Not how many packs are you up to, but how many out there have mastered the art of smoking meat?

We picked up a small smoker from Wally World, and it gives a certain flavor to the meat, but our smoker isn't all that great.

What are some good smoking receipes/tips/tricks???

Inject the meat and let it sit a day. I will never eat oven turkey again. I've smoked chicken, turkey, duck and pheasant. All good. I just have a cheap brinkman from wally. My mil has a cold smoker. I love smoked cheese.


By the way, I'm far from a master.

I've been smoking on a Weber kettle for 6 or 7 years now. It always produces great results. It's a bit harder to do the long cooks ie: brisket, but it can be done. I like most every wood flavor, but rarely use mesquite. I find it a bit bitter, jmo.

Pete

I have just oticed this thread. I got myself a Chargriller from Lowes, then bought a side firebox. I also took a turkey fryer burner and put it in the bottom of the firebox. Now I don't have to deal with charcoal. Just put my chips over the flame and in no time. I got good smoke coming out.

I am with special K though. I would like to find out some more recipe's. I want to try and smoke a turkey. Need some experienced help.

BarryB you should try Smoked Beer-Butted Chicken... holy cow it's good! You can pick up the holders at any store, Walmart K-Mart..., and then as the title says, crack open a can of beer put it in the holder, and then... well you get the idea. I've also heard you can use 7up for a different taste.

Be sure to keep us posted on your smoking cookouts. I hope to pull my smoker out this weekend and give it another try.

Ive been smoking 8 pound butts in my Weber Silver for a while now and it works pretty good. I start the coals in a chimney and pour them all on one side, on the other side there is a foil tray to catch drippings. The day before I get the butt ready with some brown sugar/chili powder/secret seasoning rub and let it sit in the fridge. Bring the butt out a few hours before you plan to put it on the grill.

Once the coals are right pour a beer in the drippings tray, toss some hickory on the coals (moistened wood works better), put the grate in and set the butt over the drip tray. Cover the grill, crack the top vent just a bit and walk away, your patience will be rewarded. Dont open the grill until the side of the grill is warm to the touch.

Take the butt off the grill, wrap it up tight in some aluminum foil and throw it in the oven on 250 for about 3 hours. Trim the fatty pieces (or save them for later like I do), disassemble and enjoy.

BarryB you should try Smoked Beer-Butted Chicken... holy cow it's good! You can pick up the holders at any store, Walmart K-Mart..., and then as the title says, crack open a can of beer put it in the holder, and then... well you get the idea. I've also heard you can use 7up for a different taste.

Be sure to keep us posted on your smoking cookouts. I hope to pull my smoker out this weekend and give it another try. I have so far only used Hickory, I do have some of the Jack Daniels oak barrell chips I am going to try sometime
What kind of wood do you use for the smoked chicken, and about how long to you let it smoke for. I know alot is determined by the size of the bird.
That is the biggest thing that concerns me, when I grill or smoke anything. I am unsure if the meat is done. smoking ribs I have gotten down pack. but chicken and other meats I would like some info on.

That is the biggest thing that concerns me, when I grill or smoke anything. I am unsure if the meat is done. smoking ribs I have gotten down pack. but chicken and other meats I would like some info on.

I don't play around with this, I had food poisoning one time-and I never want to experience that again! So I do the same as BTO above you, wrap it up so it does'nt lose that smokiness and stick it in the preheated oven to cook awhile.:ito:
I am no expert but I love the flavor from apple, cherry, and pecan...in that order(and not at the same time :lol: uuuh).

That is the biggest thing that concerns me, when I grill or smoke anything. I am unsure if the meat is done.

Meat thermometer my friend. I use 4 every time I smoke, 3 electronic remote reads with alarms and one good ole fashioned mechanical one. One in each butt to get the internal temp, one mounted in a cork at grate level in the middle of the smoke chamber to get a "room temp" and the mechanical one is a final check once the meat is removed.

I was told 140 is when pork is done. Is that correct? I do have and use one of those instant read thermometers.

I was told 140 is when pork is done. Is that correct? I do have and use one of those instant read thermometers.

