BBQ Smokers

[MossRoad]

Well, I tried my free Brinkman smoke n grill today with a chicken. I've got to say, it was pretty tasty! :thumbsup:

I brined it overnight, then put a rub on it for an hour while the smoker heated up. Then on it went and 3.5 hours later we had a tasty bird! Wife even said "You can cook this again." (that's code in our house for it wasn't as awful as 'the enchilada casserole incident' back in '85 :laughing.

I pulled it off the smoker, put it in a glass dish and covered it with foil, then a bunch of towels to keep it warm and let it sit for about half an hour until the kid came home from work. Served it with some mashed potatoes, green beans and applesauce.

I only added about 10 briquets twice during the 3.5 hours. I put one foil packet of soaked wood chips in there when I started, too and that lasted almost 2 hours. So I tossed in a handful of soaked chips right onto the coals two more times and it smoked nicely.

I was happy for a first time effort.

 

[IslandTractor]

I did my first smoked chicken this weekend too. Similar prep to MossRoad but I injected the brine six hour before cooking rather than soaking. Used a salt brown sugar and apple cider solution. Also put Bad Byron's butt rub on at that time. Cooked at about 225-250 for three and a half hours with charcoal and apple wood until breast meat was reading 150 and then transferred to a 400 gas grill for 15-20 min until the internal temp was almost 165. Did two birds (Costco!!). Ate most of one immediately Sat night (delicious and moist but skin could have been crisper) then had a picnic with the second one cold today and finally chicken rice soup after making a broth with the carcasses. Good eatin' food!!

Lessons learned: low and slow not so important for poultry ; will either use higher heat with charcoal or spend
more time crisping skin in gas grill next time. Instant read thermometer invaluable. Will start cooking earlier next time. Finally, at $11 ($0.99/lb) for two chickens that fed seven people for three meals, I don't think there is a better bang for the buck in the universe.

 

[MossRoad]

Mine got pretty crisp. And it stayed extremely moist, which surprised the heck out of me. I stuck a thermometer into it after 3 hours and it was at 165. 30 minutes later it was 170, so I called it done.

Disclaimer: The following was combined from several recipes on the internet. I don't have an original thought in my head.

Here's the brine I used.
1 Gal Water
1 Cup Kosher Salt
1.5 Cup Sugar
2 TBS Black Pepper
1/2 TBS Dried Rosemary
1/2 TBS Thyme
1/8 Cup Molasses
1/4 Cup White Wine (not Cooking Wine)
1/8 Cup Worcestershire
1 tablespoon of liquid smoke.

I stirred it together in a pot, submerged a well-washed and thawed chicken in the pot, put a plastic cup over the chicken and the pot lid pushed the cup down and submerged the chicken completely. Put it in the fridge overnight (about 12 hours).

Here's the rub I used:
1/4 cup dark brown sugar.
1/4 cup sweet Hungarian paprika.
3 tblsp kosher salt
1 tblsp fresh ground pepper.
1 tblsp garlic powder.
1 tblsp onion powder.
1 tblsp chili powder.
1 tblsp cayenne powder.

I pulled the chicken from the brine, rinsed it off well and put it in a bowl. Then sprinkled on about 1/2 of the rub mixture (that was plenty for one chicken. I saved the rest for another day) over the entire chicken, covered it and put it back in the fridge for an hour.

I lit up a load of charcoal in one of these type chimneys.

It was ready to go in 1/2 hour. I dumped it on the bottom of the smoker, then put the water pan in. I filled the water pan with boiling water from our stove and put the lid on. In about 20 minutes it was up to the high side of "Ideal" temperature on the gauge. So I pammed the top rack, set the chicken on breast side down and closed it up.

I put in a foil pack of soaked apple wood chips and it started smoking in about 20 minutes. After 1.5 hours I turned the chicken. Around 2.5 hours it stopped smoking, so I removed the foil chip pouch and added about 10-12 charcoal briquets and a handfull of soaked chips directly to the coals. Around 3 hours I added another 10-12 briquets and another handful of soaked chips. 3.5 hours it was done. Let it set for about 30 minutes and cut it. :licking:

All-in-all, it is a pretty easy way to cook. 10 minutes of prep the night before. 10 minutes of prep day of. 10 minutes to get the smoker going. Lay around in the pool, do some yard work, and eyeball the temp about every 30 minutes, make some minor additions, and that's about it. :thumbsup:

Next weekend I'll try some ribs or other cut of pork.

 

[MossRoad]

Late night snack!

Plate.
Parchment paper on plate.
Large tortilla on parchment paper.
Layer of shredded smoked chicken on tortilla.
Layer of Sweet Baby Ray's Sweet Vidalia Onion BBq sauce on shredded chicken.
Layer of shredded colby jack on top of that.
Add another tortilla.
Paper towel with a few drops of water on that.
Microwave until hot.
Remove the paper towel.
Cut with a pizza cutter.
Don't eat the parchment paper either!
Quesadilla! :licking:

 

[MossRoad]

View attachment 437983

 

[dragoneggs]

Mine got pretty crisp. And it stayed extremely moist, which surprised the heck out of me. I stuck a thermometer into it after 3 hours and it was at 165. 30 minutes later it was 170, so I called it done.

Disclaimer: The following was combined from several recipes on the internet. I don't have an original thought in my head.

Here's the brine I used.
1 Gal Water
1 Cup Kosher Salt
1.5 Cup Sugar
2 TBS Black Pepper
1/2 TBS Dried Rosemary
1/2 TBS Thyme
1/8 Cup Molasses
1/4 Cup White Wine (not Cooking Wine)
1/8 Cup Worcestershire
1 tablespoon of liquid smoke.

