BBQ Smokers

[IslandTractor]

FWIW...for anyone interested in smoking some meat or seafood etc...a fancy smoker is not mandatory ...

...All you need is something to hold the fire/wood chips and a rack for the meat etc...AND...a big enough cardboard box to cover everything...just cut a few vents where you want the smoke to escape and set it so it gets enough air under the bottom edges...

Agree. A knowledgeable pitmaster with the simplest Weber kettle grill and a reliable thermometer could smoke just about anything successfully. The only advantage of dedicated smokers is bigger capacity and less need for monitoring.

Best smoked food I ever had (turkey) was from a roadside smokehouse in Florida that was literally a simple wood shed with a smoldering fire inside.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Agree. A knowledgeable pitmaster with the simplest Weber kettle grill and a reliable thermometer could smoke just about anything successfully. The only advantage of dedicated smokers is bigger capacity and less need for monitoring.

Best smoked food I ever had (turkey) was from a roadside smokehouse in Florida that was literally a simple wood shed with a smoldering fire inside.

That's the thing I liked about the old Cajun cooker and the Weber Smoky Mountain Smoker. They draw enough air to get the thing hot, but the water pan mitigates the temperature for a fairly low and slow cook. I have never needed to measure the temperature on either; just make sure you have enough charcoal and keep the water pan full. Chicken and turkey have a tendency (for me at least) to be a bit dry when cooked on the egg, but they always seem to turn out a lot more juicy on the Smoky Mountain.

I have cooked a turkey on the Weber kettle; it's a bit clumsy, but doable. I put a water pan on the bottom in the middle, and put the charcoal around the outside for indirect cooking. It takes some attention, what with having to remove the top, add water and charcoal, but like I said, it's doable.

 

[IslandTractor]

I'm going to smoke a couple of smallish filets of wild salmon today. Did the Alton Brown dry salt sugar pepper rub overnight (1/2 the salt after reading reviews) and will probably use my electric smoker to aim for lowish 150-160 smoking temps with apple chips.

Planning on a couple of whole chickens tomorrow in the Cajun Grill with charcoal and apple.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I'm going to smoke a couple of smallish filets of wild salmon today. Did the Alton Brown dry salt sugar pepper rub overnight (1/2 the salt after reading reviews) and will probably use my electric smoker to aim for lowish 150-160 smoking temps with apple chips.

Planning on a couple of whole chickens tomorrow in the Cajun Grill with charcoal and apple.

What do you use for seasoning on your chicken?

 

[/pine]

What do you use for seasoning on your chicken?

Anyone watch the recent Pit BBQ wars on cable??...it was several cook-offs in GA, AL etc...in all the competitions they had to cook chicken, ribs, pork butts and brisket...in almost all the cases the pit masters chose to submit thighs for their chicken entries...and they mostly did it the same way I have been doing it for 20+ years...

Remove the bone and all the fat from the thighs...there can be a lot of fat under the skin...in the competition on the cable show they all removed the skin...scraped all the fat from the under side and then re-covered the de-boned thighs...I usually just peel it back and get the majority of the fat out...smoked and or just grilled...I like a combo...low/slow smoke for a 2.5-3 hrs...then grill till done and crisp the skin and or caramelize a late added wet sauce etc...

For many years I used ' Loweries (sp?) Seasoned Salt"...then I found "Ryan's Butt Rub"...The Loweries was/is one of the ingredients I use if I make my own dry rub...any dry rub for beef...I use powered mustard...(a well kept secret by many better steak houses for bringing out the natural flavor of beef)

I like marinates but I've never ventured into injecting roasts etc....which you see a lot of on the competition shows...
For a change of pace I like marinating chicken (or beef) in Marsala and garlic etc...
In a pinch or intentionally...regular Italian dressing makes a decent marinate for any meat and especially good for fin or shellfish...
...The closest I've got to "injecting" is something 'Justin Wilson' liked to do...take a paring knife and push it to the hilt into a roast (pork/beef) and then push part of a clove of fresh garlic down into the bottom of the slot...it makes for an interesting roast...especially if you have a tooth for garlic...!...most of the pit chefs use apple or other fruit juices as a base for their injection marinates...

For most pork ribs (spare, country and Texas style) and chicken...I like adding a late bbq sauce and letting it "reduce" on the exterior when finishing on the grill...I always use honey in bbq sauce it adds some sweetness and it helps it stick, if I want a sweeter sauce I'll add a little brown sugar.

Back to chicken thighs...once the bone, fat and other unappetizing parts are removed they can be marinated/seasoned then rolled up, wrapped in the skin and they are ready for the smoker/grill...or for something a little different...drop the prepared thighs in some hot peanut oil until crispy...add a side of fried okra some biscuits and feast...!

 

[IslandTractor]

What do you use for seasoning on your chicken?

I'm probably going to inject with light brine and cider and then rub with Bad Byron's butt rub. Haven't tried the butt rub yet so thought I'd give it a try. I'm experimenting generally with smoking and should probably keep it simple. Going to use applewood again and try to keep the charcoal smoker at about 225. Haven't decided how to crisp the skin yet. Probably will just add some charcoal towards the end to get the smoker temp into roasting range.

By the way, the smoked salmon I made this afternoon (after curing overnight) was excellent even though I cooked it a bit more than I intended. Couldn't get the internal temp up above 135 after about three hours so I raised the smoker temp from 190 to 250 but 20 minutes later the internal temp was up to 175. I'd been aiming for 150. Not as moist as I had hoped but it was really delicious on crackers as an appetizer.

 

[/pine]

...it was really delicious on crackers as an appetizer.

Make a spread with some cream cheese...great on a toasted bagel...!

 

[IslandTractor]

Make a spread with some cream cheese...great on a toasted bagel...!

Good idea but I'm on the island and the nearest cream cheese is a ferry ride away. Maybe I'll keep some to try that but I'll surely remember to bring bagels and cream cheese next time I smoke fish. There is a fine fishmonger just near the ferry landing where I got the salmon and a good bagel joint just down the road too.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I'm probably going to inject with light brine and cider and then rub with Bad Byron's butt rub. Haven't tried the butt rub yet so thought I'd give it a try. I'm experimenting generally with smoking and should probably keep it simple. Going to use applewood again and try to keep the charcoal smoker at about 225. Haven't decided how to crisp the skin yet. Probably will just add some charcoal towards the end to get the smoker temp into roasting range.

By the way, the smoked salmon I made this afternoon (after curing overnight) was excellent even though I cooked it a bit more than I intended. Couldn't get the internal temp up above 135 after about three hours so I raised the smoker temp from 190 to 250 but 20 minutes later the internal temp was up to 175. I'd been aiming for 150. Not as moist as I had hoped but it was really delicious on crackers as an appetizer.

If you use a rubb, I would suggest that you prepare the chicken ahead of time and let it sit overnight. It seems to enhance the flavor of chicken, at least in my opinion, in a noticeable way. Lemon pepper is also a good seasoning for chicken, especially when it's grilled.

 

[IslandTractor]

If you use a rubb, I would suggest that you prepare the chicken ahead of time and let it sit overnight. It seems to enhance the flavor of chicken, at least in my opinion, in a noticeable way. Lemon pepper is also a good seasoning for chicken, especially when it's grilled.

Too tired to do it tonight but I'll put the rub on first thing in the morning and start cooking six hours later.