i think i had issues when the bottom of the water bowl was touching the coals, which makes sense
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BBQ GAF - Smokin' Your Meat, USA Style
- Thread starter POWERSPHERE
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i think i had issues when the bottom of the water bowl was touching the coals, which makes sense
Could always just stack the outer coals higher and lower in the middle where the bowl might touch. You can also buy after market bowls that aren't as tall.
SlickShoesRUCrazy
Member
Had my first smoke of the year this past weekend. Second time trying brisket. Tenderness was perfect, but was on the salty side for my taste.
Eye for an Eye
Member
How are you people grilling in the winter? I have a pork butt I want to make but haven't gotten up the nerve to fire up the grill in this weather. It's only in the 50's here.
SlickShoesRUCrazy
Member
Live in Southern California.
50's is just fine for smoking. Just will use some extra coal to keep temps up.
peteykirch
Member
I went down to visit my Dad in Charlotte over the holidays.
HOLY HELL DO I MISS LIVING DOWN IN BBQ COUNTRY
My GF got their special, that being the Smoked Turkey stuffed Tater with Alabama White Sauce.
This place was ridiculously good.
HOLY HELL DO I MISS LIVING DOWN IN BBQ COUNTRY
My GF got their special, that being the Smoked Turkey stuffed Tater with Alabama White Sauce.
This place was ridiculously good.
Bought an 18" Weber Smokey Mountain yesterday, but I think it's too cold out (below freezing) here in TX to do a dry run.
Just do it. You'll be fine. The fuel will just burn faster.
eddievanclaylen
Member
Ol' Hick and I got lots of smokin' to do today. Well, everyday.
You were right.
Dry run and first cook went good. Could have left it in a little longer but it turned out pretty good. Ready for a real slab of meat next time!
I have an 18.5" WSM and I always put more than enough just in case I need to smoke it a little longer. For a 6 hour smoke like ribs or prime rib I usually fill to about 3/4 of the ring. For longer smokes, I over pack it to ensure I have enough fuel for the entire cook. This is of course using Soo's Donut method pictured below. Any coals I have left over, which is usually the case, I sift out the ash and leave it in the smoker until my next cook or I will use it on my grill. I hope this helps.
thanks a bunch! i'll definitely give this a shot
something i also had questions about was for longer smokes, how do i go about replenishing the coals? would i just shake it down and add more unlit coals? or do i go for a partial light and add them?
What I've read is that, with something like the 18.5" WSM (which I have too!) you can go a good 20 hours with 20 pounds of coal without needing to replenish. That sounds insane to me, but I literally did my first cook ever on Saturday, and it was only about 3 hours or so...
BUT if you do actually need to replenish, people seem to suggest pre-lighting the charcoal in a chimney just long enough to burn off the "ignition smoke." Once it clears up, you can add that to the rest of the charcoal. You'll get a spike in temperature, but if you shut the intake vents, it'll drop back down to where you want it in about 10 minutes or so, and you can regulate it again from there. Apparently this helps with flavor.
Fuck fuck fuck
Finally set the smoker up. Been losing my mind with this mild weather in southern Ontario.
Bought a rack of baby back ribs and just salted them. They are sitting in the fridge and will cover them with Memphis dust from amazingribs.com around 4. They'll sit like that overnight and then on the smoker around 8am tomorrow.
Any quick tips? I have a masterbuilt propane smoker.
Bought a rack of baby back ribs and just salted them. They are sitting in the fridge and will cover them with Memphis dust from amazingribs.com around 4. They'll sit like that overnight and then on the smoker around 8am tomorrow.
Any quick tips? I have a masterbuilt propane smoker.
What kind of thermometer are you using? What kind of wood?
Also congratulations on the new smoker. Enjoy this very rewarding hobby.
Very nice. Most of us (all of us?) use charcoal so there is only so much advice on temperature control we can give. That said, propane is supposed to be easier and everything else should be the same.
It's good that you ordered a remote one from Amazon. Those placed at grate level are best. The hanging thermometer is a decent solution in the meantime since it's at about the right area but unless I'm mistaken you're going to have to open the door every time you want to check it. Luckily by using propane it should be a lot more stable than charcoal and this may be less of an issue.
I'd also be wary of adding too much hickory. Ribs aren't a large cut of meat and hickory is a strong wood. It's better to undersmoke than oversmoke. Undersmoking at it's most extreme just doesn't add the smoke flavor. Oversmoking makes your food inedible.
The other advice I have and this is more important than you'd think is to relax and have fun. If you're shooting for let's say 250*F and it goes to 270 or 230 don't stress it. The more you fiddle with the temperature the worse results you'll get and the less fun you'll have. Once again this may be less of an issue with propane.
