Smokers - check in please!

[Michael Slade]

Tonight I'm smoking a 1/2 chicken that we harvested yesterday morning. I'm using some Hickory chunks soaked in water for about a week, and a pan of water in the smoker. So far I've been smoking for 2 hours and we're at 155 deg. I'm going to pull it out at 160 and let it cool.

Yes I have some pics...but not yet.

Share with me some of your favorite recipes please! This is only my second time smoking, so I am a true novice!

Here's how it turned out. 2 hours of smoking and this thing was juicy, tasty, and mmmmmm.......good!

 

[storman113]

Smoked lots of chickens. I just follow the Little Chiefs book, nothing fancy. Finished in the over per directions.

Favorite is to let it rest overnite in refer and dice up for chicken salad sandwich's.

When ever the local market is having the big sale on chickens I pick up a half dozen or so and freeze em.

Found that's smoking is better when warmer out. One winter smoked one in the garage, bad idea!!!!!!

Sold the house 4 years later and the buyer asked about the mesquite aroma in the garage!!

 

[wanderer-rrorc]

a week soakin the hickory?...Im lucky if it gets 20min!!


I did the same "smokin in the garage"...well it was pourin down snow so I pulled it under the eves at the old house...and just closed the garage door till I needed to check it...made the whole house smell awsome (I think it was wisky-barrel oak and a brisket..)

you guys ever smoke tomatos then make spagetti sauce with them...its wonderfull!

 

[Black Dog]

I've got a little Weber charcoal grill that I've been contemplating turning into a smoker for a while but haven't done it. I think I would need to extend the height somehow and then figure out a way to keep the heat low enough that it doesn't cook too fast. That would be really cool to go catch some fish in my back yard then bring them back and smoke them in a home made smoker.

 

[DontPanic42]

When I lived in the "great white north", I used my smoker winter and summer, spring and fall, too. I just made an enclosure from 1" particle board that was lined with thick foil covered fiberglass pipe insulation that I scored from the dumpster at work. Kept the heat in and protected it from the wind. There were some interesting reactions from folks who could smell the brisket smoking whlie they were walking by shlepping through the snow.

 

[MossMan]

I've got a little Weber charcoal grill that I've been contemplating turning into a smoker for a while but haven't done it. I think I would need to extend the height somehow and then figure out a way to keep the heat low enough that it doesn't cook too fast. That would be really cool to go catch some fish in my back yard then bring them back and smoke them in a home made smoker.

You should build a UDS like this. (ugly drum smoker) I just built this a couple weeks ago and last weekend we did a pork roast, a rump roast, and a tri-tip. It cooks and holds temp great. I used a rub from www.texasbbqrub.com. They make some good stuff and it only takes minutes to prep before throwing it on the smoker. :ylsmoke:

 

[08whitex]

I use a Bradley Smoker. Here are some ribs after 6 hours

 

[Co-opski]

Big chief on the porch with eulachon and sockeys. Try smoking some cheese, also delicious.

 

[Michael Slade]

Tonight's menu consists of two Sockeye fillets and the other 1/2 of a fresh farm raised, hand-killed-by-me chicken.

We'll see how this one turns out. The last one was delicious! I wonder how the cheese would work. We do like smoked cheddar when we can find it...

EDIT: After 60 minutes the salmon fillets are done. Not overdone...but close. No salt, no pepper, no nothing. Fish, smoke and heat. I like my cooked salmon still a little pink and almost raw in the center, but these were done just past that. Still very moist. Not a lot of smoke flavor, but a LOT of salmon flavor. My son says he won't eat fish any other way now.

Chicken is still smoking. I pulled it out at 2 hours last time, this time I'll go 2.5 hrs and check the temp.

 

[chasespeed]

I havent smoked any chicken... I do grill it though(over coals or fire).

I have smoked Turkey(OUTSTANDING), and beef. Not much on pork myself.

I use a wood smoker. I like using mesquite, but, there isnt any of that here. I use oak, with a little bit of green(unseasoned) applewood. nice smokey, and cool. The oak is good because it burns long and slow.

Chase

 

[Hoosier 45]

I live in Indiana, we have a lot of wild cherry and I love to use it to smoke with. Try brining all of the things you have listed. Brine: 1/2 cup table salt, 3/4 cup white or brown sugar, 1/4 to 1/2 gallon cold water. Soak for 1 hr. drain, rinse and pat dry, then smoke.

 

[Maryland 110]

You should build a UDS like this. (ugly drum smoker) I just built this a couple weeks ago and last weekend we did a pork roast, a rump roast, and a tri-tip. It cooks and holds temp great. I used a rub from www.texasbbqrub.com. They make some good stuff and it only takes minutes to prep before throwing it on the smoker. :ylsmoke:

Tell me more...I have a 55 gallon drum and would love to make a smoker

 

[MossMan]

It's pretty easy really. Add a few breather holes in the bottom, a grill, and fire basket and start cooking. Here's some of the build:

------------------

Finally got started cause I'm ready to smoke some butts. I started with a VP racing fuel barrel that I got from a buddy.

I've read a ton of threads here, at thesmokering.com, bbqbrethren.com, the Texas BBQ Rub forums, and others and decided that a good donor grill would be the best source of parts. So I found this a Big Lots for $29.

It was a sealed barrel so I had to cut the lid off.

 

[MossMan]

And of course I did it wrong. :flipoff2: The lid fit ok but it wouldn't have sealed well at all. No problem though. I just cut the rim off the donor grill and made a better seal. :smokin: Not pretty from the inside but it should work.

Added the intake holes and grill supports. I used three 3/4" pipe nipples with two caps and one ball valve. I had a 1" drill bit for the holes. And I went ahead and added supports for two grills with eye bolts.

Then we loaded up an old pallet and burned out the inside.

It burned really well and you could see the inputs drawing really well when a couple pieces of burning wood fell on the ground. It was sucking smoke in like a vacuum.

Tonight I'll fab up the charcoal basket, install the thermometer, wire wheel the inside, paint the outside, and hopefully if I get all that done have a good seasoning/test burn. With any luck I'll be cooking on it this weekend. :smokin::smokin::smokin:

 

[MossMan]

The intake holes at the bottom are your temperature control. Two have removable caps and one has a ball valve. It is said that you can keep a very constant temperature using these. From what I've read one cap off and the ball valve about half open can maintain temps at about 210* for 8 to 12 hours easily. Of course, every cooker is different and has to be "figured out" and the possibility exists that mine sucks and can't be regulated. :laughing: Only time and testing will tell.

You can google UDS or ugly drum smoker and get tons of hits. I read a lot at these pages and founds some good help and examples. thesmokering.com, bbqbrethren.com Give it a shot and let us know how it turns out.