New to smoking

[Axxe55]

Looks like way more work than I want these days but that looks like a great smoker. Good stack, nice and tall.

It took about a month to build in my spare time one winter after I got most of the stuff scrounged up to build it.

From about a month ago. This is just half of the area for smoking. A brisket, a pork loin and a whole chicken.

 

[Polekitty]

I've been using a Camp Chef SmokePro pellet pooper for about 3 years now and really enjoy it. I'm an old stick burner and true the pellet smokers don't impart the same amount, but a lot has to do with the type of pellets being used. They sure are easy to use. I no longer need a smoker that will cook 3 or 4 briskets as I only cook for two now.
I really like the set it and forget method. I'll put a brisket or a pork butt on late in the evening and go to bed and not have to check until about 6:30 or 7:00 the next morning. like anything, it takes a while figure out how they work and they all work differently, but so far I wouldn't trade it for anything, well almost anything.

 

[cygunner]

Boy, getting a good brisket these days is a pretty good trick. Grocery store ones are usually all fat and cost 3 times what they used to. Some you can't even deflect, let alone bend they are so fat. When I feel flush I go to Bellville Meat Market. Pricey but amazing. Since you like smoked chicken you should investigate/maybe you already know about Big Bob Gibson's famous white barbecue/dipping sauce based on mayonnaise. It was created especially for smoked chicken. It's the go-to for chicken in AL, MS and GA. At least it was in GA before November 2020.

 

[Axxe55]

Right now, I have very, very little money that was spent on building my smoker. At the length of time I have been using mine and how much longer it will last, I am fairly certain it's the last smoker I'll ever need, and will probably outlast me.

IF, I did decide to upgrade to a new smoker, one of the pellet smokers would be of high consideration that I might would buy one.

 

[Axxe55]

Boy, getting a good brisket these days is a pretty good trick. Grocery store ones are usually all fat and cost 3 times what they used to. Some you can't even deflect, let alone bend they are so fat. When I feel flush I go to Bellville Meat Market. Pricey but amazing. Since you like smoked chicken you should investigate/maybe you already know about Big Bob Gibson's famous white barbecue/dipping sauce based on mayonnaise. It was created especially for smoked chicken. It's the go-to for chicken in AL, MS and GA. At least it was in GA before November 2020.

Briskets got way stupid in price! The wife lucked into a couple she got at Kroger's a few months ago, that were really, really nice briskets, and were on sale for a really goo price. One was well over $50 and the other was close to $50, and she got them for less than that for both. One is still in freezer to smoke next month.

But, I also smoke turkeys, chickens, hams, sausages, pork loins and lots of things on mine.

 

[IXLR8]

Boy, getting a good brisket these days is a pretty good trick. Grocery store ones are usually all fat and cost 3 times what they used to. Some you can't even deflect, let alone bend they are so fat. When I feel flush I go to Bellville Meat Market. Pricey but amazing. Since you like smoked chicken you should investigate/maybe you already know about Big Bob Gibson's famous white barbecue/dipping sauce based on mayonnaise. It was created especially for smoked chicken. It's the go-to for chicken in AL, MS and GA. At least it was in GA before November 2020.

Costco has Prime Beef Briskets for 2.72/lb. I just bought a 14 lb one last weekend and it was delicious. I don't know if I will ever use a choice, or select grade again... This sale has been going for a few weeks now.

 

[AZ Refugee]

I built this 10 years or so ago. Fire box is 18" pipe with 1/2" wall thickness, cook chamber is 18" pipe with 3/8" wall thickness. End plates are 1/4" plate. Stack is 3" pipe with a custom made solid stainless steel cap (my dad is a machinist). Holds the heat really well. Hardly ever use it as it's just the wife and I now and the Pit Boss pellet does a fantastic job.

 

[cygunner]

Costco has Prime Beef Briskets for 2.72/lb. I just bought a 14 lb one last weekend and it was delicious. I don't know if I will ever use a choice, or select grade again... This sale has been going for a few weeks now.

They used to go on sale around Memorial Day and 4th of July for 79 cents to 97 cents a pound. Just hope ranchers and farmers are getting all this extra money but know they are not.

 

[cygunner]

Briskets got way stupid in price! The wife lucked into a couple she got at Kroger's a few months ago, that were really, really nice briskets, and were on sale for a really goo price. One was well over $50 and the other was close to $50, and she got them for less than that for both. One is still in freezer to smoke next month.

But, I also smoke turkeys, chickens, hams, sausages, pork loins and lots of things on mine.

I like to stick a package or two of Johnsonville or HEB sweet, raw Italian sausage on the top rack. Nice way to have something for dinner while I am doing pork or brisket overnight. They are a favorite here. Don't know if I could get a whole shoulder in mine like we smoked in Alabama. Around here grocers only have butts and half shoulders.

