The Smoking Thread

i just eyeball it like a madman...also weber...got the baskets on the side...light a chimney at the start...once that is ready it goes in...i then just add heat depending on state of meat and the amount of face scorching when i go check on proceedings...check with thermometer for readiness at the end...

I also make sure the meat is room temperature...usually leg of lamb...but i feel like some pork could be in that Weber's future...

scouting for a nice/budget friendly wireless thermometer at the moment...
 
Left Of Bang said:
To get things tsrated, perhaps tell us more what you are doing:
1. Type / cut of meat
2. Type of wood /charcoal you are using
3. What setup is the Megamaster jobbie - offset / indirect etc.

I have been using a Weber for years and stick to easy to attain chunk wood types such as Hickory / Cherry. I setup the weber for indirect cooking and place the wood chunk on top the grill, let it burn off to get past the white smoke stage (white smoke is wrong smoke as you put it). When I reach desired cook temp and the chunk is evenly burnt I get smoking.

What you looking for is that fine blue smoke out the vents, not huge plumes of white smoke. Others will be along to get into the finer dynanics of fire managment etc.
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To answer your questions:
  1. The last time I tried, I was smoking beef ribs. I’ve also tried chicken thighs, but the ribs had the smoke flavor.
  2. I started with wood and when it took longer to get going, I moved over to hardwood charcoal.
  3. The Megamaster Delta is an offset smoker, but it’s on the smaller side, so I’m still figuring out how to manage airflow and heat properly.
From what you said, it sounds like I didn’t wait long enough for the smoke to clear before putting the meat in. I definitely got a lot of thick white smoke early on, and it seems like that’s where things went wrong. Would using wood chunks instead of chips help with consistency? And do you have any tips for maintaining temp on a smaller offset smoker?

Also, that fine blue smoke you mentioned—how long does it usually take to achieve after lighting the fire? I feel like I might be rushing the process.
 
Kung Fu Porkchop said:
To answer your questions:
  1. The last time I tried, I was smoking beef ribs. I’ve also tried chicken thighs, but the ribs had the smoke flavor.
  2. I started with wood and when it took longer to get going, I moved over to hardwood charcoal.
  3. The Megamaster Delta is an offset smoker, but it’s on the smaller side, so I’m still figuring out how to manage airflow and heat properly.
From what you said, it sounds like I didn’t wait long enough for the smoke to clear before putting the meat in. I definitely got a lot of thick white smoke early on, and it seems like that’s where things went wrong. Would using wood chunks instead of chips help with consistency? And do you have any tips for maintaining temp on a smaller offset smoker?

Also, that fine blue smoke you mentioned—how long does it usually take to achieve after lighting the fire? I feel like I might be rushing the process.
Click to expand...
Offset smoker is a labout of love, im often up at 4-5am for my smokes.

My advice would be use a briquette chimney and get atleast one batch of briquettes fully ready before adding to smoker, once added to smoker leave lid open a minute or two then close lid for atleast 15-20min to get temp stable. add briquettes/wood as needed. I do a log every 30 min yours will be based on how long yours takes. Keep an eye on temp. Do something simple before doing long cooks, chicken wings, flattie then onto pork ribs which take around 6 hours. That thin blue smoke is very important my logs are actually on fire not smouldering but I use one of these, all the best and keep it up will eventually get the hang of it.

1741079055496.png
 
Snyper564 said:
Offset smoker is a labout of love, im often up at 4-5am for my smokes.

My advice would be use a briquette chimney and get atleast one batch of briquettes fully ready before adding to smoker, once added to smoker leave lid open a minute or two then close lid for atleast 15-20min to get temp stable. add briquettes/wood as needed. I do a log every 30 min yours will be based on how long yours takes. Keep an eye on temp. Do something simple before doing long cooks, chicken wings, flattie then onto pork ribs which take around 6 hours. That thin blue smoke is very important my logs are actually on fire not smouldering but I use one of these, all the best and keep it up will eventually get the hang of it.

View attachment 1801224
Click to expand...
I don't have a briquette chimney yet, but I had the idea to get charcoal/briquettes going in the Weber and then adding it to the smoker for my next smoke attempt. I'll try something simpler than brisket as I'd rather not mess that up. I will see if I can get some more information on how to do this better online somewhere.
 
Kung Fu Porkchop said:
I don't have a briquette chimney yet, but I had the idea to get charcoal/briquettes going in the Weber and then adding it to the smoker for my next smoke attempt. I'll try something simpler than brisket as I'd rather not mess that up. I will see if I can get some more information on how to do this better online somewhere.
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why don't you do the snake method with the briquettes?
 
Snyper564 said:
maybe lamb ribs?

Smoked lamb ribs are amongst my fav items to smoke an absolute treat!
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You could be right... and serves as a reminder to myself to do that too - one of the few things I haven't smoked yet. (If they were pork, I'd want to know where from as they look super meaty).
 
Vades said:
You could be right... and serves as a reminder to myself to do that too - one of the few things I haven't smoked yet. (If they were pork, I'd want to know where from as they look super meaty).
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lamb ribs are well worth the smoking effort. All the rich fat is usually rendered and what is typically rich and a bit much is now in perfect harmony with ultra soft fall off the bone meat - DO IT! I find it usually takes 3-4 hours
 
Snyper564 said:
lamb ribs are well worth the smoking effort. All the rich fat is usually rendered and what is typically rich and a bit much is now in perfect harmony with ultra soft fall off the bone meat - DO IT! I find it usually takes 3-4 hours
Click to expand...

Wrapped or unwrapped Snyper? My curiosity is piqued, and since I'm going to go buy a full lamb tomorrow, might try it out this weekend in the Weber
 
Snyper564 said:
both I typically do an hour to 1.25 hours unwrapped then wrap it for the rest of the time usually another 1-2 hours
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Aiming for 100C to 110C?

Don't know why I'm troubling you, I'll probably go watch a video or two
 
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