Post pics when it's done!
I apologize for the big shots, hopefully they don't come in that big.
So! Here's what I did:
-4 oz of hickory in, added additional 4oz 30 mins later
-500 ml of water in
-salt for 2 hours then 12 hour dry rub (memphis dust)
-smoked for 4 hours @ ~250
Here's what happened:
-water ran out too quick so next time I'll fill it higher to begin with or maybe top off sooner
-had to open door too often to check temp so the digital thermo will be MUCH better
-haven't found my sweet spot with temp yet, at times it went over 300 and you can tell that the sugar burnt
-ribs were a little dry in the end due to water running out
-only used the dry rub, no sauce. I wanted to see what it tasted like and it was fucking delicious
-weather was a little wet here so it wasn't a fantastic day but I cannot wait to due it again
I agree with this method. If I have to add more, I preflight them with a chimney. Doing it this way you only need a handful of hot coals otherwise you risk raising the temp too high.
Pictures came in fine.
How was the amount of smoke flavor?
I've heard of people using bigger water pans in these kinds of smokers. I'm not sure what your dimensions are, but I've heard of people using big catering pans in these kinds of smokers.
Yeah that's really the biggest benefit of the digital thermometer. By keeping it closed you'll also lose less moisture and smoke, and it'll keep your temps more solid. How did the external temperature gauge compare to what your internal thermometer said?
The dryness of the ribs has more to do with the temperature than humidity. You could try shooting for 225*F next time. Also it's weird. BBQ is almost opposite of normal meat cooking. With a steak the higher in temperature you take it the tougher it is, with BBQ it's the opposite. Undercooked BBQ while still well past safe isn't as tender as it could be. How did you test the ribs for being done? Also did you rest them after?
Smoke flavour was almost perfect! Not overdone by any means. I had a nice smoke ring on my meat.
Temp gauge was off by about ~50 at times.
I tried the bend test but because of them being "well done" the skin cracked.
I did not rest them, to be honest I was so freaking hungry and really wanted to taste them!
I wanted to do 225 but my supervisor at work who has been my quick question guy told me some other advice since he has the same smoker. He said 250-275. I'm going to go to 225 and get a better handle on things befor deviating.
Regginator
Member
Fucking hell that looks delicious
I have the same problem with the bend test. My racks crack well before they pull cleanly from the bone. I've started compensating since mine were consistently underdone. When I think they're ready I give them another half hour. Also resting is one of the most important steps. Ribs are thin so a half hour rest will make a world of difference.
Another thing to remember with the bend test and dry ribs is, it's meant for wet ribs where they will cook further with the sauce on. This needs to be compensated for.
225 probably won't make that much of a difference. If the smoker doesn't go that low consistently you'd be better off just doing 250 and getting rid of your spikes in temperature.
Random Painted HIghway
Member
Picked up the wsm 18.5 over the holiday and smoked chicken breasts on Sunday and a brisket on Monday. Worked out well enough for first attempts. What's a good thermometer to use? I couldn't find the igrill in stores here, sold out, so I can get whatever via online.
The Lamonster
Member
Best spicy BBQ sauces, GO!
and I mean real heat. Best I've found is Buffalo Wild Wings' "Hot BBQ" sauce, but I know there's better out there.
and I mean real heat. Best I've found is Buffalo Wild Wings' "Hot BBQ" sauce, but I know there's better out there.
I recommended it earlier in the thread but I love Quaker Steak and Lube's "Buckeye BBQ."
If you are looking for a specific flavor profile though, why not just make your own? BBQ sauce is really easy to make, turns out better than 95% of store bought sauces and you can make it as sweet, spicy, smokey, etc you want.
I got this one, and I'm very happy with it so far:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00P2RDIFK/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Read the little manual to set it up. For grill-temp, use the 2nd input. Use the 1st for the meat.
It comes with a little doodad so you can attach the thermometer stick to your grill. I found that cumbersome, though. Instead, I just stuck it about 50% through the rubber piece on the WSM, with the wire going to the box, sitting beside the smoker.
The Lamonster
Member
I'll check this out, thanks!
I really should make my own BBQ sauce sometime. I've made my own hot sauce before and it was great.
BBQ sauce is way easier. I made a green sriracha with jalapeno and serrano peppers and it had to ferment and everything. BBQ comes together in about 20 minutes and you can adjust it as you go until it's exactly as you like it.
When I bought my WSM I bought a thermoworks DOT thermometer and an ambient temp probe. It's accurate and easy to use. I will be upgrading to the thermoworks Smoke thermometer in the spring.
