One of my smokehouse experiments

[Tahyo]

After I burned down my good smoke house, I was experimenting with a couple of designs and this is one that I built. It worked pretty good. I used it for a couple of years.

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m277/cpaulsb/Forums%20and%20Message%20Boards/My-Smoke-house.jpg

[Rick]

The must be the smartest dog I've ever seen. First he's around the mash. Now here's around the smoked meat. You can't help but like a smart dog.

Nice set up!!

[Tahyo]

That's the most expensive dog in my life. I think I mentioned a while back someone gut shot her with a pellet rifle this past Feb. and it cost more to save her than it cost for my first born.

Yea... anywhere there's food, that dog is around. We don't have grandkids yet, so she serves as a substitute for now.

[BraggSurvivor]

Thats not pressure treated plywood is it Tahyo?

[Tahyo]

No way. But regardless, the inside was lined with aluminum sheets. The only bare wood was the dowels that the sausage hung on. I just used it for sausage.

[BraggSurvivor]

I built a smoke house from stawbales and cedar log slates. I cant show you a pic as I'm hoping to patent and market these smokehouse kits in the near future. As soon as the paperwork comes back from the lawyer, I will post pictures. It's absolutely beautiful.

And as soon as all this snow goes away, I will be putting up my stawbale root cellar. I poured concrete for it last fall.

[Tahyo]

I've got a couple of good plans for smoke houses. Right now my metal one has been doing a really good job of it so I've been pretty lazy about rebuilding the one I lost.
My cabinet smoker is great for smoking those pork butts/shoulders for pulled pork and I can do a fair amount of sausage in it but I do miss the one that burned up.

My buddy in Arkansas uses an old freezer and has for as long as I can remember. It ain't pretty but I've eaten many a smoked meat/fish out of that thing and it does just as good a job as any of the nice looking ones.

[Rick]

So, you guys wouldn't be impressed with my Brinkman propane smoker, right?

[Tahyo]

Rick, the one I use right now is a propane smoker. I also use just a hot plate in it for cold smoking. I have the big brother to this one.

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SceneSevenDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10151&langId=-1&section=Home&productId=-52170&scene7Path=BassPro%2f688-773-10b%3flayer%3dcomp%26wid%3d500%26hei%3d500%26fmt%3 djpeg%26qlt%3d100%2c0%26op_sharpen%3d0%26resMode%3 dtrilin%26op_usm%3d0.5%2c1.0%2c0.0%2c0%26iccEmbed% 3d0&sourceName=images2%2f600-000%2f688-773-10b.jpg&type=0&linkEnabled=false

[Rick]

Out of curiosity, how do you guys keep the grates clean? That's about the nastiest part of smoking is cleaning the grates. I use a brillo pad but I usually have pitch and smoke and creosote and suet and crud and junk up to my elbows before I get done. I did a whole chicken on Wednesday and I may STILL have suet on me somewhere.

[BraggSurvivor]

In my big smoker I dont. Everything in there is hung from hooks and is cold smoked so you dont get the major gunk. I put a tarp and the floor and just change that after the season.

In my small stainless smoker, I usually dont have my heat past 165 degrees. I put the racks in the dishwasher once a year.

In my BGE smoker grille, the only thing I clean is the ashes that drop from the fire box. When I fire up for steak, I flash the heat to over 1000 degrees and everything burns off.

Are you cooking your chickens direct or indirect?

[Tahyo]

When I do sausage I hang from wooden dowels.
If I do pork butts/shoulders in the cabinet smoker, I never put any sauce on them, so there is minimal stuff. What little I do get I usually just scrub off with a dish pad.

My barrel pit, which I do bbq chicken and baby back ribs on where I do put sauce on the last 20 or 30 minutes, I get my coals going and usually wire brush the grill. What comes off comes off, what stays just adds to the flavor.

[Rick]

This isn't it exactly but it's a close match

http://www.northerntool.com/images/product/images/1686455_lg.jpg

The propane burner is on the bottom. A smoker pan just above it. A water pan above that. Then two cooking racks and the lid. I had some lava rocks so I put them in the smoker pan just to help hold an even heat and it worked pretty well.

