GWJ BBQ Catch All

I thought you all might appreciate hearing about my recent project and first foray into the world of smoking.

Earlier in the year, I read an article in Popular Mechanics about building a drum smoker. Since then, this has been in the back of my mind to try fabricating something similar. A few weeks ago, I was talking about the idea at work, and a coworker of mine said he could hook me up with just what I needed - a food grade barrel with a lid.

I had to get the barrel sandblasted due to a teflon-like liner on the inside that I wanted to remove. I also modified the design from the PM article after doing some research and deciding that the plans in the article were overly complicated and added unnecessary expense. I started with creating the air intakes at the bottom of the barrel by drilling 3 1" holes about 2" off the bottom. I threaded 3/4" black pipe nipples into these holes and secured them with washers and conduit nuts, then capped them off 2 of them with pipe caps. I added a ball valve to the 3rd hole for air flow adjustment.

The fire basket is just expanded metal wrapped around a 13 1/2" grate and secured with stainless steel bolts, nuts, and washers. The cooking surface is a 22 1/2" grate and mounted about 7" from the top of the barrel on stainless bolts. I also also drilled 4 1" holes into the lid which I can leave open or close off by threading in 3/4" pipe plugs. I added an inexpensive grill thermometer just below the cooking surface.

Once the barrel was done, I seasoned it by rubbing the inside down with vegetable oil and starting a good burn with coal and a few chunks of hickory.

I decided to try chicken for the maiden run of my new smoker. I picked up a whole roaster hen, as well as some thighs. I brined the chicken over night in a brine made with 1 cup of kosher salt, 1 c brown sugar, and some worcestershire sauce per gal of water. I also made a mop for the chicken using beer, honey, and olive oil.

I had been given to understand that smoking chicken should be done at higher temps than beef or pork, so I got the barrel in the 275-300 range. I used hickory, and the smoking time all told was probably 2 1/2 - 3 hours. The results were very satisfying for my first try. The chicken was moist and flavorful and had picked up a nice smoke from the hickory. It was a big hit with the family. I liked the flavor of the whole bird more than the thighs alone. I think maybe the thighs almost got too smokey, but I can't quite put my finger on it. All in all, I'm quite pleased with what I have so far, and am looking forward to doing some ribs next.

TL;DR: I made a smoker. I made chicken. It was good.

Holy cow. Pics please!

Minarchist wrote:
ccesarano wrote:

But...but...the stuffing comes out deliiiiiciooooous!

Here's the deal: since that stuffing is going to soak up a lot of raw turkey juices, it has to be cooked to ~165ºF to be safe for consumption. If you do cook it to that temperature, the rest of the bird is just going to be toast. Like, 185º – 200º or even more toast. Otherwise you're running the risk of sending everyone home very sick.

Or you can heat the stuffing first (HOT), put it in a cotton bag inside the bird immediately, and throw the bird in the oven. That works.

EDIT: By the way, Alton Brown happily ate his words on this point in particular.

LouZiffer wrote:
Minarchist wrote:
ccesarano wrote:

But...but...the stuffing comes out deliiiiiciooooous!

Here's the deal: since that stuffing is going to soak up a lot of raw turkey juices, it has to be cooked to ~165ºF to be safe for consumption. If you do cook it to that temperature, the rest of the bird is just going to be toast. Like, 185º – 200º or even more toast. Otherwise you're running the risk of sending everyone home very sick.

Or you can heat the stuffing first (HOT), put it in a cotton bag inside the bird immediately, and throw the bird in the oven. That works.

EDIT: By the way, Alton Brown happily ate his words on this point in particular.

I heard AB on public radio the week before Thanksgiving, talking about this. He currently cooks his turkey with an empty metal can, with both ends cut off, inside the cavity. As soon as he pulls out the bird, he puts the stuffing into the can, then extracts the can, leaving the stuffing inside to absorb delicious cooked juices while the bird rests. Best of both worlds, according to him.

clover wrote:

Holy cow. Pics please!

Sure!

Here is the barrel in all of it's ugly glory. The valve at the bottom controls air flow for heat adjustment. There are two other intakes spaced equally around the barrel, but those are simply pipes with caps that can be removed for more air as needed.

IMAGE(http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q760/oldmud/Smoker/114_zps6330bf7c.jpg)

The inside of the barrel went from shiny metal to a dark coating after I seasoned it with vegetable oil and a good, hot burn. You can also see the air intakes around the bottom spaced around the fire basket.

