Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

So here's what it looks like. I peaked after the first hour and left it alone for another three. Verdict is a B-. The layer of color and flavor was there but the breasts were a little dry. Overall it was a great success for the first thing I have ever smoked. I put the bones, onions both in and out of the bird, and a few pieces of the tougher pieces from the legs in a crock pot to simmer over night. I'll probably make a pumpkin sage soup from the stock. I used mostly aged oak and some hickory from my wood pile.

 

New toy from Bass Pro Shops:



It's a Horizon 16" backyard smoker. Made of 1/4" steel, it weighs somewhere to the good side of 250 lbs.





Fire that sucker up:



First time is empty just to "season" it and get the hang of controlling temperature.



Later I ended up grilling some burgers in the firebox -- a bit anti-climactic after a four hour "burn in" session. Next weekend I'll try a pork shoulder for pulled pork.

 

Enjoy it! I love my traeger grill/smoker. I like the pellet feed more than the wood box.

 

I don't speak from experience, but according to this guy:

http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/chicken_turkey_duck/ultimate_smoked_turkey.html

He goes on to recommend smoking chicken and turkey at 325 to brown and crisp the skin, reserving lower temperatures for ribs, brisket, pulled pork, etc...

 

Spur of the moment decision to smoke some wings today. Going to take the board's advice & run them at 300 or so. Five dozen fit perfectly. We'll see how they turn out!

 

Yeah, it didn't really help. Lower wing sections still had boot leather skin. I wonder if it's worth it to just skin those, as the drumettes really didn't have tough skin at all. Odd.

 

Drat! Well, we'll keep experimenting. Today I've got a whole chicken spatchcocked out on the smoker. Didn't get the temp probe far enough in and almost thought it was done like 15 minutes ago - only to find I needed to stick it further in to get a better temp reading.

 

Turned out a little undercooked. I'm getting a new instant read thermometer to use for next time.

 

Looks good at least! I have a remote dual probe thermo & it makes smoking much more enjoyable. $35 or so from Amazon.

 

I was using the dual probe. But the thighs were actually a little thicker and cooked a little slower than the breast which was long enough to insert the probe into.

Also, I made the mistake of not fully inserting the probe - only like an inch was sticking out but that meant it was reading about 10 degrees high. So when I checked, and reinserted it - I had to cook it for like half an hour longer. Everything else overcooked as a result and even still the meat was a little undercooked right around the bones in the thighs.

I'm not complaining - just catching on.

 

I'm gettin' fatter just readin' through this thread

 

I'm hungry!!!

 

Cold smoked Havarti, Gouda, Pepper Jack, Coldby Jack, and Ex. Sharp Cheddar today with wine barrel sawdust. Now gotta let it mellow for about 3 weeks.

 

Sweet!!! What smoke generator are you using? AMAZIN, (the dust made me think so)? I need to do a few cold smokes of cheese in preparation for the holidays. It's always a HUGE hit at gatherings. Also, how does your jack turn out? I've had only so-so results with it. You should try some mozzarella next time, it's killer, and needs very little, if any mellowing time. It can be eaten immediately.

 

Yes, I use the AMAZIN, this is the first time I have done Pepper Jack, the Colby is always good, and the mozzarella turns out great but if you use fresh its a bitch to vacuum seal or at least it doesn't look so well but taste wonderful. Gouda is far my favorite so far but I cant wait for the Havarti...

 

Very cool, I want some!!!

 

Uh, I think I may have an addiction. Just left the grocery store with a turkey breast, pack of chicken legs, one of thighs and one of wings. Clerk asked me if I worked at a restaurant, heh.

 

Nice!!!! Do you have any pics???

 

Nah, it was all basic stuff so no pics. Everything was good though, and I have lunches prepped for all week! Makes paleo diets a lot easier when you can cook pounds and pounds of meat at once.

 

One tip on the whole turkeys is to not overcook, but use a meat thermometer in middle of the thickest section until 170 or so max. If you baste the skin periodically with something it will help keep the bird moist inside.

I like to use a dry seasoning on the outside and spray every 30 minutes or hour with butter flavored Pam spray, but any kind of sauce recipe will work.

Also after the skin gets a good color, you can drape it loosely with foil to prevent getting too dark from the smoke.

My opinion is it's really better the next day sitting in the fridge overnight to even out the smoke flavor. (Wrapped good to prevent drying of course)