# Smoking Meat...



## Cocko (19/10/12)

I have just ordered my smoker and hope this thread can thrive on peoples experience of smoking meat or using their smoker to make, slow roast, jerky etc...

Recipes?

Procedures?

tips and tricks?


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## manticle (19/10/12)

I use my brewing burner, a 20 L alu pot and a $2 upside down SS sieve.

French oak makes nice bacon, it's all a prick to clean and my temp control is next to zero (so no cold smoking for me at this point).

Love the super smoky bacon I make with it though.

My tips for hot smoking?

Get the smoke rip roaring before adding any meat or other product. When adding the meat/whatever, turn heat down to the appropriate temperature to get whatever it is you want about 3/4 cooked, covered with foil or somesuch then turn the smoker off and let the smoked goods sit inside and rest, covered until cooled.

I love meats but try tomatoes too.

Slice a roma tomato logitudinally.

Sprinkle with salt, pepper, a thin slice of garlic and some thyme. Smoke as sugested above. Should be so soft you almost can't pick it up.

Try with cherry tomato halves.

As above but blitz into a sauce and add to a meat dish.

Try with kangaroo.


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## johnw (19/10/12)

We should probably identify what we cook with too.

I use a Kamado Joe. I wanted a Big Green Egg but you cant get them in WA anymore and managed to negotiate a great deal on it compared to the other options of Primo etc...

I first started smoking on a home made ugly drum smoker. it was a 40l oil drum. I fabricated (stole an electric steamer insert from mums) charcoal box. It had holes in it already so i put some nuts and bolts in it to make a stand. From there i bought a wok from the Asian supermarket for super cheap, sprayed everything with kettle paint and began learning. Add two cheapo cake stands and i had two shelves. 

Took me about three years before i thought about upgrading, but as manticle intimated, temp control begin to play an important part in smoking meat. 

One of the better tips i picked up was to wash the meat, dry it, then rub it with mustard, then apply your dry rub. The mustard really helps the smoke flavour penetrate the meat and you get rosy smoke rings in the meat too. My favourite thing to cook is pulled pork, using pork forequarter and my house rub. Once the pork is pulled i mix in a bit of home made kansas city bbq sauce and either have it on a bed of cheese and home made bacon mash or in a bun with some spinach. It also goes well with orange soda bbq sauce too. 

Tomorrow I have 4 pork hocks and a few sausages to smoke for the family. Ill give an update on the result if anyone is interested.


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## bradsbrew (19/10/12)

DrinkBeer said:


> We should probably identify what we cook with too.
> 
> I use a Kamado Joe. I wanted a Big Green Egg but you cant get them in WA anymore and managed to negotiate a great deal on it compared to the other options of Primo etc...
> 
> ...



Pics please. :icon_drool2:


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## barls (19/10/12)

use a rebadged hark from aldi.
i really like my meats low and slow, nothing better than cooking at around 90-100 for at least 6 hours.
i normally brine my meat for minimum of 3 days.
lots of reading over here
http://aussiebbq.info/forum/index.php


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## Cocko (19/10/12)

Also, have been reading about 'rubs' for the meat.

When do you 'rub' the mix into the meat? Is that pre- smoker or after?



EDIT: Sounds like I am being smart but am being sincere here.


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## barls (20/10/12)

rubs are before smoking up to 48 hours before sometimes.
as i said before try reading the link i put up before heres another one
http://aussiebbq.info/forum/viewtopic.php?...ing+ribs#p61149


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## barls (20/10/12)

heres another one
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/forumdisp...-Proven-Recipes
http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/rubs_pa...ines/index.html


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## benno1973 (20/10/12)

DrinkBeer said:


> One of the better tips i picked up was to wash the meat, dry it, then rub it with mustard, then apply your dry rub. The mustard really helps the smoke flavour penetrate the meat and you get rosy smoke rings in the meat too. My favourite thing to cook is pulled pork, using pork forequarter and my house rub. Once the pork is pulled i mix in a bit of home made kansas city bbq sauce and either have it on a bed of cheese and home made bacon mash or in a bun with some spinach. It also goes well with orange soda bbq sauce too.



I love pulled pork any way, and smoked would be awesome! And great tip about the mustard, thanks...


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## bum (20/10/12)

You guys know who you're talking to when you say "pulled pork" right?

Just exercise some caution, is all I'm saying.


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## punkin (20/10/12)

> It also goes well with orange soda bbq sauce too.



More about this please.


I use a home built electric cold smoker. It's quite fancy, not my first build and i've been learning as i go.

It has seperate controls for the remote smoke box, cabinet element and fan....

Most have seen it before in Jerky and Bacon threads, but here goes.


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## jyo (20/10/12)

bum said:


> You guys know who you're talking to when you say "pulled pork" right?
> 
> Just exercise some caution, is all I'm saying.



He had me at rubbed meat. I'm drooling.


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## Bizier (20/10/12)

That is very immature Bum.

*ahem*

I used to use a ghetto smoker I made out of stacked 20L drums, but I ditched it when I moved. I have a 40gal ss drum I bought to use as a smoker, but due to lack of time and space, I have ended up often using both my small gas Weber and my normal sized kettle Weber to hot smoke things. I was going to go all out with kitting the drum out into an insulated PID controlled electric oven with different options for smoke, but it will be a project for another day.

I really like apple wood and oak, but mesquite is good and hickory gives that super barbecuey flavour for marinated pork.

I know that this is not revolutionary, but it is quick and delicious. Mix liberal mined garlic with some oil and coat lean, thin pieces of chicken and use high humidity and high smoke and relatively low temp to half steam and smoke the chook. It turns out really tender and succulent, but super flavourful. Great next day.


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## Cocko (20/10/12)

DrinkBeer said:


> Tomorrow I have 4 pork hocks and a few sausages to smoke for the family. Ill give an update on the result if anyone is interested.



So?




barls said:


> heres another one
> http://www.susanminor.org/forums/forumdisp...-Proven-Recipes
> http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/rubs_pa...ines/index.html




Thanks for the links mate!

Its like I am starting brewing again, so much to learn.....

Will post pics of first attempt.

FARK smoking meat is exciting.



jyo, not like that,_ actually _ using smoke on to flavour/cook meat product.


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## Cocko (20/10/12)

punkin said:


> Most have seen it before in Jerky and Bacon threads, but here goes.




Can you please explain your jerky recipe mate?

Its the best I have had...


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## barls (20/10/12)

did some cheap wollies sausages tonight. 1 hour with oak pellets and mixed sawdust in there.
bloody lovely.
this is how easy it is mate.


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## Cocko (20/10/12)

barls said:


> did some cheap wollies sausages tonight. 1 hour with oak pellets and mixed sawdust in there.
> bloody lovely.
> this is how easy it is mate.



FARK! stop posting mate, you are killing me  

Hopefully it arrives by this weekend..

Do you do jerky in yours?


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## barls (21/10/12)

havent tried jerky yet, done a shit load of roasts, snags and other things. heres some pics just to torment you further
lamb fillets





stuffed baby capsicums




whole chook





cheap snags





low and slow grain and above mentioned lamb fillets


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## Cocko (21/10/12)

barls said:


> heres some pics just to torment you further



:icon_drool2: 

SOO out of the gang. :angry: 

 

BTW: Exactly what I want to see... thank you.


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## Bizier (21/10/12)

For the record smoke makes cheap snags about 1,000,000 times better, but if you smoke really good meaty pork snags it is life changing. Man I wish I had regular hours and time to do stuff like make proper sausages and smoke them. I have a sausage stuffing attachment on our Kenwood Chef that I have never used.

Cocko's enthusiasm is contagious; probably other things about him also. Ooooh!


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## Hammer (21/10/12)

i use a webber for smoking. google aussiebbq and you will find a wealth of information. My technique is low (100C) and slow. I make a charcoal snake and put wood chunks on top of it. light one end of the snake and it slowly burns. I hae a remote thermometer to monitor the temp, which is control the temp via the vents. 

i use a fry rub first, then will apply and marinades later. look up the 3,2,1 method.

As for jerky, i use a dehydrator for that.


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## Fents (21/10/12)

Cocko loves smoking the meat


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## johnw (21/10/12)

Yesterday I had the family over for a bit of a Johntoberfest. They aren't so much into the beer side of things but they all were great in bringing a few German themed dishes. 

I smoked hocks for about 4 hours on a nice low temp, then threw them on the rotisserie for the another hour or so to crisp up the skin. After having a few cracks at hocks i think i have a good method now. Brine for 3 - 4 days, remove from brine and leave in the fridge for 24 hours, then low temp smoke finished with either a few hours on the rotis or a go in the oven. With this method i have achieved fall off the bone meat with crispy skin. The hocks went down so well that i didn't even get a chance to photo some food porn. All i have is the below pic from the day.


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## johnw (21/10/12)

punkin said:


> More about this please.
> 
> 
> Our house orange soda bbq sauce is loosely based on the recipe below
> ...


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## johnw (21/10/12)




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## mjadeb1984 (22/10/12)

hey has anyone ever smoked jalapeno chilies, making chipotle chilies. i am going through a major chipotle phase at the moment and have just planted some jalapenos, and when ready to harvest was planing on smoking them. would they be hot smoked?


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## benno1973 (22/10/12)

mjad said:


> hey has anyone ever smoked jalapeno chilies, making chipotle chilies. i am going through a major chipotle phase at the moment and have just planted some jalapenos, and when ready to harvest was planing on smoking them. would they be hot smoked?



I've cold smoked them, but yes they would normally be hot smoked. Preferably in pits with pecan wood if you want to get all traditional. I cold smoked them for around a day and they were pretty pungent, but then I dried them in the oven and they lost a lot of that smoky smell. Took them _forever_ to dry out, somewhere around 3 days I think from memory. They're still pretty good, lightly smoky, but nowhere near a regular chipotle. 

I love chipotles too - they certainly are addictive!


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## mjadeb1984 (22/10/12)

Sweet. So how long do you reckon to hot smoke them?


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## benno1973 (22/10/12)

I think the key is low and slow, so you don't cook them, just dry them out. I'd guess around a day or so, but I'm just guessing as I don't have a hot smoker (apart from my bbq).


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## Bizier (22/10/12)

I just realised I have a dead almond tree that is a little out of sight and thus mind. I might have to assist my landlord by removing it and docking it up.

Here is some snags and a salmon tail from yesterday on the Weber. Was about 5 hours with mesquite. The salmon was delicious.


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## Malted (22/10/12)

So Cockmeister, what smoker have you decided to buy? 

I have looked at a number and I see faults with all of them. I think I'd like to build a _Texas Smoker style_ http://www.urbangriller.com/Texas_Smoker.html of beast just for the fun of building but I have too many projects on the go. 

Bradley smokers appeared to have a very good element but I don't like the idea of 'having to use' their briquettes. Other ones I have seen had a grub screw to feed extruded smoking pellets into the burner (therefore couldn't really be used without smoking). 
I have kind of settled on the Hark Smoker (spewing we don't have Aldi down here) but can't decide on the electric or gas. Electric convenient but not as hot as the gas. Electric more precise variable control than the gas, perhaps. I'm thinking heat would be good for roasting meats etc, but maybe I should leave that for our oven. Electric means you won't run out of gas. Gas means it is more portable (camping etc). 
Also thinking on low without smoke stuff, one might use such a device for drying herbs, hops, jerky and biltong and stuff?
Maybe I expect too much from a 'smoker'?


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## mr_tyreman (22/10/12)

here's the latest incarnation of the doom and plume smoker i built and rebuilt...and im building more


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## Cocko (22/10/12)

Malted said:


> So Cockmeister, what smoker have you decided to buy?
> 
> I have looked at a number and I see faults with all of them. I think I'd like to build a _Texas Smoker style_ http://www.urbangriller.com/Texas_Smoker.html of beast just for the fun of building but I have too many projects on the go.
> 
> ...




I went the Hark electric, as you say, better temp control and agree, roasting can be done in the webber or oven.

I plan on running it low to do jerky, hops etc... So, my train of thought was very similar to yours. Also, I will be running it on our deck and didn't like the idea of having flames or beads out there....


Jerky...
:icon_drool2:


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## CosmicBertie (22/10/12)

If you want bling, then you cant go much further than the Weber Smokey Mountain.

I've done pulled port, brisket, pork and beef ribs, and its amazing.

It'll cook for +12 hours without needing extra charcoal. 

Like brewing, once you know your smoker, its light it, set it, forget it. I love it.

One question though, where do people get their smoke wood from? I've only ever seen Hickory chunks in Masters, cant find anywhere that does any fruit wood.


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## benno1973 (22/10/12)

Bunnings tends to have some choice, as does BBQ galore. Often though, they are mixes of woods, soaked in champagne, blah blah blah. I have a pack from BBQ Galore that is apple and mesquite I think, and it's labelled for chicken and pork. I've seen plain Hickory wood available in Bunnings, but no single fruit woods. We save our fruit wood cuttings when we prune, so we end up with a bunch that way.


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## punkin (23/10/12)

Cocko said:


> Can you please explain your jerky recipe mate?
> 
> Its the best I have had...



Another pack left for you yesti.

Without going too much into a commercial recipe, i find that brines that include terryaki marinade are extrememly good. Don't add salt (except for nitrites) but you can add a little soy. It takes a LOT of cracked pepper to give a zing, while tobabco style sauces can add heat for those who prfere it hot.

One of the most popular of my recipes has a lot of szechuan pappercorns in it for the mouth zing.


Thanks for the orange sauce recipe too, i'll give it a go soon. B)


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## Malted (23/10/12)

punkin said:


> while tobabco style sauces can add heat for those who prfere it hot.



So you'd use chewin baccy yeah?


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## Malted (23/10/12)

Cosmic Bertie said:


> One question though, where do people get their smoke wood from? I've only ever seen Hickory chunks in Masters, cant find anywhere that does any fruit wood.



BCF has fruit woods (shavings and the likes)


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## Phoney (23/10/12)

For my cold smoker I bought pellets from mistygully.com.au

They also sell wood chunks but they're quite expensive. I bought hickory & mesquite from bbq's galore, and for apple I found an old apple tree growing on the banks of a river and chainsawed a branch off. Chopped it up into small chunks, dried it out for 6 months and now I have enough to last me for the next 20 years.


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## Crusty (23/10/12)

I wish I had the cash for the 6 rack Bradley Smoker


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## Malted (24/10/12)

Crusty said:


> I wish I had the cash for the 6 rack Bradley Smoker



Just my opinions, others may not see it this way.

*Good*: The cooking element inside it seemed better than other brands. Supposedly they will cold smoke whilst others don't (I am sure the electric Hark would).
*Bad:* I had an eyeball of one and was put off by the fact that you have to use their bisquettes. I suppose you could open the door and put pellets etc onto the bisquette burner but that would make the smoker generator partially defunct. There is not much room to load up the bisquette burner though (part E), which has it's own element. 
*Undetermined:* The smoker unit is powered, the bisquette burner is powered and the cooking element is powered. Possibly higher power use than others.


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## punkin (25/10/12)

DrinkBeer said:


> Our house orange soda bbq sauce is loosely based on the recipe below
> 
> 2 cups ketchup
> 1/2 cup orange soda
> ...



Thanks for the recipe, i'm printing it now. So you just use Fanta, or Sunkist or something for the orange soda? Or i have some of the cordial here for soda stream in orange?

I have a big half gallon of Louisianna Hot Sauce here, it's a vinegar based hot sauce, or do you mean the hotter tobasco style ones?


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## Malted (25/10/12)

punkin said:


> I have a big half gallon of Louisianna Hot Sauce here, it's a vinegar based hot sauce, or do you mean the hotter tobasco style ones?



I'd say Louisianna Hot Sauce would be on the money, but with any recipe it is open to interpretation and what YOU think might be nice. 
Tabasco isn't that hot really, not when compared to the Blairs range that DrinkBeer mentioned... Check out the range of death sauces: http://blairshotsauce.com/


Tabasco, original = 2,500 Scoville Heat Units
Blairs Original Death Sauce = 30,000 SHU (about 12 times hotter than Tabasco regular)
Blairs Possible Side Effects Hot Sauce = 283,000 SHU
Blairs Ultra Death Sauce = 800,000 SHU

There are plenty of sites that list hot sauces Heat Rating. Here's one I looked at for the above info http://www.scottrobertsweb.com/scoville-scale.php

I've bought a few hot sauces recently to give some chilli heads a touch up at our next case swap. h34r: I don't much care for chilli myself but these hot sauces have me intrigued.


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## Cocko (25/10/12)

Ok,

The Hark electric is home and heating for curing.... Cleaned and sprayed with oil, as per instructions.

The Wood Chips bag says to soak wood and add wet, the Hark Manual say DON NOT USE WET CHIPS....

Which is it?

Looking for some quick advice, panicking! :unsure:


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## Cocko (25/10/12)

WOW - these things heat up quick!

It took 13 minutes to get from 16* to 110*....

I went dry chips BTW: Panic over.... Hopefully, I chose the right one...


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## Cocko (25/10/12)

Back to smoking....


A RACK OF LAMB?

I have googled my google out and can not find much info on smoking a rack of lamb, anyone?

I have found one site that said, 1-> 1 &1/2 hours on 'Low and Slow' but no temps or other tips..

Anyone got any good takes on a rack of lamb in an electric?


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## johnw (25/10/12)

Orange Soda bbq sauce is best done with fanta or such brands. Cordial will work too but is more expensive. flat soda will work too.

Cocko - When cooking never cook by time. Always cook by internal temp of the meat you are cooking. As for chips, I get the block cuts that bbq galore sell as it suits my low and slow style better than chips. Plus there isnt much choice in Perth. On my smoker, chips dont last long enough. I also always soak the wood from anywhere from overnight to 30 mins before cook time. the reason you soak the wood it keep the wood at a below burning temp longer. You want the wood to smoke but not catch on fire, soaked wood assists this. I have never cooked with an electric smoker before (i use charcoal) but I am assuming they dont want you to use wet wood due to fire+electricity+water= possible death. 

Easiest meat to learn on is pork shoulder or pork butt/collar. its hardy and you can practice several styles. As I said before, cook to internal temp. No matter how you cook whether it be in the ground, on a smoker or in an oven internal temp for the style you want is far more important than the time is cooks for. Also get used to the meat stall. 

Cooking is way more fun when there is a chance you could ruin dinner!


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## Bizier (26/10/12)

It is not a rack, but I did a leg of lamb the other day with a little smoke. I made a quick crust from sumac, chilli and Beerenberg rib sauce and it was great. My partner reckoned it was the best lamb she had eaten, which might be a stretch, but it was definitely good.


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## lukasfab (26/10/12)

DrinkBeer said:


> I have never cooked with an electric smoker before (i use charcoal)
> 
> where do you get your charcoal from?
> bunnings is a rip off, I have got 25kg bags from a guy in Beechborrow for $30


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## Malted (26/10/12)

Bizier said:


> Here is some snags and a salmon tail from yesterday on the Weber. Was about 5 hours with mesquite. The salmon was delicious.



I too have tried smoking sausages. Dammed if I can keep them alight!


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## Bizier (26/10/12)

That makes me think of Bill Hicks' description of rockstars against drugs.


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## Cocko (26/10/12)

DrinkBeer said:


> Orange Soda bbq sauce is best done with fanta or such brands. Cordial will work too but is more expensive. flat soda will work too.
> 
> Cocko - When cooking never cook by time. Always cook by internal temp of the meat you are cooking. As for chips, I get the block cuts that bbq galore sell as it suits my low and slow style better than chips. Plus there isnt much choice in Perth. On my smoker, chips dont last long enough. I also always soak the wood from anywhere from overnight to 30 mins before cook time. the reason you soak the wood it keep the wood at a below burning temp longer. You want the wood to smoke but not catch on fire, soaked wood assists this. I have never cooked with an electric smoker before (i use charcoal) but I am assuming they dont want you to use wet wood due to fire+electricity+water= possible death.
> 
> ...




Great post mate, thanks heaps for the tips!

My smoker came with a bonus wireless probe thermometer so will use it, as you say, to monitor internal temps.

How does this relate to thinner cuts though? Say Ribs for example? or a lamb shank or the cuts where there is not much bulk of flesh to put the probe in?

Just about to rub some ribs to cook tomorrow, I am doing this rub from the BBQ Pit boys site. Plan to smoke for 2-3 hours, cook for another 3 @ 110, wrap in foil for the last halfa, sound good?

Such an exciting new hobby, thanks for the support all.

:super:


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## jyo (26/10/12)

Bizier said:


> I just realised I have a dead almond tree that is a little out of sight and thus mind. I might have to assist my landlord by removing it and docking it up.
> 
> Here is some snags and a salmon tail from yesterday on the Weber. Was about 5 hours with mesquite. The salmon was delicious.



After seeing how easy it can be, you have inspired me, Biz. 

Man, that looks good!


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## CosmicBertie (8/11/12)

Cocko said:


> Great post mate, thanks heaps for the tips!
> 
> My smoker came with a bonus wireless probe thermometer so will use it, as you say, to monitor internal temps.
> 
> ...




This is probably too late now....

I get my spare ribs from Costco...they're much better than any I've found in the butchers. The butchers tend to take as much meat off the top of the ribs as they can, whereas the Costco ones are just thick and meaty.

Anyway, for my ribs I dry rub them and leave them overnight in the fridge. Then I'll smoke them around 225F (the thermometer on my smoker is in F) for approx 7 hours. I dont put a probe in because, well, you cant really. Cook them for about 4 to 5 hours, then every half hour baste them with apple juice (in a spray bottle). The last 30 mins you baste with a sauce (if you want to). The ribs are ready when they easily pull apart.

I also do pork neck and brisket. The pork is dry-rubbed, the beef wet-rubbed. Smoked for 12 hours. Then shredded. Awesome. Then there are my homemade tandoori chicken kebabs.....

:icon_drool2: 

It really kicks the standard Aussie BBQ up a notch.


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## Cocko (8/11/12)

Cosmic Bertie said:


> This is probably too late now....
> 
> I get my spare ribs from Costco...they're much better than any I've found in the butchers. The butchers tend to take as much meat off the top of the ribs as they can, whereas the Costco ones are just thick and meaty.
> 
> ...




Thanks mate, I have to try the Apple juice thing, have read that tip everywhere.

I have done 2 lots of ribs now, a test batch and then a massive batch for a party we had Derby day. Both times I went the 3-2-1 method and both times they were cooked perfectly. The first time I didn't realise you could have too much smoke and over smoke them a little, they were a tiny bitter and just too smokey. The 2nd batch was spot on and were extremely popular with the party crowd as a mid arvo snack.

I have also smoked some homebrand sausages and they were awesome too :icon_drool2: 

And slow roasted some lamb shanks in it, no smoke but so low and slow... awesome.

Absolutely loving it!


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## Wolfman (8/11/12)

I want one!


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## Bizier (9/11/12)

It is official, Cocko loves smoking the meat.

Good to hear you are enjoying it man. Don't forget to continue to impart your learnings onto us.


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## TasChris (9/11/12)

Just about to join the meat smokers.. 
Picking up a Hark gas smoker this arvo. 
Gee there is heaps of info on the net, it all becomes a bit overwhelming on what style/type/brand to choose.
There also seems to be the AG vs KK in the smoking world with charcoal and wood burners looking down on gas people who look down on electric.

Can't wait to get started


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## mxd (9/11/12)

mr_tyreman said:


> here's the latest incarnation of the doom and plume smoker i built and rebuilt...and im building more



nice, any of your old ones your looking to offload


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## Cocko (9/11/12)

TasChris said:


> Just about to join the meat smokers..
> Picking up a Hark gas smoker this arvo.
> Gee there is heaps of info on the net, it all becomes a bit overwhelming on what style/type/brand to choose.
> There also seems to be the AG vs KK in the smoking world with charcoal and wood burners looking down on gas people who look down on electric.
> ...




Hey TC,

I am sure you will love smoking meat!  

I went Hark electric for a few reasons but I have a mate with the Hark Gas and he cant speak highly enough of it... good choice.

Keep us posted of your progress!

Cheers


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## TasChris (9/11/12)

Cocko said:


> Hey TC,
> 
> I am sure you will love smoking meat!
> 
> ...


Did you get thermometer with it just looking through the options with wireless probes etc


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## Cocko (9/11/12)

TasChris said:


> Did you get thermometer with it just looking through the options with wireless probes etc




Mine has a built in temp sensor and PID temp controller, you program temp and time. Also got a bonus wireless thermometer for probing bigger cuts of meats. $400 delivered from eBay, best I could do instore was $475....

Reason for me to go electric:

-Better temp control - as in set and forget.
-Be able to get down to extremely low temps for slow roasting, making jerky etc.
-I am running it on a wooden deck, I just feel safer with an element in a box out there, rather than coals/beads or a burner.

I guess all I miss out on is the natural smoke from beads/coals and to be able to do a quick roast in it but I have a Weber for that.

I have used it four times and it is performing beyond my expectations so far, so am very happy with it... But, different strokes for different face drops etc.

Cheers


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## Cocko (28/11/12)

Not sure what cut it is, its like a rack of lamb but its pork... Weather was so good we wanted sit on the balcony and cook and drink simcoe smash ales... I just went with my gut.

I threw an hour of smoke at it and then another hour of low heat - all at 110c

was farkin awesome.


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## TasChris (29/11/12)

Cocko said:


> Not sure what cut it is, its like a rack of lamb but its pork... Weather was so good we wanted sit on the balcony and cook and drink simcoe smash ales... I just went with my gut.
> 
> I threw an hour of smoke at it and then another hour of low heat - all at 110c
> 
> was farkin awesome.


I have had a couple of goes in my smoker now.
Temp control with the gas style will take some getting used to. I find it slowly creeps up and down over time.
The lowest consistent temp I can get is about 100C just using the controls on the unit, I haven't tried playing with the gas bottle controls yet.

I have bought a cheap colander and will experiment with heat beads to see how many beads I need to get a certain temp and how long this temp can be maintained.

I smoked and cooked a whole chicken which had been brined for 24 hrs. It was the best chicken I have ever had. very tender and very moist.

It a whole new world to play with.

Cheers
Chris


----------



## Airgead (29/11/12)

TasChris said:


> It a whole new world to play with.
> 
> Cheers
> Chris



Been hitting the smoker myself (Webber smoky mountain.. nothing fancy).

A nice rabbit, brined for 24 hours in cider (homebrew of course) then rubbed with pepper and sage.




After 5 hours smoking over apple wood (around 90 degrees)




And some mackerel fillets brined for 12 hours (the large one is a piece of Spanish mackerel the rest are your basic slimy mackerel) then coated in black pepper (note the 2 layers of them in the smoker).




And after 4 hours over peach wood (took my eye off the temp for a while so they got a bit too hot to start... first half hour was at 150, the rest was around 100)




Cheers
Dave


----------



## TasChris (29/11/12)

Airgead said:


> Been hitting the smoker myself (Webber smoky mountain.. nothing fancy).
> 
> A nice rabbit, brined for 24 hours in cider (homebrew of course) then rubbed with pepper and sage.
> 
> ...


They look amazing.
I am getting some Atlantic Salmon, escapees from the fish farms at Strahan to have a go at smoking them. 
Not sure whether to do them whole or as fillets but I guess it depends on fillet size

Cheers
Chris


----------



## browndog (29/11/12)

TasChris said:


> They look amazing.
> I am getting some Atlantic Salmon, escapees from the fish farms at Strahan to have a go at smoking them.
> Not sure whether to do them whole or as fillets but I guess it depends on fillet size
> 
> ...



My missus gets the 1/2 steaks from woolies or aldi, I sprinkle them with taragon and a little salt and put them in the electric smoker while it is still cold, set the temp to 100C and come back in 30 mins and they are perfectly cooked and smoked to perfection.

cheers

Browndog


----------



## Malted (29/11/12)

TasChris said:


> I am getting some Atlantic Salmon, escapees from the fish farms at Strahan to have a go at smoking them.



I'd guess that technically they are Southern Ocean salmon? :lol: Or perhaps Macquarie Harbour Salmon? :lol:


----------



## bum (29/11/12)

Do you also suggest that someone's ethnicity changes depending on the local geography when they are born?


----------



## Malted (30/11/12)

bum said:


> Do you also suggest that someone's ethnicity changes depending on the local geography when they are born?



Do you suggest that a person born and raised in Australia, with an Australian passport may not call themselves an Australian because their parents might have been born in another country? 

I never specified whether I meant ethnicity or citizenship of the Salmon. You forgot to use the laughing emoticons that I used to indicate it was a joke of sorts. :lol: However, I suspect that you neither found it amusing nor made a joke retort.


----------



## Malted (30/11/12)

Back on topic, I'd be all over it if Aldi had the rebadged Hark electric smoker on special rather than just the gas fired one (like they did some time ago).


----------



## barls (30/11/12)

gas ones are back tomorrow.
got some chicken thighs for tomorrow at the isb catch up. ill try to get a pic might be hard as they disappear so quickly normally


----------



## Cocko (1/12/12)

Winner winner.... as the saying goes:








It was so juicy it squirted on my shirt when I went to carve it.... :icon_drool2:


----------



## TasChris (1/12/12)

Cocko said:


> Winner winner.... as the saying goes:
> 
> 
> 
> It was so juicy it squirted on my shirt when I went to carve it.... :icon_drool2:


I have never seen a squirting chicken..
What was your recipe?

Cheers
Chris


----------



## Cocko (1/12/12)

TasChris said:


> I have never seen a squirting chicken..
> What was your recipe?
> 
> Cheers
> Chris




Hey Mate,

I brined for 12 hours, just a drunken mix up of water, a heap of salt, pepper corns, brown sugar, garlic powder and cumin powder... maybe some other stuff, I was a little past the post... I think I dumped a nub of ginger in there too... maybe.

Took out and patted dry, then back in the fridge uncovered for another 4 hours to try and dry out.

Then went a rub, for about an hour, that I got from the supermarket, it is says its:

Salt, Garlic, Brown sugar, Onion, black pepper, Oregano, Mustard seeds, rosemary, sage, turmeric and ginger.

Ran the smoker at 120 for an hour and a bit throwing smoke at it and then another hour or so with out... 

Meat probe thingy said it was done and it was.

I assume the 'juice' was lack of drying out the brine but whatever, it was ******* tender and tasted incredible.

I love my smoker and you a little bit, not in a gay way.

Cheers!


----------



## Malted (3/12/12)

Cocko said:


> Then went a rub, for about an hour, that I got from the supermarket, it is says its:



So you rubbed your chicken for an hour and then it squirted? h34r:


----------



## matho (14/12/12)

not really proper smoking but just cooked some steak on a kettle bbq, threw a handfull of dry hickory chip on for good measure




makes $8/kg steak taste awsome 

cheers steve


----------



## Cocko (14/12/12)

matho said:


> not really proper smoking but just cooked some steak on a kettle bbq, threw a handfull of dry hickory chip on for good measure
> 
> View attachment 59338
> 
> ...




:icon_drool2:

Looks amazing mate!


----------



## matho (15/12/12)

they tasted good too mate 

I have been using a kettle BBQ that I got for $50 as a smoker for a while now, it's OK but I have plans to mod it and turn it into a Smokey Mountain Cooker. I have been playing around with just adding a little bit of wood to direct fired cooking and its amazing how much smoke flavour you get from a handfull of chips. 

Also if anyone is looking for a good BBQ sauce recipe, I have tried THIS and its awesome, tangy and spicey, really worth the effort.

cheers steve


----------



## mxd (15/12/12)

I bought a smoker a couple of weeks ago, only done the 1 use (ribs, 6 hours around 105c)

heres some pics of smoker and first use

I will be doing another shot on chrissy eve, some ribs, wings and a brisket if I can get one.


----------



## jyo (24/12/12)

2nd hand webber acquired, Charcoal and hickory purchased. I'm bloody excited!


----------



## barls (24/12/12)

did 5kg of beef and pork for chrissy. heres the final pics
pork





beef


----------



## marksfish (24/12/12)

that looks so good :icon_cheers: i have just put a boneless pork shoulder and lamb shoulder in to my new offset to cook low and slow overnight for dinner tomorrow night.


----------



## barls (24/12/12)

yeah really looking forward to it for tomorrow. low and slow is the way to go. both lots took me roughly 12 hours in total.


----------



## marksfish (24/12/12)

sweet, slow smoked meats and homebrew is better than sex.


----------



## wobbly (24/12/12)

sweet, slow smoked meats and homebrew is better than sex. 

I guess it take all types 

Wobbly


----------



## marksfish (24/12/12)

wobbly said:


> sweet, slow smoked meats and homebrew is better than sex.
> 
> I guess it take all types
> 
> Wobbly


dont guess until you try a roast or a low and slow from a webber or smoker, the moistness and flavor are beyond words.


----------



## Airgead (26/12/12)

Fired up the smoker for Xmas... A whole turkey.

Brined overnight (food grade bucket from Bunnings for $10)


Rubbed with sage and onion


On the smoker


6 hours later





While the smoker was firerd up I decided to cook a rack of lamb on it for dinner that night. Smoked it for 2 hours then finished in on the BBQ. Served with BBQ corn and a potato salad...


----------



## Bizier (29/12/12)

Boring through your mind, through your tummy, through your anus, eels!


----------



## browndog (29/12/12)

Bizier said:


> Boring through your mind, through your tummy, through your anus, eels!




I'm talking about eels boy!


----------



## CosmicBertie (9/1/13)

Airgead said:


> Fired up the smoker for Xmas... A whole turkey.
> 
> Brined overnight (food grade bucket from Bunnings for $10)



I've found breast side down gets the best brining action. 



> Rubbed with sage and onion
> 
> 
> On the smoker



If you put it on the top grill, then place a foil dish beneath, you can collect the juicy runnings. Makes great gravy.



> 6 hours later
> 
> While the smoker was firerd up I decided to cook a rack of lamb on it for dinner that night. Smoked it for 2 hours then finished in on the BBQ. Served with BBQ corn and a potato salad...



Lovely.


----------



## Airgead (10/1/13)

Cosmic Bertie said:


> I've found breast side down gets the best brining action.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I actually turned it over part way through the brining. It started breast down. Mind you, it was fully submerged the whole time so it shouldn't matter much.,

I did think about putting it on top but I had to leave room for that rack.... The photos don't show it but for about 1 1/2 hours they were both on there. But yes, thay would have mate a great gravy. The bird was for a cold xmas lunch at my sisters though so gravy not required anyway.

Cheers
Dave


----------



## CosmicBertie (11/1/13)

Airgead said:


> I actually turned it over part way through the brining. It started breast down. Mind you, it was fully submerged the whole time so it shouldn't matter much.,
> 
> I did think about putting it on top but I had to leave room for that rack.... The photos don't show it but for about 1 1/2 hours they were both on there. But yes, thay would have mate a great gravy. The bird was for a cold xmas lunch at my sisters though so gravy not required anyway.
> 
> ...




Heres my turkey that I'd smoke on Christmas morning to have cold in the afternoon.



and heres some ribs just before I put them on. Sorry, no after shots as I couldnt wait to eat them!


----------



## Cocko (11/1/13)

Cosmic Bertie said:


> and heres some ribs just before I put them on. Sorry, no after shots as I couldnt wait to eat them!




Can I ask what the rack is that the ribs a in? Do you cook them in it?


----------



## Malted (11/1/13)

Cocko said:


> Can I ask what the rack is that the ribs a in? Do you cook them in it?



It appears to be a rib rack. No shit. There's a few available on eBay and other places. Yes you cook them in the rack to save space for smaller smokers. Not so much a problem with yours. I have finally decided, I'm getting a 30" Masterbuilt.


----------



## stux (11/1/13)

Bizier said:


> For the record smoke makes cheap snags about 1,000,000 times better, but if you smoke really good meaty pork snags it is life changing. Man I wish I had regular hours and time to do stuff like make proper sausages and smoke them. I have a sausage stuffing attachment on our Kenwood Chef that I have never used.
> 
> Cocko's enthusiasm is contagious; probably other things about him also. Ooooh!



We used our Christmas present to do an Octoberfest NYE party 

Main course was Beer Sausage... a form of Chilli wurst (with real chilli), cured, smoked, then later poached in beer

Was delicious...

We ended up making 15KG of wurst for Octoberfest, and I had 10 kegs on hand... I now have a number of triple batches planned to replace losses!

Reber 5KG geared sausage stuffer (its lovely to use, not even enough wastage to make a rissole!)




I didn't have a proper smoke house... so I pulled out the tin foil and modified the BBQ with some re-bar




First of three batches of sausages... smoked at 74C until they reached 67C internal temp.

(those sausages are made out of ox bungs, and are about 5cm thick, that's 5KG of wurst)

That was a major major major PITA to accomplish on a gas bbq... which is why I now have an Aldi smoker!




sealing kit on its way to stop the smoke leaking out the door 


And this was the first lamb roast that I chucked in the smoker instead of the oven... just because I can 





Planning a Texas BBQ in a few weeks for about 30-50 people... so will be doing 24hr pulled-pork, briskets, ribs, chicken wings, corn, potatoes, etc...

And have to brew some more beer!


----------



## kelbygreen (13/1/13)

Of coarse cocko had to start a thread on smoking meat :lol: Man all these look great wish I had a smoker


----------



## stux (13/1/13)

Just doing a trial run of ribs and wings on the smoker 

Using Last Meal Ribs from AmazingRibs

After over-night dry marinading in memphis dust, loaded and ready to go, just waiting for the first chunk of hickory wood to start smoking (BBQs Galore is carrying it now!)




Half way into the cook, decided to put some wings on too...





judging by the taste of the bonus bits that are already ready... they're gonna be awesome 

PS: yes, my oven thermometer died. and my ET732 hasn't arrived yet... flying blind


----------



## felten (13/1/13)

Stux said:


> That was a major major major PITA to accomplish on a gas bbq... which is why I now have an Aldi smoker!
> 
> sealing kit on its way to stop the smoke leaking out the door


I've been looking for a sealing kit for mine as well, where did you find yours?


----------



## stux (13/1/13)

Chris @ Urbangriller.com carries them, and extra shelves 


I just emailed him and he added them to his ebay listings 

http://stores.ebay.com.au/urbangriller

shelf + gasket kit : 
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Smoker-Shelf-and-Door-Gasket-Kit-suits-ALDI-HARK-GAS-SMOKERS-/130586615339?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item1e67919e2b

If you want more than one extra shelf, just email him


----------



## stux (13/1/13)

Just finishing the ribs off on the grill... just a couple of minutes on each side on high heat.





and then... a simple bbq meal 




(pint of DSGA not shown )


----------



## felten (13/1/13)

Thanks mate.


----------



## donburke (14/1/13)

have you guys tried using a handful of spent grain in your smokers ? any good ?


----------



## CosmicBertie (16/1/13)

Malted said:


> It appears to be a rib rack. No shit. There's a few available on eBay and other places. Yes you cook them in the rack to save space for smaller smokers. Not so much a problem with yours. I have finally decided, I'm getting a 30" Masterbuilt.



Thats right, its a rib rack. On my Smokey Mountain, I can get two Mephis-style racks of pork ribs side-by-side. These are big racks. The rib rack allows you to get 4 racks on either grill. Plus, you dont have to turn them over. Worked a treat.


----------



## browndog (16/1/13)

I tried some bacon rashers in the smoker the other day. I was surprised how nice they turned out.


----------



## Cocko (16/1/13)

donburke said:


> have you guys tried using a handful of spent grain in your smokers ? any good ?


Interesting... Next brew day, I will bang some in the chip try and see what is smells like. Will report back.





browndog said:


> I tried some bacon rashers in the smoker the other day. I was surprised how nice they turned out.


So you just put already made bacon in the smoker? explain?


----------



## barls (16/1/13)

i used those pellets but didnt get much from them.
if your going to use spent grain make sure its dry.


----------



## Kingbrownbrewing (16/1/13)

Cocko,

I have recently purchased a Hark electric like you, heres a couple of things I learnt.

- Always soak you chips, the manual says to, but the instructions say not to??? Makes no sense. When you soak you dont get flare ups and a massive temperature spike.
- Buy a mop!!!! My basting brush just wasn't cutting it, when I bought the mop, the meat wasn't dry as before and SOOOOO tasty
- Pellets are good and don't need soaking, urbnan griller in WA does really cheap prices on all the above mentioned gear
- Its all about rubs, brines, marinades and glazes, there are numerous books on Amazon that have fantastic recipes
- the internal temp is a little wonky I think, use the remote themometer provided and make sure its just the tip that is in the meat you want measured (like ribs and thin meats)
- you will need to set it higher than specified in recipes due to above point


Good luck, I would love to hear any feedback about any little quirks you may find with yours.


----------



## browndog (16/1/13)

Yeah Cocko, I was watching the BBQ Pit Boys (*get to that site ASAP if you have not been there yet)* and they were making Smokey Bacon Cheese Burgers and they smoked rashers of bacon. I gave the rack a spray with some oil and laid the ready made rashers out, turned the smoker on and set the temp to 100C. it takes mine about 15 mins to get to 100C and I removed them after 1/2 hr so they had 15min at 100C. They were cooked perfectly and had an awesome smokey flavour, they went really well on our burgers. I am going to do this one day http://bbqpitboys.com/recipes/bacon-cheeseburger-deluxe#.UPZ8hGcR98E


----------



## kenlock (16/1/13)

browndog said:


> Yeah Cocko, I was watching the BBQ Pit Boys (*get to that site ASAP if you have not been there yet)* and they were making Smokey Bacon Cheese Burgers and they smoked rashers of bacon. I gave the rack a spray with some oil and laid the ready made rashers out, turned the smoker on and set the temp to 100C. it takes mine about 15 mins to get to 100C and I removed them after 1/2 hr so they had 15min at 100C. They were cooked perfectly and had an awesome smokey flavour, they went really well on our burgers. I am going to do this one day http://bbqpitboys.com/recipes/bacon-cheeseburger-deluxe#.UPZ8hGcR98E


Awesome Link
:beer:


----------



## Cocko (16/1/13)

King Brown Brewing said:


> - Buy a mop!!!! My basting brush just wasn't cutting it, when I bought the mop, the meat wasn't dry as before and SOOOOO tasty
> 
> Good luck, I would love to hear any feedback about any little quirks you may find with yours.