IMAGE(http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q760/oldmud/Smoker/117_zpsb157b3df.jpg)

The fire basket itself is just expanded metal wrapped around a smaller grate. The grate is a few inches up from the bottom so ash doesn't choke the coals during a smoke. By closing the air intakes and the vents, the coals go out quickly.

IMAGE(http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q760/oldmud/Smoker/119_zpsac029c5e.jpg)

The next thing I'd like to do is paint the barrel with a high-heat paint to help with corrosion resistance, and make it look a little nicer. I'm thinking black with a biohazard logo.

Nice! I'm digging all the vertical setups.

The next thing I'd like to do is paint the barrel with a high-heat paint to help with corrosion resistance, and make it look a little nicer. I'm thinking black with a biohazard logo.

Yesssss

Orange or acid green.

Edit: reading comprehenshun

OldMud wrote:

The next thing I'd like to do is paint the barrel with a high-heat paint to help with corrosion resistance, and make it look a little nicer. I'm thinking black with a biohazard logo.

We did a batch of UDS builds a few years back, my favorite paint job was similar to what you're thinking. We painted the barrel orange with a black biohazard logo. It looked just like it had fallen off the back of a hazmat truck.

Engine block enamel is what you want to use for the combination of heat resistance and good color selection.

Elycion wrote:

Engine block enamel is what you want to use for the combination of heat resistance and good color selection.

Thanks I will look into that. The best I could think of was Rustoleum high heat spray, but that was pretty limited as far as colors.

Happy spring, everyone!

Now that old man winter has loosened his grasp from the throat of Northern Illinois, I decided having today off was the perfect excuse to fire up the smoker. This is what is going on behind my apartment as we speak:

IMAGE(http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q760/oldmud/Smoker/20130329_111543_zpsab860ab9.jpg)

My Uncle has a small hobby farm where he raises beef and pork, and he set me up with a couple of pork shoulders and a bunch of spare ribs. It's somewhat difficult to see through the haze of hickory and apple smoke, but the shoulders have been on for about 3 hours at this point, and I just put the spare ribs on. The barrel has been performing admirably, holding a temp of around 200 no problem.

Anyone else have BBQ plans this weekend?

You're a bastard.

Now that I've moved I don't have access to a traditional grill. My methods of cooking are a toaster oven, microwave, Forman grill, and regular old electric stove and oven. I primarily use the stove and oven.

But I don't know how I'd go about making an old-fashioned steak without a grill.

It'll be a couple more weeks for me--the last snow has just melted off, and I want to clean up my yard so we can enjoy sitting outside for the first BBQ of the spring.

ccesarano - it's not the same as doing it on a grill, but you can make a very good steak by searing both sides for minute or two in a hot, dry iron skillet, then putting the pan into a hot oven for a few minutes to finish.

conejote wrote:

you can make a very good steak by searing both sides for minute or two in a hot, dry iron skillet, then putting the pan into a hot oven for a few minutes to finish.

Indeed. Try this recipe from Alton Brown. It was quite good, and the salt made a nice crust after the sear. One caveat, however, it did smoke up a good bit when I made it.

cast iron skillet on medium heat, then finish in broiler.

Or oven at 275 for 10-20 minutes, then sear in stovetop pan.

I should break out the tools and get my smoker cleaned and fixed. The weather is getting to the point where I might be able to use it, and I need some ribs, brats and chickens.

I've been a bad boy and haven't been taking pics but the Egg has been going in full effect.

Had a few people over last weekend and made up a huge platter of Kalbi style short ribs. Everyone turned into a pack of finger-licking savages. They were a huge hit and sooooo easy to make.

First thing you want to do is get a lot of flanken-cut beef short ribs. 4 pounds worth. If feeding a larger horde, obviously increase your marinade ratios.

Marinade:
1-1/2 cups lite soy sauce
1/4 cup of sugar
3 tablespoons of vegetable oil (canola will work fine too)
1/4 cup of sesame oil
8-10 cloves of fresh garlic, crushed. No need to chop. Just burst the clove.
6 large green onions (or scallions as we call them in Jersey) roughly chopped
toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Combine soy sauce, vegetable oil, sesame oil, and sugar in a large bowl and mix. Add green onions and garlic and mix more.

