Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

If this is what you mean then yes

 

yup. shes a beauty

 

She is only problem now is that now I don't wanna buy an offset smoker. This thing is awesome. Lol

 

So I’m sure this has been discussed numerous times here, but without going through 1000+ pages....

I am going to pull the trigger on a pellet pooper. I have used barrel smokers and an offset stick burner for years now, but want the set and forget and numerous others perks of a pellet grill. I was going to pull the trigger on a Traeger pro, but am intrigued by some of the other less expensive brands. Anyone have any experience with Pitt boss, Cabela’s or any other brands? Am I just paying for the name stamped on the side of the traeger???

 

I got a GMG Daniel Boone last June. I likey! I've never had any other pellet pooper, so there's that. Hint: GMG will hit 500*. 50* more than that other thing.

 

Haven’t seen those, I’ll have to check them out. Thanks!

 

A good friend of mine worked at Traeger for a while and I reached out to him for advice when I was considering one. As it turns out, he left Traeger and went to work for Pit Boss so I got his perspective on both. While the Traeger warranty was better, he felt the Pit Boss was built better and the price point was a nice bonus. I ended up purchasing a Pit Boss 820d which can be picked up at Lowes, Academy, etc for around $500.

My only complaint is that I'd experience some pretty big temp swings - 20 degrees under to 30 degrees over temp sometimes. I don't know how that compares to a Traeger. I swapped out my stock Pit Boss controller for a Savannah Stoker PID controller, a pricey upgrade but the temps are rock solid now and the controller is incredibly flexible/configurable.

 

I was looking real hard at GMG. To the point that I wouldn’t even consider a Traeger any longer.

I just don’t see the value in the price variance, after researching for a week.

Still don’t know what I want to spend on, so for now just not spending.

 

They are cheaper too.

 

I'll add that I had couple questions and problems when I 1st got the GMG. CS was excellent, and sent me a part no charge, no problem.

 

I'm with ya. I've researched the crap outta many models and brands and always decide on one. then I don't buy. Then 6 months later I start from scratch and spend tons of time researching to end up not buying again... in a few weeks after the move though, I think it's time

 

I’ve stated before I’ve made some lifestyle changes as well. I’m an old fucker which makes it even harder, however I’ve dropped over 105lbs in about 10 months. I eat better, not perfect. I do allow myself a cheat meal every couple weeks or so. Basically, cut way down on portions and started exercising. I’ve gone from a 50” waist (embarrassing) to a respectable 38” and this at 55 yrs of age. I’m still working on it, I’m a big framed fellow and will be happy at 190-195ish.

 

Just got off of doing keto. Did it for about 7 weeks? I still smoked and used plenty of Meat Massage. It's sugary, no doubt, but if the rest of the day/week was disciplined, I'm certain I never went over my carb/sugar allotment. I know I sound like a pitchman, but our rub as 1g of sugar per 1/4 teaspoon, which is 12g per tablespoon. A tablespoon covers a good bit of meat surface. From there, figure some is lost to sweating, falling off with the juices, etc. Then, if that tablespoon covers the topside of one rack of ribs and you eat, say, half a rack (still a lot!), then you're only getting half of whatever remained from the initial 12g. Even if you got all 6g from that half rack, your target for keto is likely going to be in the 20-40g range. Easily maintainable, in my opinion. Sweet paprika can add a little sweetness to your SPOG rub.

I lost about 18 pounds with diet alone when on keto. I went off of keto and put 2 back on. I have since just eaten a "reasonable" diet, with not specific focus on watching carbs/sugar or percentage of diet from fats like keto requires, but I have added in exercise. Dropped another 4 pounds in a week and a half.

Single mile time has dropped by nearly 1 minute, 2 mile time has dropped by 2 minutes and I'm running negative splits. I got way out of it for 2 years while back in school. Felt terrible and was struggling to keep up with my daughters. Keto shrank my appetite and boosted metabolism, plus it gave me a structure to follow for dieting instead of just "eat better", but I do think the diet runs in to diminishing returns around the 5 week mark. Now that I dropped some weight, exercise is easier (still not easy), and a balanced diet (along with intermittent fasting) has made cheat days or the occasional treat not be so punishing.

Good luck!

 

That is absolutely amazing. Congratulations. Averaging 10lbs per month for 10 months takes some serious dedication.

Well done, man. Very happy for you.

 

Exactly how tri-tip should look.

Look like someone who has cooked it for years!

 

I went for a jog this morning, but I had turn back right away coz I forgot something. I can't jog.

 

Wrap that SOB in foil when the color is right and make yourself a badass hunk of meat. I've wrapped countless briskets in foil, plenty of pork shoulders, and still do my ribs with a foil wrap. No shame in my bark game, either. (Couldn't find a pic of a foil wrapped shoulder off hand)



Not a thing wrong with going naked the whole way, but not a thing wrong with wrapping, either. They both have their perks. Foil speeds it up and retains moisture. Naked is slower and risks drying the outer edges of the meat (just below the bark) a little more, but gives a firmer bark. I've had plenty of BBQ where the cook was maybe a little too proud of the bark at the expense of the other 95% of the meat I was eating. Just to put it out there.

Recently, I've been using butcher paper to wrap brisket and pork shoulder (still foil on ribs) and I think it gives a fine blend of both worlds. It speeds up the cook slightly and helps retain moisture, but it doesn't soften the bark quite as much. If I'm cooking less than 4 briskets at a time and don't have early time requirements, I'll go butcher paper. If a bigger cook or lunch serving, foil all the way. Rarely naked anymore. When I want more crunch, I'll cut off a piece towards the end of the cook for burn ends (including with pork shoulder!), cube it up, then put it back on unwrapped. Then you get 6 sides of crunch per burnt end to satisfy those crispy cravings .

 

Others mentioned the 26". You can literally drive yourself crazy looking for one, then second guessing yourself when you finally find it and see the price. Craigslist and Offer Up can be a life saver if you stick with looking for a 22" at a great price. Nothing wrong with buying used. You can get yourself a 22" performer and a WSM 18 for the price of a new 22" kettle if you look around.

This is probably the most impressive shit I have read in my entire time participating in this thread. Congratulations.

 

Same age as you in a couple months. Congrats man, takes a lot of soul searching for us old timers to change our ways.

 

Beginners luck lmao. Although my setup of making the fire is always the same lol. I didn't even have my temp probe in. I forgot and was lazy and said fuck it imma wing it. I checked at the 50min mark and it was at 118-120. Wrapped it maybe 15ish min until I got a good fire going for direct sear and bam...Money!!!!