Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

So my family wants me to smoke the turkey for Thanksgiving this year. I've had my electric smoker for less than a year and I still haven't mastered it. I've only used it maybe 3 or 4 times. I'm pretty nervous. Y'all got any tips for me?

 

Sure, go buy a WSM.

JK, no knowledge of electrics....

 

What smoker do you have? You should do a "test" run before the whole family is left starving because you're not familiar with your set up.

 

It's a MasterBuilt

 

MES 30"? What size bird are you thinking?

 

My tip is to use it more often . As with most things in life, the more you do something the better you get.

 

I don't recall the model off the top of my head. It's pretty big. The bird weight is unknown by me at this time. My sisters work for Sysco foods and get free turkeys for the holiday. I'll ask if either of them have gotten the turkey yet to check the weight.

 

Ok I been informed the turkey is 10-14 pounds and each sister has one, so I'll do a trial run this weekend

 

Same here, and the 3 18" WSM that showed up on CL over the summer were 200-250. Used. And a couple hours drive away for each one. Hopefully something will show up for you next week during Black Friday. I purchased my 18" WSM from Cabela's of all places for less than $200 delivered. But looks more like a one time good deal since then, they seldom go on sale like that.

 

Those top out at about 300* cooking temp, right? Get it to 300-325* and follow a minutes/pound chart for oven roasting at a similar temperature for a guide. You're probably looking at around 15 minutes per pound in most cases. The bigger the bird, the less accurate the number becomes. Whatever your smoker uses to generate smoke, fill it with a mild wood as poultry really takes on the smoke. Pecan, apple, maple are all good choices, but not certainly not the only ones.

If you want to get fancy, put a bag of crushed ice on the breast for the last hour or so that it sits in the fridge before cooking. This will help allow the breast and thigh meat hit the target temp at the same time. Get a good thermometer and check the thick of the breast and the thick of the thigh for 165* and 175* respectively.

Good luck! Don't rush the thing and do be sure it is fully cooked. Worst case scenario, it takes a little longer and the meal gets delayed by 15-20 minutes. Just tell everyone to pour another drink .

 

Yup:
pick one meat and work it - ribs, chicken, rats, whatever. Take a recipe and be consistent as you can be with the meat - then focus on the cooker. Just learn how it holds temps, when to add chips, etc. Whatever your variables are with your machine.

I don't have an electric cooker but learning to cook the same meal over an over on the same kit makes you learn the cooker and the food tells you what you changed.

For instance, when cooking beer can chicken on my gasser I know what I can do or not do - I will not short the time regardless of temp - it's always a soup-sandwich when I do. On my smoker droid (ECB-S1R1) I know it's basically a summer thing - temps over 70* or I loose heat and extend times - and that's for 4 hr ribs...it wont' hold 250 on the thermo so it's not effective.

So pick something and work it until you understand the machine and it's effects on the subject meal. Then start to tinker.

I was about talk about local temps but Cold Iron on MN can make Q all year...It is gear dependent...

 

Not certain what model MES he has, but my 30" maxes @ 275* on the setting, I've seen it scare 280*. But 300*-325* is not going to happen.

 

Ah, I see. 275* will still do the trick. Same rules apply, just might take another minute or two per pound

 

The good thing is that it’s a gift too me.. I don’t like to get expensive gifts but I guess with all I do for others and sacrificing my family want to get this for me... I feel guilty though

 

You shouldn't feel guilty IMO. Your going to be creating some great food for your family and they will start having you do more and more of it. In fact the first thing that comes to mind is the old saying be careful what you ask for LOL.

 

Received most the parts for my WSM mods. I think staying with the 18" was a good move now, at least for me.

The Cajun Bandit stuff is machined extremely well and stainless steel. Not cheap but high quality, wish my rings and lid fit like that on the factory WSM.

Washed everything down well with dish soap and dried. Seasoning the rings now with a little bit of Canola oil and running at 325* with the ATC. Took half an hour from when I lit fires to come up to 300* so decided to take it to 325* and it took less than 15 minutes. And the fan is hardly running can go a lot higher if I want. Air temp is 27* it is a balmy November night here but the wind is 20 mph for windchill of 16*. The WSM doesn't care about windchill but the wind does steal heat. it is rock solid with and without the jacket on. This should work all year long.

10" CB Stacker ring gives a third cooking grate and with it is equal to the 22" in capacity. The Gateway Drums 30 gallon meat hanger fits perfectly in the 18" WSM so now I can also hang meat same as the Pit Barrel Cooker and cook directly over coals if I want. Except I have total control of my temperatures.



The rotisserie ring has motor mounts to fit both a 18" kettle like my Jumbo Joe or the WSM if you flip it over. Instead of unbolting it and moving each time I will purchase a second motor mount. Lot of holes in the ring without it mounted.



And puts the Mountain in the WSM with it on top of the stacker. Normally only put it on the body of the WSM. Could even mount a 4th grate on it but don't see a need for me to be running it like this except for seasoning it right now.

Think I will do a turkey this weekend. On the WSM with all the fat dripping on the coals. And spinning around on a rotisserie Now I have a rotisserie for all 4 of my grills and smoker.

 

What, no cylinder lock and wheel set?

 

Thanks man, definitely a different perspective on it. I never thought of it like that

 

No dude, like the above poster said, after a short period of time you’ll think: “dang, how’d I get thrown in this trick bag”. Then as you learn more you’ll truly be the man!!!

 

But of course I did they even included the correct sized drill bit with the kit, nice touch. Charcoal basket was half full of coals from the last burn and didn't feel like sorting ash and coals then dumping it to work on it and then refilling it so waiting until it is burnt down to attach it. Have to remove the top bolts in the legs that is going to be a bit of a challenge with the amount of cooking I've done with it.

And thanks for the heads up on the 10% off on the Cajun Bandit rotisserie! Your such an enabler...