ALL THINGS SMOKED & BBQ THREAD

[Smokewalker]

I decided to start this thread at the urging of Woods Woman. I love to BBQ and Smoking has been a way of preserving foods since man discovered fire.
 So to start things off here is a method of building a Cold smoker unit from junk to use in even a Cardboard box if it is all you have.

 You will need
2 cans 1 14 oz and 1 28oz
 Church key
 Piece of Aluminum Foil
 Sack of wood chips
something to make some holes with(twig will do)
Charcoal
Turn the 28 oz can bottom up use the church key to make holes in the bottom and around the sides

Drop a few briquettes in the bottom (unlit in the example)

 Fill the 14 OZ can  with the DRY wood chips and place it into the 28 0z can

Cover the top of the 14oz can with some Aluminum foil and poke some holes in the foil
 
It will look like this assembled place it into the bottom of your grill or in the firebox of your smoker and open the intake and exhaust vents fully

I can get 4 hrs of flavor enhancing smoky goodness out of 1 loading

[Old Philosopher]

Good thread!
I used to sell compressed hardwood smoking pellets. I've demonstrated using them in everything from foil pouches, to cast iron smoke boxes, to foil covered 8" frying pans...but I've never seen anything as simple and elegant as this! Kudos!
Considering how they burn, if you get 4 hours with wood chips, I'd guess you could get up to 8-10 hours of smoke with the can filled with pellets.

[PetrifiedWood]

Neat trick! I might give that a try some time.

For now I have a cheap offset firebox smoker that heats unevenly and is hard to get it to stay at a good temperature. Regulating the intake and exhaust ports and adjusting the charcoal make it either way to hot or way too cold.

I've read about some modifications people have done to theirs that I might try in a month or two.

[Old Philosopher]

Correct me if I'm wrong, Smokey, but one thing I seem to have learned about smoking is the when, and how much of it.
To get the taste I want, it's not necessary for me to apply smoke all through the cooking cycle. Most foods will absorb the smoke flavor during the first 1/2 to 3 hours. Once the meat starts to crust on the outside, it's kind of a waste of time to keep the smoke rolling. 
When my wife does her signature smoked turkey in the Webber, she'll use soaked cherry wood chunks for the first couple of hours right on the coals, and then slow cook from there. By that time the smokey goodness has penetrated most of the breast, and the skin is golden brown.

[Smokewalker]

PW My stick burner was absolutely awful until I did a few simple and "Cheap" mods to it. When your ready PM me and I'll help you get it help ya get it cookin like mothers oven with a smoky flavor.

[PetrifiedWood]

PW My stick burner was absolutely awful until I did a few simple and "Cheap" mods to it. When your ready PM me and I'll help you get it help ya get it cookin like mothers oven with a smoky flavor.

Thanks for the offer. Yeah it will be a bit because we have a lot of landscaping work to do in the back yard over the next month or so. But I'm hoping to have all that done by mid-May and by that time the weather will be just perfect for spending all day long outdoors.

I'm just dying to do a couple racks of ribs.

[Old Philosopher]

So Smokewalker, teach me how to smoke butter! This sounds like something I need to add to my bag o' tricks. Thanks!

[Smokewalker]

Correct me if I'm wrong, Smokey, but one thing I seem to have learned about smoking is the when, and how much of it.
To get the taste I want, it's not necessary for me to apply smoke all through the cooking cycle. Most foods will absorb the smoke flavor during the first 1/2 to 3 hours. Once the meat starts to crust on the outside, it's kind of a waste of time to keep the smoke rolling. 
When my wife does her signature smoked turkey in the Webber, she'll use soaked cherry wood chunks for the first couple of hours right on the coals, and then slow cook from there. By that time the smokey goodness has penetrated most of the breast, and the skin is golden brown.

Your 1/2 right IMO I use Smoke like salt & pepper it is just a seasoning bringing its flavor to the party. It is possible to over smoke it you use the wrong wood. Some woods like Hickory & Mesquite can be over powering if to much is used. Meats with a mild flavor like Poultry and Fish need a light hand and a mild wood pike pecan of one of the fruit woods. (However I have used a Little mesquite on chicken with great success) Heartier meats like Beef brisket can benefit from smoke the whole cook. Another consideration is the size of the piece the larger the primal cut the more it needs. All food will continue to absorb smoke flavor thought the cook. Some people think you need to "See the Smoke" this is totally un true. thick smoke is the sigh of a dirty fire and produces creosote that will coat the food UCK! Little to no smoke is what you need to see it should be very thin and bluish in color Some times refereed to a TBS (Thin Blue Smoke)
I use Oak as the main heat and add another wood to get the flavor I'm looking for. Oak by its self is very mild in flavor and works with all foods that I have tried quite nicely. Never soak your wood wet wood don't burn it smolders and makes creosote, and you should know that the water never penetrates very much it is just a waste of time.

