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Post by Guvmintcheeze on Dec 9, 2014 16:22:03 GMT
I've done that,..it's ok. Nothing to write home about. Anyway I've just got a cheap old Char Broil smoker which is about the size and shape of an elongated 55 gallon drum. with a sidebox for wood. My uncle taught me to smoke fish and deer in a converted fridge-smoker, then I went to work in Ulrich's and learned about smoking damn near everything (Bacon, hams, ring bologna, dried beef, fish of all kinds, landjager sausage, summer saussage, turkey, pheasants,..all game birds, jerky, deer, exotics of all sorts..on and on.) in big old8'x5' walk/roll-in/hang in 1800's style smokers. And I got this thing a long time ago from a guy who could not pay a bill. But I AM going to build myself one of those old smokers in the old man's way back yard just cause I can. I was gonna quote Jdave but I fucked up. I'm High.
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Post by Dago on Dec 9, 2014 17:01:05 GMT
The Masterbuilt does not do cold smoking, unfortunately. I think the minimum setting is around 180F. It could be easily modified for that. The wood is put into the smoker on the side near the bottom, so it would be easy enough to have a smoke box beside the smoker and run the smoke in through a tube to the side opening. The Bradley looks like a great design and maybe more versatile than what I've got. I've never used one and don't know anyone who has one, so I'd ask around and see what other people's experiences are. Whichever model you get, the key to electric is how easy it is to maintain constant temperatures. The tradeoff is less airflow and fewer chemicals in the smoke that creates certain reactions during the cooking process. The obvious one is the lack of a smoke ring, which isn't a big deal, but I've read that there are some other things as well. So electrics are a lot easier, which is why I think they're great for beginners like me, but there are just some things you can't do that you can with a charcoal or wood-fired smoker. For me, the tradeoff is worth it until I feel like I've learned the basics. The Bradley did give me a heart attack on Thanksgiving. I went to crank it up for the beef loin I was going to smoke and the feeder wouldn't stop and it was giving me an error code took it apart and found a wire had come out its plastic locking connector. put it back in place with a little silicone gel and a few hours later there was tasty goodness never done a beef tenderloin before....it came out amazing and the leftovers were still juicy a couple days later. as much as I loved it, its a bit pricey to do often
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Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2014 19:28:32 GMT
JDave, caveman style isn't all that imho. I like the taste charcoal imparts on steak but when you cook straight on the coals, it's overbearing, at least to me. It looks cool though! If you want a great sear on a steak, you have many options on a kamado. You can buy a small grill grate that will sit further down into the firebowl to allow you to get closer to the flame. You can also use "Grillgrates" that will act as an infrared grill or you can use a baking steel and use it as a griddle. You can actually flip the "Grillgrates" over and use that as a griddle. We do it all of the time and make smash burgers. This is what a steak cooked on "Grillgrates" looks like : These are smash burgers on the flip side of "Grillgrates" As for reverse searing on a steak, I don't think that's the way to roll. Steaks are so thin that it's a waste. Even if it's a 2 inch steak. Tri Tip is another story, those are perfectly suited for the reverse sear. The way I do steaks is marinate in beer in a shallow pan, 20 minutes per side. Remove from beer, and let hang out in the fridge uncovered on a rack for an hour or two to dry out. Add whatever spices you like to the steak, kosher salt and coarse pepper work wonders, cook on a 600-700 degree grill 2 minutes, rotate 1/4 turn, cook 2 more minutes, flip, cook 2 minutes, turn 1/4 turn, cook 2 more minutes and then check the center with an instant read thermometer like a Thermapen. I cook mine to roughly 140° and then pull and let rest. I cook only choice or better beef. Certified angus or better. I grind my own meat for burgers and sometimes cut my own steaks from sub primals. Wet and dry aging are on the horizion, lol! We all gotta eat, why not eat goooooooood?
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Post by JDaveG on Dec 9, 2014 20:24:22 GMT
RG, you are one serious dude. I want to be like you when I grow up!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2014 23:04:46 GMT
Damn! That's funny shit! LOL!!
Thanks?
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Post by mdrake34 on Dec 10, 2014 2:25:22 GMT
I just roll around with my big honkin' ugly old wood smoker. (I'll be building a huge wood-fired cinder block roll in smoker maybe next year, to replicate the old ones I learned to smoke in at Ulrich's Meat Market.) Ulrich's Meat MarketI may not be as skilled as most at this, but I'll put my ribs and rubs up against anyone. I've always figured the dudes who fab up a smoker out of old barrels and throw wood they chopped themselves are the best at this stuff. One thing a bunch of folks on the BGE forum are doing is cooking steaks "caveman style." It doesn't sound appetizing -- cooking directly on the charcoal -- but these fools swear by it. I might get the stones to try that one day. Wouldn't impart carcinogens into the meat? That can't be healthy. I went camping in college and we shot a rabbit (with a 30-30) field dressed it, wrapped it in tin foil, and cooked it directly in the coals. We were shit-hammered, and it was delicious.
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Post by JDaveG on Dec 10, 2014 2:27:47 GMT
You shot a bunny with a .30-30?
Was there anything left besides shit and eyeballs?
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Post by mdrake34 on Dec 10, 2014 2:29:43 GMT
You shot a bunny with a .30-30? Was there anything left besides shit and eyeballs? My brother shot it, and it ripped the poor bastard in half.
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Post by mdrake34 on Dec 11, 2014 16:41:02 GMT
Damn those vertical electric smokers aren't cheap. I've always wanted a horizontal barrel-style smoker/grill with a fire box, but a quality one would be the same or more as the vertical smoker's I've looked at online. Charbroil makes cheap horizontals but they get awful reviews, flimsy legs and the paint comes off and rusts after one use.
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Post by JDaveG on Dec 11, 2014 16:51:19 GMT
There's a dude on BBQ Pitmasters that uses vertical charcoal smokers for competition Q.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2014 1:36:11 GMT
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Post by Ramen on Dec 12, 2014 1:40:07 GMT
Hey, I see those little mesh baking things all the time on show but can't seem to find them in real life. What are they called other than "little mesh baking things"?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2014 1:46:06 GMT
Hey, I see those little mesh baking things all the time on show but can't seem to find them in real life. What are they called other than "little mesh baking things"? Baking Mats my good man. I got those on amazon pretty cheap. Baking Mats
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Post by JDaveG on Dec 17, 2014 21:51:22 GMT
Picking up the egg tonight. Probably won't be able to cook on it until Saturday (we have evening activities tomorrow and Friday, and I have to assemble it tonight). I'm going to start with some type of fish like salmon or tuna, along with some veggies (probably brussels sprouts or asparagus). After the Nativity fast is over, we'll be grilling, smoking and roasting all sorts of flesh meats, though. When Ramen gets to town, I'm thinking ribs, a brisket and some steaks and wings.
I'm also going to cook the sausage balls for Christmas breakfast on there, along with the 2 12 pound turkeys for lunch.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2014 12:20:28 GMT
Cool deal, you KNOW I am expecting pics right?
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