"Smoked" Potatoes

Mikey · Post by **Mikey** » Sun Sep 09, 2007 3:52 am

OK, well they weren't really smoked. I cooked them over indirect heat on an oak fire with the lid on my smoker grill closed.

I used 2" chunks of red potatoes, tossed them with EVOO, sea salt, ground pepper and dried minced garlic. I built the fire to cook tri-tips, and while the oak pieces were burning down I threw the potatoes on the grill. About 30 minutes at 350 - 400 degrees. They came out browned on the outside and still pure white on the inside. These potatoes had the most wonderful delicate smoky flavor. Best potatoes I have ever tasted. The tri tips came out good too.

The OL didn't like the potatoes. She doesn't like anything with a smoky flavor for some reason. :?
Says she loves everything I ever cooked on the gas grill and why do we now have to have smoke on everything (we don't). Thinks it tastes "artificial" and carcinogenic for some reason (the kids love it).

Oh well, she'll never learn. But since I do the cooking it's my call.... :twisted:

trev · Post by **trev** » Sun Sep 09, 2007 6:54 pm

Way to ruin a good red potato.

Mikey · Post by **Mikey** » Sun Sep 09, 2007 7:21 pm

You wouldn't know a "good" red potato if was stuck up your ass.

Atomic Punk · Post by **Atomic Punk** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 8:08 am

Mikey, no matter how hard I try, I can't get a good smoke flavor using my Weber gas grill. I have a smoker box, have used foil pouches, and it just doesn't do the meat justice. Someone made a post here or on .net about buying an electric smoker and the results of the ribs were awesome. You saw the smoke layer in the meat and you don't have to work as hard as with a regular smoker.

Whatever you did to the red potatoes sounds good.

Mikey · Post by **Mikey** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 3:45 pm

Mike, I went through all the same stuff that you have with my Weber gas grill trying to get good smoke flavor. I got the smoker box, and I also tried those little aluminum pans that you can buy especially for the Weber to catch the drippings. I think that the problem is that to get the chips hot enough to really produce enought smoke, you end up heating up the grill too hot to cook the food slowly.

I gave it some thought before buying the rig that I'm using now. I think that the electric models are probably more convenient and easier to control if you're just interested in smoking stuff. The model I ended up buying, though, is not electric, but I think it's a lot more versatile. It has a large grill so that I can cook either directly or indirectly over charcoal or wood, and it has a side box for doing the pure smoke thing. There are things I would do differently if I designed it myself, like making it easier to raise and lower the coals and to clean the ashes out. But for about $300 I'm very satisfied. For the red potatoes I started the fire with regular charcoal and then added some oak pieces. I cooked the potatoes over indirect heat with the lid closed, at the opposite end of the grill from the fire, and under the top vent. That way the heat and smoke were both routed right up through the food.

(I still use the gas grill for a lot of things - teriyaki ono with grilled teriyaki onion slices and fresh pineapple last night)

Goober McTuber · Post by **Goober McTuber** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 4:08 pm

Mikey wrote:You wouldn't know a "good" red potato if was stuck up your ass.

Not fair, Mikey. Red potatoes tend to be a bit on the small side. I’m sure they’d just sort of rattle around in trev’s poop chute. Could be a red potato, could be a Barry Bonds homerun ball. You’d be asking a lot for her to differentiate.

Mikey · Post by **Mikey** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 5:08 pm

Goober McTuber wrote:
Mikey wrote:You wouldn't know a "good" red potato if was stuck up your ass.
Not fair, Mikey. Red potatoes tend to be a bit on the small side. I’m sure they’d just sort of rattle around in trev’s poop chute. Could be a red potato, could be a Barry Bonds homerun ball. You’d be asking a lot for her to differentiate.

