New Smoker!

Hey all,


Well, tried out the new smoker tonight.

Yes, I purchased a propane smoker a Grand Cafe Model CSM07ALP – and it worked great! It held the temp in a solid 200 degree (F) range all afternoon long. The owners’ manual stated I should check the water and chips every hour. After 4 hours only half the water had evaporated from the reservoir. Not bad at all, I assume the manufacturer is being cautious as some people tend to cook a bit hotter than smoking temperature.

I used Apple chips for the smoke part. Not a real deep smoke flavor, there was a hint of Apple in the ribs and the chicken breast of the Beer Can Chicken, but not a lot. I think next time:

A - I won’t soak the chips (there are still chips in the smoking pan.)
B - I will start the chips when I am bringing the cooking chamber up to temp.
C - Use a cooking temperature of 220 instead of 200 (F).

At any rate, here are some pictures of the ribs:

Here are some pictures of the new smoker:

The inside can easily fit a Beer Can Chicken and 2 racks of pork ribs:

I removed the middle rack, put the chicken on the lower rack, and placed the ribs on top.

Later,

Grilling (Not Smoking!)

Hey all,


Learned a couple of lessons tonight:

1 – Do not pick out the biggest chicken breast in the market to grill.

2 – Do not ever try out a neighbor’s ‘Special Spice’ rub on the wife’s chicken breast.

I, on the other hand, had a nice tri-tip steak. Okay, okay, it was a bit over cooked.

Now that we have the proteins out the way – the Chili-Con-Limon spice was superb on the sliced Squash and Zucchini. Simple as simple can be. Slice the Squash and Zucchini into approx 1/8th to 1/4th inch slices. Place on a greased aluminum foil wrap. Sprinkle with Chili-Con-Limon spice. Hit with some fake or real butter. Tent all components in the foil. Then place the packet on the grill (indirect heat) for approx. 30 min. Delicious!

The Chili-Con-Limon spice has an nice initial kick, but the heat dissipates fairly quickly. All in all, I intend to use it on sweet corn and other veggies in the future.

Later,

Smokers

Hey all,

I currently use a Brinkmann vertical smoker – the Smoke King Deluxe shown above.  It does a fine job, however, it does take constant attention to keep it in temp’ range. Some people have called it a ‘fuel hog’ – I don’t think it uses more than you would expect when you are slow cooking a 12 pound brisket.

Having said that, my biggest frustration is if you let the coals go a bit to long, it is difficult to get the smoking chamber back up to temp’. If you have to high a temp’ closing the dampers on the door will rapidly bring it back into the desired smoking range.

I am currently re-doing my dawghouse (aka know as 'Mojave Mike's' in these parts) and was going to purchase a new one.  Then place fire brick around the fire pit and bottom third of the smoking chamber to see if it would be easier to maintain that magic range of 200 to 220.

Unfortunately, everywhere I looked (in the store and on line) the line was in a back order status. So, I began to wonder if there was a large enough target population to support this relatively unique and expensive smoker (approx. $450 plus shipping.) Especially, as I was going to purchase the fire brick / mortar to try to make it a bit more temp’ stable.

Got to looking around, found a propane smoker in the same price range, available for pick up tomorrow. Of course, it uses chips / chunks for the smoke taste, while the temp’ is maintained by the propane burner.

I may have to give it a try . . . . .

Start Up

Hey all,

Main topic is gonna be - wait for it - BBQ. (bet none of y'all guessed that!)

Now, the traditional rivals of Eastern, Southern and Texas BBQ have had their proponents and detractors. To me, it is all just (to steal a phrase) good eats.

As we go forward, I will be preparing, consuming and evaluating different recipes for you. I hope along the way to find new cuts, methods and spices that will surprise me in a pleasant way.

I have three Recipe books picked out for use:

Paul Kirk's "Championship Barbecue"
Adler and Fertig's "Fish & Shellfish Grilled and Smoked"
Cheryl and Bill Jamison's "Smoke & Spice - Cooking with Smoke, the Real Way to Barbecue".

I have no doubt some Food TV recipes will find their way in here as well. After all, no real aspiring backyard cook doesn't have dreams (or nightmares) of Bobby Flay or Guy Fieri showing up to see what's cooking.

Laters all