 

[FireInTheWire]

I don't own one yet.... but the reviews are solid.

One of the pros: It doesn't take a lot of tending and it's $300

Bronco Drum Smoker

The Oklahoma Joe’s® Bronco Drum Smoker gives more so you get more. More precision and more control to an authentic smoking experience.

www.oklahomajoes.com

 

[Axxe55]

I will add this. Smoking on a "stick" burner, is labor intensive, as you have to tend to the smoker and pay attention to what is going on to maintain a constant temperature. The key to a good brisket as far as the cooking, is low and slow.

But, for me, it's a labor of love because I do enjoy cooking and using my smoker is one of my joys of cooking. If I didn't enjoy doing it, I wouldn't put the time and effort forth to do it. But, the reward for me is people enjoying the food I prepared and cooked.

 

[HKSig]

I was leaning toward a Pit Boss Classic 700 because of the price and overall reviews seem okay.

I was given a Pit Copperhead 5 Series for Christmas. I'll open the box and put it together soon.

 

[billtool]

I built this 10 years or so ago. Fire box is 18" pipe with 1/2" wall thickness, cook chamber is 18" pipe with 3/8" wall thickness. End plates are 1/4" plate. Stack is 3" pipe with a custom made solid stainless steel cap (my dad is a machinist). Holds the heat really well. Hardly ever use it as it's just the wife and I now and the Pit Boss pellet does a fantastic job.
View attachment 244120 View attachment 244121

Your grand kids are going to have to will that guy to their grand kids!

 

[kbaxter60]

I built my smoker about fifteen years ago. Scrounged for various parts for a bit until I had what I needed to build it. The only things I bought, were the hinges, some flat strap steel for the lids and the thermometers.

The main smoker vessel is an old 60 gallon hydraulic tank, and the fire box is an air tank off a Mack truck, as are the lid holders with are leaf spring U-bolts! Exhaust stack, is a exhaust piping from a Chrysler!

I'll get out there tomorrow and take some pictures in the daylight and post them to this thread.

FrankenSmoker!

 

[digger]

Had to add my design.

 

[Haystack]

Okay, I'll weigh in here. There are many ways to cook/smoke a brisket. Wrap, don't wrap. Hickory, or straight oak. If you ignore what you have been served in the BBQ joints, and think about what you like, you will find the best way to suit your tastes.

For me, it's fat side up for 16 hours. Cooked in a roaster pan. No less than 225, no more than 250. And don't EVER put the meat on till the gray smoke is gone. I let my fire burn for an hour at least before putting the meat on. Two hours exposed to mostly red oak with a little bit of hickory thrown in. Then cover and let it steam in the fat/juices. IMPORTANT, scrape and trim the fat after cooking. Get all the fat off of it you can including pulling apart and removing the fat between the layers.

I won't reveal my perfected seasoning developed over 35 years of smoking briskets. But I have had many people say, "Nobody cooks a brisket like you do!"

All that being said, there is an old kid nursery rhyme that comes to mind. Jack Spratt could eat no fat, his wife could eat no lean. I hate the fat. But I like how good it makes the meat taste. So I get as much as I can off before I serve it. Your mileage my vary.

This is my smoker.

 

[cajunautoxer]

For me a brisket will cook until it hits the stall. If I'm running out of time or a cheap cut I will wrap with foil. If time permits or smoking prime I will wrap in pink paper until tender

 

[cajunautoxer]

Okay, I'll weigh in here. There are many ways to cook/smoke a brisket. Wrap, don't wrap. Hickory, or straight oak. If you ignore what you have been served in the BBQ joints, and think about what you like, you will find the best way to suit your tastes.

For me, it's fat side up for 16 hours. Cooked in a roaster pan. No less than 225, no more than 250. And don't EVER put the meat on till the gray smoke is gone. I let my fire burn for an hour at least before putting the meat on. Two hours exposed to mostly red oak with a little bit of hickory thrown in. Then cover and let it steam in the fat/juices. IMPORTANT, scrape and trim the fat after cooking. Get all the fat off of it you can including pulling apart and removing the fat between the layers.

I won't reveal my perfected seasoning developed over 35 years of smoking briskets. But I have had many people say, "Nobody cooks a brisket like you do!"

All that being said, there is an old kid nursery rhyme that comes to mind. Jack Spratt could eat no fat, his wife could eat no lean. I hate the fat. But I like how good it makes the meat taste. So I get as much as I can off before I serve it. Your mileage my vary.

This is my smoker.

If you smoke in a pan from the get go. How does the bottom of brisket develop a bark?

 

[Axxe55]

If there isn't any bark on the brisket, it ain't a Texas brisket!

 

[Haystack]

If there isn't any bark on the brisket, it ain't a Texas brisket!

To each his own. Some won't eat a brisket without the red smoke rind.