more. Here is a recipe for a Butt Rubb clone that I came up with some time ago.

1 Cup Paprika
2/3 Cup Black pepper ( mix of regular and coarse ground)
1/2 Cup Granulated Garlic
3 TBSP Salt (fine sea salt; no Iodine added)
3 TBSP Granulated Onion
3 TBSP Chipotle Powder


I love it, but my grand kids say it is too hot, so I use my #2 recipe.

 

[speedbump]

I also have a Weber Kettle that I bought in 1968 (well, half of it any way).

Anyone who ever said you can't burn metal has never owned a smoker, cooker or grill.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Anyone who ever said you can't burn metal has never owned a smoker, cooker or grill.

Hah. That's the truth. I still remember the first BBQ grills in this part of the country, were made of thin metal with no cover. If you left them out in the weather, it was doubtful if there was enough left to use it the next year.

 

[JRobyn]

Here is my question: Do I dare make a Thanksgiving turkey (maybe 15lbs or so) my FIRST smoking attempt? I've watched a bunch of videos and frankly it seems pretty idiot proof. Any words of wisdom? (or links to a good recipe for smoked turkey)

These guys make quite a science of it (and a lot to read through) but their methods really work well. I particularly like the "Simon and Garfunkle" rub.

Barbecue Turkey And Grilled Turkey: The Ultimate Smoked Turkey Recipe

- Jay

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I was at Coastal Farm this week and was very impressed with the Traeger pellet smokers. I love the fact that they can be thermostatically controlled.

Barbecue (BBQ) Grills & Smokers | Traeger Wood Pellet Grills

 

[bumperm]

I was at Coastal Farm this week and was very impressed with the Traeger pellet smokers. I love the fact that they can be thermostatically controlled.

Barbecue (BBQ) Grills & Smokers | Traeger Wood Pellet Grills

If you read the customer reviews on Amazon, Traeger takes hits for reliability. Rec Tec, on the other hand, is darn near 5 stars (and costs $1K). Being the type that prefers to spend a bit more for good quality, I bought the Rec Tec. Only after it arrived did I find that, like Traeger, the Rec Tec is made in China . . . well, most of it is. The electronics are made in the USA (according to Rec Tec). I will say that Rec Tec's customer service is exemplary. Plus, if you call them direct (not through Amazon), you can get them to throw in a grill cover etc. if you ask nicely.

Pellet Grills & BBQ Smokers For Sale | Factory Direct | REC TEC Grills

bumper

 

[CowboyRon]

Gentlemen, I have never used a smoker before but just picked up a new Masterbuilt electric model, new unused via Craigslist (I love bargains). I have confirmed that it works and did the prescribed "seasoning" of the smoker. Here is my question: Do I dare make a Thanksgiving turkey (maybe 15lbs or so) my FIRST smoking attempt? I've watched a bunch of videos and frankly it seems pretty idiot proof. Any words of wisdom? (or links to a good recipe for smoked turkey)

I have to add that I still have strong childhood memories of smoked turkey from a roadside smoke house in Florida in 1963. I'd love to recreate that or come even halfway close.

I sent u a pm