Re: [CH] OT: smoker questions (fwd)

Jim Graham (spooky130u@gmail.com)
Sun, 20 Jun 2010 22:47:51 -0500 

Well, I can't find it, but I seem to recall saying I'd post a summary of
yesterday's barbecue, so here goes.

First, I never knew that the water pan was regulating the temperature and
keeping it in the exact range I wanted (until a friend told me later last
night in an e-mail about the smoker and the day's smoking).  So, I was
surprised to find that, when I used an oven thermometer to back up the
ECB (El Cheapo Brinkmann ... what my Brinkmann Smoke N' Grill is called),
that I hit 225°F on the dot.  Whatever...temperature was perfect.
Until....

The fire burned out a *LOT* faster than when I cured the smoker.
Probably the regular Kingsford charcoal (which I used for curing) vs
the Kingsford charcoal/hickory mix that I used yesterday.

Major issues:  can't service the charcoal pan without opening up the
smoker, taking both racks and the water pan out ... and taking that water
pan out is bound to spill, killing any fire you have left.  Only option
(messy---ash getting tossed about) is to toss fresh briquettes in through
the port on the side.  Bad juju.

Next are the lack of a real thermometer, and the lack of a proper
adjustable vent.

http://www.smoking-meat.com/modify-brinkmann-ecb-smoker.html has all
of the answers, quick, easy to implement, inexpensive, and very simple
solutions.

The fire did go out...as I mentioned, the speed at which this stuff
burned caught me completely by surprise after just the night before
finally giving up on it going out on its own and getting the water
hose.  So I finished the ribs and the chicken up in the oven at 225°F.
I basted it all before going into the oven, and for the ribs, again
about 20 minutes later when they were done, and a few times for the
chicken until it was done ... and basted both with sauce when they
were done.

Result:  there isn't much left....I need some Boston Butt and more
chickens.  I've got veges (and two Anaheim peppers to cover the most
important food group:  chiles) that I was going to smoke yesterday until
the fire died, and they need to be done (so I might as well do more
meat, right?).

One (or more) of the chickens I'll be doing in the next few days will be
going to a local sandwich shop owner who, since I reappeared after the
cancer, refuses to allow me to pay or tip.  I like to do nice things for
her---always cooking or baking (she loves my cooking/baking)....  :-)

So there's the summary.  Today I bought a real thermometer, just need to
get the drill out, find an outlet that works, and drill one hole and I'll
have a real thermometer.  Re-doing the charcoal pan setup is next, and
then the vent on top.

Some new terms regarding the inability to open the smoker to check the
temps on the oven thermometer without opening the lid and thus changing
the temps I was trying to measure:  "the Heisensmoker effect".  That,
and "quantum smoker" and (and this one was reaching a bit, but I'd
already gotten started)....  "Schroedinger's Chicken".  Ok, I'll stop
now.  You had to be there....  :-)

One other idea I thought of:  when I get the feeling (or when I SHOULD
have) that the fire is about to die out, use one of those $10 charcoal
grills to light up some charcoal and let it burn down, then lift the
smoker up off of the charcoal pan and its new base, dump the ashes into
a metal pail, and slide the new hot coals into the charcoal pan, and
add more as needed before putting the smoker back onto the charcoal pan.

Now I just need to get the property management/repair guy to pour me a
nice, level, and FLAT concrete area to use not only for the smoker, but
also for the jet-type burner I use when brewing.  After the temperature
in Hell reaches absolute zero, it might happen.

Later,
   --jim

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