|
|
04-21-2013, 11:22 AM
|
#21
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 18,085
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ed_The_Gypsy
pork ribs (are there any other kind?).
|
Bison back ribs are fabulous on the smoker.
__________________
"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
- George Orwell
Ezekiel 23:20
|
|
|
|
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!
Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!
You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!
|
04-21-2013, 11:54 AM
|
#22
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Naples
Posts: 2,179
|
Question to all you "smokers". Do you use the wood chips dry or do you soak them in water. I've read all the instructions on the smoker use and on the three packages of wood chips I bought and nowhere does it mention soaking the chips. Our SIL said he soaks the chips and then dabs up excess water with paper towels. The only place it mentions water is in spraying the chips in a charcoal smoker if they burn up too fast. And it specifies that this does not pertain to electric smokers. To soak or not to soak, that is the question.
Right now the smoker is on and in the "seasoning" process where I let it run at 275 and then add chips for the last 45 minutes.
|
|
|
04-21-2013, 12:30 PM
|
#23
|
Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 483
|
My electric uses dry and replace when burned up, which is every 45 mins or so. I generally add more every hour. I think they suggest dry so they burn completely rather than smolder and die out. Once you get the hang of smoking it is fun to do different meats at the same time (mine has three racks). The drippings baste the meats below. Good luck.
|
|
|
04-21-2013, 12:48 PM
|
#24
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 18,085
|
Mine is charcoal fired and both chips and hunks of wood are pre-soaked before I put them on the fire.
__________________
"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
- George Orwell
Ezekiel 23:20
|
|
|
04-21-2013, 12:53 PM
|
#25
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Bernalillo, NM
Posts: 2,717
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Idnar7
My electric uses dry and replace when burned up, which is every 45 mins or so. I generally add more every hour. I think they suggest dry so they burn completely rather than smolder and die out. Once you get the hang of smoking it is fun to do different meats at the same time (mine has three racks). The drippings baste the meats below. Good luck.
|
My electric uses soaked chips (30 min), and then also has a pan of water in addition to the pan for the chips
__________________
"We live the lives we lead because of the thoughts we think" ...Michael O’Neill
"We can cannot compel others to do our will" ....Norman Goldman
"There never is shortage of the gullible to accept the illogical"...Anonymous
|
|
|
04-21-2013, 01:10 PM
|
#26
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 1,862
|
I forgot to share our Italian Sausage idea. A friend gave us the idea. He buys a couple of lbs. of either mild or spicy Italian Sausage, and pats it into a long roll/cylinder shape, sort of like a loaf of french bread. Then he smokes it for an hour or so, wraps it in foil and lets it "settle" in the refrigerator. Then he slices it and serves it with cheese and crackers. Our tailgate friends give us heck if we forget to bring it to a game. It is DEEElicious.
|
|
|
04-21-2013, 01:43 PM
|
#27
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Naples
Posts: 2,179
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by timo2
My electric uses soaked chips (30 min), and then also has a pan of water in addition to the pan for the chips
|
timo, as mentioned, I also have the Masterbuilt but nowhere does it say anything about soaking the wood chips. Is this something you decided to try on your own? I gather from al the comments that everything goes by the trial and error method. I saw on some website that soaking the chips is not recommended because it can cause the temperature to vary. I'm just about ready to shut mine down for the first time. It was in the process of being "seasoned". Going to wait until tomorrow to smoke something as time is running out today.
Thanks for all the feedback. I am going to print out some of the recipes for future use.
|
|
|
04-21-2013, 05:01 PM
|
#28
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Rio Grande Valley
Posts: 38,011
|
Soaked chips - that's what my electric smoker specifies.
