Scored a smoker

[Marko73]

Hi all,

I love BBQ and love smoked anything. My wife's Aunt gave me a vertical water smoker that she wasn't using at her cabin.

I have no directions, but think I have that covered from a general website. What I am looking for is a good first recipe or choice. I know that smoking can get pretty complicated and I really want to learn the process and how to use the thing before going after the big game.

Any good ideas for chicken or maybe pulled porK?

 

[hopsalot]

Hi all,

I know that smoking can get pretty complicated

no worries, smoking is easy, get some mesquite and some lump charcoal, lite the charcoal in the bottom tray get the fire going, then start adding your wood. you need to do this a couple hours in advance. To get more smoke soak a few of your logs in water. make sure that your water pan is full of some sort of liquid the whole time, whether it be water or beer or both.

Smoke for a long time, you do not want to much heat, maybe around 200-250*F. I would just season some chicken and throw them on there for several hours.

 

[Revvy]

I love the R2d2 smoker...one liquid that works really well in the liquid bowl is applejuice..

Enjoy

 

[hopsalot]

I love the R2d2 smoker...one liquid that works really well in the liquid bowl is applejuice..

Enjoy

I never heard it call that, think i am going to lite the RDd2 today

 

[arturo7]

Basic technique for pulled pork.

*Brine the shoulder (also called boston butt) overnight

*Smother in yellow mustard and a dry rub (salt + pepper + brown sugar + other dry spices)

*Pre-heat smoker to 220-240 deg

*Use a digital thermometer to monitor internal temp of meat.

*Pull off at 190-200 deg

*Wrap in a towel, toss in cooler for about one hour.


Depending on the size of the butt and temperature this takes 10-14hrs. Make sure you have enough fuel.

If you are monitoring the temp, you will notice that it will hover around 160 deg for hours on end. This is what you want, all of the fat is liquefying.

Tip: Keep the lid shut! Every time you open it you lose heat and increase cooking time.

 

[bigjohnmilford]

Try some Italian sausage. It's amazing what a little smoke will do for those. Cheap and tasty. You'll never want them any other way.

 

[Revvy]

God I miss having a smoker...and a yard to smoke in.

Haven't done it since Ministerial school in Kansas City. This was a typical Saturday smoking session for my housemate and I...

It would last us nearly a week...We'd go to the KC outdoor market, and we had cultivated a "source" for meat...this Cajun guy who'd drive up every weekend in a referigerated truck...He's see us and say in a thick accent..."Howdy boys, you tried cookin a goat (or something) yet?" Then he'd open up the back of the truck give us whatever it was at a great price, plus steak, sausages, chickens, etc...Every week he'd have something special for us, and talk us through it....Then we'd load everything up in the smoker (sometimes stacking 2 on top of each other if the haul was good.)

The bottom layer would be full of ribs and shoulders, once an entire uncured ham....

We'd sit outside all day and study, then whip up pounds of potatoes and other things, and fellow classmates would bring more food, and we'd hall the kitchen tables outside and have a huge feast on the lawn.

 

[Marko73]

This is all great advice. THanks so much. As soon as the snow melts around here, I want to get it going so I will be sure to post pics and results. and I am sure more questions!

 

[remilard]

Pulled pork is pretty foolproof, but it is going to be overnight.

I cook mine at 190-195 until it stabilizes at around 185 and then finish it at higher temperature. This takes 16-18 hours but I use a big green egg and have no problem doing this on one load of charcoal. I don't brine it but I know the BGE is thought to be pretty good at preserving moisture and I haven't used other style cookers.

Ribs are easy and popular, I personally don't like them too well.

Brisket is great but probably the hardest thing to make.

You can smoke anything, it doesn't have to be traditional bbq dishes. Cheap steaks (sirloin) come out well smoked as do pork chops.

I really like brined and smoked turkey breast as well.

I would start with something like a turkey breast and once you are convinced you can build a good fire and control temperature well, move on to pulled pork. Other than being overnight, it is pretty easy to make and pretty hard to mess up.

 

[HenryHill]

So, is it electric or charcoal? Brinkman?

Try Googling dry rub and you will freak out.

