Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

I got this one

$20 ThermoPro TP18 Ultra Fast Thermocouple Digital Instant Read Meat Thermometer for Grilling BBQ Smoker Kitchen Food Cooking Thermometer for Oil Deep Fry Candy Thermometer

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0793MSG7S?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_pd_title

I’ll look in to those grill grates!

Exactly what I did! Mike were about half pound burgers. Came out good for the first cook on the new pellet pooper.

 

Nosir. Must be another short fat bald old guy.... here is what I am doing. Half a bin of charcoal and trying the minion method...

 

Temp in the pit seems to be stalling at 180. I have the top WFO and one of the bottom same, other two are 20 percent open.

Edit- also filled the drip pan with about a gallon of tap water 5 minutes ago, and bumped one of the other intakes to WFO. 190 now...

 

You'll always want the top vent 100% open and control temps with the bottom three. If temps stalled, start opening vents a bit more. You'll find that the WSM holds temp like a champ.

 

Smoking today

PF rubbed pork shoulder started about 3.5 hours ago 155f about to hit stall (maybe)

 

If you say so! Just went on in prep for a Cowboys watch party.


I saved half the belly for a little experiment tomorrow.

 

You may need to start with more lit coals. I normally use about a 1/4 chimney of lit coal, which is about 15-20 briquettes. I start with the top completely open, and all the bottoms at 1/2 open. As it approaches target temp, i close off two completely.

 

Where’s the wood chunks?

 

Now I gotta buy some cake rings, so going to try this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9R4MKHR-_co

 

Picked up my Lumberjack Comp blend pellets at Rural King. $8.79 a bag for 20 lbs. picked up 4 bags for now. Got 80 lbs total $1 cheaper than I was paying for 40 lbs on Amazon.

 

Spice for the ribs and some goodies for chili tomorrow.

 

Wood chunks were soaking in water. Have a few on now.
I already burned through a lot of that charcoal apparently. Wierd . Temp is around 250 right now, just adjusted the vents so I am going to see things are stable before adding meat.

10 pounds of pork ribs. Cut each of the 3 racks in half, 4 of them are Pitfaced, 2 are Pitfaced Spicy. Can't wait to try them. If they taste as good as the PF tasted on my eggs this morning I will have to order larger portions next time.

 

So I ordered the food grade caulk tube to seal up my COS earlier this week....and the shipment was delivered yesterday...but it was a package of some sort of fruitybooty notecards. Way to fuck up my weekend, Amazon Returned. I will just get a tube from the Oreilly, and probably save money as well as I get a discount since my son works there

Ordered a gasket kit from Amazon for my WSM. Hopefully it is actually in the box. I am sure it won't be an issue. Honestly, probably don't even need it, but it appeals to my controlling nature.

Temp appears to have settled in at 255. I shoveled in some more charcoal, out of Kingsford, have half a bag of Stubb's (correction, Cowboy) lump laying around. Hopefully I can get 3 hours at around 250 out of it.

Stomach is growling... and we are probably looking at 10pm before the ribs are eaten. Grrrr..... they smell SOOOO GOOD and have only been on for a little bit.

Edit- ribs on at 1530... and temps went up 20 degrees. Wtf?

 

How long was it running to burn through that coal? A full load on mine will go 14 hours easy, at 225.

 

About 90 minutes

 

Lol. Tapped the top vent to ensure it was all the way open and the lid dropped a half inch with an immediate decrease in smoke leaking from where it meets the pit body . That is likely going to make a big difference....

 

So much for a stall

Five and a half hours in



Threw some brats on for lunch

 

You may want to try and get that door to seal better. Mine is not completely tight, but it does confirm to the smoker better. If you can’t get it worked out, cajun bandit had a door you can buy that’ll take care or it.

 

There’s your problem!! Lol

 

Yessir, already tracking that. Seems I didn't secure it properly in the back of my truck and it got a bit battered. This pic was from after I bent it a bit to confirm better. I already have a new door in my order cart waiting to pull the trigger.