All the same points learnt here so far also, well said.

Only thing I haven't done is move to a mop, cheers heaps for the tip! - Will buy one ASAP! Never heard of them before now.

I have done ribs about 7-9 times now and am nailing them with the 3,2,1 method. Over xmas we had people through for dinner most nights and the main request was - "Will you have your Pale Ale and can we have your ribs?" Who am I to deny... 

Also done Jerky - was good but cut it to thick [Malted will know this]. Cherry tomatoes - awesome. Lamb shanks - not smoked just low for 14 hours. Beef ribs - seem to be a different beast than pork. Sausages - fark yes!

But yeah main tip for people following this and new to smoking would be - soak those chips!





browndog said:


> Yeah Cocko, I was watching the BBQ Pit Boys (*get to that site ASAP if you have not been there yet)* and they were making Smokey Bacon Cheese Burgers and they smoked rashers of bacon. I gave the rack a spray with some oil and laid the ready made rashers out, turned the smoker on and set the temp to 100C. it takes mine about 15 mins to get to 100C and I removed them after 1/2 hr so they had 15min at 100C. They were cooked perfectly and had an awesome smokey flavour, they went really well on our burgers. I am going to do this one day http://bbqpitboys.com/recipes/bacon-cheeseburger-deluxe#.UPZ8hGcR98E


Sounds amazing mate, so smoke at it for whole time?

And yeah, BBQ Pit boys = awesome. Great recipes for sauces and rubs etc, also pretty funny commentary on the vids... I look forward to smoking some rashes for a saturday morning heart attack brekkie this weekend! Cheers Mate!

@ Barls - Surely wet grain will smoke/smolder better than dry? Whats your reasoning to that thought?


----------



## barls (16/1/13)

you want to smoke rather than steam, was my thoughts. give it a go both ways and let us know.
personally ive just scored a pile of cherry wood and will be trimming back my peach and plum again shortly so im good.


----------



## browndog (16/1/13)

Cocko said:


> All the same points learnt here so far also, well said.
> 
> Only thing I haven't done is move to a mop, cheers heaps for the tip! - Will buy one ASAP! Never heard of them before now.
> 
> ...


They would have ended up with about 15 mins of smoke mate.


----------



## Cocko (16/1/13)

barls said:


> personally ive just scored a pile of cherry wood and will be trimming back my peach and plum again shortly so im good.


You are so out of the gang! you c... ha  Send me some plum!


I will let the grain dry a for a day and 2 and see how it goes..... will report back.


----------



## Cocko (16/1/13)

browndog said:


> They would have ended up with about 15 mins of smoke mate.



Cheers mate, I am going in!!

Will report back.


----------



## barls (16/1/13)

Cocko said:


> You are so out of the gang! you c... ha  Send me some plum!
> 
> 
> I will let the grain dry a for a day and 2 and see how it goes..... will report back.


maybe i will. or should i just put up a pic of the huge bag of shavings and sawdust i have off the wood lathe i have,
ill see how much i get off the plum this year.


----------



## Benn (17/1/13)

Dad built a smoker out in the shed a couple of years ago, all he smoked in it was eels & mullet that he caught from the creek next to the house. He thought it tasted "shit hot" I thought I tasted like shit but I didn't want to hurt his feelings so it was easier just to not go & visit for a while.
He pulled it to bits after a couple of weeks... Happy days.


----------



## Cocko (17/1/13)

Benn said:


> Dad built a smoker out in the shed a couple of years ago, all he smoked in it was eels & mullet that he caught from the creek next to the house. He thought it tasted "shit hot" I thought I tasted like shit but I didn't want to hurt his feelings so it was easier just to not go & visit for a while. He pulled it to bits after a couple of weeks... Happy days.



Are you serious? That is incredible.

So what is he going to do now? Please answer ASAP!


----------



## twizt1d (17/1/13)

looking at getting the hark electric, whats the go with chips/chunks/shavings.. what can you jam in there and how long will the smoke last?
id probably be doing a lot of fish/seafood so how do-able is cold smoking with something like this?


----------



## Benn (17/1/13)

Yep, I think he converted an old wardrobe if I remember correctly, I don't know how the whole thing didn't go up in flames.
He's always experimenting with food, last thing he tried was pickling salmon fillets (fresh caught)
Now that was crook! Cold,chewy, still with the skin on but at least he scaled them. Once again a winner according to him & once again I'm standing there just trying to smile & nod.


----------



## Malted (17/1/13)

tonesbrew said:


> id probably be doing a lot of fish/seafood so how do-able is cold smoking with something like this?


It has to be hot enough to create smoke and thus cold smoking is not what they are good at. For proper cold smoking you might need a smoke generator (which you could feed in through the side chip loader). Apparently these A-MAZE-N-Pellet-smokers are supposed to be a plug and play cold smoke addition. http://www.amazenproducts.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=AMNPS5X8
Another option might be to add a smoke daddy cold smoke generator (not exactly cold smoke but near enough I'd say). http://smokedaddyinc.com/smokers.htm

I might just try to make a smoke daddy type device myself and feed it in through the side chip loading port but we'll see (my Masterbuilt electric smoker hasn't even turned up yet!).


----------



## Malted (17/1/13)

Cocko said:


> Also done Jerky - was good but cut it to thick [Malted will know this].


*Joke written and then deleted* the jerky had great flavour mate! :super:
Trial and error, it will be better next time.


----------



## Bizier (17/1/13)

Benn said:


> Dad built a smoker out in the shed a couple of years ago, all he smoked in it was eels & mullet that he caught from the creek next to the house. He thought it tasted "shit hot" I thought I tasted like shit but I didn't want to hurt his feelings so it was easier just to not go & visit for a while. He pulled it to bits after a couple of weeks... Happy days.


I moved from NSW to WA, promptly built a smoker due to my proximity to a river. I spent a good few days there fishing for eels, until the locals laughed at me like a moron because there are none here.

I have an 'all fridge' unit I use for fermenting which is on it's last legs, it would make a great large smoker if someone had the effort to invest in converting it.

ED: I also used to love catching mullet at my mum's place on the Colo river. I think your dad sounds like a good bloke


----------



## twizt1d (17/1/13)

Malted said:


> It has to be hot enough to create smoke and thus cold smoking is not what they are good at. For proper cold smoking you might need a smoke generator (which you could feed in through the side chip loader). Apparently these A-MAZE-N-Pellet-smokers are supposed to be a plug and play cold smoke addition. http://www.amazenproducts.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=AMNPS5X8
> Another option might be to add a smoke daddy cold smoke generator (not exactly cold smoke but near enough I'd say). http://smokedaddyinc.com/smokers.htm
> 
> I might just try to make a smoke daddy type device myself and feed it in through the side chip loading port but we'll see (my Masterbuilt electric smoker hasn't even turned up yet!).


interesting, i guess im reasonably happy with the fish ive done in one of those tiny box smokers so it wouldnt have to be a true cold smoke but being able to keep the temps down enough to do something like a whole snapper would be nice
i might have to catch a few fish and bring some chips over to check yours out 
cant beat smoked tommies/snook and a few beers


----------



## Malted (17/1/13)

tonesbrew said:


> interesting, i guess im reasonably happy with the fish ive done in one of those tiny box smokers so it wouldnt have to be a true cold smoke but being able to keep the temps down enough to do something like a whole snapper would be nice
> i might have to catch a few fish and bring some chips over to check yours out
> cant beat smoked tommies/snook and a few beers


Yeah some years ago I used to butterfly garfish, do them in brine and then hot smoke them in a 'nipper kipper' (small steel box with a metho burner under it), seemed good at the time. The time it would take to do a whole large snapper - I'd expect it to be smoked enough during a 'hot' smoke.
For sure, come over and play at smoking some fish, maybe we'll put a double brew through the BM too (batch each sound ok?). :super: I am eyeing off the neighbours nectarine tree that has some standing deadwood on it. Our apricot tree looks like it could do with a trim too. 
BTW, my man cave has nothing on yours... 

I cheated tonight, I used some hickory liquid smoke concentrate on a rib fillet on the bone, caramelised in the pan and then put into the oven. Dammed tasty but the flavour is still lingering in the mouth.


----------



## Malted (17/1/13)

Bizier said:


> ED: I also used to love catching mullet at my mum's place on the Colo river.


Smoked and dried mullet roe is meant to be awsome, held in the same esteem as using truffles in cooking, IIRC.Just like truffles, a little grating or shaving of it through a dish is meant to impart a real zing to the dish. Who woulda thought mullet eh? Maybe it is just dried mullet roe, but if that is good, smoked and then dried would have to be better yeah?


----------



## twizt1d (17/1/13)

sounds like a plan..
ill have to get out and get some fish first, i should bring some crabs to throw in your fancy pot 
ive got 250g of galaxy here that needs something done with it too


----------



## Malted (17/1/13)

tonesbrew said:


> sounds like a plan..
> ill have to get out and get some fish first, i should bring some crabs to throw in your fancy pot
> ive got 250g of galaxy here that needs something done with it too


I would readily demolish some fresh crab with a few beers but surely you jest about sullying the BM with crabs? :huh: Tsk tsk, shame on you. :angry:
BBQ wok burner and Big W pot for crabs. :super:
Indeed you are a fisherman as I just took the bait. :lol:


----------



## punkin (18/1/13)

Sounds like some real courting going on here....


----------



## mxd (18/1/13)

got from aussie bbq forum








Malted said:


> :wub: We still wuvs you Punkin...
> 
> Hey I am thinking, hot smoked prawns taste awsome, so hot smoked crabs would have to be good too huh? Worth a try I reckon.
> 
> ...


----------



## barls (18/1/13)

this is the best one for australian woods ive see as above but with the link so you can check it as it gets updated occasionally
Australian Native Timber Matrix for Smoking


----------



## stux (18/1/13)

barls said:


> this is the best one for australian woods ive see as above but with the link so you can check it as it gets updated occasionally
> Australian Native Timber Matrix for Smoking


I know its been mentioned before, but

"Spent grain and Hops from brewing is good on red meats and Pork."


----------



## Maheel (18/1/13)

noticed Aldi Carindale in BNE had theres marked down to $149

they had about 5 of them


----------



## barls (18/1/13)

Stux said:


> I know its been mentioned before, but
> 
> "Spent grain and Hops from brewing is good on red meats and Pork."


hop bines go pretty good as well



Maheel said:


> noticed Aldi Carindale in BNE had theres marked down to $149
> 
> they had about 5 of them


looks like you need the seal kit there mate.


----------



## Truman42 (20/1/13)

I've been reading this thread with great interest. Would like to also smoke meat and have looked at a couple of DIY smoker posts. Anyone done the terra cotta pot smoker with electric element? 
That seems like the cheapest way to start out and then maybe convert and old fridge later on. 

I have a gas hooded BBQ and someone said you can get a smoker box for these but I have no idea how to use them or if they are any good. Appreciate some feedback on what you guys use other than the brought smokers. Prefer to go the DIY option for now.


----------



## browndog (20/1/13)

Truman, it sounds like you are in the market for a UDS or ugly drum smoker, they make them out of 44G drums and they work a treat. There was a build up posted here, but if you can't find it you can google "ugly drum smoker" and will get a heap of info. Personnaly, I own a masterbuilt electric smoker I bought from Misty Gully in Victoria, expensive, but nice.


----------



## QldKev (20/1/13)

Truman said:


> I've been reading this thread with great interest. Would like to also smoke meat and have looked at a couple of DIY smoker posts. Anyone done the terra cotta pot smoker with electric element? That seems like the cheapest way to start out and then maybe convert and old fridge later on. I have a gas hooded BBQ and someone said you can get a smoker box for these but I have no idea how to use them or if they are any good. Appreciate some feedback on what you guys use other than the brought smokers. Prefer to go the DIY option for now.


I've got one of these stainless smoker boxes for the hooded BBQ, actually that one I liked to is pretty cheap. For a test just grab a aluminum foil tray and drop it on the open part of your hot plate and throw some soaked chips in it. You could probably even drop that terra cotta pot in the bbq with some chips in it. It works better than you think, and will give you a chance to play before buying too much. Smoking in the bbq isn't the best if you like to keep it spotless on the inside of the lids, but I let it be. I even use my table webber and add extra wood chips for a flavor boost.

I take it the external terra cotta pot setup is a cold smoker? Do you have any links?


QldKev


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## Truman42 (20/1/13)

@qldkev. Here is a link to the terra cotta pot smoker. 

http://m.instructables.com/id/DIY-Smoker/step8/Reflections/

(Sorry still away in Ballarat and on IPhone so easier just to paste the link)

I will check out your smoker box link sounds like the go. Thanks

@Brownfig. Just searched UDS. Lots of good ideas there and I have access to everything I need. 
I might make a 60 litre drum smoker as 200 might be too big for my needs. 

Cheers gents.

Edit: it linked properly anyway.


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## Truman42 (20/1/13)

@kev so you just sit the smoker or foil tray on the grill part that has the slots or do you remove the plate and sit it direct on the burners?
Then put your meat on the middle plate??


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## QldKev (20/1/13)

Truman said:


> @Kev so you just sit the smoker or foil tray on the grill part that has the slots or do you remove the plate and sit it direct on the burners? Then put your meat on the middle plate??



On the burners 



also search on youtube for "smoker box", check out the "tuna can"

and depending on what you are smoking, soaking the chips in wine is great.


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## stux (20/1/13)

Truman said:


> I've been reading this thread with great interest. Would like to also smoke meat and have looked at a couple of DIY smoker posts. Anyone done the terra cotta pot smoker with electric element? That seems like the cheapest way to start out and then maybe convert and old fridge later on. I have a gas hooded BBQ and someone said you can get a smoker box for these but I have no idea how to use them or if they are any good. Appreciate some feedback on what you guys use other than the brought smokers. Prefer to go the DIY option for now.


I've been smoke roasting in a normal 4 burner hooded bbq for years.

I use a stainless steel smoker box from bbqsgalore






To prep for smoking, I lift the grill/diffuser off one of the burners on the very side, then fill the smoker box with soaked woodchips, and place the whole box right on top of the burner.

to light run that burner flat out until smoke starts coming form the woodchips, then turn the heat right down, and close the hood.

Place your food on the grill in the middle of the hood.

In order to crank up the heat in the bbq to recover after opening hood, crank up the burner on the other side.

Should be good


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## stux (20/1/13)

PS: the meat is ready when the meat probe says it is , not the clock


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## Phoney (20/1/13)

Truman said:


> I've been reading this thread with great interest. Would like to also smoke meat and have looked at a couple of DIY smoker posts. Anyone done the terra cotta pot smoker with electric element? That seems like the cheapest way to start out and then maybe convert and old fridge later on. I have a gas hooded BBQ and someone said you can get a smoker box for these but I have no idea how to use them or if they are any good. Appreciate some feedback on what you guys use other than the brought smokers. Prefer to go the DIY option for now.


+1 on a UDS. Pretty easy and cheap to make

44 Gal drum (ebay) = $10
Dial thermometer (optional) = $30
Weber hood & grate (found on footpath) = $0
Tin of engine block paint =$20
expanded steel mesh (offcuts) = $20
Other bits of hardware (SS bolts, wire brush grinding disc etc)= $15

TBH unless you never ever have people around for BBQ's, you wouldn't want anything smaller. Once you put down two racks of ribs and a fish, or a fatty... the grate is full and you have to wait until they're done before you can smoke anything else. Which is hours, obviously.


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## Screwtop (21/1/13)

+ 1 on the Ugly Drum Smoker, I have two weber grills in mine (from Freecycle) and can do heaps in one session.

Screwy


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## mxd (21/1/13)

Truman said:


> I've been reading this thread with great interest. Would like to also smoke meat and have looked at a couple of DIY smoker posts. Anyone done the terra cotta pot smoker with electric element? That seems like the cheapest way to start out and then maybe convert and old fridge later on. I have a gas hooded BBQ and someone said you can get a smoker box for these but I have no idea how to use them or if they are any good. Appreciate some feedback on what you guys use other than the brought smokers. Prefer to go the DIY option for now.


grab an old webber and smoke with that, 

do a search on "webber smoker snake method"


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## jimmyjack (21/1/13)

Weber Mountain Smoker for me. Once you get the hang of the temperature settings using the bottom dampers everything is pretty easy. I like the fact that I can go low and slow or full throttle for Turkeys etc...


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## Gavo (21/1/13)

I started smoking meat with a Webber compact kettle and still use it when I want to cook hot and fast, It ends up being a little small for doing a complete family roast, including veggies on. 

Here is my large offset, I have cooked a number of different meats on it including for cooking meat for a party of 130 people.





I use what timber I get from my mates property but tend to like using yellow box as it gives a lighter and more mellow flavour and it seems easier to control heat without creating billows of smoke. Irnbark is good but requires smaller pieces otherwise it smokes too much.

Here is a brisket I smoked when I first finished building the smoker.





Cheers,
Gavo.


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## barls (21/1/13)

looks bloody good there gavo.


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## stux (21/1/13)

Gavo said:


> I started smoking meat with a Webber compact kettle and still use it when I want to cook hot and fast, It ends up being a little small for doing a complete family roast, including veggies on.
> 
> Here is my large offset, I have cooked a number of different meats on it including for cooking meat for a party of 130 people.
> [img=[URL="http://i1111.photobucket.com/albums/h467/Gavo67/BBQ%20Build/18082011046.jpg%5D"]http://i1111.photobucket.com/albums/h467/Gavo67/BBQ%20Build/18082011046.jpg][/URL]
> ...



Is that smaller keg based offset in the background?


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## Malted (21/1/13)

Truman, take some wood chips or smoker pellets, wrap in several layers of alfoil (or make a pocket to put them in). Put a few pin holes in the top of the wrapped smoking stuff. Place on the grill or burners. Wait until it is smokey and then add meat to the BBQ. I used to use the left burner and put food on a cake rack to the right hand side if I wanted a cool smoke.
It does not work very effectively because most hooded BBQ's have a big vent at the back (mine is sort of inline with the hood hinges) but it can add a bit of flavour to a roast or whatever other meats you choose to grill, BBQ or roast in the BBQ.


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## stux (21/1/13)

You can put a roasting tray under the other grills on the burners to catch all the juices too. Good for keeping it tidy, but normally i find smoky juices don't make great gravy


----------



## Phoney (21/1/13)

You can even make a smoker out of a cardboard box if you're really on a shoestring budget...

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-a-Cardboard-Smoker/


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## Gavo (21/1/13)

Stux said:


> Is that smaller keg based offset in the background?


It was offset mk 1, It is made out of a couple of 44's. The biggest problem with using the 44's for an offset is that the thinner metal is harder to keep a constant heat with, it still gets used for parties, mainly for cooking spuds in the jacket though. The larger offset is made from a 88 gallon sidetank and is 3mm steel while the firebox is 6mm, once the coals are up it mostly requires a block or two of wood every 45 min or so.


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## mxd (22/1/13)

thought I'd try and put gas on my offset on the weekend, just to see what it was like and if I was ever going to do an 18 hour smoke, the gas would be the only way I would attempt it (too lazy)















As I didn't know what it would be like, I threw a fattie on for lunch and wings and ribs for dinner


----------



## Malted (22/1/13)

So I got my 30" Masterbuilt smoker and gave it a 3 hour run to burn off factory residues and give it a seasoning with some mesquite pellets. They heat up quicker than I expected given there is a seemingly small element under the smoker tray, it was up to 150oC (set temp) within 20 minutes. I was very pleased to see that it is in Celsius.




In the smoking photo the top vent is wide open to get any potential nasties out.
I let it cool last night and opened it up this morning to check on the contents of the smoker tray, the first lot were just ash. I can still smell the lovely mesquite smoke as I think I got some residues in my hair or on my clothes. :huh:

Pork spare ribs are a definite for this weekend.


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## Truman42 (22/1/13)

Going to give Malteds idea a crack but like him my bbq has a gap between the hood and base at the hinges so might not get very good smokehouse efficiency (term borrowed from Qldkev). Will play around and see how it goes.

I have a spare keg and was thinking about building a keg smoker. (More so because I enjoy building and making stuff) Ive looked at 2 online builds and one of them has a pipe that goes into the very bottom with an elbow outside up to a valve which must be used as a damper. You have to cut out a slot in the bottom of the keg to fit this in and JBweld up the gap.

Heres a picture and here is the link to the Instructable http://www.instructables.com/id/Beer-Keg-Smoker/#step1






The other just had slots cut around the side wall at the bottom.

Do you need this damper mechanism? Isnt it just to shut off air flow to snuff out your fire or does it actually control the heat as well? If so couldnt you just put an elbow in just above where the keg starts to curve (similar to where you would install a ball valve for a HLT etc?)
Or does the airflow have to be under the charcoal for some reason??


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## mxd (22/1/13)

Truman said:


> Going to give Malteds idea a crack but like him my bbq has a gap between the hood and base at the hinges so might not get very good smokehouse efficiency (term borrowed from Qldkev). Will play around and see how it goes.
> 
> I have a spare keg and was thinking about building a keg smoker. (More so because I enjoy building and making stuff) Ive looked at 2 online builds and one of them has a pipe that goes into the very bottom with an elbow outside up to a valve which must be used as a damper. You have to cut out a slot in the bottom of the keg to fit this in and JBweld up the gap.
> 
> ...


the damper is how you can control temperature, 
if you put a "basket" in for the coals then you can have a hole down the bottom. If you look at wolfy's build you'll see he has holes and a magnet 

another option (just to play) is use an electric frypan for your heat source, someone did that here (bluedog ?), then you just put you wood chips on the fypan


----------



## mxd (22/1/13)

for the melbourne'ites

charcoal $1 a kg

http://www.charcoalsupplies.com.au/products/


never used, not known etc..


----------



## cdbrown (22/1/13)

I had a crack at smoking some spare ribs in the weber kettle on the weekend. Set up a snake and put some jarrah off cuts on top for smokey flavour. I was trying for the 3-2-1 method (which was more like 2.5-1.5-0.5) and I'm guessing that it was running too hot as it ended up quite dry. Still very tasty but had to chuck the end pieces where there wasn't much meat as it basically turned into blackened cardboard. I had a dial thermometer sitting through the top vent to measure the weber temp and was aiming for 100c, and it was this for the most part so wondering if I should have been measuring that temp somewhere else. Have a wireless dual temp guage on it's way from the US so I can measure the the meat temp as well.

Maybe I should pull the trigger and get my self a Hark Tri fire and get used to cooking with an offset.


----------



## stux (22/1/13)

cdbrown said:


> I had a crack at smoking some spare ribs in the weber kettle on the weekend. Set up a snake and put some jarrah off cuts on top for smokey flavour. I was trying for the 3-2-1 method (which was more like 2.5-1.5-0.5) and I'm guessing that it was running too hot as it ended up quite dry. Still very tasty but had to chuck the end pieces where there wasn't much meat as it basically turned into blackened cardboard. I had a dial thermometer sitting through the top vent to measure the weber temp and was aiming for 100c, and it was this for the most part so wondering if I should have been measuring that temp somewhere else. Have a wireless dual temp guage on it's way from the US so I can measure the the meat temp as well.
> 
> Maybe I should pull the trigger and get my self a Hark Tri fire and get used to cooking with an offset.


Probably have been a good idea to measure the temp on the grill where the ribs were

Also those dial thermometers can be terribly inaccurate

My Maverick 732 just arrived yesterday


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## cdbrown (22/1/13)

Yeah - I'm guessing the 100C around the vent is quite a lot lower than what the ribs are seeing. I ordered 2 of the ET732 and it was sorted through LA on Sunday.

I know that 3-2-1 is only a guide and that the times depend on the cook temp and meat temp - so does anyone have a link to good instructions which describe the signs or temps of when each stage is reached? Got have the pack of ribs in the freezer and may have another go this weekend.


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## robbo5253 (22/1/13)

Stux said:


> Probably have been a good idea to measure the temp on the grill where the ribs were
> 
> Also those dial thermometers can be terribly inaccurate
> 
> My Maverick 732 just arrived yesterday



Where did you get it from Stux & how much if you dont mind me asking?
Cheers
Robbo


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## stux (22/1/13)

cdbrown said:


> Yeah - I'm guessing the 100C around the vent is quite a lot lower than what the ribs are seeing. I ordered 2 of the ET732 and it was sorted through LA on Sunday.
> 
> I know that 3-2-1 is only a guide and that the times depend on the cook temp and meat temp - so does anyone have a link to good instructions which describe the signs or temps of when each stage is reached? Got have the pack of ribs in the freezer and may have another go this weekend.


http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/are_they_ready.html


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## stux (22/1/13)

robbo5253 said:


> Where did you get it from Stux & how much if you dont mind me asking?
> Cheers
> Robbo


I paid 72USD ie 71AU$ delivered and got a bonus pencil thermo too.

http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/m.html?_odkw=&_osacat=0&_armrs=1&_ssn=buy2discounts&_trksid=p2046732.m570.l1313&_nkw=732&_sacat=0&_from=R40

delivery was about 12 days


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## donburke (22/1/13)

cdbrown said:


> Yeah - I'm guessing the 100C around the vent is quite a lot lower than what the ribs are seeing. I ordered 2 of the ET732 and it was sorted through LA on Sunday.
> 
> I know that 3-2-1 is only a guide and that the times depend on the cook temp and meat temp - so does anyone have a link to good instructions which describe the signs or temps of when each stage is reached? Got have the pack of ribs in the freezer and may have another go this weekend.


i've read quite a few reports online that suggest that baby back ribs, (is that what you cooked ?) should be done something like 2-1-1 at 225F

i dont know if we slaugher our pigs smaller here, but all the ribs i see here look smaller than what the yanks have

i bought six racks last friday that i froze, and will be cooking them australia day, and i am also umming about the cooking time (4.2kg / 6 racks = 700g each on average) dont know how that stacks up to the yanks


----------



## stux (22/1/13)

I see that our ribs look a lot smaller too. What's worse is the butchers seem to like to scrape all the meat off the bones too. Lots of shiners


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## robbo5253 (22/1/13)

Stux said:


> I paid 72USD ie 71AU$ delivered and got a bonus pencil thermo too.
> 
> http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/m.html?_odkw=&_osacat=0&_armrs=1&_ssn=buy2discounts&_trksid=p2046732.m570.l1313&_nkw=732&_sacat=0&_from=R40
> 
> delivery was about 12 days


Cheers mate, greatly appreciated.


----------



## cdbrown (22/1/13)

donburke said:


> i've read quite a few reports online that suggest that baby back ribs, (is that what you cooked ?) should be done something like 2-1-1 at 225F
> 
> i dont know if we slaugher our pigs smaller here, but all the ribs i see here look smaller than what the yanks have
> 
> i bought six racks last friday that i froze, and will be cooking them australia day, and i am also umming about the cooking time (4.2kg / 6 racks = 700g each on average) dont know how that stacks up to the yanks


That would make a lot of sense. Definitely a case of too long and most likely too hot as well with the wrong placement of the probe. Will have to try the 2-1-1 next time. The 3kg pack had 6 lots of racks in there which I used 3. Might just go for a pile of heat beads on one side rather than a snake as the ends of the ribs were getting direct heat due to lack of space.



robbo5253 said:


> Where did you get it from Stux & how much if you dont mind me asking?
> Cheers
> Robbo


I got mine from the same ebay seller, but went for the 10% for multibuy. So $63 landed each unit.


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## mxd (22/1/13)

I'm running off bad memory (bloody beer) here, but I think for ribs, 3-2-1, the 3 is to 165 F, then the 2 should be 195 F, the 1 is really just to dry em out and I think 205 f ?


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## mxd (22/1/13)

cdbrown said:


> I got mine from the same ebay seller, but went for the 10% for multibuy. So $63 landed each unit.


 good price that one

I bought this one


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## Cocko (22/1/13)

I now go 2-1-2-1..

@ 107 deg.

2 hours of smoke.
1 hour without smoke
2 Hours wrapped in foil
1 hour out - maybe step the temp up if needed.

Perfect.

That baby back style, with a good rub over night.

Most important, remove the sinew!! 


Soak those chip kids!


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## barls (23/1/13)

heres one from earlier tonight
a butterfly lamb roast that i stuffed and rolled with haloumi, Prosciutto and feta that i rolled and rubbed with a spice mix out of my cupboard
before





after a couple of hours in the smoker




and sliced





was bloody delicious, even the wife went back for a second helping something she doesnt normally do.


----------



## jyo (23/1/13)

Barls, that looks amazing, mate :icon_drool2:


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## cdbrown (23/1/13)

Looks like I'll be a proud owner of the offset Hark TriFire tomorrow. Hopefully I can do the burn in before the weekend.


----------



## Cocko (23/1/13)

cdbrown said:


> Looks like I'll be a proud owner of the offset Hark TriFire tomorrow. Hopefully I can do the burn in before the weekend.



WOOT WOOT!

Awesome CBD - report back with your findings.. /smokings!


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## pbrosnan (23/1/13)

Here's a handy link: http://www.amazingribs.com


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## Malted (24/1/13)

Pork Spare Ribs for the smoker: Some questions.

Stuff all meat on the rib bones was an issue I tried to tackle but this left me with more questions than answers.
So I bought a big ole bit of belly with the ribs still on that was 3.5kg before I molested it. I was thinking ribs for me, belly for the missus (and me).


My conclusion is that it was the wrong cut for either belly or ribs, or the animal was too small. I would like to learn more about it because that is a pretty loose conclusion.

You can see the three cuts I got from it.
The green section shows what I trimmed from the ribs and is only a couple of mm thick. Perhaps I should have trimmed the skin and fat and a layer of meat from the bones instead of trimming the bones away from the rest. Perhaps If I had of included the next layer of meat (shown by the red) it would have left me with some meatier bones.



You can clearly see that to the right there are short ribs. Perhaps the 'ribs' that one buys are the section to the left (plus some) instead of the short ribs to the right. I might have made a poor choice by getting this section of long and short ribs. Watching Youtube clips of ribs being prepared for the BBQ, they follow the cartilage on the ends of the bones and end up with a long rectangular section. I followed the cartilage around and thus you can see the short ribs clearly.
The bit beyond the short ribs to the right (that the butcher cut off, might have been meatier but I didn't get a good look). If I was specifically after a meaty piece of pork belly would it be from the right of the short ribs or more towards the nipples?



Here is the membrane pulled off the ribs.
When I pulled the membrane off it did not want to come off the green enclosed section although I did not force the issue because I did not want to waste anymore potential meat from that section.



I think I probably should have just cut the skin and a layer of fat off and just called it meaty ribs (is this what 'country style' ribs are?) To get ribs like we see our American BBQ peeps using, I'd say that the carcase needs to be cut specifically for that section. In the picture below, I have indicated in red, how perhaps a carcase might be cut to get the nice rectangular section of ribs.




So my questions are, where does one get the meatiest pork belly from, where do the best spare ribs come from, should I have cut the skin and fat from the bone instead of cutting the bone away from the rest (to give me meatier spare ribs since ours don't seem very meaty). Maybe I need to find a butcher who slaughters bigger animals? Thoughts y'all?


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## Malted (24/1/13)

I'll leave my post up just for the heck of it, but it all seems to be answered in the site that *pbrosnan* linked to. Specifically this page: http://amazingribs.com/recipes/porknography/pork_cuts.html


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## stux (24/1/13)

I just ordered a whole pig 

The rib tips have a tendon or something in them. Not much fun eating around. 


Getting all the ribs cut into thirds to get finger ribs. 

Going to keep the belly with loin for makin bacon. Two shouldersgoing in the smoker for pulled pork too.

Will keep the hocks for my German wife 

And have swapped one of the legs with the butcher for one of his hams. 

Now. I just need to upgrade my deep freeze... And then I get a 'new' keezer 

Still gotta order the brisket!


----------



## jyo (27/1/13)

My first foray into smoking meat!

Pork shoulder, rubbed overnight with a dry rub from BBQ pitboys site.

Ghetto style in the weber, kept it between 80-120 for the first two and half hours, smoking with hickory, then added more charcoal and let the temp ride up to 220' for two and a half hours. It was awesome. I have a feeling this is my new obsession h34r: I get to wet my wood, and rub my meat without anyone questioning my actions. It's a win-win!

Cheers to Cocko and others here for the advice.


----------



## barls (27/1/13)

nice work mate,


----------



## stux (27/1/13)

Camping in the rain,

Did a lamb roast in the gas smoker last night, just a glorified oven, was fantastic and even had a yummy smoke ring

But at 8:30pm I put the pork shoulder on. Kept it at 107-115C all night,

2 hrs of hickory smoke

Now 16 hours later its just about ready for pulling 





(Excuse the upside iPhone pic)


----------



## jyo (27/1/13)

barls said:


> nice work mate,


Cheers, man. I'm already thinking about trying a whole chook next time. I definitely added too many beads when I ramped the temp up as there was enough heat left in them to cook for another couple of hours after the pork had finished, but I'll will know for next time.


----------



## krausenhaus (27/1/13)

Did a pulled pork yesterday.. spice rubbed, smoked for 6 hours with apple/cherry blend, braised in porter for six hours, pulled apart, then simmered in homemade bbq sauce, vinegar and more porter. Bloody fantastic.


----------



## rotten (27/1/13)

This is my australia day smoked lamb. Lemon, oregon and rosemary rub. Smoked with redgum and black box for a few hrs and then foiled for a few more. 
It was awesome

[post='


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## barls (27/1/13)

damn your now tormenting me.

on a side note, anyone interested in sharing some shipping on a couple of these
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-ET732-Maverick-Long-Range-Wireless-2-Dual-Probe-BBQ-Smoker-Meat-Thermometer-/290700985166?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43af21034e&_uhb=1#ht_2034wt_1348
if we get to four the shipping is just 6.50


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## stux (27/1/13)

Mine arrived from that seller last week.


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## donburke (28/1/13)

barls said:


> damn your now tormenting me.
> 
> on a side note, anyone interested in sharing some shipping on a couple of these
> http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-ET732-Maverick-Long-Range-Wireless-2-Dual-Probe-BBQ-Smoker-Meat-Thermometer-/290700985166?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43af21034e&_uhb=1#ht_2034wt_1348
> if we get to four the shipping is just 6.50


barls, i'm in for one


----------



## lael (29/1/13)

mmm, love the food pics on this thread!

Just did a cook on Australia Day for a friend's housewarming... 20kg of beef ribs 

Just starting out with it all - want to do some brisket / pulled pork soon!


----------



## Malted (29/1/13)

Did some pig for Australia Day. 2 hrs smoking (mix of pecan and mesquite), one hour no smoke, 2 hrs in aluminium foil (with apple cider and more BBQ sauce) - all at 85oC with the vent closed. Basted again and then 1 hr and a bit at 110oC with the vent slightly open.

What an awesome dry rub this was! Got the recipe off the net but can't remember where (Chris' BBQ rub I think it was called). Rubbed 24hrs before cooking, bagged and chilled. Ribs, trimmings and a bit of belly (as pictured previously when I cut them up).



The day of cooking I made Chris' BBQ Sauce, omitting the chilli - fresh ground 4 colour peppercorns, cayenne pepper & worcestershire gave a nice warming rather than burning. Gave the pig a good old basting and bunged it in the smoker on the racks (tray was used for basting only).



Here it is cooked. The smoke did not penetrate the sauce much. However, for the first two hours of smoking I sat 3 beef and ale sausages (unadulterated) on the rack immediately above the water dish; they were cooked in this time and were deliciously smokey. I chilled them and later sliced them for horse doovers.







Verdict: farking great. Very much an American style with spicy sauce everywhere. Next time, I might try smoking some ribs without so much sauce to go more for the smoke flavour. Pig belly was dissapointing because there was stuff all meat in it but it was cooked well and the meat that we could find was succulent. The ribs were meatier than I had anticipated.


----------



## stux (29/1/13)

Stux said:


> Camping in the rain,
> 
> Did a lamb roast in the gas smoker last night, just a glorified oven, was fantastic and even had a yummy smoke ring
> 
> ...


[sharedmedia=gallery:images:6977]
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:6978]
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:6979]
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:6980]


----------



## browndog (29/1/13)

Smoked meat cuts are awesome and typically American fare, you can add to this American theme by making cornbread to have with your ribs or what ever. Cornbread is delish and perfect for mopping up tasty sauces and is really easy to make. The recipe below came from the series on SBS and is a cinch.





cheers

Browndog


----------



## cdbrown (29/1/13)

Put the TriFire together on Friday night, gave it a burn/smoke in on Saturday and then fired it up proper on Sunday for a leg of lamb. Didn't really have the time to cook it too slow and basically relied on a meat thermometer to tell me when to take it off. Came out nice juicy and tender. 

Yesterday fired it up again and put in some ribs. It was a last minute decision so it only got the dry rub put on about 30mins before going in. Also didn't bother taking off the membrane but will try and get rid of it next time. 
https://www.dropbox.com/s/oev889944gaw13t/2013-01-28%2013.48.42.jpg

Did a 2-1-1 cook and tried to maintain the barrel temp around 105. Had trouble getting the temp to settle and also maintaining the fuel, but only a matter of time before I get the balancing act right and know how much wood/briquettes to put in at the beginning so that the temp doesn't sky rocket but will actually last quite a while.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ffm6o26k471tr3r/2013-01-28%2018.51.08.jpg
Ended up really nice, not as juicy as I'd hoped and I'm kicking myself for not swapping out the small tray (which I was putting water in) with one that didn't have a hole. Figured the water dripping down to the bottom tray would help keep things moist, but oh well. Will make sure it's not leaking next time.


----------



## _HOME_BREW_WALLACE_ (29/1/13)

faark! i need to make a smoker........ you guys got the mouth watering!


----------



## lael (29/1/13)

Stux,

How does the pulled pork turn out? dry / moist? How much gas do you go through on such a long cook? Any recommendations on recipes?

Cheers! 

Lael


----------



## stux (29/1/13)

lael said:


> Stux,
> 
> How does the pulled pork turn out? dry / moist? How much gas do you go through on such a long cook? Any recommendations on recipes?
> 
> ...


I never rotated the pork, so one half was drier than the other half, which was perfect... next time, I'll rotate it in the middle of the cook, as it turns out the vent side of the cooker is hotter.

(But not dry like your normal over-cooked pork roast, just dry compared to perfect)

BUT the beauty of pulled pork is you homogenize the meat. The bark is dry and chewy... nice by itself, but when mixed through the rest of the meat its divine, almost like jerky bombs

You run it on as low as it can go... and perhaps even lower than that

The dial goes off->high<->med<->low, between off and high you can adjust the usage to anything between high and off, ie, lower than "low"

I did get a full gas bottle for this cook, just in case, but i totally forgot to check usage. But its very low. after all, just one small burner as low as possible.

can recommend amazing rib's pulled pork recipe, with memphis meat dust and kansas city bbq sauce (all three recipes on the website)

http://amazingribs.com/recipes/porknography/perfect_pulled_pork.html

We're still using up the packet of meat dust we made for the ribs a few weeks ago... and the bbq sauce...

These cooks have been practise runs for a massive texas bbq I'm putting on in a couple of weeks


----------



## barls (29/1/13)

i go by this one http://www.aussiebbq.info/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=8468 and foil at about 74 or so.
mines about a 6 hour cook.


----------



## donburke (29/1/13)

being very new to smoking meat, but i've learnt the most important aspect of smoking ...

the reason people smoke meat is to drink more beer, its a slow process, much slower than cooking steaks on the barbie, more time spent cooking, the perfect reason to baste not only the meat, but yourself as well ... i like it

smoked a piece of wagyu striploin tonight, ms9, nice and thick, about 600g, seasoned with some extra virgin sesame oil, a clove of garlic and some black pepper, 10 mins of smoking with peach wood at 225F, then continued cooking for around 50 mins more until internal temp of 60C, rested for 20mins and sliced thinly, served with a side of leaf greens ... that good i reckon tetsuya would be asking for the recipe

gonna try some duck smoked with tea leaves next time


----------



## TasChris (1/2/13)

I have been playing with my Hark Gas smoker trying to get a handle on temperature control, especially trying to get constant low temperatures.

I have tried using an old metal colander with 5-15 heat beads in the colander and chip/chunks underneath.

5 heat beads holds the temp at about 50 oC

10 heat beads holds the temp at about 70 oC

15 heat beads holds the temp at about 75 oC

(this is all dependant on your ambient air temp, wind and set up etc).

It is pretty easy to start off with 5 heat beads and creep up on the temperature you are after.

For really low temps I used a medium sized milo tin with 2 inches of pellets and 2 heat beads and kept the temp around 30-34 deg.

Its great fun, just like getting to know your brewing system all over again.
Cheers
Chris


----------



## stux (1/2/13)

Who put a whole pig in my 100L mash tun?




Planning a big texas bbq

2 large shoulders for pulled pork, 2 hocks, 1 full leg, 1 hammed leg, ribs and spare ribs for smoking, loin/belly waiting for bacon treament 

And all the skin for scratchings... yeee ha 

Still need to pickup the two beef briskets


----------



## stux (9/2/13)

Pulled porks nearly done, time to crutch the briskets, then the ribs replace the pork
Later poppers and potatoes replace the brisket. 

Buffalo wings in the deep fryer


----------



## browndog (10/2/13)

Stux said:


> Pulled porks nearly done, time to crutch the briskets, then the ribs replace the pork
> Later poppers and potatoes replace the brisket.
> 
> Buffalo wings in the deep fryer
> ...


Jaysus, you look like one of the BBQ Pit Boys.


----------



## matho (16/2/13)

2kg leg of lamb cooked on a kettle bbq using the snake method. 4 1/2 hrs at 130 deg smoked with hickory for the first hour

yum 

cheers steve


----------



## Cocko (19/2/13)

God I love the pix in this thread!

I have just got back from a few weeks OS and while I was there was served some smoked cheese. I never even knew it existed and fingerbang me, it was delicious.

More aroma of smoke than the flavour but very nice over all.

Question: Has any one here ever smoked cheese? Thoughts? Tips? Might give it a run when I catch up on work....