Here is a pic of my DOT.
Been trying to think of what I want to do for a week of vacation this year and thinking about a BBQ pilgrimage to either Tennessee/North Carolina/South Carolina or Kansas City/Austin.
Leaning more towards the first, but brisket is basically my favorite thing and Franklin Barbeque tho
Is there a recommended time of year for both or something in 2017 I should plan around?
Leaning more towards the first, but brisket is basically my favorite thing and Franklin Barbeque tho
Is there a recommended time of year for both or something in 2017 I should plan around?
if you choose tennesse or north carolina, specifically if you choose the mountain region of either state, fall there is simply gorgeous. also 12 bones in asheville has fantastic brisket. though if you do want legit eastern style whole hog bbq you'll have to travel to the eastern part of the state.
I drove through South Carolina last year and picked up a brochure for a BBQ trip through the state. Think the website was "South Carolina BBQ Trail" or similar. Looked good and broke down the state by region/meat/sauce preferences.
Sadly I had to drive on to Georgia that day.
Sadly I had to drive on to Georgia that day.
Eye for an Eye
Member
The weather was too perfect this afternoon considering the non stop rain we're in. I got the grill out and I have a whole chicken on there. I also grilled some tender strips to tie us over until the chicken is done. Mmm i missed the smell of charcoal burning.
Finished
Finished
I smoked some chicken pieces today. For only $0.10/lb more they had chicken precut into 8 pieces. All I had to do as far as butchering was remove wingtips and trim excess skin/fat.
This is them once they reached the right internal temperature. It took about 1.5 hours.
I removed the probed and put them over the hot side for about 30 seconds a side to crisp up the skin. Then they went onto a half pan to stay in a warm oven until my wife got home and was ready for dinner.
I made some mashed potatoes and beef gravy since I was out of chicken broth. They turnd out great. Sorry for the small plate. The big ones were in the dishwasher.
We couldn't finish it all so I pulled the remaining meat and it filled a ziploc sandwich bag. I'll make sandwiches and quesadillas with the reminder.
This is them once they reached the right internal temperature. It took about 1.5 hours.
I removed the probed and put them over the hot side for about 30 seconds a side to crisp up the skin. Then they went onto a half pan to stay in a warm oven until my wife got home and was ready for dinner.
I made some mashed potatoes and beef gravy since I was out of chicken broth. They turnd out great. Sorry for the small plate. The big ones were in the dishwasher.
We couldn't finish it all so I pulled the remaining meat and it filled a ziploc sandwich bag. I'll make sandwiches and quesadillas with the reminder.
Eye for an Eye
Member
The grocery store has pork shoulders on sale this week for 89cents a pound. I picked up a 15lber for $11. I've grilled a few times already this spring and this is my first smoke of the year. I got it on at midnight and hoping it'll be ready by 6ish tonight.
I wish I had more money because they had a whole beef brisket for 25% off. Still would've been like $35, but I only planned on spending $10-15 on the pork.
I wish I had more money because they had a whole beef brisket for 25% off. Still would've been like $35, but I only planned on spending $10-15 on the pork.
You got any pictures? How did it turn out.
Well it's St. Louis Rib Day here. When are the rest of you starting to smoke this year?
Eye for an Eye
Member
I got a before picture but I forgot to grab a finished picture before we dug into it. I kept it on the grill with a snake layout for 13 hours. Then I kept warm in the oven till evening when we were ready to eat. It was really good and totally worth it for $11. I had a really good spicy bbq sauce that paired well with it n
This week briskets are supposed to be on sale for like $2.50lb. I'm very tempted to grab one.
Eye for an Eye
Member
So last week at the flea market I picked up a new grill plate. It has raised legs on it, so I can have double the grilling surface. I made grilled chicken on the bottom and put my cast irons on top with the veggies. It made cooking so much easier. It's also only like 18" across so it fits perfectly under the dome lid.
I'm on a cross country BBQ pilgrimage and I finally just finished up at Mecca, aka Franklin Barbeque. I'm from Madison Wisconsin so I drove down through Illinois until I could scoot through Kentucky to get to Nashville. Hattie B's hot chicken was amazing.
Then I rolled into North Carolina in Saturday and sadly, missed a few places like 12 Bones and others because they're closed. I did make it to several places and Wilber's was by far the best.
It looks like something they force feed you in an institution when you refuse to eat, but each bite was better than the last. If you ever find yourself in Goldsboro NC, can't recommend it highly enough. I had a big idiot grin on my face by the time I finished.
