smokers Post your Smoker/BBQ/Cooker pics here

[redeyes]

Nice looking smoker! I love how your fire box is pretty large and opens from the side. The only thing I don't like with mine is the firebox is a bit small for the size of the smoker and it's pretty low on the ground so you have to practically get on your knees to add logs. However it does have a 2qt water pan on top of the fire box that I fill with apple juice for the first hour of smoking. It really helps keep the meat moist for the long 5-6 hours it cooks.

thanks bro, yeah it does open from the side and it is good size box... i am getting a cord of half oak and half Mesquite.... but i really like oak and hickory..... i cant get hickory here or atleast that much of it.... i will post pics of the wood...

oh and you guys that try the foil thing let me know how it works out for you... you can try of other veggies as well for fun... Squash is one i have been working with and it cooks great whole.... have fun !!!

 

[midwestchilehead]

It looks like this thread could use a bump since the last post was in 2009, and I just happened to get a new toy, so here you go: It is a Vision Grill Kamado, a clone of the Big Green Egg. Got a steal on it at Westlake Hardware on closeout. Normally $699, it was marked down to $379. I spent more than that on my WSM 22.5. Now I just have to build a shed to hold all my grills!

 

[chileaddict]

Nice...Looks heavy and high quality. Happy smoking!

 

[salsalady]

looks cool, midwest. Good thing it has wheels!

 

[buddy]

very nice. i wish that there was a westlake harware around here.

 

[LGHT]

Post some reviews if you get a chance. My WSM is a bit old an I was considering one of these BGE knock offs since the prices is a lot more affordable just not sure if i'm going to get the same results as I love my WSM.

 

[capsidadburn]

Here is my egg. Its the second largest size. I've probably had it 15 years. Photo taken last February in one of the half inch snow falls we get every couple of years.
Mike

Smoking Espelette Basque peppers, Yum!

 

[LUCKYDOG]

Jealous of the eggs - My smoker crapped out this winter time to get a new - I was thinking of getting a Char-Grill Bullet and possibly a Master Forge Dually Charcoal Grill

 

[midwestchilehead]

Well, I've cooked on it three times now. I grilled a pork roast, made pizza and smoked some ribs.

The ceramic mass makes it very fuel efficient and the temperature control is outstanding. I still can't get used to shutting down the exhaust vent to control heat, but it is really necessary. Temperature is very responsive, too. Once you move a vent, you can watch the needle on the thermometer move right away.

As a grill it excels. No wasted heat and it gave the pork roast a nice dark brown bark while the inside was tender and juicy. I ran it at about 350 deg. F.

I screwed up the pizza because I didn't understand how to control the temperature. The stone was too cool for the first pie. Once I figured out the vents though, I could easily maintain temperatures exceeding 700 degrees F (the thermometer only goes to about 550 F - way too low IMHO. I may have to see about getting a different thermometer.

While smoking the ribs, the temperature control was outstanding. I was easily able to keep it at 225 - 250 deg F for five hours. Again the meat had a nice dark brown bark and was tender and juicy inside. I left the ribs on a tad too long, but they weren't all dry and crusty, nor falling off the bone. I liked the texture it gave them. You can't use very much wood in them though. With so little air movement, it is really easy to oversmoke things. Fortunately I knew that going in.

My only complaint is the size. I've come to love the 22.5" WSM and the grate on this one is 18". I had to roll up my ribs to fit the two racks and the tips on the grate. I prefer cooking my ribs flat - which the large WSM allows. So if you are just smoking one piece of meat (a brisket or a pork butt) I'm sure it would be fine, but I tend to smoke a lot of stuff when I smoke, so I will probably use the WSM or my competition offset for that task.

Post some reviews if you get a chance. My WSM is a bit old an I was considering one of these BGE knock offs since the prices is a lot more affordable just not sure if i'm going to get the same results as I love my WSM.

 

[texas blues]

Here's my UDS I designed and built last year.

You can see the welded tabs for holding the 18" grates.

At the base of the drum I have 6 each 3/4" holes going around the drum that I use with the same size bolts and washers for controlling airflow. More air? Just pull out a bolt. Between that and the custom made steel lid with sliding vents, it works perfectly in controlling temps.