----------



## doon (19/2/13)

Heston has a series on sbs at the moment and he smoked some cheese on a webber kettle type bbq. He threw ice down the bottom to keep smoke cold or some shit looked pretty easy I think you can watch the episodes on sbs website


----------



## Truman42 (19/2/13)

Cocko said:


> God I love the pix in this thread!
> 
> I have just got back from a few weeks OS and while I was there was served some smoked cheese. I never even knew it existed and fingerbang me, it was delicious.
> 
> ...


Im interested in this too and have been reading some articles over on cheeseforum.org about it.

Read this one here (also has links to other good articles)

http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,8788.msg62421.html#msg62421


----------



## jyo (19/2/13)

I had smoked swiss cheese a few years ago and it was sensational.
I had forgotten about it until now.


Cheers, Cockster!


----------



## doon (19/2/13)

Youtube how to cook like heston season 1 ep 5 about 17 minute mark is where is does it


----------



## Cocko (19/2/13)

Wow, cheers lads!

Awesome.


----------



## barls (20/2/13)

i fill my water bath with ice and then cold smoke with one of these 
 "NEW" A-MAZE-N-PELLET-SMOKER 5X8


----------



## stux (20/2/13)

barls said:


> i fill my water bath with ice and then cold smoke with one of these
> "NEW" A-MAZE-N-PELLET-SMOKER 5X8


What temp do you end up with?


----------



## barls (20/2/13)

generally the same as what ever the outside temp is.
hence why i mostly do cheese in winter


----------



## punkin (20/2/13)

I've used my cold smoker to smoke cheese, nuts, chiilies etc.

One of the best things you can smoke is salt. It imparts smokey flavour to anything you cook with it then. Great in with the peas and corn, on salads etc.

Just spread out on a tray and smoke it till it's a smokey colour, takes on smoke quite quickly B)


----------



## Truman42 (20/2/13)

barls said:


> i fill my water bath with ice and then cold smoke with one of these
> "NEW" A-MAZE-N-PELLET-SMOKER 5X8


Hey Barls can you explain how you do this exactly? Sounds interesting? What exactly is your water bath?


----------



## barls (20/2/13)

i use my smoker an aldi hark gas smoker.
i put the cheese on the top shelf and amazin on the bottom. close off the vent at the top and then fill the water bath with ice. light and leave for a while.
the water bath is normally used to stop meats from drying out in a long smoke. it also adds thermal mass to the inside of the smoker.


----------



## Truman42 (20/2/13)

Cheers for that, might give it a go when my cheese is ready..


----------



## Truman42 (21/2/13)

Check out this home made cold smoke generator. Perfect for smoking cheese, fish etc and easy to make. (Pity about the can of bloody Fosters though..Bloody poms  )

http://thegarlandmanor.com/?p=516

Also found this great ebook on all things smoking. (Free to download)

http://www.deejayssmokepit.net/Downloads_files/DJsSmokingBook.pdf


----------



## DUANNE (22/2/13)

any body else here going to this http://www.bar-bqfest.com.au . looks interesting probably be attending on saturday myself.


----------



## Fourstar (22/2/13)

Cocko said:


> God I love the pix in this thread!
> 
> I have just got back from a few weeks OS and while I was there was served some smoked cheese. I never even knew it existed and fingerbang me, it was delicious.
> 
> ...


when i kill the flame to my smoker, moments before-hand i get the chips smouldering really heavily by putting them on the direct flame. I then kill the heat, drop in the cheese, nuts, salt / whatever you want to cold smoke and close the door and forget about it.

Typically the wood continues to smoulder for some time and by the time you have finished eating & boozing amongst friends and cleaning up, the cold smoked products are typically smoked to perfection (haven't tried doing sausages etc as that would take 12 hours~) but for most short term smoked items that are not being smoked for preservation its a winner, best of all it costs you nothing in energy to do like a UDS.


----------



## TasChris (24/2/13)

barls said:


> you want to smoke rather than steam, was my thoughts. give it a go both ways and let us know.
> personally ive just scored a pile of cherry wood and will be trimming back my peach and plum again shortly so im good.


I just used some prunings from my plum tree, branches that the bloody possums have broken off, really nice smoke, subtle and almost sweet taste. Beautiful for smoking roast chook.
Down side is that it takes 5.5hrs at 110 deg, all the while letting out a glorious smell that makes you want to rip in way to early

Cheers
Chris


----------



## Batz (24/2/13)

I have lots of guava trees, in fact I consider them a weed and have to cut them out. The wood is very popular for smoker wood in the US, DKS uses it for smoking his venison.

Anyway I have ship loads if anyone wants some.

Batz


----------



## Truman42 (24/2/13)

Batz, You should chip it and sell it in 3 kg bags so it can be posted. 

I'd buy some.


----------



## Wolfman (27/2/13)

A work mate picked up 2 Aldi smokers lastnight for $129 each. Yes boys I am now part of the club! What to smoke first??


----------



## stux (27/2/13)

Dang, and I paid full price 

I'd recommend ribs


----------



## Wolfman (27/2/13)

Having not actually picked it up yet, that's tonight, do I need to "run" it in? If so how did you do yours?


----------



## mxd (27/2/13)

yeah give it a burn in, and an oil

I let mine go for about 5 hours


----------



## stux (27/2/13)

Hark Smoker Instruction/Manual/Cookbook

http://www.countrybrewer.com.au/pdf/HARK%20Gas%20Smoker%20Box%20Cookbook.pdf

(Aldi smoker is a one door hark model)


----------



## Wolfman (27/2/13)

Cheers Mate.



Stux said:


> Hark Smoker Instruction/Manual/Cookbook
> 
> http://www.countrybrewer.com.au/pdf/HARK%20Gas%20Smoker%20Box%20Cookbook.pdf
> 
> (Aldi smoker is a one door hark model)


Cheers Mate


----------



## Wolfman (2/3/13)

Running her in now boys!


----------



## kegs23 (2/3/13)

got some beef short ribs and some chicken thigh to put on the smoker tomorow so i can test out my new(smoke daddy) 
running it on a electric masterbuilt smoker,lets hope i can get lots of smoke out of it,,,,,i found once the fist lot of chips would smoke it would leave ash behind that would insulate the new wood chips from the heat of the element ,so with this i should get lots of smoke and dont have to open the door to clean out the woodchip box,,,,,,,,,,
i guess it will be raining all day tomorrow so beers smoking and V8's it will be and trying to stay off my fractured foot from last weekend drinking fun,


----------



## punkin (2/3/13)

The idea is a little smoke drifting through. You don't need a lot.


----------



## kegs23 (2/3/13)

yeah when i do 2 9kg pulled pork shoulders i run the smoker for about 20hours ,and need just a bit more smoke than what i was getting,,,,,its good to fill it up just before people come over as they love the smell of it cooking aswell,,,,,,,,,you can cold smoke it aswell,,,,,i found with the electric smoker if you go to low its not hot anoth to smoke the wood,


----------



## stux (2/3/13)

When I did a 24+ hr cook (multiple joints/pieces back to back) I eventually filled the wood chip tray with ash and I couldn't get the hunks to burn/smoke

Emptying it fixed the problem, but it wasn't something I was expecting


----------



## kegs23 (2/3/13)

i dont get a very good bark on my pork even after 20 hours going to see how it goes with the smoke daddy might up the temp to try and get a good bark,,,,,,,things i dont like about the electric smoker is the temp between turning heat on and the before the heat comes on there must be about 5deg i would say where as a gas one would have the same heat all the way though the cook,


----------



## stux (3/3/13)

Must admit my bark is great, but that's with gas at about 107C for up to 24 hrs

i Slather the pork with the rubber and use vegetable oil to get it to stick rather than mustard

And no foil crutch.


----------



## CosmicBertie (4/3/13)

kegs23 said:


> i dont get a very good bark on my pork even after 20 hours going to see how it goes with the smoke daddy might up the temp to try and get a good bark,,,,,,,things i dont like about the electric smoker is the temp between turning heat on and the before the heat comes on there must be about 5deg i would say where as a gas one would have the same heat all the way though the cook,


The bark has little to do with the temperature, its more about the rub. What rub did you use?

A light covering of veg oil before applying the rub helps it to stick.





Stux said:


> Must admit my bark is great, but that's with gas at about 107C for up to 24 hrs
> 
> i Slather the pork with the rubber and use vegetable oil to get it to stick rather than mustard
> 
> And no foil crutch.


Slathering your pork with rubber is a bit too kinky for me, as I find it pinches a bit when crouching down to check the coals/smoke wood.


----------



## jayahhdee (4/3/13)

I checked out the Pro Q Frontier in the flesh yesterday at the St Kilda BBQ Festival. Very impressive bit of kit for the price in comparison to the Webber.
Now to convince SWMBO and find a Melbourne retailer.


----------



## stux (4/3/13)

Cosmic Bertie said:


> The bark has little to do with the temperature, its more about the rub. What rub did you use?
> 
> A light covering of veg oil before applying the rub helps it to stick.
> 
> ...


damn you iphone


----------



## sean83 (4/3/13)

jayahhdee said:


> I checked out the Pro Q Frontier in the flesh yesterday at the St Kilda BBQ Festival. Very impressive bit of kit for the price in comparison to the Webber.
> Now to convince SWMBO and find a Melbourne retailer.


Hey Jayahhdee,

I recently purchased the Pro Q, it is the ducks nuts especially for the price compared to the webber smokey mountain. I also like a few extra aspects that come with it. There are pre drilled holes for thermometers, hanging racks in the hood for fish or meat and also the snap lock fittings to open and close levels (this is so good when first learning). I am not sure if the WSM have changed there design but if they havent then this would be my buy again.

Sean


----------



## Wolfman (10/3/13)

Got some ribs goingand have a couple of questions.

My smoke only goes for 20-40 mins? Is this correct? Should the smoke go for longer?

Using the Aldi gas smoker at 230F.

Cheers


----------



## marksfish (10/3/13)

Wolfman said:


> Got some ribs goingand have a couple of questions.
> 
> My smoke only goes for 20-40 mins? Is this correct? Should the smoke go for longer?
> 
> ...


it would depend on how much smoke you like and the type of wood used.


----------



## Wolfman (10/3/13)

marksfish said:


> it would depend on how much smoke you like and the type of wood used.


Not to strong that it tastes like a bushfire. Using hickory at the moment as thats all I have.

Having trouble getting my head around this. Hahahahahaha might be time to stop pouring pots?


----------



## marksfish (10/3/13)

as you dont like a strong smoke flavor and hickory is one of the strongest tasting woods 20 minutes should do you. but as always try it and you can add or subtract next time. there is no reason to stop downing a pot or three.


----------



## Wolfman (10/3/13)

Cheers mate, where all on track. Looking the GOODS!


----------



## stux (11/3/13)

I use hickory chunks, each chunk weighs about 100g

For a good smokey flavour I put a new chunk on every 30 minutes, so 2 hours of smoking, 400g. And then I might roast for another ten to 20 hours!

Start slow. Over smoked food sucks


----------



## Wolfman (11/3/13)

Stux said:


> I use hickory chunks, each chunk weighs about 100g
> For a good smokey flavour I put a new chunk on every 30 minutes, so 2 hours of smoking, 400g. And then I might roast for another ten to 20 hours!
> Start slow. Over smoked food sucks


Where do you get the chunks from?


----------



## stux (11/3/13)

BBQs Galore

2.4kg for 16 or 20$, can't quite remember the price.


----------



## seamad (11/3/13)

sean83 said:


> Hey Jayahhdee,
> 
> I recently purchased the Pro Q, it is the ducks nuts especially for the price compared to the webber smokey mountain. I also like a few extra aspects that come with it. There are pre drilled holes for thermometers, hanging racks in the hood for fish or meat and also the snap lock fittings to open and close levels (this is so good when first learning). I am not sure if the WSM have changed there design but if they havent then this would be my buy again.
> 
> Sean


Can you use these like a traditional weber kettle, ie not smoking and doing a roast in 1.5-2 hr ?
My old weber kettle is almost stuffed and may get one of these if it can smoke slow and roast fast.
cheers
sean


----------



## Malted (12/3/13)

I gave our apple tree a serious haircut on the weekend and kept a good number of finger thick and wrist thick branches. I have them drying atm and can't wait to chop them up to use for smoking. The neighbour's nectarine tree has quite a lot of deadwood on it that is hanging over our fence, think I'll snip at it 'on demand'. Can't wait for Easter to do a bit of a smoke-fest.
I suppose the smaller the chunks, the more smoke produced and the larger the chunks, perhaps less smoke but longer lasting? Would this be the concensus?


----------



## Phoney (12/3/13)

Malted said:


> I gave our apple tree a serious haircut on the weekend and kept a good number of finger thick and wrist thick branches. I have them drying atm and can't wait to chop them up to use for smoking. The neighbour's nectarine tree has quite a lot of deadwood on it that is hanging over our fence, think I'll snip at it 'on demand'. Can't wait for Easter to do a bit of a smoke-fest.
> I suppose the smaller the chunks, the more smoke produced and the larger the chunks, perhaps less smoke but longer lasting? Would this be the concensus?


Read this:

http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/zen_of_wood.html


----------



## Malted (12/3/13)

phoneyhuh said:


> Read this:
> 
> http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/zen_of_wood.html


Cheers for the link, looks like I was on track: "*Size matters.* For long cooks, chunks of wood from golf ball to baseball size work best. They burn more cooly, smolder and last longer, while chips and pellets tend to combust and disappear more quickly. For short cooks, like a steak, chicken, or fish, small chips and especially pellets work best because they produce more smoke in a short burst."


----------



## marksfish (12/3/13)

amazingribs is a fantastic site with hours of reading and interesting takes on the whole process of bbqing.


----------



## Cocko (19/3/13)

We had a crew over on the weekend and I was told 'my' smoked ribs had to be on the menu.

I have found the 3,2,1 method pretty fail safe so went with that - pork baby back style ribs this is...

So, did the first 3 hours of smoke, chips ran dry about 2 1/2 hours, so left it for the last 1/2.

Wrapped in foil at the 3 hour mark and lost track of time so they were wrapped for about 2 1/2...

Un wrapped them and gave them another hour, all at 107* celsius.

BEST. RIBS. EVER.

Also, the new addition of a home made PLUM BBQ sauce was like the lord him/her self was flavouring them!

Sorry no pix, too busy entertaining and drinking etc...

But had to share this sauce:

[I used Apple cider vinegar as had no red wine vinegar - awesome!]

http://www.food.com/recipe/plum-barbecue-sauce-260089

Cheers!


----------



## Cocko (19/3/13)

The Rub:


Ingredients:

1 cup Sugar

1/2 cup Coarse Salt

1 tbs. Garlic Powder

1 tbs. Cayenne Powder

1 tbs. Ground Cumin

3-4 tbs. Paprika

1 tbs.Pepper

1 tsp. Ground Celery Seeds


----------



## punkin (20/3/13)

Plum sauce looks ok mate. I do plum sauce that is more towards the sweet chinese style by adding a jar of noname supermarket plum jam to a saucepan with a stack of grated ginger (probably 2-3 tbsp) some hot chilli oil, sechuan pepper corns toasted and ground, white pepper. Heat and cook for a while then turn off and add fine chopped shallot and chive or leave out and decorate the top of the sauce with the herbs if you are not going to use it all.
That way you can stick it back in the jar and put it in the fridge for ever.

Just remove the label so it doesn't go on your toast


----------



## Malted (20/3/13)

> Also, the new addition of a home made PLUM BBQ sauce was like the lord him/her self was flavouring them!


With 10 bottles of homemade plum sauce in our pantry, the thought of this is giving me half a chub. I will have to try something like this at Easter. Who knows, if we do this even the Lord himself might visit us over Easter? Resurrection Ribs anyone?


----------



## Cocko (20/3/13)

Malted said:


> the Lord himself might visit us over Easter?



Himself OR Herself surely? You sexist carnt.


----------



## Malted (20/3/13)

> Himself OR Herself surely? You sexist carnt.


Righteous man!
I prefer to think of myself as a sexy carnt.


----------



## Cocko (20/3/13)

So does the mrs -_-


----------



## Wolfman (28/4/13)

Smoking snags. I bought 5kgs of castlemain snags and every time I smoke them they shrivel. I have read if you wash them in cold water after smoking they won't shrivel? What do you do? I won't kanskey type snags.


----------



## jyo (28/4/13)

Did this one on ANZAC Day. Boneless pork shoulder, 2 hours of hickory at about 90' then cranked up the heat for another 2 hours. Removed the crackling (as you can see) and put the crackle over the coals until crunchy :icon_drool2: This was so awesome!


----------



## Online Brewing Supplies (28/4/13)

Look similar ?


----------



## brad81 (28/4/13)

Gryphon Brewing said:


> thigh-muscles-and-nerves-gross-anatomy-en_medical512.jpg
> Look similar ?


Doesn't even remotely look smoked


----------



## Bizier (28/4/13)

Gryphon Brewing said:


> thigh-muscles-and-nerves-gross-anatomy-en_medical512.jpg
> Look similar ?


mmm... taboolicious


----------



## Online Brewing Supplies (28/4/13)

brad81 said:


> Doesn't even remotely look smoked


Maybe this is to your liking ?


----------



## barls (28/4/13)

hmmm long pig.
smoking tonight. post pics later


----------



## Wolfman (28/4/13)

barls said:


> hmmm long pig.
> smoking tonight. post pics later


Barls any tips on smoking snags?


----------



## barls (28/4/13)

i normally do 1hour at around 100 with ether a handful of chips or pellets.
which ones you use is up to you.
forgot to take pics today but it was a beef fillet done for 2 hours on sand apple and plum wood.


----------



## sp0rk (29/4/13)

Currently building myself a smoker/spit out of a 44 gallon LME drum that i got from my local brew your own joint
first coat of paint went on yesterday, I'll try and get a couple of pics up this afternoon


----------



## Wolfman (30/4/13)

Right O no pics but the snags worked out a treat. I follow the instructions here http://www.lets-make-sausage.com/smoked-sausage.html Smoked for an hour, soaked in cold water, reheated in frying pay and into the belly! Not dry and not shriveled! Just nice and plump!


----------



## Beerbuoy (30/4/13)

Wolfman said:


> Right O no pics but the snags worked out a treat. I follow the instructions here http://www.lets-make-sausage.com/smoked-sausage.html Smoked for an hour, soaked in cold water, reheated in frying pay and into the belly! Not dry and not shriveled! Just nice and plump!


Reading through that link he says you must use a cure if you are going to smoke your sausages, ie sodium nitrate.

Is this really necessary if they are hot smoked and then refrigerated or frozen? I thought as long as the internal temperature of the sausage gets above a safe level during the hot smoking there should be no risk of botulism?

How many people out there are using sodium nitrate when making these sort of things? I'm keen to get into this sort of thing but I'd prefer not to use sodium nitrate. From reading various things on the net I'm starting to think it might be more the americans over reacting to the threat of botulism.


----------



## Wolfman (1/5/13)

I didn't make these from scratch so can't answe the botulism question. I just ensured the internal temp was correct. I left them in cold water then reheated them before eating.

Going to smoke me some more snags!


----------



## sp0rk (1/5/13)

Tossing up right now whether to make an offset smoke chamber or not...


----------



## MashPaddler (5/5/13)

I'm about to press the button on a Pro Q unit. Anyone else running these? It is this or a much more expensive Weber Smokey Mountain, so looking to save some $ if the Pro Q's are viable.


----------



## Edak (5/5/13)

Apparently the Pro Q is a good unit, I would like one myself but I just can't justify buying another smoker when the one I have gets nearly no use...


----------



## MashPaddler (7/5/13)

Thanks, having trawled every pro q thread I could find, which is not that many, it seems there a build quality issues in early models, some ongoing concerns with handles breaking, porcelain coating being haphazardly applied, and variable heat issues. Weber Smokey Mountain, while $300 bucks more, has a cult following the size of scientology and without the aliens. I'm going to save for an extra couple of weeks and get the WSM.


----------



## sean83 (7/5/13)

MashPaddler said:


> Thanks, having trawled every pro q thread I could find, which is not that many, it seems there a build quality issues in early models, some ongoing concerns with handles breaking, porcelain coating being haphazardly applied, and variable heat issues. Weber Smokey Mountain, while $300 bucks more, has a cult following the size of scientology and without the aliens. I'm going to save for an extra couple of weeks and get the WSM.


Sorry Mash paddler haven't been on for awhile. I have had the pro q for awhile now and haven't had any dramas in fact I love it more than my wife somedays. I too have seen the cult following of the WSM and probably the biggest plus from a build point of view is the increased size of the drums now and also the larger doors. Mine is a brand new model of the pro q and I haven't seen any build concerns but that is just me.

I should add as well if I had my time over again, I wouldnt hesitate on the pro q.

Sean


----------



## MashPaddler (7/5/13)

Oh you are evil Sen83 - I had just convinced myself of the WSM! Do you have the frontier or the larger excel model?


----------



## sean83 (8/5/13)

MashPaddler said:


> Oh you are evil Sen83 - I had just convinced myself of the WSM! Do you have the frontier or the larger excel model?


I have the excel mate - but if looking at investing in a second one I would probably go the frontier. I find the excel is awesome for size, but when just cooking for me swmbo we really dont occupy the space all the time. It also takes longer to reach temps compared to the frontier. However on the flip side when I am in a smoking mood (most weekends these days it appears) the extra space allows for more food (obviously). So much so that a fortnight ago I was able to do 2kgs of wings a 1kg pulled pork shoulder butt and a beef and pork mince jalepeno fatty all at the same time on the Saturday. Then slow cooked smoked wings and beef jerky on the Sunday. Not sure I could fit all that in on just the frontier.

But if I had two smokers.... one of each....


----------



## Ducatiboy stu (8/5/13)

sp0rk said:


> Tossing up right now whether to make an offset smoke chamber or not...


After seeing Sqyre's two chamber smoker i would defiantly go that route. Can go from a cold smoker to oven easily .


----------



## Wolfman (10/5/13)

Cranked the smoker up the other day. Home made Sausage (http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/15837-the-sausage-thread/page-10#entry1030023) and ribs! 





Rubbing the Ribs




Into the smoker




Adding the Sausages




Sausages Done!




Ribs Done!




Smoked Sausage packed and ready for the freezer.

They taste amazing out of the smoker!


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## scon (10/5/13)

Looks awesome wolfman. Just bought ourselves a kick arse mincer so I'm hoping to do a batch of snags this weekend. Love your cold-smoker, where'd you get it from?


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## Wolfman (10/5/13)

Cheers mate. It's a Hark rip off from Aldi. It will do till I upgrade to an electric.

What sort of mincer did you get?


----------



## scon (10/5/13)

Ah, I remember seeing those at Aldi - I currently only hotsmoke using a weber kettle, but am looking at jerry rigging up some ac ducting and various things to hopefully be able to get some kind of cold smoking action happening.

The mincer I got is one of these: http://www.internationalcatering.com.au/product/meat-mincer-no-8/ - overkill for our needs, but we're getting half a pig next month and am keen to get more into making sausages/curing etc.


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## Cocko (20/5/13)

Yesterday, smoked some full Beef ribs...

By full I mean, in the pics, they are in a Hark electric and on a 12" pizza tray.

Fred Flinstone styles! Yabba Dabba F'kin DO!


----------



## sillyboybrybry (20/5/13)

Im sorry but when i saw the title i was immediately reminded of this : 



seriously though I am keen to get into the smoking.
I wonder if my wife regrets saying hey why dont you get that home brew kit yet??

edit - embedding video clearly isn't my thing...


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## Mardoo (20/5/13)

Cocko said:


> Yesterday, smoked some full Beef ribs...
> 
> By full I mean, in the pics, they are in a Hark electric and on a 12" pizza tray.
> 
> Fred Flinstone styles! Yabba Dabba F'kin DO!


Good thing is when the dogs come beggin' round you can beat 'em off with a rib! Or the brontosaurus! ;0)


----------



## Cocko (20/5/13)

Mardoo said:


> Good thing is when the dogs come beggin' round you can beat 'em off with a rib! Or the brontosaurus! ;0)



We took the ribs to my Inlaws for the old mans birthday dinner, as a bit of an entree sort of.... We all ripped through them, carved the meat off and trimmed the fat..... Father inlaw has a short legged Jack Russel.

We gave him a bone and he could hardly stand up, from the weight and his tail wagging so hard... the old man let him out to go and eat it outside, this is the funniest part - he kept hitting the bone on the door frame and couldn't work out how to get through the door with it... classic.

If only his name was Dino.


----------



## Mardoo (20/5/13)

That is so fckin FUNNY. Cheers for an awesome laugh mate. Dino - naming my next dog Dino.


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## MVZOOM (29/5/13)

OK, so I built a UDS late last year. I must admit, I'm still having problems getting my ribs right. They end up dry - I think I'm leaving them on too long and they're not eating with a moistness that I'd expect. I've been using the 3-2-1 method, at around 120degC. Any hints here would be great!

Some pics from my smoking journeys:

Various pork bits - experimenting






The beast in action






A leg of lamb






Random dinner






Cheers - Mike


----------



## wrath (4/6/13)

Anyone running the Bradley here? I have recently acquired one and it seems to work a treat thus far!


----------



## kegs23 (4/6/13)

Cpt Suds said:


> Anyone running the Bradley here? I have recently acquired one and it seems to work a treat thus far!


im not,but i have a masterbuilt electric smoker,,i find doing smaller pork shoulder like 4kg they turn out a bit dry,but a 8-9kg pork shoulder for 22hours comes out perfect,i think it because the element turns on and off alot and to set to anytemp,just cuts off when the heat gets to what ever you set it,,,,,,,might turn one of my old webbers into a little gas smoker that way it just sit at the one temp,where my electric one must have a 5-10deg up and down in temp i think and thats why i get a dry smaller pice of meat(havent been able to do a good briskit ether ,
is the bradley smoker take the disks of wood, i brought a smoke daddy and attached to mine and it works so much better you can use chunks or chips and even pellets in it,


----------



## Cocko (4/6/13)

kegs23 said:


> but a 8-9kg pork shoulder for 22hours comes out perfect..





22 hours!

FM! :icon_drool2:


----------



## adryargument (4/6/13)

MVZOOM said:


> snip...


Looks delicious!
Btw, when i saw the 'smoking meat' topic with cocko as the last reply... Lets say i'm presently surprised


----------



## sp0rk (10/6/13)

Better post my results from last weekend
Finally broke in my home made 44 gallon drum smoker (ex malt extract drum)
I had some red gum branches laying round that I'm getting turned up into tap handles, so i chipped one up with a tomahawk and smoked with that

First up for lunch was some thick woolies snags
cooked at around 110-120 degrees for an hour and a bit



They were juicy and delicious, couldn't tell they were woolies sausages

and then for dinner was a beer can chook, with some of my Fuller's London Pride clone, chopped onion, diced garlic, apple cider vinegar and some seasoning in the can as well
did a basic rub of salt, pepper, thyme and paprika
It was on for 3 & 1/2 hours at 120 degrees
I hindsight I either used WAY too much wood, or Red Gum is too strong for my tastes, as it was almost all you could taste through the breast meat
The leg and thigh was a bit better, but the taste was still really prominent
besides that it was perfect, perfectly juicy and tender, even after 3 days in the fridge when i used it for lunch meat




after an hour and a half






just before carving

Doing some beef ribs later this week to practice for my birthday shindig next weekend


----------



## goldstar (10/6/13)

Just had left-over pulled lamb shoulder I smoked yesterday for 8 hours at around 110degC. Used Apple and a touch of Aussie Redgum. Still tastes fantastic!


----------



## goldstar (14/6/13)

Having a brewday tomorrow with a few of the locals coming around to 'help' with brewing a smoked Porter. Thought it would be fitting to have pulled pork for lunch.

This is a Boston Butt with shoulder ribs still attached. Was going to remove the ribs but in the end thought I'd see how they fare with the rest of the cut.
It's been injected with apple juice, salt, sugar, Pilsner and Worcestershire sauce. Then dry rubbed with a mixture of goodies.




Then passed over to the Traeger so it can do its magic.




Using a mixture of apple and alder hardwood. I'm expecting about a 16-20 hour cook with this one. Hope the heathens are hungry tomorrow!


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## sp0rk (16/6/13)

Just put 2 kilos of beef ribs into the smoker
1kg of racks, dry rubbed with some random spices,chilli and sugar
1kg of cross cut honey and soy ribs
1 cup of hickory chips






put them on around 1:15pm and they're smelling great already


----------



## Professional beer tester (16/6/13)

I love combining herbs and spices in the smoker (webber) as well as wood.

It's easy. Save up all your dry, papery garlic peels (not the cloves) for a nice mild garlic flavour. Wet rosemary for a sweet flavour.

Just throw them on the charcoal... done.


----------



## T.T.B.Co (16/6/13)

A tad off topic maybe!!! Although it could give some members a few Ideas.

I made this spit in 2 or 3 days with parts from the Tip! work and home...

The drive is a 76 Mazda wiper motor and bike parts, The stainless shaft assembly I made at work as well as the fire box, The cylinder I found at the tip...

This is my second attempt at making a "Spit". I think I have cracked it. I have had a party of 8 comment that it cooks the best pork roast that they have ever had. It is fired by wood for the flavor and gas to help retain the temps. I put a gauge in the lid and I found 220c was a good temperature for 2kg of meat. Not Bad for **** all.

Lets take it a step further and make it a Spit and smoker h34r:


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## kenlock (16/6/13)

Like your work TTB.Co.

It certainly fits as an American Smoker. Low slow cooking with speciality wood(s) with a rotating spit.

You're on to a winner. Just don't get your meat from the tip. hahaha


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## T.T.B.Co (16/6/13)

I'm happy with it **** yeah!!! When not in Spit mode and I was able to inclose the tank and then run a duct into another chamber I should have a cold smoker Too...

I could market this!!!!


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## rotten (16/6/13)

MVZOOM said:


> OK, so I built a UDS late last year. I must admit, I'm still having problems getting my ribs right. They end up dry - I think I'm leaving them on too long and they're not eating with a moistness that I'd expect. I've been using the 3-2-1 method, at around 120degC. Any hints here would be great!
> 
> Some pics from my smoking journeys:
> 
> ...


Add a steel camping mug for example to the rack filled with water for moisture. You should be able to drop the temp in that UDS to 100-110 which would help heaps too. I also baste especially for the last hr to keep them moist. Consider dropping the time back to 2-2-1. I love my UDS. I have a gas kettle that I smoked in for ages before I really caught the bug and built my UDS.


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## Wolfman (17/6/13)

Did a leg of lamb last week, no pics. Was a little unsure of how it would turn out. WOW! Highly recommend.


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## rotten (17/6/13)

Lamb is a favourite at home. Lemon and lime brine for a few hrs. Redgum & Blackbox Smoke for 3, foil and rub for 2, then uncover for an hour all @ 110c.  Perfect everytime


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## sp0rk (22/6/13)

8 and a 1/2 kilos of beef ribs were cooked for my b'day party tonight
twas amazing!


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## Cocko (22/6/13)

Happy B'Day! :icon_drool2:


----------



## sp0rk (22/6/13)

Thanks Cocko!
all my mates spoiled me and the gift vouchers for Dan Murphys and Country Brewer should keep me happy for quite a while!


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## Cocko (22/6/13)

Legend.

Spend those vouchers wisely!

:beerbang:


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## TasChris (23/6/13)

Today I am smoking some bacon and some pastrami...First go at both

Bacon as per Charcuterie book







after 7 days in brine and 1 day forming pellicle



Pastrami was cured in brine by home butcher for 6 days. I then put in new brine for another 3 days.
all meat was then dried and rested in fridge to form pellicle.


Pastrami has been coated in crushed pepper corns, coriander seed and some dried chili.





Smells great, hope the smoking goes to plan!
Will attach pics at the end of the smoking unless it all goes to crap

Cheers
Chris


----------



## jyo (23/6/13)

Good luck, Chris. Looks amazing, man.

I'm doing a roast chook in the weber today, but the missus has requested no smoke.


----------



## brettprevans (23/6/13)

jyo said:


> Good luck, Chris. Looks amazing, man.
> 
> I'm doing a roast chook in the weber today, but the missus has requested no smoke.


make it a beer can chicken then


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## jyo (23/6/13)

citymorgue2 said:


> make it a beer can chicken then


Not gonna happen, mate. I'm under strict orders to not eff around with it.


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## brettprevans (23/6/13)

jyo said:


> Not gonna happen, mate. I'm under strict orders to not eff around with it.


buy a 2nd chook and do as u pls. Everyone is happy. Ibe had to do that before


----------



## TasChris (23/6/13)

Took 3 1/2 hours for the bacon to be ready.







I ate some of the outside trimmings of the bacon, it was a bit saltier than I was expecting however it was the outside of the bacon. The bacon was very tasty, nice and smokey with a "hamy" flavor and a little chewy but way better than bought stuff

Took 9 hours for the pastrami to hit temp






Will complete the cooking of the pastrami and have for tea tomorrow..Will update with details.

Cheers
Chris


----------



## TasChris (24/6/13)

I finished the pastrami cooking with a 2.5 hours in the oven at 140c in casserole with an inch of water.
Meat was very tender and moist. The crust was quite spicy with the chili and pepper adding a bit of heat.
The meat itself was very very salty. The saltiness lessened as I cut closer to the center.
Will do it again but may shorten cure time or lightly poach prior to coating with crushed spices to try and reduce the salt.
I am as dry as a crisp now after all the salt, will have to have a Monday night beer now.
The grain of the meat looked a little coarse compared to bought pastrami so maybe corned topside was not quite the right cut.
Will try again however the procedure needs a little tinkering.








Cheers
Chris


----------



## jyo (30/6/13)

Huge leg of Lamb. The rub was salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, lemon juice, rosemary and olive oil. About an hour of hickory with some rosemary twigs.

It was bloody good, but for my tastes I prefer smoked pork.
Cooked a cake in the weber after too, turned out awesome!


----------



## barls (30/6/13)

pulled pork today. was bloody loverly.


----------



## Bizier (30/6/13)

jyo said:


> Cooked a cake in the weber after too, turned out awesome!


Umm, you either smoke it, or bake it into a cake, but no-one smokes their cake.


----------



## jyo (30/6/13)

Bizier said:


> Umm, you either smoke it, or bake it into a cake, but no-one smokes their cake.


Haha! Told the adult-child-daughter that I had smoked the cake and the look on her face was priceless!

Mmm hickory butter cake :blink:


----------



## donburke (26/8/13)

cooked up some chinese bbq beef short ribs and pork neck in steamed buns on Saturday


----------



## jimmyjackpot (26/8/13)

donburke said:


> cooked up some chinese bbq beef short ribs and pork neck in steamed buns on Saturday


Good lord DB that looks amazing!


----------



## donburke (26/8/13)

jimmyjackpot said:


> Good lord DB that looks amazing!


hi jimmy, was delicious

perfect weather for it too

love these long cooks, plenty of beers to be had basking in the glorious Sydney sunshine


----------



## punkin (27/8/13)

Can you post a recipe and process fro the buns mate?

it looks like something i'd like to try and i have a few ideas for fillings.


----------



## Bizier (27/8/13)

That is straight porn DB!
I like your "cooking mag" open-aperture photography.


----------



## donburke (27/8/13)

punkin said:


> Can you post a recipe and process fro the buns mate?
> 
> it looks like something i'd like to try and i have a few ideas for fillings.


I've made the buns a few times now using the following recipe, turns out great, follow the recipe and you will be pleased

another thing, I suggest you burn your bamboo steamer a little by letting it run dry in the wok, not enough to start a fire, but enough to give a bit of smoke for that 'authentic chinese restaurant smell' 

recipe is sourced from here http://chinesefood.about.com/od/dimsumbuns/r/steamedbun.htm

This is basic recipe for making the steamed bun dough used in Char Siu Bao

Yields 24 buns

More Chinese Bread recipes

More Dim Sum Recipes

Ingredients:

1 package dried yeast or 1 cake fresh yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
4 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons Crisco or vegetable oil
1/2 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons sesame seed oil
 Preparation:
Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water. Add 1 cup of flour. Mix thoroughly. Cover with cloth. Let rise 1 hour, until bubbles appear.

Dissolve sugar and vegetable oil in 1/2 cup boiling water. Stir well. Cool until lukewarm. Pour into yeast mixture. Add 3 1/2 cups flour.

Knead dough on lightly floured board until smooth. Put into extra large, greased bowl in a warm place. Cover with damp cloth. Let rise until double in bulk, about 2 hours.

Divide into 2 portions. Remove first portion and knead 2 minutes. Repeat with second. Roll each into roll 12 inches long and 2 inches wide. Cut into 12 pieces (24 total).

Flatten each piece with palm of hand. Roll with rolling pin into 3 inch circles.

Brush with sesame seed oil. Indent middle of circle with chopstick. Fold circle in half so that it becomes a half moon. Crimp edges tightly with fork.

Place each roll on separate square piece of foil on steamer tray. Cover tray with towel. Let buns rise to double in bulk, about 30 minutes. Remove towel.

Steam, tightly covered, over briskly boiling water for 10 minutes. Serve with Peking Duck, Crispy Duck, or with any filling you desire. May be prepared in advance. May be frozen. Thaw out in plastic bag and re-steam 10 minutes.

(*Note: This recipe is reprinted from "Madame Wong's Long-Life Chinese Cookbook", courtesy of Sylvia Schulman).


----------



## gava (27/8/13)

barls said:


> havent tried jerky yet, done a shit load of roasts, snags and other things. heres some pics just to torment you further
> lamb fillets
> 
> 
> ...


HI Barls,

I see thats an aldi smoker, I've done pretty much the same as you,although I ripped out the gas burner and but the colandar down in the pit.
How do you go with temp? I find my bugs out around 160c my firebox is to small i think.. Is that why you still have the gas burner attached?

-gav


----------



## punkin (27/8/13)

Thanks DB, that's much different to the bun recipe i use that has sr flour and baking powder.


----------



## punkin (27/8/13)

So how do you roll the circles to do it the way you have, roll to a cirle, crimp edges and cook flat or do you fold them first?


----------



## donburke (27/8/13)

punkin said:


> So how do you roll the circles to do it the way you have, roll to a cirle, crimp edges and cook flat or do you fold them first?


roll flat circles like miniature pizza

brush with sesame oil

fold in half to make a half moon shape

use a fork to crimp the curved bit

let rise then steam

you are supposed to cut them open on the flat side, and the curved bit should stick together, but mine didn't work that way, the crimped curved bit didn't stick so I opened them that way, perhaps less sesame oil around the perimeter and it might stick


----------



## punkin (27/8/13)

Thanks mate, i like the presentation you have that's why i ask. For BBQ Pork Buns i'll fold them in the way i always do.

But some sliced meat and vegies and a dollop of sauce, your presentation is brilliant. Would also work well for peking duck and save making the glue pancakes (even though i love the glue).

You should put this in the BBQ Pork Buns Thread down the page, this dough looks much more like the restaraunt dough, even though i love the baking powder one.


----------



## barls (27/8/13)

gava said:


> HI Barls,
> 
> I see thats an aldi smoker, I've done pretty much the same as you,although I ripped out the gas burner and but the colandar down in the pit.
> How do you go with temp? I find my bugs out around 160c my firebox is to small i think.. Is that why you still have the gas burner attached?
> ...


i use the burner 90% of the time. can get up to 280-300 but also can get down to almost room temp for cold smoking.


----------



## Pokey (1/9/13)

I made some jerky in my Aldi smoker today.
It came out pretty tasty, just need to keep it away from the kids.


----------



## Malted (1/9/13)

Chicken soaked in salts and nitrates (a quick cure premix at recommended rate) for 3 days and some cheap kabana from the supermarket. Cheap snags are improved by smoking so surely cheap kabana would be awesome!




Hot smoked at 130oC for too long, on an upper shelf, with some dried timber trimmings off the nectarine tree, topped up with some pecan pellets and later some hickory and mesquite chips. Either cooler, or a shorter duration next time. I used a water pan but the breast looks a bit dry whilst the wing bits are OK given that they had skin and fat on (breast did not).



The back right corner is the hottest part - sorry kabana.

Just cooling it all in the fridge now to enjoy later. Preliminary tasting whilst hot was very positive. I did some mussels in brine and garlic too but that is posted in punkins smoked mussels thread.


----------



## scon (9/9/13)

So I bought a 2.3kg hunk of brisket and will be making pastrami out of it. First step is brining it for 5 days, then a day of soaking in fresh water, then a rub gets applied and it gets smoked for 12 hours before being steamed for a few more hours and then it's ready. Methinks it's going to be a mighty Reuben sandwich.


----------



## scon (17/9/13)

... continued. 

5 days later, rub applied then smoked, steamed, sliced and sandwiched.



[

























​


----------



## Airgead (17/9/13)

Dude! :icon_drool2:


----------



## Helles (29/9/13)

Any one smoked trout before 
I never have and was wanting a good brine/sugar recipe 
And any advice for the smoking 

Got these 4 rainbow trout out of Goulburn river over weekend
Going to smoke them


----------



## barls (29/9/13)

ask here and you will get the answer your after
index.php


----------



## Pokey (29/9/13)

helles said:


> Any one smoked trout before
> I never have and was wanting a good brine/sugar recipe
> And any advice for the smoking
> 
> ...


I hot smoke trout for a couple of hours, no brine beforehand just put some herbs or lemon inside and they come out really good. They aren't preserved though, not like a cold smoke


----------



## Wolfman (2/10/13)

Did some ribs and pulled pork AFL grand final day



Smoked for 2 hours using redgum. 


A few hours in and looking the goods. 


Pull pork done!


Ribs done!


----------



## Helles (6/10/13)

Awesome smoked trout


----------



## Pokey (7/10/13)

helles said:


> Awesome smoked trout
> 
> 
> 
> ...


How did you end up cooking them helles?


