Smokers and meat smoking

[east_beast]

There's a grill thread and a thread about weak ass pellet grill/smokers. How about a thread for real smokers?

Anyway... I basically just wanted an excuse to post about my new to me smoker. It's kinda my white whale. It's an original New Braunfels offset smoker before they sold out to Chargrillers and they ruined the brands like the corporate umbrella operations always do. That was in '97. This is probably an early '90s unit so it's over 30 years old. Back when they were building them out of heavy rolled steel. It popped up on Marketplace this weekend and I jumped all over it. It's basically in new condition. It's barely been used. It's been sitting in storage for years. It was an older man probably around 70ish who is selling his house and downsizing all his stuff. I was THRILLED. You just can't buy them like this anymore unless you're spending real $$$. I'll probably have about $250 in this one after doing the upgrades I have planned (extended smokestack, new steel wheels, paint touch ups re-staining the wood parts, etc.).

 

[larboc]

Stickburner here, following to see if you're a real smoker, or if you buy charcoal.

 

[east_beast]

Stickburner here, following to see if you're a real smoker, or if you buy charcoal.

I generally use a charcoal starter for simplicity sake but all wood from there on out.

 

[smurfblue40]

Looks beefy, nice score 👍🏻

 

[Bacchus]

I've had the same one out at the lease for close to 15 years now. Just started getting some rust holes in the bottom of the main chamber. Been looking for a replacement, but the new shit is either stamped tin or super high dollar.

 

[RusM]

I've had the same one out at the lease for close to 15 years now. Just started getting some rust holes in the bottom of the main chamber. Been looking for a replacement, but the new shit is either stamped tin or super high dollar.

Make one then.

 

[kschaper75]

I started with an electric years ago to get into smoking and the old lady said she would use it (never did). Got a kamodo joe when we moved to NC. I'm wanting an offset now. I'll keep an eye out on marketplace to see what pops up.

 

[deadmeat]

I had one like that.
Took a couple of modifications to get it to really work.
First, the hole for the fire box was too high. Some of it exited above the level of the grills. I added a blocking plate to make sure all the heat came into the smoke chamber below the grates.
Then I had to make diverters for the heat. Without them the end by the firebox was much hotter than the far end.
I made sone heat diverters. /\ shaped sheet metal to make the hot gasses move the whole length of the grill. I welded some small screws tot he edges to keep them (I made the diverters in two pieces) from resting all along the edge so some heat could come up around the diverters. And they were 1 inch short of being the full length of the smoke chamber. The first one I put in flush against the fire box, then a small gap between the two plates and the rest of the gap at the far end. This really helped even out the heat in the whole smoke box.

 

[MuntCuffin]

I had one like that.
Took a couple of modifications to get it to really work.
First, the hole for the fire box was too high. Some of it exited above the level of the grills. I added a blocking plate to make sure all the heat came into the smoke chamber below the grates.
Then I had to make diverters for the heat. Without them the end by the firebox was much hotter than the far end.
I made sone heat diverters. /\ shaped sheet metal to make the hot gasses move the whole length of the grill. I welded some small screws tot he edges to keep them (I made the diverters in two pieces) from resting all along the edge so some heat could come up around the diverters. And they were 1 inch short of being the full length of the smoke chamber. The first one I put in flush against the fire box, then a small gap between the two plates and the rest of the gap at the far end. This really helped even out the heat in the whole smoke box.

Thats the way to do it. Gotta have the cross flow to keep more even temps without the hot spots.

 

[Thumping]

I will not lie and make no bones about it....I'm lazy and use an electric smoker.

 

[OHV Wildcat]

Bahahaha! So even in the gatekeeping orgy that is real smokers, there’s some gatekeeping cumt claiming you’re not real if you use your real smoker the wrong way. I wonder why people roll their eyes at that sort of behavior. In other threads, I assume you guys berate people that use Baofengs for not getting their HAM license?

