Some advice needed.

[BBQFlatFoot]

Hi everyone :D

I am so stoked that I found this site. I have been at odds for about a week now. Here is my dilema. I have been cooking/grilling for 15 years... I have cooked outdoors on 2 week hunting trips where all I would use is wood... I have cooked with only charcoal. I have never smoked anything in my life.

I bought this smoker at Home Depot called the Silver Smoker. When I did my research on the web... I felt like a knuckel head... the Smokers I could have purchased for that 200 bones... Bah! Anyway, I need to cook for about 15 people.. heavy eaters, in 1 week.

Questions I have.

1) How do I maintaine the temperature of the smoking area?

2) Do I just keep adding wood to the "firebox" area of the smoker I purchased [/url]http://www.nbsmoker.com/smokers2.html .

3) I want to cook brisket and Suasage, Half a pig, and Lamb Ribs. I read alot about keeping food moist and spraying with apple juice, whats that about? and will it mess with the meat flavor?

4) I don't like alot of fuss on my meat... I like the tase of meat.

5) Is there a place where I can get tempretures and times for cooking these types of meat?

6) I am going to use mesquite... should I create the smoke using only the mesquite wood or mix it with charcoal?

Can you all school me in the basic of Smoking?


Thank you so much in advance... May the smoke be with :wink:

[JamesB]

I started on an old Brinkman Smoke-N-Pit, so all is not lost... The bad thing about these smokers is that they are very labor intensive... lot's of work to control the temps etc. But this ain't all bad. It WILL teach you fire management.

As far as help with the smoker in general check out this link for mods that will help it to perform better. http://www.bbqinstitute.com/ , check out the smoker mods link. This should help cover ?s 1 and 2... The 3 things that I did to my SNP that helped the most were to extend the exhaust stack down to the cooking grate with metal flashing, put a loaf pan of water right next to the firebox hole in the cook chamber (helps moderate the heat entering the cook chamber) and using a moving blanket over the cook chamber to assist with heat retention...

3. I would not worry too much about spraying/mopping/spritzing etc for first time out. Wave that door too much and most any cook you attempt will take much much longer due to heat loss... Half a pig in that cooker? WOW!

4. salt n pepper... it's all you REALLY need...

5. yes... seach this site, the archives/BBQ Search engine at www.bbqforum.com, Google.com

6. Mesquite in that small of a cooker is a recipe for disaster IMO. Use very sparingly and with charcoal. These units seem to run best on mostly charcoal...

This entire forum is a great school... as much as I like this forum, I must again recommend the search engine over at the bbqforum. Lotsa great info there and it's still free there as well...

HtHs,
James.

[BBQFlatFoot]

WoW! thanks for all the great info.

So as far the type of smoker I purchased, it is not ideal for smoking?

PS: It's a real small piggy :)

[JamesB]

Didn't mean to mis-lead you... While it may not be the easiest to use, it will do a fine job as a smoker. You will just have to put a bit more effort into it. I learned to turn out some mighty fine BBQ from my little, thin walled SNP offset cooker. I'm a bit of a pyro by nature, so I really didn't and still don't mind tending the fire all day/night...

James.

[Dirty Ron]

I agree James - I used a SNP for many years with great results. But you are right - it takes constant attention

[Woodman]

Flat foot, Glad to have you here! I would start with some chicken, and the sausages just so you can get the feel for what you're doing. The half hog should come last! After you get the feel for your smoker and fire management, then go try a pork butt. From there , move up to brisket, and spare ribs. The methods are all simple. It is the knowlege of fire and cooker behavior in different climate conditions that is the wild card. Where are you located? You sound pretty stoked so, I'll give you six months until you go buy a heavy duty log burning pit :wink: If you are in Ohio, I'll give you a good deal on a used model :lol: Don't ever be shy to ask any question here. Woody

[BBQFlatFoot]

I am real excited about the entire process, there is something about the entire process that has grabbed ahold of me. The fire... the wood, the smell, the work and the meat all make make it a labor of love.

Thank you all for the great advice :)

I am located in Northern California.

I dont have the room for a giant pit... otherwise I would have built my own! Hmm... maybe out of a used VW Bus?! :shock:

Thanks guys :)

[Fred]

Hello & welcome to the forum / If you have not used Bills rub & methods / it is my suggestion being new to smoking meat / you start your quest for real smoked BBQ there / It produces "crowd pleasing" & consistent results.


In your cooker / I would use a good lump charcoal / and an apple/hickory mix of pellets. Add a few lumps when needed to keep the temp even.('Wall mart - Real flavor' lump is a good easy to find choice / I am using B&B Oak lump & Maple leaf)

Using mesq. / just remember it burns hot / so use small pieces when you add or you easily run the risk of over heating your cooker.

That brings me to one of your most important lessons / LEARN YOUR COOKER - all run a bit different & it takes a while to learn its nuances of keeping proper temps

Using a meat-temp gauge is a must for briskets/butts/chicken

All new BBQ cooks I recommend to try & cook at 200 deg.

Brisket/Butts take to;
*180-185 = sliced
*190-205 = chopped

*internal temps

Basting your BBQ is a personal choice / it is not necessary with a good rub /

Apple / cranberry works well if you want too / a good BBQ sauce works as well in the last hour / just remember to lower your temps to apx. 175 deg. so the sugar in the sauce does not burn

oh PS. Try TEX's jellies! they are all great.

[BBQ101]

:wink: I also started on a smoker just like yours. The old smoker still gets used by a friend down the street. I converted it to gas and used smokers delight pellets with great results. Just get yourself a small turkey fryer burner and put it in your firebox air intake. then take a tin can and put it on the great just above the burner. One thing you will find is the thermometers are not accurate. Get yourself a couple of oven thermometers and place them on the cooking grates this will give you a idea what temp the meat is cooking at. Most of the less expensive smoker put the thermometer so high on the pit that you will think your dead on 225 or 230 but at food level you could be at 190. This will have you scratching your head wondering why your 12 hour pork butt takes 18 hours.

:shock: We are all ready to help on this forum and us stick burners like to poke fun at the guy's using WSM this is just for fun. Truth be told it's not the pit that makes great BBQ it's the Pit Master. Welcome to the forum.