__________________
Retired since summer 1999.
|
|
|
04-21-2013, 06:24 PM
|
#29
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 4,172
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by audreyh1
Soaked chips - that's what my electric smoker specifies.
|
hmmmmm.......that's interesting. I have the same Little Chief and I don't recall them specifying that unless they've changed. Here's a manual I dug up
p. 12 talks about the chips but doesn't specify soaking as far as I can find....
http://www.smokehouseproducts.com/downloads/LCRB.pdf
perhaps I missed it somewhere.
|
|
|
04-21-2013, 09:48 PM
|
#30
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 2,610
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by SumDay
5. One of the best tricks DH learned was to smoke the meat in the smoker for 2 hours, then wrap it in foil and finish it in the oven at a low temp. After a certain period of time, the meat won't take more smoke, and you run the risk of drying it out. There are lots of variations to this method, so eventually you'll find the one you like.
|
+1 on the above. We use this method for brisket adding a nice helping of sauce before it hits the oven. Works/tastes great.
Another tip--I use a 16" X 16" piece of tile as the smokers resting place on the deck.
|
|
|
04-22-2013, 02:22 AM
|
#31
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: North Bay
Posts: 1,246
|
I haven't heard anyone mention brining fish before smoking in the electric smoker with wet apple or plum (backyard) chips. I use a salt-brown sugar-garlic powder basic brine, and sometimes add chili pepper. I sprinkle coarse black pepper over the fillets prior to smoking for 60-70 minutes. Mmmm. My favorites are yellowtail and salmon.
|
|
|
04-22-2013, 05:47 AM
|
#32
|
Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Southern Maine
Posts: 672
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by dfarr
If you like pulled pork pick up a Boston Butt and some rub and follow the directions on this web site. It one of the easiest items to smoke and always turns out great.
Perfect Pulled Pork From Pork Butt Recipe
|
I have used this recipie several times and it comes out great!
I would stay away from quality cuts of meat and steaks... the higher the fat content the better.
I have never used and electric, but my smoker is gas and I love it.
|
|
|
04-22-2013, 08:31 AM
|
#33
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Rio Grande Valley
Posts: 38,011
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by scrinch
I haven't heard anyone mention brining fish before smoking in the electric smoker with wet apple or plum (backyard) chips. I use a salt-brown sugar-garlic powder basic brine, and sometimes add chili pepper. I sprinkle coarse black pepper over the fillets prior to smoking for 60-70 minutes. Mmmm. My favorites are yellowtail and salmon.
|
My posted recipe included brining.
__________________
Retired since summer 1999.
|
|
|
04-22-2013, 08:34 AM
|
#34
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Bernalillo, NM
Posts: 2,717
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by JOHNNIE36
timo, as mentioned, I also have the Masterbuilt but nowhere does it say anything about soaking the wood chips. Is this something you decided to try on your own? I gather from al the comments that everything goes by the trial and error method. I saw on some website that soaking the chips is not recommended because it can cause the temperature to vary. I'm just about ready to shut mine down for the first time. It was in the process of being "seasoned". Going to wait until tomorrow to smoke something as time is running out today.
Thanks for all the feedback. I am going to print out some of the recipes for future use.
|
You are correct - I couldn't find a reference to soaking the wood chips in anything from Masterbuilt or the Dadgum cookbook. I must have seen it on the Masterbuilt demonstration on QVC, possibly...I certaintly didn't dream it . It turns whether to soak or not to soak is a long running controversy. Here is an interesting link SmokingMeatForums.com - Smoker and smoking meat forums and reviews
I've had good results with soaking the chips, however. The chips put out the right amount of smoke for me, and I usually don't have to add new chips. I guess you could try it both ways, or not.