----------



## Helles (7/10/13)

Soaked in couple litres of water 
Cup of brown sugar
Cup of sea salt
Garlic clove 
1 birdseye chilli
half brown onion
for 24 hrs 

Smoked on 5 burner BBQ 
Turned all burners on for 10 min
Turned 4 off leaving one still on low
Placed fish in other end of BBQ 
Wood chips in foil at other end of BBQ for about 3 hrs
Two lots of chips more added half way
Kept BBQ at about 90-100 degrees
Soaked Apple Cherry and Mesquite wood chips in cider for an hr before

Tastiest trout i have ever had will be doing again


----------



## BBnB (17/10/13)

Beef / Venison Jerky recipe

I use Skirt Steak but round will do - you want a nice lean cut with no fat (cut either with or against the grain... I prefer with the grain which makes it a bit stringy and therefore chewy)

A sprinkling of Garlic powder
A sprinkling of Onion powder
Soy Sauce (enough to get all the meat covered in it)
Worcestershire sauce (just a dash - too much turns it too salty)
Tabasco (I use the green Jalapeno one as the missus doesn't like it too hot but if you use the regular Tabasco don't put in too much as it is quite strong and will light you up!)
A splash of either Jack Daniels or Wild Turkey Bourbon (again don't go too hard on the booze as it tends to take over the flavour)

Let it all marinate over night (the longer the better but at least 6-8 hours)

I smoke it over Australian Bloodwood (I think) which puts out a really nice smoke
Any Australian Hardwood would do the trick though

Cook it for about 2 hours at a really low temperature (about 60 degrees C and watch it if you can as it dries out quite quickly)

Hickory, Mesquite and the other imported woods work also


----------



## scon (31/10/13)

I already posted this to another forum I frequent but thought you guys here might also like it.

Start with a slab of beef shortribs - these were about $12/kg:






Coat with what is called a "Dalmatian Rub" 90% roughly cracked black pepper and 10% salt, you really want a good coating.






Start preparing your coals for the BBQ. Protip, the best way to get the whole lot lit quickly without using an accellarant is by firing a leafblower at the coals till they're all ashed over.






The dog needs a bit of a lie down after headbutting the post in the previous picture.






Insert slab'o'meat.






All hail the UDS.






And because man cannot live on beef alone... the beverages for the afternoon.






And because man cannot live on beef and beer alone we added pork ribs and chicken wings.






Stupidly I didn't take a picture of the end product on the night. But the next morning we made some damn good breakfast burgers. Brioche buns, home made Big Mac sauce, shredded short rib, melted emmenthal cheese, pickles, red onion, avocado and hot sauce. Basically a damn good McRib.






Money shot.


----------



## Not For Horses (31/10/13)

Man I want a burger now!

second pic "dalmation rub"
third pic "boxer rub"


----------



## scon (31/10/13)

Close, he's an Australian Bulldog - and a massive boofhead.


----------



## Edak (18/11/13)

So guys I have just joined the world of smoking and bought myself a Char-Griller Akorn Kamado Kooker. I got it from bunnings and apparently they are not sold in many stores and have very little stock so grab one while you can! $499 with just about everything you need, it's size is somewhere between the Kamado Joe Large and Extra Large. It's got mostly high reviews on Amazon and other places around the world and a huge following in the US. I seasoned it last night and smoked a chook, no photos unfortunately but I am just getting started!

Linky!

Note that it comes with the tarp cover and ceramic heat diffuser (aka pizza stone) so if one were to compare it against a Kamado Joe it's about $600-$700 cheaper! Yes we pay Australia tax but it's still mega cheap I think...

I had already built myself a temperature controlled terracotta pot smoker but it got a split on use number 1 and didn't get used because I never sealed it well enough, perhaps I could compare the two?

Now to get some good pulled pork recipes!


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## seamad (18/11/13)

Joined the smoking world last weekend.
Got myself a primo oval xl and loving it. Got up at 5 this morning and put a hunk of pork shoulder in for pulled pork, man is it smelling good, can't wait to try it.


----------



## BlackRat (18/11/13)

seamad said:


> Joined the smoking world last weekend.
> Got myself a primo oval xl and loving it. Got up at 5 this morning and put a hunk of pork shoulder in for pulled pork, man is it smelling good, can't wait to try it.



Jumping in the deep end i see - the only way to swim.

Not a cheap bit of kit that.


----------



## Edak (19/11/13)

Joined the smoking world last weekend.
Got myself a primo oval xl and loving it. Got up at 5 this morning and put a hunk of pork shoulder in for pulled pork, man is it smelling good, can't wait to try it.

That bit of kit and that post really put me in my place...


----------



## shaunous (19/11/13)

I got the el cheapo Aldi Hark ripoff, done a dang good job. Never smoked sausages, fish or chicken, mostly always large slabs of meat. I'll have to give the smaller stuff a go. 

Low and slow is the best trick.

I use this sauce 97% of the time when smoking.

Mahogany Sauce:
3 strips bacon, diced
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 cup grape or raspberry jam
1 cup tomato sauce
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons of your favourite whiskey

Sauté bacon and onion until onion is tender then add garlic and sauté for another minute.
Drain bacon drippings from skillet.
Add jam, tomato sauce, vinegar and whiskey.
Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Makes 2-1/2 cups.


----------



## seamad (19/11/13)

BlackRat said:


> Jumping in the deep end i see - the only way to swim.
> 
> Not a cheap bit of kit that.


Far from cheap, although great quality and 20 year replacement warranty on the ceramics. It's replacing my old weber kettle, the kamado should make much easier low and slows.My missus is glad I don't have too many more hobbies 



Edak said:


> That bit of kit and that post really put me in my place...


Sorry mate. I read your post and thought I'm going to sound like a smartarse here. Probably the same as brewing gear, looks don't make a difference on the resultant product.
The pork last night was great, 13 hour cook and still moist.


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## Bizier (30/11/13)

For all you bastards in states which have Aldi stores, the re-branded Hark is in tomorrow:

https://www.aldi.com.au/en/special-buys/saturday-30-november-2013/saturday-detail-wk48/ps/p/home-gas-smoker/?pk_campaign=au_product_newsletter&pk_kwd=2013-11-26_13-21


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## seifer (30/11/13)

Can't remember if Ive posted up my piece of UDS goodness. A few 44 gallon drum, a bit of steel rod and a few slabs of wood and you can make your own for next to nix.






Obviously ive made a second grill plate since.


----------



## Edak (30/11/13)

For all you bastards in states which have Aldi stores, the re-branded Hark is in tomorrow:

https://www.aldi.com.au/en/special-buys/saturday-30-november-2013/saturday-detail-wk48/ps/p/home-gas-smoker/?pk_campaign=au_product_newsletter&pk_kwd=2013-11-26_13-21
now that is tempting but I can't justify it now I got the kamado. I would have been all over it before!


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## carniebrew (21/12/13)

I do believe the jolly fat fellow will be bringing me the re-branded Hark next week, after I left numerous hints lying randomly about the house earlier this month. Noob question, where's the best place for woodchips, just the regular bbq selling joints?


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## Bizier (21/12/13)

If you can get apple, pear, cherry or other fruit tree prunings, you can get great smoking wood for free.

I also use some mesquite and hickory from "a large chain BBQ store" and they have lasted a fair while, but are extortionate for what they are.

I prefer large chunks where possible, but I use a weber.


----------



## carniebrew (21/12/13)

Cheers. The MiL has an enormous lemon tree in her back yard, are lemon prunings used much for smoking?


----------



## Airgead (21/12/13)

carniebrew said:


> Cheers. The MiL has an enormous lemon tree in her back yard, are lemon prunings used much for smoking?


I don't think I have ever heard of them being used. You could give them a go and see though.

Update - google tells me they are used (from bbq.about.com) - *Citrus* woods like lemon or orange have a moderate smoke that gives a light fruity flavor that is more mild than apple or cherry.

Well there you go. Smoke away and let is know how it tastes.

Cheers
Dave


----------



## Bizier (21/12/13)

Just make sure it's thoroughly dried before using it as smoking wood. I thought it'd be pithy and noxious.


----------



## QldKev (23/12/13)

Anyone ever tried liquid smoke? I've always though it was some synthetic/chemical compound to smell and taste like a smoked product. Recently I saw a video where they made liquid smoke. Basically they burn some wood and catch the steam/smoke, running it through a condenser, resulting in a liquid smoke. I ordered a 500ml bottle from ebay, and wow it's strong and it tastes like real smoke. I'm already starting to line up the meals to try it out.


----------



## Ducatiboy stu (23/12/13)

Linky in this thread to a video

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/46-brew-food/


----------



## Bizier (23/12/13)

I have been making a bit of jerky, and I was thinking that liquid smoke would be just the thing.


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## barls (23/12/13)

I use ether local sources for wood or I use pellets. I've found the trader pellets to be the best value but saying that there's http://www.urbangriller.com and http://www.bbqsandheating.com.au/traeger-wood-pellet/wood-pellets-bags-p-1373.html and http://www.mistygully.com.au


----------



## jyo (23/12/13)

I was thinking today about sourcing some different wood and clicked that one of my work mates owns a freaking orchard. Cherries, plum, peach, pear, apple!


I have some sucking up to do.


----------



## Pokey (23/12/13)

I use the gum tree that grows at the front of my house, run it through a chipper or just break up the twigs.


----------



## Ducatiboy stu (23/12/13)

Ironbark is my fab smoking wood. I like an Australian flavour to my smoked meats.


----------



## Bizier (23/12/13)

jyo said:


> I was thinking today about sourcing some different wood and clicked that one of my work mates owns a freaking orchard. Cherries, plum, peach, pear, apple!
> 
> 
> I have some sucking up to do.


You can help him prune the orchard come winter.
I have a pair of felco 2s you can borrow and a crappy little McCulloch chipper you can have.


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## Ducatiboy stu (23/12/13)

You dont want the prunings....you want the heart wood.


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## Bizier (24/12/13)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> You dont want the prunings....you want the heart wood.


You don't even prune ironbark Stu...

Many a good snag has been smoked with seasoned apple and cherry prunings.

Sent from my GT-I9300T using Tapatalk


----------



## Wolfman (24/12/13)

Yep I do most of my meat with Apple wood trimmings.


----------



## sp0rk (25/12/13)

I'm doing 2 chickens and a duck on a webber today
First time I've ever smoked in one, hope i don't stuff it up...


----------



## shaunous (25/12/13)

Merry Xmas men. Got up early and filled the aldi smoker with wild pork leg, lamb shoulder and 're smoking the Xmas ham. 
Yummo.


----------



## jyo (27/12/13)

Bizier said:


> You can help him prune the orchard come winter.
> I have a pair of felco 2s you can borrow and a crappy little McCulloch chipper you can have.


Cheers for that, mate. The ball is rolling and I may have a supply of cherry, peach, nectarine and apple I can share with you. Will let you know.


----------



## Spoonta (4/1/14)

Good work John


----------



## professional_drunk (11/1/14)

Ok just done my first cook on an aldi smoker. 2kg lamb leg at 100-110c. Smoked for 3 hrs, total cook for 7 hours. It was up to 71c by 6 hours. Was hoping for falling off the bone but didn't happen. Anyway, very nice firm smoky flavour, very tender and very juicy. Winner!


----------



## barls (11/1/14)

Pork needs to go a lot higher for fall off the bone


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## carniebrew (11/1/14)

What about lamb? B)


----------



## barls (11/1/14)

Right lamb. Didn't read that right. 
Low and slow so the lower temp and longer you can cook it. But saying that there is a point where the coligen under goes a change it's generally around 190f internal temp. This is the temp you need for pulled pork


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## professional_drunk (11/1/14)

It's really juicy so I think there'd be no problem cooking it longer without the risk of drying out. Will have to get up earlier on a Saturday next time to try and get falling off the bone.


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## Edak (12/1/14)

I did a pork shoulder over friday night, ~4kg piece, rubbed with a home made south carolina dry rub and rested for only 8 hours, 14 hours in the akorn kamado at around 225F, smoked with hickory chunks (I had no apple :sadface: ) and it turned out lovely!

The way we eat pulled pork is exclusively in sandwiches with full pickles, homemade bbq vinegar (slather) sauce and slaw!

4kg for 4 people, believe me I have leftovers


----------



## SmallFry (12/1/14)

So, I got my Aldi smoker up and running, and have done the initial "seasoning" run.

I have got
- 2 marinated pork ribs,
- 1/2 kilo of marinated chicken drums,
- and a couple of sausages. 

I've only got 4 hours to spare until the kids are screaming for dinner, so 3-2-1 method is out of question.

Do I chuck everything in at the start, or should I chuck the pork ribs in for say, 2 hours smoking, then when I wrap them in foil, add the chook and the sausages, and add a couple more wood blocks for the last 2 hours?

Hoping for a quick reply...


----------



## philmud (12/1/14)

I've got a shoulder of pork in my Aldi smoker. Brined it overnight (salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, bay leaves, touch of vinegar, dry rub (see below).
Patted dry, Rubbed with a dry rub made from: paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, brown sugar, pepper, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, chilli salt (that I made from smoked chillis).
It's in the smoker at 110C - initial 40 mins were very smokey.
Also, a friend suggested stock in the water bath, so thats happening too.
I'm planning on smoking for 7 hours all up, but might need to bump the heat up from what I'm reading here. I'm hoping for pulled pork, but sounds like I should have allowed longer.


----------



## fcmcg (12/1/14)

Another trick I learned was to wrap the chips in double layer of tin foil and put some slits in the top...stops them from burning out too quickly...


----------



## shaunous (12/1/14)

fergthebrewer said:


> Another trick I learned was to wrap the chips in double layer of tin foil and put some slits in the top...stops them from burning out too quickly...


Good tip, will try next time.

Also I've rarely had a lamb fall off the bone as such, real juicy and tender, but not like when you cook in liquid for hours in a slow cooker. I pull all my meats out at close enough to the 68*c mark! the cooking time and smoker temp will vary depending on spare time and my showing off to friends and family. If it's just me and the sandwich maker I'll cook them shorter and higher temps.


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## sp0rk (12/1/14)

I've got a leg of lamb on right now that went on around 1pm
I bought a tiny little weber style bbq from bunnings for $30 the other week and thought I'd give it a go
I've tried to keep it around 130C all day, but I'm finding any temp under 160C and the coals start to go out
It's been balancing 140-150 but the coals have just gone out so I've transfered the lamb leg to my benchtop convection oven and turned it to 130C
Will post some pics at carving time


----------



## shaunous (12/1/14)

That sounds like a pain in the arse sp0rk. Is that normal for coals? I've never done that method.

I just make it easy, same smoker temp, same internal meat temp on removal. 110*c and remove at internal temp of 68*c and rest under foil for around 20mins.

Unless it's just me and the missus only and I don't have to show off, then I may up the temp to get it done quicker if it's a rush job. Using the LPG powered aldi Hark cheapo. Figured out googling smoker recipes just made shit real confusing and over complicated.


----------



## Florian (12/1/14)

A couple of dry rubbed pieces of Aldi porterhouse on the weber kettle with a handful of hickory and mesquite directly on the coals.
direct heat on heatbeads/robot turd mix until internal temp reached 60C.

terrible presentation but awesome taste.


----------



## fcmcg (12/1/14)

Here is some of the bacon I made yesterday and ate today...
Salted with 1 kg rock salt , cup of brown sugar , bay leaves and pepper..
Smoked at 120 deg in the Aldi smoker for 4 hours...


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## philmud (12/1/14)

Here's my pork shoulder - was falling apart, except for the biggest muscle on the shoulder, which was still pretty good, but dryer than the rest of the cut.
I made pulled pork sliders & threw together an orange soda BBQ sauce (which was a bit sweet for mine, but I diluted it with some dead horse and it was great).
First go: a success! I'm off to dream of filling it with meat.


----------



## sp0rk (13/1/14)

shaunous said:


> That sounds like a pain in the arse sp0rk. Is that normal for coals? I've never done that method.
> 
> I just make it easy, same smoker temp, same internal meat temp on removal. 110*c and remove at internal temp of 68*c and rest under foil for around 20mins.
> 
> Unless it's just me and the missus only and I don't have to show off, then I may up the temp to get it done quicker if it's a rush job. Using the LPG powered aldi Hark cheapo. Figured out googling smoker recipes just made shit real confusing and over complicated.


No, my big barrel smoker can get down to around 90C and still keep stable, I guess the bigger area retains the heat better
I usually run it around 110-120C, this is perfect for chicken wings, sausages and ribs imho


----------



## brendo (19/1/14)

Taking my Aldi gas smoker for it's maiden voyage today (seasoned yesterday) with a pork shoulder... pulled pork for dinner tonight


----------



## chrisso81 (19/1/14)

For anyone still hunting them, Somerville Aldi had 8 smokers yesterday and they were on special for $100 as well.


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## brendo (20/1/14)

Pork shoulder came up a treat and was a big hit


----------



## doon (20/1/14)

How long and what temp did you cook it? Did one yesterday for 6.5 hours and was awesome but needed longer to get to fork pulling stage


----------



## shaunous (20/1/14)

doon said:


> How long and what temp did you cook it? Did one yesterday for 6.5 hours and was awesome but needed longer to get to fork pulling stage


What temp did you cook at? What internal temp did you remove the meat for resting?

Sit close to 100*c and cook for however long it takes to get to your desired internal temp. Mine being about 66*c and has taken anywhere up to 10hrs for a fairly big one, but with a smaller lamb roast in also that day it took 10hrs.


----------



## shaunous (20/1/14)

brendo said:


> Pork shoulder came up a treat and was a big hit


Damn that makes my microwave lunch look terrible right now.


----------



## doon (20/1/14)

Mine sat around 120 pulled it out internal temp of 68. Was watching some videos of people cooking for up to 10 hours then resting for two


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## doon (20/1/14)

Might try lower and longer next time. Was cooked beautifully just not fulling apart


----------



## brendo (20/1/14)

around 100-110 for 7ish hours, up to about 150 for 3 more as I needed to get ready for kids. Hit around 89 degrees internally - about 7 degrees short of my target. Shoulder was around 2.7kg with bone in. 

Pulled apart pretty well - fork/hand mostly. I reckon it could have used another hour to be perfect, but I reckon it was pretty darn good. Will start a bit earlier next time so I don't need to push it up towards the end, should be a better result.

This is pretty much the process I followed using the Memphis Dust and East Carolina Hot Sauce to finish: http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/porknography/perfect_pulled_pork.html

Pulled pork enchiladas for dinner tonight :icon_drool2:

edit: added more details


----------



## jyo (20/1/14)

How economical are the Aldi gas smokers, guys? Say, you smoke at 120 ish for 6 or so hours, how is the gas bottle looking?

Cheers.


----------



## doon (20/1/14)

Still felt pretty full to me use it three times and was a full bottle when I started using the smoker. The burner is pretty small


----------



## jyo (20/1/14)

Awesome. Thanks for that, mate.


----------



## earle (20/1/14)

For those that missed the aldi smokers keep an eye out at masters. They should soon have charcoal smokers along the lines of a weber Smokey mountain without legs for around $80. Packs inside itself so looks quite compact if you want to take it camping.


----------



## shaunous (20/1/14)

Use fukall gas mate, I smoke at 110*c and the knob is turned as minimal flame as it can be, well 1mm up from right down. Smoked a heap of roasts and still feels full.


----------



## shaunous (20/1/14)

brendo said:


> around 100-110 for 7ish hours, up to about 150 for 3 more as I needed to get ready for kids. Hit around 89 degrees internally - about 7 degrees short of my target. Shoulder was around 2.7kg with bone in.
> 
> Pulled apart pretty well - fork/hand mostly. I reckon it could have used another hour to be perfect, but I reckon it was pretty darn good. Will start a bit earlier next time so I don't need to push it up towards the end, should be a better result.
> 
> ...


89*c is a shitload higher than I have ever removed mine from the smoker. Still awesome?


----------



## brendo (20/1/14)

Yeah... Very moist still....the site I linked to aims for 90-95 degrees, means all the connective tissue and collagen has completely melted and makes the pulling super easy. The vinegar based BBQ sauce also helps to remoisten the meat once pulled, but it was pretty juicy as it was so was really more about adding that flavour in than anything else.


----------



## robv (20/1/14)

Made pastrami out of a corned beef, smoked for about 6 hours.
Came out really well.


----------



## Edak (22/1/14)

I have done only 4 pork shoulders now all about 3 to 4kg, always cook at 110c until 90.5 to 91 inside. Always perfect. You know its ready when the bone almost falls out without touching it. have taken up to 14 hours to cook. Rested for a few hours wrapped tightly in foil and then a few towels then in the esky.


----------



## shaunous (22/1/14)

I'll give a pork shoulder a run this weekend and cook until 90*c, do you inject or baste if cooking till that internal temp or does it stay real juicy still?


----------



## brendo (22/1/14)

All I did was a dry rub - plenty of moisture in it still when done.


----------



## shaunous (22/1/14)

Sweet.


----------



## Bizier (22/1/14)

jyo said:


> How economical are the Aldi gas smokers, guys? Say, you smoke at 120 ish for 6 or so hours, how is the gas bottle looking?
> 
> Cheers.


Not very economical if you have to drive to the nearest Aldi


----------



## barls (22/1/14)

Depend where your nearest one is I can walk to mine.


----------



## Cocko (22/1/14)

jyo said:


> How economical are the Aldi gas smokers, guys? Say, you smoke at 120 ish for 6 or so hours, how is the gas bottle looking?
> 
> Cheers.



Aren't there people replacing the burner and making a 'bead' / coal burner out of it?

Harder to control temps tho.... and isn;t that what we are chasing here!

jyo, any chance you got that hat I sent you? - it had a yoyo in it.


----------



## barls (22/1/14)

I get about 3 days worth of smoking out of it ie 72 hours


----------



## jyo (23/1/14)

Bizier said:


> Not very economical if you have to drive to the nearest Aldi


Shhh. Just on the lookout that's all.  There are a few similar ones on ebay at the moment.



Cocko said:


> jyo, any chance you got that hat I sent you? - it had a yoyo in it.


No hat yet. But is it a coke yoyo?


----------



## Edak (23/1/14)

shaunous said:


> I'll give a pork shoulder a run this weekend and cook until 90*c, do you inject or baste if cooking till that internal temp or does it stay real juicy still?


Super juicy, I also just gave it a south Carolina dry rub Alton brown style (paying with mustard and thickly sprinkle dry rub). Mind you we always have a BBQ vinegar sauce handy to lube it up more.


----------



## shaunous (23/1/14)

barls said:


> I get about 3 days worth of smoking out of it ie 72 hours


Out of a 9kg bottle? I get alot more than that. But i smoke at pretty much the lowest setting which is about 110*c.


----------



## shaunous (23/1/14)

Edak said:


> Super juicy, I also just gave it a south Carolina dry rub Alton brown style (paying with mustard and thickly sprinkle dry rub). Mind you we always have a BBQ vinegar sauce handy to lube it up more.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Damn that looks tha goods.


----------



## sp0rk (23/1/14)

earle said:


> For those that missed the aldi smokers keep an eye out at masters. They should soon have charcoal smokers along the lines of a weber Smokey mountain without legs for around $80. Packs inside itself so looks quite compact if you want to take it camping.


I believe the cheaper ones have very thin steel, so don't keep the heat in very well

I got an email from oztix yesterday with a link for the Blues & BBQ festival in Port Macquarie
They're holding the 2014 BBQ championships over the weekend, sounds like a good thing to check out for fellow bbq fans
http://www.bluesandbbq.com.au/
The site says something about microbrews being sold as well (I'm guessing Black Duck and Little Brewing Co)


----------



## shaunous (25/1/14)

This fukin pork shoulder will not get to 90*c for pulling! I'm staying just under 250f which all the smoking kings say to stay under, best on getting is mid 170*f inside, 90*c being 195*f.

Any tips pulled ports guys? or take it out. Keeping in mind me and the guests are not hungry yet and another hour or more wont matter.


----------



## doon (25/1/14)

Wrap it in foil maybe?


----------



## shaunous (25/1/14)

Just checked and it's 82*c, that'll do me.


----------



## brendo (25/1/14)

Check this out and read the section about the stall - which us basically what you are in. 

http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/porknography/perfect_pulled_pork.html

Mine did the same thing last weekend and I just let it go, got there eventually. Other option is to wrap tightly in foil with some moisture.


----------



## brendo (25/1/14)

shaunous said:


> Just checked and it's 82*c, that'll do me.


If it has a bone, just give it a wiggle to see how easy it moves, otherwise get a fork and twist it in the meat - if it turns fairly easily you are done.


----------



## shaunous (25/1/14)

Pulled it a coupla hours ago at the 82 and holy Fuk. Sooooooo Good!


----------



## SmallFry (25/1/14)

Just rubbed 3 kilos of pork (yeah, I know, stop bragging) ribs in preparation for a big smoke-up tomorrow.

Got a couple of chicken breasts I'll brine for an hour, as well as some snags for the kids.

Smoke on!!!


----------



## SmallFry (26/1/14)

12:00. Triple J hottest 100 just played some Karnivool, and I'm just primed the smoker.





Roll on Australia Day.


----------



## doon (26/1/14)

faaaarrrrrk me!!! nice one!


----------



## shaunous (28/1/14)

Had around 10 people here on Saturday to consume 5.5kg of pulled pork. 2 of them have now already bought smokers since. Was told it was the best pork they have all ever had, so I'm stoked...


----------



## shaunous (29/1/14)

Hey ya'll, what are we all using for the smoke, chips, chunks or pellets? And why?

I've only ever used chips, and most of the time only one cup per Cook, although last pulled pork I used 3cups for a 13hr cook, adding the chips evenly over the first 2hrs of cooking.

Apparently pellets are better, only needing 1/3 of them compared to chunks and chips.

I have the ALDI HARK gas smoker. Chips by weight are cheaper, but apparently need more of em like I said.

Thoughts & experience???


----------



## SmallFry (29/1/14)

Bought a 2.6kg bag of Mesquite chunks from BBQ Galore. Has seen me through 4 sessions so far, probably got 2 or 3 more left in it. I think I payed around $25 for it.

Probably not the cheapest way, but better than chips, as the chunks smoke for longer. I use a combination of some dry chunks, some soaked for an hour, and some soaked and then wrapped in foil. I figure the different times using these 3 techniques would provide active smoke for a longer elapsed duration. Have not found any need to top up the wood chamber so far.

But, planning on lopping off a couple of branches of the neighbours nectarine tree that are poking over our fence. Will chop em up and use them next year.


----------



## barls (29/1/14)

Did an eye fillet a couple of days ago. Just about gone. My one year old daughter loves it so soft yet tasty..
I use chips, chunks and pellets. Just depends on what wood I want to use for what meat. 
Actually just finished one of the tragger bags. Might see what I can get my hands on for the next one.


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## Florian (29/1/14)

Have only ever used chips so far, and always from Bunnings. They actually have a bit of a range there nowadays, bags of hickory and then mixed boxes, hickory and mesquite for beef and lamb, apple, cherry and mesquite for poultry and pork, mesquite and alder for seafood. $10 for 600g, probably not the cheapest but good enough to get into the game and experiment.

Most of the times it's quite easy to separate the individual wood types if you look them up on google images, so you can try individual types, 100% cherry for example, to get a feel for the different outcomes.

Usually use a combination of soaked and wet, depending on how long I cook. Have only ever smoked in the weber kettle, can't really see why a dedicated smoker would be any better, apart from the fact that you can fit more food in there per session. Is there something I'm missing?

I use either heat beads, robot turds or lump charcoal as fuel, or a combo of either two of them or all three.

EDIT: a quick google tells me that Bunnings actually used to have a much better range including pellets but have since downgraded.


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## barls (30/1/14)

As ive posted before
http://www.mistygully.com.au/smoking-woods-1/
http://www.urbangriller.com/Pellets.html
And there's a few other supplies on the BBQ forum


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## shaunous (30/1/14)

There is no difference florian, but i'd rather have my cheap arse BBQ, which is now 33years old, I know this as it was a wedding present to my mum and dad. I've cooked on it for years and some say mastered its tricky ways. And then smoke with an ALDI/HARK smoker.

If i had been given a webber for a present i'd smoke with it, but i just wont buy a webber. Same goes for the big hooded BBQ's, dont want or need.

The woods for sale on the net are cheap, untill you factor in the postage, than by weight Bunnings is much cheaper. I'll stick to chips from Bunnings I think.

I always just soaked mine, and instead of a heap at the start I've alway just broke it up in 1/4 or 1/3 serves and spaced that out over the first coupla hours. No need with al-foil and such, you have to monitor it for the first coupla hours anyway as the temperatures like to change, especially if its been in the fridge and you cant afford to let the meat reach room temp before throwing it in the smoker.

Small Fry 2.6kg in 6-7 sessions, that seems like alot of wood per smoke session.

Thanks for the idea's and help men.


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## fcmcg (30/1/14)

Shaunos,
Why can't we afford to let the meat reach room temp before smoking ? Surely a cold piece of meat means it takes longer for the centre to reach the appropriate temps if its cold ?


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## barls (30/1/14)

But it also means that it's absorbing smoke for longer. They only absorb up to 50 degrees internal.


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## shaunous (30/1/14)

Yeh it does Ferg, it also means the outside will cook before the inside, and you use more gas with a higher flame to hold your smoker temp untill they kinda catch up with each other and the pork warms up, then can turn the gas down again for the same internal temp.

I meant we cant afford to let it get to room temp for times sake. I normally wake at about 545am to put a pulled pork for dinner, or carving roast for lunch into the smoker at 6am, im not waking up at 4am to take it outa the fridge, which would be ideal, but not worth the wake-up with the results im getting.

Ideally yeh, you wanna let the meat get to room temp before smoking, not a chilly fridge coolness of 2-4*c.


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## SmallFry (30/1/14)

shaunous said:


> Small Fry 2.6kg in 6-7 sessions, that seems like alot of wood per smoke session.


I'm still learning, so probably using more than I should.

I pretty much filled the wood box in my Aldi smoker with a combo of dry, soaked & wrapped chunks, and got a consistent smoke for about 2 1/2 hours at 95-100 deg.

How much wood would you use in your Aldi?


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## Crusty (30/1/14)

barls said:


> As ive posted before
> http://www.mistygully.com.au/smoking-woods-1/
> http://www.urbangriller.com/Pellets.html
> And there's a few other supplies on the BBQ forum


These guys are good too & have a great range of Aussie wood smoke pellets......Aussie BBQ Smoke.


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## shaunous (30/1/14)

SmallFry said:


> I'm still learning, so probably using more than I should.
> 
> I pretty much filled the wood box in my Aldi smoker with a combo of dry, soaked & wrapped chunks, and got a consistent smoke for about 2 1/2 hours at 95-100 deg.
> 
> How much wood would you use in your Aldi?


Im no professional either, but all up i use about 2-3cups per cook, and i add say 1 cup to start, than half than half again, or 3 lots of 1 cup, just added evenly over the first 2 hours. i get good smokey flavour, but in saying that, im probably not adding enough to brag about my smoke rings in the pork meat. But the meat is still very smokey, and I dont add sauce unless for sanga's cause the meat is flavourfull enough.

the qauntities i use wouldnt even come to half of the ALDI smoke box i dont think.


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## shaunous (30/1/14)

Anyone used pellets in the ALDI/Hark smokers. Cant see why they would be a problem, but some sites say to only use chunks for gas smokers, but i dont think they are talking about the gas type smokers we are useing. Pellets would have to be ok in a tray/box like the ALDI smokers have, get more bang for your buck with them (use less per cook), they are cheaper to buy, and can fit more into a postage bag.


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## barls (30/1/14)

barls said:


> Did an eye fillet a couple of days ago. Just about gone. My one year old daughter loves it so soft yet tasty..
> I use chips, chunks and pellets. Just depends on what wood I want to use for what meat.
> Actually just finished one of the tragger bags. Might see what I can get my hands on for the next one.


Forgot to mention this is the aldi smoker I use.
Also low and slow is better as it gives the connective tissue more time to break down. 
Did an eye fillet the other day and that was a 5 hour cook and my daughter has been eating it as it's soooo soft


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## Malted (30/1/14)

Generally pellets will burn quicker than chunks. Whether to use *pellets*,* chips* or *chunks* depends on how you use them. Generally: high intensity, low duration smoke can be made form pellets whilst low intensity, long duration can be made from chips or chunks. That is over simplified because there is more too it than that but it is a good conceptual starting place.

My *Masterbuilt Electric Smoker* (MES) does not produce as aggressive a heat onto the smoking tray as does my Dad's *Aldi gas smoker* - the heat onto the wood chip tray is very high with the gas flame directly under it. 3/4 filled his tray with fruit tree trimmings about little finger thick gives us about 1/2 hr of smoke running at about 110oC. Chunks of fruitwood trunk also last about 1/2hr, smokes like all buggery and then stops. I would be inclined to wrap the smoking wood in aluminium foil and put a few pin pricks into it and then place it in the Aldi gas smoker tray to make the wood last a bit longer.

*Pellets* would burn too quickly if you put them on top of *heat beads* in something like a webber. Some folks I know who use heat beads will put chunks of smoking wood on top of them, say 10-20cm long bits of wine barrel staves. You could try the alfoil wraping of pellets on top of heat beads but I supsect that is simply too much direct heat on the pellets.

AFAIK and the communication I had with *urban griller,* the *Traegor pellets* are a fuel pellet not a smoking pellet, _per se_.
What I understand of this is: I would assume that when they are manufactured in the extruded pellet there would be less aromatic wood and more bulking timber in the mix. Smoking pellets would have a higher proportion of the aromatic wood. Fuel pellets are used in smokers where they are the primary heat source and due to using a large amount of them, they would impart enough smoke flavour. If you used a smoking pellet in a fuel situation like that it is likely you would oversmoke the foods. This could explain why fuel pellets appear to be cheaper than smoking pellets.

IMO it is somewhat of a challenge to smoke at low temps with the Aldi gas smoker. Certainly if you are wanting to cook food (as oppossed to a cool smoking) in the smoker it will burn through the items in the smoke tray quite quickly. The MES too can produce a lot of heat on the smoker tray (as it has an electric element almost directly under it) and at 120oC it can make the pellets catch on fire (i.e. they produce a lot of combustable gas that then ignites making a huffing noise or shoots the pellet loader out of the MES). My approach with the MES was to smoke at lower temps, say 50-60oC and then ramp up later on to 120oC for the cooking to begin. Having said that I find that the MES produces a lot of tar/blackening of the inside of the machine when I put pellets in the smoker tray. My approach these days is to not use the MES smoking tray at all. I have constructed an external, venturi style (much the same as a smokedaddy) cool smoke generator that burns pellets. I find the cool smoke going into the MES even when it is at 120oC creates less tar or blackening of the inside of the machine and IMO gives a better tasting food. I can even still see through the glass panel in the door.




You get the idea of the venturi: the smaller pipe has an aquarium air pump hooked to it and draws the smoke into the bigger pipe that travels into the MES. It has a lid on it when operating. I have a small hole just above the false bottom in it, to poke a flame from a butane torch into it to ignite the pellets. I will leave the hole open until it gets going and then will shove a bolt in the hole to choke it down a little (it still draws enough air through the gaps in the bottom sealing plate). I have built it to resemble the shape of the pellet feed tray so that it is slide in replacement for the feeder tray.



I use the prototype/proof of concept model that worked well enough to not bother building another and pump the smoke into the MES in turned off mode for cheese. My favourites so far are Colby, Havarti and Cracker Barrel but I have recently tried Kaskaval (not keen on it to begin with), Cheshire (school is out on this) and some cheese for cooking - Romano Pepato. It does not raise the temeprature of the MES much above ambient temp (a couple of degrees celsius if I run the smoke too hard) so I can smoke cheese at what ever the ambient temp is (I prefer to do it on a cool day). I might smoke for 1/2hr to 2 hrs depending upon how smokey I want it, or whether I am drinking. 



Looking at the sliced off corner, you can see the colour change on the outside. It has not really made a penetration smoke ring but the flavours goes right through.



Or turned on at cooking temps for wings; the bucket is the chicken wingettes and broken down duck in brine. The smoked duck was sublime.





Ribs (dry rub then spiced rum and pineapple sticky sauce/glaze)





Fatties (the unrolled one was pork mince with fennel bulb, caramelised apple, caramelised dried apricot and caramel sauce - it is also the cooked one).







I purchased and tried an A Maze N Pellet smoke generator but found you need good airflow to keep it smouldering and this can dry the foods more than I would like. I didn't really persist with it that much TBH because I then jumped into making the venturi jobby.

*Misty gully* has good quality smoking pellets and can do a good deal on large quantities: some friends and I bought 10kg bags of 5 varieties recently and split them amongst ourselves. Admitedly (in terms of price) these were some of the last imported wood pellets as I believe she now stocks Australian made smoking pellets. I also highly rate her jerky cure and seasoning mixes.


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## Crusty (30/1/14)

I'm looking for an Aldi smoker at the moment & will be doing like malted does.
I will use the smoker purely as the heat source & smoking via an external unit.
I bought a Smokai from Urban Griller. Pumps out shitloads of smoke & great for cold or hot smoking.


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## SmallFry (30/1/14)

Awesome and informative post, Malted. 

You sure you'rde not running a temperature?


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## carniebrew (11/2/14)

Finally breaking the seal on my smoker today. Got up early and rubbed a 2kg boneless pork shoulder, left it an hour or so then popped it in, cooking at around 120/130C. Tough work keeping the Aldi smoker at that temp, having to fiddle the dial between high and off, as setting it to low makes the smoker too hot.

Got a combination of beech and hickory pellets creating the smoke. Smells great...


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## djar007 (11/2/14)

Mine sits on 90-100 on the low setting with the vent open at the back Carnie. very stable in my experience.


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## Wolfman (11/2/14)

carniebrew said:


> Finally breaking the seal on my smoker today. Got up early and rubbed a 2kg boneless pork shoulder, left it an hour or so then popped it in, cooking at around 120/130C. Tough work keeping the Aldi smoker at that temp, having to fiddle the dial between high and off, as setting it to low makes the smoker too hot.
> 
> Got a combination of beech and hickory pellets creating the smoke. Smells great...


Want me to come over in about 6 hours to show you how to use it?


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## carniebrew (11/2/14)

Plenty to go around, so you're more than welcome Wolfman! It's my first ever go at smoking, and first use of this rub (dark brown sugar, white sugar, salt, paprika, garlic, onion, ginger, black pepper & rosemary), so who knows how it'll come out.

Just finished carbing up my first ever kegged beer too...shame it's a Kolsch and won't taste any good for a few weeks. I still have some bottled IPA in the fridge though...

It just hit me that my temperature tests were while I was mucking around with seasoning the smoker....I didn't have any meat in there, nor did I have any water in the pan IIRC. I will try putting the knob back on low now and see what temp it holds.

Pic at about an hour:


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## carniebrew (11/2/14)

Ok, newbie curiousity question...I'm following a process which has me adding around 100 grams of wood to my smoke box every 30 minutes for the first two hours. Do people empty the wood box of the burnt wood before adding the new stuff? Or just chuck the new stuff on top? I've just left it all in there.


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## Ranga (11/2/14)

Just found this thread, here's what I do using a Hark Gas fired.
Fill the wood box with pre-soaked Birch chips (Usually 1/2 an hour soak).
Placed prepared meat/s on there trays (Usually prepare with rubs 24 hours before).
Light the gas till temp dial gets to about 100c.
Turn gas down to fairly low.
Leave it alone for 12 hours, don't open, don't dick around with it.
Get up in morning and remove my slow roasted and smoked meats.
Try not to eat all of it at once


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## Wolfman (11/2/14)

Chuck them in mate.


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## djar007 (11/2/14)

I dont empty mine. Turns to ash . I am being alot more conservative with the wood as I had an over smoked chook that was a bit awful. Too over powering.


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## Wolfman (11/2/14)

Yep got to take it easy on poultry.


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## carniebrew (11/2/14)

I'm not bothering with soaking my wood. Have read a few of these 'mythbusting' articles over the last few weeks: http://www.amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/mythbusting_soaking_wood.html


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## sp0rk (11/2/14)

I tend to not use much/any wood when I'm doing a chook
either just a very small amount of soaked hickory (usually in honey bourbon) or I just put the chook straight over the coals so the fat drips on the coal and smokes back up over the chook
Turn it every 20 minutes or so to avoid burning
Also when doing a chicken, you want a higher heat, 2-3 hours should be long enough to cook it


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## carniebrew (11/2/14)

Argh, I seem to have hit "the stall", it's been in for about 10 hours now, and the temp has only risen 1 degree in the last 2 hours! No pulled pork for dinner tonight....


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## shaunous (12/2/14)

carniebrew said:


> Argh, I seem to have hit "the stall", it's been in for about 10 hours now, and the temp has only risen 1 degree in the last 2 hours! No pulled pork for dinner tonight....


I hit the stall once and fuked me why it took so long, turns out i forgot to top the water up, but my stall, stalled at 82*c anyway and pulled pork it was


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## shaunous (12/2/14)

carniebrew said:


> Finally breaking the seal on my smoker today. Got up early and rubbed a 2kg boneless pork shoulder, left it an hour or so then popped it in, cooking at around 120/130C. Tough work keeping the Aldi smoker at that temp, having to fiddle the dial between high and off, as setting it to low makes the smoker too hot.
> 
> Got a combination of beech and hickory pellets creating the smoke. Smells great...


Mine will sit at 90-100 in the lowest setting, but last one I did i had it under a carport, when the summer sun hit it in the arvo the temp went high tide, moved it into the shade with a breeze and it come straight back down. Just a newbie thang.


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## carniebrew (12/2/14)

Took a few hours to get through the stall, the temperature eventually hit 90 just before midnight last night, so 14 hours! I was then supposed to let it sit an hour before pulling, but I cracked the shits...after trying some (wow), I wrapped the whole thing in foil, put it in the spare fridge and went to bed. I guess I'm gonna have to go higher than 225F to get it done more quickly next time. I'm not getting up at 3am to put a shoulder on for 6pm dinner....


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## lukiferj (12/2/14)

carniebrew said:


> I'm not getting up at 3am to put a shoulder on for 6pm dinner....


No commitment carnie. That's your problem


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## Edak (17/2/14)

I usually cook for lunches, so I start it at 8-10pm, try that one mate  

2am - How's that BBQ going?

3:30am - dreaming about BBQ, better wake up and check it...

5:00am - sun's coming up soon, better check the BBQ

9:00am - done, rest for a couple of hours

12:00 - time to pull and eat... :icon_drool2: :beerbang: :super:


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## carniebrew (17/2/14)

Yeah, I was thinking that...the process I was following only had me adding wood to the smoker every 30 mins for the first 2 hours, so if I start it at 8pm, I can leave it alone from 10pm, and it should be ready to remove from the smoker at around 9am, rest for 2 hours, pull and ready to serve around 11am.

