Smoker- recipes and mods

[chanter]

Not regretting this purchase one bit.

I use the "3-2-1 Method"- which I believe most people do for their ribs. 3hr smoke with some applewoord lump, 2hrs wrapped in foil with meat side down in apple juice/beer/coke, 1hr basting with your favorite BBQ sauce.

I rub em down with mustard then add my favorite rub and leave them in the fridge the night before.

Beyond tender and juicy- I cant screw them up. Brisket is my next challenge.

[amosfella]

IMG_20130917_120714 by wolverine00089, on Flickr
St Louis style pork ribs smoked for 12 hours in lilac wood. I add water and wood every 4 hours to my smoker as it has a big water pan... They get cooked twice. Up to temp once, let cool in the smoker, and bring them up to temp again... Usually 180F. I don't do juices, or sauces with ribs.

[amosfella]

Don't forget to throw some sea salt into the smoker when you have it going...

[RandyBoBandy]

This site is very informative when it comes to BBQ and techniques..http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/p...ribs_ever.html

[Forest Techer]

Getting prepped to do a pork shoulder in the big cheif smoker tomorrow. Because our climes aren't getting any warmer any time soon (according to sundance anyway) I was wondering if anyone has had any luck insulating these guys. And if so what kind of temperatures were you getting?

I was planning on making an ugly leaky wood box, with possibly some insulation on the inside. Just don't know what to expect.

Also curious if anybody has swapped out the element for something larger and perhaps thermostatically controlled?

Lastly for the short term after this delicious round pork nugget is smoked up I was going to double wrap it in tinfoil and sit it in the BBQ over indirect heat to get it to temp. Am I setting myself up for failure or what? Would rather not use the oven as it's already going to be 30c tomorrow.

any advice is always much appreciated.

Thanks folks

[Red Bullets]

I don't think you should be putting any insulation inside of a smoker.


You could probably do the shoulder in the BBQ from start to finish. Add smoke to your BBQ for a while. There's a million recipes online. Smoked meat forums too.

Smoking a pork shoulder in the smoker can take a long time and could require injecting the shoulder with brine too. Smoking till you get 140 temp internal in the smoker and then finishing off in foil in a oven or BBQ till it gets to 203 degrees. Don't oversmoke.

[Forest Techer]

First off apologies as I now see the sticky of almost the same name. If mods want to move it I understand.

But I'm still curious as to what temps this thing may be capable of.

Thanks RB. The shoulder is sitting wrapped in Saran coated in my own run I use for ribs. The plan is to do 2-3 pans of chips (Apple or maple) over 6 hours then double wrap in foil and finish in the BBQ. Maybe foil it throughout. The first lesson I imagine most people learn with a smoker is "less is more" too much smoke is near inedible and not enough makes u want to get it right next time.

Been reading and smoking for 3 years now and always more to learn.

[CantThinkOfAName]

I can't give you much info since my first smoker just arrived today, and its not something I grew up learning.
But I can tell you to search some smoking forums... I did that before I even ordered a smoker. And just like this forum, they are a wealth of information.
I plan on supplementing the electric smoker I bought with one of theses http://www.amazenproducts.com/
And for a electric controller http://www.auberins.com/index.php?ma...index&cPath=14

[amosfella]

Wrap a welding blanket around the sides, but not the top. That will hold a fair amount of heat... expect to leave the pork shoulder in for 12-24 hours. Could also put the smoke on it, then do it slowly in the oven at 225 over a broiler pan, and wrap it in tinfoil with the juices inside...

[Fisherpeak]

I have had a big chief smoker for years.
You can not cook in them.You can give the shoulder a pan or two of chips for flavor but you need to cook it in the BBQ.I have a wood fired BBQ I love for shoulders,takes 8+ hours low and slow.Skin the shoulder first.You can`t eat pigskin and the smoke and spices are a waste otherwise.So....
Skin it,apply rub,smoke it for a couple hours,cook on the BBQ at low speed for 8 hours(wrapped in foil for most of the time)baste it from time to time with apple juice.Open the foil for the last hour and get the good colour.Best thing about cooking this way is that when the wife wants you to do chores you can tell her"I can`t,gotta babysit the dinner"Lawn chair and a cooler are vital.