[Smokewalker]

So Smokewalker, teach me how to smoke butter! This sounds like something I need to add to my bag o' tricks. Thanks!

Using the setup I described in the bottom of the Weber I know you have, sit a pan of ice on the grill grate with a bakers cooling rack on top of it place the butter on the on a small piece of foil on the rack  30 min is all it needs.

[Old Philosopher]

Using the setup I described in the bottom of the Weber I know you have, sit a pan of ice on the grill grate with a bakers cooling rack on top of it place the butter on the on a small piece of foil on the rack  30 min is all it needs.

Ah, ha! Ice! Neat trick.
I agree about the mesquite smoked chicken! One of our favorites. Like you say, choice of wood makes all the difference. I like alder or apple for fish, and hickory for most red meats.  IMO, hickory smoked fish can be nasty. 

[WoodsWoman]

Smokewalker.. THANK YOU!        I need a chair.. I'm going to stay in this thread for a long long time..

I've learned a few things already.  I like that can set up...   could this be used even if I dont have a smoker appliance?    As long as theres a contained area above for hanging meat?     Lets say in a survival instance?   

But my uppermost thought is right now..  I'm assuming cheese can be done just like butter then?  On top of ice?    I had some smoked cheddar once and it was very goood...   

And why do all smoker recipes or books say to soak the chips?   For the longevity of the smoke ?

I'm sitting here eating a pork sandwich with onions and mustard..  wishing it had a tad bit of smoke flavor to it...      

WW.   

[Gryphon]

I started smoking with mesquite.  I still do often because 1) I like it and 2) I smoke more beef than anything else (except maybe tires, but that's a different forum I think...) 

I use hickory a lot as well.  Chicken seems to do well with a small amount of hick chips right on the coals in my 22.2" Weber kettle.  I run an indirect fire with charcoal on each side and lay the bird parts in the center.  I have been known to use foil to make heat barriers to slow the cooking of parts like the breasts.  A drip pan with water is paramount for sure and I have found that by playing with that I can alter both the flavor and cooking with it.  Cold water at the start keeps the temps down a bit.  I will usually dump in some of the marinade I used too, or a few sprigs of herbs into hot water to add a steam to the smoke.

I'll generally smoke for a hour or two to begin with, then foil wrap and let it low and slow ("let it flow, let yourself go, low and slow, that is the tempo...").   I'm not a good baster and the Weber seems to like upsetting the thermal balance by lifting the lid to baste.  Early foil seems to help that a lot.

I don't do subtle flavors.  After chemo a while back, my taste buds just don't pick up on it any more.  I need big, bold and in-yer-face to really taste it.  Shiracha rooster sauce baby!  Hickory is about as mild as I can do.  I have a bag of apple chips I used on some (horrifically expensive) grass-fed ribeyes last weekend...I couldn't tell it was even there.  Wife could though.

[Old Philosopher]

...
I use hickory a lot as well.  Chicken seems to do well with a small amount of hick chips right on the coals in my 22.2" Weber kettle.  I run an indirect fire with charcoal on each side and lay the bird parts in the center.  I have been known to use foil to make heat barriers to slow the cooking of parts like the breasts.  A drip pan with water is paramount for sure and I have found that by playing with that I can alter both the flavor and cooking with it.  Cold water at the start keeps the temps down a bit.  I will usually dump in some of the marinade I used too, or a few sprigs of herbs into hot water to add a steam to the smoke....

You and my wife wrote the same book! Her last birthday present was a real, live Weber to replace the antique knock-off she'd been using for 15 years. I got her the 22.5" one, and had to make sure it had the metal briquet bins for indirect cooking. The rack is hinged so you can raise opposite edges to replenish the coals without disturbing what's being cooked.
If you use rosemary sprigs, try dropping them straight onto the coals instead of in the water. Yum...

[Smokewalker]

Smokewalker.. THANK YOU!        I need a chair.. I'm going to stay in this thread for a long long time..

I've learned a few things already.  I like that can set up...   could this be used even if I dont have a smoker appliance?    As long as theres a contained area above for hanging meat?     Lets say in a survival instance?   

But my uppermost thought is right now..  I'm assuming cheese can be done just like butter then?  On top of ice?    I had some smoked cheddar once and it was very goood...   

And why do all smoker recipes or books say to soak the chips?   For the longevity of the smoke ?

