Smokers (BBQ - not grilling)

[BackintheSaddle]

Was picking up some earl filters at VIP auto and went through the exhaust section, found this.

It's a perfect slip-on fit on top of the original 3" OD exhaust pipe, and at 18" is more than long enough. Might actually end up trimming it down a little, but not until after I rework the exhaust pick-up inside the cooking chamber.

I want to make a rectangular box that will draw from below the grate level, so the extra draft from this extension will probably come in handy then. The 3" tailpipe was about $5. Of course, it will get painted. Maybe even make a rain cap.

The smoker farkles just never end...

Too funny, I found that exact same piece at the local O'reillys for mine!

On mine, the feed between the firebox and the cook chamber was big enough topass a whole chicken through before my mods. I ended up with an ellipse sized per the calculator. Here's another handy online tool to help with sizing: https://www.1728.org/ellipse.htm

Picked up tomorrow's guest of honor. a nice 7 1/2 lb (before trimming) USDA Choice Brisket flat. It has some really nice striation in the meat grain.

I'm extremely optimistic about tomorrow's outcome. Here's Bessie after trimming, dry brining, and laying on a nice coating of Meathead's Big Bad Beef Rub. I retained a few extra tablespoons of the rub for sprinkling on after the crutch.

Going to have to start this puppy before dawn tomorrow for it to be ready for a late dinner feast. I'll be cooking it on the Ugly Drum as it holds its low and slow temps better and longer with less fussing. But I still don't trust it for an overnight smoke (yet).

Nice looking piece. What internal temperature do you target?

 

[Knifemaker]

How can you tell? I didn't see anything on the outside of the cryovac bag except USDA Prime. Just checked the bag again, nothing indicating a packing date. Yeah it would be nice if wit was wet aged. I don't have the patience for that.

Well you'd think the butcher would know. Some stores keep their meat in the cooler and won't put them out until they are over 30 days from the packing date. And your first post said USDA Choice...USDA Prime is of course better.

Going by my fuel use and the "fussing" I do when using my smoker, I don't think I'd attempt a 10-12 hour cook on it. But I'd imagine I could do a brisket for 6 hours on the smoker then finnish it off in the oven....then toss it on the grill to re-harden the bark....(sounds like a fun summer project... )

 

[Fred W]

@BitS - I'm going to try and hit 203F internal this time. Shouldn't be too hard with a well trimmed flat.

@Knifemaker - This was a reasonably priced piece of beef, which is hard to find these days. Our butcher shop gets $10 / lb for Prime Angus Brisket, and that is untrimmed. I went to the local supermarket and asked if the had any brisket flats out back because they had zero brisket in the display case. I got this Choice one still in the cryovac bag for $5.99 /lb.

6 hours wouldn't even get you through the stall, IME. But you should still have plenty of good smoke flavor by then. I finished a pork shulder in the kitchen once and it was great./ So was the smell of the entire house, though SWMBO did not agree.

Lately I've been going with the Choice grade beef (steaks and such) and giving it a good dose of dry brine to tenderize it. Normally the biggest difference between choice and prime grades is how much fat is marbled into the muscle. This one looks too good to be choice. Of course the proof will come on Saturday night.

I just completed fabricating another version of a heat diffuser plate for the UDS out of a cheap thin 16" pizza pan from Walmart. (photos later) With such a thin piece of meat I do not want to hit it with the high direct heat, and the diffuser should help with that at the expense of using a little more fuel. I also added another set of screws to the drum to allow positioning the cooking grid closer to the top of the drum, to get it further up from the heat source. Hopefully these two things will allow the brisket to cook low and slow, and not dry out in 12 hours of cooking.

 

[rushes]

I have a question, and I understand I'm in the presence of Master chefs, so please be gentle.

I'm not a cook, but I was given an electric smoker, so I've dabbled a bit with some success. (so far everything has been edible)

I have too many wild cherry trees on my property, and that's what I use for the smoke. I built a metal box that sits just above the element that works well. All smoke and no fire.

I have a Brinkman Gourmet that works well, but as far as heat control, it's WFO.

I recently was given several pounds of fresh trout and want to smoke it, but fear burning it up.

I wonder if there is some plug-n-play electronic device that would monitor temp?

I've found a few people that have built stuff, but I'm not in to that.

Or should I just give it away and get a better one?

 

[Bounce]

[6 hours wouldn't even get you through the stall, IME.

Preach it, bro!

 

[Bounce]

I have a question
I wonder if there is some plug-n-play electronic device that would monitor temp?

Or should I just give it away and get a better one?

That's 2 completely different questions.

1. Should you keep a questionable smoker that can't hold a steady temp if wrapped in a blanket and tucked away for a nap?

I would say no. Your job is a lot harder if you have a shell that can't insulate external temp fluctuations from what's going on inside. No matter if you do it manually or with some tech, it's just a lot more work (and more fuel) with a higher chance of a botched cook.

2. Is there temperature monitoring tech?

Sure. You can monitor via wifi or blue tooth if you want but monitoring still doesn't address temp swings when using either the wrong fuel or working with unstable smokers (it just keeps you informed about those swings - sometimes without needing to hover over the smoker for 12 hours). CONTROLLING temp is a completely different tech. It's out there but often doesn't have the adapters for sub-par smokers simply because the tech can often cost more than the cheap smokers. On the outside chance I could break the magician's code, I'll give a link via PM if you're really interested.

It's always the first step when getting ready to step off the Indiana Jones ledge of invisible bridges, that's the scariest part. Once your wallet is open, it gets a lot easier.

 

[rushes]

I guess what I'm wanting is this to be like the oven in the kitchen, but with the smoke.

*edit* Sounds like I need to jump...

