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Smokers, grills, etc.

I've got a few smokers, but I love the Orion for a quick meal.
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Far from a expert, pork butt came out good, bark was like jerky, wasn’t able to spray it, we were stuck away from home. 14hrs at 225. Meat inside was melt in mouth tho. Taking the un sliced part, shredding it and searing it up carnitas style for tacos tomorrow…..
What was the internal temp when you pulled it ? You shouldn’t be able even put a hand on it or run a knife through it to slice it like that if you pulled at the right time but you’re on the right path
 
Not sure what he did, but my notes say 205* internal for pulled pork shoulder. Takes me about 8-9 hours to do that on my small smoker running 250-300*
 
Not sure what he did, but my notes say 205* internal for pulled pork shoulder. Takes me about 8-9 hours to do that on my small smoker running 250-300*
I was watching a guy on youtube who claimed that after two hours your meat has absorbed as much smoke as it can and that by wraping it in brown paper you can speed up the finished cooked process.
 
Not sure what he did, but my notes say 205* internal for pulled pork shoulder. Takes me about 8-9 hours to do that on my small smoker running 250-300*
I find 205 gets a bit mushy, I shoot for 200. Just did one yesterday and it took about 12 hours at 225.

I don't wrap pork shoulders, need that grease to render off. Wrapping also changes the bark, which is my favorite part
 
I was watching a guy on youtube who claimed that after two hours your meat has absorbed as much smoke as it can and that by wraping it in brown paper you can speed up the finished cooked process.
One the internal temp of the meat reaches ~165* the cells start to close, and therefore cant take the smoke anymore. Any exposure to smoke after that just adds on the outside. At that point you can wrap if you are concerned that it will dry out or need to cook faster. Wrapping it with anything will soften the bark for certain. Butcher paper isnt as bad as foil, but paper doesnt hold in the moisture quite as well either.
 
Once you're past the initial stall (meat releases moisture like sweating and this cools the meat) which starts somewhere around 150 degrees and lasts till around 170 you can unwrap it. Wrapping during the stall can save you a ton of time but it's a hassle. For pork I don't bother I just wait it out but for brisket I'll take the extra care and effort because of the cost of the meat.
 
Weber Kettle, Barely use but good for travel, can make anything on it
Large BGE, Most smokes at the house, I like the versatility of it and I think It works the best for reverse sear steaks. Just have to know how to run the temp. Great for long cooks and up to three pork butts, any more it gets crowded. The ability to do pizza and bread because of the steady temps is cool.
Cookshack Electric, Great electric box, set it and forget it, very good product and easy to use for sausage, cold smoking cheese and fish
UDS, First one I built, can do anything, holds more than the BGE, only really fore it up if I need to do more than 2 racks of ribs. Uses more fuel than all the others

Tried my brother's Traeger, seems like a decent product. I made dinner on it, can't control smoke output, so it just seemed like a grill to me. Food was good, I did like just being able to turn it up but it didn't really get hot enough for a great sear. Food was good
Did a pork butt on my neighbor's hot shot Traeger, seemed dry and again, no ability to control amount of smoke so it was just kinda grey and ok.
 
Weber Kettle, Barely use but good for travel, can make anything on it
Large BGE, Most smokes at the house, I like the versatility of it and I think It works the best for reverse sear steaks. Just have to know how to run the temp. Great for long cooks and up to three pork butts, any more it gets crowded. The ability to do pizza and bread because of the steady temps is cool.
Cookshack Electric, Great electric box, set it and forget it, very good product and easy to use for sausage, cold smoking cheese and fish
UDS, First one I built, can do anything, holds more than the BGE, only really fore it up if I need to do more than 2 racks of ribs. Uses more fuel than all the others

Tried my brother's Traeger, seems like a decent product. I made dinner on it, can't control smoke output, so it just seemed like a grill to me. Food was good, I did like just being able to turn it up but it didn't really get hot enough for a great sear. Food was good
Did a pork butt on my neighbor's hot shot Traeger, seemed dry and again, no ability to control amount of smoke so it was just kinda grey and ok.

with something like the Traeger, you have to cook differently if you want to get the smoke flavor. They have a smoke setting (~180*) that you have to use for a few hours, then turn it up. Atleast that is what they recommend. you can also use a smoke tube along side the meat to add extra smoke. It isnt as good as a charcoal or wood cooker, IMO.
 
^ I’ve smoked an absolute crap ton of bbq for a whole lot of people . 99 percent of people don’t like too much smoke. In fact most people in my experience can’t stand most bbq cooked with wood only it is bitter and has a bad after taste and it doesn’t matter what wood you use or how you prep it . The Weber Smokey mountain that uses charcoal and wood chunks by far has the most preferable flavor to most people and the pellet smokers don’t have a lot of smoke but people love it . Just my .02 from what I’ve seen cooking for large groups !
 
I made this pit about 14 years ago. Cobbled the firebox on one night a few years later. Somehow it holds 220* no matter what.

Few months ago I bought my gf a pit boss and it has been very convenient.


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I found both of these a few weeks ago for free on marketplace, add said not working come pick up.
Pulled them apart, they had been left out in the rain so the pellet tube was fully jammed up. Chucked the auger up in the drill, cleaned it out super fast. They both needed new control boards, so I upgraded the chrome one to a wifi board. I was into them for about 300 bones after doing both control boards, and sold the black one to a good buddy for 250, feel like I made out pretty well. The chrome looked like it had been used maybe once or twice.
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I found both of these a few weeks ago for free on marketplace, add said not working come pick up.
Pulled them apart, they had been left out in the rain so the pellet tube was fully jammed up. Chucked the auger up in the drill, cleaned it out super fast. They both needed new control boards, so I upgraded the chrome one to a wifi board. I was into them for about 300 bones after doing both control boards, and sold the black one to a good buddy for 250, feel like I made out pretty well. The chrome looked like it had been used maybe once or twice.
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That is awesome. I like my GMG. hoping to find a deal on a bigger one at some point.
 