 

[MuntCuffin]

Bahahaha! So even in the gatekeeping orgy that is real smokers, there’s some gatekeeping cumt claiming you’re not real if you use your real smoker the wrong way. I wonder why people roll their eyes at that sort of behavior. In other threads, I assume you guys berate people that use Baofengs for not getting their HAM license?

If you aint using two cans and a string, you are a poser ass bitch.

 

[Gdogg]

Some of the best food you'll ever eat!

 

[Texas97]

Stickburner here, following to see if you're a real smoker, or if you buy charcoal.

cowboy hardwood lump charcoal in a chimney to start poured over age live oak wood and some pecan for the good smoke early on.

 

[jeepyj]

I built a drum smoker a couple years ago. It lives in the 'chooch house' so I can use it when it's 15F outside. I still have to put a vent in the roof though.

Stickburner here, following to see if you're a real smoker, or if you buy charcoal.

I do buy hardwood charcoal. I use that with chunks of apple tree mixed in. I didn't know that was cheating. I will use homemade charcoal next time.

 

[Texas97]

I built a drum smoker a couple years ago. It lives in the 'chooch house' so I can use it when it's 15F outside. I still have to put a vent in the roof though.


I do buy hardwood charcoal. I use that with chunks of apple tree mixed in. I didn't know that was cheating. I will use homemade charcoal next time.

your charcoal is fine, dont let that canadian larboc tell you what to do. He marinates his meat in molson Ice before he puts it on so his opinion is off... soooorrrry.

 

[jeepyj]

your charcoal is fine, dont let that canadian larboc tell you what to do. He marinates his meat in molson Ice before he puts it on so his opinion is off... soooorrrry.

I heat the shop and house with an outdoor wood boiler so I have plenty of homemade charcoal. I just have to separate it from the ashes. There's about seventeen years worth out back.

 

[mrshaft696]

I will not lie and make no bones about it....I'm lazy and use an electric smoker.

I'll never go back to a charcoal or anything like that, the electric is so hassle free & makes 8-12 hour smokes allot less maintenance.

I had the same smoker as the OP, I just didnt have the time to cook on it, it was either too hot or too cold.

 

[JR4X]

Bahahaha! So even in the gatekeeping orgy that is real smokers, there’s some gatekeeping cumt claiming you’re not real if you use your real smoker the wrong way. I wonder why people roll their eyes at that sort of behavior. In other threads, I assume you guys berate people that use Baofengs for not getting their HAM license?

That’s how it works. Pick a hobby and be a Dick about it. I’m an amateur and a fraud on a BBQ. I don’t they’re gate keeping, they just know their shit and have best of the best equipment for the craft.

These guys have their 10K hours in on this subject. This is my following post because I desire to be less of an amateur.

 

[east_beast]

I will not lie and make no bones about it....I'm lazy and use an electric smoker.

I started with an electric smoker. My dad uses a pellet smoker. Then I cooked on a cheap beer can thin offset smoker for years. The damn thing leaked like a sieve but I had it dialed in that I could make really good BBQ on it, you were just an absolute slave to it because it chewed through wood because of how leaky it was. There was no way to choke down the airflow enough that you weren't having to feed it nearly constantly.

I mean, I get it. If you're not a nerd about it you can consistently produce good food with minimal effort, but it's a real struggle to get truly great BBQ out of an electric or pellet smoker. I'm a nerd about it and love the process and am an admitted absolute BBQ snob.

 

[Thumping]

I started with an electric smoker. My dad uses a pellet smoker. Then I cooked on a cheap beer can thin offset smoker for years. The damn thing leaked like a sieve but I had it dialed in that I could make really good BBQ on it, you were just an absolute slave to it because it chewed through wood because of how leaky it was. There was no way to choke down the airflow enough that you weren't having to feed it nearly constantly.

I mean, I get it. If you're not a nerd about it you can consistently produce good food with minimal effort, but it's a real struggle to get truly great BBQ out of an electric or pellet smoker. I'm a nerd about it and love the process and am an admitted absolute BBQ snob.

