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Any BBQ smokers out there?

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RonInThornton said:
One of the best accessories you can buy for smoking is a couple of 5 gallon buckets with lids. You can get them at Lowes or Home Depot for about $3. Line them with a small trash bag and put your brining mixture in it then add your meat, pork butt, shoulder, ribs whatever and put the lid on. Stick it in your fridge and let it sit for at least 24 hours. In larger cuts of meat you can also inject some of the brining solution into the meat after it comes out of the bucket.

You don't actually need the trash bag, I just use them because it makes clean up easier
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That makes a lot of sense, what if my fridge is too full to fit the 5 gallon, are there smaller buckets that would also work?
 
IceyShanks said:
That makes a lot of sense, what if my fridge is too full to fit the 5 gallon, are there smaller buckets that would also work?
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Yes, it just depends on the cut of meat your using. A friend of mine smokes cornish game hens and small game birds like quail and phesant a lot and he uses empty coffee cans, the plastic kind like maxwell house comes in. I usually do large cuts like shoulders and I have an extra fridge in the garage so I always have room for a 5 gallon bucket or two in it.
 
ryebread said:
Jimmy and Ron: Exactly! I mention the gas approach because many people immediately turn their noses up at gas. I've served my meat to a lot of people (including some BBQ snobs) and they've all commented on the nice smoke flavor.

For those interested in trying this, I'd drop the cast iron dishes directly over the burners and then put the lava rocks all around them. The cast iron canisters would heat up from the direct heat off of the flame. Between the canisters and the lava rocks, the meat itself gets a bit more indirect heat.

You can also do steaks, chicken, burgers, fish, vegetables, fruit, etc. the exact same way. Just adjust the lava rocks and temps. I got to the point that I "smoked" everything I made on the grill, regardless of whether it was a quick cook or a low and slow.

I had my gas grill tied directly into the natural gas line off the house. That meant I had unlimited gas and never had to worry about tanks running out or any sort of planning. Charcoal (debatable) or a real pit with wood (obviously) is better, but it was hard to beat the convenience of my old setup.
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Another use for the gas grill is cooking stuff you would normally make in the oven but don't this time of year cause you don't want to heat up the house by using the oven. Last night for example, I made eggplant parmigano on the gas grill. Grilled the eggplant using a little mesquite, then put it together and got the grill to 400 degrees and baked it for 20 minutes. Just as good as a real oven and the slight smoky taste from the grill was perfect.
 
My BBQ is more pit style than smoker style. With lump charcoal I like to do pork steaks and St Louis spare ribs slow and low, keeping the fire low with water and basting with sauce on the grill once the meat reaches a point I like. Then they go into a pot of sauce to soak up more sauce.

My pork steaks melt in your mouth.
 
SharkHat said:
My BBQ is more pit style than smoker style. With lump charcoal I like to do pork steaks and St Louis spare ribs slow and low, keeping the fire low with water and basting with sauce on the grill once the meat reaches a point I like. Then they go into a pot of sauce to soak up more sauce.

My pork steaks melt in your mouth.
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Sounds good. What kind of sauce do you use on them? I use a more asian sauce on pork steaks with lots of ginger and garlic
 
RonInThornton said:
Sounds good. What kind of sauce do you use on them? I use a more asian sauce on pork steaks with lots of ginger and garlic
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Usually something sweet and smoky. I don't start from scratch, I doctor this up to taste:

450px-Maulls_xl.jpg
 
well, i just did my first baby back ribs last weekend and they came out great!! I followed the 2-2-1 method and the meat just fell off the bone.

I did try switching to Royal oak lump charcoal, but was not impressed by the heat or duration of the heat. It seemed really unsteady, so i switched back to briqs. Anyone use the lump charcoal, ideas, tips?
 
Maybe use a mix of lump and briquets until you find what works for you
 
SharkHat said:
Usually something sweet and smoky. I don't start from scratch, I doctor this up to taste:

450px-Maulls_xl.jpg
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9lbs of BBQ sauce, that's awesome!!!
 
