BBQ Smoker Site » BBQ Smoker Basics

Use Forums to Pick Up Some Great Smoked BBQ Tips

BBQ Smoker — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:00:57 +0000

Smoking meat is all about cooking the meat slow and steady, unlike grilling where burgers and meats are seared at very high temperatures. If you are truly serious about barbecue and smoke flavored meat, then you need to learn a bit about it.

Smoking meat is part skill, part experience, and part machinery. If someone is new to meat smoking, asking others about primary things one needs to learn will really help.

Most pit masters won’t share secrets about their recipes, but they will share the basics of what to do. One can look on the Internet for recipes and some of that great taste. The longer someone smokes meat, the easier information and secret recipes will be learned.

One of the best ways to learn some of the more detailed aspects of Smoked Barbecue is to visit the various BBQ Smoker Forums that are out there.

Two of the best Smoked Barbecue Forums out there include:

The Smoke Ring Forum

BBQ Brethren Forum

The folks on these forums are very helpful, and it’s always OK for you to ask questions. You’ll find tips on how to build your own barbecue smokers, great BBQ recipes, and more.

In general, you should search through the posts that are already on each site, as repeat questions can become a bit tiresome.

However, don’t sweat this too much. Look around for a while, and if you don’t see your question addressed, go ahead and post yours in the appropriate forum topic area.

Wood Fire Grill DIY: Building the Ugly Drum Smoker

BBQ Smoker — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 20:10:07 +0000

I love talking about DIY BBQ smokers, and as such – I recently posted on the Ugly Drum Smoker (UDS) and it being a great wood fire grill DIY project to start with where BBQ Smokers are concerned. This post is a follow up with some more specific construction information. Yes – I consider this smoker a wood fire grill as well as you can easily fuel it with the hardwood of your choosing and grill lid off – style. There’s so much you can do with the UDS. As crude as it can look, it has a certain universal presence about it. Almost like “The Force.” In fact, I think that Darth Vader might also cook on an Ugly Drum Smoker.

Locate and Buy Your Drum

The first thing you need to find when you’re building your UDS is the drum itself. Look for food grade 55 Gallon Steel Drums.

Local businesses that deal in food grade products are likely to have some steel drums handy, and will most likely be willing to sell them to you for cheap. There are also several online sources for 55 gallon steel drums.

Be sure to burn a load or two – whatever it takes – to get the inside of the grill clean should there be anything suspect in there. You want to be sure you don’t have any off-putting tastes floating into your meat when the smoking begins.

Build Out the Grill and Charcoal Setup

Create a resting spot for your coals

Let’s start from the bottom up. Air fuels fire. So, you need to be sure that the charcoal sits several inches above the bottom of the barrel. Not only will this make sure airflow can come under the coals, but it will also provide space for the ashes to fall.

One way to situate your burn basket in the right spot is to find an old grill grate or buy one from a supply store that will sit nicely inside the drum. Bolt this in place and you should be good to go.

Build a charcoal burning basket

You’ll need to craft a basket for your charcoal so that it stays in an efficiently burning pile. A basket can be made from anything you can find – including heavy gauge metal mesh, or maybe a piece of cut and spread sheet metal from your local scrap yard.

Your Ugly Drum Smoker charcoal basket can either be a single set size, or you can build a couple different charcoal basket sizes to accommodate varying burn times.

Create Holes to Regulate Air Flow

As with any smoker, the air flow in the UDS needs to be regulated in order to control the burn of your charcoal. There are several ways to handle this. Here are two methods you might look into.

Method #1: Lower airflow holes covered with magnets

One of the easiest ways to adjust the air flow is just to punch out three or four holes in the bottom of the smoker - perhaps by using an electrician’s knockout punch tool. A very cool way I’ve seen folks handle the hole plugging is to cover them with magnets. This makes for easy work when you need to regulate the airflow.

Method #2: Smoke stack and ball valve approach

Some of the Ugly Drum Smoker configurations you’ll see use a smoke stack approach to regulate air flow. For this to work, you’ll need to find a 1 to 2 inch gauge piece of gas pipe. Configure it to bend upwards use a ball valve for air control. If you’re not a welder, no worries. You can secure the pipe with a cement compound.

A great example of this method can be seen over at the Stealth Survival Blog, so be sure to check that out!

Fit the Grate in Place

The last thing you need to do is to fit the grate in place. You have a couple of choices. If you use a flat top to your smoker, you may be limited to using a single grill or space a couple out evenly, but with limited head space.

If you can find an old Weber kettle grill top that fits your drum, this might provide you with enough space to fit a turkey or rack of ribs on the top. Determine your desired configuration, place four bolts at each desired grate resting level, and you’re ready to roll!

Your First Cook – How to Come Out Swangin’!

To make sure you season that tri-tip or brisket just right, consider one of the fine rubs put out by our friends over at C-Dub’s BBQ Rubs.

Of course, if you’re of the mind that all of this DIY BBQ Smoker stuff is too much for your hectic schedule, I’d recommend looking into of the many electric BBQ smokers on the market. They’re efficient and remarkably easy to use and maintain!

Want news about other items purchased by member of the BBQ Smoker Site community? Be sure to check out our Popular Barbecue Books, Videos, and Accessories page.

