Anybody smoke out there? I mean like ribs, yard bird, salmon ect. Does anybody have a good rub for baby back ribs?

 

I like to try smoking things. My buddy and I went the cheap-o route and built one, we just can't get it above 150*F, so we kind of just scratched it. Hopefully, we'll get it working right.

I don't have any rubs, but a BBQ Sauce I use. I even posted it in here. If you search for BBQ Sauce, you'll find it. I've never used it on ribs, but I'd imagine it'd be pretty good.

 

150 isn't too bad for a cold smoker. Got to be a little careful about your "preservatives" tho since 150 doesn't really cook the meat, but it puts it into the temperature range that bacteria love. It is good for a cold dry smoke.

Get a good book on smoking, a web search will lead to more than you can imagine. Here is a page I like to start from... http://www.barbecuen.com/column.htm
There is cold smoking, usually below about 180 or so and using certain preservatives, and there is hot smoking where the food is almost at the boiling point ie 212F, usually with fewer preservatives. Over that, you are just cooking the food. Don't take my word for temperatures since I could be wrong. The books and that webpage are far more knowledgable than I.

I have a friend who does cold smoking where the smoke coming out the pipe, on the other side of his yard is almost like a warm, smokey summer breeze. He has the firebox on one side of the yard going thru a pipe across the yard to a smoke box.

You might just need more insullation, or keep it out of the wind and quit opening the lid. I like the Big Chief from Luhr Jensen for most of my dry hot smoking.

Smoked foods are good. My kids will eat stuff smoked that they would never touch otherwise.

Jim Henderson

 

I set up my gas grill to smoke. It has 3 cast iron burners, and a real thermometer. I remove the grills. I put a metal pan of water on one side and put a grill on top of it. I leave the other grill off. Then I cut green apple wood. I put the apple on the side without a grill and light the burner on that side. Put the meat over the pan and heat it up to 180-200 degrees. Then turn the heat down low and let it run.

Also, I've found the pan of water works well to prevent grease fires when I grill chicken. The water steams the chicken and the pan catches the grease.

 

Yeah, that is essentially a water smoker. I think the Chinese invented that method. Works great for many things.

I have a nice Meco stainless steel water smoker that does wonderful smoked turkey and ribs. Fall off the bone juicy. Not that fall off the bones overcooked stuff you see at restaurants.

My wife says I have too many BBQs. What does she know, half of the equipment I have isn't even a BBQ, they are smokers or grills. She certainly doesn't complain when I do the cooking.

A guy can never have too many BBQs, grills, smokers etc. Sheesh. It's like tools, having the right one makes all the difference.

Jim Henderson

 

I've got a brinkmann water smoker that i love to use year round. Nothing like some good 'Q. Usually make my own rubs, mops, etc. Would love to get my hands on one of those weber smoky mountain verticals. Nothing like havin the smoker goin while changing the oil in the rig, with a couple cold ones!

 

I've got one of the water smokers. It's usually a toss up whether we do turkey or a prime rib for Thanksgiving.

I remember seeing this brick smoker. The guy had built it so he could grill, or close the lid and it would heat a brick oven. Then if he closed a door, the smoke would channel through flues to go to the smoker on the back side. Had a round smokestack. I didn't have a camera to take pics. It would be the ultimate. I'm building one, when I can round up enough brick. (It's going to take a bunch.)

 

Yeah, now a days making a brick BBQ etc is expensive. When I was a kid, seemed like everyone made one, but then bricks were dirt cheap, mostly cause they were made of "dirt".

I am awfully tempted to make a brick Grill/oven/smoker, like you describe. Be sure to post some pics so we can at least drool. My wife would probably kill me unless I somehow made it artistic and had something like a waterfall or rock garden on it.

Good Luck,

Jim Henderson

 

That's the problem. It's over at the coast someplace where the wife and I stopped for a garage sale - and I can't remember where the darn place is.

Roughly, the internals of the thing must be like one of the smokers with the detached fireboxes. The front of it looked like the normal open grill that was common years ago, but he used a hinged metal plate as a cover and to divert the heat around the oven, with access on the side. It had several doors for an ash trap and such. I figure it'll take at least 400 - 500 brick to do it. Too bad used brick cost more than new anymore. I have an easier time hiding my lack of bricklaying skill with used...