So I opened the vent in the grill side all the way up, figuring it might help vent more heat…
I was wrong… it just fed more oxygen to the fire… I was over 300 and the cook was done in 9 hours… I also used lump charcoal again, which I think may have been an issue.
I think I need to smoke with the vent fully closed and need to seal the chimney portion better to restrict airflow when the fan isn’t running…
Pork is resting in a cooler now!
I’ve never used a charcoal smoker, so I did a little research and it is basically the same as a wood fired side box. To get the temp down you want to incrementally close the intake vent where the coals are burning to starve the coals of oxygen which will keep temp down. Incrementally, is a 1/4 inch at a time and you should be using the same amount of coals everytime you fire the box. It’s like a cake recipe…must be the same everytime to be consistent. Most of the users seemed to be able to manage their flues to keep the temp lower than 250, but 235-250 is where they all seem to run. Your exhaust damper should always be open, you can adjust how open through your cook. That much I do know from working the barrel smokers. This is what I learned on. 
Next thing ya know…you’ll be buyin a food truck!..Looks good. You’ll be like that TV commercial…1 millionth order…looking at the mixer…“we don’t bake”. Get the recipe right and then you maybe try a local competition cook…I used to do that way back when…it’s more competitive than golfing, believe me and it’s not EZ.
Forgot to get pics but my 7 year old daughter wanted homemade pizza for her birthday dinner. Bought some grill mats and put them on the Traeger at 375 for 30 minutes…crust was perfect, Smokey taste was amazing!
I love doing pizza on my Traeger. Well, loved. No pizza for me for a while.
Nothing beats Dino bones. The best. They look great!
Tasted good too! Those were the remainders, as I was the only one who ate any… will bring them up to the golf staff tomorrow.
OK - as I expand on my new smoker hobby…what are everyone’s favorite rubs? Store-bought because I’m lazy…and why?
Beef -
Pork -
Fish -
Poultry -
thanks all!
Just my 2 pence.
Really should re-think store-bought, or at least be careful to read labels. Most (not all) commercial rubs are mostly salt. If the first ingredient listed is salt, put it back. That’s a problem because if you brine (and you definitely should!) and then use commercial, you’re double-dosing on the salt.
I always wet-brine all poultry in 6%. Since all salt is different, I go by volume, not weight. Here’s a simple recipe: put one cup hot water in a two-cup measuring cup. Add kosher or sea salt (no iodized please, that’s only for de-icing the stairs) until level gets to 1 1/2 cup level. Stir and dump slurry into 1gallon cold water. Done.
Almost everything else, I dry-brine in fridge. Salt-pepper-granulated garlic. I usually brine overnight, but you’ll get benefit even after an hour or two.
I’ll apply the rub about an hour or two on the counter before the cook. Not much flavor sinks in; I’m going for killer bark.
For poultry, we like Simon&Garfunkel Rub (you know the ditty: parsley, sage, rosemary & tyme).
For beef try: 4 Tbsp fresh ground black pepper; 1 1/2 Tbsp each Tyme, Rosemary; 1 Tbsp each onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne and maybe a little sugar and dry mustard. Makes about 1/2 cup. Then experiment! Once you find what you like, you’ll be putting it on everything. Besides, if you mix in bulk it takes less time than cleaning your clubs and you’re good for months. And tastes waaay better.
Brisket? I’m from Texas; we use Dalmatian Rub (salt & pepper) and don’t even think about asking for sauce….
Gotta be a meat locker nearby. Better cuts at better prices I’m sure.
Beef -
Pork -
Fish - dill and garlic
Poultry -
I get ya on the lazy…but it’s not that hard. Experiment…make your own, put in air seal containers. It’s worth it…They’ll last a good 18 months. It’s really worth it!
You are correct on Brisket…nothing more complicated than that!
Our Pork Rib Rub is very complex…But the flavor is amazing… Brown Sugar, Gran Garlic, Onion Powder, Ground Ginger, Kosher Salt, Black Pepper, Ancho Chili Powder, Dry Mustard, Hungarian Paprika, Cayenne…
Smoked pork belly burnt ends today. Initial smoke is done, added butter, brown sugar, honey, apple juice and put in foil pan and back on for a couple hours.
Wife and I are debating adding bbq sauce to glaze at the end. Yes or no to bbq sauce??? #crowdsourcing
I’m a “yes”….she thinks it’s too many flavors.
Thoughts?
Listen to your wife.
Already plenty of sugar and flavor in there!
So what’s everyone smoking for the holiday season? I’m getting much more comfortable now…I’ve added a few completed smokes to the list: Pork butt, Beef ribs, pork ribs (st louis and babyback), beef brisket, tri-tip, chuck roast, whole chicken, pizza, mahi mahi, pig shots…
Looking for more ideas. Loving the assortment of Meat Church rubs.
Since our indoor cooktop died, thought I’d try lasagna outside. First, the bolognese: fresh ground chuck & sausage.
Bechamel done on GrillGrates (sorry, no pics; too busy stirring!) Then the noodles go on side burner while bolognese simmering on grill (background).
Then assembly.
Into the smoker for an hour.
Too hungry to be patient, should’ve let it set up longer!
Looks like trainwreak, but it was really tasty.
Indoor kitchens (like tee shots) are overrated!
-Fraser
Just added grill grates to my gravity fed smoker… game changer! Finally can get the sear I want on the grill. I’m tempted to reverse sear smoke the tomahawk I have… but my wife and daughter might not like it…
Alton Brown’s technique for basically turning your chimney starter into a salamander, works really well for getting a nuclear sear on things. Glad the grill grates are working for you
Why do you think they’d not like the reverse-sear and smoke?