I'm sitting here eating a pork sandwich with onions and mustard..  wishing it had a tad bit of smoke flavor to it...      

WW.   

I Don't remember if this is Jack Or Mozzarella

[Smokewalker]

I used to set up my Weber like your talking about with the split fire and a drip pan food in the middle I never could keep the temps stable so now I do it like this

 I pile the coals to one side and mix in the wood chunks the remainder of the coal grate I cover completely with Aluminum foil all the way out to the sides of the kettle and really work it in around the edge. This redirects the air flow to the base of the fire all the air has to pass up & through instead of around and filling the whole kettle. I never use a water pan as I'm smokin not steamin I don't care what you put in the water pan as it don't add any flavor and I an prove it cause I have more than once with a blind taste test. Back on Topic. The temp of your kettle is dependent on two things the size of the fire and the air intake. I load in my fuel my then I light up about 8-10 pieces of Charcoal( I use Natural Lump exclusively) and dump that onto the laid fire in the kettle. open the intake about 1/8- 3 /16" and the exhaust fully, it will settle in at 220-230 deg.

Notice the TBS(Thin Blue Smoke)

[Old Philosopher]

Hummm....very interesting. Uniform indirect heat, no hot spots. I like!
I do a lot of indirect grilling on my big gas BBQ, but the light never dawned on how to get the same effect with charcoal. Duh......

[Smokewalker]

 :o Oh! So your a Gas man who a thunk it : I cook my steaks with this set up too. I let them smoke for awhile then remove the lid open up the air get it hotter than hades and do a sear to get my grill marks and a little char works like a charm.

[Old Philosopher]

:o Oh! So your a Gas man who a thunk it : I cook my steaks with this set up too. I let them smoke for awhile then remove the lid open up the air get it hotter than hades and do a sear to get my grill marks and a little char works like a charm.

Yeah, yeah....what ever!  I have 2 gas grills, 2 kettle grills, and a Brinkman smoker. When there's a foot of snow on the ground and I want a grilled steak NOW, yeah....a gas man! Hahaha! (I still use my smoking pellets, though.)

[Tobit]

Smokewalker, every late April I have to host a BBQ.  Last year, I had access to a really nice wood burning smoker and slow cooked some awesome baby backs and tri-tip roasts using a mixture of cherry and apple woods.

Unfortunately, this year I do not have access to a proper smoker and can't afford to buy one in time.  All I will have available for the cookout this year is a 4-burner gas grill.  I'd still like to slow cook a few racks of ribs.  Do you have any suggestions for creating some smoke with what I have?

Thanks.

[Moe M.]

Smokewalker, every late April I have to host a BBQ.  Last year, I had access to a really nice wood burning smoker and slow cooked some awesome baby backs and tri-tip roasts using a mixture of cherry and apple woods.

Unfortunately, this year I do not have access to a proper smoker and can't afford to buy one in time.  All I will have available for the cookout this year is a 4-burner gas grill.  I'd still like to slow cook a few racks of ribs.  Do you have any suggestions for creating some smoke with what I have?
Thanks.

  Try this,  season your ribs with what ever rub you use and refrigerate them for a few hours or overnight.
   For the smoke,  use a small throw away foil roasting pan,  put your wood in dry,  cover the pan with aluminum foil and poke some holes in the foil,  now get the center burner going on the grill and put the foil pan over that burner.
   It shouldn't take long for you to get smoke,  now take your slabs of ribs and put them on either side of the grill (don't light the side burners),  close the cover on the grill and let them smoke for an hour or so,  you should be getting some heat built up in the grill with the cover closed and after about an hour you should be seeing some color indicating cooking on the ribs.
  Once you figure you have them smoke flavored to your taste,  and you see some sign of cooking wrap the ribs in foil,  take the smoke pan off the grill and set the heat to medium keeping the center burner going and the ribs on either side over cold burners,  you'll be using indirect heat to slow cook your ribs,  after you've closed the cover wait a few minutes and check the temp gauge and adjust the heat so your at 275~300 degreese.
  Let them slow roast for a couple of hours,  check them occasionally and if you're using a basting sauce do it then, when the meat starts to pull away from the bone they're done. 

[Old Philosopher]

I use my 3 burner gas grill pretty much the way Moe describes.
I put the smoking pellets (I don't use chips/sawdust) in a foil covered cast iron pan right on the grate over one of the side burners. I find that give me more unobstructed grilling surface on the other 2/3 of the grill. The only other difference is that I don't cover the ribs. I just keep basting and turning them in the indirect heat.