[silver]

Originally Posted by Fisherpeak

I have had a big chief smoker for years.
You can not cook in them.You can give the shoulder a pan or two of chips for flavor but you need to cook it in the BBQ.I have a wood fired BBQ I love for shoulders,takes 8+ hours low and slow.Skin the shoulder first.You can`t eat pigskin and the smoke and spices are a waste otherwise.So....
Skin it,apply rub,smoke it for a couple hours,cook on the BBQ at low speed for 8 hours(wrapped in foil for most of the time)baste it from time to time with apple juice.Open the foil for the last hour and get the good colour.Best thing about cooking this way is that when the wife wants you to do chores you can tell her"I can`t,gotta babysit the dinner"Lawn chair and a cooler are vital.

This sounds about right, You could inject it with apple juice. I like to coat the roast with mustard.

I don't know what temp your big chief smoker will get to, my Masterbuilt will get to 250F and I can do the whole thing in it.
Get yourself an electronic meat thermometer, takes a lot of the guesswork out of cooking.

[Fisherpeak]

Big Chiefs are just a simple element with a small pan for chips.Not enough heat to cook with,just enough to smoke salmon fillets but not cook a thick pork shoulder.By the time you got 10 hours of smoke it would be a creosote fence post.

[amosfella]

A big chief is an uninsulated aluminum box. It dissipates heat almost as fast as it puts it in...

[omega50]

This type of smoker is fine for doing what it was designed to do.
Smoke flavor food.
Nothing more.
Put the meat through a couple of pan cycles and remove it and cook it some other fashion

[Forest Techer]

Yes once again I've used the big cheif for 3 years. In the winter on a still day I've had the temp to 170. The blankets worked in the past as well to raise the temp.

I've read quite a bit over the years. Some have replaced the element with a hotplate element which allows for greater heat control. The thin sheet metal is both a benifit and a curse. Real nice to smoke cheeses with esp. In winter. And doing the majority of fish and jerky outside has kept the smell in the house down. Last night I made a quick OSB shroud and after installing the thermometer this morning the temp was up to 180 quickly.

Just put a pork tenderloin in with a pan of Apple. Will wait 2 hours and do 1 more pan. I'll post what temp this bad boy gets up to. Hoping for 190 but considering the box would be 100 in the sun today on its own probably not a great indicator for performance.

Like it was said above, this thing looses heat as fast as it puts it out. Which makes me think if it was insulated in a wood box that the heat would get significantly higher.

Thanks for all the input folks!

And if anybody knows of a cheap adjustable substitute element let me know.

[omega50]

Originally Posted by Forest Techer

Yes once again I've used the big cheif for 3 years. In the winter on a still day I've had the temp to 170. The blankets worked in the past as well to raise the temp.

I've read quite a bit over the years. Some have replaced the element with a hotplate element which allows for greater heat control. The thin sheet metal is both a benifit and a curse. Real nice to smoke cheeses with esp. In winter. And doing the majority of fish and jerky outside has kept the smell in the house down. Last night I made a quick OSB shroud and after installing the thermometer this morning the temp was up to 180 quickly.

Just put a pork tenderloin in with a pan of Apple. Will wait 2 hours and do 1 more pan. I'll post what temp this bad boy gets up to. Hoping for 190 but considering the box would be 100 in the sun today on its own probably not a great indicator for performance.

Like it was said above, this thing looses heat as fast as it puts it out. Which makes me think if it was insulated in a wood box that the heat would get significantly higher.

Thanks for all the input folks!

And if anybody knows of a cheap adjustable substitute element let me know.

If you need to bump up the cabinet temperature short term I would just grab a couple of sterno's(the small gel fuel cans they use for catering)
I have used them successfully in the past when I had a Little Chief.
If you put a foil pie plate on the next rack above the sterno's then you can add wood chips and generate additional smoke and heat and have a ready made diffuser
Adjust the heat from the sterno's by sliding the lid across the top to increase or reduce the aperture

[Forest Techer]

That's a great idea! I'm sitting at 190f now after 1:30 hr. We'll see what the internal temp gets to after 6-8hrs then finish in the BBQ.

I have a trangia alcohol stove which is basically just a sterno. Might test it out this evening just to see how hot it gets in there. That's a perfect solution for the winter. Stove will last about 40min on low so don't have to worry about too much heat. It's all metal so won't hurt to to sit in the heat. Would really help get the smoker up to temp when Loading in the winter too.

