Summertime...Barbeques, Grills & Smokers!

Yesterday morning, I get to work and there is a foil pan of mac and cheese on my desk with cooking instructions. My co-worker made a batch and it was too much for he and the wife so he brought some to me. I baked it raised indirect on the Joe Jr at roughly 325F for about 40 minutes. I rested the foil pan on copper T pieces that I use for my pizza stone so the bottom wouldnt burn. Then, I removed the deflector and raised the temp to about 400F for the thick cut porterhouse chops. I hit them with just a touch of peach wood and were seasoned with a chipotle cherry rub. Pulled at 130F and rested for about 10 minutes. Fantastic dinner from the junior. Thanks for looking.

 

Mmmm Mmmmm

 

@PanChango Looks great.

 

Putting my new grill grates to use. I'm still trying to adjust my cooking times to them. But I love them!

 

Excellent. Looks like a little salt and pepper for seasoning only. Good eats.

 

Grates look interesting. What are they made of? Lemon pepper seasoning on the chicken?

 

They are made of aluminum. I cooked 2 thick ribeyes from sams club in 8 minutes and I just went over medium rare. These things are awesome. The main point for me, it that they cut down in the flare ups. The meat cooks faster .
Yes the chicken had lemon pepper seasoning. I melted a stick of butter, poured a lot of seasoning ( hows that for a measurement) and dredged the chicken and continued to baste them until done.

 

I did a pork butt on the Old Smokey yesterday. Low and slow with Apple and Cherry. This time I ran it to 180 degrees and then wrapped it for an hour or so. It came out great. For the charcoal heat, I used the "snake method". I have used this in the past and it is a great way to get low, consistent temps for many hours. It is nice when using kettle type grills.



For me the Old Smokey is a good, low priced smoker. Nothing fancy with nice results.

Here are some pics of the smoke. I also included a pic of my Redneck air flow control unit. Let's see....necessity is the motherhood of invention.

 

I like using the snake method, it really does work well in kettle grills. Until I can get a Weber Smoky Mountain, I'm using the snake method in my Weber kettle.

 

To be honest, I had a Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM) and sold it. I did not care for the actions required to set-up a smoke session using the WSM. I am able to get smokes as good as with the WSM with fewer steps. If I want water, I can set a pan in the arch of the snake. This is not a knock on the WSM or any other branding. For me, after many years of smoking using various brands, I have found the Old Smokey the product that fits my needs. When we get down to it, the key to a good smoke is temperature control, a long lasting source of heat, and the wood. The Old Smokey allows the temperature control and the snake method allows a long lasting heat source. I wish you the best in getting a WSM....it is a high quality smoker.

 

I have to agree with you that good results can be achieved with a kettle type grill. I've turned out some fine Boston butts and ribs on my kettle, but I can only do a couple of butts at one time. I have cooked 4 slabs of ribs in an upright rack, but the results weren't as good as doing only 3. Having the extra space really helps the cooking. So the main upside to me with the WSM is capacity with the 2 cooking grates.

 

Practice makes perfect. Persevere with what you have and you'll get great results.
I've had my WSM for eight years and love it. Just made the mods to bring it up to latest specification and recently started cold smoking in it.

 

Two pork shoulders I made this weekend for my daughter's 10th birthday party. The dark one was rubbed down with a store bought mix and the light one was of my own doing. Mine came out a bit too salty but still tasted pretty good. This picture was taken after 4.5 hours on the smoker. I finished it off the next morning in the oven for 4.5 more hours.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

I haven't had a lot of success with low and slow cooks on my kettle. I was considering getting a Pit Barrel cooker, but then ran across a review of the Slow 'N Sear accessory for the kettle and I ordered one. It should be here in a couple of days and I can try it this weekend if we don't have thunderstorms.

http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/slow_n_sear.html

 

Let us know how that works out, looks interesting. Did you ever try the snake method on the kettle?

 

What temp will that snake method hold, and for how long?

 

I like to do pork butts in the 230-240 degrees range. In my Old Smokey I can easily get 6 hours and that is with the snake only about 3/4th of the way around the base. If it looks like I will need heat longer, I add to the snake for more time. This is the simplest method I have used over the years for long, dependable, and consistent heat. Also, I place a chunk of hickory, or whatever type of wood I am using, about every 4 inches along the snake. It really is a simple, easy to use method.

 

It's pretty thick stainless steel, it will probably last longer than the grill. I'm working on holding the temp stable. I liked the old style kettle better, it had three separate air inlet adjustments and allowed finer control. I'll try a brisket on the 4th, that will be a good test.

No, I haven't tried the snake method, I probably should have.

 

Gentlemen! I'm going to smoke a full rack of spare ribs at some point this week. What are some important elements you look for when doing ribs? Smoker temp? Length of time? Dry rub or wet? Give me your thoughts!

I have smoked ribs one other time and then were okay....not great. Hoping for better this time. Thanks!

 

275 +/- 25 degrees, four hours, then wrap in foil for another hour.
Wet or dry is a personal preference. I prefer dry.
I use Kingsford charcoal with large water soaked chunks of hickory.