Any Smokers? (The food kind)

[rock flag and eagle]

Anyone here into smokers? Everyone in my family has one and every weekend they're smoking something and texting pictures of meat.
So my dad didn't like me being left out and he decided to buy me a nice cuisinart pellet smoker. I'm picking it up from the store today and putting it together this weekend.
So now instead of working, I'm looking up recipes of stuff I want to make and looking up different pellets to buy

[nightflameauto]

I just have a little infusion smoker I use to cold smoke cheeses, drinks and peppers. It uses wood chips and pipes the smoke into a container of your choosing without the heat via a little fan.



I have used it on fish, but it doesn't quite have the same impact as the big smokers with heat.

[GuitarBilly]

I don't have one yet but I'm buying one when I get the new house. I'll be following this thread for tips!

[rock flag and eagle]

I just have a little infusion smoker I use to cold smoke cheeses, drinks and peppers. It uses wood chips and pipes the smoke into a container of your choosing without the heat via a little fan.



I have used it on fish, but it doesn't quite have the same impact as the big smokers with heat.

Those are pretty cool, I've always wanted to get one.

[rock flag and eagle]

I don't have one yet but I'm buying one when I get the new house. I'll be following this thread for tips!

well I'll definitely post food porn of some of these recipes I'm trying.

And with St Patrick's day coming up, corned beef is going to be on sale everywhere for cheap. I'm going to smoke that shit in large quantity.

[LukeBurke1]

I bought a pellet smoker over quarantine and have been putting it to good use. I'm far from an expert, but I did a LOT of reading about it. My best advice I can give is:

- Make sure you use pellets that are 100% hardwood. Some pellets (like Traeger brand pellets) are "flavored" with hickory or mesquite oil, but they aren't actual hickory or mesquite. I've been using Bear Mountain pellets, and have had great results

-Get an A-Maze-N pellet tube. They're great for cold smoking, but they help get more smoke flavor into your meats

-My favorite pellet/meat pairings so far have been:
***Chicken- Cherry
***Pork- Hickory
***Beef- 50/50 blend of Mesquite and Pecan (for a nice smoke ring, add 2 or 3 handfuls of cherry)

One of my favorite cuts to smoke has been pork steaks. My girlfriend is from St. Louis, and they're a pretty big thing there. It's basically a pork butt sliced into steaks. You smoke them for about 3 hours @ 250, and brush them with sauce 15 minutes before they're done

[LukeBurke1]

Here are a few of my favorite sauces and rubs I've been using:

My favorite sauce for pork steaks
https://www.pepperexplosion.com/historic-lynchburg-hot-spicy-barbecue-sauce-100-poof/

This rub is great for anything, but I especially like it on chicken:
https://shop.specialshit.com/product/special-shit/

For briskets, a 50/50 blend of coarse salt and pepper is perfect on its own. If you feel like getting adventurous though, I really like this stuff on them:
https://pitboss-grills.com/Shop-Pit-Boss/java-chop-house-5oz

[rock flag and eagle]

I bought a pellet smoker over quarantine and have been putting it to good use. I'm far from an expert, but I did a LOT of reading about it. My best advice I can give is:

- Make sure you use pellets that are 100% hardwood. Some pellets (like Traeger brand pellets) are "flavored" with hickory or mesquite oil, but they aren't actual hickory or mesquite. I've been using Bear Mountain pellets, and have had great results

-Get an A-Maze-N pellet tube. They're great for cold smoking, but they help get more smoke flavor into your meats

-My favorite pellet/meat pairings so far have been:
***Chicken- Cherry
***Pork- Hickory
***Beef- 50/50 blend of Mesquite and Pecan (for a nice smoke ring, add 2 or 3 handfuls of cherry)

One of my favorite cuts to smoke has been pork steaks. My girlfriend is from St. Louis, and they're a pretty big thing there. It's basically a pork butt sliced into steaks. You smoke them for about 3 hours @ 250, and brush them with sauce 15 minutes before they're done

Yeah I was about to order some of the traeger ones and started to read the reviews about that.
Good info to know

[Ligma]

My brother has a pellet smoker with a computer like a pussy boy.

I prefer to die like real man with an offset that I have to slave over from 1am until dinner time.

I mean, that’s the fun part right?







Either way, I’ve become a brisket champion.

[IndyWS6]

I have a digital electric smoker that was a gift from my GF's dad. He bought it and never used it. I had been looking at pellet smokers, but honestly, this thing works incredibly well. I'll probably use it until it's toast before moving up to a pellet version. I've smoked several chickens (smoked chicken salad is amazing..), ribs and a brisket. The brisket was good for a first attempt, but It needed a little more time at a slightly lower temperature.

[primeholy]

My brother has a pellet smoker with a computer like a pussy boy.

I prefer to die like real man with an offset that I have to slave over from 1am until dinner time.

I mean, that’s the fun part right?







Either way, I’ve become a brisket champion.

