Can you smell what the rock is cooking?

#1
I figure with as many ppl on here who like grilling/smoking/cooking we need a food thread.


Firing up the smoker this weekend for the first time in months. Planning on a Boston butt and maybe something more Melissa friendly.

What do you guys usually do with your butts when you smoke them? What kinda rub and all?

I usually use a mix of lump and briquettes when I smoke, what wood do you prefer to use?


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#2
I made a new smoker last year but only used it twice. :( I use mainly Oak, but am trying to find a hickory supply. I still want to add propane to it so i can cook brisket for a looong time without having to tend the fire every hour. This thread is gonna make me hungry now. :)
 
#3
For Butts I use a pretty typical rub, I wipe it down with oil first and then apply the rub. It gets a good crisp burn end and holds on to the rub well that way. I try to use all lump coal and big chunks of apple wood.

My "smoker" isn't near the best. I would love a better one that held onto heat better. Mine seems like once I cook past the 7-8 hr mark the heat just goes away. It's a cheaper side smoke box cooker. One day I will nut up and get me a good one.

I actually got one of the infared smokers/fryers for Christmas and had high hopes for it. It's not really worth a dang for slow BBQ. It does very well for loins, chickens, etc though. And is super easy. I am actually planning on doing a chicken over the weekend in it. Will report as to how it does on this chicken.
 
#6
From some reading the other day, they say the cooler the butt is before you put it on, the more smoke it will soak up. And that brown sugar helps the barking on it.

The first time I smoked a butt and ribs on my UDS it turned out killer. I've done it a handful of times and haven't been able to turn out as nice as then but still good.

Thought about building another smoker with a barrel that had a side box on the side somewhat like this
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#8
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I had some plate steel laying around. I made the cook area a bit shorter on the top so i didnt have wasted space under there, trying to not use more wood than i need to keep it hot. I put tuning plates on the bottom to adjust the heating around the grill
 
#9
What's the dimensions of yours dan?

I've got a lot of plate laying around I want to do something with to get it out my way.

I like the uds and it cooks good for an amateur like I am but I don't like having to pull the meat and everything off to tend the coals.


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#10
i can get a measurement when i get home, i dont remember off the top of my head. I just had enough. I like the palte because it keeps the heat in a bit better than the thin sheet metal off the 55 gallon drum i used for my first one.
 
#13
I think the biggest key is the Grill, Dan mentioned tending it every hour, Harvey mentions his heat going away after 7-8 hours. Im telling y'all get a nice ceramic grill (Big Green Egg). I know they are expensive, mine is another brand and I still paid $800. Its the last grill you will buy though unless you break it. I load it up with lump charcoal, and don't open the lid for 16 hours, hell I bet it would go for a good 24 hours if I let it and it has enough fuel in it. Ive really grown to like Mr. Stubbs chips. It really cooks everything well and it extremely hard to dry your food out.
For my butts I like to do a brown sugary type rub to get that good bark, and I also set it on a basting pan that ill fill with apple cider vinegar, even though there is enough grease in there to keep it from getting dry I think the steam from it adds alittle something flavor wise. I will start it say 4pm, low and slow prob 150-160 degrees till I wake up the next morning, soon as I wake up I run the temp up to about 220 for another hour or until my internal temp of the meat reaches done. I add a ton of chips in the beginning. Remember adding chips over and over usually doesn't do anything, your only going to get about a half inch smoke ring and to me Im not looking to kill the whole thing with smoke. I just want some. Fox Brothers in Atl kills everything they cook with smoke and it just takes away from it for me. I let mine sit on the counter and cool for a few hours before pulling it.
 
#14
From reading online (remember everything online is true hahahaha) the meat only really takes the smoke for about two hours, then the smoke doesnt get absorbed as much.

The green egg is kick ***. I besides the price i do like playing with the fire ;) But tending for 14 hours on a brisket gets oooooold
 
#15
My smoker dimensions are

Main box. 28"x21. The cooking area is level with the line where the top closes to the bottom. That area is 7 inches high.
Firebox is 16"x16"x12" high.
 
#16
I remember seeing yours and talking to you about your ceramic smoker a long time ago deano and you praising it and ceramic cookers.

The uds does pretty well with holding heat but I tend to have issue sometimes cooking with getting it up to temp but when it finally gets there it will hold it.

Anyone ever used a pellet smoker like the traeger?

I've got an old ducane gas grill and a weber charcoal grill id like to replace eventually with a BGE or something of the like.


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#17
Traegers work great, we cooked on one almost every day in Moab and they even make a kit to plug it to your battery for Mobil cooking. They are expensive though.
 
#20
Brooks and Austin had a killer recipe for a boston butt in the oven that is DELICIOUS. Probably the best homemade BBQ I have ever had. Doesn't even need sauce. I have it saved somewhere.
 
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