Oh I get it...I do. But the shoulders, ribs, brisket...etc always comes out great and again, I'm lazy. I even have a temp prob that will send me a text when it hits a preset temp.

I add wood for the first couple of hours or so depending on what I have in it. Really, thats all the smoke the meat is going to absorb anyway (in my opinion).

And I like to hydrate while I wait....

 

[JR4X]

I started with an electric smoker. My dad uses a pellet smoker. Then I cooked on a cheap beer can thin offset smoker for years. The damn thing leaked like a sieve but I had it dialed in that I could make really good BBQ on it, you were just an absolute slave to it because it chewed through wood because of how leaky it was. There was no way to choke down the airflow enough that you weren't having to feed it nearly constantly.

I mean, I get it. If you're not a nerd about it you can consistently produce good food with minimal effort, but it's a real struggle to get truly great BBQ out of an electric or pellet smoker. I'm a nerd about it and love the process and am an admitted absolute BBQ snob.

I fully intend to nerd out on this later in life when I’m not working two full time jobs.

 

[jeeptj19992001]

There's a grill thread and a thread about weak ass pellet grill/smokers. How about a thread for real smokers?

Anyway... I basically just wanted an excuse to post about my new to me smoker. It's kinda my white whale. It's an original New Braunfels offset smoker before they sold out to Chargrillers and they ruined the brands like the corporate umbrella operations always do. That was in '97. This is probably an early '90s unit so it's over 30 years old. Back when they were building them out of heavy rolled steel. It popped up on Marketplace this weekend and I jumped all over it. It's basically in new condition. It's barely been used. It's been sitting in storage for years. It was an older man probably around 70ish who is selling his house and downsizing all his stuff. I was THRILLED. You just can't buy them like this anymore unless you're spending real $$$. I'll probably have about $250 in this one after doing the upgrades I have planned (extended smokestack, new steel wheels, paint touch ups re-staining the wood parts, etc.).

 

[cj3a]

The problem I am having is finding a good size propane tank to build a smoker. Every used one seems to be in the mid west.

 

[Bacchus]

Make one then.

You know how you think about building a good old truck to run get firewood with? And then you might as well do 60s and 40s if you're gonna do it? And might as well 4 link it if you're doing 60s? Course, then you'll best do an LS swap to turn all that? Or, just buy an old 1 ton firetruck at an auction and throw firewood in the back.

That's what me building vs buying a smoker would be like.

There's calculators and shit on line for these fuckin things. Firebox to smoke chamber ratios, vent diameter and length... it's like building a speaker box for smoke.

 

[east_beast]

You know how you think about building a good old truck to run get firewood with? And then you might as well do 60s and 40s if you're gonna do it? And might as well 4 link it if you're doing 60s? Course, then you'll best do an LS swap to turn all that? Or, just buy an old 1 ton firetruck at an auction and throw firewood in the back.

That's what me building vs buying a smoker would be like.

There's calculators and shit on line for these fuckin things. Firebox to smoke chamber ratios, vent diameter and length... it's like building a speaker box for smoke.

Bingo. One of these days I'll probably build me a 500 gallon smoker but I don't need it right now and I have too many other projects going.

 

[GonPostal]

Friend of mine uses an old gutted refrigerator with some retrofitted wire racks, to wood smoke salmon.

Best smoked salmon I've ever had.

 

[72blazer]

I cook directly on a fire like a real caveman.

 

[MChat]

This is my 10 year old Lang Reverse Flow smoker. No more "hot side" of the smoking chamber. It also has a built in charcoal grill on the left side.

This is an older pic; it is loaded with about 60lbs of pork butt for a "customer appreciation event". I used a combination of apple wood (60%), cherry wood (35%) and mesquite (5%). A good number of the people at the event didn't bother putting on BBQ sauce.

 

[jeepyj]

And I like to hydrate while I wait....

I usually do three butts at a time in the UDS. Start it in the evening. Have dinner, bang wifey, sleep, get up and have breakfast, then do random stuff while I wait.