It was still bloody awesome the next day, 30 seconds (for a few pieces) in the microwave to warm it up, the family devoured it all in one day.


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## Edak (19/2/14)

carniebrew said:


> Yeah, I was thinking that...the process I was following only had me adding wood to the smoker every 30 mins for the first 2 hours, so if I start it at 8pm, I can leave it alone from 10pm, and it should be ready to remove from the smoker at around 9am, rest for 2 hours, pull and ready to serve around 11am.
> 
> It was still bloody awesome the next day, 30 seconds (for a few pieces) in the microwave to warm it up, the family devoured it all in one day.


Nice, yep that's the way to do it. Next time pig out and put 4kg shoulder on. You'll be eating for days!


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## shaunous (20/2/14)

Edak said:


> Nice, yep that's the way to do it. Next time pig out and put 4kg shoulder on. You'll be eating for days!


Yeh that works good in theory, i done a close to 6kg and 8 of us demolished it in minutes. Was soooo good.


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## Edak (20/2/14)

badg3er said:


> well, the whole plan is to eventually have the computer run the lot, switch on the heatbelt when it is too cold, cool it when warm(i hadn't thought of that till you mentioned it brewmaster)
> 
> but i am going down to jaycar today to see what they have.
> 
> will keep you informed


Respect.


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## carniebrew (20/2/14)

shaunous said:


> Yeh that works good in theory, i done a close to 6kg and 8 of us demolished it in minutes. Was soooo good.


Crikey, how much longer does it take to cook a 4kg or 6kg shoulder over a 2kg one?


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## doon (20/2/14)

could always cut the larger piece down to reduce cooking times


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## shaunous (20/2/14)

carniebrew said:


> Crikey, how much longer does it take to cook a 4kg or 6kg shoulder over a 2kg one?


My 5.8kg took 13hrs to get to an internal of 82*c and be pulled. Was amazing... Cooking temp was 110*c


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## carniebrew (20/2/14)

I let mine get to 90 before taking it out, and if anything it was a little drier than I expected. I did spend a lot of time early on stuffing around with the temps, but now I am more familiar with my unit it should be more consistent next time.


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## Edak (20/2/14)

I am going to be cooking up 8kg (2x4kg) shoulders next week, hope the weather is good!


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## shaunous (21/2/14)

Hells yeh Edak.


Please rain though, us farmers are dying here... Well not us, our cattle are....


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## SmallFry (22/2/14)

Oh say, can you say, "chipotle"?


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## adryargument (22/2/14)

SmallFry said:


> Oh say, can you say, "chipotle"?


Can i come over? That looks absolutely delicious / awesome.


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## SmallFry (22/2/14)

Home grown Jalapenos, pretty tame in terms of heat. Gave them 2 hours of Mesquite smoke, and they've turned semi-sweet with a subtle kick.

Also did some marinated eggplant along side them, and some store bought salmon fillets along with them for the first hour.

Needless to say, today's lunch was delish.


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## browndog (22/2/14)

Smallfry, how come you cut them in half and did you dry them completely?

cheers

Browndog


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## SmallFry (22/2/14)

browndog said:


> Smallfry, how come you cut them in half and did you dry them completely?
> 
> cheers
> 
> Browndog


No, just cut the tops off them to allow the smoke to penetrate the skins, and into the flesh.

After 2 hours they're "semi dry", kinda like a semi-dried tomato. For now, they're in the fridge, and I'll decide whether I dry them out completely, or just gobble them all up in the next couple of days :icon_drool2:


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## Sully (23/2/14)

8hr slow cooked lamb leg smoked with a mixture of onion & oak pellets plus dried rosemary, thyme and sage in with the pellets. 110c for 3 hours while smoking then 90 for the remainder.

Upload the finished result in 8 hours


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## unclebarrel (23/2/14)

Maiden voyage. 
Went for the humble old chicken wing.
Smoking over hickory for 2 hours. Will baste with a BBQ sauce a couple of times over the last 45.
All seems to be going well.

Smells rad !


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## Sully (23/2/14)

8hrs later..... Nomnomnomnom droooool....


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## bradsbrew (23/2/14)

Sully said:


> 8hrs later..... Nomnomnomnom droooool....


Should be there in around 15 minutes Sully. Poor me a beer, I'll bring my own napkin/bib.


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## unclebarrel (24/2/14)

The wings last night were awesome.
Here is the before shot. After looked like 5 birds were mauled !
Very tasty indeed.


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## Cocko (24/2/14)

unclebarrel said:


> The wings last night were awesome.
> Here is the before shot. After looked like 5 birds were mauled !
> Very tasty indeed.


Corn not smoked.


Reported.


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## MastersBrewery (24/2/14)

I was scrolling through the home page and saw the thread title, then saw that it was cocko who had last posted..... like I wasn't going to check


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## Cocko (24/2/14)

What? you picking one?

You know how tuff I am and how...... tuff I am! Wait...


sc.


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## Danwood (24/2/14)

Save the corn cobs. Dried, they produce a nice, sweet smoke.

Old news for some people possibly, but worth a mention.


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## Cocko (24/2/14)

Double time edit.


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## unclebarrel (24/2/14)

Nice tip danwood, thanks.

Sorry cocko.

…. you know I will smoke the corn next time now !!! haha. Too curious, sounds great !


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## Danwood (24/2/14)

.


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## shaunous (25/2/14)

Cocko said:


> Double time edit.


Reported!


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## Edak (1/3/14)

Sorry didn't take a before shot. Got up at 3:30 to start the BBQ for dinner party. All that pork I mentioned is now smoking and cooking nicely. 

Damn can't post images from my phone for some reason? Forum won't let me...


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## Dips Me Lid (1/3/14)

Pepper Stout Beef.

Sitting around on my RDO watching BBQ videos on Youtube and I decided it was time to smoke up some beef. I got a nice lean cut of Brisket (1kg) from the butcher and coated in mustard and pepper.




Then I cooked up a marinade of Guinness, Garlic, Onions, Carrots, Red Pepper, Malt Vinegar, Dried malt extract, Tabasco, Sriracha Hot Sauce, Beerenburg BBQ sauce, Sweet Baby Ray's Steakhouse sauce, Pepper/Salt. I dumped this on the beef with a couple of rashers of bacon, wrapped it up and let it soak it for a couple of hours. Usually I marinate for a couple of days, but it was a spur of the moment smoke.




Got the smoker up to temp, I use a Chargriller deluxe I bought from Bunnings, left the brisket swimming in the marinade and chucked it in.




Hit it with some Blackwood smoke for 2 hours at 100c, then foiled it for 6 hours at 100c and gave it about half an hour of smoke again before pulling it off. I constantly kept tipping the marinade over the meat for the whole cook to avoid getting the meat dry.




Flavour was incredible, texture was great, it was a really tasty cut of meat, just fell apart into the marinade.
Served it with a simple rocket, tomato, red onion, cheese salad and a pint of my Pale Ale.

Slainte!


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## Danwood (1/3/14)

You forgot 'the kitchen sink' ingredient in that marinade, Dips !

Looks fantastic without it too, though. Good work !


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## Dips Me Lid (1/3/14)

Cheers!

What's the 'kitchen sink' ingredient? I've only been smoking for about a year, still a lot to learn.


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## mondestrunken (1/3/14)

Well, I've just finished dinner and this thread is making me hungry!


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## doon (1/3/14)

Dips me lid pretty sure he meant you threw everything in but the kitchen sink


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## Dips Me Lid (1/3/14)

doon said:


> Dips me lid pretty sure he meant you threw everything in but the kitchen sink


I thought about that after I posted my reply actually, that joke went flying right over my head, I'll put it down to excessive beer consumption and lack of sleep. :chug:


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## Danwood (2/3/14)

That was the intended joke, terrible as it was.


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## jyo (17/3/14)

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/t1.0-9/1491752_10203475507952148_1127726041_n.jpg

Pulled pork. 5 hours low and slow in the Weber with hickory then 2 hours about 180 wrapped in foil until at temp. Man this was bloody good.


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## shaunous (17/3/14)

Damn looks it to JYO.


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## carniebrew (29/3/14)

Found a new supplier at Preston market for my ribs:



This guy leaves the pork belly ON the ribs. I went searching for these after realising the usual butcher I use was leaving almost nothing on the ribs, just some meat between the bones. These ones are outstanding. $12.99 a kilo, but each "rack" weighs nearly 500 grams there's so much on them. Here's a pic after I've rubbed 'em:



After they're smoked:



And (partially) eaten:


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## New_guy (29/3/14)

carniebrew said:


> Found a new supplier at Preston market for my ribs:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Mate they look great !!!!
What say I bring over some home made chipotle mayo ???


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## pat_00 (1/4/14)

I miss Preston market  Getting elbowed in the face by grannies over a $1 box of eggplants...

When I make bacon these days I get the bellies with ribs in and bone them myself. Usually end up with more meat than if I get them pre boned.


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## Wolfman (1/4/14)

carniebrew said:


> Found a new supplier at Preston market for my ribs:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Care to give up the butcher?




New_guy said:


> home made chipotle mayo ???


This sounds interesting. Got the recipe?


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## carniebrew (1/4/14)

No probs, as much as I can anyway....the name is something like Thinh Than or some such? They're at the West (station) end of the meat market, right next to an entrance/exit facing the train station. I hope that's enough info for you to find it. Next time I go I'll take a photo of their name sign and post it.


----------



## New_guy (1/4/14)

Wolfman said:


> Care to give up the butcher?
> 
> 
> 
> This sounds interesting. Got the recipe?


Warning once you make this stuff you will never stop eating it - you will want to bathe in the stuff

Chipotle Mayo

Ingredients:

1 Jar of Good quality Mayo
2 Tablespoons of Sourcream
2 -4 Chipotle Chilli from this tin http://www.delirepublic.com.au/index.php/main-menu/la-morena-chipotle-peppers-in-adobo-sauce.html - I dont know this shop just wanted the picture
Its smoked dried jalapeno's in a spicy tomato sauce -
I buy it at http://casaibericadeli.com.au/ Casa Iberica in Fitzroy and I bet you dont come out of there without a couple of chirizo as well (best in town)

Method
1. Empty mayo into mixing bowl
2. Add sourcream
3. Remove two or more chillis from tin and dice / mince finely
4. Put chillis in mayo mix with a spoon or two of the sauce (try it first on its own)
5. Mix it all up and your good to go


----------



## Ducatiboy stu (1/4/14)

Make your own chipotle by smoking your own chillies.


----------



## New_guy (1/4/14)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> Make your own chipotle by smoking your own chillies.


That takes 48 hours...
What if I keel over before they're ready?


----------



## Ducatiboy stu (1/4/14)

New_guy said:


> That takes 48 hours...
> What if I keel over before they're ready?


I will send flowers.


----------



## Airgead (6/4/14)

Hot smoked rainbow trout.

4 hours slow smoking over a mix of apple and peach.


----------



## browndog (6/4/14)

Airgead said:


> Hot smoked rainbow trout.
> 
> 4 hours slow smoking over a mix of apple and peach.
> 
> ...


I hope it tasted as good as it looks and sounds.


----------



## Airgead (6/4/14)

With some kipfler potatoes fried with garlic and salt and a salad.

Some aioli as a dressing.

Then a college pudding made with some home made quince jam (see the preserving thread....)

:icon_drool2: :icon_drool2: :icon_drool2:


----------



## Airgead (6/4/14)

Its not smoked... its steamed...but here is the college pudding. Because it was awesome.


----------



## HBHB (6/4/14)

Been looking at a pile of bricks that have sat in the chook pen for the last 5 years. 3 pallets in total and a bunch of roof tiles.

Thought i might make a smokehouse out of some of them one day.

Any suggestions on design requirements etc? 

Smoke generator will be a 210L drum and pipe it across to allow cold smoking during the so called winter months.

We've done our own ducks before and keen to raise another clutch to the same end plus have a neighbour raising british black pigs crossed with a white boar. First of ours goes to slaughter in 4 weeks. So will be playing with some old bacon recipes.


Martin


----------



## StalkingWilbur (7/4/14)

Holy shit, those ribs with the pork belly on look amazing. I know what I'm looking for tomorrow. 

And just to get in on the fun, a picture from a while ago. 

Dry rub with garlic, onion powder,
smoked paprika, sea salt, black pepper, cumin and tumeric.

Mop made with apple juice, bbq sauce and cider vinger

Smoked with hickory.


----------



## brendo (25/4/14)

5am start this morning to put on 3.6kg of pork shoulder for pulled pork at dinner, with ribs to go in a couple of hours time. Was getting up early anyway for local dawn service, so may as well make use of the time :0)


----------



## brendo (25/4/14)

Shoulder at 5am this morning





Shoulder and ribs at 3pm this arvo




Looking forward to tucking into them in a couple of hours time.


----------



## djar007 (25/4/14)

Looks the goods. What wood did you go with Brendo .


----------



## brendo (25/4/14)

I used hickory - a combo of chips and chunks. 

Some more shots - shoulder done



Shoulder pulled



Ribs ready to go



I also threw some basic Coles BBQ snags in and hit them with smoke for 30 mins before finishing them on the BBQ. It was an amazing transformation and I would highly recommend it!!


----------



## djar007 (25/4/14)

That looks amazing. Love the hickory for pork. Found a decent link to some different wood to try and the pros and cons. Keen to try fig and also lemon.http://grillinfools.com/blog/2009/04/01/smoke-wood-what-kind-is-best-well-it-depends/


----------



## jyo (25/4/14)

Looks amazing man. Yep the cheapo snags are just awesome. Also try some bacon rashers for 30 mins then finished in the frying pan...so nice.


----------



## brendo (26/4/14)

jyo said:


> Looks amazing man. Yep the cheapo snags are just awesome. Also try some bacon rashers for 30 mins then finished in the frying pan...so nice.


I'm pretty lucky - my local butcher makes amazing smoked bacon and kabana so no need to do an additional smoke run. Pretty sure I went to bed dreaming of smoked Coles snags last night ;0)


----------



## browndog (12/6/14)

Anyone know if pickled pork is suitable to smoke? it's going cheap at the butcher this weekend $2.99 a kilo.

cheers

Browndog


----------



## shaunous (12/6/14)

Pickled pork is good enough to eat without smoking BDog, but you can smoke any meat really, it's just you wouldn't be able to do pulled pork with it successfully.


----------



## lukiferj (12/6/14)

browndog said:


> Anyone know if pickled pork is suitable to smoke? it's going cheap at the butcher this weekend $2.99 a kilo.
> 
> cheers
> 
> Browndog


Have a read of this. Should turn out alright I reckon.

http://www.aussiebbq.info/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=4090


----------



## shaunous (12/6/14)

brendo said:


> I also threw some basic Coles BBQ snags in and hit them with smoke for 30 mins before finishing them on the BBQ. It was an amazing transformation and I would highly recommend it!!


What temp did u smoke the snags at Brendo, normal pulled pork temp at around 110*c???

I got a shitload to do for a party this weekend.


----------



## shaunous (12/6/14)

lukiferj said:


> Have a read of this. Should turn out alright I reckon.
> 
> http://www.aussiebbq.info/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=4090


Dang them pic's look guud!


----------



## lukiferj (12/6/14)

Cheater's ham. Might give it a go myself.


----------



## Steven @ Home Make It (13/6/14)

lets us know how you go with the pickled pork
be interested to know on the results
cheers

have you thought about smoking with oak chips
long burn time????
poeples thoughts


----------



## barls (13/6/14)

oak tends to be very strong in flavour when used.
its like hickory a little goes a long way.
ive been using the hungarian ones out of my sours to smoke with for years.


----------



## browndog (13/6/14)

Thanks for the replies Brewers, I was of the opinion that people generally boil the shit out of pickled pork to get all the salt out of it. I was thinking that if you don't boil it then it is going to be way too salty to smoke. If I go ahead, I think I'd be inclined to cut all the skin off so the smoke can get in and soak it overnight changing the water occasionally prior to smoking.


----------



## simplefisherman (13/6/14)

browndog said:


> Thanks for the replies Brewers, I was of the opinion that people generally boil the shit out of pickled pork to get all the salt out of it. I was thinking that if you don't boil it then it is going to be way too salty to smoke. If I go ahead, I think I'd be inclined to cut all the skin off so the smoke can get in and soak it overnight changing the water occasionally prior to smoking.



I smoked a pickled pork a while ago, and while it was tasty, it was a bit salty. Would reccommend soaking, not that I have done one since, but plan to soak next time I find one on special.


----------



## brendo (13/6/14)

shaunous said:


> What temp did u smoke the snags at Brendo, normal pulled pork temp at around 110*c???
> I got a shitload to do for a party this weekend.


Yep.... Just the std 110. I only did a real quick smoke on them and just gave them a quick roll on the BBQ - but that was only because it was last minute and I needed to get kids fed.


----------



## sp0rk (14/6/14)

It's smoker maintenance season 
Just bought 2 cans of 1000°C exhaust paint to respray my smoker tomorrow 
Then I'll be putting a big lot of chicken wings through for a party next weekend


----------



## Mercs Own (14/6/14)

browndog said:


> Anyone know if pickled pork is suitable to smoke? it's going cheap at the butcher this weekend $2.99 a kilo.
> 
> cheers
> 
> Browndog


If you don't want to smoke the pickled pork then slice it thin marinate it for a couple of days and then dry it in the oven - Jerky!!

Sorry if I have posted this before (in the jerky thread) but here it is again

*[SIZE=16pt]Sweet Pork Jerky[/SIZE]*​

[SIZE=medium]2 tablespoons peanut butter[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]1/2 cup of tamari or soy sauce[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]2 tsp sambal olek – 3 if you want it hotter[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]½ large mango pulped or one small one[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]2 teaspoon castor sugar
1teaspoon garlic powder[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]1 kilo of pickled pork[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Put all the ingredients except the pork in a sauce pan and place on the stove over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and stir well to make sure all of the ingredients are well combined and the sugar melted, simmer for a couple of minutes then turn off the heat and pour the contents of the pan into a large bowl or container that you will marinate the meat in. Allow to cool completely before adding the meat. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Trim away all the fat and any skin membrane left on it. Cut the meat across the grain into 3cm thick steaks. Put the steaks into the freezer until they are almost frozen then remove one from the freezer. Having the steaks part frozen makes it easier to cut nice even thin strips of meat. Lay a pork steak down with what was the top of the original piece of pork facing the right side if you are right handed or to the left if you are left handed. With a very sharp knife cut 2 – 3mm thick slices from the steak. Cutting along from what was the top of the pork means you are cutting along the grain or with the grain which will help to keep the jerky tender. Once you have cut one steak you can then remove another from the freezer and cut that one. This quantity of marinade is good for about 650g of the thinly cut meat. You should end up with lovely long strips of meat about 3cm wide, 2-3 mm thick and with varying lengths. Put any unused steaks into freezer bags and save for another day. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Place the meat into the marinade and give it a really good mix to make sure all the meat is well coated with the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap or a tight fitting lid if using a plastic container and put in the fridge for three days. Give the mixture a mix twice a day once in the morning when you get up and just before you go to bed.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]Remove the meat from the bowl and lay the pieces flat on several layers of paper towel. Place more layers of paper towel on top and press firmly to soak up excess marinade from the meat. The flavour is in the meat now and you do not want the meat wet when you put it in the oven to dry as it may steam the meat and make it tough. Lay the meat out on wire racks evenly spaced and not touching each other. Put in an oven that is set to 75[/SIZE][SIZE=medium]°- 80°[/SIZE][SIZE=medium]c with the fan on and leave the oven door ajar so that the air can circulate around the oven. It will take around 3 or so hours for the meat to dry depending on how thick you actually ended up cutting the meat, what the temperature is outside and how your oven works. You don’t want to dry it out so much that it crumbles into dust when you take a bite. The meat should be dry but pliable and you should be able to tear it in half with your hands.[/SIZE]


----------



## Ducatiboy stu (14/6/14)

Pickled pork is so versitile. You can roast,smoke,fry,boil,dry...just about anything.


----------



## browndog (14/6/14)

Interesting marinade there Paul, looks like a sate sauce.


----------



## Mercs Own (14/6/14)

Yep it is a satay style pickled pork jerky! You could use the sauce on BBQ'd chicken and anything else you feel like.

Just to bring it back on topic here is a pic of some beer brined smoked pork hocks I did a while ago.


----------



## Danwood (14/6/14)

Mercs Own said:


> Yep it is a satay style pickled pork jerky! You could use the sauce on BBQ'd chicken and anything else you feel like.
> 
> Just to bring it back on topic here is a pic of some beer brined smoked pork hocks I did a while ago.
> 
> ...


One of those slowly simmered for a few hours with a load of split peas would make a killer winter soup. Good job.


----------



## Ciderman (22/6/14)

Cold smoked a whole salmon a few weeks ago.


----------



## Ciderman (22/6/14)




----------



## shaunous (22/6/14)

Nice looking smoker bud.


----------



## Steven @ Home Make It (23/6/14)

my two favorite things
wine barrels and salmon
outside of beer of course
nice job


----------



## sp0rk (23/6/14)

I did 8kg of chicken wings over the weekend, 1/3 with a dry rub then a bbq sauce in the last 20 minutes, another 1/3 dry rub and buffalo sauce in the last 20 minutes and the last 1/3 with a spicy cajun dry rub and no sauce
The bbq sauced wings went quick smart, most of the cajun wings went but only half the buffalo wings got eaten
Turns out buffalo sauce is rather vinegary, most people aren't a fan I guess
Also, even after baking it at 200°C for a couple of hours, the exhaust paint I bought from super shite auto just rubs off if you brush against it with more than just the force of a feather 
I really CBF painting it again, might upgrade to a Hark gas fired smoker once this one rusts badly enough


----------



## shaunous (23/6/14)

I painted my wood fire heater with high temp paint, and its holding up good on its second winter now. The glossy one is flaking away a little, but its only on the stand bit, the matt finish that I painted the rest with still looks new.

Not sure what brand it was sp0rk, but was only cheap shit spray cans from the local paint store.


----------



## Ducatiboy stu (23/6/14)

You could always go with these guys...good for 1300*c.

http://www.jet-hot.com.au/


----------



## sp0rk (23/6/14)

I might hit up the local sandblasting joint and see how much it'd be to give it a quick blast and a paint
anything over $150 and I'm probably better off just getting a new smoker


----------



## shaunous (23/6/14)

I used this stuff Dan

http://www.whiteknightpaints.com.au/specialty-paints/high-temperature/hi-temp/

I'm looking at the fire now and it's roaring away and as I said on its second winter and it's going no where. (Although the little glossy leg I painted is flaking a lil'. But Yeh, the Matt Charcoal is great.


----------



## sp0rk (23/6/14)

shaunous said:


> I used this stuff Dan
> 
> http://www.whiteknightpaints.com.au/specialty-paints/high-temperature/hi-temp/
> 
> I'm looking at the fire now and it's roaring away and as I said on its second winter and it's going no where. (Although the little glossy leg I painted is flaking a lil'. But Yeh, the Matt Charcoal is great.


I almost bought that one, but the higher temp of the exhaust paint lured me in
Might grab this one for touch ups


----------



## Crusty (23/6/14)

Ciderman said:


> Cold smoked a whole salmon a few weeks ago.
> 
> 
> 
> image.jpg


This is what I want to do.
I got myself a cold smoke generator & it's amazing. Even though it's a cold smoker, there is still a small amount of heat generated from the unit. I've found that running it in a small enclosed area is no good unless ambient temps are below 15deg. I ended up scrounging an excellent bar fridge from the local council clean up & wondering if anyone has used a working fridge as a cold smoker so it can be done all year round. I'll ask some questions over @ the Aussie BBQ smoke forum too & see how I go. Anyone out there in AHB land doing it?


----------



## barls (23/6/14)

just talked the wife in to letting me have one. will be ordering soon and permanently mounting to my hark clone


----------



## doon (23/6/14)

I did a piece of pickled pork yesterday. 8 hours at 110 with hickory for first 3 hours. Rested it then into fridge over night. Bugger me its awesome!


----------



## Ciderman (23/6/14)

Crusty said:


> This is what I want to do.
> I got myself a cold smoke generator & it's amazing. Even though it's a cold smoker, there is still a small amount of heat generated from the unit. I've found that running it in a small enclosed area is no good unless ambient temps are below 15deg. I ended up scrounging an excellent bar fridge from the local council clean up & wondering if anyone has used a working fridge as a cold smoker so it can be done all year round. I'll ask some questions over @ the Aussie BBQ smoke forum too & see how I go. Anyone out there in AHB land doing it?



Nice looking machine. Temperature is really key for cold smoking so I'd be looking at attaching a hose or pipe to let it cool down. I'll post a better picture of mine, but it travels 3 meters from the source of the smoke to the actual smoker. Being in Brisbane i smoke at night time and winter.


----------



## Ciderman (23/6/14)

Here she is.


----------



## shaunous (23/6/14)

That what looks to be a deep frying oil 20L drum  Is that your cold smoking chamber?

It looks the goods mate.


----------



## Crusty (23/6/14)

Timing the actual smoke day is a hassle for me. 24hrs for the salt / sugar mix, another 12hrs in the fridge for the pellicle to develop then 6hrs in the smoker if the temps are favourable. It's just a bit of a PITA to get everything matched up.
I've seen people using a small working fridge somewhere in google land, I'll keep looking.
My original plan was to keep the heat source seperate & pipe it to the smoker like your awesome barrel smoker but I want a bit more flexability to smoke when I want instead of when I can.


----------



## SmallFry (23/6/14)

2kg pork scotch fillet from Aldi.

After 20 hours at 100 degrees







A little peek behind the kimono






The full monty





She was moist, juicy, and very, very tasty. Well worth the wait.

Needless to say, I had pork dreams that night.


----------



## lukiferj (23/6/14)

doon said:


> I did a piece of pickled pork yesterday. 8 hours at 110 with hickory for first 3 hours. Rested it then into fridge over night. Bugger me its awesome!


Any pics mate? Looking to try something similar.


----------



## doon (23/6/14)

Will pop some up when im home in the morning. I have already hacked into it though haha


----------



## Ciderman (23/6/14)

shaunous said:


> That what looks to be a deep frying oil 20L drum  Is that your cold smoking chamber?
> It looks the goods mate.


Sure is. Got this off ebay to go inside. Smokes for 12 hours.


----------



## Ciderman (23/6/14)

Crusty said:


> Timing the actual smoke day is a hassle for me. 24hrs for the salt / sugar mix, another 12hrs in the fridge for the pellicle to develop then 6hrs in the smoker if the temps are favourable. It's just a bit of a PITA to get everything matched up.
> I've seen people using a small working fridge somewhere in google land, I'll keep looking.
> My original plan was to keep the heat source seperate & pipe it to the smoker like your awesome barrel smoker but I want a bit more flexability to smoke when I want instead of when I can.


I can't see why you couldn't use a fridge, it's a good idea. Be interested to see how it goes. I just worked backwards with the plan of smoking on a Saturday night. For me I cured for 12 hours, 24 hours in the fridge, then smoked for 12 hours.


----------



## jyo (23/6/14)

SmallFry said:


> 2kg pork scotch fillet from Aldi.
> 
> After 20 hours at 100 degrees
> 
> ...


Ohhh Jebus, that looks amazing!


----------



## StalkingWilbur (24/6/14)

Alright this thread has inspired me to step up my smoking game 

I've had good results on the webber, but it requires more attention than I'm usually willing to invest and therefor don't smoke as often as I would like. 

Has anyone used one of these? Hark gas smoker, only $250!
http://www.urbangriller.com.au/product/hark-gas-smoker-patio/

Or would I be a lot better spending the extra money and getting this masterbuilt electric? It is double the price though. 
http://www.mistygully.com.au/masterbuilt-30-80cm-electric-hot-smoker/#PhotoSwipe1403532824503

Any advice is very much welcomed!


----------



## shaunous (24/6/14)

Ciderman said:


> Sure is. Got this off ebay to go inside. Smokes for 12 hours.


How do u ignite the thing?
Im intersted. Would be good to turn my Aldi smoker into a cold smoker also.


----------



## lukiferj (24/6/14)

StalkingWilbur said:


> Alright this thread has inspired me to step up my smoking game
> 
> I've had good results on the webber, but it requires more attention than I'm usually willing to invest and therefor don't smoke as often as I would like.
> 
> ...


I use one from Aldi. It looks like a rebadged version of the hark. Works perfectly.


----------



## sp0rk (24/6/14)

StalkingWilbur said:


> Alright this thread has inspired me to step up my smoking game
> 
> I've had good results on the webber, but it requires more attention than I'm usually willing to invest and therefor don't smoke as often as I would like.
> 
> ...


Everything I've tried from a Hark smoker has been awesome, I'd go with them (and probably will when I have to move/my smoker dies)


----------



## shaunous (24/6/14)

I dont know the measurements of the Aldi smoker WalkingStilbur but its basically the same thing and $150, they come on sale twice a year.

I bought off a guy on ebay for about $25 an extra shelf and door seal kit. Although I havnt sealed the door, or even mounted the factory door latch as the door holds closed perfectly anyway, the extra shelf is awesome.

I've had mine strapped to the back of my ute upright and driven on rough roads, have had it sitting on its back in the back of my patrol wagon also and its not falling to bits. Does a great job.


I will suggest one thing to you Aldi Smoker uses, if your having trouble maintaining that 100-110*c being right on the low end of the gas adjustment, fit a smaller jet and it makes the optimum smoking temp of 110*c right in the middle of the adjustment range. Much easier now.


----------



## philmud (24/6/14)

Has anyone cold smoked in their Aldi/Hark smoker using an A-MAZE-N tray it tube (or a home-made equivalent)? What was your verdict?


----------



## SmallFry (24/6/14)

shaunous said:


> I will suggest one thing to you Aldi Smoker uses, if your having trouble maintaining that 100-110*c being right on the low end of the gas adjustment, fit a smaller jet and it makes the optimum smoking temp of 110*c right in the middle of the adjustment range. Much easier now.


Where would I get one of these smaller jets, and what do they look like?


----------



## barls (24/6/14)

Prince Imperial said:


> Has anyone cold smoked in their Aldi/Hark smoker using an A-MAZE-N tray it tube (or a home-made equivalent)? What was your verdict?


tried it and it works but the hard part is keeping the bloody thing going i found.
as ive said previously im moving to the smokei


----------



## shaunous (24/6/14)

Crusty said:


> Timing the actual smoke day is a hassle for me. 24hrs for the salt / sugar mix, another 12hrs in the fridge for the pellicle to develop then 6hrs in the smoker if the temps are favourable. It's just a bit of a PITA to get everything matched up.
> I've seen people using a small working fridge somewhere in google land, I'll keep looking.
> My original plan was to keep the heat source seperate & pipe it to the smoker like your awesome barrel smoker but I want a bit more flexability to smoke when I want instead of when I can.





Ciderman said:


> I can't see why you couldn't use a fridge, it's a good idea. Be interested to see how it goes. I just worked backwards with the plan of smoking on a Saturday night. For me I cured for 12 hours, 24 hours in the fridge, then smoked for 12 hours.


If your that worried about cold smoking just hot smoke. And 24hrs seems a long time in the fridge, old school guy I know who cold smokes in an old outhouse on his farm, and what I've read and personal experience tells me that 12 hours is enough and NOT to refrigerate any longer then that, can't remember why but it's got something to do with the rub/salts/sugars sucking all the good moisture out if the meat in a cold environment, I think.

Someone on here may know better though.


----------



## StalkingWilbur (24/6/14)

Ahh, I have seen all the posts about Aldi smoker but being in Perth I've never really looked into them. 

Good to know! Cheers


----------



## Wilkensone (24/6/14)

StalkingWilbur said:


> Ahh, I have seen all the posts about Aldi smoker but being in Perth I've never really looked into them.
> 
> Good to know! Cheers


Same here SW, can we get Aldi things here? I read awhile ago they were looking at moving here.. but thats probably ages away. Keep us posted on what you decide on!


----------



## shaunous (24/6/14)

SmallFry said:


> Where would I get one of these smaller jets, and what do they look like?


Any LPG gas joint mate, BBQ place, maybe even Bunnings, but probably better off going into a place where the staff know their business. 

It's a tiny little fitting that is basically a threaded brass fitting with a tiny hole in one end that the gas gas out of.
If you follow the end of the hose from the reg to the unit, there is an elbow and just before the burner where it has external holes that draw outside oxygen this gas jet sits. You have to remove the hose and fitting to get to it though.

I think the Aldi jet is about 1mm, and I've replaced it with a .7mm, I think .

I now get 110*c at half dial instead of nearly all the way off. In summer I can barely get down to 110*c with the standard jet, I had to put it in the shade to do so.


----------



## Ducatiboy stu (24/6/14)

I have made gas ovens ( from old hot water systems ) and used mig welder tips for the jets. You can get them in several sizes and readily available.


----------



## Crusty (24/6/14)

shaunous said:


> If your that worried about cold smoking just hot smoke. And 24hrs seems a long time in the fridge, old school guy I know who cold smokes in an old outhouse on his farm, and what I've read and personal experience tells me that 12 hours is enough and NOT to refrigerate any longer then that, can't remember why but it's got something to do with the rub/salts/sugars sucking all the good moisture out if the meat in a cold environment, I think.
> 
> Someone on here may know better though.


I don't want to cook the Salmon, I want it cold smoked & eat it raw, well lox or cured.
I meant to say 12hrs in the fridge for the Pelicle. The Smokai produces a fairly cool smoke but in a confined area for at least six hours, heat is something you will need to be concerned about. The Salmon will still be edible, but you won't be able to thinly slice it & too much heat will just make it crumble & fall apart.
This is what I want to do.


----------



## Ciderman (24/6/14)

shaunous said:


> How do u ignite the thing?
> Im intersted. Would be good to turn my Aldi smoker into a cold smoker also.


Butane gas torch


----------



## Ciderman (24/6/14)

Crusty said:


> I don't want to cook the Salmon, I want it cold smoked & eat it raw, well lox or cured.
> I meant to say 12hrs in the fridge for the Pelicle. The Smokai produces a fairly cool smoke but in a confined area for at least six hours, heat is something you will need to be concerned about. The Salmon will still be edible, but you won't be able to thinly slice it & too much heat will just make it crumble & fall apart.
> This is what I want to do.


Yep, totally agree. There are so many recipes out there it's hard to say what works best unless you try them all. 24 hours was fine for me. By the same token your smoke machine produces quite a lot of smoke so you will probably find it won't need much time. With such a delicate natural flavour you don't want to over smoke it. Choice of wood is very important too. I used beech wood.


----------



## Crusty (24/6/14)

Ciderman said:


> Yep, totally agree. There are so many recipes out there it's hard to say what works best unless you try them all. 24 hours was fine for me. By the same token your smoke machine produces quite a lot of smoke so you will probably find it won't need much time. With such a delicate natural flavour you don't want to over smoke it. Choice of wood is very important too. I used beech wood.


Beech chips & 6hrs should be plenty of time. The hotter the temp the less time you have up your sleeve & as you said, it's such a delicate flesh & I want to be careful not to ruin it. I was hoping the fridge idea might be the ideal solution to do a run when I feel the urge rather than waiting for better ambient temps.


----------



## shaunous (24/6/14)

Sorry lads, never cold smoked Salmon, and probably never would. Not a bit fan. I took your posting as that's what you wanted to do for all meats.

Discard my poor advice


----------



## Crusty (24/6/14)

shaunous said:


> Sorry lads, never cold smoked Salmon, and probably never would. Not a bit fan. I took your posting as that's what you wanted to do for all meats.
> 
> Discard my poor advice


All good brother..... :beerbang:
I've got a hot smoker but tryng to find the ideal cold smoker for the Salmon.
The temperature is critical & for a really good smoke flavour, you need at least 6hrs & you need to keep the fish under 20deg ideally. The lower the temp the better. We get some pretty cold nights & mornings here through winter as you would know just being up the road from me but timing the smoke day is a bitch.
I might do a night time run from 6 till midnight when it cools down. There's some cold weather on the way so it might be the time to have a go shortly. Cold smoking is a shitload harder to get right compared to hot smoking but if you like Salmon in the packets from the supermarket, doing it @home shits all over the store bought stuff & well & truely worth the hassle.


----------



## shaunous (25/6/14)

Yeh im hearing ya, currently down to 4*c but still up to 20*c of a day time, gotta love our massively weather changing little valley 

Maybe i'll revisit my taste for smoked raw salmon, to be honest i've only had it once, and that was the morning of a good mates wedding after a big night on the booze many years ago. My tastebuds, if there were any left at the time have probably moved on :lol:


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## Steven @ Home Make It (25/6/14)

what I've tried of cold smoking

the fun part is trying to 
to keep the smoke in
but not let the temp build up
only one attempt so far
need to revisit the process soon


----------



## Danwood (19/7/14)

Mead-soaked hickory smoked pork ribs. 

Onion, garlic and rosemary cornbread. 

Pretty bloody good y'all !


----------



## Danwood (2/8/14)

Rolled pork leg roast.

Scored the fat then scalded it with boiling water to shrink and expose the cuts.
Dried, salted, then left in the fridge overnight, uncovered.
Smeared with dijon mustard and then a dry rub consisting of brown sugar, smoked paprika, thyme, sage, onion and garlic powders.

I'm hot smoking it for 2 hrs with mead hickory then cooking for probably another 6-8 or so. All at around 110°C.

Then crank all the burners up to crackle the fat at the end.

As a side project, there's a few almonds being smoked with a regular basting of maple syrup, smoked ground chilli and salt.

Nothing too fancy, only done on the bbq, but hopefully it'll be good.


----------



## Steven @ Home Make It (2/8/14)

looks good
I do mine with a bit of cajun spice as well
yummy


----------



## Danwood (2/8/14)

Awwwright !


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## seamad (10/8/14)

Some Canadian Bacon from the Ruhlmann book


Smoking tube fired up. Mixture of cherry and red box pellets



Added some ice bricks to stop temps rising. Cold smoked for 5 hours with no increase in temp.



After the cold smoking lit the charcoal and threw in some red box chunks. Kept smoker at 110C , took about 4 hours to reach 65C internal



Whilst smoking had a beer and some pork scratchings from the removed rind



Bacon. Very tasty. Better than the dry rubbed belly bacon from the Ruhlmann book.


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## philmud (27/8/14)

A couple of pork hocks sitting in brine. I'm going to pop them in the smoker this morning.


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## barls (27/8/14)

just got my smokai. now to fit it up


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## scon (27/8/14)

Ah, I forgot about this thread - we got another pig and have been curing and smoking a fair bit lately.

Smoked Hocks:






And a wet brined smoked ham:






Bonus pic of some sausages and guanciale curing under the house (there now is a fly-screen around the lot after an unfortunate maggot infestation with my last batch):


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## philmud (27/8/14)

Did you smoke those hocks with any kind of rub scon?


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## scon (27/8/14)

No rub, they were brined together with the ham for four days and then cold smoked followed by hot smoked with cherry wood - the ham was then roasted with a glaze made up of brown sugar and pineapple juice (which stupidly I forgot to take a picture of).

I used the instructions here as an overall guide and used meatheads pickling mixture here for the flavouring for the brine. Both come heartily recommended.


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## scon (27/8/14)

Oh and try and make sure your hocks are out of the brine and in the fridge for about 12 hours uncovered before you smoke them so you get a nice pellicle on them for the smoke to stick to.


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## philmud (27/8/14)

Here's how my hocks came up after 6 hours in the smoker.


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## scon (28/8/14)

They look delish. What wood did you smoke them with? Hickory?


----------



## philmud (28/8/14)

scon said:


> They look delish. What wood did you smoke them with? Hickory?


Yeah, hickory, they were damn tasty. I'll follow your advice next time & brine longer & leave them out in the fridge for a while to dry out the skin.


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## Danwood (30/8/14)

Sort of smoking...maybe ?

Spit roast chicken and lamb leg. Tasty !


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## barls (30/8/14)

had my first run with the smokai. worked really well over 6 hours and no refill.
did pulled pork which was well received by all here. i look forward to the calzones ill be making with the left overs.


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## Punkal (4/9/14)

Got my fathers day present early... Put the last of my charcoal through it last night to burn the wax off the grills, put some oil on all inside surfaces like the instructions told me to and just to see how it goes. It needs a lot more charcoal than my old BBQ but that was just a small and crappy Weber knockoff that could do a decent sized chicken if I only coals on one side and rotated the chicken 1/2 way through the cook. 
It will need some modifications before I am completely happy with it but it is a nice BBQ considering I only paid $305 delivered to my door.

Anyway Here it is The Char Grill Smoking Pro.











We will have to see if I have enough time this weekend to do a cook, I need to get a few bags of charcoal before I do anything. I just hope emberpak is still open I got 4 20kg bags from them last time and the last BBQ was really economical (read about the same size as the firebox on the new BBQ).


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## browndog (4/9/14)

WOW Punkal, you must be well loved.


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## Punkal (4/9/14)

browndog said:


> WOW Punkal, you must be well loved.


Well I had to pitch in $105 of my own hard earned pocket money to get it but yes I guess I am well loved. 

I can't wait to test it out. I really want to do some beef jerky and a beer can chicken, the old BBQ was not tall enough, I could fit 6 in this one.


----------



## joshuahardie (16/9/14)

I have jumped into this world also,

Got myself a ProQ Frontier smoker.

So far have done a not too bad pork roast, and the best roast chicken I have ever had.

Im looking forward to trying a brisket.


----------



## Edak (28/9/14)

Just did the first pork shoulder for the season in celebration of becoming an uncle yesterday! Paired up with an AIPA this is heaven!


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## menoetes (28/9/14)

SWMBO and I just got a small offset smoker a few weeks back. We've seasoned it and now I'm looking to fire it up for the first time.

I've got charcoal and a bag of hickory chips from Bunnings and I'm planning to try it out on some cheap woolies sausages and bacon.

As a total newbie, I've been looking at some youtube clips and notice a lot of people are burning large chunks of wood on charcoal in this style of smoker but I only have wood chips...

Question, can I use the chips in this smoker?

