Smoking Meat Questions and Discussion
- Thread starter Statefan515ISU
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Interesting concept. With the holes in the firebox, I have doubts on how this would work in drizzly weather.
Build a smoke house! I usually smoke just inside my garage if it is raining or a chance of rain. With garage doors open and a side window there are no issues.
start with an analog electric smoker, low price point, most forgiving to first time smokers. I had a charbroil that lasted 3ish years with regular use
Yeah I mean if that works for you that's great but that doesn't work for a lot of people.
With a Traeger (or Green Mountain) there is a vent pipe cap, and with a Weber SM, I put a small foil bead pan upside down on the top vent, and I get zero issues with water in either unit. So they can be on the deck with zero issues.
We used to have an Iranian couple on our block in the middle of Ankeny with a huge smokehouse in their backyard. They were hanging full size lamb, goats, making sausage, etc. The food was very tasty but it did kind of stink up the street (sometimes in a good way, sometimes bad).
How long do you smoke Brisket. I am going to smoke some this weekend and have never done brisket.
If anyone is in the market for something simple to start off I've been wanting to upgrade and could sell my Traeger tailgater. It has legs, external thermometer, and is an older model when they were still built with quality before they got sold off.
Needs a new heating rod, I have the part already as well.
Needs a new heating rod, I have the part already as well.
Brisket virgin, nice! For a first timer I would start with a recipe from your brands website so it's tailored towards your grill, or better option just watch all of Franklin's BBQ Brisket series on YouTube.
First video:
Now I kinda do a mix of mainly Franklin's information from his BBQ Manifesto (great book) with some hints of Traeger recipes and just tweaking it to my liking over time.
Brisket is one that is a lot more personal for people that smoke than some other meats.
edit: I didn't really answer your question, but depending on size and technique I'd plan for 12-16 hours. Some try to get by with 8 or so but different strokes for different folks.
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I have the classic Weber 22" kettle grill. I then bought a Smokenator insert to convert it to a smoker. I don't smoke meat that often so it works fine for me. The key is patience and try to keep it out of the wind. If I smoked meat more often I would opt for something better but if I had something better I may smoke more often. I don't know what I would get as I can't decide between pellet or something like Weber Smokey Mountain.
Love my Pit Barrel Cooker - easy to use and nice beginning smoker. I have the original 18.5" classic. https://pitbarrelcooker.com/
I will normally go for just a little over an hour a pound. If you have lets say a 10 lb brisket and you remove 2 lbs of fat and tallow. 8 lbs is what you should measure. I have a pan of water in the my smoker and will always use this no matter what I am smoking if it is over an 6 hour smoke.
I've done a bunch of whole briskets and recently started separating the point and flat as to cut down on the overall cook time. I have to do a couple full packers for an event and will probably separate the point and flat. I will always start at 150 for a couple of hours as the first hour or two is when you get the best smoke penetration. Since I've done some many over the past couple of years, I can pretty much check for it being done by feel. If I use temp probe, I will pull at around 195 and cover with foil and put into a cooler for a couple of hours.
Was it this one by chance?
https://www.samsclub.com/p/masterbu...grill-smoker/prod23131880?xid=plp_product_1_5
I've decided I want a pellet grill as I've been using a Weber kettle up until now but I don't really want to drop $600 on something. Maybe I should scour craigslist
Also, does anyone with a pellet grill have problems with it getting hot enough to cook steaks and burgers? If they don't actually get hot enough to make it an all in one smoker / grill I'd probably go another route
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to the OP's original question, I believe that is a great smoker to start with. It requires you to learn and understand so much about smoking because of how it's set up. that said, smoking is so subjective and EVERYONE literally has their opinion on what works best, which smoker is the greatest and what is easiest. fact is, depending on YOU, some or all may be accurate.
for example, I personally like a brisket on a charcoal/wood (with water pan) smoker. BUT, it's a giant pain in the ass to monitor temp as opposed to putting it on my GM and letting it sit there. that said, I never would know had I not done both...many times.
find a good website dedicated to the craft and learn. go to a class and learn. experiment and learn. there is a ton of SCIENCE in smoking and as long as you have a basic understanding of that, you'll figure the rest out by reading an tinkering.
for example, I personally like a brisket on a charcoal/wood (with water pan) smoker. BUT, it's a giant pain in the ass to monitor temp as opposed to putting it on my GM and letting it sit there. that said, I never would know had I not done both...many times.
find a good website dedicated to the craft and learn. go to a class and learn. experiment and learn. there is a ton of SCIENCE in smoking and as long as you have a basic understanding of that, you'll figure the rest out by reading an tinkering.
Started with a WSM. Loved it.
Had a Masterbuilt electric. Hated it, sold it. Not for me.
Have an Acorn. Love it, also for grilling. Just as good as the Green Egg at way less cost.
Just bought a Pit Boss pellet smoker. First reaction, it's way way less work than anything I've used previously and the meat has been great. I was afraid I was drying out the meat because it had a bit different look than I was used to with either of the charcoal burners. But it was great and the best smoke rings I have ever had. The versatility and ease of the pellet burner makes weekend long smokes way less of a hassle.
Had a Masterbuilt electric. Hated it, sold it. Not for me.
Have an Acorn. Love it, also for grilling. Just as good as the Green Egg at way less cost.
Just bought a Pit Boss pellet smoker. First reaction, it's way way less work than anything I've used previously and the meat has been great. I was afraid I was drying out the meat because it had a bit different look than I was used to with either of the charcoal burners. But it was great and the best smoke rings I have ever had. The versatility and ease of the pellet burner makes weekend long smokes way less of a hassle.
The thing that I would have some reservations about with buying a non Traeger, GM, Rec Tec, is that if you need parts in the future. I know you're going to need a new rod or fan at some point, and the brands I listed are reputable and you shouldn't have a problem locating them.
https://amazingribs.com/ - Meathead's website is a great resource.
Highly recommend that website. I was able to buy his kindle edition cookbook for $3 at one time, I'm not sure if it is still on sale or not, but he definitely explains the science behind it and has great recipes.
If you just like the taste of smoked meat, electric or pellet is the way to go. I started out with a 22" WSM because I enjoyed the excuse of spending a Saturday with it. After having kids, I realized I was only using it 3 or 4 times a year so I added a Masterbuilt electric to the arsenal.
Highly recommend that website. I was able to buy his kindle edition cookbook for $3 at one time, I'm not sure if it is still on sale or not, but he definitely explains the science behind it and has great recipes.
If you just like the taste of smoked meat, electric or pellet is the way to go. I started out with a 22" WSM because I enjoyed the excuse of spending a Saturday with it. After having kids, I realized I was only using it 3 or 4 times a year so I added a Masterbuilt electric to the arsenal.