The UDS works fabulous for not only ribs, brisket, butts and salmon, but is also excellent for other 'thangs....like this cheddar bacon bloomin' onion. Are you gettin' hungry or what?

 

[Blister]

That is one sweet setup there TB! If only I could get my hands on a drum I'd figure out how to jimmy up the rest.

 

[texas blues]

Much obliged man. Any ol' drum can work. This one was an empty that held hydraulic fluid. I burned the barrel out to remove any film from the fluid with a weed burner. Not shown is the thermometer mounted between the grates. The beauty of a UDS lies in its simplicity. It'll burn all day @225f on a few pounds of lump coal.

 

[Blister]

I think I have a line on a new barrel. If that falls through I may be able to find a used one and do the same as you, burn the hell out of it. There just isn't anything around that seems to work all that well for what you pay for it. I'd love to give one of those green egg dealies a shot, but they're $1000.00 here.

 

[texas blues]

Had a gas grill mrs. blues liked and used. I never thought it got hot enough. It's going to the metals recycler on monday. I've been trying to talk her into a small or mini egg. She's not hip to it yet but she will be.

 

[Blister]

The gassers are the only thing I'm used to. You know that whole taste the meat and not the heat thing . I'm actually really excited that I may be able to do up a UDS. I've found a place here in town that sells pork shoulder. I've GOTTA do up some pulled pork!!

So far I've only been able to find the off-set drum smoker/grill or the one like this Brinkmann Grill which I guess you could use for smoking.

 

[texas blues]

You could use the Brinkman for smoking but I think you have more control on temps with a drum style. Other than a kamodo style of smoker, the drum is all I'll ever need.

 

[Alphaeon]

Nice rig TB

 

[midwestchilehead]

Nice, simple design. Did you build the top from scratch? I haven't seen one like that before. How did you build it?

I have been seeing these a lot of these UDSs show up at bbq competitions, so I figure they must work pretty damn well. And yes, that onion is making me hungry!

Here's my UDS I designed and built last year.


The UDS works fabulous for not only ribs, brisket, butts and salmon, but is also excellent for other 'thangs....like this cheddar bacon bloomin' onion. Are you gettin' hungry or what?

 

[The Hot Pepper]

The gassers are the only thing I'm used to. You know that whole taste the meat and not the heat thing . I'm actually really excited that I may be able to do up a UDS. I've found a place here in town that sells pork shoulder. I've GOTTA do up some pulled pork!!

So far I've only been able to find the off-set drum smoker/grill or the one like this Brinkmann Grill which I guess you could use for smoking.

UDS' are okay, not true indirect cooking though, with the meat above the heat source. You can mod it with a deflector plate for a better taste that is closer to indirect. Without a deflector the center of the rack will be a lot hotter than the sides affecting cook times. Also the fat and juices drip onto the coals which causes a burnt steam flavor, which can cause bitterness with long cooks. You can't cook with wood only, the UDS works best with a bed of coals and chips, so you will always get that charcoal taste, and some prefer wood only for smoke flavor.

A deflector plate could be a round terra cotta pot bottom (the drip thingie) wrapped in foil, allowing the heat and smoke to rise from the sides and flow over the meat, or you could weld something if you are handy, but I'd go for a heavy gauge metal.

With an offset smoker, you have the firebox on the side. There is nothing in the cooking chamber except heat and smoke, which travel across the meat and out through the chimney. This is a true smoker, and yields better results in my opinion.

In Canada, you can get this as a starter: http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/2/OutdoorLiving/BBQs/CharcoalBBQ/PRD~0851019P/Deluxe%252BCharcoal%252BGrill%252B%25252B%252BSmoker%252B.jsp?locale=en

I'll post my baby when it warms up!

 

[Blister]

Thanks for the advice THP! I actually had one like that that I got from my grandpa. The thing is he modified the firebox so he could run propane in it. Basically he cut a big hole in the bottom of it and put a propane burner and CI pan in it. The brinkmann link I posted was similar to the one that I had seen. The one I was looking at has a similar box design, but it has vents and a chimney. I was thinking you could have the meat on the chimney side and the coals on the other.