Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

If it is your meat please don’t try to feed it to us.

 

Smoked some queso the other day so tossed some dogs on the smoker to warm up and get some flavor while working on the truck. When it was time to eat I cranked it to 400 and then pulled and topped with queso for a smoked cheesy dog.

 

Well.. I sorta accepted this challenge...

I was at the Walmart this morning and checked on it and I declined to actually buy it.



This stuff was $4.24 for 1.58 ounces. I paid $3.98 for 48 ounces! That's $2.68/ounce vs $0.09/ounce.

Also... It looks awful!! It looks almost like styrofoam chunks or something!

While I was there I picked up a couple of 40 pound bags of Pit Boss Competition Blend ($14.98 each) and decided to throw a bag of the Charcoal ($8.88/20 pounds) in as well.




My Pit Boss 5 has a small door at the bottom on the back to be able to dump out one flavor and add another.



Just open it up (spring loaded closed) and let them fall into a 5 gallon bucket. Dump in the new flavor and off to the races.

While I was at that I also grabbed a screw driver and tightened up all the screws on the whole smoker. It's a couple years old now and moving it in and out of the garage warrants that step now and then.

For those of you looking for poultry shears you really can't beat $8 at Walmart either. I think I paid $26 for mine at another store. Perfect for spatchcocking birds.



If you look close enough... You'll see that the pivot point on the shears is designed so that you can rotate the sides and take the two pieces apart. That is so you can clean them efficiently and safely. Food safety FIRST!!

And finally I saw this...



First.. it's $747 plus another $59 for the cover. It only has a 40 pound hopper compared to the 60 pound hopper I have on my vertical smoker. I might be inclined to look at it closer this fall when things go on clearance.



I have no need for a new or another smoker... Especially at that price. It looks fancy but looks aren't above function.

 

I tell my wife that all the time.

 

I wonder if that thing is an Autobot or Decepticon.

 

Lock hart smashes your hand when you open the bottom lid

 

Off day smoked nachos

 

Some places are already dropping their prices from$747 to $400. This was just posted on the pitboss group today

 

Sitting in a small virtual event with this guy.

 

$400 is closer to acceptable!!

I have a source at that Walmart so hopefully it'll drop like that there!

​

 

is that Aaron? A guy I respect but will never be a customer of. So much good bbq in Austin, not worth sitting in line for 5 hours. Browns on Lamar is my favorite but I am not one of these guys who argues they’re the best. They’re just my favorite.

 

PSA TIME
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For all of you still using metal wire brushes to clean grill/smoker grates... Please STOP!

Those tiny wires and break off, stick to your food and end up in your body! Poking a hole in your intestines isn't something you want to experience!!

Instead, spend $5 and buy a plastic bristle brush like the one below! Cheap ass insurance!!

 

Yessir. Aaron Franklin. I've never eaten there - doubt I would wait in line 5 hours, too, so might not ever try it, but he's mastered the game that I'm still working on.

 

The guy is a legend in BBQ. Love watching his video tutorials and seems like a good dude. I have a friend in Austin now that said due to the pandemic they’re doing pick up orders with no wait/line. Great opportunity to try it out!

 

Might have to drive down there. Sister lives down that way, so I can visit her and maybe swing by.

 

I picked up a wood scraper from @wilcam47

 

They work great

 

you should watch the Anthony bourdain Austin episode. It’s actually really cool with Franklin.

would be nice. But. I’m in Rhode Island. Might not be doable for a day trip. We actually looked at heading down in august but called it off since we didn’t know if there would be anything to do or even hotels or Airbnb allowed to opaerate come august. I’d go for no wait though.

 

Doesn't the plastic melt on a hot grill, or is it silicon?