I stirred it together in a pot, submerged a well-washed and thawed chicken in the pot, put a plastic cup over the chicken and the pot lid pushed the cup down and submerged the chicken completely. Put it in the fridge overnight (about 12 hours).

Here's the rub I used:
1/4 cup dark brown sugar.
1/4 cup sweet Hungarian paprika.
3 tblsp kosher salt
1 tblsp fresh ground pepper.
1 tblsp garlic powder.
1 tblsp onion powder.
1 tblsp chili powder.
1 tblsp cayenne powder.

I pulled the chicken from the brine, rinsed it off well and put it in a bowl. Then sprinkled on about 1/2 of the rub mixture (that was plenty for one chicken. I saved the rest for another day) over the entire chicken, covered it and put it back in the fridge for an hour.

I lit up a load of charcoal in one of these type chimneys.
View attachment 437980
It was ready to go in 1/2 hour. I dumped it on the bottom of the smoker, then put the water pan in. I filled the water pan with boiling water from our stove and put the lid on. In about 20 minutes it was up to the high side of "Ideal" temperature on the gauge. So I pammed the top rack, set the chicken on breast side down and closed it up.

I put in a foil pack of soaked apple wood chips and it started smoking in about 20 minutes. After 1.5 hours I turned the chicken. Around 2.5 hours it stopped smoking, so I removed the foil chip pouch and added about 10-12 charcoal briquets and a handfull of soaked chips directly to the coals. Around 3 hours I added another 10-12 briquets and another handful of soaked chips. 3.5 hours it was done. Let it set for about 30 minutes and cut it. :licking:

All-in-all, it is a pretty easy way to cook. 10 minutes of prep the night before. 10 minutes of prep day of. 10 minutes to get the smoker going. Lay around in the pool, do some yard work, and eyeball the temp about every 30 minutes, make some minor additions, and that's about it. :thumbsup:

Next weekend I'll try some ribs or other cut of pork.

Way to go Moss! I have yet to figure out how to get chicken with a crunchy crisply skin and moist inside. I want to make it like crispy Peking duck if you know what I am talking about. No batter but a golden brown glazed skin. There must be a secret like honey or something that will crisp? Someone tell me the secret.

 

[EverythingAttachments]

I made some good ribs Saturday, not on a true smoker, but I usually improvise by putting chips and sometimes a lump of charcoal in a smoker box under the pan in my Holland Grill. For the ribs, I used some apple wood, jack daniels chips and one lump of charcoal.
I removed the membrane from the bottom of a slab of St Louis spareribs and rinsed them before getting started. I added a splash of lime and coated them with regular mustard(it hugs the rub and keeps it on there).
I used a mixture of Rub some Butt and Bone Suckin Sauce dry rubs. I think the two complimented each other well.

I put one bottle of Yuengling(because it hurts to pour out more than that :laughing and some water in a pan underneath the rack. I left them alone for around an hour and a half, only peeking once. I basted them with Sweet Baby Rays with a shot of Siracha a couple of times the last 15-20 mins, so the cooking time was just under 2hrs total. The St. Louis style of cut, the one I chose at least, is pretty thick so they could've stood another 20-30 mins to come off the bone with no effort at all. My wife said they were the best ribs yet!
Travis

 

[IslandTractor]

I made some good ribs Saturday, not on a true smoker, but I usually improvise by putting chips and sometimes a lump of charcoal in a smoker box under the pan in my Holland Grill. For the ribs, I used some apple wood, jack daniels chips and one lump of charcoal. I removed the membrane from the bottom of a slab of St Louis spareribs and rinsed them before getting started. I added a splash of lime and coated them with regular mustard(it hugs the rub and keeps it on there). I used a mixture of Rub some Butt and Bone Suckin Sauce dry rubs. I think the two complimented each other well. I put one bottle of Yuengling(because it hurts to pour out more than that :laughing and some water in a pan underneath the rack. I left them alone for around an hour and a half, only peeking once. I basted them with Sweet Baby Rays with a shot of Siracha a couple of times the last 15-20 mins, so the cooking time was just under 2hrs total. The St. Louis style of cut, the one I chose at least, is pretty thick so they could've stood another 20-30 mins to come off the bone with no effort at all. My wife said they were the best ribs yet! Travis <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/files/rural-living/437988-bbq-smokers-20150815_195408-jpg"/>

OK, what I want to know now is whether EA Attachments has it's prototype SSQA mount smoker out for field testing yet? Will it be available in multiple widths and with single or double lids? What is the max opening? Will there be a "buy three implements and get a free smoker" program?

 

[EverythingAttachments]

OK, what I want to know now is whether EA Attachments has it's prototype SSQA mount smoker out for field testing yet? Will it be available in multiple widths and with single or double lids? What is the max opening? Will there be a "buy three implements and get a free smoker" program?

Ted has 5 grills because he cooks quite a bit for his church. Yea, he's a grill master that pays attention to every grill he passes for design ideas, so who knows!

Here's his whole tenderloin roast from the weekend.

 

[IslandTractor]

Ted has 5 grills because he cooks quite a bit for his church. Yea, he's a grill master that pays attention to every grill he passes for design ideas, so who knows!

Here's his whole tenderloin roast from the weekend.

View attachment 437996

Tell Ted he needs to consider pin mounted versions of the EA BBQ too as not everyone has SSQA.

I like the little platform bridge on that grill too. Very nice way to quickly convert a standard grill into a smoker.