(Pro Tracker)

06/20/08 10:27 AM

Beginning smoker

All this talk about brisket and smoking meats has really given me the itch to try it for myself. I love cooking on the grill but I've never smoked anything before. What would a poor boy (not that I said poor boy) need in order to get started smoking meats? Also, what is the process? I've cooked salmon on cedar planks on the grill before but that's the closest I've come (not sure if that is considered smoking).

(Extreme Tracker)

06/20/08 10:44 AM

Re: Beginning smoker

Quote:

All this talk about brisket and smoking meats has really given me the itch to try it for myself. I love cooking on the grill but I've never smoked anything before. What would a poor boy (not that I said poor boy) need in order to get started smoking meats? Also, what is the process? I've cooked salmon on cedar planks on the grill before but that's the closest I've come (not sure if that is considered smoking).

Great question. I am interested in this also. I have a 30 lb pig in my freezer that I am just dying to try.

(Tracker)

06/22/08 06:47 AM

Re: Beginning smoker

Quote:

What would a poor boy (not that I said poor boy) need in order to get started smoking meats?

Well, you don't have to have money to smoke meat. I have seen one guy stack up some cement/cinder blocks, configure a grate in it, put a piece of metal on top for a lid and fire it up. Another, guy I know started out cooking chickens using an old welding table with cement blocks stacked up around it and a fire underneath.

I am sure there are lots of ways of smoking which do not require a high dollar investment. Some of the best BBQ I have ever ate, was cooked using the simpliest method.

(Tracker)

06/22/08 07:04 AM

Re: Beginning smoker

Or, you could get a Brinkmann Water Smoker from Academy for around $60.

(Veteran Tracker)

06/22/08 11:40 AM

Re: Beginning smoker

Quote:

Or, you could get a Brinkmann Water Smoker from Academy for around $60.

I had the electric version for years and it works great. I did turkeys, 1/2 40lb hogs, 15lb hams, ribs, chickens, and jerky on it.

I prefer and have a horizontal barrel type now just for convenience of turning meat, etc.

You can use large Tericotta (spelling) pots as well. Fire in bottom pot, round $4 grill/grate from walmart,and another pot on top.

I've also seen one made out of a 3ft metal culvert. Turn on end, cut a hole big enough in the bottom to to insert wood and stoke a fire, at about 2' put rebarb in one end and out the other to form a grill and then cover with a metal trash can lid.

I would suggest starting off with a simple drunk chicken (3-4 hours, seasoned chicken with a beer can up the back end ans sitting down on the grill and a potatoe on the neck to seal in the juices). One of my wife's favorite things is smoked corn on the cob.

What specifically are you looking for?

(Light Foot)

06/22/08 03:58 PM

Re: Beginning smoker

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com

Look into this website. It is loaded with more information than anyone could possibly need. The people over there are extremely helpful.

(Pro Tracker)

06/23/08 08:01 AM

Re: Beginning smoker

Quote:

Quote:

Or, you could get a Brinkmann Water Smoker from Academy for around $60.

I had the electric version for years and it works great. I did turkeys, 1/2 40lb hogs, 15lb hams, ribs, chickens, and jerky on it.

I prefer and have a horizontal barrel type now just for convenience of turning meat, etc.

What specifically are you looking for?

I'm looking for something I can purchase that won't break the bank. I'll check into the water smoker from Academy. How is it different than not using water to smoke?

(Tracker)

06/23/08 01:56 PM

Re: Beginning smoker

You won't get the direct heat with water smoker that you would with non-water smoker. The water pan also prevents the fire from flaring up caused by the drippings from the meat and the water is suppose keep the meat moist.

However, I prefer to have the drippings to drip into the coals and make smoke.

You can also ways get a water smoker and then you have a choice to use the water pan or not after you use it a few times.

I know one thing it will cook the heck out of hamburgers patties without the water pan. All those good juices falling from the patties drip into the coals and really give them a good flavor. Or, you can wrap up large shrimp in bacon and let the bacon fat drip into the coals, while basting them with garlic butter.

