Quote:
Originally Posted by Grill Meister
Malsua....I learn something new every day. "Open mind and close mouth and learn." I love smoking meats, but I have never used a pellet smoker...You got that puppy really wired up on UTube.
I have a propane smoker and use it often. Being from Eastern North Carolina, we'uns just love our smoked pork. I usually brine my pork over night and then smoke it at 215 to 230 degrees until the internal temp of the pork is about 190. I smoke it for about 5 hours for a 5lb butt. After the first 3 hours, I spray it every hour with apple juice. Good enuf to slap yo momma. I'll have to try your style some time.
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I have been around offset smokers although I've never owned one. Fire management, to me, is not worth it. Don't get me wrong, it produces the best results. I have been tending fires for 3 decades now. In fact, there is a wood fire burning in my living room as I type this. For many years it was our sole source of heat and in 2012, we added a boiler, so now it is supplemental but still 3+ cords a year. I've done it enough, I don't want to deal with it for food! I can set a temp and let it go and it holds it. Perfect for me.
We're going to be full time in TV in 2 weeks, so maybe I'll look at wood again, but for now, I hate dealing with fires and tending a fire for 14 hours to smoke a brisket doesn't sound like fun.
As to wires, while a lot of folks cook by feel and look, I like to add sensors
. I lack the confidence of established BBQ cooks and I've been in technical fields my entire life, so it's a fit for me. I know sensors well. I started off in the medical field and measuring now is just different meat
.
As to spraying, apple cider vinegar 50/50 with water is my go to, but it really makes a difference.
When it comes to the pellet smoker, I use the extra smoke tube on beef and use the natural smoke generated by the pellets on chickens and turkey. A brined turkey breast on the pellet smoker is now our Thanksgiving bird of choice. It comes out amazing! This last Thanksgiving our igniter died on the oven 10 minutes after starting the bird. I suggested putting it in the smoker, the wife reluctantly agreed. We've since done one more we loved it so much.
Pork butts also get the tube, but I leave it off for ribs.
Hauling the smoker down April 7, so I can get on with it at the TV house.
These Zgrills aren't very expensive but this one has been great. I know there are much better ones, but this got me into the game and my meats have been awesome.