I spatchcocked the chicken, which by the way worked really well (Thanks!!), and cooked it on the top rack. What was left was the juices and some of the rub that was stuck on the rack along with the smoke. I hate to leave food on there but I could wire brush it. That's what I do on the grill. I suppose I could remove everything and just drop the rack over the burner and cook it right off. Never thought of that.

[BraggSurvivor]

Drip pans and tin foil work well to catch the dripping. I cook all my chicken's using the indirect method. I use a BGE plate setter under my grille to just burn off the drippings. Easy cleanup as nothing really sticks to it.

Here is a link to a plate setter that might work well for you. (comes in different sizes): http://www.nakedwhiz.com/pizza.htm

[crashdive123]

Rick - have you tried spraying the grates with an oven cleaner to clean theim?

[Rick]

No, I haven't and I really don't want to. I just don't like to have chemicals in the business end of any kind of a cooker. I think I'll go with Bragg's suggestion on the aluminum foil beneath the food. I had thought about just removing the water pan but I like the moisture inside the smoker. So I'll use the aluminum and then I'm going to see if I can burn it off by setting the grate directly over the burner.

[crashdive123]

Where's your adventure? I figure if the warheads and reactors didn't hurt me........*what's that honey? Oh the power's out again? OK, OK plug the TV into my.....*

[BraggSurvivor]

Rick, next time when smoking your chicken, try it without the water (indirect cooking method though). Let me know how it turns out. ;)

[BraggSurvivor]

Tahyo, do you use water in your setup when doing poultry?

[Tahyo]

Tahyo, do you use water in your setup when doing poultry?


No. I do chicken, whole split chickens on my barrel pit. Direct heat, but it's high off the heat. I don't use water for any kind of bbq.

[BraggSurvivor]

No. I do chicken, whole split chickens on my barrel pit. Direct heat, but it's high off the heat. I don't use water for any kind of bbq.


Myself as well. Never have used water. I once tried some spiced wine as an experiment for beef. What a waste of wine IMO.

[Tahyo]

About the closest I get to using any kind of liquid is once in a blue moon I like to baste some cut up pork butt that I'm smoking, with apple juice and a hint of brown sugar. I always have a pan under the meat and I'll reuse the "drippings" as a baste. I'm trying to find a picture that I thought I had. If I find it, I'll post it.

[BraggSurvivor]

On my BGE, my spatchcock chicken is so juicey, you have to wear goggles to cut it up, but the skin isnt crispy like yours would be. I'll figure a way around that I hope. Any suggestions?

[Tahyo]

Couldn't find that picture but here's an oldie off my old Brinkman offset of some sliced pork butt and whole pork butt with a vinegar/brownsugar/oil/red pepper flake baste.

This was for a family get together here.

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m277/cpaulsb/Forums%20and%20Message%20Boards/yummies.jpg

[Tahyo]

On my BGE, my spatchcock chicken is so juicey, you have to wear goggles to cut it up, but the skin isnt crispy like yours would be. I'll figure a way around that I hope. Any suggestions?

Is there a way to use direct heat (low coals) towards the end of your bbq session on your pit?

[BraggSurvivor]

I was thinking the same, I would have to remove the place setter in order to do it.

By the way, awsome pic. A true brother from another mother.....:D

[Tahyo]

Haha, thanks.
If you get a chance, take a couple pictures of what the inside of your BGE looks like. I know what the outside looks like, but can't recall ever seeing the set up inside.

I was trying to recall back to the days when I used a Weber Kettle grill for a couple of years. I use to be able to do 16 pieces of chicken on that thing using offset cooking and it worked really good. I did built "tinfoil" barriers that came up to the bottom of the main grill/grate and by keeping my coals low/medium hot, it took about about and hour and a half to do chicken and it was chrispy skin. I can't stand skin on chicken that isn't chrispy... the combination of crispy skin with some bbq sauce on it... man... it don't get much better.

[jrock24]

What type of fuel (propane, coal, etc..) are you guys using? I don't have a smoker but I do like to use my BBQ as a smoker. I like to use Apple wood or mesquite, soaked for a day before using.

[Rick]

I use propane for both my smoker and my grill. Soaked hickory or oak usually but I like cherry and apple.

