Comments on: Tonight, We Smoke!

By: Bitter

Bitter — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:39:22 +0000

Sigivald, you presume our oven works that well. :) I’m pretty sure the oven is as old as I am. The only temperature setting that can still be read on the dial is 400, so I can cook things based on a guesstimate if it needs to be cooked between 350-450. (Of course, anything above 400 sets off the smoke detectors automatically.)

By: Sigivald

Sigivald — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:40:34 +0000

Look in y’all’s kitchen.

See that big metal thing with the window, and the burny things on top of it?

Yeah, I think it’s called an “oven”.

It produces a superlatively consistent nice and low (by BBQ standards) temperature for effectively unlimited periods, and you can put damp chips in below the meat, to smoke it, if you turn the fans up real high.

Just sayin’.

By: Ken

Ken — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:49:36 +0000

One of my best friends makes a fantastic dry rub. I don’t think there’s _any_ sugar in it; I’ll check with him to be sure, though. Let you know what he tells me.

By: Sebastian

Sebastian — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 14:55:42 +0000

It’s a vertical arrangement smoker, which means you get indirect heat through height above the fire. The firebox doesn’t let in enough air to allow the coals to get really roaring hot, so it’s supposed to maintain BBQ temperature of about 250 degrees.

By: Sevesteen

Sevesteen — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 14:28:35 +0000

I’ve smoked for a couple years with a drum-type charcoal smoker/grill, with a side firebox. I was recently given a gas box-type smoker. Lots easier to control the temperature with gas and get more consistent results.

When using the charcoal smoker, I’d sometimes start with Matchlight, but I’d also have regular charcoal to add later. I kept a couple of metal cans that had previously had all their coatings and labels burned off. One would get damp chips, one would get chips and about half full of water, one would get chips and full of water, and they went over the fire. Adjust the amount of water so the half-full one starts to smoke before the damp one quits smoking. When a can quits smoking, it gets emptied, then replaced with more chips and water.

I’m not good enough to keep a rub or sauce from scorching with charcoal, so I just smoke the meat and add extra flavor later.

By: hsoi

hsoi — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 12:33:23 +0000

If you can find it in your area, consider getting real lump charcoal for use while the fire is already burning. Using things like Kingsford have some chemicals (binders, etc.) that could contribute to undesired flavors. So usually if you’re going to use them, you’d want to use something like a chimney starter to get them burned down a bit before adding them. Certainly avoid any of the ones with fluid already impregnated within (e.g. Match Light).

But if you can find true lump charcoal, that works great because it’s nothing but wood charcoal. Just throw it on and off you go. Even better if it’s made from the wood that you prefer to use for smoking.

By: rightwingprof

rightwingprof — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 09:46:45 +0000

Sugar? Away! Away! No ketchup or sugar! NEVER!

And the fire in this smoker is directly below the meat, but the fire is at the bottom, and the meat is at the top. The smoker at the top never gets above 250 at the most after the coals have burned down.

By: OrangeNeckInNY

OrangeNeckInNY — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 05:13:00 +0000

Did you get the smoker with the firebox on the side or did you light the charcoal right under the ribs in the main part of the smoker?

If you had a firebox on the side, you could have maintained a 200 to 225 degree temperature in the main unit for a good 6 hours and you wouldn’t have a burnt brown sugar coating on your ribs.

If you had the charcoal directly under the meat, well yeah, it’s going to burn the sugar as the temperature of the charcoals using direct heat is way too hot.

I was looking into getting a Brinkmann smoker with the chimney on one end and the firebox on the opposite end. I could make a ton of ribs with that baby.

By: teqjack

teqjack — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 01:45:40 +0000

Love grilled foods.

While charcoal has been around for thousands of years, those “briquettes” for the grill are fairly new. Thank Ford Motor Company. Seems making cars produces a lot of charcoal dust: not just messy, but expensive to get rid of. Henry insisted something be done, and his employees came up with making a sludge which could be compressed and dried for cheaper disposal. Then people started taking the stuff home… and a market opportunity was recognized.

By: BillH

BillH — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:09:33 +0000

you realize that your name is now on the carbon-terrorist watch list… if you get your name on too many lists, one of these days some bureaucrat is going to get BINGO on your card, then it’s off to the camp with ya.