Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

This is right on, perfect advice exactly what I do on my stick burner! My advice buy a smoker the next size up cuz once you get your process down you will want to cook more and more larger cuts etc.

 

I'm thinking about picking up a cheap charbroiler smoker tomorrow and trying a pork butt on Sunday... Always used a side tank type bbq wouldn't mind a traditional smoker to try stuff out on. Any suggestions for pork butt like wood?

 

Hickory.

 

I personally would avoid a cheap offset. You can get a really nice Weber kettle for $150 that can do small batches of BBQ and be easier to control the temp on. I did 3 5# butts on mine at the same time when I was between smokers. They came out great. Plus you can also grill some great food on it when you aren't cooking low and slow.

 

Mine is a modified Charbroiler. I wouldn't buy one. I picked it up cheap off a friend just to get started, so now I know what I want.

Metal is thin, bad insulation. Fire box rusts out in no time. I even put a new one on when I got it. Leaks. Leaks everywhere. Mine isn't as bad only after 100's of cooks and the creosote filling in the leaks.

I'd look elsewhere.

 

I have a weber already, but I am wanting a traditional smoker(non offset).

I was thinking of between these two:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Brinkmann-Smoke-N-Grill-Charcoal-Smoker-and-Grill-810-5302-S/100606041

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Char-Broil-Vertical-Charcoal-Smoker/21976930

I don't smoke often as my father doesn't like it like he used to and I am pretty much the only one that eats it.

 

I just picked this up:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Brinkman...-855-6100-S/205412645?quantity=1&str_nbr=1064

We will see.. On sale so I decided to try it.
Now I'm excited.

 

Nice even if it's only decent (I had good luck when I had a Brinkmann grill) you still can get some good smoked foods out of it.

 

Yeah, I have to cure it today! I am surprised by the weight! 70 pounds so it has to be pretty thick(I need to pick it up at 3)
My side smoker fell apart(walmart) after 5 years, so I think I can make this last.

Order came out to 106 with mostly good reviews. Got 100 dollars back from my chase freedom card(had to buy college books and what not) so its basically free

 

Awesome deal

I spent more this year than I wanted to on mine, I ended up going pellet smoker. LOVE it so far. Smoked food come on how can it be that bad

 

Here it is! Curing is done finally.

Cant wait to use it.

 

Not bad. I had a rectangle brinkman vertical smoker for a few years. It finally rusted out this past winter. I had been looking for a replacement but didn't know what I wanted. I found a hell of a deal on my 22.5wsm. I got it for $199.

 

That is exactly what I was going to buy! But the 399 dollar price tag said NOPE.. at that price I would have bought 2 lmao

So far its been sitting out there WOT(all vents open) for 2 hours it has been at 350 and now it has settled to 250 for the last 2 hours.

I think itll work holding charcoal for around 6 or more hours holding a stead 225

 

For those who don't know (or believe), you can cook burgers and steaks on your smoker and get grill marks and excellent results. Tonight I cold smoked a 1/2 frozen burger with hickory for about 30-40 minutes. Put worchestersire, a little soy sauce and some seasoning on it, back in in the fridge and cranked up the smoker to high. When it hit around 450f I tossed the burger on the Grill Grate... Turned out awesome. I've done the same with steaks with equally good results.

 

Double wall stainless insulated. Modified prison food cart that was damaged during a riot, brought it home and fixed it up into a smoker. Made a stove top element as the heat source that keeps the chips smoldering. Smoked lots of different things. Our own sausage/pepperoni, salmon(candied also), pork butts, turkey breast, ribs, bone marrow....

 

Found it at a closeout store. The Weber warranty is based on the serial year, so I'm not scared of buying any Weber item at a store like that. I got a ss Genesis for $400 about 7 years ago and it's still going strong and looks practically new.

 

Friend of mine bought cheaply a used Weber with some valve issues, the rest was virtually new. After fiddling with and getting frustrated he contacted Weber. They sent him new valves, burners and igniter at no cost! Great product with amazing service.

 

I do steaks on mine all the time, 20-25 mins with it smoking to add that flavor to the meat, take them off wait for it to come up to temp and then back on to finish cooking. DARN good taste out of that meat. Heck we even make smoked pizza, haven't done it on mine yet but PLENTY of pies on my friends smoker.

 

I did a Papa Murphys Mediterranean Chicken Delight on the smoker and it was freakin' awesome. Couldn't believe how good it was, then I had the leftovers the next day (heated up in the kitchen oven) and it was even better!

 

Last time we did them we smoked a brisket before hand, dough was prepped ahead of time and sitting waiting. Chopped up some of the brisket, I made a sauce that was half BBQ sauce half pizza sauce, put down a layer of sauce light layer of cheese, good layer of chopped brisket, more cheese so extra chopped brisket and some caramelized vidalia onions. Into the smoker till done. Took it out let it setup for a few mins then put it up. Also did a cheese pizza that day. Brisket Pizza was AWESOME.

I keep playing around with thinking about making a smoked ice cream. Have some ideas on how I want to do it just need to get the time and to did the ice cream maker out.