[BraggSurvivor]

I use lump coal that I make myself or store bought lump.

jrock only soak your wood chips for 30-45 minutes for best smoke and flavor. I'm gonna do a couple post shoulders this weekend and will post picks.

[Rick]

You make your own coal?:eek: Don't you get tired of waiting millions of years for the plants to convert so you can grill with it. http://www.mysmiley.net/imgs/smile/innocent/innocent0002.gif (http://www.ranksurge.com)

[BraggSurvivor]

You make your own coal?:eek: Don't you get tired of waiting millions of years for the plants to convert so you can grill with it. http://www.mysmiley.net/imgs/smile/innocent/innocent0002.gif (http://www.ranksurge.com)

Not petrol coal, wood lump coal.

Imagine the beer you'd have to consume waiting for "coal" to form?

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lumpdatabase/lumpbag73.htm

[Rick]

OOooooooh. CHAR coal. I get it. There you go pulling my leg again. http://www.mysmiley.net/imgs/smile/winking/winking0070.gif (http://www.ranksurge.com)

[BraggSurvivor]

Another not bad fuel for grilling is recycled coconut shells. I don't use for steaks (not enough heat) but any other type of grilling it works well. Cheap too.

[BraggSurvivor]

OOooooooh. CHAR coal. I get it. There you go pulling my leg again. http://www.mysmiley.net/imgs/smile/winking/winking0070.gif (http://www.ranksurge.com)

Rick, there is a difference between charcoal and lump coal. Lump coal is a far superior fuel with no additives from petroleum based starters or byproducts.

[Tahyo]

I'll be doing some pork shoulders this weekend too Brag. I'll post my pics as well.

When I use my cabinet smoker, I use either oak or hickory most of the time for pork shoulders/butts. Much prefer the oak but not picky at all. Other things I'll use just about anything except mesquite. I only use that for steaks.

When I make my back bacon, I'll usually use either apple or hickory or a combination. It's all good.

I started using lump charcoal about 8 years ago when I found out that the bagged charcoal has additives, usually cornstarch and even though they say it's hardwood, I've read a great deal that's not always true.

[Rick]

Bragg - We use the term charcoal for both (what you call) lump coal and the commercial crap you buy in a bag. It's used interchangeably. Charcoal is nothing more than hardwood that has been heated without oxygen. Charcoal (lump coal) was actually a pretty big business in the early 20th century. There are still a number of stone kilns around where I was born and raised. They are no longer in use but the remnants still stand.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charcoal

This is a nice article. It even shows a charcoal powered bus!!

[BraggSurvivor]

Tahyo, what time you firing up the smoker?

[Tahyo]

I'll probably get the meat on about 4 or 5 P.M. tomorrow afternoon and pour the smoke on till around 9 or 10 then just let it cook all night. I'll have to get up a few times to make sure the temp is steady. I usually keep the temp around 210 - 225. Should be done around 9 or 10 Sunday and I'll just wrap it up and toss in the cooler for a few hours. There's going to be way more than we are going to eat Sunday, so I'll get out the vacuum bagger and put a bunch away to eat later.

[BraggSurvivor]

I'm gonna fire up at about 6pm tonight and pull an all nighter. It gives me a chance to have a few beers and sit out on the back deck by myself and just relax. Wife and kids went to BC to pick up the mother in law so I have nothing to do anyways. Aiming to pull it off at about 4pm tomorrow afternoon and let it rest for an hour or so before I start pulling.

Here is a couple pics you wanted to see of the inside of the BGE:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v258/Bructer/DSC00731.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v258/Bructer/DSC00732.jpg

[Tahyo]

Thanks for the peek at the inside. Never saw the inside of one before. For some reason I thought the coals were further away from the grill, unless the picture is deceiving.

[BraggSurvivor]

It's quite deep Tahyo. I have 3/4's of a bag of lump coal in there from a steak cook a couple nights ago. What's nice about the BGE is that when you are done your cook, turn off the air dampers and the fire goes out almost immediately. The outside surface sometimes is still warm the next morning. You can smoke at 155 degrees or grille at over 1000 degrees no problem. Very versatile unit.

[jrock24]

Thanks for that tip Bragg, nice looking set up you got going there, but I don't use chips I use forearm size pieces of wood. My uncle works for a tree cutting company so we get free wood year round and have more then enough.