Gods and Goddesses of smoked cooking...

Please share your equipment, method, recipes, trade secrets, whatever it is that makes smoked meat so delicious. Because I will buy from you smoked whatever and then beg for more...

a reply to: EternalSolace

55 gal barrel grill wood +hot charcoal ... some seasoning and alot of food that was not edable lol

Its really not the hardest thing ever get a good grill or smoker if u use a grill its gota be big place real wood charcoal ... not that matchlight little squares... away from ur food. ur cooking indirectaly. Pick a wood get large chunks toss it on the fire ... start with cheap meat i learned smoking catfish

a reply to: markovian

not that matchlight little squares

Thank God. A voice of reason !! I've been telling people that for years. Matchlight or any other "pre soaked" or whatever they call it, is nothing but ground up pine or other cheap wood, mixed with coal. Not charcoal. Coal. And it makes everything taste like lighter fluid. Get REAL charcoal, a starter chimney and a page out of a newspaper, squirt a bit of cooking oil all over the paper so it doesn't burn too fast and you have the start of some great food.

Woo, plus one for real charcoal!

Can't wait to make my own.

I have a Master Built electric smoker.
Just used it two days ago to smoke a pork butt.
I know it's not considered healthy but fatty meats are the best smoked. (Bacon anyone)

I make home made pastrami. Plenty of speck (a Jewish word for fat in meat to be cherished not avoided)

Remember the scene in When Harry Met Sally in the deli? Oh god oh yes?
That's a real place in NYC called Katz Deli. I got a recipe online that purportedly is an exact duplicate of their pastrami.
amazingribs.com...

The thing about any smoked meats is that it takes time. My pork roast took sixteen hours. The pastrami I make takes about eight hours of smoking but about ten days to prepare the meat. Ok I cheat and start with a corned beef and that takes three days off the process. Still desalination (careful you don't remove too much of the salt or its bland...guilty again.) Then dry rub and waiting time. And smoking and waiting and then steaming.
But it's worth it and yes I've gotten more than a few "oh gods" when I serve this. Usually followed by "this is soooo good"

The above web site is a pit master site and is loaded with tips and recipes.

Vegans keep Out...LOL




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I just purchased a side by side barrel type smoker. (Small barrel for fire/large barrel for meat)
Ive considerd myself a grill master for years, and this is my first venture to REAL Bbq. Ive read and watched many pitmasters blogs/videos/advice, and feel comfortable and confident.
Ill be sure to post some pics and recipes I whip up over the next month! I wouldn't mind discussing the art of smoking with some of the more seasoned (rimshot) pit enthusiasts.

a reply to: lordcomac

ACE hardware sells bags of wood chips for the smoker.
I buy cherry ( great with birds ,duck chicken turkey) hickory a classic smoke flavor and mesquite for a southwest flavor.

a reply to: Sillyolme

THATS WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT!!!!
Reading your reply, all I thought was, 'this person isnt making a main dish, or an entree, this person is making edible art!'
Only a TRUE ARTIST will spend that amount of time on ANYTHING!!! All in the name of perfection!!!

a reply to: markovian

Fish is hard actually because you have to keep the smoke cold or you just get cooked fish. Smoking should keep the fish very very moist and the texture firm but not flaky like cooking a fish stove top. Think lox texture or that delicate whitefish called sable that melts on a bagel. It takes some skill.
Timing is everything .
In this case with fish less is more.

a reply to: Brian4real

Art for ten minutes. A pastrami last about that long on our table. Makes four hearty sandwiches. Half a pound of meat on rye bread isn't too much is it?

a reply to: Brian4real

Best of luck.
If you like grilling you're going to love smoking if only because it does indeed elevate your cooking to an art and not everybody is into that.
Still a good char grilled burger is nothing to sneeze at either.
Black outside and red inside a potato roll good Jewish dill pickles and a thick slice of tomato.
It's what's for dinner...

a reply to: DAVID64

We always use wood in our grill never charcoal. And yeah I ate more than a few diesel flavored burgers growing up.
In the sixties on long island everybody barbecued every weekend so much that it contributed to the smog in NYC. The dawn of suburbia, a grill in every yard those wooden picnic tables with the benches attached to the table and stripped umbrellas.
It was practically pop culture. Drink pink squirrels or brandy Alexander's or gin and tonic and dance the bossa nova. High heels that put holes in the lawn.
Those were the days.

I love smoked fish but I buy it instead of smoking it because it needs a seperate smoker. I have a big smoker and I have made jerkey in it over hardwood in the smokebox. Also it is great for making smoked turkey, but it takes ten hours of smoking and cooking to do a turkey. It is a lot of work to do a turkey. To prep the turkey, soaking it in a salt brine with a few spices, takes about twelve hours too.

a reply to: EternalSolace

There's a member who's dad makes smokers out of beer bottles and posts the videos on YT. I watched a couple of the videos last year and couldn't find the posts when you posted the thread.

I 'liked' the video at the time and here it is.

Just posting my results after a busy weekend bbq'ing.
Since this was my first venture into the smoke box, I started with an easy one, baby back ribs.
I used Dr. BBQ's recipe for rub and sauce, and was impressed with the result!!!! Absolutely delicious!!!

Before the sauce-


And After-


Since the ribs were unbelievable, i got a boost in confidence (and ego), so I stepped it up with a pork tenderloin. I have no hesitation in saying this was the best pork tenderloin ive ever eaten!!! Nothing fancy, just one of those packaged, pre-marinated ones from the grocery store.


*Note that beautiful smoke ring*😉

I even smoked some fresh veggies with it...

*HIGHLY recommend!!!*

With my ego soaring, I took on the Pinnacle of the BBQ world last night, Pork Shoulder.



It took a lot longer than I expected(13 hours total). I actually just took it off the smoker at 5 am this morning. Almost all of pitmasters recommend a 'cool down' period of 2-4 hours, where you wrap the meat in foil and place it in a cooler, so thats where I am right now. Im just about to start pulling it, then im going to place the pulled pork in a few foil pans, douse them with sauce, and put them back in for a couple hours for dinner tonight.
Heres the links to the rub recipes I used...
Dr. BBQ's Bab Back ribs

Ive been trying to link to the pork shoulder recipe, but I cant. I'm guessing its because its a pdf. So just Google Dr. BBQ's pork shoulder, and it will take you there.

Happy BBQing!!!

a reply to: Brian4real

Dear God that looks amazing...

I know I'm late to the party but I work a lot. Here's a special I put in our smoker last night. 220 F for 14 hours. I do pork shoulders every Sunday as a Monday special that sit in the smoker for 18 hours. I'm getting a little hammered as I write this so..... sorry for it being so cut and dry

Here's the little suckling



Here it is in my smoker with the two shoulders I do every Sunday night.



Southern pride smoker.



14 hours in the smoker