[Tobit]

Ok, thanks Moe and Oldie.. I was thinking of something similar but putting the roasting pan over the left most burner and the slabs of ribs on the far right end of the grill.  I only have a four-burner so there is no center.

[Old Philosopher]

Ok, thanks Moe and Oldie.. I was thinking of something similar but putting the roasting pan over the left most burner and the slabs of ribs on the far right end of the grill.  I only have a four-burner so there is no center.

I have removable racks that go above my main grate. If I have a lot of stuff to cook indirect, I'll use one or both of them to get more space. The heat is uniform, because you're cooking indirect. I do a LOT of indirect cooking on the gas BBQ.

[Smokewalker]

If I had to cook on a gasser that is exactly how I would do it. The closest I come to using gas is the weed torch I use to to light the firewood in the pit.
 

[Smokewalker]

Building a BBQ Pit/Smoker on the Cheap

I have over the years cooked on some really expensive equipment and some real junk too. The best pit I have used is the one I built for my self is very easy to operate, super economical and produces some fine grub without allot of fussing around. It is Known as an Ugluy Drum Smoker or UDS for short.
 Here are the pics of mine I call it Big Jim ( After a good BBQ friend that died way to young) I will post a few links after the pictures for anyone interested in building one These are where I got the information and some Ideas  for mine.
 







http://www.bbqbug.com/forums/general-bbq-grilling/832-our-uds-cooker-how-build-one-part-1-a.html
http://www.theqjoint.com/forum/showthread.php?4120-Building-a-basic-drum-smoker-(UDS)

To prove it works as advertised I give you  this

which turned into this

hungry yet?

[Tobit]

Very nice smokie, I need to look into that before buying one.  I need a pit soon though, spring is here early... I need to get smokin'.

[Smokewalker]

I built it on a Sat and cooked on Sunday, It is pretty simple.

[WoodsWoman]

Thats twice now you've snuck up on me with all that glorious looking food.   This puts my keyboard in serious danger of flooding from me drooling.. 

The meat on the tinfoil.. is that the trimmings from the rib section?    Do you treat them differently with out rubs or marinades?

Are you one of those that puts the beans in the smoke too for extra smoke flavor?  I have done it.. its so good.

WW.

[Barbarossa Bushman]

I built it on a Sat and cooked on Sunday, It is pretty simple.

Thanks for putting this up there. Great plans.

[Smokewalker]

Thats twice now you've snuck up on me with all that glorious looking food.   This puts my keyboard in serious danger of flooding from me drooling.. 

The meat on the tinfoil.. is that the trimmings from the rib section?    Do you treat them differently with out rubs or marinades?

Are you one of those that puts the beans in the smoke too for extra smoke flavor?  I have done it.. its so good.

WW.

yeah those pieces are the trim I hit them with salt & pepper what I don't snack on I keep to add into my beans (cheaper than a ham hock).

 I have been known to put a pot of beans on under a Brisket or a Butt and just let it drip away into them for the old double wammy

[Smokewalker]

Buttermilk Brined BBQ Chicken

I had a hankerin for some BBq Chicken for dinner tonight this is how I roll
Sanderson farms natural chicken Brined in Buttermilk & Franks hotsauce 6 hrs

Slatherd With Helmans Mayo and Dawg's Red Dirt

1 1/2 hrs on Mr Webers marvelous invention; (the kettle) at 275 with a little mesquitefor flavor glazed with BEST  OF THE WEST BBQ SAUCE.

Some of the tastiest Chicken I have ever done. Skin was fully rendered and Bite through, the meat pulled cleanly from the bone moist & tender as a Mothers love.
 I would have gotten a pic but I was in frenzied mode 

[Tobit]

OMFG, I though porn wasn't allowed on this forum?     

[Smokewalker]

OMFG, I though porn wasn't allowed on this forum?     

Aint noting that beats a saucy hot neked chick

[WoodsWoman]

LOL.. she's not neked.. she's got red and black on...   those are the colors to 'impress' or 'seduce'...  *smirk*

Good thing we aint neighbors Smokewalker... I'd be hanging over the fence constantly asking  "whatcha cookin?"...   

Have you ever done turkey wings/drumsticks in the smoker?    They sell them up here, and hubby likes the wings.  And I was wondering how the skin on turkey would turn out in a smoker.. tough?

WW.

[Gryphon]

Gotta share some stuff that's come off my Webers.  I run two Weber 22.5" kettles.  I lay charcoal on each side with a drip pan in the middle.  Wood chunks go on top of the coals and I'm pretty good at keeping a fairly consistant heat.  (yup, drilled the lid for a thermometer in there.  Used to have a remote probe thermometer, but it died, so I use the old fashioned ones.)