I am about to make myself get hungy now.....

(THF Trophy Hunter)

06/24/08 12:42 PM

Re: Beginning smoker

To start smoking as a beginner is real easy, just get yourself a smoker.

To qualify as smoking you need ALL of the following, imo:

1) Indirect heat (ie, fire box on side is best)
2) Slow cooking at low temperature (200 to 350, 225/250 ideal most of the time)
3) Wood as your source of heat/smoke

The first smoker I got was a Webber water smoker, below is a pic, there is a water tub underneath, that deflects the heat, the smoker with the water in there is just kinda messy, I use it w/o the water, and mainly for traveling.

Below is the next smoker I got (Smokemaster), this is about $850, real nice, fire box on the side, barrel smoke chamber.

I can cook 12 chickens on there (all standing up, 4x3 rows), or 4 chickens and a ribs/brisket, etc.. Here is another pic of one of my BBQ dinners:

Below was the smoker I wanted to get

, I really like the combination barrel smoke chamber and the standing up vertical smoke chamber, this is about $1,500:

These smoke masters are real nice. A guy in Austin makes these, and at the time I got mine, you would buy directly from him, I spent along time talking to him. He no longer has a website and he sells them thru distributors.

(Veteran Tracker)

06/26/08 10:39 PM

Re: Beginning smoker

What Guy said.

When I had the one in the first pic, I wouldn't use the water on things like jerky and brisket, but did use on ribs and chicken. By the way, put apple juice instead of water and it adds a great flavoring.

I now have the second pit pic version. It's a matter of taste. I you are a serious griller, I would get the second to start off with and Academy has not as good versions as Guy's but ok stuff for about $150.

(Pro Tracker)

06/27/08 07:53 AM

Re: Beginning smoker

Thanks for the help guys.

(Pro Tracker)

06/27/08 09:50 PM

Re: Beginning smoker

i have been kicking around building a smokehouse..i think it would be a great thing to have at a house...my new house doesnt have room for a pit so i would like to build a 4x4x7 smoke house on pavers or on a cement pad..walls made of redwood fence pickets or possibly some other type of wood...authenticly smoked meats don't have much heat added..i think it could be built for less than 100 dollars....my brother used to smoke meat in an old well house.

(Light Foot)

06/28/08 09:28 PM

Re: Beginning smoker

i use a water smoker and use 1/2 beer and 1/2 water in the pan, charcoal for heat, and place soaked wood chips on charcoal (when ashed over) for smoke

meat just falls of the bone

(Tracker)

06/30/08 10:16 PM

Re: Beginning smoker

1 Hour per pound at 200 degrees. Rule of thumb!
Weber's are great!
Indirect heat source is a 10-4!
Mesquite is not best for Pork!
Pecan or oak is best all around!
Adkins Western BBQ Seasoning at Krogers is a great rub to start out on without home brewing!
Try and try again quote from 4 year old daughter, 4th of July weekend is great place to start with deals on meat products! Go stock Up! and Good Luck!

(Extreme Tracker)

06/30/08 10:26 PM

Re: Beginning smoker

When you say indirect heat, do you mean the meat is not directly over the wood? In a seperate box.

(Tracker)

07/01/08 10:04 PM

Re: Beginning smoker

Great advise yo have soliccited!

(Veteran Tracker)

07/01/08 11:39 PM

Re: Beginning smoker

Quote:

the meat is not directly over the wood?

Wood and/or flame. I've come to prefer the seperate smoker box, but some vertical ones will accomplish this by the use of a water pan like the weber above.

(Extreme Tracker)

07/02/08 10:28 AM

Re: Beginning smoker

Thanks for the help on the phone, I really do appreciate it.

(Veteran Tracker)

07/04/08 09:58 AM

Re: Beginning smoker

this thread has been a good read, I have been watching it since the beginning. I have been meaning to scan in a picture of a smoker that my dad and I made and just found the picture. I also have a lot of pics of teh building process that I cant find right now. Hope I can find those and do a step by step also.

the pit is much bigger than it looks in the picture, the smoke box portion is a 24" pipe about 20" long, the pit section is a 20" pipe about 3' long. the smoke box portion also has a grate just in case you need extra room to grill.

