60+ year old thread.

Morning 6
Fickle Witch fickling allover ya'll northeasters this year. Stay warm...wet hypothermia weather that sneaks up on a person.

We're doing one more trip out to cabin with trucks before trail turns to breakup mush...overnight low temps still firming trail, so in and back out trips will be early morning.\/\/\/\/

EDIT: Kinda feels like old deployment days...waiting around tarmac to get on plane and go.

 

Good Morning Folks .
My son and I are heading up to or place upstate this weekend. It is the wife and her girlfriends sleep over weekend so I am so out of Dodge for the weekend. Hopefully we'll have some nice (warm) weather and no snow. First time this year for me but my son has been up several times since he opened it up in March. Always enjoy heading up there.
Have a great day all and be safe.

P.S. Have a good time and be safe Rob .

 

Morning fellas, got the sauce in the freezer last night, granddaughter here today. Gotta do yoga or something to be ready to spring after a 16 month old!

 

That looks like enough for me..

 

Good Morning Ken
Sounds like a great weekend for your son and you.

You be safe as well...we'll trade pics and stories Monday, deal?

Respect
Rob

 

you got it Rob.

 

Good Morning all 35 this morning. The reason I do not plant the garden till Mothers Day weekend. Took care of a few small projects around the house that have been accumulating the last two weeks. Guitar lesson today then get tools gathered to do some work at my cousins home with my son on Saturday, which means I am his gopher.

Going to be too chilly today to install a new outlet outside but I will do that tomorrow morning.

 

Good morning all,
I received from my son a Smoke Hollow PS4415 smoker. It uses propane. He got it from his father-in-law who passed away. I have questions.
What are the best wood chips to use? How long to smoke chicken breast, pork roast, and maybe beef roast? Do I have to be close by and watch it like you tend a grill?
How long does a propane tank (I think 25 lb. ) last? I know some of you have great experience using a smoker. I am just looking for tips before I dive head first into this.
Thanks all and have a healthy, wealthy , and wise day.
Russ

 

It's called solid watering technique....

Did I mention I like sauce, too? No?

Good Morning Porchites! Some yard and greenhouse work, and see if I can get Little Big Red looked at this afternoon. Poor thing. Thankfully, we got @Tacoma Mike hanging around to help out. Make me at least look smarter when I go back. What you gonna do? Old things need service, and sometimes, it's hard on us!

 

Good morning all,

Still in the teens at night but the days are getting warmer and we are supposed to get to the mid 50's this weekend. Skiff of snow last night, storm tonight then it dries out for a few days.

Off to eye and ear docs today - annual appointments for both. I try to double/triple up appointments when I have to go down to the Springs - 45+ miles one way and through two passes better make the most of it.

Have a great day - stay safe out there.

 

Mornin' Porch...

Wife's been visiting her sisters for three days and won't be back till tomorrow, so I'm procrastinating. Painting lawn furniture and the first mow of the season can wait. The irrigation water was turned on last monday and I still haven't gotten out a single hose.

Cappuccino and a chocolate bar for breakfast.

And thankfully my wife makes the best spaggetti sauce in the world...

 

A few smokers on the site. Tom @95SLE uses his a lot. Another option for information is You Tube. They have all kinds of videos. The misses watched many on how to use her new Insta Pot and it was quite helpful. Good luck and enjoy.

 

Good Morning.

No sooner did I get the septic pumped than the next issue. No internet!

I had lost my shop wifi a week ago with that "way too close lightning strike." It pretty much stunned me; hence didn't get the truck into the shop after that. I never could see where or what it hit. Just the flash bang was instantaneous.

Well, my point-to-point wireless connection was about 3' from my head when that occurred. That modem is fried. My Router finally gave up the ghost. My Pfsense box keeps acting up (releasing and not renewing its config). Finally, I bypassed everything, the computer directly to the ISP box. Getting lots of muscle memory with ipconfig /release and ipconfig /renew. My routers are not responding. Factory reset to access the router. Nada. Flashing lights, but no brain (it's blocking all traffic). Oh, crud.

I've got another PoE Router coming today. Pfsense box (I repurpose an old HP Thin client with an added SSD hard drive) will take time to figure out. I think my son got my extra box and Intel nic cards. Hmm.

Too many "odd coincidences" after the lightning strike. Just time-consuming. Oh, the work laptop also got fried. We can only access internal servers with work-issued machines. Maybe a good excuse to make it to Big Bend for a week before it gets too hot.