Pellet is the way for me

[linthat22]

My brother has a pellet smoker with a computer like a pussy boy.

I prefer to die like real man with an offset that I have to slave over from 1am until dinner time.

I mean, that’s the fun part right?







Either way, I’ve become a brisket champion.

My problem with offsets is that it seems unless you can make one yourself, the store bought ones suck. I had one of those massive char grillers with the offset box and I could never smoke stuff properly. Now that I have a Big Green Egg, I have no issues with maintaining temps and smoke. There are plenty of welders in my area, so maybe I should hit them up with a case of beer and their skills and have an offset made....

[Pepi]

Got one on my deck

[Tortuga]

Just tried out my parents' junior Traeger they bought a few years back. Made burgers just to try it out, and they were KILLER. Bacon-wrapped jalepeno poppers and grilled two other chiles (pasilla & anaheim) to go with the burgers. Unbelievable good.

Have a pork shoulder we're gonna rub & cook low & slow all day tomorrow. Hoping to get some carnitas going tomorrow night.

[andvari7]

I digs me some smoked meat, but apartment living makes that endeavor nigh impossible. I’d have all of the pastrami.

[metalguy]

Learning to smoke meat is my next endeavor. Can grill easy enough but smoking has always intimidated me. Tried smoking a brisket on my cheap barrel grill and was super frustrating to say the least given the minimal access I had to tend to the fire when needed.

Decided I'd wait until I could get a nicer offset when we buy our house

[CptCyanide]

I picked up a Green Mountain Grill pellet smoker during Covid. It was between that and Kamado Joe, but the convenience of a pellet grill won out. Smoked a turkey this thanksgiving and it was by far the best I’ve ever made, highly recommend trying it!

[rock flag and eagle]

I picked up a Green Mountain Grill pellet smoker during Covid. It was between that and Kamado Joe, but the convenience of a pellet grill won out. Smoked a turkey this thanksgiving and it was by far the best I’ve ever made, highly recommend trying it!

I’m smoking a turkey this Friday, I’ve had one in my freezer for a while that I need to cook.
I got a cuisinart woodcreek pellet smoker yesterday, did the burn in. Today I put chicken breast in a brine, I’ll smoke it later today in cherrywood and some veggies .

[Zozobra]

I picked up a cheap ass cold smoker gun from Amazon after reading this . Any tips?

[CptCyanide]

I picked up a Green Mountain Grill pellet smoker during Covid. It was between that and Kamado Joe, but the convenience of a pellet grill won out. Smoked a turkey this thanksgiving and it was by far the best I’ve ever made, highly recommend trying it!

I’m smoking a turkey this Friday, I’ve had one in my freezer for a while that I need to cook.
I got a cuisinart woodcreek pellet smoker yesterday, did the burn in. Today I put chicken breast in a brine, I’ll smoke it later today in cherrywood and some veggies .

I spatchcocked mine, took about 5 hours to cook a 17lb bird and came out really moist. Only negative was the skin wasn’t super crispy.

[nightflameauto]

I picked up a cheap ass cold smoker gun from Amazon after reading this . Any tips?

Infusion type with the hose?

DO. NOT. USE. A. LIGHTER.

If you're starting the fire with the hose already in whatever you want to infuse, the lighter will make the chemical burn overtake the natural wood smoke. Either keep the hose out of whatever you're trying to infuse for a few seconds, or use an old-fashioned wooden matchstick.

Aside from that? Burn, burn, and burn some more. My bags of peppers I'll usually do about three to five hoppers of wood chips to get them fully smoked. If you're smoking a drink, one or two usually does it.

Cheese takes a shockingly long time to absorb cold smoke. Fish absorbs smoke really well. I haven't tried other meats yet.

[rock flag and eagle]

I smoked a bunch of chicken breast yesterday, brined it for about 5 hours, cooked at 225° until it hit 160° I used Kingsford cherry, it wasn't overly smokey , just enough to compliment the chicken. My rub had a little too much salt , but the taste was good and the chicken was so juicy.
Friday I'll do the turkey, I read that injecting it vs brine is better and cooking it higher, at 300° is better and will help to result in crispy skin. I'll definitely spatchcock it and use the cherry wood on it.

[greatmutah]

I want to get a smoker eventually. My dad is a beast at smoking food. He does some of the best ribs I’ve ever had. He also learned how to smoke foods from his step dad who was an old hippy from Texas. That dude also knew a bit about cooking Cajun food too.

[facefirst]

I have a big smoker vault. Smoking shit is the bomb. I keep meaning to make some beef jerky.

[mortatone]

I have an inexpensive Home Depot propane smoker and it’s been fun experimenting around. I’ve done chicken breasts, boston butts, ribs, salmon and pork chops.

So far I think the two most important factors are having good quality meats and the brining/seasoning. Of course low and slow is the best way to go no matter what you’re cooking. I’m still very much a beginner though, so I have much to learn.