IceyShanks said:
That makes a lot of sense, what if my fridge is too full to fit the 5 gallon, are there smaller buckets that would also work?
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If you don't have space in the refrigerator you can substitute ice for part of the water in your brine solution. I use the 5 gallon bucket approach for turkeys, but one year didn't have room in the refrigerator. I just froze some large blocks of ice, added those to the bucket and it kept the temperature just above 32° sitting in my basement right around 15 hours I think. I put the 'brining bucket' inside another empty bucket to act as a bit of insulation. If you have a spare cooler, this would probably work even better.
 
Almost time to get it going here...... First real try at this so here goes nothing. Wish me luck

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Sent from my Rooted TBolt
 
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Here's my setup......Galvanized Trash can, a replacement grill grate and thermometer, wood chip box and the bottom half of a cheapie charcoal grill. Worked great.

I have a electric hot plate that I'm going to substitute for the charcoal grill. That should help with keeping a consistent temperature.
 
When I was Younger I tried smoking some BBQ but it kept clogging the screen in my pipe
 
TheCrest4 said:
Almost time to get it going here...... First real try at this so here goes nothing. Wish me luck

6c2d2498-d776-e310.jpg


Sent from my Rooted TBolt
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How did they turn out?
 
mbowker64 said:
Are you aware the heating galvanized steel gives off toxic fumes?
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Been using it for years, never had an issue. Food tastes great.

Keep in mind I don't eat food out of it every day either. I'm sure that could pose a problem.
 
I have an electric smoker, going to do some beer can chickens tonight. I do my beer can chicken a little different. Instead of beer I use hard apple cider. Gives the chicken a great flavor. About to go rub the chickens and let them sit a 2 hours before going on the smoker.
 
A great book for beginners is How To Grill by Steven Raichlen. Lot's of pics and recipes for rubs. The salmon he does is very easy and tastes fantastic. I started using a plain weber and bought a char griller.

Regarding brisket make sure you get a cut with a big fat cap like 4". When you get it to the "magic" temp take the meat off and wrap it in a cotton towel throw it in a cooler and let it rest before serving.
 
AKFLY said:
A great book for beginners is How To Grill by Steven Raichlen. Lot's of pics and recipes for rubs. The salmon he does is very easy and tastes fantastic. I started using a plain weber and bought a char griller.

Regarding brisket make sure you get a cut with a big fat cap like 4". When you get it to the "magic" temp take the meat off and wrap it in a cotton towel throw it in a cooler and let it rest before serving.
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Thanks for the tip I keep thinking about trying a brisket.
 
AKFLY said:
A great book for beginners is How To Grill by Steven Raichlen. Lot's of pics and recipes for rubs. The salmon he does is very easy and tastes fantastic. I started using a plain weber and bought a char griller.

Regarding brisket make sure you get a cut with a big fat cap like 4". When you get it to the "magic" temp take the meat off and wrap it in a cotton towel throw it in a cooler and let it rest before serving.
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You'll want to wrap the brisket in foil before the towel and then let it rest. It will stay hot for hours this way.
 
Does the condensation build up on the foil and go back into the meat and deminish the flavor? With all that heat and moisture you are going to end up steaming the meat I would think
 
I'm thinking it will keep the meat moist vs steaming it. I wrap my pork butts in a similar way with no problems.
 
SW said:
I'm thinking it will keep the meat moist vs steaming it. I wrap my pork butts in a similar way with no problems.
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Exactly, otherwise the towel will absorb all those wonderful juices and dry out the meat. Most guys cook their butts and briskets to the 190-210 degree internal temp range. This breaks down the collagen and connective tissue makes a tender and moist delight.

If your looking for tips and info, check this site out. Lots of friendly guys with a ton of knowledge: http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/index.php
 
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