Just picked up a Bandera

New to smoking, met a homebrewer at work who mentioned that he bbq smoked.

I love bbq, and smoked meats and fish.

Tried a few times on my gasser Weber, using the foil pack. For fish I'd use a plank.

<ducking/>

I know, that's pretty lame.

So I went out to CL, and found a NB Bandera. (I think)

Found a great link in the net about mods...


this unit has some rust, and needs a bit of attention. I'll do the mods while I do the needed maintenance.

Please send advice regarding mods, methods, and recipes. I really need it.

Thanks!

There's all kinds of good bbq forums around, the smoke ring is one that comes to mind. Otherwise don't be afraid to experiment and don't get frustrated if you don't get the results you are looking for right away. Making good bbq is an acquired skill that takes time and patience to master. You might also consider a bbq guru setup which will make it much easier for you to maintain consistent temps over long periods of time. This is something alot of people struggle with when they first start smoking meats.

Alright gang,

Finally had a chance to read up a bit on the Bandera and thought I'd get started.

The seller I bought it from said it was well seasoned. Well from my perspective it meant that he never cleaned it.

But I did not want to goof things up, in case seasoning IS present all I did was hose it out.

Goes against brewing to just hose things out. But after I did I was at least able to see what I am working with.

Overview

Here is a pic of the firebox lid

That was a few days ago.
Today its time to do a run through.

I read an easy start and intro to smoking are rubbed pork butts.
Here is what I did just today, using charcoal for fuel and mesquite for smoke. Note that the door needs sealing

And the lid

This is the adjusted chimney output and an image of the butt and brats in the box.

Well during the time I spent doing this write up, the smoke production dwindled and temps started to fall.

T=140 F via the thermometer at meat level.

So I added more fuel, and will need to be more attentive.