140 is way too low to me. 140 is the correct temp for a pre-cooked ham when re-heated for regular consumption. Uncooked ham's and other pork products need to be brought up to 160-170 just to cook off any bad boys and be edible. But smoking is a whole nother story. At-least for me. When I do pork I'm doing it primarily for pulled pork or tender Country or Spare ribs. The ideal temps are between 185 and 210. 185 maybe a bit tough still for butt's/shoulders but YMMV. I typically take it up to 190-195 and pull it to let it rest.

Check out http://www.thesmokering.com/forum/index.php . Lots of good info and guys.

The only thing I have smoked are prok ribs. I used a brown sugar and other spices rub. They turned out nice. kept them on the smoke for about 2 1/2 hours. I am thinking the temp of the meat was about 180. Hey Blink32 , I tried going to the link you posted but it kept saying unavailable.

Fixed it. They changed the location.

For smoking info I go to ask smoky (http://www.barbecuen.com/ask.htm)
There's a lot of good info there.

Thanks for the link Fred, there's a lot of great info on that site.

What time is the BBQ Fred...? :lol:

In case nobody mentioned this yet.... You gotta soak the chips in water for a little bit so they don't just turn into kindling. I like to pour homemade bbq sauce over my chips while cooking. I like to think it makes everything taste more mesquite. My grill is enchanted by the way. Everything that touches it, turns out perfect.

.... You gotta soak the chips in water for a little bit so they don't just turn into kindling.

In my opinion that's just a long term perpetuated myth. If someone is forced to use chips instead of chunks then soaking those chips in water will only stave off burning for a few extra minutes. The real solution would be to place those chips off-center of the highest heat or in some type of metal container to encourage smoldering as opposed to burning.

I used to use chips but chunks burn far longer and easier to tune the smoke volume with.

my monkeypunk gotta head over to your place when I got back if everything you toss on the grill comes out to perfection

In my opinion that's just a long term perpetuated myth. If someone is forced to use chips instead of chunks then soaking those chips in water will only stave off burning for a few extra minutes. The real solution would be to place those chips off-center of the highest heat or in some type of metal container to encourage smoldering as opposed to burning.

I used to use chips but chunks burn far longer and easier to tune the smoke volume with.

True and true. Each grill master has their own personal tricks they use.
A coffee can works well. My Brinkmann is large enough for me to have the smoking chips off the coals and i can even have a smaller set of coals going for the smoker side. Someday, we all need to get together for a huge event and have a cook off..... winner crowned pit master. and they'd even get a cool little tag on the site or something.

my monkeypunk gotta head over to your place when I got back if everything you toss on the grill comes out to perfection

That is not an understatement either man. I don't claim to be some superior cook or anything, but, when i'm on this grill, it seems i can't go wrong. I find myself throwing weird ingredients in, and it still always tastes bomb. I should get insurance for this grill.

I have a home made smoker. Its made out of an upright freezer (looks redneck), but works real good. My specialty is beef eye rounds and smoked eggs. Yes smoked eggs, they make killer deviled eggs and egg salad. I know you are thinking, how in the hell do you smoke an egg?. Its simple. #1 boil eggs, #2 peel, rinse and dry eggs, #3 put eggs in the coolest part of smoker on a plate. Use hickory chips Roll the eggs around about every 15 min. or so. until uniformly colored (yellowish to tan). I didnt put eggs on a plate the first time I tried this and the eggs got pretty rubbery. The plate seems to help protect them from the direct heat. #4 eat eggs as they are or make deviled eggs or egg salad. Enjoy!!!!!!!!!, Rich

Rich, thanks for the information, I will definitely have to try those in the future.

I just picked up a book from our local TJMaxx this weekend for $3 and I can't wait to try out some of the receipes.

Did anyone smoke this weekend?

Not just yet. This was the first weekend we've had that it past 50 degrees. But I can't wait.

I need to find a place where I can get a full packers cut brisket. I can only find small 3-4 pound trimmed one. But luckily the BJ's out here will carry Baby-Backs for $3.99/lb, Butt for $.99/lb and Spares' for $2.99/lb.

I am doing a bacon explosion today. I will let you know how it turns out. My arteries are hardening, just thinking about it.