Smoked bacon meatloaf.


Brisket with a side of smoked tomatoes.  Those freeze well and are great in stews and chili.

[WoodsWoman]

Whoa, wait a minute.   Please tell me more on The smoked tomatoes.   How long do you smoke them?   I can see the skins split.. so that would mean the smoke flavor can get down into the 'meat' of the tomato.    Do they shrink quite a bit .. drip all over the cooker?     What do they look like all finished?   Could one dehydrate them after smoking to further the process like 'smoked sundried tomatoes?

WW.

[Old Philosopher]

All these groceries look so good!
Here's a rack o' ribs we did the end of last summer. The briquettes are in those holders I mentioned earlier.
Low, and slow for about four hours.  Homemade sauce.

[Smokewalker]

WOW nice rack OP What did everyone else eat?

[Old Philosopher]

WOW nice rack OP What did everyone else eat?

[Smokewalker]

You remind me of ME

[Smokewalker]

 Gryphon Smoked Meatloaf is one of my favorites yours looks delicious, that brisket looks tasty too. I have one going on tomorrow.

[WoodsWoman]

Smokewalker,  in the first post of your can smokers...    Is there other heat in the grill too along with the cans? 

WW.

[Smokewalker]

Smokewalker,  in the first post of your can smokers...    Is there other heat in the grill too along with the cans? 

WW.

NO!!

[Tobit]

This weekend, I am going to start finding parts to build an UDS.  I need to try and get this built by April 21st.

[Gryphon]

Whoa, wait a minute.   Please tell me more on The smoked tomatoes.   How long do you smoke them?   I can see the skins split.. so that would mean the smoke flavor can get down into the 'meat' of the tomato.    Do they shrink quite a bit .. drip all over the cooker?     What do they look like all finished?   Could one dehydrate them after smoking to further the process like 'smoked sundried tomatoes?

WW.

Oh yes, they are YUMMAGE!

I smoke romas.  There is a way of cold-smoking them on the vine that preserves them over the winter.  Found out about it on one of those cooking shows where someone went to Italy and they showed them, but I can find nothing online about how to do it, so I do this.

These are hickory smoked.  I just put them on while smoking a chunk of dead cow.  When the skins split and they look kinda dirty, they are done.  I (carefully) pull them off with tongs and put them on a plate or cookie sheet to cool, then into the freezer.  Once solid, I drop them in a freezer bag and pull them out as needed.  Great in stews, soups and chili.  Thaw, skin and mash them up with some burger, onion and mushrooms and consume as-is!

Haven;t tried them on a BLT...they are too squishy when done, but they make a great pizza sauce!

I don't have a dehydrating apparatus, but that sounds like a great thing to do to them!  It's too dusty here to try real sun-drying...maybe later after the move.

[Gryphon]

Got this going right now: Tri-tip in a simple rub.  Going to foiled in a few.



The snausages...oh man oh man...if ya ever pass through Saint George, stop at Dixie Meats and pick up some of their snausages!

One is a linguisa...the sole survivor.  Others got fried and eated.

The others are jalapeno cheddar bratwurst.  I just swapped them out for some polish snausages...and one poor specimen wound up on a chunk of light rye with mustard (all I had bread-wise right now).  DAIMN that's GOOD stuff!

Guy who runs the butcher shop only uses local meats, grass fed as much as he can.  Not cheap stuff, thats for sure, but the snausage is right...a bit more than Johnsonville, but the comparision is like cheapo chicken dogs to Johnsonville....and this stuff makes Johnsonville seem like cheapo chicken dogs.  Yeah, I'll fork over the 6 bucks a pound...and each snausage is about a half pound!

And yes, it's snausage.  Snausage is to sausage like a sammich is to sandwich.  It's snackin's to get snarfed!  I think I need another...missed lunch...

[Smokewalker]

Your killin me I was going to cook a Brisket today then my Tractor was ailing so I been slinging wrenches the better part of the day Oh well tomorrow is another day.

[Tobit]

TRI-TIP!     I need to get my UDS built.

[Gryphon]

Gotta say...that tri-tip didn't make it until dinner.  It fell apart with a fork, wife and teenage girl ate it before I could do anything else with it. I got some, but man...for a couple self-professed veg-heads, they will sure devour a nicely smoked chunk of dead cow!

My rub? A packaged Mexican spice condiment I found and wanted to try...chilie powder and lime juice called Tajin.  Good stuff!

[Tobit]

Smoke, do you use a chimney starter to light Big Jim?  Just trying to think of whatelse I'm going to need as I start building my UDS.