Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

Yep. I can fit 2 whole turkeys in my 22.5. I've also fit 6 8lb pork butts with room to spare.

 

WSMFTMFW.

 

I prefer the Maple, Hickory, Cherry competition blend. I like the complex flavors it add's to the smoke.

 

I got the opposite answer. Went there today after a week and the 26" is still there. Last week an employee said $220. Today the "manager" said $239 is the lowest they'll go because they lose money below that. Ummm, aren't you already losing money and closing down for good?? Not trying to be a d*ck, but that didn't make sense.

I'll try again next week

 

maybe i'll send the wife. tell her to wear short shorts and no bra. Tell her to talk to the oldest/fattest male employee out there. (no offense to the older/fatter members out here).

 

I've done this and works out great, but do it a little differently. use a big tupperware and freeze water into a big block of ice. put a clean foil pan under the grill grate, and put the block of ice directly over the pan, let it smoke and melt into the pan, then you pour the smoked water into whatever you want to re-freeze. I use the big whiskey/scotch cube molds i have.

Awesome in bloody mary's too if you do smaller cubes or just chip the ice off the block.

 

I have a small BBQ sauce pot that is intended for keeping sauce hot for basting. I fill it with ice and smoke it until it melts.

 

Best part of having a 26, my family can *uck up some wings!

Look good bro

 

Now we're talking. I take most of my whiskey neat anyways, but can't wrap my head around a flavored ice cube in it. In a Bloody Mary, though? That sounds badass. Garnish with a bacon swizzle stick and a little BBQ rub? That's happening at Thanksgiving this year, for sure!

Thanks for the suggested method. I'll be going that route. I don't think I can get my grill grates clean enough to set the ice block on. I might have to buy one of those things for grilling veggies to put it on.

 

meh, dirt don't hurt. I didn't clean my grates just gave them a little rub with an onion to clean big bits off. grease is just a little extra flavor. you could strain the water if you really wanted to.

 

My setup for a small scale low country boil this coming weekend. Bottom of my 18in WSM and a 12qt cast iron Dutch oven. This will be my first attempt at this. Thoughts? Happy week/weekend People. Cheers.

 

Is there enough room for coals at bottom? Doesn't look like it.

 

Plan is to get some coals going in the starter, dump them in and place the Dutch oven on top. Then possibly add some around it and on top.

 

That oughta work. I thought you would have it like in the picture, with the pot all the way down in the ring.

 

Nah. Put some lit coals underneath. Sorry for the poor pics.

 

I freeze pickle juice for my bloody mary's, but ice never gets near my Bourbon or Scotch, buy better whiskey if it needs ice.

 

I agree with everyone else, Weber Smokey Mountain. However...

You list smoke fish and jerky first. Sounds like you already know anything above 180* isn't making jerky it is cooking it. Think that is why many prefer a dehydrator (yuk) over a smoker as the texture changes above that. You can keep it down to 180 in a WSM. However you only have 2 grates so not a lot of room to work with.

My work around for that is pizza screens you can get a dozen at a restaurant supply place or online for around $20. I took a 1" red oak dowel and cut it into 1" sections to use as spacers. Kind of a PITA you have to be careful stacking them and at least once preferably twice during the cook rotate and switch them out. And sometimes the outer ones are dryer than the inner ones so move those around. And that is going with screens a couple of inches smaller than the water pan (dry at all times). It does work. My main problem is I end up eating close to a pound of it when making it and checking it LOL.

You mean use a Dutch oven as a Dutch oven? Done it camping more than once it cooks from all sides. I don't know why it wouldn't work as you outlined it. Should work fine, I vote go for it.

 

That makes it even more appealing. Sometimes I'll make jerky out of the whole front quarters of a deer. Capacity would be nice. I've also been researching ways to build my own smoker. The best one I've ever smoked on was made from two 55 gallon drums welded together lined with fire bricks. A bit big for what I need though.

 

If you get creative you don't have to wait until it's super cold out. I tried cold smoking in my pellet pooper but even the smoke tube added heat. So I figured - place the smoke generator away from the meat. My take on the mailbox mod. Worked out pretty good.