...and if so, how do I go about doing this?


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## Seaquebrew (28/9/14)

Light charcoal using fire lighters, add wood chips for smoke

Start with a few first, add as required


----------



## menoetes (28/9/14)

Cheers Seaquebrew,

I've soaked the chips in water and added them directly to the hot charcoals. also put some in a smoker tray and dropped that on top just for good measure.

I'm planning to cooked the bacon, woolworths beef sausages and some marinated chicken wings that were on special for 2 hours at 71'c (165'f). I'm hoping that'll be long enough.

Right now I'm just fiddling with the oxygen intake trying to get my temp right


----------



## Seaquebrew (28/9/14)

No worries

My smoker has been going since early this morning with a pork shoulder in it

Smells good


----------



## Edak (28/9/14)

Seaquebrew said:


> No worries
> 
> My smoker has been going since early this morning with a pork shoulder in it
> 
> Smells good


How large was the shoulder? Mine was about 4kg and took 15 hours. It hits that stall and takes a long time from then.


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## Seaquebrew (28/9/14)

Around 3kg

Throwing some sausage in now for starters


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## Danwood (28/9/14)

Seaquebrew said:


> Light charcoal using fire lighters, add wood chips for smoke
> Start with a few first, add as required


I wouldn't use fire lighters, personally. Only ever wood kindling and paper. 

That accelerant smell/flavour is a bit nasty.


----------



## Seaquebrew (28/9/14)

Understand your reluctance

Redhead lighters don't give off any odours

Never use self lighting heat beads, they are just plain funky


----------



## Edak (28/9/14)

I have these lighters from BBQ galore that are compressed cardboard with no chemicals added for flammability, work really well and have zero bad flavours.


----------



## shaunous (28/9/14)

menoetes said:


> Cheers Seaquebrew,
> 
> I've soaked the chips in water and added them directly to the hot charcoals. also put some in a smoker tray and dropped that on top just for good measure.
> 
> ...


I'm no guru but I wouldn't get in the habit of cooking that long of time for that low of temp, correct me if I'm wrong but that's prime nasty bug breeding temp range??? Only being concerned with the snags of course and if u have an easily upset stomach. 

Again I could be way off here, so jump in food guru's.

I've never cold smoked, and I never hot smoke below 105*c.


----------



## shaunous (28/9/14)

Seaquebrew said:


> Understand your reluctance
> 
> Redhead lighters don't give off any odours
> 
> Never use self lighting heat beads, they are just plain funky


I use the white redhead fire lighters for my wood heater and they definitely smell like kerosene when first lit up. Smell does disappear quickly though. They work a shitload better then the cheaper bunnings brand ones.


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## djar007 (28/9/14)

It's to do with how long you hold the internal temp at that temp as to how quickly the bugs die off. A lot quicker at high temp. But temps in the low fifties are ok as long as the cook times are adjusted . if you take a look at this link and look at bacteria temps it gives you an idea of the temps.https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&ei=lNcnVJeJA4268gXR-4LgBg&url=http://www.cookingissues.com/uploads/Low_Temp_Charts.pdf&cd=3&ved=0CCAQFjAC&usg=AFQjCNEqkhutsPoPSNZfW5XcCMf3FFhZpQ&sig2=5XGj61YgjL2nX3rlzmad_w


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## Seaquebrew (28/9/14)

110 to 130 deg C is what I do for low and slow cooking

Pork wrapped in foil and towel resting, pulled pork rolls later

Sausage was excellent, cook and 4 legged chef, confirmed

Pork scratchings made from the skin also didn't last long

Cheers


----------



## Danwood (28/9/14)

Good stuff there. I haven't smoked for a little while.

I might have to do a pork belly next weekend. 

A couple of hours with hickory on the charcoal BBQ, then into home-made BBQ sauce in the oven for 4-5hrs @120°C.

To finish, 30mins under the grill to get the skin all nice, like.

Crusty rolls and spicy apple slaw...YES !


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## sp0rk (28/9/14)

Besides the health concerns of smoking at 71C, chicken goes chewy that low (because you'll be cooking for longer)
I usually do mine at 140-150C for 2 hours
Everything else at around 110C

Also with chicken I don't use wood chips, just have a bowl of water with some herbs, garlic and sliced lemons in it to keep the moisture and flavour levels boosted


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## Steven @ Home Make It (29/9/14)

shaunous said:


> I'm no guru but I wouldn't get in the habit of cooking that long of time for that low of temp, correct me if I'm wrong but that's prime nasty bug breeding temp range??? Only being concerned with the snags of course and if u have an easily upset stomach.
> 
> Again I could be way off here, so jump in food guru's.
> 
> I've never cold smoked, and I never hot smoke below 105*c.


No guru either
but certain items can be cold smoked but it should be done under the right conditions

but all this talk of smoking and slow cooking
is making me hungry
!!!!!!!!!


----------



## seamad (29/9/14)

I don't use firelighters at all anymore, I use one of these







Either with charcoal in a chimney or just light a couple of chunks, also use it to start the inside fireplace. Of course it's useful for many other jobs @ home.
Box of 4 cylinders at bunnies is pretty cheap, would work out cheaper than firelighters but it's just more fun anyway.


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## menoetes (29/9/14)

Yeah next time I'll cook at a higher temp, I wasn't certain of how well the meat was done in the end and popped everything in the over for 15min after smoking to make sure it was finished off. The chicken skin did go quite chewy but it still all tasted super smoky and I'm pretty happy with it for a first attempt. Next time I'll be cooking at over 110'c.


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## Danwood (29/9/14)

Yes Seamad, I use a chimney too.

Ghetto style, made out of a big tomato tin punched full of holes. Gets the coles nice and ashy pretty quick.


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## jyo (4/10/14)

Last night in the Weber....My best one yet. This was amazing!

2 kg shoulder. 3 hours of hickory at about 100, a couple hours at 150 with a few chips every so often, then wrapped in foil and cranked to 200 for two hours. Rest for 30....the pics explain.


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## StalkingWilbur (4/10/14)

That looks so good. I'm going to have to fire up the webber I think.


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## jyo (4/10/14)

Yeah, It was nice man. I'd planned to use the leftovers and try making some sticky pork buns this arvo, but we ate the rest for breakfast.


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## StalkingWilbur (4/10/14)

I don't blame you. Probably wouldn't have made it until the morning with me and beer around haha.


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## shaunous (7/10/14)

NRL GrandFinal Day pulled pork. Damn it was good. 4.5kg, skin cut off and made into crackling. Mmmmmmmm


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## seamad (8/10/14)

Hot smoked a side of salmon and a chook on the weekend. Salmon was cured in brine with some maple syrup , brown sugar and a few fennel seeds for 6 hours then left in fermenter fridge at 2.0C with computer fan running for 24 hours. Chook was cured in plain brine/sugar with curing salt #1 ( because I like the taste it gives ) for 12 hours and put in the fridge with the salmon to equalize for 12 hours. Put in the primo @ 95C with some spotted gum left over from my deck and some cherry wood chunks as well. Let temp rise to 105C and cooked both until they hit 71C, about 6.5 hours for the salmon and 8.5 for the chook. Bloody delicious. Made some kedgeree for dinner last night with the salmon, the kids were still talking about it this morning. Still have over a kilo of salmon left, hope there is some left for scrambled eggs for Sunday morning brekkie.


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## beercus (8/10/14)

I use the bunnings fire lighters in my WFO, do the job and no nasty chemicals.

http://www.bunnings.com.au/samba-natural-firelighters-32-pack-_p3170453


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## Cortez The Killer (8/10/14)

Hi Fellas

Have been given the go ahead to get an electric smoker.

Am currently leaning toward the Hark version. I was almost sold on the masterbuilt 40" gen 2 preorder http://www.mistygully.com.au/masterbuilt-40-100cm-gen-2-electric-smoker-pre-order-special-window-door/ but after reading through a bunch of US forums they seem to be plagued with issues over the gen 1 and has made me a little hesitant to go down that road.

In any event I've found a little bit of info on the Hark version and was wondering if anyone is using one - thoughts?

Also am looking to get one of the a maze pellet smokers - does any one forsee an issues runnings this the electric hark?

Cheers

Cheers


----------



## Cocko (8/10/14)

Cortez The Killer said:


> Hi Fellas
> 
> Have been given the go ahead to get an electric smoker.
> 
> ...



Hey mate,

Good to see you posting again... anyways...

I run an electric Hark and it is awesome. the temp control is so usable. Set and forget.

You can do jerky, slow and low any meat, ribs, shoulder etc... Some will argue that with out wood or charcoal you will miss out on flavours, I disagree, with the electric Hark you can run chips and smoke the bejeebus out of what ever you want to cook.

As with brewing temp control is key, the electric Hark gives you this advantage, set and forget.

My 2c.


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## Danwood (12/10/14)

Beef Koftas, done on the charcoal BBQ with a handful of hickory.

Straight up delicious, son !


----------



## BobtheBrewer (12/10/14)

Danwood said:


> Beef Koftas, done on the charcoal BBQ with a handful of hickory.
> 
> Straight up delicious, son !


Could you give us a recipe for those perchance?


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## Danwood (12/10/14)

It was a bit off the top of my head, but here goes...

500g beef mince (not too lean, fat needs to drip onto the coals)
1 small onion, fine dice.
1/2 capsicum, fine dice.
1/2cup soaked sultanas, rough chop.
1lg clove garlic, fine dice.
Zest of 1 medium orange.
1tsp cumin.
1tsp ground coriander. 
1tsp mustard seeds.
1/2 tsp turmeric. 
1/2 tsp sumac.

Toast spices for a few minutes in a bit of olive oil, add onion, garlic and capsicum, cook until onion is translucent. 

Leave to cool then hand mix everything together. 

Form into sausages around skewers. Burgers or balls will do if you've got no skewers.

Leave to firm up in the fridge for a bit so they're easier to handle.

Fairly healthy kebab, so long as you don't reach for the garlic mayo. I'd have included chilli too, if it was just me eating, but I made do with a few shakes of my smoked Birdseye chilli and garlic powder.


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## philmud (13/10/14)

Smoking some pork shoulder today, though originally intended to yesterday. Consequently it had almost 48 hrs in brine so I'm a bit nervous it'll be too salty. Also plan on a stout & sriracha BBQ sauce!


----------



## seamad (13/10/14)

Probably too late but you could've soaked it in some fresh water to de-brine it a bit.


----------



## philmud (13/10/14)

Yeah, I gave it a good rinse, but that would have been a good idea. I should have just taken it out last night. Oh well, hopefully still good!


----------



## seamad (13/10/14)

Hindsight is wonderful.
After brining I take the meat out of the brine and leave uncovered in the fridge with a computer fan running for at least 24 hours, sometimes longer with bigger cuts. This helps with pellicle formation and also lets the brine solution equalize in the meat , whether or not this makes a big difference I don't know.


----------



## philmud (13/10/14)

Was a prick of a day to be smoking meat outdoors in Melbourne. The fucker (Aldi/Hark job) went out on me (wind) & I didn't realise. Could have been out for approx 2 hrs. Consequently it's still cooking & I defrosted some Spag bog for dinner. Oh well!


----------



## barls (13/10/14)

get yourself a remote thermometer. mine alerts me to when i falls under 80 degrees.


----------



## BobtheBrewer (13/10/14)

Danwood said:


> It was a bit off the top of my head, but here goes...
> 
> 500g beef mince (not too lean, fat needs to drip onto the coals)
> 1 small onion, fine dice.
> ...


Thanks for that Danwood, sounds great, can't wait to give it a try.


----------



## brendo (14/10/14)

Forgot to take a photo, but had my son's second birthday party on Sunday and loaded up the Aldi smoker with 60 Coles BBQ snags and hit them with smoke - created quite a few converts and tasted damn good in a bun with some coleslaw - nice snap to them.


----------



## barls (14/10/14)

did the same on saturday but for the daughters 2nd one. chicken thigh and pork shoulder


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## nifty (14/10/14)

barls said:


> did the same on saturday but for the daughters 2nd one. chicken thigh and pork shoulder


Hey Barls

Are they the same chicken thighs you did at a few of the xmas case swaps?

Mate, they were the best, do you mind passing on the recipe for them?

cheers

steve


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## barls (14/10/14)

basically they were.
they are marinaded in my sour beer and bbq sauce for at least a day. then taken out and patted dry and have a spice rub put on them.
normally if i have time ill leave this on over night before cooking.
the spice rub is a bbq spice base with equal portions of salt and sugar in there this is adjusted depending on the size of the mix being made up. 
its roughly 10g of each in 100g of final mix with the base being around 50-60g.
i also add paprika, garlic powder and sumac. to make up the rest. go easy on the sumac.
the ones a few years ago at a case swap were just marinated.
i then smoke them for about an hour at 100-110. up to you what wood you use,


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## carniebrew (15/10/14)

brendo said:


> Forgot to take a photo, but had my son's second birthday party on Sunday and loaded up the Aldi smoker with 60 Coles BBQ snags and hit them with smoke - created quite a few converts and tasted damn good in a bun with some coleslaw - nice snap to them.


Yeah but what smoke Brendo? You forgot to tell us the best bit!


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## seehuusen (7/11/14)

mmmmm, all this has made me pluck the old webber out from its hiding place 
Any specific tips on using it? Other than indirect heat of course + drip tray
Do you guys use a water tray?


----------



## Cortez The Killer (10/11/14)

Hi Fellas

Gave my new Hark Electric Smoker a burl yesterday. Put 2 chooks in and they come out much better than I was hoping whole family loved them.

Found Jeff Phillip's book "Smoking Meat" to be a good guide. Have also found "Smoke & Spice" by Jamison quite good for inspiration.

Ran an a-maze-n pellet smoker in there. One row smoked for ~3 hours. Used 1/2 pecan and 1/2 grey box pellets from aussiebbqsmoke.

The digital smoker itself is pretty sweet too. Pretty much set and forget.

Can see copious amounts of smoking in my future.

Cheers


----------



## MastersBrewery (22/11/14)

Aldi smoker is back in store November 29 for those that haven't got a smoker, and would like to smoke just like the OP.


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## StalkingWilbur (22/11/14)

Do you have a link MB? And do they post?

Would make a pretty awesome Christmas present to myself


----------



## barls (22/11/14)

Google hark one door smoker and that's it. Don't think they post


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## StalkingWilbur (22/11/14)

Thanks, barls.


----------



## Wolfman (22/11/14)

Got some Krainerwurst (Kransky) going at the moment.


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## Danwood (22/11/14)

This simple little fella has done me proud over the last few years. 

Just the job for a few simple burgers or marinated chicken thighs at friends houses. Very economical, just a few charcoal lumps and a handful of hickory.

This is the last 5 burgers of a batch of 15...good stuff.


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## brendo (22/11/14)

carniebrew said:


> Yeah but what smoke Brendo? You forgot to tell us the best bit!


Sorry dude.... hickory for the snags.... Yum yum!!


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## seehuusen (24/11/14)

MastersBrewery said:


> Aldi smoker is back in store November 29 for those that haven't got a smoker, and would like to smoke just like the OP.





StalkingWilbur said:


> Do you have a link MB? And do they post?
> 
> Would make a pretty awesome Christmas present to myself



X2 on the link please
I went onto their site, but couldn't see anything. Having said that the 29th specials weren't up yet either, do you have an internal source at Aldi?


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## MastersBrewery (24/11/14)

Nah was in their latest cattle dog.(picked up in store)

SW like extended trading, this marvel of retail therapy hasn't made it west yet, one day your government will stop placing ridiculous restrictions on what can and can't be sold on a weekend, to protect certain retail segments. That shit drove me nuts for years, glad to be back east on that score. But it may well be one of the reasons Aldi have not opened a store in W.A. yet.


MB


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## surly (28/11/14)

Aldi link: https://www.aldi.com.au/en/special-buys/saturday-29-november-2014/

I am probably going to gift myself one of these bad boys


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## Mardoo (28/11/14)

Finally found a dependable source for fruit woods in various sizes. Not cheap, but the quality is great. His Convict Rub is awesome too. No affiliation, it's just been hard for me to find good fruit woods. He has a wide range of Australian woods.

http://store.aussiebbqsmoke.com/


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## Danwood (28/11/14)

Good site there, Mardoo.

Where is he in Melbourne ?


----------



## seamad (28/11/14)

Mardoo said:


> Finally found a dependable source for fruit woods in various sizes. Not cheap, but the quality is great. His Convict Rub is awesome too. No affiliation, it's just been hard for me to find good fruit woods. He has a wide range of Australian woods.
> 
> http://store.aussiebbqsmoke.com/


It's good stuff too. I use their tube and pellets as well as the chunks.


----------



## Mardoo (28/11/14)

Danwood said:


> Good site there, Mardoo.
> 
> Where is he in Melbourne ?


Belgrave. Plan a bit of time if you pick up from him. He looooooves to talk smoking. He's a brewer too, but bit on AHB


----------



## Danwood (28/11/14)

I'm thinking of maybe splitting 20kg of cherry for some East 'burbs people, if there's interest.

And a pint at Oscar's would obviously have to be accommodated too...


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## Mardoo (28/11/14)

Give him a call and ask what he has. Some pretty interesting stuff. He couldn't stop talking about how awesome the plum is. Feck me, plum wood. Peach too. I think he has about 20 woods all up, maybe 30.


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## Danwood (28/11/14)

I have a couple of arborist contractors at work. I've asked them to give me a ring if they get any fruit tree jobs on other sites. There's a slab of mega-piss in it for them !
This guy sounds good though, as a plan B. I've always wanted to give cherry a go.


----------



## shaunous (1/12/14)

i have to trim a 50+yr old plum in a couple of months, better save the trimmings. still produces fruit but ive tried most tricks in the book and cannot keep the grubs out.


----------



## barls (1/12/14)

its awesome plum is. I've been using it and peach for a while.
ill be using guava later today on a turkey roast.


----------



## Lincoln2 (1/12/14)

As a hot-smoker (in every sense of the term), I save a few prunings whenever I engage in orchard management. I mainly have maccas and olives but I'm about to drop a guava and I also have a pomegranate, some citrus, mango, davidson plum, native finger-limes, fig and others. I haven't tried them all yet. I dry the thinner twigs, whittle them into shavings then use an alfoil package with some holes punched in to place on top of the charcoal.


----------



## Airgead (1/12/14)

I always keep the prunings from my fruit trees for smoking. Apple, apricot, nectarine, peach, apple, quince... This year I may have some almond and pear as well.

Cheers
Dave


----------



## Danwood (1/12/14)

A few Roo fillets smoked up on the 'ol charcoal bbq for tea tonight. 

Marinated in lemony olive oil, whole peppercorns, garlic, lemon zest and heaps of rosemary. A handful of hickory was addedd while cooking, so it meets this threads guidelines....


----------



## shaunous (1/12/14)

Found a dead roo the other day, fell over infront of my car, cooked the legs up on a BBQ exactly the same as that Danwood. Was the goods, mate added to many heat bead things though so overcooked it a little, but melted cheese over the top and made burgers, Yummo! muscles were still twitching as it went onto the BBQ it was that fresh :super:


----------



## Danwood (1/12/14)

Yeah, well....I used a small knife to open the plastic packaging...'cos I'm tough !


----------



## shaunous (1/12/14)

You'd be hard pressed to find a roo in Ringwood Nth that didnt come in packaging (Im guessing, for all I know Ringwood Nth is actually the name of a Commercial Roo Farm)


----------



## Camo6 (1/12/14)

If you're hard pressed to find a root in Ringwood then you're doing something wrong Shaunous. Just make sure it's you that comes in packaging...


----------



## shaunous (2/12/14)

Camo6 said:


> If you're hard pressed to find a root in Ringwood then you're doing something wrong Shaunous. Just make sure it's you that comes in packaging...


SEX PACKAGE!!!


----------



## Lincoln2 (2/12/14)

barls said:


> its awesome plum is. I've been using it and peach for a while.
> ill be using guava later today on a turkey roast.


I missed that post yesterday. I'd be interested in a report on the guava wood. I've never used it before and I'm about to have plenty. Thanks.


----------



## Danwood (2/12/14)

These unusual wood types all sound great. Users are hereby ordered to leave feedback here asap.

I have a Macadamia tree at work which is currently unaware I have my eye on it's 'superfluous' lower branches...


----------



## barls (2/12/14)

Will do planning a run this weekend with guava and red gum


----------



## seehuusen (4/12/14)

Danwood said:


> I have a Macadamia tree at work which is currently unaware I have my eye on it's 'superfluous' lower branches...


hmmm, there are orchards out the back of the Sunny Coast, I too want to know more about this 
Pinching apples are for kids, stealing full branches is where it's at h34r: hahaha, nah just kidding, I'll go and ask like any normal person would. Chuck a couple of the finest bottles in the esky and offer as a trade :beer:


----------



## scon (4/12/14)

I smoked with some plum wood for the first time the night before last. Have previously smoked with hickory or cherry... the plum was much... frutier.


----------



## Camo6 (4/12/14)

The old man has a couple of plum and apple trees that are in need of a good prune. If I was to get hold of some branches what thickness should they be and do they need to be dried for a while before use? Haven't got a smoker atm but wouldn't mind one down the track.


----------



## seamad (5/12/14)

Camo6 said:


> The old man has a couple of plum and apple trees that are in need of a good prune. If I was to get hold of some branches what thickness should they be and do they need to be dried for a while before use? Haven't got a smoker atm but wouldn't mind one down the track.


I cut down 2 apple trees as it's too warm here and the parrots eat them all anyway. I've kept pretty well all of them, the little branches are good for quick smoking sausages and the like and the bigger stuff can get chopped into chunks for longer smoking. Allow around 6-12 months for the timber to dry well.Thinking of doing a leg of ham for xmas smoked with some apple chunks.


----------



## Danwood (5/12/14)

Some fig branches wot fell off a tree at work...

I'll split them length ways and dry them out for a while. Just the job for smoked pig, I reckon.


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## barls (5/12/14)

From another forum discussing woods
http://www.aussiebbq.info/forum/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=7924&sid=bed3f0334d1ccc7b4da009b6b82a9446&start=15


----------



## Feldon (5/12/14)

barls said:


> From another forum discussing woods
> http://www.aussiebbq.info/forum/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=7924&sid=bed3f0334d1ccc7b4da009b6b82a9446&start=15


Interesting that the thread says: "Spent grain and hops from brewing is good on red meats and Pork".

Never thought of that. Must give it a try.


----------



## Danwood (6/12/14)

Recommendations for books on smoking please, blokes.

I need to put something on my Secret Santa list...I'm getting hassled. 

Cheers (preferably free P&P...Book Depository or somesuch)


----------



## barls (6/12/14)

in my stash have stoked and southern man. I've heard good things about this one http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1770500383/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=smokingmeat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1770500383 but haven't bought it yet. 
smoking some sausages with guava and apple chips atm.


----------



## Batz (6/12/14)

barls said:


> smoking some sausages with guava and apple chips atm.


I have been clearing guava trees on my place the last week, they become a pest here. Anyway I have shiploads of guava wood.
Any of you guys have a recipe for ribs using a Weber? I'll like to do some for Xmas.
Oh and any of you guys local that want some guava, plenty here, help yourself.

Batz


----------



## Ducatiboy stu (6/12/14)

Just recently they cut a few Pecan trees down at the local Primary School......

I was pissed that I missed out on getting some of the wood.


----------



## Batz (6/12/14)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> Just recently they cut a few Pecan trees down at the local Primary School......
> 
> I was pissed that I missed out on getting some of the wood.


I have several Pecans as well.


----------



## barls (6/12/14)

its a very light smoke wood.
go the 3-2-1 recipe ill post a link here in a second


----------



## barls (6/12/14)

http://www.aussiebbq.info/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=12941
this sections quite useful as well
http://www.aussiebbq.info/forum/viewforum.php?f=9


----------



## Danwood (6/12/14)

Danwood said:


> Recommendations for books on smoking please, blokes.
> I need to put something on my Secret Santa list...I'm getting hassled.
> Cheers (preferably free P&P...Book Depository or somesuch)


*Bump for the evening crowd*


----------



## macca05 (10/12/14)

Hey guys,
Since I have a go at everything else smoking was the next thing to try. I've built a smoker using untreated timber and am using a dual hot plate 2400w. I'm using a Rex pid to try and control the temps but I seem to get about 5c fluctuation. Is this OK for smoking. I bypassed the thermostat as I could only get to 60c. Now I can get over 100c easily. The probe is mounted Centre rear. What I wanted to know is how do the shop bought ones work for temp control. Should I upgrade to an auberins or sestos. Will they control better or shouls i build a voltage reg thing that can control the elements via a dial.
cheers for any help
macca


----------



## shaunous (11/12/14)

I light fire, set to desired cooking temps, insert meat, remove at desired internal temp and chow.


hahahahha, wowzers Macca!

I wouldnt worry about 5*c as far as smoking goes mate, tis OK...


----------



## macca05 (11/12/14)

Thanks shaunous. Thats all i needed to know


----------



## Danwood (14/12/14)

Mardoo said:


> Finally found a dependable source for fruit woods in various sizes. Not cheap, but the quality is great. His Convict Rub is awesome too. No affiliation, it's just been hard for me to find good fruit woods. He has a wide range of Australian woods.
> 
> http://store.aussiebbqsmoke.com/


Picked up 10kg cherry logs earlier today. Going to smoke a load of Roma tomatoes to make up some relish.

The chap (Terry) threw in a bag of rub too, as a taster. Nice guy, large selection of wood as you mentioned. 

Thanks for the tip !


----------



## MastersBrewery (19/12/14)

Good news and bad. I picked up one of the Aldi smokers reduced heavily at $129.00 Bargain!!!

Obviously the bad news is I have a 36 page thread to read to figure out how best to use it


----------



## StalkingWilbur (19/12/14)

$129! Damn. Cheapest I've seen any in perth are $450.

Edit: ignore that. Just found the hark gas patio model for $250 and two door for $299. It's looking like a smokey Christmas!


----------



## MastersBrewery (19/12/14)

StalkingWilbur said:


> It's looking like a smokey Christmas!


With ya there SW, question is ribs or pork, ahhh hell both works for me!


----------



## barls (19/12/14)

For those that are in Perth contact Chris at urban griller. Very nice bloke and more than happy to help you out


----------



## StalkingWilbur (19/12/14)

barls said:


> For those that are in Perth contact Chris at urban griller. Very nice bloke and more than happy to help you out


That's who I spoke to. Unfortunately that price didn't include shipping to Perth because he doesn't have any in stock. Probably can't get it in time for Christmas either. Might speak to him again and order it anyway. Been hoping to find a 2nd hand one, but they just don't pop up.


----------



## Bomber Watson (21/12/14)

Was wondering aimlessly around the green shed the other day and spotted these:

http://www.bunnings.com.au/char-griller-deluxe_p3180388

Build quality is fair, price is right, anyone used one?

Cheers.


----------



## tugger (22/12/14)

I picked this up about 2 years ago at bbq galore. It's had plenty of pork products in it since then. 
I'm planning on cutting a 3 inch hole in the side for an external fire/ smoke box over the Christmas break. 


I have also drilled a hole in the top to support a hook to hang large hams and sausages.


----------



## sp0rk (23/12/14)

Bomber Watson said:


> Was wondering aimlessly around the green shed the other day and spotted these:
> 
> http://www.bunnings.com.au/char-griller-deluxe_p3180388
> 
> ...


No offset firebox (you can get one but they're another $200) so you're direct grilling which isn't ideal for smoking
Apparently with some mods they make a decent cooker


----------



## sp0rk (23/12/14)

tugger said:


> I picked this up about 2 years ago at bbq galore. It's had plenty of pork products in it since then.
> I'm planning on cutting a 3 inch hole in the side for an external fire/ smoke box over the Christmas break.
> 
> 
> ...


Let us know how you go, I'd love a smoker that can be gas or charcoal fired


----------



## shaunous (24/12/14)

This gigantic hunk of pig is going into the smoker at midnight tonight (which should go well after the Xmas party I'm attending). Guessing it'll take around 13hrs and be ready for a late lunch. Mmmmmmm





I hope it fits, it looks like I'll be jamming it through the smoker door.


----------



## Bomber Watson (24/12/14)

sp0rk said:


> No offset firebox (you can get one but they're another $200) so you're direct grilling which isn't ideal for smoking
> Apparently with some mods they make a decent cooker


Cheers mate. 

I must not fully understand the idea, i didnt really see a difference between that and the vertical aldi type smokers everyone else is sprouting on about...

I assumed you could use an item like that just the same by controlling the heat with heat beeds etc...

Have full intention of making a Smokai looking contraption for cold smoking, figure can put a reg on it and run it off the shop air....

Offset wouldnt be to hard, 20lt drum, bit of plumbing....

Tossing up between the bunnings one or just making one out of a 44....Well two, cut two in half and overlay the halves so its double skinned....proceede as normal....But by the time i **** around and do that and make a frame etc the $170 or so is tempting.....

Cheers.


----------



## Airgead (24/12/14)

Just finished smoking everything for tomorrow... rainbow trout and a whole salmon. Brined overnight then smoked really low for 6 hours.
















And the missus made mince pies with an armandine top. Not smoked but still awesome.


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## Danwood (25/12/14)

Yeah, I'd eat that ! 

What wood for the fish? Oak...beech...cedar, maybe?

I just tried cherry for the first time, on a heap of roma tomatoes, which ended up as asian-inspired BBQ sauce. 
Star anise works brilliantly with the deep, fruity cherry smoke. Reminds me of my grand dad's pipe tobacco smoke when I was a kid.

Merry Christmas all.


----------



## sp0rk (26/12/14)

Bomber Watson said:


> Cheers mate.
> 
> I must not fully understand the idea, i didnt really see a difference between that and the vertical aldi type smokers everyone else is sprouting on about...


Aldi ones have a water bowl in the bottom,so the flame isn't direct heating the meat


----------



## Bomber Watson (26/12/14)

Aha, thanks.


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## Airgead (26/12/14)

Danwood said:


> What wood for the fish? Oak...beech...cedar, maybe?


Forgot the most important part. 50/50 mix of apple and peach.


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## sp0rk (26/12/14)

So I went over to Aldi before to grab some meat to grill on my new BBQ tomorrow
There was 2 smokers left marked down to $110 so I grabbed one
Looking forward to slow roasting a pork leg some time next week


----------



## jyo (26/12/14)

$110???? You Aldi shoppers suck!

Seriously, can't wait until they open stores over here in Wait Awhile.


----------



## Bomber Watson (26/12/14)

Or somewhere in other states thats not a bustling metropolitan area...

Cummon Aldi....Rockhampton has basically evrything else....

Cheers.


----------



## _HOME_BREW_WALLACE_ (26/12/14)

Danwood said:


> Yeah, I'd eat that !
> 
> What wood for the fish? Oak...beech...cedar, maybe?
> 
> ...


For fish, i reccomend Hickory. My Uncle always used hickory (on tommy ruff) and is always bloody delicious!


----------



## earle (26/12/14)

Bomber Watson said:


> Or somewhere in other states thats not a bustling metropolitan area...
> 
> Cummon Aldi....Rockhampton has basically evrything else....
> 
> Cheers.


Toowoomba has 3, Warwick and gatton both have one. Must be different rules because were not too far from Brisbane.


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## shaunous (27/12/14)

sp0rk said:


> So I went over to Aldi before to grab some meat to grill on my new BBQ tomorrow
> There was 2 smokers left marked down to $110 so I grabbed one
> Looking forward to slow roasting a pork leg some time next week


True, the ones on sale 2 weeks ago in Grafton Aldi sold out in a couple of hours.

Probably has something to do with my promotion of them, Aldi should be paying me a finders fee of some sort.


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## sp0rk (28/12/14)

2.5kg Pork leg roast went into the smoker at 830 this morning,it's smelling amazing
Will post pics when it's done


----------



## seehuusen (29/12/14)

A bit of a newb q, with regards to smoke/wood chips, do you guys weigh up the wood to a recipe per x weight of meat?
Or is it just a matter of chucking a bunch of wood on the coals and hope for the best?

I use a weber kettle BBQ on heat beads btw


----------



## djar007 (29/12/14)

shaunous said:


> insert meat


giggidy


----------



## jyo (30/12/14)

sp0rk said:


> 2.5kg Pork leg roast went into the smoker at 830 this morning,it's smelling amazing
> *Will post pics when it's done.*


You lied.


----------



## sp0rk (30/12/14)

Oops, a little forgetful...












Was farkin delicious


----------



## shaunous (31/12/14)

seehuusen said:


> A bit of a newb q, with regards to smoke/wood chips, do you guys weigh up the wood to a recipe per x weight of meat?
> Or is it just a matter of chucking a bunch of wood on the coals and hope for the best?
> 
> I use a weber kettle BBQ on heat beads btw


I basically use a cup full for nearly everything. Half out free, the other half wrapped in alfoil with a few small holes punched in.

If im doing a big cook-up, and i mean using all shelves i will double that.

Your webber probably wouldnt even need a full cup full, many smaller quantities over the first 3 hours.

Trial and Error Baby!!!


----------



## jonnir (31/12/14)

What smoker you use shaunous?


----------



## Danwood (31/12/14)

Just barging in, sorry...

If anyone has a knackered Weber OTG or OTS 57cm diameter bbq they're getting rid of, give me a holler via PM please.

I need the lid specifically, for a UDS I'm building. 

I'm a regular at Knox tip shop on the way home from work, and have also become a danger to other road users when driving past a pile of hard rubbish. No luck yet though. 

East Melb. suburbs preferred and there's a few bottles of RIS set aside as payment.

Cheers, Dan


----------



## Camo6 (31/12/14)

I drove past a complete weber a little while back down the street. Was soo gonna grab it for the same purpose. Unfortunately the burning tyres prevented me... <_<


----------



## jonnir (31/12/14)

Add up a build thread of your UDS mate, i'm gonna commence UDS build in the new year

once i create space in the shed


----------



## jyo (31/12/14)

sp0rk said:


> Oops, a little forgetful...
> 
> 
> Was farkin delicious


Looks amazing!


----------



## RobB (31/12/14)

Santa left me a Smokai cold smoker under the tree this year. Unfortunately, most of the things which I want to cold smoke won't appreciate the ambient temperature of a Perth summer, so a few projects will have to wait. I might start with some malt!

In the mean time, I'll probably plumb it into my existing gas barbecue to do some hot smoking with my cold smoker........... :wacko:


----------



## philmud (2/1/15)

Smoking a pork shoulder for a lunch time BBQ tomorrow & I'm interested in opinions on the timing. 
Ideally I'd like to smoke/cook it for 8-9 hours but as I'm at work today I can't start until around 6pm.
Has anyone had success with cooking over two sessions? Or do I need to be setting alarms & getting up in the middle of the night to either stop or start cooking?


----------



## djar007 (2/1/15)

I would get up in the night and do it. Or sous vide it overnight and smoke it for a couple of hours before lunch.


----------



## Danwood (2/1/15)

If you're comfortable leaving your equipment unattended, definitely get up early and put it on, then crawl back in bed.

Just have it all ready to go, so you just have to strike the match and put the meat on.

Lunch at 1pm maybe? Get up at 3-3.30 and make a start. That leaves a bit of resting time in addition to the 9hrs cook time.

If the internal temp you're looking for arrives early, it's easier to keep the meat warm wrapped in foil and a blanket in a cooler, than it is to rush the final stage of the cook to achieve said temperature. 

Put up pics and more power to your tongs !


----------



## philmud (3/1/15)

Thanks gents! I ended up cooking it last night (good excuse to sit up till 2am drinking!) and heated it up before lunch time. It came up pretty good, but wasn't quite disintegrating the way if have liked it, but it was delicious just the same.


----------



## Danwood (3/1/15)

A dirty, great big piece of smoked pig...nice.

What wood did you go for ?


----------



## philmud (3/1/15)

Hickory. I love it for pork! I've got a couple of nice bits of brisket in the freezer - anyone got a good suggestion for wood to go with that? Mesquite?


----------



## Danwood (3/1/15)

I've not done brisket, but just had a quick read/drool through my copy of 'Smoking Meat' by Jeff Phillips.

Mesquite is often recommended, yes, and also Cherry, Oak and Pecan. 

There's a recipe in there for Cherry smoked prime rib, which is also sprayed regularly with cherry juice ! How good does that sound ?!

I'd give brisket a go with that recipe, personally (mainly 'cos I've got 10kg Cherry logs sat in the garage).


----------



## philistine (30/1/15)

man, I only just noticed that this thread existed - Im somewhat obsessed with smoking meats and making small goods! Actually just finished smoking a big chunk of pork loin to make an awesome german Kassler
Anyways... I thought Id take the liberty of hijacking this thread and showing off the smoker I built...
http://aussiehomebrewer.com/gallery/image/8883-meat-smoker-finished/

I also thought i'd chuck in my two-cents regarding woods for smokes - if you can avoid it, dont buy the bagged stuff from bunnings or rays or bbqs galore. Its imported and kiln dried and loses a lot of its flavour and value before you even find it in the shop.
An EXCELLENT alternative for Hickory is Red Gum and a good alternative to Mesquite (which is pretty harsh and bitter) is Grape Vine.

If your smoking fish, go for something like Sheoak, Lemon Scented Gum or even Black Wattle. All are native to AUS and easily sourced.


----------



## Mercs Own (31/1/15)

Cured and smoked a pork loin - normally do a belly but the loin worked out great!

Cure: 1 cup of salt, 1 cup brown sugar, 20g juniper berries lightly crushed and about 200 mils of maple syrup.



in brine for three days turned every day.




Put in the fridge overnight to develop pellicle then onto the webber.


----------



## Mercs Own (31/1/15)

I hot smoked the pork trying to keep the temp under 100 degree c it hovered around the 90c most the time and sometimes dipped down to 70c. 

15 minutes in


45 minutes in. I used hickory soaked in water and put a handful on every 20 minutes or so, so the smoke was more or less continuous.

View attachment 78436

2hours in




3 hours in



bottom side after 3 hours


because it is hot smoked the outside ends are cooked and a little dry - I slice bits off and eat it - it is delicious and a bit like smoked pork jerky! 

Sliced


----------



## browndog (31/1/15)

Do you serve that at the cafe Paul? If you don't, you should.


----------



## Mercs Own (31/1/15)

If I was still part of that business I most certainly would but....I left the café in December due to a difference of opinion between my partner and I - amongst other things.


----------



## fcmcg (31/1/15)

Top effort Paul....I usually also do a 1:1 ratio of sugar and salt...I also like to add a bay leaf and some pepper...

Sorry about the café....
Ferg


----------



## djar007 (31/1/15)

For all you Melbourne smokers there is a smoking barbecue event at Vic market tommorow. Looks like it's worth getting down to.


----------



## DU99 (31/1/15)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVOa3xhl0bg


----------



## philistine (1/2/15)

Mercs - HUNGRY NOW! my butcher gave me a little 'truth nugget' /easter egg/tip for doing ham and or bacon. When your meat's done, pull it out of the smoker and put it straight into an ice bath and leave it for 10 mins (crash chill the pork ) . What it does is fully stop the cooking process and because it cools so quickly, the moisture that would normally drip/steam off get locked in coz it kinda coagulates and keeps the meat super moist . Its kinda best to use a good meat thermometer and the idea is to ice bath it as soon as your internal temp hits the mark , but it'll still make a difference no matter when you do it.


----------



## philistine (1/2/15)

Try doing the same cure on a beef brisket. I did it the other day as an experiment - I THINK IVE INVENTED STEAKON


----------



## macca05 (2/2/15)

Been such a long time since Ive posted in AHB but thought I should share some pics with you guys. After my first run of ribs which was saved by the house oven as my smoker kept tripping the power so I gave up on it. I rewired my elements and removed any type of plastic that was on the oven plates.
Second attempt at ribs was awesome

I followed the 3,2,1 method and had the smoker sitting on 100c with a slight fluctuation of about 5c.






Third attempt was a pork shoulder that I had in the freezer for awhile as I wanted to get the smoker working properly first. Rubbed in mustard and then a dry rub. Starting smoking at 100c and then hit the dreaded stall after about 3hrs. This continued through till about the 10hr mark and in the end I removed it after 14hrs. This was a 2.2kg shoulder. Missed my dinner timing by a long shot. Took it out at 89c





Very impressed with the way its turned out now 
Macca


----------



## shaunous (5/2/15)

philistine said:


> Mercs - HUNGRY NOW! my butcher gave me a little 'truth nugget' /easter egg/tip for doing ham and or bacon. When your meat's done, pull it out of the smoker and put it straight into an ice bath and leave it for 10 mins (crash chill the pork ) . What it does is fully stop the cooking process and because it cools so quickly, the moisture that would normally drip/steam off get locked in coz it kinda coagulates and keeps the meat super moist . Its kinda best to use a good meat thermometer and the idea is to ice bath it as soon as your internal temp hits the mark , but it'll still make a difference no matter when you do it.


See now everywhere you read tells the opposite. You should leave the meat to rest, as when it rests the fluids all go back into the meat from the outside.



I dunno :huh:


----------



## shaunous (5/2/15)

That look amazing Merc, its about time I do another home made bacon.


----------



## WarmerBeer (5/2/15)

8 kilos of spicy chicken wings in the smoker last night






Fed a crowd of 30+ hungry brewers very well.


----------



## stux (5/2/15)

Aldi smoker FTW 

I can recommend these seal kits, work brilliantly

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Gas-Smoker-Door-Seal-Aldi-Hark-Stop-smoke-leaking-out-improve-efficiency-/130576781281?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item1e66fb8fe1


----------



## WarmerBeer (5/2/15)

Stux said:


> Aldi smoker FTW
> 
> I can recommend these seal kits, work brilliantly
> 
> http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Gas-Smoker-Door-Seal-Aldi-Hark-Stop-smoke-leaking-out-improve-efficiency-/130576781281?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item1e66fb8fe1


I've seen those seals available before, but wondered over the usefulness of them. 

After all, there is a big vent on the back of the smoker, which you can't (easily) fully closed, designed specifically to let smoke out/air in?


----------



## Cortez The Killer (5/2/15)

Just reporting back re: my Hark Electric Smoker

It's been seeing a lot of action but it was having issues with it maintaining the dialed in temp. It would drift anywhere between 15*C up or down which wasn't a issue with some meats but the more finicky ones it was a real nightmare.

