Just bought a cold smoker

[indyfrisco]

Actually, yes, I do cook up briskets and pork butts for myself as I am the only one in my house that eats it. Too spicy for my son and the wife is a vegetarian. In any case, both taste good days/weeks/months after if frozen properly (vac sealed.)

The "hot smoking" as they called it on the Bradley forums consider anything over 100 degrees to be hot smoked. Most of the hot smoke recipes they have range from 135-150 degrees. Their cold smoke is 60-90 degrees with most shooting for the 65-70 range.

[Dinsdale]

OK. Semantics.

Seems like a funny definition to me.


The cooler, the better for cheese, undoubtedly.

[indyfrisco]

def on the cheese. when i finally get my smoker built (using a trash can to start) i will put a lot of ice in there for when i do cheese or anything else to "cold smoke". in the winter time, that won't be necessary

[Dinsdale]

i will put a lot of ice in there for when i do cheese or anything else to "cold smoke". in the winter time, that won't be necessary

When you get a new electric, you save the cardboard box, in case you need to maintain 160 or whatever on a frigid day.

On hot days, you crack the lid.


Exact science, that.

[indyfrisco]

Well, I think I'd rather be jailed to watching/maintaining temp with a drink in hand instead being this guy.



Set it and forget it!

Sorry hon, gotta tend to the smoker. Hang that picture yourself.

[Goober McTuber]

So Indy, if you’re going to smoke a pork butt for 10 hours, how long do you feed it wood chips vs straight charcoal? I tried my first one yesterday and the taste seemed a tad bit harsh. Thinking I might have overdone the apple wood chips.

[indyfrisco]

If you put a proper amount of rub (read: cover every square inch of it) on the outside of the pork butt, it should create a "bark" that pretty much keeps the inside from getting too much smoke. Typically, this bark should be created around the 3 hour mark if temp is right.

So, you should be able to use all wood if you like. I have a ton of hickory from a downed tree, and when I did my butt last time, I used wood the whole way through as opposed to switching back to purchased charcoal. I took some pics. Will try to post them tomorrow as the camera is at home. It was beautiful. When I put on the BBQ gloves and [softball]tried to pick up the butt by the bone, it just fell apart and the bone came out perfectly clean.[/softball]

[Goober McTuber]

If you put a proper amount of rub (read: cover every square inch of it) on the outside of the pork butt, it should create a "bark" that pretty much keeps the inside from getting too much smoke. Typically, this bark should be created around the 3 hour mark if temp is right.

So, you should be able to use all wood if you like. I have a ton of hickory from a downed tree, and when I did my butt last time, I used wood the whole way through as opposed to switching back to purchased charcoal. I took some pics. Will try to post them tomorrow as the camera is at home. It was beautiful. When I put on the BBQ gloves and [softball]tried to pick up the butt by the bone, it just fell apart and the bone came out perfectly clean.[/softball]

The butt was OK, the baby backribs (which I put on about halfway through) had the really harsh taste.

[indyfrisco]

Did you spray the baby backs with apple juice? You should keep a spray bottle of apple juice handy and spray the ribs every 45 minutes or so. That, along with the rub you put on the ribs, will create a similar "bark". Pork butt has plenty of fatty tissue throughout to keep the interior moist while the bark keeps mass smoke out. Babybacks do not so you need to help form the bark on the ribs with the rub and the apple juice. The apple juice is key.

I've tried mixing different ingredients in the apple juice like Mountain Dew or Orange Juice. I'm back to straight apple juice.

[Dinsdale]

An absolutely freaking enormous smoker showed up at the Not-So-Little-Woman's house recently (next to the covered outdoor bar, enough scrap commercial cooking shit to build a battleship, and other assorted junk... strange hippy folk living there). Slumpbuster had some ribs marinating, so naturally the light came on.

"Anyone care if we use that smoker?"

"I doubt it."


It was freaking ON.

Used an asortment of hardwoods... like all of the downed limbs in the yard.

The transplanted semi-girlfriend had never had smoked ribs before... or much of anything smoked.

I'm a golden freaking god now.

The Orphans Thanksgiving will feature an enormous turkey done in the smoker (yeah, I'll be getting up early that morning, but any suggestions on time and temp per LB would be appreciated... but no rush). Weird hippy dude moving into the Commune House says he has a deep fryer, too.


But I guess the point of the story... you guys would get an erection of you saw this sucker, so long as you didn't have to move it. It's an old small heating oil tank, I believe. Just a freaking beast. Sure, takes about 3 cords of wood to really get it humming, but I live in the U&L where wood grows on trees. You could fit about 4 of those Webers into this badboy.

I obviously need to negotiate a deal for this monstrosity before the Semigirlfriend gets kicked to the curb (so I may need to act quickly).


RACK that shit. RACK this thread. Been a long time since I've had access to a real man's grill (need to get my own one of these days, but have usually had access).

[indyfrisco]

Dins,

I have smoked quite a few turkeys in my day (damn that phrase makes me sound old). Anyhow, like any kind of "barbeque grilling" (as you call indirect heat cooking), it all depends on how you maintain the temp of your grill.

When smoking a whole turkey, you should always have a meat thermometer plunged into the turkey. I prefer using one that is electric with a probe so you can read it without having to open the grill often to check it. Opening the grill makes you lose heat as you know.

Put the probe into the center of the breast. Don't let it touch any bone or let it puncture through the breast. The breast is the temp zone. Once the temp in the breast gets to 170, take the bird off the smoker and either wrap it in foil or put it in grocery paper bags. Thrown it in an ice shest and let if finish cooking itself for another 45-60 minutes.

Now, the temp. When smoking ribs, you do slow and low. When doing a bird, you do high and fast. Reason being...the bird will suck in the smoke much faster than a more dense pork or beef. I smoke my birds at 325 degrees. Usually, a 15 lb. bird will fully smoke/cook at 325 in about 3-4 hours and then add the extra hour in the ice chest to finish. Most important thing to remember is to keep an eye on the temp of the breast where the probe is. Once it hits that 170 point, take it to the ice chest.

And if you need a good Mild BBQ sauce to serve with the bird, you know the best place to go. ;)

[Dinsdale]

When smoking a whole turkey, you should always have a meat thermometer plunged into the turkey.

Making this different from other turkey prep techniques how?


Although...

Usuyally when firing off the deep fryer, I pull them out right when it passes 165. Seems to keep cooking for awhile. 170 is just a hair overdone in a fryer.

But your tips are noted and appreciated. Figured you were the guy who new a thing or two about torching a bird.


Because poultry is where an electric really fails to shine... I recommend against.

[indyfrisco]

When smoking a whole turkey, you should always have a meat thermometer plunged into the turkey.

Making this different from other turkey prep techniques how?

I meant as opposed to smoking turkey pieces such as simply a breast, leg, etc.

As for deep frying, I never use a thermometer. 320 degrees and 2.5 min per pound is standard for me. Never had a bad bird fried using these two golden rules. I have just found smoking temps are harder to maintain steady like you can with a fryer.

Once the 2.5 min/lb. is done, I drop the bird in a couple paper sacks and do the same ice chest thing for 45 minutes.