Anyone cook with a smoker?

[Rocketsan]

Good to hear as I was going to start with brisket...

[echo88]

Originally Posted by Rocketsan

Thanks for those links. Was going to just focus on deep frying turkeys; however, want to expand and do some BBQ of my own...

I smoked a whole turkey using apple woodchips this past Thanksgiving. Hard to keep the tips of the legs from burning, but wow, was it good. Took about 13-15 hours but well worth it....

[die4irish]

I second the Bradly. My wife and kids got me one last year for Christmas and I love it ( so do they). Just finished up 20 lbs of bacon over the weekend. It is very easy to use and they have their own web site. http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/

The smoking meat web site is really good also.

[echo88]

Originally Posted by The Four Horsemen

Something else that I just thought about, start off with a few easier things to smoke. Don't go after a brisket for your first attempt. I would recommend cornish game hens, chicken or a pork loin. Those are all pretty easy items to cook and will usually turn out pretty successful, even for a novice. You can also try that bacon explosion i linked in an earlier post. It has a short cook time and is pretty hard to screw up.

Ribs are fairly easy, just make sure to either remove the membrane on the back yourself or better yet, have it done by the guys that sell you the meat. It took me about 4 tries to perfect ribs, they should pull off the bone easily when chewed, but not fall off the bone.

Brisket can be a real b*@ch! it takes forever to cook. If not done properly, it will be tough. You also have to cut the brisket a certain way. Work up to the brisket, trust me on that one. Maybe read up on it before you give it a try.

I second this. Brisket is a bitch and it took me 3-4 tries to get ribs to turn out right. Pork loin is the easiest by far....

[The Four Horsemen]

Here are a few pics of my handiwork. That brisket on the bottom was about 14 lbs. It took almost 16 hours to cook.

Smoker 1.jpg

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Smoker 2.jpg

[Rocketsan]

sweet pics...

Don't you lose all your heat when you have to open the smoker to check the internal temp? or am I missing something?

[echo88]

Originally Posted by Rocketsan

sweet pics...

Don't you lose all your heat when you have to open the smoker to check the internal temp? or am I missing something?

The heat only drops about 5 degrees when you open the smoker long enough to check the temp, but remember that you're only checking the meat when it should be close to being done. So for a pork loin that takes 6 hours, Im checking once every 15 mins only after the fifth hour or so. The temp returns to where you had it very quickly and it really has no effect on your project at all...

A key thing to remember is that the meat continues to cook after you remove it from the smoker, so I usually remove it about 3-5 degrees before my target temp...

You can also get a digital wireless thermometer that will relay the temp back to you without having to open it.

[The Four Horsemen]

I actually have a thermometer that I use. It is meant for high temp so I insert the probe and the wire runs out under the lid to a digital display. I only open the lid a few times to spritz the meat with apple or grape juice, depending on what i am cooking. I will also open the lid when geting close to being done to take some pics for all to see

[The Four Horsemen]

Originally Posted by echo88

The heat only drops about 5 degrees when you open the smoker long enough to check the temp, but remember that you're only checking the meat when it should be close to being done. So for a pork loin that takes 6 hours, Im checking once every 15 mins only after the fifth hour or so. The temp returns to where you had it very quickly and it really has no effect on your project at all...

A key thing to remember is that the meat continues to cook after you remove it from the smoker, so I usually remove it about 3-5 degrees before my target temp...

You can also get a digital wireless thermometer that will relay the temp back to you without having to open it.

Along with that statement that the meat continues to cook, the meat also needs to rest once you are done cooking. If you cut right into the meat, most of the juices will be lost. If you allow the meat to rest, the juices will absorb back into the meat. Big thick cuts like brisket and pork loin should rest for usually around a half hour before they are cut into.

[echo88]

Originally Posted by The Four Horsemen

Along with that statement that the meat continues to cook, the meat also needs to rest once you are done cooking. If you cut right into the meat, most of the juices will be lost. If you allow the meat to rest, the juices will absorb back into the meat. Big thick cuts like brisket and pork loin should rest for usually around a half hour before they are cut into.

Definitely....

[foreverirish34]

Go to echo's link smoking_meat.com best website for a newbie. There are some great guys there. I did Jeff's recipe for cranberry juice brined turkey. super bomb. anyway pm me if you ever have any questions, sounds like echo and four horseman know what there doing too.

[Tenacious_ND]

mmmmmm ribs.