22" Weber Kettle. All I use.
 

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So I just picked up a pit boss vertical smoker. I like the fact that uses real wood chips instead of pellets there’s no auger or fan to fuck with and now I just need to figure out how to use it. Anybody have any tips or tricks for vertical smoker‘s?
 
So I just picked up a pit boss vertical smoker. I like the fact that uses real wood chips instead of pellets there’s no auger or fan to fuck with and now I just need to figure out how to use it. Anybody have any tips or tricks for vertical smoker‘s?
Typically they say to use only the intake to adjust the temp and not the exhaust for a vertical smoker like my UDS. Got a pic?
 
It’s electric so a knob controls the heat. 2 exhaust dampers up top.
Reading up people seem to like these verticals better than pellet grills because it uses wood chips instead of pellets.

However. This thing is junk. I purchased it because I had in store credit. I’ll be returning it tomorrow. Wood chip pan sits on the heating element. Wood chips are gone in an hour and a half. Temp can barely crack 250. Wide temp swings. And sounds like they shit the bed after a couple of months. No way I’m trusting a brisket in this thing.
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So I just picked up a pit boss vertical smoker. I like the fact that uses real wood chips instead of pellets there’s no auger or fan to fuck with and now I just need to figure out how to use it. Anybody have any tips or tricks for vertical smoker‘s?
Ahh, the progression.

I started with an electric bullet style. Then gas vertical, then a pit boss pellet, then (now) the Traeger.

Not all pellet grills are always trouble. I had a few issues with the Pit Boss that ultimately instead of moving it across the country, I opted to just replace it when I got to where I am. It did produce a lot of quality BBQ before then though. I haven't had problem one with the Traeger, I know they can have issues, but in a year I haven't had any. Then there are the high end pellet grills, but I have no experience with any of those.

Pellets sound like they can be a problem and real "stick burn only" people have some kind of idea that it isn't real BBQ, but the convenience is absolutely unmatched. We have been without a kitchen since November, up until a few weeks ago when we got our gas for the cooktop all of our cooking was done on a hot plate and the Traeger. You name it. Baked banana bread, pizza, lasagna, an entire Thanksgiving dinner including sides, you name it. Ya, stick burners are great food, but I wouldn't fire one up to cook 2 pork chops for me and the wife like I did last night either.

A lot of the pellet mechanisms have changed as well where now they will self-clear the augers in a shutdown cycle. A lot of times leaving pellets in the auger is what gums up the works and causes mechanical issues. I ran into that on my Pit Boss.
 
i sold my offset smoker/BBQ pit and ordered a vertical vault smoker that should be here by the end of the week or next week. im excited about that one.

but have been threatening to just buy a blackstone griddle for the convenience of it and i think im going with the pit boss brand instead. supposed to be pretty damn nice and folds down, etc. i still have my UDS that i CAN grill on too if i need to, but the griddle can do anything the charcoal grill can, but take up less space and heat up faster.

ill post pics of the smoker when it comes.
 
Fired mine up yesterday after the kids asked for burgers. Threw 8 beef patties down for dinner. Then mixed in some turkey patties and chicken for the week. Sautéed some mushrooms, asparagus, and onions. Made enough to meal prep for myself for 3 days.

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Fired mine up yesterday after the kids asked for burgers. Threw 8 beef patties down for dinner. Then mixed in some turkey patties and chicken for the week. Sautéed some mushrooms, asparagus, and onions. Made enough to meal prep for myself for 3 days.

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I‘d like to get one of these, looks like they have natural gas conversion kits too. Is is possible/safe to run one of these on a screened in porch up against a brick house, ideally without a massive vent hood?
 
I've been wanting to build one of these, but with an adjustable height grate. So you can have about 18" between the coal and grate for low and slow or move it closer for more of a grill. Steel prices are just stupid right now though.

 
I‘d like to get one of these, looks like they have natural gas conversion kits too. Is is possible/safe to run one of these on a screened in porch up against a brick house, ideally without a massive vent hood?

i dont see why not. lots of NG stoves in houses dont really get vent hooded well.
 
I agree^. The heat can be pretty intense. So keeping the area cool and removing heat would be a good idea to plan for. If you wait until Black Friday, Tractor Supply usually has them on sale for $100 off. Only problem is if you can get there on time to get one. They did give me a rain check for one when I got mine. I just had to wait 2 months for them to come back into stock.
 
I agree^. The heat can be pretty intense. So keeping the area cool and removing heat would be a good idea to plan for. If you wait until Black Friday, Tractor Supply usually has them on sale for $100 off. Only problem is if you can get there on time to get one. They did give me a rain check for one when I got mine. I just had to wait 2 months for them to come back into stock.

so yours is the blackstone brand one? TS has a couple other brands i need to just bite the bullet and grab one.
 
so yours is the blackstone brand one? TS has a couple other brands i need to just bite the bullet and grab one.
I have the black stone brand also and I really like it for grilling purposes. For the smoker I have a masterbuilt electric....yes, I'm lazy but it does a great job. I also have a digital meat prob that will text you when it hits the internal temp you set. :grinpimp:
 
I have the black stone brand also and I really like it for grilling purposes. For the smoker I have a masterbuilt electric....yes, I'm lazy but it does a great job. I :grinpimp:
i cant bring myself to go electric smoker. or even the cheater electrically controlled pellet smokers.

was looking at one of the wizz-bang pit boss griddles that is ceramic, but i think i really want to go steal instead.
 
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