High Cheese
Saucier
^^^^^That's the kind of smoker I'm getting next. So if anyone near Jersey wants a free Chargriller...it's yours.
Where do you get your wood for smoking?
- Thread starter Doc
- Start date
Wart
Banned
Sauce ... Wife and I have had many battles over sauce .... I want nothing to do with sauce, Wife insists on it ... Yee Haw!
Don't take this so personal, Joe, I'll venture those of us with wood shun Propane/ Gas, too.
To be fair, judging all smolder smokers by what this/that restaurant is doing would be wrong. I suspect this place is creosote coating their flavored meats for salads and things like their pizza so the customer smells the smoke and thinks their getting a smoked meat. I don't know if the proprietor is clueless or playing on the customers ignorance.
THere are other interesting things about this eatery, like the Calamari, Arugula salad and Crab cakes all had good flavor, just not much of it. Almost as thought the establishment was afraid of offending someone.
But they serve creosote coated meat with bitter that sits on the tongue for an hour ... LMAO!
Good stuff guys. What a fun thread this turned out to be. 
to all posters!!!!!
Thanks for elaborating on the Brinkman Charcoal smoker Keltin. Makes sense to me. Maybe do a thread on the mods you did to make yours work. That might help others who already have that unit. I know I won't buy one after reading your review. Everyone knows you need air to make the fire burn.
Great pics Blues Man. Nice looking smoker. Where did you get your digital temp gauges that you had on top? Where all do you put the sensors ...by each rack?
I have quite a few trees down on my back 40. Now I'll have to learn how to tell what kind of tree it is. I know I have maples back there but if I can't see the leaves I'm lost.....even on some with the leaves I'm lost.
What kind of tree does mesquite come from?
to all posters!!!!!Thanks for elaborating on the Brinkman Charcoal smoker Keltin. Makes sense to me. Maybe do a thread on the mods you did to make yours work. That might help others who already have that unit. I know I won't buy one after reading your review. Everyone knows you need air to make the fire burn.
Great pics Blues Man. Nice looking smoker. Where did you get your digital temp gauges that you had on top? Where all do you put the sensors ...by each rack?
I have quite a few trees down on my back 40. Now I'll have to learn how to tell what kind of tree it is.
I know I have maples back there but if I can't see the leaves I'm lost.....even on some with the leaves I'm lost. What kind of tree does mesquite come from?
High Cheese
Saucier
Blues Man
New member
I usually put one thermocouple through a potato and place it on the top rack with the point right at the exhaust vent. The others go into the meat (not near a bone). I always smoke by temperature not time. I have had large Boston Butts (that are the same weight) get done over an hour apart.
You can order them on-line (Amazon). I picked mine up at Meijers for $15.00 each. They are invaluable when smoking. My gauge on the front is off about 50 F.
Wart
Banned
That's sort of a tricky question with more than one answer.
Like others I get Mesquite and Hickory chunk from 'Box Store'. I get chunk because I can make 'chips' from chunks but not chunks from chips, I've found pre-chipped wood has been chipped too fine so me and Mister Hatchet make the size of 'chip' I figure is needed. But thats for direct heat grilling with lump, not smoking.
I/We live on 1/3 an acre with most of the property surrounded by vacant lots and other peoples trees, Ive gotten my 'flame wood' from dead branches/ dead fall that hasn't fallen yet. Mostly from an apple or oak.
And this last week I took down the better part of the mostly dead apple tree. Let me tell you, seasoned apple sure is a bitch on the saws chain. So now I have a stack of apple.
For flavor woods I've used oak, ash and cherry from my limited woodworking. Bit thats limited.
I have been known to snag some Sassafras wood and root, from the woods, that made a real interesting smoke.
This was an excellent post, Keltin! You have expressed a widely-held opinion on the El Cheapo Brinkman.
I must say that I learned to smoke first on that model, but I had the benefit of collective wisdom of the BBQ Forum, so I thought the food I produced was BRILLIANT! And it was pretty good, but the smoker was a bitch to operate.
My boyfriend at the time did the mods for me, and that worked better. Then I got a WSM which was much easier to maintain during a long cook, and I became profecient, thanks to my next boyfriend, who was a great smoker and an excellent teacher.
I still use the WSM's - they are amazing pits!
Lee
Blues Man
New member
Isn't mesquite one of those new plastic woods they mold now 
Doc, "What tree does mesquite come from?"
Lee
I never really thought about it either, and always assumed Mesquite was a type of tree (like Hickory). But after this thread, I Googled to be sure and went to that very same Wiki!
I was actually surprised to find that Mesquite is a smallish tree, typically shrub size. And the bean pods it produces can be used in cooking. I want one now!
I never really thought about it either, and always assumed Mesquite was a type of tree (like Hickory). But after this thread, I Googled to be sure and went to that very same Wiki!