[ND FANATIC]

Don't forget, you can smoke vegetables too - my personal favorites are corn on the cob and stuffed/bacon wrapped jalapeno peppers (ask DJ, there incredible)

[The Four Horsemen]

Originally Posted by ND FANATIC

Don't forget, you can smoke vegetables too - my personal favorites are corn on the cob and stuffed/bacon wrapped jalapeno peppers (ask DJ, there incredible)

We do stuffed peppers all the time, FANTASTIC! I love to do Jalapenos with a little bacon wrapped around them .

[ObieKnobbe]

I didn't see this addressed yet so I figured I would chime in. When you use a smoker make sure you get your coals good and hot and then add a DRY seasoned piece of wood. The goal in doing this is to get a BLUE smoke, not a white smoke. White smoke will make your meat taste only like smoke while a blue smoke you will get a smoke ring on the outside of the meat but you still have the flavor of the meat with the smokiness. VERY IMPORTANT TO GET BLUE SMOKE. A blue smoke is basically invisible while a white smoke you will be able to see billowing out of the smoker. I can't count how many times that I see someone smoking meat and they are putting way too much wood on the coals creating billows of white smoke thinking that is good when in fact is the exact opposite of what you want.

[The Four Horsemen]

Originally Posted by ObieKnobbe

I didn't see this addressed yet so I figured I would chime in. When you use a smoker make sure you get your coals good and hot and then add a DRY seasoned piece of wood. The goal in doing this is to get a BLUE smoke, not a white smoke. White smoke will make your meat taste only like smoke while a blue smoke you will get a smoke ring on the outside of the meat but you still have the flavor of the meat with the smokiness. VERY IMPORTANT TO GET BLUE SMOKE. A blue smoke is basically invisible while a white smoke you will be able to see billowing out of the smoker. I can't count how many times that I see someone smoking meat and they are putting way too much wood on the coals creating billows of white smoke thinking that is good when in fact is the exact opposite of what you want.

Obie, I agree with you on the smoke. I start my fire and let it get up to temp for about 20 min before I ever put any meat on. I then add what I would call "blocks" of hickory or apple wood and let em go until they are almost gone before adding another. I will occassionally use some "chips" that are soaked in water to either cool the fire or add a little extra smoke to a larger, thicker cut of meat.

Also, I tend to continue with the wood all the way through when I am smoking but i have heard that the meat will only take smoke until it reaches a certain temperature. I have always had great smoky meat flavor so I don't intend to change what I do, just wondering if any of you knew the answer to that?

[echo88]

Originally Posted by ND FANATIC

Don't forget, you can smoke vegetables too - my personal favorites are corn on the cob and stuffed/bacon wrapped jalapeno peppers (ask DJ, there incredible)

How about dinosaur eggs? Fat, hollowed out jalapenos stuffed with mozzarella cheese. Coat the entire pepper with deer sausage so it looks like a big egg. Smoke away. Mmmmm...

[echo88]

Originally Posted by The Four Horsemen

Obie, I agree with you on the smoke. I start my fire and let it get up to temp for about 20 min before I ever put any meat on. I then add what I would call "blocks" of hickory or apple wood and let em go until they are almost gone before adding another. I will occassionally use some "chips" that are soaked in water to either cool the fire or add a little extra smoke to a larger, thicker cut of meat.

Also, I tend to continue with the wood all the way through when I am smoking but i have heard that the meat will only take smoke until it reaches a certain temperature. I have always had great smoky meat flavor so I don't intend to change what I do, just wondering if any of you knew the answer to that?

For some reason, a lot of smoking websites recommend soaking wood chips for 30 mins. I soak em for at least 6 hours to avoid the potential of catching fire and raising the temp....

Also, I have never used charcoal. My smoker consists of 2 trays of wood chips directly above linear burners. Above the chips is a large water basin to maintain moisture.

[echo88]

Originally Posted by The Four Horsemen

Here are a few pics of my handiwork. That brisket on the bottom was about 14 lbs. It took almost 16 hours to cook.

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When you smoke pork (loin or shoulder), try rubbing the entire thing in a heavy layer of brown sugar mustard and wrapping with saran wrap to sit in the fridge overnight. The next day, add the dry rub, let it get to room temp, and then smoke it. It creates an insanely crispy crust. You probably already knew about this gem, but if not---give it a shot!

[The Four Horsemen]

Originally Posted by echo88

For some reason, a lot of smoking websites recommend soaking wood chips for 30 mins. I soak em for at least 6 hours to avoid the potential of catching fire and raising the temp....

Also, I have never used charcoal. My smoker consists of 2 trays of wood chips directly above linear burners. Above the chips is a large water basin to maintain moisture.