We went a little overboard on the building mat'l, it weighs about 600lbs. We had to use a truck to pull it out of the barn when it was done, I have no idea how to get to my house. My thought is to mount it on a small trailer and have a couple of burners mounted also for frying or boiling up crawfish.

(THF Trophy Hunter)

07/07/08 09:50 PM

Re: Beginning smoker

First thing I ever smoked was a turkey March 1999, below is a pic.

The turkey was not over cooked, just over smoked.

(Veteran Tracker)

07/07/08 10:52 PM

Re: Beginning smoker

Quote:

First thing I ever smoked was a turkey March 1999, below is a pic.

The turkey was not over cooked, just over smoked.

LOL! Had a hard time getting it lite?

Everyone has one of those, I just don't know how many of us will take pics of it.

(THF Trophy Hunter)

07/08/08 11:30 AM

Re: Beginning smoker

Quote:

Everyone has one of those, I just don't know how many of us will take pics of it.

I took the pic because I was kinda proud of my first smoked turkey lol, and I had a few friends over for dinner, and everyone was being nice "uh, yeah Guy that looks good, is it supose to be that color?"

It really was not bad once you peeled the skin off, that is why I always cover my meat in the beginning when the smoke is heavy, especially poultry. You do not need a �sealed� cover, just a foil cover laid on top, or stand up chicken I�ll make a foil hat.

(Veteran Tracker)

07/08/08 11:52 AM

Re: Beginning smoker

I went to a restaurant and they actually chared all their briskets purposely and just cut that part off to reveal nice smoke ring and tender and moist inside. If was pretty good and I've tried it before with success.

The foil is a smoker's friend.

(Pro Tracker)

07/08/08 12:44 PM

Re: Beginning smoker

Seeing the turkey pic reminded me of the most interesting way I've ever smoked one. You use a big brown paper bag, coat it in cooking oil, put the bird inside and put it on the smoke. Turned out to be the juciest turkey I've ever cooked! I don't understand why it works, but it works! I use a New Braunfels (sp?) smoker like you can also get at Academy. It's a little higher, but has a seperate fire box. I prefer to do my "grilling" over wood in the firebox when I'm not going to smoke. On the 4th, I grilled burgers over oak, then added more wood and two hog quarters when I was through. I let them smoke for about 14 hours and they were delicious!

(Tracker)

07/27/08 09:45 PM

Re: Beginning smoker

I've also seen one made out of a 3ft metal culvert. Turn on end, cut a hole big enough in the bottom to to insert wood and stoke a fire, at about 2' put rebarb in one end and out the other to form a grill and then cover with a metal trash can lid.

CAUTION!!! CAUTION!!! CAUTION!!!!
JUST A HEADS UP HERE, do NOT use galvanized metals to cook in, on, it will make u sick as a dog!!! the fumes or whatever you want to call them are bad juju man, now after it all the galvanizing burns off?? never been brave enuff to figure when that may be

(Light Foot)

07/28/08 02:31 PM

Re: Beginning smoker

Home depot or Bass Pro have a verticle gas smoker ,I think it's call The Great Outdoor Smoker.I got one a couple years ago now most of the guy at work have gone out and bought them.Set it to run the temp. you want and add just enough wood to get a thin blue line of smoke the smoke should barely be visible.The turkey above was cooked with to much smoke or to much wood at a time added.To much smoke produces creasote.As mentioned earlier in this thread go to SMOKEDMEATFORUM.Com and read .As for the Weber ,they're opk ,but hard to get to the fire when you need to.Also read about brining chickens and pork.

(Tracker)

08/03/08 12:36 AM

Re: Beginning smoker

Perfect blackened turkey Bon Apetite!

(Bird Dog)

08/22/08 11:01 AM

Re: Beginning smoker

My cooking machine.

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