[ame=http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=dry+rub&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq=]dry rub - Google Search[/ame]

 

[Marko73]

I am not sure of the brand, I picked up from her house in the dark last night. She offered me her 'grill' not realizing what it was. When I said, "That's not a grill, that's a smoker!!" , she looked at me with a blank stare of bewilderment. Poor unknowing vegetarians from Cambridge, MA. . . so sad.

It is vertical water smoker and it is charcoal and it is FANTASTIC!

 

[Revvy]

So, is it electric or charcoal? Brinkman?

Try Googling dry rub and you will freak out.

dry rub - Google Search

I thought you were gonna link to something dirty.


Those chickens I showed earlier is a Spanish style wet rub. It's like a paste.

1 whole chicken (3-4 pounds) rinsed and dried
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Smoked Sweet Spanish Paprika
2 teaspoons Smoked Hot Spanish Paprika
2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest or 1 teaspoon dried lemon zest
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

I dump all the ingredients into a gallon zippy and mix it together, then drop a chicken into it and...uh.."fondle" the chicken through the bag to get all the paste coating the chicken. Then I let it sit over night, "rubbing my chicken" every few hours to get it all nice and worked in.

The chicken is a dark red, and tastes and smells amazing. Especially with hickory or mesquite wood.

(I know that's gonna end up in the memorable quotes thread.)

 

[caver95]

I thought you were gonna link to something dirty.

You should goggle Keggel.

I have recently started using a bring, I love it. did two sets of ribs last month same everything but one rack brined, othr not. Brined won hands down.

Emerl's essence and brown sugar make a great rub.

 

[bigjohnmilford]

This is all great advice. THanks so much. As soon as the snow melts around here, I want to get it going so I will be sure to post pics and results. and I am sure more questions!

You don't have to wait for the snow to melt to get thing fired up.

 

[Revvy]

You don't have to wait for the snow to melt to get thing fired up.

Oh heck yeah...We used to run our smoker year round in Missouri...we did have to rig up a wind break in the winter though.

And I have smoked turkeys for Thansgiving in Michigan as well...

You know you wanna bust a move with it. :rockin:

 

[flyangler18]

That's it, I'm totally firing up the smoker this weekend.

Brewin' and smokin', smokin' and brewin'.

 

[The Pol]

I got a NEW smoker for free in a dumpster dive last summer. It is friggin AWESOME! I love it! I usually spend the day mowing grass, smoking some large portion of meat and brewing beer.

I have an electric smoker, which is nice because it is hands off. I use apple juice a lot in the water bowl... play with different wood chunks... play with different mopping sauces, dry rubs. Basically EVERYTHING that has come off it has been phenominal... now you have me wanting to go get a chunk of meat to smoke this coming week when I am home. DAMN YOU.

I love me some smoked meat!

 

[Revvy]

Another memorable combo is hickory with a couple pieces of cherry wood added to it. It's a nice flavor for a buffalo Roast, rubbed with just a tiny bit of herbs and spices and smoked to a medium rare, then sliced like filet mignons.

The tiny bit of fat turns to like creme cheese and really takes a liking to the cherry smoke.

 

[hopsalot]

God I miss having a smoker...and a yard to smoke in.

Haven't done it since Ministerial school in Kansas City. This was a typical Saturday smoking session for my housemate and I...

It would last us nearly a week...We'd go to the KC outdoor market, and we had cultivated a "source" for meat...this Cajun guy who'd drive up every weekend in a referigerated truck...He's see us and say in a thick accent..."Howdy boys, you tried cookin a goat (or something) yet?" Then he'd open up the back of the truck give us whatever it was at a great price, plus steak, sausages, chickens, etc...Every week he'd have something special for us, and talk us through it....Then we'd load everything up in the smoker (sometimes stacking 2 on top of each other if the haul was good.)

The bottom layer would be full of ribs and shoulders, once an entire uncured ham....

We'd sit outside all day and study, then whip up pounds of potatoes and other things, and fellow classmates would bring more food, and we'd hall the kitchen tables outside and have a huge feast on the lawn.

my god revy, the life you have you have been livi.. maybe some day i can knowingly eat a smokes cat, RDWHAHB

 

[bigjohnmilford]

Beef clod is awesome.We smoked one last fall and had meat for all kinds of stuff. Just killed the last bit of it off in some chili this past weekend.

