Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

Anyone here own a Big Green Egg and use it for smoking?

 

I do not really care for the lid therm either, but I do like the grommet. I can deal with running it through the door, or even the lid exhaust vent.

That thing does look nice, but it would only sell for that much to somebody who just has to have a blue one.

 

should move quick at 100 for the blue one (and maybe wiggle room for lowballers...). those don't ever go on sale hardly. just the black ones do. just giving him a hard time though

 

More chikn tonight. Because Weber. And it is that season. With Iowa to the South and all the corn getting close to prime time. And always fatty big ass birds. This was a little one, low and slow to render all that fat on the thighs. This was the smallest I cooked out of a dozen of them. Basted in simple Italian dressing, not marinated just low and slow on the grill. Zuke just EVOO and natures sneezing. It is the simple things sometimes although this took almost an hour and a half to plate. But worth it in spades.




I feel the need for beef coming up soon though. Corn fed and finished beef. Graded Prime.

 

CORN!

*inner Nebraskan intensifies*



Looks good

 

What is the largest group of people any of you have smoked for? @bvbull200 I believe it was you who posted a few days ago about cooking for a large group.


Just curious what I can get away with using 3 WSM 18's, 1 WSM 14, and a kettle 22 with smokenator so far, and anything else I can get my hands on on Offer Up and CL in the next month. My mom is trying to throw a large backyard bday party for my dad in October, with mariachi and everything, and she is planning on getting a tacoman.

I think I can have better variety of food for less if I cook, and it would be more personal as a gift to my dad. I am thinking brisket, pork butt, St. Louis ribs, tri tip, and chicken. But, I would be limited to the smokers I currently have. Any ideas on how much I would be able to cook with that?

 

Tacoman?!? The superhero we didn't know we needed!!!

 

Most I've cooked for is about 150. I think it was 135, but we planned for 150 to have extras. Pulled it off with two double rack UDS and a 22" kettle. Brisket, pork, and chicken. This past weekend was about 45-50. The whole team was cooking, so we had 4 smokers going, but we did two 16-lb briskets, 3 pork shoulders, 41 chicken drums, and two pork bellies for burnt ends.

If you don't need them, I'd ditch the ribs. You get less meat per square inch of cooker space than any other meat. Can you get a hold of pork belly? If so, make burnt ends and no one will miss the ribs. We did that this past weekend at our fundraiser and they were a hit.

The hard part for estimating how many you can cook for is the fact WSM (like my drums) are round. You can fit one brisket across a grate if in the middle, but unlikely you can fit two on an 18" grate since they'd have to be off to the sides. Hope that makes sense.

For brisket and pork shoulder, figure 50% yield of raw weight, then people eating about 1/3rd lb each. A little more if heavy eaters, a little less if you have sides or are giving buns to make sandwiches. Chicken thighs, about one for every two people, because not everyone will have chicken (in my experience).

Knowing that yield, what do you think you can fit? How many are you cooking for? I know the answer is a little vague, but I hope that helps.

 

Got an $80 offer earlier. I laughed . But not taking less than $100. No rush to sell it. Shes got plenty of friends here

And I got my red limited edition reservation confirmed

Had time earlier so I was able to spray paint the table hammered black

 

You'll definitely get 100 if you wait it out.


Where'd you do the reservation for the lmtd? what price are they giving you? I may jump on it.

 

$199. Plus tax. He or she or it only has one ordered. So unfortunately I can't share that info

 

Fair enough. Gonna call a couple places tomorrow

 

Forgot to add I added an 18" I got for $20. Almost brand new. Want that one @Misplaced Nebraskan ?

I'll sell it for $50 jk

 

I would guess around 60 people. Getting pork belly should not be a problem, but do you think it would fit on a WSM 14?. I figure I can do one 15# packer per grate and 2 10# shoulders per grate. I can easily do 2 tri tips per grate on the 14 and they cook fast, so that can be done while the brisket and pork is in the cooler. Chicken would be minimal and probably cooked on the propane grill. So, with 3 WSM 18's, I can probably get away with 3 large packers, 4 pork shoulders, and several ribs on a rib rack for whoever shows up early.

 

ha. I'm scouring for a 26 online and other than those scammy ebay ones, it looks like 299 is it for now...

 

Some bastard sold a 26 in San Antonio for $40 in great shape.

I bet he cooks with lighter fluid
So pissed I didn't even get an email reply from the seller

 

Wait it out. One will pop up.

 

26 is like spotting a Bigfoot or unicorn

 

What site was it on? never saw

That's the plan for now

 

That was how I felt last week when there was a ranch kettle listed for $340.