A Feast!

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

Today I smoked/grilled two chickens, two large pork sirloins, 4# country style pork ribs, one link of venison sausage, and ten large brats of some kind that my wife got. Inside we broiled a flounder and made a big dish of twice baked potatoes with sour cream,onions and cheese, baked beans, and brownies and 7-up Pound Cake for desert. Nine adults gave it a great try but we could not knock it out. #1 wife has become very accomplished at making a Kickass BBQ sauce. I like Stubb's almost exclusive of all others. Her's is better than Stubb's. We finished off a pint of it tonight.

I look like I'm about 8 1/2 months right now.

Alan

[Altjaeger]

Sounds fantastic!!!

How many smokers did you have?

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

1.

Alan

[Altjaeger]

What kind is it? A 55 gal drum with firebox on the side perhaps?

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

It's one of those less expensive "New Braunfels smokers. It's probably about 30 gallons (size) with a fire box. I got it for $20 at a garage sale when I was deciding whether I would actually use a smoker if I had one. I have answered that question a hundred times since then. I've been collecting parts for the next one. I know what I want to make but don't have all the stuff just yet. I am going to build the firebox on the back of and under the pit instead of on one end. I'm thinking I'll get more even heat that way and the ones I've seen built that way work great.

Also, I want it on a rolling platform but the pit itself will be on a swivel so that I can chase the wind if it shifts like it did today.

Someday. For now I'll just keep using the one I've got.

Alan

[Altjaeger]

The reason I ask is that I use a Brinkman's electric whch is a cylinder on end with two 15" diameter racks. I do not see that amount of meat ever fitting on mine.

I have been pleased with mine which was a wedding present eleven years ago. My guess is though that your smoker may well be "cooler" to cook with at times.

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

and mine just runs on wood.

Alan

[SeniorCoot]

Now Dat's a FEED! I like those New Braunfels models-- nice for $$-i have a brinkmann and a 60 gal drum cooker with roterissiere and an electric smoker all on trailer- last weekend pulled it to Horse club for brisket feed.We look like ma & Pa kettle going down the road- smoker looks like an outhouse.

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

I've never had one of those electric smokers. In fact his NB is the first smoker I've ever had. I have built a couple of BBQ pits and have gone through several gas grills and Weber grills.

I never understood the "smoking" concept until I saw one in action and tasted the results. I found this one, like I said, at a garage sale and was hooked. The metal on mine is kinda thin and it doesn't hold the heat as good as something with thicker steel would.

I have smoked sausage for years but that is a completely different process. My youngest son can just about eat a chicken by himself, so I guess I need to upgrade.

Alan

[SeniorCoot]

I started with a double door frig converted to smoker- then had one that was plywood 8'X8'X 12' hi-- used only alder and poplar in it with some fruit wood if I could find it--I use all three of my cooker for different things and do have a gas grille for quick meals.

[Greybeard]

Old refrigerators make great smokers - lots of volume and resistant to vagaries of the wind & heat. Used old fridges are free these days as the dumps charge about $25 dollars to take them. But you need to build a fire box seperate from the fridge. I've built a rock lined pit in the ground that connects to the bottom of the fridge via clay drain tiles (4 feet worth). Some what cooled smoke enters the fridge. Most of the heat and some smoke go out the top of the fire pit which is mostly covered by a sliding steel plate. I can adjust the smoke/heat this way going through the drain tiles. The cooler smoke means you have to smoke your meats and fish longer than with a direct heat smoker. But the results are worth it. Greybeard/

[Altjaeger]

In Germany I watched a friend take a old electric skillet dropping in soaked wood chips as his smoke generator. Then he took a washing machine cardboard box driving a broomstick across the top as a hanging pole setting it over the skillet. Using hooks he hung marinated medium cut pork chops from the pole and smoked them 3 days.

A little ingenuity and you can smoke almost anywhere with materials at hand.

[SeniorCoot]

Must also make sure frig is vented--otherwise fish esp will get mushy and fall off of poles or racks--our frig was big enough that we could have elec plate heat in it.

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

How much heat will the plastic inside the fridge or freeze take before it starts to melt?

Alan

[SeniorCoot]

I din't know BUT Idon't remember it ever being an issue-- we never got above 150F that I remember- we start fish under 100F and if kippering it go to 125-150F at end -I don't believe we had much if any plastic in old dbl Comm. model