My smoker, the old Brinkmann, is completely wood and charcoal. I love to use it for ribs and shorter projects. I set up my ez-up, run cable tv outside to watch football, stock a cooler and sit by the smoker to keep an eye on things. I use hardwood lump charcoal. I usually use Cowboy charcoal or Royal Oak hardwood lump charcoal. I buy my wood chips from a local apple orchard or a couple local hardware type stores that sell smoking supplies. I do soak the smaller chips for temp control and it can be tedious at times, but I feel like it is a truer form of smoking than setting the temp on a gas or electric smoker and coming back to it in however many hours it takes to complete your project.

Now brisket on the other hand, I do that in my Bradley and let it do it's thing overnight while I get a little shut eye.

[foreverirish34]

I will post pics of my ND ugly drum smoker. If you guys havent used one before, you will never go back to smoking on anything else. I like the idea for the pork butt echo88.

[corysold]

Originally Posted by echo88

When you smoke pork (loin or shoulder), try rubbing the entire thing in a heavy layer of brown sugar mustard and wrapping with saran wrap to sit in the fridge overnight. The next day, add the dry rub, let it get to room temp, and then smoke it. It creates an insanely crispy crust. You probably already knew about this gem, but if not---give it a shot!

Echo, would that work even if I was just going to cook it slow in the oven for 10 hours? I'm doing a 10 pound shoulder tomorrow that I would like to try this on, I don't usually get too crazy.

What goes into the mustard rub? Obviously brown sugar and mustard, but what variety of mustard and in what ratio?

[Rocketsan]

Watched Alton Brown smoke fish in a cardboard box last night. Fascinating process

[echo88]

Originally Posted by corysold

Echo, would that work even if I was just going to cook it slow in the oven for 10 hours? I'm doing a 10 pound shoulder tomorrow that I would like to try this on, I don't usually get too crazy.

What goes into the mustard rub? Obviously brown sugar and mustard, but what variety of mustard and in what ratio?

Actually, the mustard can be bought as is. French's makes a brown sugar spicy mustard that works out well. If not, yellow mustard is fine too. Expect to use almost the entire bottle for a 10 lb. shoulder. You want it to be a generous layer.

As for the oven, you're not going to get the crispy crust or taste that you'd get with smoke, but I don't see why you can't cook it that way. Just make sure you put an oven-safe container that can hold 6-8 cups of water (I use a glass casserole dish) on the rack directly beneath your pork. It will keep the moisture level high and stop it from drying out, especially with a long cook time like that. I'd keep the temp around 215-220 in the oven throughout the cooking time. The shoulder should be done when the internal temp is 180 degrees. I always ignore what websites tell you about temp---for shoulders 180 is perfect IMO...

For the rub, try this:

1 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp all-seasoning
1/2 tbsp coriander seed (ground up)
1/2 tbsp fennel seed (ground up)
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp whole peppercorns (ground up)
1 pinch of cayenne pepper

It's a simple rub but it's pretty easy....if you have them, wear disposable (surgical) gloves when applying the rub to the pork so it doesnt stick to your hands as you rub it in...
Good luck and let me know how it turns out...

[corysold]

Originally Posted by echo88

Actually, the mustard can be bought as is. French's makes a brown sugar spicy mustard that works out well. If not, yellow mustard is fine too. Expect to use almost the entire bottle for a 10 lb. shoulder. You want it to be a generous layer.

As for the oven, you're not going to get the crispy crust or taste that you'd get with smoke, but I don't see why you can't cook it that way. Just make sure you put an oven-safe container that can hold 6-8 cups of water (I use a glass casserole dish) on the rack directly beneath your pork. It will keep the moisture level high and stop it from drying out, especially with a long cook time like that. I'd keep the temp around 215-220 in the oven throughout the cooking time. The shoulder should be done when the internal temp is 180 degrees. I always ignore what websites tell you about temp---for shoulders 180 is perfect IMO...

For the rub, try this:

1 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp all-seasoning
1/2 tbsp coriander seed (ground up)
1/2 tbsp fennel seed (ground up)
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp whole peppercorns (ground up)
1 pinch of cayenne pepper

It's a simple rub but it's pretty easy....if you have them, wear disposable (surgical) gloves when applying the rub to the pork so it doesnt stick to your hands as you rub it in...
Good luck and let me know how it turns out...

I'll try that. I usually cook it at 225 until I get a 200 internal temp, I'm just guessing 10 hours for this one, I don't know for sure. I usually make pulled pork out of it and have found I get a much better "pull" that way than I do when I cook to 180-185, though I usually stop at 175 if I am slicing it, so maybe that is the difference. What do you usually do with it once it is done, slice or pull?