True, but I figure that's where the majority of her taste buds are so I thought I'd give her the benefit of the doubt.

indyfrisco · Post by **indyfrisco** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 1:41 am

Mikey,

Get one of these to clean out ash. Best thing ever for the firebox cleanout. Mine is called Lyfe Tyme. That's the name of my smoker. I'm sure you can find this accessory online. I got one with each Lyfe Tyme smoker I bought.

http://www.trampolinesales.com/CB&Tool.JPG

Atomic Punk · Post by **Atomic Punk** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 4:04 am

Mikey wrote:Mike, I went through all the same stuff that you have with my Weber gas grill trying to get good smoke flavor. I got the smoker box, and I also tried those little aluminum pans that you can buy especially for the Weber to catch the drippings. I think that the problem is that to get the chips hot enough to really produce enought smoke, you end up heating up the grill too hot to cook the food slowly.

I gave it some thought before buying the rig that I'm using now. I think that the electric models are probably more convenient and easier to control if you're just interested in smoking stuff. The model I ended up buying, though, is not electric, but I think it's a lot more versatile. It has a large grill so that I can cook either directly or indirectly over charcoal or wood, and it has a side box for doing the pure smoke thing. There are things I would do differently if I designed it myself, like making it easier to raise and lower the coals and to clean the ashes out. But for about $300 I'm very satisfied. For the red potatoes I started the fire with regular charcoal and then added some oak pieces. I cooked the potatoes over indirect heat with the lid closed, at the opposite end of the grill from the fire, and under the top vent. That way the heat and smoke were both routed right up through the food.

(I still use the gas grill for a lot of things - teriyaki ono with grilled teriyaki onion slices and fresh pineapple last night)

I can do quite a bit with my gas grill but it's just the smoke deal that I want. I think a $60 electric smoker is on my list. It's really frustrating trying to get smoke from a gas grill, especially if you want to bbq low and slow. I know what you are talking about with the combo bbq/grill you've acquired. The reason I didn't get one is because the cheaper ones have too thin of metal construction. I'm only guessing, but I believe that makes temperature control difficult... The home built bbq rigs made by an unemployed welder would probablly cost a lot less than buying a cheap ass model from the depot.

I've seen bbq made from the 50 gallon drums that Dins aforementioned. You are right about the convenience of the electric smoker idea.

Smackie Chan · Post by **Smackie Chan** » Fri Sep 28, 2007 12:02 am

"Smoked" Potatoes

Yeah, I tried. But it really tends to clog up the bong.

Atomic Punk · Post by **Atomic Punk** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 3:16 am

I finally bought one today.

It's the electric version because I don't want to fuck with the temperature control the whole time. For pork spareribs, which wood is better, hickory or mesquite?

I do see the negatives of using one of these such as space available if you're doing spareribs. The meat isn't going to brown and then I could use the last 30 minutes to throw them on the gas grill with Brent's sauce on them.

It's a temporary fix but I'm never going to get the smoked flavor using a gas grill. One day I'll get one of those horizontal big assed rigs like you see the pros use. Sure, I could have just bought a Weber charcoal grill but, I like the idea of a simple electric smoker.

Too bad we don't have the fresh U&L salmon around to throw on the smoker.

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 3:24 am

Atomic Punk wrote:Too bad we don't have the fresh U&L salmon around to throw on the smoker.

Don't feel bad -- it's the heart of salmon season, and we don't have any, either.

Goober McTuber · Post by **Goober McTuber** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 2:51 pm

Atomic Punk wrote:I finally bought one today.

And you picked the absolute perfect place to set it up. Bon Appétit.

Nice chair. Looks like you at least got something when Grandma died. Couldn't you get it a little closer to the TV?

Mikey · Post by **Mikey** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 3:00 pm

At least he's got a nice place to put his feet up now.

indyfrisco · Post by **indyfrisco** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 6:04 am

Mikey wrote:At least he's got a nice place to put his feet up now.

Hence the shoes. Doesn't want to burn his feet.

Mmm...smoke is in the air. Let's kick back and enjoy the rubber fumes! ;)