Put short ribs into a gallon sized freezer bag. Don't cram them all in. Use a second bag if needed (obviously split the marinade between the two bags). You want the ribs to lay flat and remain coated with your marinade. Pour marinade into bag(s) and refrigerate. Best to marinate overnight but I've let the ribs marinate for as little as two hours and they still came out fantastic with the flavors permeating throughout the meat. So overnight recommended but 2 hours is totally doable. Just make sure to flip the bag at least once while marinating.

As flanken cut ribs are about half an inch thick, grilling these is hands on. I usually grill these around 400 degrees for a few minutes per side direct heat. A lot of the flavor is obviously in the charred fat so I tend to cook these about medium-well. You guys are all seasoned grillers so I'm sure you'll come up with your own cooking method for these.

If using the optional sesame seeds, toast them up for a few seconds in a small pan. Just enough to get a light brown color on them. Once the meat is done, you can sprinkle the toasted seeds on them. Also, if you have more chopped green onions you can sprinke them on the meat as well.

Just be careful. These are very addictive.

Here's a stock picture so you can see what flanken cut ribs looks like. Not a ton of meat on them but I can guarantee you will be sucking the bones after making these.

IMAGE(http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg158/MDA2008/MDA2009/flanken_shortribs.jpg)

This is of interest to me, for when I have access to a backyard again. (Currently leaning towards team pellet, after many years of being on team charcoal)

I just bought a big Broil King gas grill, as I've decided the convenience of gas means I grill more often. Have a big charcoal Weber barrel smoker for when I'm feeling ambitious on weekends.

I have been holding off on buying a grill until the weather dictates I need one (when it is no longer practical to use the oven) at the new house. I have done charcoal and gas, but fell in love with wood pellet grills after getting a chance to use one at a tailgate last year.

The only knock on them I have heard that I get is that they are not the tool to use when you want to burn something in a hurry. This is mainly because they tend to do really good at indirect heat, but blowtorch like direct heat like you get in a gas grill is pretty much what you get a gas grill for. Even still, if you want your grill marks on a steak, just preheat the grill to 450 and scorch the one side before flipping and bringing the temp back down. It isn't like your diner is going to flip the steak over to see if you have grill marks on both sides.

Paleocon wrote:

It isn't like your diner is going to flip the steak over to see if you have grill marks on both sides.

There are probably several Goodjers who have just reevaluated their lives based on that statement. You're making it very difficult for the half-assed among us to get away with our tricks.

LouZiffer wrote:
Paleocon wrote:

It isn't like your diner is going to flip the steak over to see if you have grill marks on both sides.

There are probably several Goodjers who have just reevaluated their lives based on that statement. You're making it very difficult for the half-assed among us to get away with our tricks.

I mean, I usually go for the cross marks myself. But also on both sides.

LouZiffer wrote:
Paleocon wrote:

It isn't like your diner is going to flip the steak over to see if you have grill marks on both sides.

There are probably several Goodjers who have just reevaluated their lives based on that statement. You're making it very difficult for the half-assed among us to get away with our tricks.

Dammit.

Sorry.

Tanglebones wrote:

This is of interest to me, for when I have access to a backyard again. (Currently leaning towards team pellet, after many years of being on team charcoal)

I posted a lot of really wordy stuff over in the other thread, but I'll do a condensed version here.

If you have the money and want maximum versatility, Trager is the way to go. Be prepared to spend a grand minimum for a good amount of cook space.

If you don't have the money, and still want maximum versatility, buy a Smoker(I recommend a WSM 18.5") and a kettle grill. Total comes in at half what you'd pay for a good Trager. If you don't care about smoking but like charcoal, just grab a kettle grill. If you can't afford the extra $300 for a good quality smoker, pick up a kettle grill and a smokenator.

If you don't care about smoking and just want to grill, and want total ease of use, buy a multiburner gas grill; I recommend a two zone model. This way you can replicate dual zone cooking that you can do in a kettle grill with charcoal by keeping all your coals to one side by only using one burner. Steaks are best cooked this way IMO, whether you like to sear first or sear last(both are fine).

AnimeJ wrote:
Tanglebones wrote:

This is of interest to me, for when I have access to a backyard again. (Currently leaning towards team pellet, after many years of being on team charcoal)

I posted a lot of really wordy stuff over in the other thread, but I'll do a condensed version here.

If you have the money and want maximum versatility, Trager is the way to go. Be prepared to spend a grand minimum for a good amount of cook space.

If you don't have the money, and still want maximum versatility, buy a Smoker(I recommend a WSM 18.5") and a kettle grill. Total comes in at half what you'd pay for a good Trager. If you don't care about smoking but like charcoal, just grab a kettle grill. If you can't afford the extra $300 for a good quality smoker, pick up a kettle grill and a smokenator.