__________________
"We live the lives we lead because of the thoughts we think" ...Michael O’Neill
"We can cannot compel others to do our will" ....Norman Goldman
"There never is shortage of the gullible to accept the illogical"...Anonymous
|
|
|
04-22-2013, 12:56 PM
|
#35
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Naples
Posts: 2,179
|
timo, my first batch of country ribs is in the smoker now. Trial and error if I've ever seen it. For my first time I am doing about 4 lbs of country ribs at 225 degrees for three hours. So after I turned on the smoker I set the timer for three hours smoking time plus 30 minutes to heat up. This was from one recipe in their instruction manual. Some other recipes I saw indicate about one hour per pound so at this stage I'm guessing. Put in my second cup of wood chips already.
|
|
|
04-22-2013, 01:07 PM
|
#36
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Bernalillo, NM
Posts: 2,717
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by JOHNNIE36
timo, my first batch of country ribs is in the smoker now. Trial and error if I've ever seen it. For my first time I am doing about 4 lbs of country ribs at 225 degrees for three hours. So after I turned on the smoker I set the timer for three hours smoking time plus 30 minutes to heat up. This was from one recipe in their instruction manual. Some other recipes I saw indicate about one hour per pound so at this stage I'm guessing. Put in my second cup of wood chips already.
|
We like the "dadgum that's good' cookbook Dadgum That's Good! and I also noticed some recipes on the Master Built site.
__________________
"We live the lives we lead because of the thoughts we think" ...Michael O’Neill
"We can cannot compel others to do our will" ....Norman Goldman
"There never is shortage of the gullible to accept the illogical"...Anonymous
|
|
|
04-22-2013, 02:07 PM
|
#37
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,440
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by braumeister
However, for the last couple of years I've done nearly everything on the Big Green Egg, which is sort of a combination grill and smoker (technically called a kamado cooker), and this seems to be the ideal, at least for me.
|
+1 on Big Green Egg.
|
|
|
04-22-2013, 03:47 PM
|
#38
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Lawn chair in Texas
Posts: 14,183
|
Re: smoking steaks, I used to throw unsoaked wood chips in the kettle-style charcoal grill, then close the lid. The chips smolder due to low oxygen, and give a nice smoky flavor. But yeah, not "smoking" in the bbq sense...
Lazy gas griller these days...
__________________
Have Funds, Will Retire
...not doing anything of true substance...
|
|
|
04-22-2013, 05:59 PM
|
#39
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Naples
Posts: 2,179
|
VIOLA! Just finished dinner with our first try at smoking country ribs. They were great. Even surprised my wife who is not a big rib fan. She ate these. I think I might have left them in a little too long (for me) but swhe likes things well done and she loved them. Now the next experiment is how to serve the leftovers but she told me she has the answer to that. We use a plastic steamer for baking and sweet potatoes in the microwave. Kind of like a rice cooker. She plans to just steam them a little to heat them up. Don't want to microwave them as they will toughen up.
Anyway, the first try on the smoker went great. Hell of a clean up though. I'm trusting the dishwasher. Also, I did notice a little leakage of drippings from somewhere at the bottom of the door. Looks like I'll just put an old throw rug down there and then pitch it when it gets ratty. I decided to keep it in the garage and just move it outside the mandoor when in use.
|
|
|
07-20-2013, 11:38 AM
|
#40
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Naples
Posts: 2,179
|
I started this thread in April I believe and went back today to review all the posts and to see if there were any late comers. Not much activity lately so I'll add one more to see if anyone feels like I do about the smoker. I QUIT!! Did up a batch today and I'm sick of all the work involved so we are giving it to our daughter and hubby. I started with it this morning at 8:30 and just finished with up with all the crap going into the dishwasher.
I think it took about half an hour to get the smoker set and up to temperature with the wood chips. The big pain in the a** comes after every thing is smoked and it's time for cleanup. You've got the drippings in the water pan, racks from the smokier to clean, pans from the prep of the meat, clean up the smoker itself and get it put back in the garage.
Forgot to mention that I always do this under a big umbrella so everything stays nice and dry in case it rains. That can happen because the whole process takes about three hours from start to finish, not including clean up. It's just too much so I'm done with it.
I'd like to hear from all you "smokers" out there as to where I can save some time. Even If I do this at my daughters house, I can't leave her with the mess. No wonder ribs aren't cheap!
|
|
|
|
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
|
|
Thread Tools |
|
Display Modes |
Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
» Recent Threads
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
» Quick Links
|
|
|