Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

That's not a bad idea, would make lunch preps much easier. I was thinking about doing more this week but we are headed out to a wedding Thursday so didn't want to waste any.

 

Yeah must be at least 30 years old that microwave is long gone. Have another same situation it is larger though. I wrap aluminum foil over it before I place the meat on it and once the food is on the grill toss the aluminum foil. This time of year I set it inside the house until the meat is done otherwise it is ice cold. Actually colder than ice.

 

https://blog.thermoworks.com/chicken/thermal-tips-simple-roasted-chicken/

Good article on temps. Chicken on the smoker for 3 hours pulled at 145 is perfect. It's been at 140+ long enough to be as safe as grilled to 165

 

Can't resist.. I'm proud of them....


Banana for the left two, banana nut on the right. Experimenting with my cast iron pans

 

Love Banana bread!! Looks great!! How'd the cast iron work out? I had to take my angle grinder with a stripper wheel to one of ours to smooth it out.... Worked better after that.

 

Lives in California - Check
Wife is Filipino - Check
Wife is a great cook - Check
Sister in law is also a great cook - Check

I like most of the food, Pancit and Lumpia are the best.
I draw the line at Dinuguan.
We regularly have a family feast.
My smoking - Pit fire are usually in the mix.

 

Worked pretty well. I did have to take a brush, but no soap, to the surface afterwards to clean it out... but seeing as how these have been stored for 10 years and used to have to be chiseled out, I'd say it's improving.

I have done the sander thing on a couple of newer cast iron pieces. They just dont finish them like they used to

I'm going to smoke a couple meatloafs in the pans to help along the seasoning process.

 

Looks awesome! Somehow I managed to choke down a Balut for Chief's initiation. One Balut in a lifetime is enough for me

I also grind down the newer cast iron pans with a 3M stripping wheel then reseason on the gasser. Last fall picked up a Giswold small logo #8 and #6 at the cabin I stayed at hunting grouse. They let them go for $20 each.

Have at least $1K of All-Clad but use my cast iron more. No loaf pans but do bake my cornbread in a skillet when I make it.



With home made bacon, home fries and eggs cooked in bacon grease of course.

 

Doing it right!

That's the only way to cook cornbread. I have a couple cornstick pans I need to get acting right- might just have to simmer them in bacon fat for a few hours on the smoker, then flip them upside down to drain for a few more.

I have a Griswold that I tracked down the age on- it's in the neighborhood of 127 years old! You don't even want to know what I paid for it (ok, $5 at Goodwill, rusty as hell). Tossed it into the firebox on the smoker, let it burn overnight, washed out the ash, and then a few trips through the smoke chamber to season-in some Crisco. I can make eggs without a spatula.

 

Sounds like I need to send my cast iron to you guys to properly season for me. I can never seem to get a good seasoning on them.

 

I have a whole process. It's not at all difficult. I have done reseasonings on several friends' cast without any problems whatsoever. I'd be glad to help.

 

So you did used to type riskdude at the end of your posts.

 

If they are the newer ones with rough castings it helps a lot to grind them down so they are smooth.



Then I do several high temp seasonings on the gasser, upside down.



You want thin coats of seasoning and not let it pool and get thick. Couple of years ago I went to

$15 Caron & Doucet - Cast Iron Seasoning & Cleaning Oil | 100% Plant-Based & Food Grade! | Best for Seasoning, Restoring, Curing and Care (8oz)

this seasoning for initial coatings, then once in awhile after that.

But after it has a few coats of Caron & Doucet on it I cook bacon in them for a dozen or more times. Lots of bacon. Usually homemade but it doesn't have to be.



After I take the food out and they are still hot I pour the bacon grease in a container that I keep in the fridge. Then put the pan under a stream of hot water in the sink. I use a dedicated stiff bristle brush and scrub then wipe dry. Put it back on the hot burner and sometimes wipe with a thin layer of Caron & Doucet. Whole process only takes a minute. They are pretty much like glass now, even the new ones.

 

Pretty much what I do, except I don't use any fancy nonsense coating. Crisco for the initial trips on the grill at about 450, bacon and other fatty meats for the first few cooks, and an olive oil wipedown after cooking. I very seldom use water in mine, very seldom have to. Usually when I do, it's to deglaze the pan for a sauce. Yes, you can cook tomato-based dishes, and make sauces, just fine in CI.

If I have a stubborn bit of burned on food, I will either scrape it out with my steel pancake flipper (always used to cook in them- unlike teflon and other finishes, the scraping effect of the steel actually helps the iron)), and if it is a real pill, I'll use a 3m green scrub pad without soap. NEVER put the iron in the dishwasher, never in soap, and never leave it wet. If you have to wash it, immediately dry it on the burner on low heat.

 

Hmm I might need to do the sanding step. I’ll have to go get a new wheel for my angle grinder today. I’ll give this a try thanks guys

 

you should have left it in your old traeger to season it with fire...

 

Shots fired

 

I prefer to use a Black & Decker Mouse sander. It is much easier to not gouge the surface, and get into nooks and crannies.

Got the idea from this guy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljSQrSoSYAE

 

I used to do it that way for years. But haven't had any vegetable based "lard" in the house since the Ex left 10 years ago. I have EVOO, Canola and Almond oil by the stove but only use the C&D anymore. And only a few drops once in a great while. There is a reason it is ranked so high on Amazon. But they all work.

Thinking the cast iron and Instant Pot are going to get a work out over the next week instead of the smoker or grills.



That is a long time to go without grilling any meat though not sure I can go that long without suffering withdraws. And got some of that global warming going on tomorrow but have a roast that needs cooked soon. I'd put my grilling chances next Wednesday at around 0% though.