I was actually surprised to find that Mesquite is a smallish tree, typically shrub size. And the bean pods it produces can be used in cooking. I want one now!
the pods they use to make mesquite flour as well.. non gluton
it is really dark and strong in flavor but much better for you health wise
http://chetday.com/mesquiteflour.htm
phreak
New member
I second bam's suggestion of building a UDS...they are super simple to build(do you have a drill and a couple wrenches?). I would venture to say that once you get a uds dialed in there is less fiddling with it for long smokes than an electric or propane(unless you get one of those puck droppers). This is why..I can load my UDS with LUMP ONLY charcoal, and disperse a few good sized chunks of wood throughout the coal. Then I drop a few (seriously just about a handful worth of hot coals on top. I put my meat on right away because opening a UDS spikes the temp so I don't want to do that anymore than I have to. I can get 12+++ hours of good burn time, and with the wood dispersed it smokes lightly the whole time...If you had an electric or propane you would for sure have to add wood for smoke a few times I believe....Which brings me to my next point that I don't thinks been covered. When you first start smoking use about 1/2-1/4 the amount of wood as you think you're going to need. You do NOT want white smoke rolling out of your smoker. You want a faint amount of thin blue smoke and that's it. Anymore and you'll get nasty results.
pugger
New member
Here's a website I highly don't recommend if you're trying to avoid the dark side http://www.thesmokerking.com/smokeporkribs.html
Lots of info & other links - you'll be sorry
.
"There's no way out of here, when you come in you're in for good
There was no promise made, the part you've played, the chance you took ..."
Lots of info & other links - you'll be sorry
."There's no way out of here, when you come in you're in for good
There was no promise made, the part you've played, the chance you took ..."
Here's a website I highly don't recommend if you're trying to avoid the dark side http://www.thesmokerking.com/smokeporkribs.html
Lots of info & other links - you'll be sorry
"There's no way out of here, when you come in you're in for good
There was no promise made, the part you've played, the chance you took ..."
hey thats basically how i do my ribs as well..my UDS will run from 225-260*F depending on the mood she is in. also depends on the cut of meat, every rib tells me when its done when i pick it up with a pair of tongs or the meat pulls back from the bone about a 1/4"
my ribs turn out fine i think..lol
all ribs done on the UDS
Heh heh!
I've been dying to post boasting pictures of smoked stuff today! I'll try not to repeat what others have posted, but I have a bunch of the four competition categories (chicken, ribs, pork and brisket)
Lee
Three Dr. Chicken's Double Smoked and Glazed hams for Easter gifts
A slice out of a smoked, injected turkey breast
Another smoked injected turkey breast and corned beef (for pastrami)
Thinly sliced pastrami (smoked store-bought corned beef)
Smoked bologna chub
Beef short ribs
I've been dying to post boasting pictures of smoked stuff today! I'll try not to repeat what others have posted, but I have a bunch of the four competition categories (chicken, ribs, pork and brisket)
Lee
Three Dr. Chicken's Double Smoked and Glazed hams for Easter gifts
A slice out of a smoked, injected turkey breast
Another smoked injected turkey breast and corned beef (for pastrami)
Thinly sliced pastrami (smoked store-bought corned beef)
Smoked bologna chub
Beef short ribs
perch is not great for smoking, it dries up, but i have made some awesome perch jerky..lol
i could go for a nice big perch fry right now
You jerked your perch? I didn't know you could do that...
Love2"Q"
New member
it takes a special touch ...You jerked your perch? I didn't know you could do that...
AllenOK
New member
Pastrami has to be cured, with a seasoning mix. I think the mix is different from what's used for Corned Beef. Plus, it gets cooked in the smoker, where CB is poached/simmered.
I'd love to go fishing today (even wearing my hat), but, PeppA has errands to run (1st of the month, gotta pay rent, buy a part for the dryer), and I desperately need to mow the yard. I've done a little bit, but may have just killed my only working mower. Dunno, I might have just flooded it. I'll give it a little longer, then I'll try and get it started again.
I'd love to go fishing today (even wearing my hat), but, PeppA has errands to run (1st of the month, gotta pay rent, buy a part for the dryer), and I desperately need to mow the yard. I've done a little bit, but may have just killed my only working mower. Dunno, I might have just flooded it. I'll give it a little longer, then I'll try and get it started again.
Chow, you can cure your own beef brisket for pastrami, but since it's so much easier to do it my way.
Buy a hunk of corned beef brisket (I prefer the point over the flat), soak it in a sink of cold water, changing the water every half hour for a couple of hours.
Pat the corned beef dry. Slather it with mustart, then season it with either the flavor packet that comes with it, or your own pastrami seasoning mix (whatever you do, don't add salt to your seasoning mix!)
Smoke the corned beef at 225 until the internal temp reaches 190. Let rest, then chill overnight in the fridge. Slice thinly on a deli slicer, and reheat in a steamer basket over a little water with mustard in it. Serve on bulkie rolls, with half-sour pickles and chips or fries.
If you do it right, it tastes just like the deli pastrami!
Lee
yes..i have a recipe somewhere for corned beef.
i make it with a better cut of meat than the brisket, more meat,less fat
as for using store bought corned beef, i have done it many times... but i personally soak it for at least a day in water. i change the water constantly, otherwise it ends up too salty.
i have pix somewhere.lol
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