Mine too.... sounds good though! :D

I got one of those little electric R2-D2 smokers the bottom of it rotted out so i customized an aluminum lincoln versailles wheel for the bottom and a grill above the burner to hold the wood put whatever i want on there in the morning with some hickory or orange wood, put a bottle of sprite in the water pan let it go adding more wood if needed and its the best. If i do birds I brine them overnight before smoking it makes a huge difference.

Here is a little tip for all. You can use 100% hardwood pellets that they sell for pellet stoves. Make sure there is no chemicals
or softwood in the mix. Dip them quickly in water with a strainer, shake off excess water then place them on red hot coals. I run a wood stove so when the coals are ready I just transfer them to the smoker tray. This smokes hard for about two hours and never burns hot enough to light up your hams and become Cajun style, burned to a crisp. Cold smoking is a slow process so one day on one side then I flip over the meat and rotate the trays and smoke again the next day. The last two times I add only apple wood chunks that have also been soaked in water for a couple of hours. Happy smoking! PICS on the thread I started before I even knew this part of the board existed.

I only use wood. My favorite is pecan. Flavor is slightly sweeter than hickory and it burns cooler. I used to cut most of my own wood, but haven't been able to lately. Cherry and apple also make great woods, especially for poultry. I would ask friends and coworkers if they had any fruit trees that I could trim for them. I got the wood and hauled off the branches, they got a well-pruned tree.

At our last house the neighbors had a huge apple tree that was on the property line. I pruned what was on our side of the fence, so I always had fresh wood. Guess it was a good thing for the tree that we moved. :D

Pecan fan here also, love the flavor and there is no shortage of it here in Oklahoma. I love smoking pork tenderloins, no marinade just rub with a mixture of head country seasoning and brown sugar. Cook at 225 for about 5 hours wrapped in foil and then let fire die down and add green pecan for more smoke uncovered. Pull apart with a fork and sandwiches for a couple of days!

I made a little smoker out of a metal trashcan once it worked prettygood, the old refridgerator works good too, redneck as hell tho

http://cruftbox.com/cruft/docs/elecsmoker.html

I made a little smoker out of a metal trashcan once it worked prettygood, the old refridgerator works good too, redneck as hell tho

http://cruftbox.com/cruft/docs/elecsmoker.html

Call me a redneck if you want, but I love my ol' refridgasmoker. My first one was avacado green, I have since updated to a white one. I actually had a neighbor come over and inform me that my old fridg outside had smoke coming out of it:lol: Now when he smells the smoke, he wants to know whats good to eat this time. Later, Rich BTW its not "redneck" its "country":lol:

I made a little smoker out of a metal trashcan once it worked prettygood, the old refridgerator works good too, redneck as hell tho

http://cruftbox.com/cruft/docs/elecsmoker.html



If someone actually builds this thing, please use a 7/8" inch hole saw to cut the hole and 1/2" entrance connector for the cord( Or a 1 1/8" hole with 3/4" connector ). Running a cord through an unbushed hole is asking for trouble.
Every time I see that it makes me shudder.

That thing looked like a most excellent way to "light yourself up."

man...i read the tittle and..i thought u were going a completely different direction lmao

man...i read the tittle and..i thought u were going a completely different direction lmao

Haha,we're in the same boat.

Awe smoke dawg... I have a Weber Smokey Mountain (best smoker ever) on memorial day I smoked up two pork butts to an internal temp of 190* 16 hour cook on 1 load of brickets:metal: ave smoker temp 225*-270* Wireless 2 channel thermometer one for smoker and one for meat probe. homemade pastrami from brisket flat brined smoked turkey dam I'm getting hungry again. Lots of good info here> http://virtualweberbullet.com/

"Hi", Neighbor!!!!!!!!!!!!

And a belated welcome to the board.

Hello and thank you I've always thought this was a great forum but now I've discovered the good eats section.:metal:

Here's a pic of the bird I smoked last turkey day in my WSM.

That looks good enough to eat.

Where abouts are you, if I may be nosy?

i cant read thsi thread anymore.. my cholesterol level is allready high... dang it!

That looks good enough to eat.

Where abouts are you, if I may be nosy?