 

[IrregularPulse]

Been thinking bot smoking something lately. Picked up some mesquite chips last night. Gonna try smokin' some pork loin in my charcoal weber.

 

[arturo7]

I'm not sure how the pork loin would do in a smoker, there's not a whole lotta fat. Probably best just straight up grillin' it. With the mesquite of course

 

[FireBrewer]

Congrats on the score!

While you're smoking your butt, throw some of these on the smoker for 2 hours:

ABTs (Atomic Buffalo Turds)

8 jalapenos, cored and rinsed
1/2 pound bacon
4oz cream cheese, softened
BBQ rub
4oz shredded cheddar cheese

1. Reserve 8 slices of bacon. Chop the remainder and fry in a skillet. Drain and set aside.
2. Mix cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and BBQ rub to taste. Add chopped bacon.
3. Stuff each jalapeno with the cheese mixture, wrap with a slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick.
4. Take a disposable aluminum muffin pan, turn upside down and cut an "X" into each cup. Place stuffed jalapeno in "X".
5. Cook on smoker for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, remove and enjoy!

That's a rough outline, you can use anything as the filling...crab meat, italian sausage, any kind of cheese, etc.

Enjoy!

 

[IrregularPulse]

Congrats on the score!

While you're smoking your butt, throw some of these on the smoker for 2 hours:

ABTs (Atomic Buffalo Turds)

Enjoy!

These are good and very good crowd pleasers. We hardly ever make it to the inlaws during spring/summer without someone bringing these.

 

[Absolut_Ninja]

Whenever I smoke/grill with the Webber and have uninvited guests, I try to throw some of these on for a quick snack;

1# Chicken Wings
1/4 Stick Butter
1 C Franks Hot Sauce

Tasty for not trying too hard, and everybody seems to love them.

 

[G-E-R-M-A-N]

check out these controllers for smokers/ grills. I got my dad one for his b day recently.

They are fully automated
The BBQ Guru - A temperature control device for low and slow barbequeing

 

[Marko73]

Firebrewer, those look amazing. I am going to try those next weekend. I am going to do a pork butt next weekend and I am going to try those along side.

Thanks!

 

[FireBrewer]

Firebrewer, those look amazing. I am going to try those next weekend. I am going to do a pork butt next weekend and I am going to try those along side.

Thanks!

My pleasure. Two things:

1) If you have latex gloves, wear 'em while coring the jalapenos. Don't rub your eyes.

2) If they're still crunchy and firm, they'll still be plenty hot. Depends on how much heat you like but for my money, they seem to be done the best when they're a little shriveled on the bottom and the bacon's full cooked.

Cheers!

 

[flyangler18]

Fired up the smoker up about a half hour ago - chicken and sausage are getting the smoky love right now.

 

[FireBrewer]

Fired up the smoker up about a half hour ago - chicken and sausage are getting the smoky love right now.

I'll be right over. :rockin:

Here's another one for ya, Marko:

BBQ Fatty - smoked pork sausage

1. Take a one-pound roll of breakfast sausage (Jimmy Dean/whatever) of your liking and cut the wrapper off.
2. Coat with BBQ rub.
3. Put in smoker with other chow for 3 hours. Let rest 15 mins.
4. Slide into rounds---my kids call 'em "meat cookies".
5. Enjoy!

You can also stuff 'em, which is even better.

1. Cut the roll open lengthwise and about 3/4 of the way through (don't cut the roll in half).
2. Add diced green pepper, onions, olives, and cheese (cheddar/cream/mozzarella/monterrey jack/etc). You may have to dig out some of the inside meat, depending on how much you add.
3. Close and seal seam with fingers.
4. Coat with BBQ rub.
5. Put in smoker for 3 hours, then rest for 15 mins.
6. Slice and enjoy!

 

[mmb]

ECB Mods

Doing these over the weekend to my little Brinkmann, or as the 5 yo calls it, R22D.