If you don't care about smoking and just want to grill, and want total ease of use, buy a multiburner gas grill; I recommend a two zone model. This way you can replicate dual zone cooking that you can do in a kettle grill with charcoal by keeping all your coals to one side by only using one burner. Steaks are best cooked this way IMO, whether you like to sear first or sear last(both are fine).

I'd probably use it 70/30 for smoking, and when the time comes, I'll save the money for it

Bringing this over from silly purchases:

Paleocon wrote:

Home Depot has the Traeger Jr. Elite for $449. I have seen similar prices elsewhere.

At that price, they are only slightly more expensive than quality propane grills.

I am seeing prices for comparably sized WSM smokers for between $299 and $399.

Doesn't seem like a huge difference to me when given the significant difference in ease of use.

edit: and it looks like Traeger has it for even less.

That's almost 200sqin less than you get with the 18.5" WSM, actually. The Lil Tex Elite is closer, but still falls short of cooking space by 70sqin. The WSM 22.5" model at $400 has more cook area than a $900 Traeger(720 vs 650). If you want a better comparison to the one you linked, you're looking at the difference in price between that at $430 and a Weber Silver One-touch with a smokenator, which you can pick up for $170 or so.

As for gas grills, it compares fairly well price wise, but again, you're losing out on cooking surface. You can get a solidly made Weber gas grill for $400 that gives you 150sqin more than the bottom end Traeger.

Again, I love the idea of the pellet grill. But unless paying that much more for ease of use is worth it, the only thing it's beating is a Big Green Egg.

AnimeJ wrote:

Bringing this over from silly purchases:

Paleocon wrote:

Home Depot has the Traeger Jr. Elite for $449. I have seen similar prices elsewhere.

At that price, they are only slightly more expensive than quality propane grills.

I am seeing prices for comparably sized WSM smokers for between $299 and $399.

Doesn't seem like a huge difference to me when given the significant difference in ease of use.

edit: and it looks like Traeger has it for even less.

That's almost 200sqin less than you get with the 18.5" WSM, actually. The Lil Tex Elite is closer, but still falls short of cooking space by 70sqin. The WSM 22.5" model at $400 has more cook area than a $900 Traeger(720 vs 650). If you want a better comparison to the one you linked, you're looking at the difference in price between that at $430 and a Weber Silver One-touch with a smokenator, which you can pick up for $170 or so.

As for gas grills, it compares fairly well price wise, but again, you're losing out on cooking surface. You can get a solidly made Weber gas grill for $400 that gives you 150sqin more than the bottom end Traeger.

Again, I love the idea of the pellet grill. But unless paying that much more for ease of use is worth it, the only thing it's beating is a Big Green Egg.

I guess I am not seeing the need for that much cook surface. The Jr. Elite gives me plenty to do a full rack of ribs or even a turkey if I choose to spatchcock it (the only way to cook a bird btw). Anything bigger than that and I am really just paying to heat volume I am not likely to use. I suppose if i was in the habit of doing half a pig at a time, I would need more rack space, but if that is the case and I was spending that much on meat, I probably wouldn't be complaining about an extra $400 in capital costs for what is, essentially, a superior kitchen appliance (imho, the difference between a modern convection oven and a wood burning stove).

It's pretty unusual for me to not fill my smoker. Part of that is because I'm usually cooking for upwards of 10 people when I do, part of it is to have leftovers, and smoked meats freeze really well, particularly if you have a vacuum sealer. I'd say the least amount I've cooked at one time was probably 20 or pounds of meat; a 15 or 16 pound brisket and 5 pounds of ribs. Most I've done at once was an 18 pound brisket and another 18 pounds of pork shoulder for a fair sized gathering.

AnimeJ wrote:

It's pretty unusual for me to not fill my smoker. Part of that is because I'm usually cooking for upwards of 10 people when I do, part of it is to have leftovers, and smoked meats freeze really well, particularly if you have a vacuum sealer. I'd say the least amount I've cooked at one time was probably 20 or pounds of meat; a 15 or 16 pound brisket and 5 pounds of ribs. Most I've done at once was an 18 pound brisket and another 18 pounds of pork shoulder for a fair sized gathering.

Wow, I have never done more than 10 burgers at once.

This thread is killing me. If I don't get to make a steak soon, I will start smacking folks.