Sure you can be nosy..I'm in Castro Valley, CA and yes it was good enough to eat....dammitmitchell the bird is low in colesterol just dont eat the skin;)

I got one of those cheap wamalart smokers to. I figured out to throw away the water trey and raise the fire trey to where the water trey was. I use the cowboy charcoal. The actual wood leftovers and since I'm surrounded by blackjack oak I grab a dead branch and go to smokeing. We do turkeys, steaks, burgers, chicken, corn on the cob, taters, any thing we can stick on there. Really pi$$es off the neighbor. He always ask me about it then goes home to his wifes cooking.:lol:

fixit-p, that bird looks good!

Has anybody tried my smoked eggs mentioned earlier in the thread? You dont know what you are missing. Later, Rich

fixit-p, that bird looks good!

Thanks 72, I'm going to do some Pork Butts over the 4th of July weekend. Oldschooler I may throw on an egg or two and a fatty.

I bought my dad a small smoker for fathers day. If he likes it we might build a bigger one someday.

Thanks 72, I'm going to do some Pork Butts over the 4th of July weekend. Oldschooler I may throw on an egg or two and a fatty.

A fatty????? I know what some call a fatty around here. It wouldnt go in the smoker, it would be smoked:smoke::lol:. Not sure what you meen though. Later, Rich

A fatty????? I know what some call a fatty around here. It wouldnt go in the smoker, it would be smoked:smoke::lol:. Not sure what you meen though. Later, Rich

Well you could spark up that fatty to work up a nice appetite while waiting for the fatty on the grill :lol:

Click here for a Fatty>>>>http://www.meninaprons.net/2006/09/how_to_make_a_fatty.html#comment-509 It's Bombtastic

Well you could spark up that fatty to work up a nice appetite while waiting for the fatty on the grill :lol:

Click here for a Fatty>>>>http://www.meninaprons.net/2006/09/how_to_make_a_fatty.html#comment-509 It's Bombtastic

That looks almost as good as a bacon explosion and just as deadly.

Well you could spark up that fatty to work up a nice appetite while waiting for the fatty on the grill :lol:

Click here for a Fatty>>>>http://www.meninaprons.net/2006/09/how_to_make_a_fatty.html#comment-509 It's Bombtastic


OMG!!
That looks like a heart attack on a plate.

I want1, or 6.

I gotta try those smoked eggs! Peel em first right???:lol::lol::lol:

OMG!!
That looks like a heart attack on a plate.

I want1, or 6.

Yeah...but at least it's Atkins freindly:lol:

I gotta try those smoked eggs! Peel em first right???:lol::lol::lol:

yes hard boiled and peeled.Enjoy. When I take some to work, I have to boil 3 dozen eggs (makes 6 dozen deviled eggs), for just 10 people. They are all gone by second break. Make sure you do them on low low heat. You really just want the smoke. Later, Rich

Couple of beer can chix & a leg of lamb.:ito:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a228/Bowtier/6-30-09012Medium.jpg

Man, should have taken pictures but i smoked up some pork ribs tonight and got several good comments. What I did was this, I took my ribs removed the membrane from the back, rubbed them down with my rub mixture. I then put them in a cook pan, and put about 1-2 cups of water in the pan. Covered them with foil and baked them in the oven for 2 hours at 325. Basically cooked them in the oven. I was also on a time crunch didn't want to spend all day watching the smoker SO. I then fired up my smoker My uncle brought over some Hickory limbs that had fallen down, used those for my smoke. I only had to smoke them for about 30 minutes, basically heating them up with the smoke, Man they were good. I tried flipping the over and the bones were falling out of the meat. Oh so tender.

bowtier, what kind of smoker is that?

Here are some pics of my 4th of july smoke 3 pork butts and 2 briskets.

Oh my.... that sure looks good! :D

bowtier, what kind of smoker is that?

I'll check tonight Nate, something makes me think it's an 'American Camper'...but I could just be making that up.:lol: The removable/adjustable racks make it really nice for fitting in big or odd shaped meat...I can't believe I just typed that:o....I'll get back to ya.

Yup, I just made it up.:)
It's actually a 'Great Outdoors Grill Co. Smokey Mountain Gas Smoker'. Got it from the parents in-law for my B-day....something makes me think they want invited to my cookouts.:lol:
http://reviews.walmart.com/1336/3342508/reviews.htm