Thanks omega! Your posts are a huge motivator to do more cooking. The details and picture you provide are very helpful. Next on the list is home made mozzarella.

[Forest Techer]

So the big cheif smoker got up to 200F today with an OSB cabinet around it. Was a little higher at the end of the smoke, then a touch less for the rest.

Internal temp on the pork tenderloin was about 170f After 8 hours. There was a lot of juices in the tinfoil which is surprising for a little lean tenderloin. I put it in the BBQ with indirect heat at 300f for about an hour. Internal temp after was 205f. Results were tasty but the mop I put on it was a little overpowering to the hot and sweet side. Also surprising how little smoke flavour was in the meat considering how much was locked in the cabinet for 2 pans over the first 4 hours. Maybe wrapped the meat too well? Or the rub was just over powering.

Thanks for the help folks. Add another page to the smoke journal I guess.

[omega50]

Making some Cold Smoked Nova Lox in the Bradley today.
Took a few slices off to check for saltiness and found no need to rinse. Good balance from the dry cure.

On a rack and ready for the smoker

Set for 1 hour -3 pucks of Alder. I like a light smoke on my lox-
Made some homemade cream cheese and will have it for breakfast
Bagels, cream cheese, sliced red onions and capers over the Salmon slices

[Rumtan]

I have seven quarter chickens in a rub in the fridge, as well as two roasts. My question is: Is it ok to smoke them both at the same time? I have alder chips soaking in beer and coffee and will drain them off for tomorrows smoke marathon. In the past I have only smoked one meat at a time, this is a first for me.

[amosfella]

You can cook as amny different meats in a smoker at a time as you want. I often do fish, steaks, pork, chicken, etc at the same time. YOu just have to check the meats individually. You can get multiple meat thermometers with detached probes to make things easier... Then you're not opening the smoker as much...

[Rumtan]

Thank you for the response.........its go time !

[omega50]

Out of the smoker and cooling outside makes it taste better to me,




Tasso Turkey Leg Ham

[BrownTrout]

Im drooling read all these posts, gonna use a couple as well.

What I want is an awesome brisket recipe. I know there are some real smoke geniuses on here and would love the help.

[BrownTrout]

After speaking with Omega I decide to try some applewood smoked cheddar.

I did it in my Bradley on the lowest temperature possible, on a nice May day. Filled the drip tray with ice and smoked for about 45 min. Used about a puck and a half. Then i vacuum sealed the bags and let the smoke settle in. It took about 3 weeks to be just right. Tastes great now and pretty simple.

[jogforfun]

good first form to check going to use some of these in the restaurants where I cook.

[sns2]

My Godson went on the AO Turkey hunt to the states this past winter to hunt wild turkey. He brought back the boned breasts in a ziploc bag and asked me if I'd smoke them. I contacted Omega to pick his brain and see if his suggestion would match my thinking. Thankfully, it did. So the turkey took a two day bath in a maple salt brine, followed by air-drying in the fridge to form a pellicle (dry skin) on the breasts for better smoke absorption. Then I trussed the breasts to form a thicker roast, so as not to dry the bird out. Then it was into the smoker. Because use it is another hot day in Edmonton, I know I am going to have a battle on my hands to manage the temp in the smoker. To do that, I employ two thermometers, one in the turkey and another that hangs in the centre of the smoker cabinet. This allows me to constantly monitor both temps and adjust accordingly. About an hour in, I will begin to baste hourly with a honey, maple syrup, cayenne mixture. I am guessing that I all have to open the door a few times to manage temps with the heat. Summer smoking is tricky with a propane smoker. More pics to come....

[sns2]

Well, here's the result four hours later. Moist, smoky, salty, sweet. What's not to like? Absolutely delicious.

[DeadEyeGardner]

Hey guys, this is my first post as a member on the forum! Been a long time fan of the forum.. Anyways...

I picked up a big chief smoker a year ago, and have been experimenting quite a bit. Does anyone have this style of smoker (cheaper jobby, i know) and if so any tips or info they have found on it to help a newbie out?

Thanks

[omega50]

Originally Posted by sns2

Well, here's the result four hours later. Moist, smoky, salty, sweet. What's not to like? Absolutely delicious.

That looks awesome.
Was it under smoke the whole 4 hours? What type?
BTW That is a totally sweet cutting board