Re: [CH] I believe in BBQ
Dana H. Myers (dana.myers@gmail.com)
Wed, 14 May 2008 14:54:21 -0700
=Mark wrote:
> Cool! What kind of cooker do you use?
I started with a CharBroil/New Braunfels Silver Smoker offset,
which is probably half of the reason why I had such an exciting
learning curve at first. If you're using a Silver Smoker, you'll
immediately want to extend the chimney down to the grate level
with a few inches of 3" diameter aluminum dryer vent, and take a
pie pan and bow it a little to create a heat shield in the
opening betweent the firebox and cook chamber. With these
changes, the Silver becomes pretty easy to control, but it's
still pretty hard on fuel.
On a whim, I got a cheap Brinkman's electric vertical smoker,
which worked OK on calm, warm days but hates cold, windy
weather. Nonetheless, I was surprised how well it worked.
Eventually, I came around and got the cooker I really should
have to begin with - a Weber Smokey Mountain. It only seems
expensive until you use it; once you line the water pan with
foil, fill it with an inch or two of washed sand, and cover
it with 5-10 layers of foil, you can easily run it at 230F
for 16+ hours on a single load of fuel.
One thing led to another, and I added a BBQ Guru DigiQ II
controller to the WSM. This took an easy-to-control, efficient
cooker and turned it into something like a kitchen appliance.
I think nothing of loading the cooker with lump, firing it up,
setting the temperature, putting the meat in - and going to bed.
The next morning, the cooker is sitting right on temperature.
At the Hogfest, for example, I cooked a brisket for 12 hours
(not quite enough this time; still getting dialed-in on brisket),
then I cooked the 1st-place ribs, then we cooked chicken thighs.
All on a single load of lump; the cooker was still at temperature
after 19 hours when I had to quench the fire.
BBQ, in my experience, demands a deft touch with the heat. You
want good, flavorful peppers but you don't want to unbalance the
results with raw heat. I wish I had some Calvin's sometimes.
This makes me think, next time there's a ChileHeads' dinner
around the SF Bay/Napa area, I'll have to do a couple of shoulders
and maybe some spares... heck, I need to work on my brisket
technique, perhaps I should surprise my wife and invite y'all
over sometime :-)
Dana