The Smoking Thread

[RanzB]

Smoking thread? I came here thinking it's a place where we smokers could hang out without being hounded by puritans.

Turns out this is a thread for smoking meat, not meeting smoke.

Smoke away man, as a man who's on 30 days without a cigarette I got no beefs.

My thoughts exactly. Thread should be renamed to "The Smoking Meat Thread".

No.

 

[RanzB]

What's the weight of those wood chips from TakeAlot in the OP?

Around 1.5KG, but they last quite a while. I've still got some of the bag of Apple I bought in June.

Checkers also sells Weber wood chips, which are quite good. Something like R80 for a bag, but it goes a long way. And you get different wood types - Mesquite, Hickory etc.

I'm looking for chunks, can't seem to find any here :/

 

[RanzB]

I use the minion method, not the snake method.

I won't say that my results are perfect - I don't think the Weber was really designed to smoke food for 14 hours at a time, so temperature control is tricky sometimes. Especially on windy days.

/snip

Thanks, I'm definitely going to give it a try soon. I'm also looking into building a UDS (Ugly Drum Smoker), but I've got little to no technical ability so I'm trying to find someone in Durban who'll be able to help.

 

[I.am.Sam]

whats better ?

http://www.guzzle.co.za/specials/view/303464/ - this

or a weber ?

i have eaten chicken from the smoker box and its quite good

but wasnt done the proper way like randhir does his

 

[Beachless]

whats better ?

http://www.guzzle.co.za/specials/view/303464/ - this

or a weber ?

i have eaten chicken from the smoker box and its quite good

but wasnt done the proper way like randhir does his

Those smoker boxes make a mean snoek.

 

[I.am.Sam]

Those smoker boxes make a mean snoek.

its very quick as well

 

[RanzB]

Its not too bad you keep the fire going for 1:30+ and size the fire according to the temperature you want, once all the bricks are at temperature they take a good few hours to start cooling down if you close the doorway I have done that for bread and a chicken before. For pizza you make it as hot as possible and keep a fire going the whole time your making pizza. Some people make pizza on the saturday let the oven cool a bit then stick a chicken or roast in the oven close the door and leave it overnight for sunday lunch. Its actually pretty versatile.

That sounds interesting, could definitely work if you can control the temperature. You might find you have the same problem people have with ceramic cookers like the Big Green Egg, they hold temperature so well that if you overshoot it, it takes a long time to come back down.

whats better ?

http://www.guzzle.co.za/specials/view/303464/ - this

or a weber ?

i have eaten chicken from the smoker box and its quite good

but wasnt done the proper way like randhir does his

I'm not sure how this works, is it a cold smoker or hot?

 

[I.am.Sam]

i assume hot as you need to light the tray of chips

 

[Ancalagon]

I want to buy a Big Green Egg sometime - they are just so damn expensive! But I want to save up my eBucks for the whole of next year, hopefully by the end of the year, I will have enough to make a significant dent in the purchase price.

You can also buy those Weber wood smoking planks, but they are far too expensive. Something like R120 each.

i assume hot as you need to light the tray of chips

Doesn't mean it is a hot smoker. All smoking requires heat of some kind, but so called cold smoking is smoking done at less than 70C (I think). It doesn't cook the meat, just smokes it. So it is still "raw". Smoked ribs that you buy from Checkers are cold smoked, which is why they still need to be cooked.

From the size of it, I would guess this is a cold smoker.

 

[I.am.Sam]

R20k for a big green egg ..FML

 

[RanzB]

i assume hot as you need to light the tray of chips

Doesn't mean it is a hot smoker. All smoking requires heat of some kind, but so called cold smoking is smoking done at less than 70C (I think). It doesn't cook the meat, just smokes it. So it is still "raw". Smoked ribs that you buy from Checkers are cold smoked, which is why they still need to be cooked.

From the size of it, I would guess this is a cold smoker.

Yeah, I think so too.

I want to buy a Big Green Egg sometime - they are just so damn expensive! But I want to save up my eBucks for the whole of next year, hopefully by the end of the year, I will have enough to make a significant dent in the purchase price.

Also wanted one, but would prefer a proper offset smoker at the moment.

You can also buy those Weber wood smoking planks, but they are far too expensive. Something like R120 each.

Saw those, at R120 I don't think they're effective or worth it.

Drumettes from Wednesday night:

 

[Ancalagon]

They look good! So what smoking method do you use? What sort of braai or smoking device? What kind of wood?

I've also cold smoked red peppers and chilli peppers in order to make smoked paprika. Turned out nicely.

 

[maumau]

got myself a big green egg a few weeks back. it was about R10 000 but there are accessories you need, like the stand, a platesetter, ash tool etc so it comes to a bit more. the BGE's more like an oven than a braai but it's very versatile and holds temperature fantastically. one tip if you get one, only buy the Woolworths restaurant wood.

we've done roast chicken, steak, chops etc and it works well. last weekend i made oxtail in a cast iron pot - best i've ever had even though the fire went out after a few hours

 

[Noseworthy]

Just watched Alton brown make smoker out of home supplies and then in the weber. Works wonders. It's on Netflix

 

[RanzB]

They look good! So what smoking method do you use? What sort of braai or smoking device? What kind of wood?

Normal Weber Kettle 2 Zone smoking method. I cook them at around 300F for around an hour, flipping once. Then I crisp the skin over the direct coals for about a minute.

I'm using Apple wood for these, the Weber woodchips.

I've also cold smoked red peppers and chilli peppers in order to make smoked paprika. Turned out nicely.

Nice! How did you keep the temp that low?

got myself a big green egg a few weeks back. it was about R10 000 but there are accessories you need, like the stand, a platesetter, ash tool etc so it comes to a bit more. the BGE's more like an oven than a braai but it's very versatile and holds temperature fantastically. one tip if you get one, only buy the Woolworths restaurant wood.

I'm jealous. Love those things.

we've done roast chicken, steak, chops etc and it works well. last weekend i made oxtail in a cast iron pot - best i've ever had even though the fire went out after a few hours

I've never had oxtail - ever. Told myself I'd wait until a got some proper oxtail potjie from an Afrikaans dude

Just watched Alton brown make smoker out of home supplies and then in the weber. Works wonders. It's on Netflix

Yeah, it's on Youtube as well, watched it around a week ago. AB rules.

 

[RanzB]

Ribs are in the Weber.. ETA - 5:30PM.

 

[Ancalagon]

Nice! How did you keep the temp that low?/QUOTE]

I put a hot coal into a tin can which had holes punched into it. Then I put some wet wood chips on top. Doesn't produce much heat. I smoke them for a few hours and then dry them in the sun. Works nicely.

Ribs are in the Weber.. ETA - 5:30PM.

How did they turn out?

Do you use a rub? Basting? Mop?

 

[maumau]

Randhir, Woolworths sell supoib vacuum packed oxtail. the secret is to cook it for a long, long time till it falls off the bone - 5 hours or so.

 

[Ancalagon]

Or you could pressure cook it.

I suppose you could put it in a potjie too.

 

[Beachless]

i assume hot as you need to light the tray of chips

The one I remember had a tray right at the bottom with fibreglass that you would fill with spirits then that would heat the bottom part of the smoker where the wood chips were and then a tray would hold the item you are smoking.

It got pretty hot if I remember correctly.