I saw a bunch of other places and won't bother with anything here except to say I then drove through South Carolina, Georgia, and along the gulf coast (quick stop in New Orleans) before making my way into Texas.
I got to Franklin this morning at 7:25AM and was still eighth in line. I have to be honest too, I would wait hours and hours more. If I had one complaint, it's that the salt can be really aggressive in the bark, so make sure you get some meat in your bite. I only tried the fatty cut, but I did get some more fatty and lean to go.
I also stopped at Micklethwait's for a jalapeno sausage and their brisket Frito pie. Sogood.gif.
Freedmen's also had very good brisket. Salt Lick was very disappointing but had ridiculous good sausage.
Now on my way to Nashville, followed by KC and STL.
Then I rolled into North Carolina in Saturday and sadly, missed a few places like 12 Bones and others because they're closed. I did make it to several places and Wilber's was by far the best.
It looks like something they force feed you in an institution when you refuse to eat, but each bite was better than the last. If you ever find yourself in Goldsboro NC, can't recommend it highly enough. I had a big idiot grin on my face by the time I finished.
I saw a bunch of other places and won't bother with anything here except to say I then drove through South Carolina, Georgia, and along the gulf coast (quick stop in New Orleans) before making my way into Texas.
I got to Franklin this morning at 7:25AM and was still eighth in line. I have to be honest too, I would wait hours and hours more. If I had one complaint, it's that the salt can be really aggressive in the bark, so make sure you get some meat in your bite. I only tried the fatty cut, but I did get some more fatty and lean to go.
I also stopped at Micklethwait's for a jalapeno sausage and their brisket Frito pie. Sogood.gif.
Freedmen's also had very good brisket. Salt Lick was very disappointing but had ridiculous good sausage.
Now on my way to Nashville, followed by KC and STL.
Pupperbabysassy
Member
I'm on a cross country BBQ pilgrimage and I finally just finished up at Mecca, aka Franklin Barbeque. I'm from Madison Wisconsin so I drove down through Illinois until I could scoot through Kentucky to get to Nashville. Hattie B's hot chicken was amazing.
Then I rolled into North Carolina in Saturday and sadly, missed a few places like 12 Bones and others because they're closed. I did make it to several places and Wilber's was by far the best.
It looks like something they force feed you in an institution when you refuse to eat, but each bite was better than the last. If you ever find yourself in Goldsboro NC, can't recommend it highly enough. I had a big idiot grin on my face by the time I finished.
I saw a bunch of other places and won't bother with anything here except to say I then drove through South Carolina, Georgia, and along the gulf coast (quick stop in New Orleans) before making my way into Texas.
I got to Franklin this morning at 7:25AM and was still eighth in line. I have to be honest too, I would wait hours and hours more. If I had one complaint, it's that the salt can be really aggressive in the bark, so make sure you get some meat in your bite. I only tried the fatty cut, but I did get some more fatty and lean to go.
I also stopped at Micklethwait's for a jalapeno sausage and their brisket Frito pie. Sogood.gif.
Freedmen's also had very good brisket. Salt Lick was very disappointing but had ridiculous good sausage.
Now on my way to Nashville, followed by KC and STL.
Do yourself a favor and visit Memphis. IMO, best BBQ of them all. I prefer Pig N' Whistle over Interstate and Rendevou's.
dskillzhtown
keep your strippers out of my American football
I am moving to Atlanta next week from Texas so I had to smoke the meat in my freezer. Here is the brisket from an all night smoke.
I just got my first ever non-charcoal grill and am setting it up for the first time. It is this grill:
http://www.coleman.com/roadtrip-lxe-propane-grill/2000020937NP.html
I have lots of newbie questions even after reading the manual.
I am planning on grilling on a wooden back porch. Please let me know if this is unsafe for some reason.
Once I install the 1 lb propane tank, do I have to remove it and store it somewhere when not cooking or cam I leave it attached to the grill?
I'm sure I will have more questions. Thanks all.
http://www.coleman.com/roadtrip-lxe-propane-grill/2000020937NP.html
I have lots of newbie questions even after reading the manual.
I am planning on grilling on a wooden back porch. Please let me know if this is unsafe for some reason.
Once I install the 1 lb propane tank, do I have to remove it and store it somewhere when not cooking or cam I leave it attached to the grill?
I'm sure I will have more questions. Thanks all.
megatronium
Member
Tonight I made burgers, garlic onion chicken sausages, NY strips and salmon. Just got a new grill for my birthday so it was nice to try out.
LocknessMobster
Member
Anyone have any fav brisket rubs,homemade or store bought? Also any tips for smoking em?Smoking my first brisket soon..
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