Ended up grabbing an Auber Smoker PID Controller http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=14_28 and it works like a dream holding the temp rock steady.

In order to run in it with the PID the Hark controller needs to be bypassed so the element is on when the power is on

This mod is pretty straight forward. It involves removing the top cover of the smoker and unplugging the controller (there's a 7 pin connector under the top) and using a female to female breadboard connector (or similar) to form a circuit with the white and red wire. The original controller can be reinstated at any time if needed. Also it's worth taping up all the connectors as a fair bit of moisture seems to end up under the lid.







Other than the temperature drift issue the unit is pretty solid. Set and forget really. Have had some awesome ribs, brisket, sausages and duck and really anything I've thrown at it.

Having had a play with the unit over the last few months have been thinking a build from scratch wouldn't be too difficult. Something like macca05's above or some ultimate smoking pr0n like this http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/132907/pellet-smoker-fridge-conversion/20 would be the go.

I'll see where my smoking fetish takes me.

Cheers


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## shaunous (6/2/15)

WarmerBeer said:


> I've seen those seals available before, but wondered over the usefulness of them.
> 
> After all, there is a big vent on the back of the smoker, which you can't (easily) fully closed, designed specifically to let smoke out/air in?


I got the door seal nearly 2 years ago for my ALDI smoker and still havnt installed it. I have however modified the rear air vent, and under some trial and error which had me confused a lil' to start with was.

Your smoker will burn hotter at the same temperature with the vent fully open, than it does with the vent fully closed, thus saving gas.
I like many thought if I closed the vent off, the heat would stay in, but NO, open vent, heat circulates better and you your smoker burns hotter, which means you can wing down the LPG to gain the same temp.

These are trials myself and a workmate done, on both our ALDI smokers and also his lil' webber.

This may be common knowledge, but everywhere i read said to block it off, and I never thought any different untill i started thinking about fire and wood heaters and how they work. As from new my vent has been closed off and never thought to change it.

I will however put the door seal on one day soon so smoke is only allowed to exit the top vent after making contact with all meat instead of excaping from every angle of the door.


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## stux (6/2/15)

With the seal on smoke only exits at the top vent. I find I can then use the vent as a fine temperature control to the bottom course one. 

By opening the vent it means I can have the gas up more which helps keep the smoke going AND have a low temperature


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## cadeb (6/2/15)

philistine said:


> man, I only just noticed that this thread existed - Im somewhat obsessed with smoking meats and making small goods! Actually just finished smoking a big chunk of pork loin to make an awesome german Kassler
> Anyways... I thought Id take the liberty of hijacking this thread and showing off the smoker I built...
> http://aussiehomebrewer.com/gallery/image/8883-meat-smoker-finished/
> 
> ...


Thats a ripper smoker ! Totally jealous . I'm about to embark on building my own wine barrel smoker..will post pics when done . I do cold smoking also ( www.smaltcoldsmokedsalt.com ) thas a salt the better half & I sell . We get the wood from a bloke in Rosanna , sells native chips & chunks . 12 or 13 diff types of wood . His business is called native smoke & he runs a free range butcher called simply free range . Go see him..his names scott . He also just started selling a s/steel cold smoker that we use . Awsome bit of kit !!


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## philistine (6/2/15)

hahaha - small world!! I know scott, he's our local butcher. I did a big oktoberfest bash last year, whole suckling pig, homemade bratwurst und weisswurst and OF COURSE a shitload of my finest home-brewed Hefeweizen. Anyway, I got all the meat off Scott and paid for it with beer 
I also have a packet of SMALT in the kitchen !

I've got a stack of Sheoak if you ever wanna try some for smalting. If you're keen, Ill leave it with scott or something. I run a gardening and landscaping business so Im always acquiring all sorts of woods when doing garden clean ups etc. so it doesnt cost me anything.

I've actually written to the moderators here at AHB to ask if I can plug nativesmoke as a business and link to his website etc etc. I dunno what their policies are but if they're up for it I was gonna see if Scott was interested in becoming a site sponser - although its not brew related so.... who knows...

Keen to see this wine barrel smoker you're making! I love building shit, my next project is gonna be a big Uraguayan/Argentinian grill. Hit me up if you need a second opinion on any 'design issues' :beer:


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## cadeb (9/2/15)

philistine said:


> hahaha - small world!! I know scott, he's our local butcher. I did a big oktoberfest bash last year, whole suckling pig, homemade bratwurst und weisswurst and OF COURSE a shitload of my finest home-brewed Hefeweizen. Anyway, I got all the meat off Scott and paid for it with beer
> I also have a packet of SMALT in the kitchen !
> 
> I've got a stack of Sheoak if you ever wanna try some for smalting. If you're keen, Ill leave it with scott or something. I run a gardening and landscaping business so Im always acquiring all sorts of woods when doing garden clean ups etc. so it doesnt cost me anything.
> ...


Yes , small world indeed ! Thanks for the offer on the wood , much appreciated ! I'll put some progress pics of the barrel smoker up too . I also work for a business in Reservoir that sell beer supplies ( home make it ) so feel free to come in & say hi too  I'm seeing Scott Thursday , and will say hello


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## Airgead (9/2/15)

Pork belly. Brined overnight with honey and molasses. Smoked for 5 hours over apple and hickory. Glazed with apple jelly then crisped up over the BBQ...


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## Murray (9/2/15)

Great to see people's smoking rigs and techniques. I dabble a bit with low and slow on the weber, my go to dish is pulled lamb.


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## goomboogo (9/2/15)

Airgead said:


> 2015-02-08 19.38.00.jpg
> 
> Pork belly. Brined overnight with honey and molasses. Smoked for 5 hours over apple and hickory. Glazed with apple jelly then crisped up over the BBQ...


I enjoyed my dinner tonight. I would have enjoyed your pork belly more. Looks fantastic.


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## Airgead (10/2/15)

It was. I have the last of it as a sandwich today. Yum.


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## Mercs Own (11/2/15)

Murray said:


> Great to see people's smoking rigs and techniques. I dabble a bit with low and slow on the weber, my go to dish is pulled lamb.


shoulder or leg?


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## seamad (11/2/15)

Did some smoked beef ribs last night, meant to take a photo but forgot, must have been the smell. Did them in the WFO, 3 days after pizza night. 0ven was at 135 in the morning and I chucked a couple of chunks of ironbark on the old embers, fired some air from the air compressor and the fire started up again. Put the ribs in which I had salted/oiled the previous day and left the door slightly open for 30 minutes to keep the smoke going, then closed it up.Took about 6 hours to get to 93C internal, wrapped them up in foil then a towel and stuck em in the esky until dinner time ( shared a little one with the missus first for quality control ) Had a beautiful crust and pretty tender but only managed 1 1/2 as they are pretty rich.

Loving the WFO, well worth the build effort, the Primo XL kamado is feeling a little left out. First day after pizza the oven was at 275C in the morning, bit hot for a bread loaf so made 4 bread sticks with leftover pizza dough and had one for brekky. Just before lunch baked the sourdough loaf, came out pretty crusty but good. That night oven at 245C, chucked some dried apple branches in which caught fire straight away, put in a stuffed pork loin and a tray of spuds/pumpkin and closed it up, came out nicely smoked ( subtle ), cooked to 66C internal, a little more than I like, but had the outlaws over for dinner as they had the kids all weekend and they like all meat cooked to death. Day 2 and oven was at 190C, Browned a chook in the le creuset chicken cooker, then fried up some onion and fennel seeds deglazed pot with a cup of Kolsch and put the chook in for about 1 1/4 hours, almost falling off the bone. Was going to do some jerky today but didn't get @ to marinading, will try that next week.


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## beercus (11/2/15)

seamad said:


> Was going to do some jerky today but didn't get @ to marinading, will try that next week.


Seamad you are making me drool!

Thoughts from another WFO user:

Have a go at Fruit leather (roll ups) with your remaining heat. My kids think they are lollies and with all the great stone fruit around at the moment its a good time.

Just stew up some fruit (apricots are great, mango up your way?)( i do not add sugar)
add a little lemon juice when done to avoid browning.
Put a silicon mat in a baking pan or pyrex dish
Pour in about 5mm thick and stick in WFO and leave until dry.

I normally put it in at around 60oC and leave it over night with the door a little cracked.
Comes out a touch smokey at times, depends on how much ash etc is left in there.

Also at this time of year have a go at semi WFO dried tomatoes, also good to use up the last bit of heat. Jar them or freeze them for your pizza over the year. Just quarter very ripe tomatoes, sprinkle with salt and chuck in until you're happy with the desiccation level.

If you want to use your WFO oven for smoking without fire in there, look into getting an a-maze smoker.. works for me.

http://www.mistygully.com.au/a-maze-n-pellet-smoke-generator-5x8-cold/

enjoy

beercus


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## seamad (11/2/15)

Cheers mate, will give the toms a go, have a few cherries growing, will cut them in 1/2 and try. I've got the smoking tube from aussie bbq smoke that I put their pellets in for cold smoking in the primo, was going to try that in the wfo, but I'll have to leave the door ajar so it doesn't go out completely ? or do you find the pellets keep going with the door closed ? At the moment I just put some smoking timber in on the embers and when they are alight put the food in and close the door, the fire goes out pretty well straight away. Haven't made a proper door yet, currently just a bit of ceramic board with alfoil on it that fits into the inner arch. Planning on welding up a SS one at some stage.
Roll ups are probably the most perfect thing for causing tooth decay, I'm sure my kids would love them but I'm a mean bastard who doesn't let them have lollies or soft drink ( except at birthday parties).


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## beercus (11/2/15)

seamad said:


> Cheers mate, will give the toms a go, have a few cherries growing, will cut them in 1/2 and try. I've got the smoking tube from aussie bbq smoke that I put their pellets in for cold smoking in the primo, was going to try that in the wfo, but I'll have to leave the door ajar so it doesn't go out completely ? or do you find the pellets keep going with the door closed ? At the moment I just put some smoking timber in on the embers and when they are alight put the food in and close the door, the fire goes out pretty well straight away. Haven't made a proper door yet, currently just a bit of ceramic board with alfoil on it that fits into the inner arch. Planning on welding up a SS one at some stage.
> Roll ups are probably the most perfect thing for causing tooth decay, I'm sure my kids would love them but I'm a mean bastard who doesn't let them have lollies or soft drink ( except at birthday parties).


I find i need to keep the door cracked a little and do need to play around with relighting every now and then. I do as you do with chips or pellets on the coals if i'm after heat, but if i'm doing bacon or ham i'm after a very low heat so i use the cold smoker and a heat saturated dome with little to no coals.

toothbrush?

Beercus


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## Murray (12/2/15)

Meant to quote.


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## Murray (12/2/15)

Mercs Own said:


> shoulder or leg?


Shoulder for pulled lamb. A roast leg on the Weber is a fine thing though!


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## philistine (13/2/15)

tomorrow's project ------- >
Left - Pork loin, which was coated in a dry cure then vac sealed for 5 days in the fridge. Now rinsed, going back into the fridge overnight un-covered to form a pellicle then into the smoker tomorrow - Soon to be KAISERFLEISCH!!!

Right - Full piece of girello, brined with pickling spices and garlic for 2 weeks, then rinsed and soaked in fresh water overnight to de-salinate. After brushing with oil, it is now thouroughly encrusted with a blend of crushed black pepper, coriander seeds, paprika, mustard powder, garlic powder, onion powder and a touch of dark brown sugar. Into the firdge overnight then into smoker tomorrow.
Soon to be Pastrami!!


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## philistine (14/2/15)

2 hours in... just came back from the shops and I can smell the goodness from down the st :icon_drool2:


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## philistine (15/2/15)

last one - ill stop now
THANKS FOR LETTING ME CRAP ON ABOUT MY MEAT EVERYONE :beer:


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## barls (15/2/15)

what did you smoke it with


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## Airgead (15/2/15)

That pastrami looks awesome. It all look awesome.


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## philistine (15/2/15)

Cheers! ive been alternating between ham and pastrami all day... its pretty much all ive eaten 
the first few hours i was using redgum for smoke and about halfway thru i switched to peach wood.
Cherry would have been my first choice and Ive got shit loads of it cut into chunks stacked up in milk crates- but its all pretty green and needs a month or two to dry out.
I got it a couple weeks back on the way to work when i noticed a flowering cherry street-tree that had been blown over in a storm or something. I literally just pulled over, got the chainsaw and hacked it up right then and there on the nature strip in front of someone's house... all done and dusted in about 10 minutes

it was 6.45am    

the ham was in for about 3-4 hours and the pastrami probably closer to 6. I was doing a brew at the same time and also bottling a batch, so I was pretty distracted most of the time and not keeping an eye on the coals really. The temp varied up and down between 80c - 120c throughout the process. The last time I did a pastrami i got tired and just went to bed after a few hours. The fire would have burnt itself out at some point during the night and I just pulled it out of the smoker in the morning - it was fine. Its pretty hard to stuff it up.


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## sp0rk (16/2/15)

Did 2 whole chooks in the Hark smoker yesterday
Gotta say they're not as good as when I used to do them over charcoal in my drum smoker, you don't get that delicious flavour from the burning fat smoking back up over the chicken
I also find I'm not a huge fan of using wood with chicken, I might leave the water bowl empty next time and let the fat drip into that, hopefully it'll sizzle and burn to smoke back up


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## cadeb (16/2/15)

cadeb said:


> Yes , small world indeed ! Thanks for the offer on the wood , much appreciated ! I'll put some progress pics of the barrel smoker up too . I also work for a business in Reservoir that sell beer supplies ( home make it ) so feel free to come in & say hi too  I'm seeing Scott Thursday , and will say hello


I whipped this barrel cold smoker up on the weekend ( well just re-inforced & cut the door ) . Shelves to go & pop in Scott's smoker & off I go ! Thinking about an upright barrel hot smoker now ! Cheers


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## seehuusen (16/2/15)

philistine said:


> last one - ill stop now
> THANKS FOR LETTING ME CRAP ON ABOUT MY MEAT EVERYONE :beer:
> 
> 
> ...


That looks absolutely delicious!! How much wood would you say you used to smoke this?

Also, there's one major issue in the photo.... your glass is empty


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## philistine (16/2/15)

I started with 2 big chunks of redgum, around the size of a large orange. For long cooks, big chunks of hardwood are really good because they smoulder really slowly for hours and as they diminish they begin adding their own heat and charcoal to the fire. After the redgum i split a 15cm section of peach log which was about 15cm dia. Into a few pieces and added them gradually. Probably only used about 3/4 of it tho


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## philistine (16/2/15)

That barrel smoker is awesome!!!


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## Brew Forky (16/5/15)

Got sick of drooling every time I read this thread so I manned up and made an UDS. It had it's moments as most DIY instructions are American and we don't have the same stores or products easily at hand. Had the drum sand blasted and I rollered some pot belly black onto it.




Then I made some pastrami by soaking corned beef portions to take a bit of the salt out and gave it a dry rub of coriander seed, pepper, paprika and garlic. Hot smoked it over hickory for about 4 hours.




Smoking meat envy sorted.


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## philistine (20/5/15)

Welcome aboard! Rad smoker too! When youve got the time/fridge space, try brining the beef yourself - adds a whole'nutha level of satisfaction! Girello makes real good pastrami too, but brisket is the traditional one


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## mje1980 (5/9/15)

Not long ago bought a weber. First roast tomorrow and am looking forward to smoking something too. 













Ok, smoking lots of things haha.


Anyone with a weber use a smokenator?


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## Brew Forky (5/9/15)

Nah, but I've seen them on Youtube. I started trying to smoke things on the Weber but went overboard (to that idea) .and made myself an UDS. I've smoked so many things now that I don't even post because this thread is lazy  .

I love it man, the meals my Mrs comes home too are to die for according to me.

So Ham, baconish pork, lamb ribs and every other animals ribs, Fatties, snags and anything else I can think of .....

Once you get started, you won't know where you'll end up. I jokingly said my other hobby once (apart from brewing) was Buffalo Chicken Wings on the Weber. You should see now what comes out of my smoker every week or two.........Make a fatty, you know you want to.

If you're roasting lamb (or beef for that matter) , don't use too much smoke.

I should get the UDS thread going again .


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## Brew Forky (6/9/15)

I made a perfect Fatty off the Weber with smoke. C'mon man, you know the drill. Chilli, Cheese, Bacon, Onions and Garlic etc. Mmmmmm.........


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## mje1980 (6/9/15)

What's a fatty? 


UDS look great, should I just make one of those instead of the weber?. Wouldn't be hard to do at work on a quiet weekend 

Pics?

Thanks for the info mate, I love cooking and eating dead animals and think I'll enjoy playing around.


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## Danwood (6/9/15)

A fatty is basically a dirty, great, big minced pork or beef log mixed with all the stuff Forky mentioned. Then wrapped in bacon and smoked for a few hours. An American delicacy !
And it's one that's probably contributed to more deaths in America than 9mm calibre rounds throughout the whole Vietnam war...
They're so good though !


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## sponge (6/9/15)

Dear Lordy.. I must suck on a fatty one day. Sounds absolutely delicious.


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## Brew Forky (6/9/15)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeVxkMOm9v0


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## Danwood (6/9/15)

Yessir !


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## Brew Forky (6/9/15)

Been thinking about fattys all day now and couldn't resist. Had some Woolies sausage meat in the freezer so fattied it up with parmesan, vintage cheese, home grown chilli, onion, garlic and diced bacon inside instead of a weave. 

Covered it in Memphis dust and brushed on Kansas City Bbq sauce for the last 1/2 hour. Smoked over Redgum scraps I scrounged from the mud at a wood yard for a couple of homebrews.

Served up with jacket potatoes. It doesn't get better than this.


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## Alex.Tas (7/9/15)

Travelling around Texas a few years ago we were staying with some friends just outside of Fort Worth. The neighbors poked their head over the fence because they heard our accents and pretty much begged us to come over to their barbecue.

They cooked up a brilliant spread, including fattys - although they called it bacon surprise and served it flat, rather than as a rolled sausage like in the above video.
This was their 'grill'



Kinda makes me want to risk coronary disease again after thinking back on it.

They can get a bad wrap the Americans, Texans especially, but they are honestly some of the nicest people you will meet.


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## Brew Forky (8/9/15)

Nice "grill". I spent some time in Texas when I went to the States. First night there given a home smoked Wild Boar sandwich. During the week they were getting some deer ready to smoke jerky with. Best chicken I've eaten came out of a warming oven that looked like an icecream freezer in this Servo somewhere outside San Antonio. Loved the food at their BBQ joints. And although not smoked meat (?), those Tex-mex platters are pretty bloody good. They certainly have perfected the art of smoking meat in the southern states.

And you're right. The people are overly friendly in the States when you get out to the "Real America".


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## shaunous (8/9/15)

Sweet Damn Smokey Goodness. Im cooking up a fatty this weekend, no holes barred, smoke and all.


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## Blind Dog (8/9/15)

Anyone in eastern suburbs melbourne (I'm in mitcham) have any recommendation for where to buy ribs, brisket and pork butt? Have wandered into a fair few butchers nearby without luck


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## Fents (9/9/15)

Blind Dog said:


> Anyone in eastern suburbs melbourne (I'm in mitcham) have any recommendation for where to buy ribs, brisket and pork butt? Have wandered into a fair few butchers nearby without luck


cant really help you out that way but if you ever get over to northside call scott at simply free range butchers in rosanna he will sort you out.



121 Lower Plenty Rd

Rosanna VIC 3084

(03) 9459 3310


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## Mardoo (9/9/15)

Kosher butchers usually have brisket, but you may have to buy it whole. I used to get mine at Solomon in Glen Eira. Might skip asking about the pork butt though. 
http://www.solomon.com.au/

Try the Vietnamese butchers on Victoria Street for anything and everything pork. Wanna serve your mates smoked butthole? You can get it on Victoria Street. (Serving suggestion: Like kids do with Cheezels)

The ones that do beef would likely get you a brisket, but you'd have to find a way to be perfectly clear about what you wanted. They have quite different ideas about how brisket is cut.

Vietnamese butchers can get you beef ribs. Some of the ones at Vic Market do baby back ribs but often cut off too much meat. There are a few at Box Hill Market too. 

On the whole Asian butchers have long been my best source for whatever hard to find cuts I want. For example they often call short ribs Asado, and sell them at half the price.


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## mje1980 (9/9/15)

I love the local wholesale serve yourself butcher. Was in there today and was drooling over whole chuck roasts, whole briskets ( bought a few of those  ), and all manner of bulk dead animal. 

Going to try hot smoking. First time so just grabbed some snags to see how the weber goes. If it goes ok, and so far everything I've tried has worked pretty good, I'll try to do my next lot of roast chickens hot smoked, or maybe beef ribs low n slow, or a chuck roast, or ......... 

Doing my first roast chooks today. I've brined them overnight and will be adding some apricot/plum wood to the coals for a bit of smoky goodness. I may even smother one of the chickens in some of the smoky BBQ marinade I picked up at Coles the other day. 

Love the weber, best shit ever


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## beercus (9/9/15)

dog, I buy all my meat from the Preston market. Not sure if you have something similar out your way...

BRISKET: while the topic has come up, what do you ask your butcher for when you want an american style brisket. What do we call that cut of meat in OZ? is it a special cut that you need to pre-order?

I have looked around (maybe not that well!) and have not found a definitive answer.


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## mje1980 (9/9/15)

I think you just look for a whole brisket. They're bloody huge, 5kg so you'll know.


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## Fents (9/9/15)

for a brisket 101 read this : http://www.aussiebbq.info/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=15262&hilit=brisket


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## seifer (9/9/15)

Pork Butt = Pork Shoulder (Bone in) Any butcher can supply, they normally take the bone out so pre-order.
Beef ribs, same again, sold as Beef short rib or Asado. Normally cut in strips across the bone. Pre Order as a whole slab Normally 4 or so Kgs.
Briskett as a above. Trick is getting a US cut.

Keep an eye out for old oak/wine (half) barrells. Slice up the staves 10cm long for your smoke. Much cheaper than buying anything else. Plus goes well with any meat.


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## Tex N Oz (9/9/15)

Ohhhh just found this thread!! Spent most of my life making cured and smoked meats. Love a good smoked brisket too.
If you live Sydney way, Pendle Hill is the best place to get any kind of meat you could ask for. 
Some items are special order like pig ears, tongues and heads, but it's all available.

Just bought a whole pork shoulder and gonna smoke that tomorrow.
If anyone's interested in proper american pork belly bacon, I make a lot of that too and happy to share it on. It's cold smoked though.

Edit: Here's a whole half-brisket that's been cut, rubbed and ready for the smoker.


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## mje1980 (9/9/15)

I will be picking your brain for the next 3 months haha


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## Tex N Oz (9/9/15)

mje1980 said:


> I will be picking your brain for the next 3 months haha


Go for it mate!! Everyone tells me I should open a restaurant and hide my recipes. I say to hell with that. I do it for the love of tradition and for friends and family.
There's nothing better than a brisket done right with a dark bark, red badge of honour and melting in your mouth. Marry it up on a plate with some Texas BBQ beans and southern potato salad.
Chase it down with a sun-struck Mexican lager and you get to experience a taste of heaven.


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## shaunous (9/9/15)

All you guys having trouble sourcing meat is a result of the butchery trade going to the pack like many others. Most butchers these days buy packaged meat from an abattoir and then sell or cut to size and sell. Not many hang full, half or quartered kills in the Coolroom these days that they can just cut bits off as customers ask (the 3 butchers I use in our little country town still hang beasts out back, not sure about the others in town). 
It's easier for butchers to buy it this way from an abattoir, rather then get a buyer to source, slaughter and transport. 
It's sad, especially for you lot having trouble. 

I love just walking in an asking for whatever I need, I've never had to order a cut, and hope I don't, because that's ridiculous.


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## shaunous (9/9/15)

This is straight out of the MLA (Meat and Livestock Australia) handbook us meat farmers pay into. It's blown up and hanging on my kitchen wall


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## Mardoo (9/9/15)

Tex N Oz said:


> If anyone's interested in proper american pork belly bacon, I make a lot of that too and happy to share it on. It's cold smoked though..


Lordy, Lordy. It's just too difficult to find good "streaky bacon" here. It's as if the abomination which is short cut bacon has infected everyone's brains and they think streaky bacon should be as meaty as possible. No less than 50% fat please! My wife just made a very sexual gesture and said, "Yes, yes, yes!"


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## robv (9/9/15)

Ribs on the WSM


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## stux (9/9/15)

Tex N Oz said:


> Ohhhh just found this thread!! Spent most of my life making cured and smoked meats. Love a good smoked brisket too.
> If you live Sydney way, Pendle Hill is the best place to get any kind of meat you could ask for.
> Some items are special order like pig ears, tongues and heads, but it's all available.
> 
> ...


Where in Pendle Hill?


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## Tex N Oz (9/9/15)

Stux said:


> Where in Pendle Hill?


Pendle Hill Meat Market. It's like the Big W of meat. 

http://www.pendlehillmeatmarket.com.au/

Service is ordinary but the meat is always fresh cut.


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## bkmad (9/9/15)

shaunous said:


> All you guys having trouble sourcing meat is a result of the butchery trade going to the pack like many others. Most butchers these days buy packaged meat from an abattoir and then sell or cut to size and sell. Not many hang full, half or quartered kills in the Coolroom these days that they can just cut bits off as customers ask (the 3 butchers I use in our little country town still hang beasts out back, not sure about the others in town).
> It's easier for butchers to buy it this way from an abattoir, rather then get a buyer to source, slaughter and transport.
> It's sad, especially for you lot having trouble.
> 
> I love just walking in an asking for whatever I need, I've never had to order a cut, and hope I don't, because that's ridiculous.


Hay shaunous, I see you're in Grafton. I've recently moved to Grafton. Can you recommend a butcher?


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## Ducatiboy stu (9/9/15)

bkmad said:


> Hay shaunous, I see you're in Grafton. I've recently moved to Grafton. Can you recommend a butcher?


You will have to join Grafton Brewmasters


Give GDSC Butchers or Holiday Coast a go. I get a bit from the butchers in the Grafton Mall. They also have some nice cheese and salami's etc


----------



## Tex N Oz (9/9/15)

Mardoo said:


> Lordy, Lordy. It's just too difficult to find good "streaky bacon" here. It's as if the abomination which is short cut bacon has infected everyone's brains and they think streaky bacon should be as meaty as possible. No less than 50% fat please! My wife just made a very sexual gesture and said, "Yes, yes, yes!"


Always glad to help a brethren score with his best half!!
I agree. That coagulated ham we call bacon is a bit shocking and took a long time to get used to. I'll get my recipe sorted and post it here.
It's PROPER bacon and requires nitrates and/or nitrites for the cure. I'm not comfortable with the salt cures that some use for curing. It's like no one has ever heard of botulism toxins.....
That's a nasty road you don't wanna go down...


----------



## Danwood (9/9/15)

If you've only just found the smoking thread, Tex, then maybe you haven't seen the bacon one either ?

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/24498-mmmmmm-bacon/


----------



## Tex N Oz (9/9/15)

Danwood said:


> If you've only just found the smoking thread, Tex, then maybe you haven't seen the bacon one either ?
> 
> http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/24498-mmmmmm-bacon/


Wow!! Great thread.. I didn't see my recipe in there either so maybe I'll have something to offer.


----------



## Brew Forky (9/9/15)

I've frequented several Asian supermarkets with butchers for meat to smoke. You can pick up Pork and Beef ribs for very good prices. A place gave me Beef ribs for $5 a kilo once because they were a bit fatty that day. Some of the cuts have been average and others have been superb. I helped my mate eat Pork Ribs off his Hark a couple of weeks ago, and when he told me the price from the butcher at the mall, I couldn't breathe properly.


----------



## manticle (10/9/15)

Tex N Oz said:


> Always glad to help a brethren score with his best half!!
> I agree. That coagulated ham we call bacon is a bit shocking and took a long time to get used to. I'll get my recipe sorted and post it here.
> It's PROPER bacon and requires nitrates and/or nitrites for the cure. I'm not comfortable with the salt cures that some use for curing. It's like no one has ever heard of botulism toxins.....
> That's a nasty road you don't wanna go down...


Hope I don't start a huge debate on the topic but there's very good reasons unitrited bacon won't kill you from botulism - almost as good as those that make no chilled wort a non issue. Besides the fact it's usually cooked hot to eat, it's made from a whole muscle cut.
Mince is far less safe so any sausages*, salamis, etc carry much more risk.

*fresh sausage cooked properly before consumption is fine - sausage in this instance is anything cured and cold smoked.


----------



## beercus (10/9/15)

manticle said:


> Hope I don't start a huge debate on the topic but there's very good reasons unitrited bacon won't kill you from botulism - almost as good as those that make no chilled wort a non issue. Besides the fact it's usually cooked hot to eat, it's made from a whole muscle cut.
> Mince is far less safe so any sausages*, salamis, etc carry much more risk.
> 
> *fresh sausage cooked properly before consumption is fine - sausage in this instance is anything cured and cold smoked.


Manticle,
do you find the nitrite free bacon taste different? I understand that Nitrite will affect colour but does it affect taste?
I do not think i have ever tasted nitrite free bacon.

I have no issues with Nitrite being a health issue (the nitrite/nitrate cancer link is bullshit) and do not add it to my bacon for food safety. I do not see how it is different to keeping a piece of meat in the fridge for 5 - 7 days and then smoking it for 3 hours hot. I have marinated roasting meat for that long.

But what about the all important taste?

Beercus


----------



## Tex N Oz (10/9/15)

manticle said:


> Hope I don't start a huge debate on the topic but there's very good reasons unitrited bacon won't kill you from botulism - almost as good as those that make no chilled wort a non issue. Besides the fact it's usually cooked hot to eat, it's made from a whole muscle cut.
> Mince is far less safe so any sausages*, salamis, etc carry much more risk.
> 
> *fresh sausage cooked properly before consumption is fine - sausage in this instance is anything cured and cold smoked.


Well, that's been a debate since the beginning of time I think. I know of several historical events that resulted in loss of life from improper curing and improper cooking of bacon, but there has never been a case of botox poisoning from a properly cured meat. Even bacon that has spoiled in the fridge wont grow botulinum. There are also many types of botu-bacteria that produce different types of toxins and scientist are finding that some are more resistant to heat than others, leaving the 90°C safety temperature behind and one they suspect can remain active beyond the temperature of boiling water. That's scary shit. A member of my grandfather's tribe died from that stuff, and because of the stories, I have the utmost fear and respect for that little microbe. But with that said, to each their own and I respect that there are many different ways to make good bacon.
My practice is very traditional and was handed down to me (modernised of course with modern chemistry) and mostly remains the same.

I de-rib a whole pork belly (or several of them), trim the rind and outside fat off.
Using a mixture of salt, beet sugar, fresh peach juice, honey and Prague #2 cure (6.25% sodium nitrite and 4% sodium nitrate) I massage VERY well into the pork belly. I put it in the fridge in a sealed bag with no air in it turning daily for 12 days.
I then soak the slabs in luke warm water for 2 hours to leech the cure.
I put them back into the fridge to form a pellicle before cold smoking for 6 hours with very light hickory @ 45°C.
They are then rolled in powdered salt and wrapped tightly in 2 layers of muslin cloth, placed in a tied up hessian in a cool dark room for about 6 weeks.

My other recipe is salt, dextrose, brown sugar, maple syrup, juniper berries, cracked black pepper and cure #2

Now you have bacon made old school.
It never sees a fridge and is hard as a rock, but it melts when you put in a med-hot skillet to cook golden brown or bake in the oven @180 until the same.




beercus said:


> Manticle,
> do you find the nitrite free bacon taste different? I understand that Nitrite will affect colour but does it affect taste?
> I do not think i have ever tasted nitrite free bacon.
> 
> ...


Nitra(i)tes are most of the taste you get from cured meat. To me, uncured bacon tastes like a salted, fatty pork chop, but it's all a matter of taste and some people prefer it.

They claim that nitrate salts can be bad for you if you over-cook bacon to black. If I recall it's about 200°C that nitrosamines start to form, but you can't get away from them all together as they are in almost all BBQ meats, smoked meats, beer (especially dark beer) and many other products that we consume daily. They even claim they are made in your stomach from eating nitrate rich foods.... better stay away from celery and spinach!!

So is it bad for you? I dunno.. don't care. 
I'll eat my bacon, drink my beer and might even surprise my liver with a glass of tap water once in a while.

The day I die will be the end of a life I wasn't afraid to live. :icon_cheers:


----------



## manticle (10/9/15)

beercus said:


> Manticle,
> do you find the nitrite free bacon taste different? I understand that Nitrite will affect colour but does it affect taste?
> I do not think i have ever tasted nitrite free bacon.
> 
> ...


It's definitely different. Matter of preference.

Once upon a time I had concerns about adding nitrate/nitrite but that's long gone (eaten enough commercial stuff to make concerns pointless anyway).

Tex - my understanding is that while spores can withstand heat, the toxins they produce can't. They are also unable to reproduce on the surface but are not present inside the whole cut.
If they were, I'd presume eating all meat was suss.


----------



## Tex N Oz (10/9/15)

manticle said:


> Tex - my understanding is that while spores can withstand heat, the toxins they produce can't. They are also unable to reproduce on the surface but are not present inside the whole cut.
> If they were, I'd presume eating all meat was suss.


That correct that the spores can withstand up to 121° before they are instantly neutralised, much slower at lower temperatures down to 100°C. The toxin is, in most cases deactivates at 90°C but there are some concerns that some strains can produce a protein cluster that provides temperature protection from even 100°C. One of my more successful hobbies is cooking and preserving food. I've done huge research in this so I don't kill anyone. haha
With domesticated pork, you're most likely safe. I wouldn't bet on it with wild game though. I shot a boar once, immediate field dressed it and within a 30 minute walk it was starting to stink so bad I had to ditch the carcass. I asked a wildlife vet why this happened and he said that wild pigs are saturated with so many bacteria from the carrion that they eat that the second their immune system shuts down, they quickly rot. Meat and all. Because porcine are mostly immune to botulinum toxin they likely consume it daily, while most other carnivores are adverse to it. While I have no scientific reference other than that, I believe it's possible to have infected meat as even fresh pork in the fridge doesn't keep long before it starts to turn from other bacteria so why not botulinum too?
For me at least, I err on the side of safety when it's something I feed to other people. Even then I've had a lot of people say "Home cured meat??? No thanks.." and I'm kind of the same way.


----------



## bkmad (10/9/15)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> You will have to join Grafton Brewmasters
> 
> 
> Give GDSC Butchers or Holiday Coast a go. I get a bit from the butchers in the Grafton Mall. They also have some nice cheese and salami's etc


Thanks, I haven't tried Holiday Coast yet. Had good luck at Grafton Mall, but the one time I went to GDSC was not long before closing time on a saturday so stock was too low to see what they have.

What is this Grafton Brewmasters of which you speak?


----------



## Ducatiboy stu (10/9/15)

bkmad said:


> What is this Grafton Brewmasters of which you speak?


Come to Roches and we will talk about membership over a few beers. 

PM me


----------



## shaunous (11/9/15)

bkmad said:


> Hay shaunous, I see you're in Grafton. I've recently moved to Grafton. Can you recommend a butcher?



PM'd.

And Welcome to our little country shit fight :lol:


----------



## shaunous (11/9/15)

Suck it up boys. One big Fatty in the smoker right now


----------



## Mr B (11/9/15)

Ahhh FFS

I am preparing to make a better brew rig, and I have discovered smokers.

A mate brought some smoked products to a bbq recently, and from that I realized that the Aldi smokers were on sale a week later.

Went to check them out on the Monday morning, thinking its all ok, i'll just have a little look.

There were three left.

That afternoon, I was committed.

4pm, all sold out. Calls to the national center revealed no chance.

Subsequent researching reveals potential pid controlled gas smokers etc.

Mmmm, complicated, potentially dangerous, and definitely delicious (assuming it doesn't blow up).

I'm in.

The 3v rig and pid controller will win, but now I have another pending 'hobby' (the lovely wife asked if it was a new obsession, and I couldn't in all good faith disagree, despite not having smoked anything before (......)


----------



## manticle (11/9/15)

Brew Forky said:


> I've frequented several Asian supermarkets with butchers for meat to smoke. You can pick up Pork and Beef ribs for very good prices. A place gave me Beef ribs for $5 a kilo once because they were a bit fatty that day. Some of the cuts have been average and others have been superb. I helped my mate eat Pork Ribs off his Hark a couple of weeks ago, and when he told me the price from the butcher at the mall, I couldn't breathe properly.


Just check the pork is from a sow. Some cheap pork can be from a male (look up boar taint).


----------



## Tex N Oz (11/9/15)

manticle said:


> Just check the pork is from a sow. Some cheap pork can be from a male (look up boar taint).


Cook an old boar in a cast iron frying pan and you'll have to throw the pan away. Never get rid of the taste.


----------



## Brew Forky (12/9/15)

manticle said:


> Just check the pork is from a sow. Some cheap pork can be from a male (look up boar taint).


Checked out boar taint and it sounds like I would know about it if cooking a susceptible animal. In my research I learned much about castration techniques of the males of the species. :blink: Poor little Rib providers....


----------



## Mardoo (12/9/15)

Brew Forky said:


> :blink: Poor little Rib providers....


Wait, Adam was castrated!?!?!?


----------



## shaunous (12/9/15)

I feel so full. I now regret the quantity i consumed.


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## Danwood (12/9/15)

Pain is weakness leaving the body !


----------



## Airgead (13/9/15)

Dinner tonight.


----------



## Samuel Adams (14/9/15)

Mr B said:


> Ahhh FFS
> 
> I am preparing to make a better brew rig, and I have discovered smokers.
> 
> ...


I was keen on getting an Aldi smoker but I had to work Sat so only got to Aldi on the Sun to find all the smokers sold out at all the stores I checked.
What the hell, I blame this thread for the demand !!

Also I'm really surprised at the lack of any for sale second hand.
You can get a new Hark one for $330 on ebay instead of the Coolabah branded Aldi ones for $200, I just can't swallow that, I'm a cheap bastard !


----------



## Mr B (14/9/15)

Samuel Adams said:


> I was keen on getting an Aldi smoker but I had to work Sat so only got to Aldi on the Sun to find all the smokers sold out at all the stores I checked.
> What the hell, I blame this thread for the demand !!
> 
> Also I'm really surprised at the lack of any for sale second hand.
> You can get a new Hark one for $330 on ebay instead of the Coolabah branded Aldi ones for $200, I just can't swallow that, I'm a cheap bastard !


Yeah, I must confess to being the same.

However, I also don't mind a bit of DIY, so the research continues into the smoker build..cause you make a cheap copy of the expensive ones.....

Mmmmm Pid controlled gas smoker........ maybe recirculated,,,Mmmmmmmm.......

So many options


----------



## Tex N Oz (14/9/15)

Samuel Adams said:


> I was keen on getting an Aldi smoker but I had to work Sat so only got to Aldi on the Sun to find all the smokers sold out at all the stores I checked.
> What the hell, I blame this thread for the demand !!
> 
> Also I'm really surprised at the lack of any for sale second hand.
> You can get a new Hark one for $330 on ebay instead of the Coolabah branded Aldi ones for $200, I just can't swallow that, I'm a cheap bastard !


Got em here in Baulkham Hills nsw today.


----------



## shaunous (14/9/15)

I remember years ago I paid $150 for mine. ALDI have found plenty want them obviously.


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## Danwood (14/9/15)

Lots of stores did clearances of these for $100 last year. Might happen again this year....


Might not.


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## Tex N Oz (14/9/15)

Yeah, I have to admit I've got 2 of them sitting in the backyard I've had for 3 years. They are cheap and fairly well made. Definitely good enough that I've smoked hundreds of kilos of meat in them and still going strong. Actually they show very little wear at all. Blast em out with a pressure washer once in a while to keep them decent. 
Drilled a hole in the side for my cold smoke generator. Tops..


----------



## Brew Forky (14/9/15)

Mr B said:


> Mmmmm Pid controlled gas smoker........ maybe recirculated,,,Mmmmmmmm.......


I was reading about these guys with Ugly drum Smokers hooking up something similar to a stc-1000. They had fans on the inlets and when the temp dropped, the fans blew air to the coals to heat it up and then turned them off at the correct temp. Ingenious.


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## mje1980 (15/9/15)

Drooling guys.


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## Tex N Oz (15/9/15)

Just make sure you don't over-smoke the meat. I add once. HIckory, pecan and mesquite can be over-powering and bitter if you go to hard.


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## mje1980 (16/9/15)

Hopefully done in around 20hrs . Just one small chunk of aprium. Just a little bit.


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## Danwood (16/9/15)

I had to do a google on 'aprium'. Sounds good.


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## Blind Dog (16/9/15)

always wondered how they coem up with the hybrid name. I kind of prepfer Plupricot...

does sound nice though

what's the smoker? Looks like a kettle but difficult to tell


----------



## Fents (16/9/15)

glad im finding so many old AHB crew now on aussiebbqforum and aussiepitmasters etc.


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## mje1980 (16/9/15)

Brewerbbqer on aussiebbq. Noob haha


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## mje1980 (16/9/15)

My current dilemma is this. I promised I wouldn't use smoking chunks for this. Mrs is a bit over me smoking everything. I slipped a little chunk in thinking it'd be gone before she got home. Genius I know but I left the back door open and the house smells awesome. I lit a candle and sprayed Glenn 20 but I'm probably busted haha. 

Might put some cider in the fridge


----------



## mje1980 (16/9/15)

None the wiser


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## WarmerBeer (16/9/15)

mje1980 said:


> Hopefully done in around 20hrs . Just one small chunk of aprium. Just a little bit.


Haha, I know that particular photo.

Did you end up taking my advice?


----------



## mje1980 (17/9/15)

I ended up leaving it mate, it was too big. If I turned it, the back end would be right over the coals, unless I moved the meat itself, which I wasn't game to do. 

Doesn't really matter, the snake burnt out overnight! Checked it half hour ago and it was cold!. Got the oven on at 100c. Hopefully it's not leather haha. I added a water pan so it hopefully isn't dry as a bone. 