Days working as a mechanic - the last thing I wanted to do was work on my own vehicles.
Days working as a EE, the last thing I want to do now is work on home network and router issues.

 

Thanks Ken, I need all the help I can get as this is new for me
Russ

 

@taco pops

My wife is the grill master. I stay clear!

We have a propane-fired Weber. Hickory chips (soak in water overnight, drain, place in the tray).

With your propane-fired grill, the "knob" setting will vary on outside weather and wind conditions. So keep an eye on the temperature gauge, but remember is just a guess.
Texas BBQ is an art, pitmasters are wonderful. Most of those pits are inside in brick-walled, vented buildings. So they can control their settings, but they use wood for heat and flavor. We mere mortals attempt to use pans of water, wood, and propane to attempt something close.

I tend to set for 225F and long and slow. A meat thermometer helps when starting out.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meat_thermometer

https://recipes.masterbuilt.com/

 

First welcome to the would of smoking meats. I have never used a propane smoker but I do have 2 Weber smokers, one uses charcoal and the other uses pellets. I am assuming this is an older smoker, no digital controls for cook temp or time. It was well reviewed on Amazon so it should work well for your introduction into smoking.

"What are the best wood chips to use?" My answer is the ones you find on sale. Different woods pair with different meats, just like wine. A great place to start looking is the Woodshed. I have bought chunk wood from Patty for a few years now and have never been disappointed. WOOD CHIPS | The Woodshed, Sharpe Gourmet, Sharpe Gourmet Cooking Wood

"How long to smoke chicken breast, pork roast, and maybe beef roast?" Time depends on many factors and is different for different meats. Most competition BBQ Pitmasters go by feel, color and internal temperature of the meats. Start watching Youtube videos by Harry Soo, Slap your Daddy BBQ, Malcom Reed, How to BBQ Right, And a gentleman that is no longer with us, Phil in Florence. I would first suggest to find a Youtube BBQ cook that uses your grill so the video will be tailored to your grill. Find one you can listen to and has information on how to set your smoker up to achieve the best results.

"Do I have to be close by and watch it like you tend a grill?" Not close by but you do need to actually cook just like in an oven at home. Some WIFI and/or Bluetooth temperature monitors will let you monitor the pit temp and meat temp from inside the house. If you go this route, read the reviews and select one in your budget price range. I have about three or four monitors and three or four instant temp readers. My rule of thought is you need to spritz the meat every 30 to 45 minutes so you are actually engaged in the cooking process. Nothing beats looking at and touching the meat.

"How long does a propane tank (I think 25 lb. ) last?" Tanks for backyard grill come in 10, 20, 30 and 40 lb sizes. I have a griddle and keep 3 20lb propane tanks handy. You never know when one will run out during a cook. There are monitors that can help you check the tank level. The actual run time of the tank depends on the internal temperature you are keeping your pit at. A digital controlled pit adjust the flow rate of the fuel to meet the existing outside the pit conditions to keep the internal pit temp constant. My pellet smoker is the first smoker I have to use this technology and I am really liking it. As I get older fire management is just too time consuming so the digital controller takes care of that pit master task.

Do not be afraid to put a beef roast in the smoker. Go easy on the wood chips. Too much of a smoky taste is not pleasant to a lot pf people. Chickens are great on a smoker and the smoker you received is of good size. I like hanging the chicken in my Weber Smoky Mountain. Better than any store bought rotisserie chicken will ever be. Do not be afraid to try wet brining your poultry and port butts, this method really helps to lock the moisture in the meat. Dry brines, rubs, are great too especially on larger cuts of meat.

I would urge you to keep a log book of your cooks listing the weather conditions, what you cook and how you treat the meat before you put it in the pit. Ask for honest feedback on the taste of what you cook. You will never get better if you do not know what your customers, family and friends, think of your efforts. Do not be afraid to eat your mistakes. Everyone will tell you it taste great because they did not have to cook. LOL The above is just scratching the surface.

 

This thread is 60+ years old?!

 

Jay: The number is referring to the age of us old Farts. Welcome to the thread.

 

I know, I'm just a dork.

 

Yes, we sent paper notes in the mail back then. And, we were over 60. It was hard, because we didn't know each other. But, old people are very tenacious and resilient. So here we are. Please fill the cooler, and pass a cold one. Thanks.















Jk. Welcome to the porch!