My mom surprised me and got me a smoker for my birthday. Its no fancy or expensive unit, but its an offset smoker.
Ill be honest, give me a gas grill and let me be… but id like to try and give it a shot cause my dad use to do a lot of smoking and i know she always enjoy being around helping him with that.
I know there are some here that are into it, but just looking to read a little. Im pretty sure i could remember/figure enough of the process for simple things like ribs/wings/etc. but Is there somewhere, a good forum, that can offer some info/help so i can give it an honest go? Never used an offset smoker so that will be new to me.
I’m no smoking guru , I keep mine around 210 and use oak, cherry, pecan and keep an eye on it, Slop a lil wet seasoning on with a wet mop from time to time. @Firefighter4hire be the true guru to ask like ya did.
Congratulations on your smoker man. You’ll love the offset smoker , keeps meat from burning easily.
@Donut you have my phone number just call me. @Ikii is spot on about the charcoal. First thing you gotta do is show us which one. Then you gotta season it before you get to smoking. The igrill is a great tool for beginners to help with temp management. You also need wood I only use hickory and pecan. Try to stay away from fruit woods till you get the hang of it. Fruit wood will turn a cook bitter in a heartbeat if you are not careful. Also you gotta decide if you are the low and slow kind or you want to cook hot and fast.
Yeah ill post up a pic when i get it all put together. Already been on the search for good thermometers… heat source/keep temp constant is biggest area i need clarity.
Every cooker is different some run hot some cold once you get me some pictures I can show you some simple things to improve it. When you season it is when you can play around with temperatures and times. The very best tool you can have is a notebook. I write everything down even to this day. It’s the only way to get consistent results. Once you decide what kind of cook you are going to be we can talk about fire management
Buy a cheap piece of meat for your first rodeo, it looks easy on the telly, but doing the whole 8 second full ride in pride is another, I’d rather ruin a chuck roast than a ribeye.
Youtube is your friend. Tons of people with all kinds of smoking tutorials.
Start with wood like oak or hickory - these two are middle of the road in terms of flavor. Once you get the hang of it, then try other woods or even combinations.
I use two igrill devices. One for ambient temp inside smoker and one inside the meat.
I prefer the low and slow method of 225 degrees for cooking.
All types of rubs, injections, brine and marinades to play with.
Start with pork butts, chickens and other cheap meats. You need to learn your smoker and how to best maintain the temp and smoke before jumping into high prices meats and/or full briskets that take 14-18 hours to cook.
Use wood that is seasoned (let to sit) for at least 6 months. Do not store your wood directly on the ground. I have a plastic rack that I stack mine on.
You can smoke almost anything - I did beef and pork ribs, turkey breast and potatoes yesterday for Christmas.
If you looking you ain’t smoking! That is what the thermometers are for. On smaller smokers, when you open it up, you let out 90% of the heat and it takes time for the heat to come back up. As long as my fire is 225, I only open the smoker every hour or so to mop the meat.
Learn standard finished temps for cuts like pork butt, brisktet, etc. I do smoked ribeye steaks and like them off the grill at 130 degrees and then finish them off in a cooler for 15 minutes. Final serving temp is right around 137.
@Innocentbystander dont feel bad half the so called BBQ guys on the circuit are using pellet smokers now. They are not a bad thing for the back yard guys.I just hate them and wish they were not allowed in competition.
I make charcoal grills. Maybe you could use them as a smoker, I just don’t know much about smoking. Jerky in the dehydrator tastes as good to me as from the smoker. Traegor was a present so I use it occasionally
I wanna see the charcoal grills you make. If they have a lid you can use it as a smoker just push all the coals to one side toss a few hickory chunks on it and let her go you only need three hours of smoke for any meat anyway.
Baby grill that can plug into Reese hitch so you can sit on tailgate and cook. Made this one for my wife. Sold about 20 of these a few years ago. People weren’t smart enough to take the magnets off so some of them melted. I’m riding thru Jacksonville Florida right now on the way to wife’s mothers house. Be back in a few days and I’ll send you some pics
I want one. With a hitch option
With a rotisserie ready mount.
Then i will line it inside with ceramic.
I had one built overseas and i miss it, though that dis not have a hitch option
