New Smoker

[NavyChief]

I don't judge, I was looking at electric also, only @Ogre717 is a smoker snob. I gotta read up on cooking times and temps and all that good stuff.

I have 3 smokers, wood, propane and electric.

Wood if you are getting good at temps, timing and know wtf your doing. Propane for anyone and does just fine, just keep lots of moist chips ready.
The electric i use the most because its fucking awesome, consistent and works well. Just like propane though, i keep plenty of moist chips ready for the tray.

 

[NavyChief]

What kind of wood is good to start with (insert hard wood joke here) . I have an apple orchard close by that sells tons aged apple wood from when they prune the trees, but can also order whatever the hell you guys recommend.

Perfect, cut an old tree up and let it dry/season.

 

[Lil Ed]

Smoked meat is it man..

Im not a huge fan of mustard........... its ok.. but you use a light grey poupon mustard that you may like and spices you prefer rubbed on lightly. and holly cow.. if its pork it comes out incredible.

Even Franklin the King of BBQ in Carolina does a mustard rub. you will see him in the commercial with Nobu the Japanese restaurant owner of NY that has a 6 month waiting list for a table. Nobu visited franklin to learn about BBQ from the best in the world.

Franklin is the no# 1 guy in BBQ with a long ass line for his BBQ every single day of the week.

BTW for chicken you may want to try the white BBQ dressing.. mostly Mayo and Vinegar.

this guy was also incredible .. Stuart Alexander

lost his shit when inspectors told him he had to raise the heat on his smoked sausages.. low low heat and smoked for an extra day. this guy is said to have made the best sausages ever in history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Alexander_(murderer)

when you eat smoked Salmon or anything for that matter, their is no going back..

 

[NavyChief]

when you eat smoked Salmon or anything for that matter, their is no going back..

When I lived in Guam and Hawaii both, I used to get fresh smoked marlin and sword fish from local guys. I miss that shit often

 

[Lizard King]

I ate at Nobu, $700 later....

I have a batch of jerky ready to get in the dehydrator tomorrow, still need to put the smoker together, busy weekend but will get that bitch up and running this week fo sho.

 

[PillarofBalance]

First thing you need to do is season the smoker. Check YouTube for a how to. It's basically wipe it with oil all over and then run it around 300 for an hour or two.

As for where to start, I would suggest ribs. They tend to be more forgiving and are a little blander on their own. This will allow you to blend woods and other smoking material and learn what you like. I am partial to anything with apple in it. It's a New England thing maybe. Hickory I use like a carrier. Apple is my BB. And cherry is my BA. The size of the wood changes the taste as well. Compare a log to a lump to mulch and how quick each burns.

Once you learn the smokes you like, you need to learn to control the heat. Maybe it's easier with a propane smoker, no clue such a thing existed. But pay attention to the temp gauge.

A good thermocouple is a good investment. A thermopen works quick and easy. There are also Bluetooth probes that let you monitor from the phone.


After ribs, try whole chickens, or better yet spatchcock.

After that beef ribs.

After that you should be ready for brisket. Whole brisket too, you want the point not just the flat.

Lastly... Fuck sauce. Most BBQ sauce is shit. The only one I touch is James River BBQ sauce. It goes on ribs and chicken if I feel like it. So learn to season your gotdam food right.

 

[PillarofBalance]

Oh and it can get as complex or subtle as you want. But subtle, or simple will always win.

4 ingredients can blow someone's mind.

Hot smoked salmon, smoke coming from grapevine, black tea. Seasoned with sea salt.

That's it. But if cooked to the right temp in that smoke, and served quickly, it can be the best fish they ever ate.

Next thing you need that I can teach you to use is sous vide. Take a look at the anova brand. I can make 4lbs of top round in this thing and serve it to you saying it's prime rib and you would believe me.

 

[MorganKane]

I have a Bradley Smoker.
Its electric and uses wood pucks it pushed out every 20 minutes.
You can set a timer for both how long you want smoke and heat.

Start with cheap easy meats like chicken and ribs.

My favorite is pork butt.
Season it with dry rub the day before.
Wrap it and store in fridge.
Then before you smoke take it out an hour or so early.
Inject a bit of cajun seasoning.
Smoke for 4-6 hours or so. Make sure you wet your meat after 3+ hours every 30 min to an hour.
If the meat has fat like a pork butt or brisket make sure you leave a nice fat cap on top. It will keep the meat moist and flavorful.
After 8 hours or so then wrap your meat in foil with some of the liquid used to moisten it.
Then just wait until you hit the right temp.
Low and slow is the keep. This is BBQ and not grilling.

Another favorite is salmon.
Buy a side of salmon.
put onion powder and garlic powder with some fresh dill on the side.
Cut in half. Put both half with the meat side together and warp in foil or some wrap.
Put in bottom of fridge with some weight on top. This will start a curing process.
Then smoke for a few hours with NO HEAT. You want to temp to be less than 100.
Serve on toast with finely chopped onions, capers and a mustard sauce.

 

[Lizard King]

Went to season it with just smoke yesterday to play around with the temps and gauge and wood. Started with an apple cherry mix and it smelled so damn good after an hour I had to run to the store and get some chicken thighs. Put a pork rub on the thighs and let them cook at 225 - 250 for 2 hours, also had a 1/2 chicken in there with a Caribbean Jerk on it. Smoke soaked up nicely on both of them, nice deep color and flavor was awesome. Pulled the skin off the thighs and they were juicy AF!

 

[JackD]

When you inviting us over?

 

[tommyguns2]

How big an investment is it to get a middle of the road smoker? (I'm assuming, like any other hobby, you can sink a ton of money into one). Also, in terms of storage space in the garage or out on your deck, does it have a similar footprint to a regular grill?

 

[Lizard King]

I got this one, about $400, I had it in my garage and rolled it out into my driveway. Was only planning on seasoning it yesterday but the sweet smoke got to me. It has wheels and I will be putting it next to my BBQ and getting a nice cover for it.