*edit* again, I don't need fancy stuff.

Researched, and that's not what I want.

I am looking for a plug in temperature controller, thermostat, so I don't have to stand there and plug and un plug.

If this is too primitive for the experts, maybe I should start a new thread for newbs.. lol

 

[Fred W]

Nah, not really. You can cook just fine with a smoker that has temperature fluctuations. It just means that you have to be more attentive and fiddle with it more. I would think that the electric smoker would be perfect for doing your fish. Cooked fish is best with a fairly light smoke spice. Lighter flavored woods like your cherry should be great. Just debark the cherry wood for the best flavor,

Not sure why you fear burning up the trout. What is it that you want to do with it? There are two distinctly different ways to smoke fish: Cold smoking, and Hot smoking. Cold smoking fish is risky as the temperature never gets high enough to cure the meat, so you need to chemically cure it somehow or risk getting very sick. Hot smoking is just like what we do with other meats, cooking at 225 degrees F should work well, and for fish you would cook it to an internal temp of 145 F, just like pork. It will be nice and smokey, and with the natural fat content of the fish flesh will still be moist and tasty.

 

[rushes]

Back to basics..

Temp control on a cheap electric smoker.

This smoker is WFO without me

Can it be done?

 

[Fred W]

Lots of people using Cheap Electric Smokers successfully. Why is there no temp control? Sounds like yours is broken. It is supposed to have a temp sensor inside the cabinet and a dial you can adjust to change the temp. Does yours not have these? What make and model smoker is this?

 

[rushes]

It's out of control...

That's what I'm hoping you electricians can help me grasp...

 

[Knifemaker]

Back to basics..Temp control on a cheap electric smoker.

This smoker is WFO without me

Can it be done?

Actually it can, but I'm not the electronic whiz to help you. Basicly you want a tempature gauge that you can set to a specific temp and have the unit "turn off" the heat element of the smoker if it goes over that tempature. Once it falls below that, it turns the burner back on.

Am sure there are devices that can do this, or be altered to do that. I'm surprised the unit doesn't already have some kind of tempature control being electric....

 

[rushes]

Back to basics..

Temp control on a cheap electric smoker.

This smoker is WFO without me

Can it be done?

Actually it can, but I'm not the electronic whiz to help you. Basicly you want a tempature gauge that you can set to a specific temp and have the unit "turn off" the heat element of the smoker if it goes over that tempature. Once it falls below that, it turns the burner back on.

Am sure there are devices that can do this, or be altered to do that. I'm surprised the unit doesn't already have some kind of tempature control being electric....

Yes, That's what I want!

I wish there were smart enough people on this forum to figure it out.

I guess that's what I get....

*forgot the smiley*

 

[BackintheSaddle]

Something like this might work: https://www.amazon.com/Temperature-Controller-C100FK02-V-110-240V-thermocouple/dp/B00RA0TWWA/ref=sr_1_8?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1465592915&sr=1-8&keywords=temperature+controller

There are a number of very simple temp controller set-ups available but some don't seem to go high enough for some cooking adventures.

 

[rushes]

Something like this might work: https://www.amazon.com/Temperature-Controller-C100FK02-V-110-240V-thermocouple/dp/B00RA0TWWA/ref=sr_1_8?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1465592915&sr=1-8&keywords=temperature+controller
There are a number of very simple temp controller set-ups available but some don't seem to go high enough for some cooking adventures.

I need a plug-n-play.

HELP!!! lol

 

[Knifemaker]

Like this thing?

https://www.homebrewsupply.com/inkbird-programmable-digital-temperature-controller-w-alarm.html?gclid=CLKVzeu0ns0CFZSMaQod01oBhA

What about a Variac transformer?

 

[rushes]

I think that's what I'm looking for!

 

[Knifemaker]

The Variac transformer:

https://www.circuitspecialists.com/variac-tdgc2-2.html

This basicly lets you lower the voltage going INTO your smoker. Basicly it's a giant dimmer switch. The one linked is 20 amps. Don't know how many amps your smoker uses, they sell a 5 amp one for less.

 

[BackintheSaddle]

Variac is a good idea. Wouldn't truly control but once you found the balance point it would stay put.

 

[Bounce]

Okay... here's the secret. If your element isn't already thermostatically controlled it needs to be.

If you use a more traditional smoker you manage temp by controlling air flow. You can get a thing that manages air flow for you (which is how smoker raise and lower the temp. If you need more heat, you don't turn up the charcoal, you increase air flow. If you need less heat, then you cut air flow (starving the fire until it drops back down).

Normally, you do this with your air inlet and exhaust but you can lend that a hand with one of these.

https://www.bbqguru.com/

From low(ish) to high tech, they cover the bases so you don't have to cover the patio chair all night long. When first firing up, you watch it to make sure the starting temp doesn't increase above your target cooker temp (because many well-insulated smokers can take a long time to cool back down). Once you have it stabilized and the fuel topped off, then toss on your flesh of choice and relax (with some models, way back in the house with a laptop talking to the BBQ Guru's built-in WiFi (alarms for temps too low and too high as well).

Finally a better (not "good" but better[1]) night's sleep for a 12pm BBQ lunch. No need to bunk out next to the smoker and stay awake all night to keep things under control.

[1] You'll still "worry" and check occasionally but it's tons easier.

If I lose my esteemed membership in the BBQ Guild, it's on you guys' shoulders. On the other hand, if you're unwilling to do what it takes to low-and-slow (either time or money or both) then what you're wanting is a grill. Don't be ashamed about it. Lots of Yankees and Carpet Baggers confuse grilling with BBQ. Remember that BBQ is a noun; not a verb. You can grill and you can smoke but your can't do a BBQ. You eat BBQ made in a smoker.