Build Your Own BBQ Smoker

BBQ Smoker — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 19:57:52 +0000

Two decades after barbecue kingpins Vince Staten and Greg Johnson published their ode to the top 100 barbecue joints around the United States, they have logged thousands more milesand at least as many rib racksin their quest to monitor, taste, and even create the very best. Part travel guide, part recipe book, REAL BARBECUE is really a celebration of a way of life, peppered with such sage advice as, A man that won't sleep with his meat don't care about his barbecue” (Early Scott). This update of the classic has a completely new design with photos, trivia, detailed locations of great eating joints coast to coast, sidebars about sauces and sides, columns about cook pits and shack architecture, sections devoted to Texas ribs, Cowboy-que, lowcountry pulled pig, California-que-zeen, and real-man reviews of rib joints such as Allen & Sons in Pittsboro and Vince Staten’s Old Time Barbecue in Prospect (he put his money where his mouth is). Secret recipes and mail-order finds are also included. This is your guide to the best barbecue across America, often identified only by a thick black column of smoke in the distance.

A syndicated columnist and author of ten books, including Kentucky Curiosities(Globe Pequot Press), Vince Staten has appeared on such media as "Late Night with David Letterman," "Dateline NBC," "Today on NBC," and NPR's "Morning Edition." His varied career encompasses writing, lecturing, teaching, and co-owning Vince Staten's Old Time Barbecue in downtown Prospect, Kentucky. Greg Johnson is the Features Editor for The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky.

"This book is to barbecue what Rand-McNally is to maps."Playboy magazine

"What Masters and Johnson did for sex, Staten and Johnson do for barbecue."Willard Scott

"This is a helluva readable book...There's as much flavor in the writing as in the Rev. Noble Harris' sauce at House of Prayer Bar-B-Que in Fort Lauderdale...Toss this on the dash and hit the road."Gannett News Service

Build Your Own Smoker: Your Options and the Most Popular Choices

BBQ Smoker — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:54:04 +0000

We get a lot of questions about what options there are out there for the “Build Your Own Smoker” types among us. I can’t think of a more satisfying way to smoke BBQ than on a rig you built yourself. That said, good plans do seem a bit hard to come by.

To date, I consider the Big Baby Smoker and the Ugly Drum Smoker to be the two most widely approached DIY Smoker Builds out there. (I think even Darth Vader uses a 55 gallon drum smoker version!)

We’ve written a good deal about these smokers here at the BBQ Smoker Site, but it would be awesome to get some feedback from folks out there who may have tried their hand at either of these models.

Also, if you have an alternative smoker plan you’ve attempted, we’d love to hear about that as well.

Have You Built Your Own BBQ Smoker? Share a story and a link to pics of them if they’re available. We welcome your feedback!

Electric Smokers: Your Ticket to Awesome Set it and Forget it Smoked BBQ

BBQ Smoker — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:15:24 +0000

Electric smokers are great for folks who are new to the world of smoked BBQ. In many cases, it’s just not possible to to use charcoal, wood, or a combination of both in a BBQ smoker. Maybe your HOA rules don’t allow you to have one of these kinds of barbecues, maybe you’re just limited in funds, or perhaps you have space limitations. In these cases, it’s fortunate that there are a few good manufacturers of electric smokers out there to choose from.

Brinkmann Gourmet Electric Smoker and Grill

The Brinkmann Gourmet Electric Smokers in this series are great for first timers new to BBQ smoking. What’s nicest is a price point that averages around $120.00, which represents a modest investment when compared to other electric smokers out there.

It comes standard with two chrome-plated steel cooking grills that can carry as much as 50 pounds of your favorite BBQ pork, brisket, chicken, or fish. The beauty of this multiple level approach is that you can pack these electric smokers with with a good amount of stuff.

Since the top and bottom levels of this smoker cook at about the same rate, it’s a good idea to put the meat you want to smoke for the least amount of time on top for easy removal. A 1500-watt heating element rests in the sturdy based of the Brinkmann Gourmet and lava rocks provide for powerful, consistent heat, which is kept in nicely by the dome lid. Cool to the touch wooden handles keep you safe, and a front-hinged door allows for quick access to a porcelain-coated steel water pan. A separate base pan makes clean up a snap, and all this comes in a light weight 28 pound unit.

Masterbuilt Electric Smokehouse Smoker

These electric smokers are recognized by many in the BBQ world as the standard bearer for electric cookers. They’re a bit higher priced, at around $220 – compared to the Brinkmann, but you get a bit more for your money.

Masterbuilt Electric Smokers offer a powder-coated steel outer body and come with four smoking racks that provide you plenty of room for smoking pork butts, brisket, chicken, ribs, salmon, cod, and more. What’s nice about this electric smoker is that it rests easily between 100° to 275°F via a thermostat for a reliable performance each time you use it. The push-button digital control panel and 24 hour digital timer with auto shut-off also provides for a measure of reliability when you’re looking for perfect smoked meat, poultry, or fish. Set up with a very convenient side-loading wood tray, and 100-percent insulation for energy-efficient cooking, it’s hard to imagine an easier electric smoker to operate.

Bradley BTIS1 Automatic Electric Smoker

Bradley BTIS1 electric smokers are awesome. They allow you to smoke, cold smoke, slow cook or slow roast your favorite foods from meats to fruit. Featuring a a powder epoxy steel exterior and 2288-cubic-inch aluminum interior with slide-out adjustable shelves, the smoker has a 500-watt cooking element, an 125-watt smoking element, and heats up to 280 degrees F. A door-mounted thermometer makes checking the interior temperature quick and easy, and the smoker operates up to eight hours without refeuling.

The Bradley Smoker is a self-contained, clean burning smoker that provides the utmost in ease of use. It uses a smoke without a fire system that utilizes consistent temperature settings to avoid high-temperature gases, acids, or resins spoling the taste of flavor provile of your food.

With the Bradley electric smokers, special Bradley bisquettes burn for about 20 minutes each and then automatically advance off the burner.