Offset Smokers (BBQ)

[bykfixer]

I have a branch from a apple tree I cut into slices and then split apart the slices.
I get one each year from my brothers ancient apple tree.

I place said chips in 12oz tuna fish cans soaked overnight. Place water in the can with the chips.

Place alluminum foil over the can(s) with a few holes poked in it. Set directly on charcoals each "batch" puts out a good rich smoke for about an hour, depending on the size and number of holes in the foil. I throw the remainder onto the coals as they dry out.

 

[tab665]

hopefully i will get my pit done in time to smoke some turkey legs for thanksgiving. after that i will probably smoke some butts.... NC style!

 

[tab665]

its been almost 2 years since i finished building my smoker. wood is the way to go since splitting wood will help offset the increased calorie intake! i have certainly learned a lot through trial and error....
1- make a rule of no drinking until 11 or noon. the first couple times i made the mistake of cracking open a beer once the cooking began.
2- still just stick to lower in alcohol content light beer. again, you being sloppy drunk is not a good look.
3- throw on a pack of johsonville brats!!! its like a bratwurst and a smoked sausage had a baby. they will be ready after 2-3 hours and make for the perfect lunch break while your butt smokes!!!
4- get a pool. building a smoker has promoted more outdoor activities. which ultimately lead to me and the wife deciding to get a pool. now its a matter of getting out, throwing a log on, and cannon balling back into the pool.
5- hickory. nothing but pure hickory.
6- maintain a SMALL and HOT fire. this will require further splitting your wood. it will also require you to monitor it a little bit more often. if you put in pieces of wood that are too big, it will smolder longer; then when it does ignite, your temp will go through the roof. your looking for something close to instant ignition, not smoldering. if you have too much smoldering be prepared to have a bitter smoke flavor.
7- make sure you smoke year round and learn the differences in the seasons! the first time i used my smoker in the summer i was blown away by how hard it was to keep my temperatures lower. certainly takes much less wood. on the opposite side of that a winter day i will burn through significantly more wood on an all day cook.
8- its not cooking, its a way of life.

 

[RA40]

We have a New Braunfels smoker that is about 16-18 years old now. Has held up well and I like it. Haven't attempted any mods to it though possibly this fall will make some adjustments. In stock form I'll check the fire box about every 30 minutes to verify temps. For 6 racks of baby backs that is about 8 hours at 190-210F median temps. Tenderloin is sub 4 hours at 190F and similar for tri-tip. The rump and shoulder cuts feel like they take forever. That is where one of the electric auto type feed ones may be handy. I hit the 11+ hour marks doing those. This is why I want to improve the efficiency so that I can nudge into the 45minute-hour fire box checks. As well as better consistency at the 200-220F temps. Ours has no issues in the 190-200F but beyond that it takes a bit more work due to heat leakage. This is why I want to do some mods to the smoker so that there is a bit more heat efficiency. Otherwise, for the small stuff it is part of the "fun" and I usually tend the yard while smoking up some eats.

Been using charcoal with apple, pecan, hickory or cherry depending on her flavor recipe profile. Been getting the base ingredients for rubs from https://www.penzeys.com/. We have a local store but before they had one, she would mail order. There are other spice shops local to us yet she still finds Penzeys her top choice.

I also will do a wax-polish session on the exterior every other year. It shows oxidation of the exterior coating but unlike most, it hasn't rusted through or deteriorated as much as neighbors rigs that are far newer.

 

[PoliceScannerMan]

its been almost 2 years since i finished building my smoker. wood is the way to go since splitting wood will help offset the increased calorie intake! i have certainly learned a lot through trial and error....
1- make a rule of no drinking until 11 or noon. the first couple times i made the mistake of cracking open a beer once the cooking began.
2- still just stick to lower in alcohol content light beer. again, you being sloppy drunk is not a good look.
3- throw on a pack of johsonville brats!!! its like a bratwurst and a smoked sausage had a baby. they will be ready after 2-3 hours and make for the perfect lunch break while your butt smokes!!!
4- get a pool. building a smoker has promoted more outdoor activities. which ultimately lead to me and the wife deciding to get a pool. now its a matter of getting out, throwing a log on, and cannon balling back into the pool.
5- hickory. nothing but pure hickory.
6- maintain a SMALL and HOT fire. this will require further splitting your wood. it will also require you to monitor it a little bit more often. if you put in pieces of wood that are too big, it will smolder longer; then when it does ignite, your temp will go through the roof. your looking for something close to instant ignition, not smoldering. if you have too much smoldering be prepared to have a bitter smoke flavor.
7- make sure you smoke year round and learn the differences in the seasons! the first time i used my smoker in the summer i was blown away by how hard it was to keep my temperatures lower. certainly takes much less wood. on the opposite side of that a winter day i will burn through significantly more wood on an all day cook.
8- its not cooking, its a way of life.

