First attempts with new smoker!

[Jim]

For Christmas my wife surprised me with a Masterbuilt propane smoker for camp. I was very excited to get this unboxed and built, and finally I was able to put it to use. First attempt ribs, 2nd attempt was a brisket flat.

Shot of my outdoor cooking station.

Money shot of the smoker!

Ribs before.....

Ribs ready to go in.........

4 hours later doing the 2-1-1 method........

End result.........

Brisket with only salt, pepper and granulated garlic.

Brisket end result........

So, what I learned.....

1, dialing in temp was up and down 10 degrees. I tried to jerk 225 but went up and down 10 degrees throughout both cooks.

2, The pan held a bunch of wood chips, there was smoke flavor for sure, but there was no smoke ring. I wish this smoker would hold chunks. Anyone know of any modifications I could do?

3, The dreaded stall....I hate it and will not comply with the norm. I let the brisket get up to 165, wrapped it in peach paper, saw the temp go down to 154 and it stalled there. After 4 hours at the stall I pulled it out and left it wrapped in a towel for at least an hour. The brisket was moist and delicious (see picture above), best one I ever made. No more letting the brisket get to 190-200 and then wrapping.


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[ppine]

Looks like fun and good eating.
Mostly what you have been doing is cooking in your smoker.
At lower temperatures you can hot smoke and cold smoke.
I have an electric Big Chief. It only has one temperature which is pretty low.
Smoking fish after brining over night takes about 6 hours.

 

[LDUBS]

I know nothing about smokers but the results sure look awesome. Your cooking station is pretty awesome too.

 

[lovedr79]

looks pretty good. i am not sure about the propane smokers, the electric smokers like mine will not get a smoke ring.

 

[Jim]

looks pretty good. i am not sure about the propane smokers, the electric smokers like mine will not get a smoke ring.

Ok, good to know. Not like i'm going to do competition or anything, but it was good.

 

[lovedr79]

it looked good. i feel the smoke ring is over rated. i have used propane, electric and oak coals. in the end everyone was happy and the meat was fantastic. i am doing a whole hog cook in november. we will see how that turns out. whole hog is my favorite to cook.

 

[10sne1]

I have chicken thighs on may brinkmanship propane at this moment. I had been an electric smoker man, but went propane, as to have backup if power goes out due to Hurricanes. Central Florida here. I love the propane, as it heats fast, easy, eats great. 6 to 8 cooks per tank! Enjoy your toy!

 

[Jim]

I have chicken thighs on may brinkmanship propane at this moment. I had been an electric smoker man, but went propane, as to have backup if power goes out due to Hurricanes. Central Florida here. I love the propane, as it heats fast, easy, eats great. 6 to 8 cooks per tank! Enjoy your toy!

How did they come out?

 

[BigTerp]

I love doing chicken thighs and legs on my UDS. I brine mine for a few hours, up to overnight, in 2 gallons of water with 2 cups brown sugar and 1 cup kosher salt. Rinse, pat dry and then apply a generous amount my poultry rub. On my UDS between 300-350 with some fruit wood (usually apple and/or cherry) for an hour then flipped for another hour and done. Turns out excellent every time!!

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[eshaw]

What is UDS?

 

[BigTerp]

What is UDS?

Ugly drum smoker. I made mine out of a 55 gallon metal drum. There are many variations and ways to make one. There is even some commercially made versions, although most are homemade. Mine uses a 3/4" ball valve to control intake along with 2 other 3/4" capped nipples. A 2" x 6" 90 degree nipple for exhaust. A large fire box made of expanded metal that will hold probably 15# of charcoal, and 2 grates made of expanded metal. Mine is super efficient and basically set and forget, especially after adding a PartyQ temperature controller.

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[ppine]

You can smoke meat and fish at low temperatures as in under around 115-120. degrees,
Or you can cook it with smoke which is any temperature higher than that.

Smoking normally involves soaking in water and salt and sugar and other spices overnight.
cooking doesn't.

There is also cold smoking which is at an even lower temperature than hot smoking.

 

[hounddog]

Real good looking food! Hey Big Terp, does your UDS just have a hinged door on the side to put the charcoal in?
This looks like a great idea for a smoker.

 

[eshaw]

When you smoke stuff do you have to wet the wood first?

 

[Jim]

When you smoke stuff do you have to wet the wood first?

Sometimes, no rhyme or reason why either.


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[BigTerp]

Real good looking food! Hey Big Terp, does your UDS just have a hinged door on the side to put the charcoal in?
This looks like a great idea for a smoker.

No door. The charcoal basket lifts out after removing the grates. I do this after every cook to clean up the ash and drippings to prevent the bottom from rusting out. So far my UDS is still as good as new after dozens of cooks, but I admit I'm rather anal with keeping in clean. Below is my charcoal basket.

 

[BigTerp]

When you smoke stuff do you have to wet the wood first?

Never. Wet wood will steam rather than smoke until all the water is driven off/out. Kind of counter productive. I've also heard that it can cause some creosote, although I'm not sold on that theory. If you are soaking chips to keep them from burning up quickly, wrapping them in a foil pack with holes poked in it will work much better.

 

[hounddog]

Thanks for the info! I think I just found my next building project! I like the idea of the UDS.

 

[BigTerp]

Thanks for the info! I think I just found my next building project! I like the idea of the UDS.

I love mine. They are simple but really great cookers. There are a TON of resources online for building a UDS. You can make it as simple or as complicated as you want. Mine is built 95% with welding, but you can do a complete one with just nuts and bolts.

 

[lovedr79]

Jim - one of my favorite things to smoke is chicken wings. doesnt take long and comes out great. i usually run about 225 for about 2 hours. check the internal temp and pull.