These are all great tips!! Especially the drinking ones.

I ended up getting a Used Horizon Marshall RD Special from my best friend. I love it. Just got it a few months ago. Thanks for posting in this old thread I had forgot about it!

 

[tab665]

These are all great tips!! Especially the drinking ones.

making the switch to michelob ultra did the trick for me.

edit: glad to see you didnt go the pellet grill route. just seems like it takes all the fun out of it to me.

 

[PoliceScannerMan]

making the switch to michelob ultra did the trick for me.

edit: glad to see you didnt go the pellet grill route. just seems like it takes all the fun out of it to me.

I agree, I have no interest in them at all. Especially now since they are exploding if you don't clean them regularly.

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

I agree, I have no interest in them at all. Especially now since they are exploding if you don't clean them regularly.

This is the first I've read of them exploding. However, on one occasion our pellet insert (heating, not a cooking device) went out due to the hopper being almost empty. Almost being the crux issue. After the fire had gone out due to a lack of fuel, the augur continued to turn during the cooling-off period. During this period the remaining handful of pellets in the hopper dropped and were then deposited into the burn-pot. One of my sons noticed the fire was out so he filled the hopper and started the stove. He couldn't see that the burn-pot was full due to the glass being dirty. The result being a large build-up of pellets, in a contained area, adjacent a really hot igniter, and limited air being drawn into the smoldering pile of pellets but not able to fully vent...... Spontaneous combustion. Think of to the 10th power. It sounded like an M-80 had gone off in the house..... which, by the way, was now full of smoke.

Here's a video of a free standing stove on YouTube. It's not us. Profanity immediately after the boom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MYwRo9ALXg

~ Chance

 

[RedLED]

Years ago I knew this Cat who knew how to do this vey well, and he took fire bricks, the kind you weld on, and simply stacked them to build the smoker, chimney, and where the fire is. His results were amazing. Now, I am a city person, and growing up we had a formal style of living which in those days did not include BBQ, or grilling whatsoever, so I know very little about it or how to go about doing the smoking part. I have both gas and charcoal grills, and can cook a steak or other simple things but I am no expert.

Has anyone ever tried or used this non permanent brick method? It seems very interesting, and I remember watching this guy work this thing, and put it together, and I found it fascinating. Back then I had a job where I traveled the country and the world and this was one of the interesting people you run across in travels. He lived in Texas near the Louisiana border, if that even makes a difference.

If anyone can go into more detail, I would love to hear it.

 

[Mohitb793]

its been almost 2 years since i finished building my smoker. wood is the way to go since splitting wood will help offset the increased calorie intake! i have certainly learned a lot through trial and error....
1- make a rule of no drinking until 11 or noon. the first couple times i made the mistake of cracking open a beer once the cooking began.
2- still just stick to lower in alcohol content light beer. again, you being sloppy drunk is not a good look.
3- throw on a pack of johsonville brats!!! its like a bratwurst and a smoked sausage had a baby. they will be ready after 2-3 hours and make for the perfect lunch break while your butt smokes!!!
4- get a pool. building a smoker has promoted more outdoor activities. which ultimately lead to me and the wife deciding to get a pool. now its a matter of getting out, throwing a log on, and cannon balling back into the pool.
5- hickory. nothing but pure hickory.
6- maintain a SMALL and HOT fire. this will require further splitting your wood. it will also require you to monitor it a little bit more often. if you put in pieces of wood that are too big, it will smolder longer; then when it does ignite, your temp will go through the roof. your looking for something close to instant ignition, not smoldering. if you have too much smoldering be prepared to have a bitter smoke flavor.
7- make sure you smoke year round and learn the differences in the seasons! the first time i used my smoker in the summer i was blown away by how hard it was to keep my temperatures lower. certainly takes much less wood. on the opposite side of that a winter day i will burn through significantly more wood on an all day cook.
8- its not cooking, its a way of life.

Great tips for a beginner like me. Thank You