I think I should've left the vents right open, though it looks like it actually burn out completely.


----------



## joshuahardie (17/9/15)

mje1980 said:


> Brewerbbqer on aussiebbq. Noob haha


I am JazzyJ on both those forums.. Not a huge contributor, but do plenty of reading


----------



## joshuahardie (17/9/15)

I am not sure if i have contributed my rig on this forum, but anyway. this time last year i bought a pro q frontier

best money i have ever spent. does just about everything and i have not used the bbq since





BBQ chicken is now a staple, so is smoked cheese.
I have had great results , and have tried pastrami, pulled pork, tri tip, brisket and the christmas turkey.


----------



## joshuahardie (17/9/15)

beef shorties




roast




tri-tip


----------



## shaunous (17/9/15)

Looks awesome mate. My BBQ only get used for weekend breakfasts. Everything else is cooked in the smoker (mainly because we don't have an oven.


----------



## Fents (17/9/15)

That tri tip looks ace!


----------



## mje1980 (17/9/15)

Awesome mate, I'm drooling!. 

Mine was a fail, pretty sure. I finished it in the oven and its sitting in foil in the esky. I reckon it got too hot too quick and will be dry as, but I may as well find out. Have chicken drummies sitting in brine, they're the plan b, least I know they'll be done in an hour!. 

I love the weber, awesome. I now know why lots of guys have a weber kettle, and a smoky mountain. Such a great bit of gear


----------



## joshuahardie (17/9/15)

The advice i got for tri-tip was to cook it to med-rare due to the low fat content. I had it a tad under that, and could of done with a tiny bit more, but better under than over.
it was sliced for burritos.
ill be doing it again, when i see it come up at my local.


----------



## Seaquebrew (17/9/15)

Weber Q, Weber kettle and Weber Smokey Mountain

All used regularly 

I have a BBQ problem 

Cheers


----------



## Samuel Adams (19/9/15)

Mr B said:


> Yeah, I must confess to being the same.
> 
> However, I also don't mind a bit of DIY, so the research continues into the smoker build..cause you make a cheap copy of the expensive ones.....
> 
> ...





Tex N Oz said:


> Got em here in Baulkham Hills nsw today.


So after setting up my NSW based sister & visiting parents to head out to Baulkham Hills to get one next week, my parents found one in the Fortitude Valley store.
This despite the fact the call center confirmed that QLD was completely sold out !

Mr B not sure if it was the last one but might be worth a look if you're in town.


----------



## mje1980 (19/9/15)

I tried to kill that chuck roast. Snake burned too hot and died overnight. Finished in the oven. Was sure it was stuffed but I foil wrapped it and esky'd it. Added some smoky BBQ sauce after I pulled it

Some dry bits but it fed 9 kids and 5 adults with some left over. So good!


----------



## Brew Forky (20/9/15)

Beef spare ribs and snags over a bit of Redgum. Chuck some cheap supermarket snags in the smoker and brush with KC BBQ sauce for the last half hour turns them into a treat. Looking forward to those ribs though. Those taters should be melting at meat off time.


----------



## mje1980 (22/9/15)

For a "fatty" could you use a Pyrex dish, like a meatloaf to cook it in?.


----------



## Brew Forky (22/9/15)

mje1980 said:


> For a "fatty" could you use a Pyrex dish, like a meatloaf to cook it in?.


Never done it but I suppose it would cook. It'd cook in in own juices though and the smoke wouldn't reach every part. Be best straight on the grill plate imo. What's the reasoning?


----------



## mje1980 (22/9/15)

I can so see myself wrapping it wrong and it falling through the grate haha


----------



## Brew Forky (22/9/15)

If you're using mince a good thing to bind it together is sausage meat. Helps keep it a bit moister too if you overcook it. 

Just roll it gently off the plastic onto the grill and it sets in no time.


----------



## barls (22/9/15)

use one of these if your worried
http://frogmats.com


----------



## shaunous (23/9/15)

mje1980 said:


> For a "fatty" could you use a Pyrex dish, like a meatloaf to cook it in?.





mje1980 said:


> I can so see myself wrapping it wrong and it falling through the grate haha



Don't be worried, the thing sets like a log of concrete. I was a little worried, but I sat it straight on a fairly wide gap mesh/rack and no problems. I wouldn't use pans or anything, they hold liquid, burn food and don't let good circulation to cook completely evenly.

Wack it straight on your cooking rack, she'll be right.


----------



## Brew Forky (5/10/15)

The GF was staying away and phoned me to pull out a Pork Forequarter out the freezer so she could make a roast when she returned. She should know me by now......8hrs over Redgum after marinating in Memphis Dust and pulled with KC Sauce. Home made Slaw with Grated Apples and Russian dressing. Corn went on later and then covered in butter, cream cheese and Chilli powder.


----------



## barls (5/10/15)

Yesterday's smoke
Roasted peppers, baby spinach and cheese stuffed fatty


----------



## Danwood (6/10/15)

Peppers...spinach ? It's healthy...yay !


----------



## Fents (7/10/15)

Cape Grim beef ribs in the Akorn :


----------



## beercus (7/10/15)

Fents said:


> Cape Grim beef ribs in the Akorn :


FENTS: That looks amazing.... f$%k now i'm hungry! That's a decent amount of meat for a beef rib...

Melbourne Northern suburbs cant be to far from Eltham, ill be there soon....

Beercus


----------



## Mardoo (7/10/15)

Dayum! I had a Cape Grim steak that was among my best ever! Love to try their ribs.


----------



## Fents (8/10/15)

beercus said:


> FENTS: That looks amazing.... f$%k now i'm hungry! That's a decent amount of meat for a beef rib...
> 
> Melbourne Northern suburbs cant be to far from Eltham, ill be there soon....
> 
> Beercus


Cheers mate, yea cape grim are the goods. Black Onyx beef heard good things about too but yet to try any.

Watsonia mate, just a drop punt away, welcome anytime


----------



## LiquidGold (8/10/15)

Had a great smoke up for my brothers 30th about a month ago using a mates smoker, thought I'd share the only pic I managed to take...




Also that fatty looks epic, definitely on my to do list.


----------



## Brew Forky (9/10/15)

LiquidGold said:


> Had a great smoke up for my brothers 30th about a month ago using a mates smoker, thought I'd share the only pic I managed to take...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


What did you cook for the other people there?

Looks like an offset smoker. Saw one at the Big Green Shed not long ago. Had a feel and a play and wasn't as tinny as I expected. Not absolute quality but probably worth $325 including the offset. No affiliation ra, ra, ra. Sent a pic to my mate and he reckoned to take it home as I deserved it. How would my UDS feel though? It loves me. So I explained to the offset it was just a fling. Then it was an upset smoker.


----------



## LiquidGold (11/10/15)

The others got salad 

Yeah it's an offset smoker called Landmann, works a treat. Those cheese stuffed jalapenos wrapped in bacon were so good after being smoked for 4 hours.


----------



## Brew Forky (11/10/15)

LiquidGold said:


> The others got salad
> 
> Yeah it's an offset smoker called Landmann, works a treat. Those cheese stuffed jalapenos wrapped in bacon were so good after being smoked for 4 hours.


Jalapeño Poppers are "The Shit".


----------



## lespaul (11/10/15)

Got stuck into my first smoke on the weekend. Went to the butcher and asked for pork ribs. He told me those were American and they didn't have them. Pointed me to some ribs that were shaved down to the bone in the freezer... Looked horrible. Asked several follow up questions confirming that pigs here don't have ribs but got nothing... Got a pork belly instead

Edit: Oh and by the way ended up amazing... Would have taken photos but forgot and there was none left after having people over. Probably a good sign. New addiction game on


----------



## shaunous (12/10/15)

LiquidGold said:


> Had a great smoke up for my brothers 30th about a month ago using a mates smoker, thought I'd share the only pic I managed to take...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I'll give you my details so you can send me an invite next time. Looks amazing.


----------



## Fents (12/10/15)

lespaul said:


> Got stuck into my first smoke on the weekend. Went to the butcher and asked for pork ribs. He told me those were American and they didn't have them. Pointed me to some ribs that were shaved down to the bone in the freezer... Looked horrible. Asked several follow up questions confirming that pigs here don't have ribs but got nothing... Got a pork belly instead
> 
> Edit: Oh and by the way ended up amazing... Would have taken photos but forgot and there was none left after having people over. Probably a good sign. New addiction game on


Your butcher is sort of right but sort of not. Obv all pigs have ribs. Just that american pigs are grown huge compared to ours. You will never get the same 'meaty' pork ribs as America here. And over here they are bloody $20KG minimum, its an absolute rip off.

If you want meaty pork ribs ask for a full pork belly with ribs on, then you can cut the Belly out yourself and leave as much meat on the ribs as you like. You will pay for it tho $$$$!

If you want meaty ribs then beef ribs are the go. You can get Cape grim for approx $15/KG from most butchers.

Although my local butcher still get in a carcass and butchers it properly so he does his beef ribs for $10KG but they arnt as neat looking as Cape Grim products.

Thats whats pissing me off about smooking at the moment all the "CHEAP" cuts that low n slow turn into a good feed, butchers have cottoned on and charge a fortune for it. Brisket, Pork Ribs they are all a rip off. These all started out as cheap cuts like lamb shanks once upon a time.


----------



## shaunous (12/10/15)

If y'all were a little closer I'd help you out a little 

Anything I get butchered is $1kg to do. So my last lamb that weight a whopping 27kg cost me a whopping $27 to have butchered, sorted, packed and straight into the freezer.


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## mje1980 (12/10/15)

I did my first overnight pulled pork the other week. Started it too early, so it was probably done when I was asleep, but other than a little dry, man it was great. 

Next time I'll stare it late at night, then check in the morning. 






Which thermometer do you guys use???


----------



## seamad (12/10/15)

I have the Maverick remote one, has 2 probes ( meat and bbq), #733 I think


----------



## barls (12/10/15)

I've got the model under.et72


----------



## Fents (12/10/15)

shaunous said:


> If y'all were a little closer I'd help you out a little
> 
> Anything I get butchered is $1kg to do. So my last lamb that weight a whopping 27kg cost me a whopping $27 to have butchered, sorted, packed and straight into the freezer.


Lamb flaps and lamb shoulder!!!! :icon_drool2: h34r:


----------



## Helles (12/10/15)

Lamb flaps are $27 an hour in New Zealand lol


----------



## shaunous (12/10/15)

Boom Boom!!!


----------



## Mr B (12/10/15)

Mutton's cheaper h34r:


----------



## mje1980 (13/10/15)

seamad said:


> I have the Maverick remote one, has 2 probes ( meat and bbq), #733 I think



Cheers guys, be handy to have one of those!


----------



## lespaul (13/10/15)

this might seem like an odd question,
But im going away for the weekend and they only have a bbq.
I was wondering if there was a good way to slow cook in a conventional gas bbq with the benefit of added smoke,
Im thinking using a foil tray with the hot charcoal in that, sitting next to the meats with the bbq lid closed?
could use the gas to moderate the temperature
thoughts?


----------



## djar007 (14/10/15)

Get a decent chunk of fruitwood and also add a waterpan . Should be able to set it on low gas and cook away. Don't keep checking on it though. Leave it alone for a few hours once you are happy the temp is between 110 and 120.


----------



## Fents (14/10/15)

lespaul said:


> this might seem like an odd question,
> But im going away for the weekend and they only have a bbq.
> I was wondering if there was a good way to slow cook in a conventional gas bbq with the benefit of added smoke,
> Im thinking using a foil tray with the hot charcoal in that, sitting next to the meats with the bbq lid closed?
> ...


http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/barbecued_pork_shoulder_on_a_gas_grill/

foil tray with a few heatbeads (i'd start with 6-8) fully lit would also suffice.

even better scour gumtree or ebay and go buy a second hand weber you will not regret it.


----------



## beercus (14/10/15)

I do most of my smoking on the Standard BBQ using an Amaze-Smoker. I find 1 element on low in my 6 burner bbq keeps the opposite end at around 90oC, perfect for ribs etc.... 

Beercus


----------



## mje1980 (15/10/15)

How ******* good is brining then smoking chicken? I did a few chooks like this not long ago and they were epic. I eat heaps of chicken breast, so cook a few batches during the week. I thought I'd brine some and see how it went. Faaaaaaark, super juicy and so much flavour.


----------



## seamad (15/10/15)

chicken wings do really well with a brine and smoke too


----------



## Seaquebrew (15/10/15)

If you have a Weber kettle get the rotisserie ring and spit.

Brine + smoke + rotisserie = mind blowing chicken or duck

Cheers


----------



## Brew Forky (18/10/15)

Great timing , my next wings are being brined . Taught by a master last week. 7:1:1. 7 parts water:1 part Salt:1 part Brown sugar for an hour. Smoke. Sorted.


----------



## Danwood (18/10/15)

I haven't brined chicken before. Sounds pretty good, y'all.

I'll do more bacon (belly with loin attached) and a load of chicken thighs in a big brining session next, I think.

Then smoke the whole lot, plus a fatty, with a load of Almond wood. 

That's the menu for the next brew day sorted then. Just need to nail down a beer recipe.


----------



## Fents (19/10/15)

Not lown n slow smoking per say, but pizza's last sat on the Akorn :

Kids Pizza






Meatlovers





Super happy with my own dough lately





Fresh Scallops, Garlic, EVOO an Cheese


----------



## barls (19/10/15)

nice


----------



## mje1980 (19/10/15)

Looks sensational ! I'm hopeless with dough, otherwise I'd do heaps of pizza haha.

I tried smoking salmon the other day. Cured overnight then washed and wiped with rum. Smoked it for about 2 hours with Apple wood. Pretty much gone now


----------



## Alex.Tas (20/10/15)

Had my first dip at smoking meat over the weekend. Cooked up a fatty with some chili, cheese, capsicum and mushrooms.
I was pretty surprised at how easy it was to build. i thought it would have been much harder to do and would want to fall apart.


----------



## Danwood (20/10/15)

If you don't need a shower after eating BBQ, you haven't done it correctly !

Good, messy work there, Alex.


----------



## Fents (20/10/15)

Epic fatty! :kooi:


----------



## beercus (20/10/15)

Those of you doing pizza should look into beer pizza dough. Basically the water is replaced with beer in the dough making process. You just have to make sure your beer is warm to activate the yeast.
Give it a go

Beercus


----------



## Mr B (20/10/15)

Alex.Tas said:


> Cut.jpg


Mmmm Damascus steel knife

I got a Tsuki (Tasuki?) one recently (sorry its 5-6m away to check the spelling).

Bloody awesome, so sharp and for so long.

Only cut off about a quarter of a nail accidentally so far.


----------



## SBOB (20/10/15)

Fents said:


> Not lown n slow smoking per say, but pizza's last sat on the Akorn :
> 
> 
> Super happy with my own dough lately


got a dough recipe to share?


----------



## lespaul (20/10/15)

I find dough is more about how you knead it and how you treat it. 
For pizza I mix flour and water to 63% hydration. Can use some oil if you want it a bit more chewy. Can also add gluten so it is a little more crispy and chewy. Generally at 5% flour weight.
00 flour gives you a much finer dough, much nicer. 
Knead, rise, make into pizza, rise, bake. Just takes practice to see how long to leave and knead etc
Not like you guys need another hobby right?


----------



## LiquidGold (20/10/15)

Impressive smoke ring and bacon wrapping on that fatty!


----------



## Alex.Tas (21/10/15)

LiquidGold said:


> Impressive smoke ring and bacon wrapping on that fatty!


I showed the picture to a few others and they thought it wasn't cooked! Can't blame them really. Tasted damn good. 



Mr B said:


> Mmmm Damascus steel knife


I was over at a friends house so it was his knife. He bought it while in Japan a few weeks ago. $400 for a knife... You are right though. Damn sharp!


----------



## beercus (21/10/15)

SBOB said:


> got a dough recipe to share?


If you are using a stone then this eBook will be your best guide. It is another hobby in its self. Before you know it you will be building your own Wood fired oven.
In my WFO i use a very high hydration for all dough and add a little semolina to the dough.
Forno Bravo is the best pizza forum around. Taught me how to build the oven and then cook in it! 
http://www.basalite.com/sites/default/files/library/pizza-stone-cooking.pdf 
check it out
Beercus


----------



## Fents (21/10/15)

SBOB said:


> got a dough recipe to share?


Mate its so simple. I'm not a baker by any means and just use standard ingredients. You can use 00 flour or whatever but im all about KISS.

375ml warmish water
600G flour
Pinch of salt
Instant dry bread yeast

Load all ingredients into a mixer (i use a kitchen aid with dough hook, bread makers work well too) and knead for about 5 mins
Take dough out and put it in another bowl that you have wiped with olive oil
Let it rise for about 1 hour or until its doubled in size
knock back the dough and cut into 3 even balls
roll em out into pizza bases
load em up with toppings
cook

As i said some people use 00 flour, sourdough yeast starter and let it ferment for 48 hours. Ive got 2 hungry kids so im all about KISS.

Good Luck


----------



## Danwood (21/10/15)

Fents said:


> im all about KISS


That's nice, Fents...not reeaaally relevant, but anyway...


----------



## idzy (23/10/15)

Howdy guys, just bought one of these off gumtree for cheap and going to start reading through the thread. Hopefully it is not a dud. Quite excited I must say... I have been using my WeberQ thus far, but it seems to go a bit too hot and you can't smoke much in it at one time.


----------



## sponge (24/10/15)

beercus said:


> Those of you doing pizza should look into beer pizza dough. Basically the water is replaced with beer in the dough making process. You just have to make sure your beer is warm to activate the yeast.
> Give it a go
> 
> Beercus


My mother in law started using beer in her bases and they definitely improved from using water. First time she tried it myself and the Mrs commented on the bases and she said the only thing she changed was the liquid so I have also been using beer to make mine since then.


----------



## GuyQLD (1/11/15)

This thread needs more pork.

2.5Kg pork shoulder, all dressed up and ready to party. He's on the Webber now, so I'll post the after shots tonight.


----------



## GuyQLD (1/11/15)

And the aftermath.. with bonus wings.


----------



## shaunous (5/11/15)

Mmmmmmmmmm


----------



## mje1980 (5/11/15)

I just did my first pulled pork yesterday. Ridiculously good, and so easy really. 

Nom noms


----------



## mje1980 (5/11/15)

Where do you get pork wings form ??


----------



## mje1980 (5/11/15)

Are those things bear claws??? Two forks works ok but not great


----------



## gap (5/11/15)

mje1980 said:


> Where do you get pork wings form ??


Pigs that fly?????????????????


----------



## Samuel Adams (5/11/15)

Pulled pork in the smoker questions;

Fat on or cut off ?
Basting ?
Cover with foil after a certain time ?

I have done one which was my first smoke and I cut the fat off and didn't cover or baste. 
It tasted bloody awesome but was a bit dry (dry rubbed 2.5kg shoulder for about 10 hrs @ 105-110c)
I used to do mine in a slow cooker with a bit of liquid and I'm used to them being more......moist.

Cheers.


----------



## seamad (5/11/15)

fat on, here is a pretty good article:
http://amazingribs.com/recipes/porknography/perfect_pulled_pork.html


----------



## Samuel Adams (5/11/15)

seamad said:


> fat on, here is a pretty good article:
> http://amazingribs.com/recipes/porknography/perfect_pulled_pork.html


Ha that's the one I based my first smoke on, he states to trim most of the fat off which I did (I guess to let the smoke penetrate the meat more)
I always left the fat on in the slow cooker.

Cool, next time I'll leave the fat on and hopefully it will self baste while cooking.

Also forgot to ask what internal temp people aim for ?
From memory I took it out in the mid 80's


----------



## Spohaw (5/11/15)

77 here

Hate dry pork, everytime I cook it people whinge that it's not the dry horrible shit like they like it 

I use a meat thermometer and just get it to the pork/veal temp which is 77 so it's safe to eat despite what people tell me 

They still eat it mind you , they just whinge


----------



## Spohaw (5/11/15)

Pork

I cut the rind off when I smoke pork and make scratchings with it 

It's ok if you roast it but when you smoke it I think it sort of stops the smoke penetrating the meat under the rind and the rind never crackles properly at the low smoking temps


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## Samuel Adams (5/11/15)

Ok so should I cut the rind off and try to leave some fat on the meat ?


----------



## seamad (5/11/15)

I do the same as spohaw, make scratchings with the rind, and leave @ 3-4mm layer of fat.


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## shaunous (5/11/15)

Cut all the excess fat off. Even better ask the butcher to remove skin and fat so your not paying for it (Unless you want to cook crackling separately)

You definitely do not want rind on either, try chewing the sole of a work boot, it'd taste the same as slow cooking rind.

When your meat internal temp gets to 90*c for pulled pork, remove and then cover with foil. I have removed it before 90*c a few times if it stalls and people are getting hungry, but I've never removed it under 80*c

I do all my smoking at 110*c.


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## Spohaw (5/11/15)

I've never made pulled pork 

77 degrees internal temp won't get you a pulled pork , it will fall off the bone and be moist but is don't think you will be able to shred it like pulled pork


----------



## shaunous (5/11/15)

Hell no, its meant to be moister then your first girlfriend.

You use shoulder as its full of internal fat which brings on the moisture after a long slow low cook. so yeh, only use shoulder cuts, and bone in is better.


----------



## Spohaw (5/11/15)

All this talk of BBQing is making me hungry 

Better smoke some meat up tomorrow


----------



## mje1980 (5/11/15)

For my first one, I left the fat on, and used a roasting grate over a pan with water and tropical juice. Cooked in the Webber with a snake. I added a rub overnight as well. Cooked it at low temps ( 110 I think ) til it hit 91c then foiled it and put it in an esky wrapped in towels. While it rested I made gravy from what was left in the water pan. 

Only left it 45mins and it pulled easily and without the gravy was quite moist ( I hate dry meat ). I added a few tablespoons of the gravy and mixed it around. The fat cap I took off first and threw out. 

Turned out awesome. Just finished it now


----------



## Spohaw (5/11/15)

Must be some good stuff this pulled pork I'll give it a crack one day 

Just boned butterflied a leg of lamb then stuffed butter garlic and a leek in the guts then rolled it up ready for tomorrow 

No rub today but I'll spray it with a honey / beer mix towards the end 

Or constantly ...... See how I feel


----------



## Spohaw (5/11/15)

Not the prettiest but I'm not entertaining the queen or anything haha


----------



## GuyQLD (5/11/15)

mje1980 said:


> Are those things bear claws??? Two forks works ok but not great


Yeah mate, got em for free when I bought my Maverick temp monitor. They make short work of shredding the meat. 

As to process, forgive me for using Fahrenheit but I get most of my info from Americans and since my temp monitor is capable of both, I tend to do a lot in that system.

I smoke at 250F, I know some people swear by 225F but I'm cooking on a webber kettle and 250F is easier to maintain the way I do it (I don't do the snake method). At around 165F internal I'll pull it off and foil it before putting it back on the grill. 

I take it off at 193-195F internal and pop it somewhere safe (oven, esky) for about 30 minutes to let it relax/finish cooking before shredding. 

Pretty straight forward, made it a couple of times now. Always comes out tasting amazing.


----------



## robv (1/12/15)

Beef ribs on the mini WSM


----------



## idzy (3/12/15)

Yum


----------



## shaunous (3/12/15)

Double Yum!


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## Samuel Adams (11/12/15)

Had another crack at pulled pork in the smoker with hickory chunks this time I basted with apple cider vinegar and wrapped in foil after about 6hrs.
It turned out much better keeping the moisture in. Next time I''ll go for 2hrs smoke 2 hrs unwrapped 4 hrs wrapped and basted.
Also chucked some pork spare ribs and chicken wings in for lunch, far out that was a tasty lunch, so easy & tasty !


I put the wings in a tray as I didn't want them dropping juices on the pork


----------



## Samuel Adams (11/12/15)

Pic of lunch...


----------



## WarmerBeer (11/12/15)

Samuel Adams said:


> I put the wings in a tray as I didn't want them dropping juices on the pork


Why not? What is wrong with the delicious melding of pochirkcken?

Mmmmmm, pochirkcken :icon_drool2:


----------



## Samuel Adams (12/12/15)

WarmerBeer said:


> Why not? What is wrong with the delicious melding of pochirkcken?
> 
> Mmmmmm, pochirkcken :icon_drool2:


I'm always pretty careful with raw chicken, I guess it would've been fine without a tray.
They did get plenty of smoke flavour even on the tray though


----------



## shaunous (26/12/15)

How'd everyone's smokey Xmas go?

We served up;
Pulled pork (13hrs)
Smoked lamb leg
Smoked fish
Crispy skin Muscovy Duck
Crispy Skin Young Rooster
2kg Fresh King Prawns. 

Plus the side dishes. 

It was a struggle to fit the beer in, but after a swim in the creek we were good to go. 

Even had AHB royalty in the form of Ducati Stu come out and join us (He brought the fish, and some terrible backyard cricket batting  )


----------



## Danwood (26/12/15)

Sounds great, Shanous.

My streaky bacon with honey baste and Almond wood smoke was a roaring success for breakfast. No pics of that unfortunately, it was over so quickly !
The terrine was fantastic later in the day aswell. Duck and hare with pork force-meat. The pork had PX sherry-soaked raisins and dates mixed in with the onion,sage and rosemary additions. So tasty with my sweet all-spice, capsicum and tomato chutney.


----------



## Ducatiboy stu (26/12/15)

shaunous said:


> How'd everyone's smokey Xmas go?
> 
> We served up;
> Pulled pork (13hrs)
> ...


Yes it was a good feed .

The pulled pork and Mahogany sauce was fantastic. :icon_drool2:

The fish wasnt anything special, just covered in morrocan spice mix from Aldi and smoked for about 40 min. Nice and simple. Came it very nice 

As for the cricket....well I am positive the bats where a lot bigger back when I played cricket in school... h34r:


----------



## Ducatiboy stu (26/12/15)

Danwood said:


> Sounds great, Shanous.
> 
> My streaky bacon with honey baste and Almond wood smoke was a roaring success for breakfast. No pics of that unfortunately, it was over so quickly !
> The terrine was fantastic later in the day aswell. Duck and hare with pork force-meat. The pork had PX sherry-soaked raisins and dates mixed in with the onion,sage and rosemary additions. So tasty with my sweet all-spice, capsicum and tomato chutney.


Xmas at your place next year by the sound of that


----------



## schoey (27/12/15)

After umming and ahhing for months, Christmas provided the ideal opportunity to smoke my first pork collars for pulled pork. I smoked 2 (about 2.2 kg each) on the Weber using the snake method. 3 chunks of Apple wood for flavour. Took 10 hours overnight then wrapped in the esky for a couple of hours until the guests were ready to eat. Ecstatic with results, everyone loved it.

After 3 hours:



Pulled and ready for sandwiches:



Cheers to all on here who have provided inspiration and information. I think I've found another hobby to go with brewing.


----------



## barls (8/1/16)

just put some moink balls in the smoker from the book by this bloke
Smoking Meat - The Complete How to Smoke Meat Guide
they were a little bland the first time around so they have a rub on the outside of them this time.


----------



## shaunous (17/1/16)

Man they look good. Im onto it...


----------



## barls (17/1/16)

setting up for tomorrow with a pork shoulder
also have some lamb going in brine for next weekend


----------



## Airgead (17/1/16)

Have some beef ribs on the smoker even as we speak...


----------



## Airgead (17/1/16)




----------



## Airgead (17/1/16)




----------



## Airgead (17/1/16)




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## jimmy86 (21/1/16)

Airgead, after seeing your ribs I had to make my own. So I made up a Moroccan inspired rub and cooked them in the oven at 100degC for five hours wrapped in foil.
Then charred them on the gas BBQ and served with a simple coleslaw.
I forgot to take a photo when I ate them but they were delish'.


----------



## Airgead (22/1/16)

Mine ended up a touch dry. I suspect wrapping in foil after an hour or three would have made for a better result. I'll give that a go next time.

Edit: My rub was really simple - some paprika, salt, pepper, garlic and fennel seed all smashed up in the mortar and pestle.


----------



## Fents (22/1/16)

yea those asado cut ribs can end up dry fast!

try get some beef shorties next time much more meat and so much more forgiving.


----------



## Droopy Brew (22/1/16)

**** you all.

Now I can see myself entering another hobbie vortex that will do neither my health nor my wallet any favours.

Found out the olds still have their old webber kettle that has been gathering dust for the past 15 years. Looks like Australia day will consist of drinking kegs of home brew and trying to master the charcoal snake.

Thanks a ******* million.


----------



## seamad (23/1/16)

Cooked up some pork ribs for dinner, bloody kids ate as much as me, need to cook more next time.


----------



## Droopy Brew (26/1/16)

So, a couple of questions for all you meat rubbers and smokers. I have a leg of lamb (about 2.5kg) on at the moment sitting at 120C.
With lamb, should I just let it run its course to optimum temp or is it worth giving it the 3-2-1 method and wrapping in foil for a couple of hours?
I didnt brine it, just covered it in mustard and put a dry rub on it and let it sit overnight. Will the foil make for a juicier meat?
Also what internal temp would you aim for?


----------



## Seaquebrew (26/1/16)

Shoulder is better for low and slow cooking, but leg should be fine

65 deg c for internal temperature 

I generally cover with foil once I'm happy with the bark (outside crust)

Foil, towel and esky rest for minimum of 1hr

Cheers


----------



## WarmerBeer (26/1/16)

Droopy Brew said:


> So, a couple of questions for all you meat rubbers and smokers. I have a leg of lamb (about 2.5kg) on at the moment sitting at 120C. With lamb, should I just let it run its course to optimum temp or is it worth giving it the 3-2-1 method and wrapping in foil for a couple of hours? I didnt brine it, just covered it in mustard and put a dry rub on it and let it sit overnight. Will the foil make for a juicier meat? Also what internal temp would you aim for?


Lamb leg is better going the traditional Weber method of 2 full baskets. Being a pretty lean cut, lamb leg doesn't have enough intra-muscle fat to break down during a low'n'slow cook.

Given that you've already committed, do as Seaquebrew says, and just take it to 65 C, then wrap and rest for a little prior to carving.


----------



## Droopy Brew (27/1/16)

Thanks for the advice. As it turned out I had the lamb off the coals by 10am yesterday and had overshot the temp- it was closer to 75C after just 3 hours. It was a little overdone but to be honest I quite like my lamb on that side. Turned out to be a winner anyway. I tried the snake method and it worked but Im not convinced my hood thermometer is giving me a true indication of heat at meat level. I kept it between 120-130C but the time it took to cook, tells me it was probably hotter at the grill.

Anyway it was well received and washed down nicely with plenty of Smoked Porters and Blondes of tap.


----------



## Hairy camel (30/1/16)

Just gathering some parts to build a offset smoker 

Yes I know there gas bottles and yes they are getting degassed properly


----------



## jimmy86 (30/1/16)

I understand the bottles, but what's the wagon wheel going to do other than be a cool wheel to move it around?


----------



## Mardoo (30/1/16)

Fuel.


----------



## shaunous (31/1/16)

I low and slow everything Droopy brew. Except poultry, I learnt that the hard way :unsure: .

Like others have said, everything I baste as normal and remove them at their desired internal temps, which most of the time is about the 65-68*c mark, except pork shoulder for pulled pork being the 90*c. Then wrap, then carv. I mostly use my smoker for big cooks, so i'll cook 3,4 or 5 cuts at once, so everything in there sits at 110*c, its just their pulled out at different times, or put in a different times.


----------



## Hairy camel (31/1/16)

jimmy86 said:


> I understand the bottles, but what's the wagon wheel going to do other than be a cool wheel to move it around?



Yes the plans to use the wheels on the fire box end and some smaller cast wheels on the front I'm still a little unsure on the fire box size so I think I might make my own out of plate 
The idea of this build is to be a small budget build with things I have around the shed and left over bits from mates


----------



## Samuel Adams (31/1/16)

shaunous said:


> I low and slow everything Droopy brew. Except poultry, I learnt that the hard way :unsure: .
> 
> Like others have said, everything I baste as normal and remove them at their desired internal temps, which most of the time is about the 65-68*c mark, except pork shoulder for pulled pork being the 90*c. Then wrap, then carv. I mostly use my smoker for big cooks, so i'll cook 3,4 or 5 cuts at once, so everything in there sits at 110*c, its just their pulled out at different times, or put in a different times.


I going to smoke up a whole chook soon in my gas smoker, should I put it on med-high heat ?


----------



## Grainer (31/1/16)

Took the plunge and bought this bad boy.. Bring on the smoke ! Primo Oval XL with all the bling accessories


----------



## seamad (31/1/16)

Had one of those for a couple of years now, had a weber kettle 20 odd years before it, replaced the weber as the lid had rust holes through it. The Primo is a great bit of kit, so simple to set the temp with small adjustments to the top vent, much easier to control cf the weber, and very stable temps.
The only bit I've replaced is the felt seal ( as it burnt away ), bought some ceramic woven tape from the States and glued it on with the red high temp silicon gasket stuff for turbo 's , a much better fix than the original.
Fantastic as a bbq, great for roasting, and a smoker too, you'll love it.


----------



## Grainer (31/1/16)

seamad said:


> Had one of those for a couple of years now, had a weber kettle 20 odd years before it, replaced the weber as the lid had rust holes through it. The Primo is a great bit of kit, so simple to set the temp with small adjustments to the top vent, much easier to control cf the weber, and very stable temps.
> The only bit I've replaced is the felt seal ( as it burnt away ), bought some ceramic woven tape from the States and glued it on with the red high temp silicon gasket stuff for turbo 's , a much better fix than the original.
> Fantastic as a bbq, great for roasting, and a smoker too, you'll love it.


Thanks mate.. hope it was worth the large investment just gotta learn how to use it now


----------



## WarmerBeer (31/1/16)

Grainer said:


> Took the plunge and bought this bad boy.. Bring on the smoke ! Primo Oval XL with all the bling accessories


You sure don't do things by halves, do you?


----------



## Grainer (31/1/16)

WarmerBeer said:


> You sure don't do things by halves, do you?


No way !


----------



## shaunous (1/2/16)

Samuel Adams said:


> I going to smoke up a whole chook soon in my gas smoker, should I put it on med-high heat ?


Yeh. You want your oven temps for chicken or it comes out rubber.


----------



## shaunous (1/2/16)

Hey Grainer & Seamad!

Would you rather one of the Primo's over a proper built fire pizza oven??? Or they do different things and better at them?


----------



## WarmerBeer (1/2/16)

shaunous said:


> Would you rather one of the Primo's over a proper built fire pizza oven??? Or they do different things and better at them?


Different beasts entirely.

I've only got a cheapy kamado (Dragon) but I've used it for: low'n'slow cooking, smoking, pizzas, roasting and direct grilling over coals.

While you could do a lot of these in a pizza oven, I don't think you'd have the same control over the heat. Pretty hard to control a pizza oven at 125 C for 12 hours for a brisket.

Saying that, it's also pretty hard to do more than one pizza at a time in a kamado. A wood fired pizza oven is on my wish list, I just don't know where I'd put it.


----------



## seamad (1/2/16)

I've built a brick wfo ( pompeii igloo style, 1m internal diameter ) and for pizza it shits on the primo, and anything else for that matter. Rating from worst to best for pizza, in my experience, are oven, gas bbq, primo, wfo.
The problem with the primo ( and bbq's in general ) is that you can get the bottom hot enough but you can't get the top hot enough, nothing beats having a fire licking over the top of your pizza.
On Saturday night my 2 kids ( 8 and 10 ) had a friend over each for a sleepover, so we had pizza's. The 10 year olds face lit up after his first bite and proclaimed it to be the best pizza he'd ever eaten, he then had to have a slice of every pizza made just to make sure, ended up eating more than me.I used plenty of insulation in the build so I get 3 days cooking from the one firing. Yesterday i baked some bread in the morning, and did a beef rib (bone in ) roast and vegies for dinner. You get very juicy roasts in the wfo as it's just radiant heat from the bricks. With the primo you get all the extra flavour from cooking over charcoal and adding lumps of wood. I have light a small fire in the wfo when already hot, added the meat and then closed the door, which puts the fire out and lightly smokes the meat.
On the third day the wfo is good for low and slow, @120 in the morning, add meat and after 10 hours it's @105. Again you can't get the smokiness that the primo gets. I have thought of using my smoking tube with a computer fan and trying to get smoke in that way but the primo does it already, so haven't bothered.

long winded reply, short answer is have both


----------



## Hairy camel (1/2/16)

seamad said:


> I've built a brick wfo ( pompeii igloo style, 1m internal diameter ) and for pizza it shits on the primo, and anything else for that matter. Rating from worst to best for pizza, in my experience, are oven, gas bbq, primo, wfo.
> The problem with the primo ( and bbq's in general ) is that you can get the bottom hot enough but you can't get the top hot enough, nothing beats having a fire licking over the top of your pizza.
> On Saturday night my 2 kids ( 8 and 10 ) had a friend over each for a sleepover, so we had pizza's. The 10 year olds face lit up after his first bite and proclaimed it to be the best pizza he'd ever eaten, he then had to have a slice of every pizza made just to make sure, ended up eating more than me.I used plenty of insulation in the build so I get 3 days cooking from the one firing. Yesterday i baked some bread in the morning, and did a beef rib (bone in ) roast and vegies for dinner. You get very juicy roasts in the wfo as it's just radiant heat from the bricks. With the primo you get all the extra flavour from cooking over charcoal and adding lumps of wood. I have light a small fire in the wfo when already hot, added the meat and then closed the door, which puts the fire out and lightly smokes the meat.
> On the third day the wfo is good for low and slow, @120 in the morning, add meat and after 10 hours it's @105. Again you can't get the smokiness that the primo gets. I have thought of using my smoking tube with a computer fan and trying to get smoke in that way but the primo does it already, so haven't bothered.
> ...


A brick wfo is awesome I built a barrel volt style oven to bake bread and cook roasts in it the best thing I've ever built 
7 years later and countless fires it's still like new


----------



## Grainer (1/2/16)

shaunous said:


> Hey Grainer & Seamad!
> 
> Would you rather one of the Primo's over a proper built fire pizza oven??? Or they do different things and better at them?


As I understand the Primo has the ultimate temperature control ! above and beyond nearly all cookers of these types


----------



## King Panda (1/2/16)

http://www.claypave.com.au/pizza-ovens/

These kits are good, easy to build and very efficient. If you want something custom they also have a huge range of refractories so any style is achievable.

Full disclosure, this is my family's company.


----------



## Grainer (1/2/16)

King Panda said:


> http://www.claypave.com.au/pizza-ovens/
> 
> These kits are good, easy to build and very efficient. If you want something custom they also have a huge range of refractories so any style is achievable.
> 
> Full disclosure, this is my family's company.


So does that mean half price for AHB members?


----------



## King Panda (1/2/16)

Maybe not half price but a good price


----------



## seamad (1/2/16)

King Panda said:


> Maybe not half price but a good price


Can I claim that retrospectively ? h34r:


----------



## King Panda (1/2/16)

Do you have one? How are you enjoying it? 

If you need anything additional let me know and I'll see what I can do.


----------



## Grainer (1/2/16)

seamad said:


> Can I claim that retrospectively ? h34r:


Nice try.."not half price" sounds like 49% off.... go Warmbeer.. while the irons HOT


----------



## seamad (1/2/16)

King Panda said:


> Do you have one? How are you enjoying it?
> 
> If you need anything additional let me know and I'll see what I can do.


Twas only kidding.
I didn't use one of your kits, but did buy my firebricks from you for my oven and also an outdoor open fireplace ( still under construction ). The steering on the ute was rather light on the way home from Dinmore.


----------



## seamad (1/2/16)

Couple pictures :

Inside the oven




Outside of oven, old photo as coloured render now done


----------



## King Panda (2/2/16)

That's a nice one. Much more impressive than the kit, it's just a tunnel style oven.


----------



## Hairy camel (2/2/16)

King Panda said:


> http://www.claypave.com.au/pizza-ovens/
> 
> These kits are good, easy to build and very efficient. If you want something custom they also have a huge range of refractories so any style is achievable.
> 
> Full disclosure, this is my family's company.


Funnily enough that's where I got my bricks from i live like 400 meters away from there factory at dinmore qld


----------



## Hairy camel (2/2/16)

Here's the inside of my oven although I haven't used it in a few months in winter I use it just about every weekend 
I think the all in cost of mine including the base and firewool blanket was under $600


----------



## Ducatiboy stu (2/2/16)

Just in case anyone is looking for kiln/oven bricks there is a brickworks up here that can make kiln bricks and there pretty cheap. Plenty of freight guys as well


----------



## shaunous (3/2/16)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> Just in case anyone is looking for kiln/oven bricks there is a brickworks up here that can make kiln bricks and there pretty cheap. Plenty of freight guys as well


We still have a functioning brickworks???


----------



## seamad (3/2/16)

A kiwi fruit orchid up here has a stack of decent size prunings for firewood ( free ), has anyone used it ? Google was no help, although I did find out it's an ingredient in a naturally based vaginal lubricant...


----------



## King Panda (4/2/16)

Hairy camel good to hear your oven is still going strong after 7 years. Would you guys mind if the family business used your pictures?


----------



## barls (5/2/16)

seamad said:


> A kiwi fruit orchid up here has a stack of decent size prunings for firewood ( free ), has anyone used it ? Google was no help, although I did find out it's an ingredient in a naturally based vaginal lubricant...


jump on here and ask
http://www.aussiebbq.info/forum/index.php?sid=dc829de2f2bd794282fe8487471a2e5a


----------



## Hairy camel (5/2/16)

King Panda said:


> Hairy camel good to hear your oven is still going strong after 7 years. Would you guys mind if the family business used your pictures?


No worries dude I actually got my bricks from your families business from memory I think I was the first one to get the bricks from you now it seams everyone's building them

Ooh you can call me Paul


----------



## CmdrRyekr (9/2/16)

Thinking about offsets. Have used a UDS for ages with all charcoal, and a few hickory lumps for smoke. I love the mostly set and forget aspect. But I need more cooking space.

Reading about offsets, I hear they run on wood only, not charcoal, and consequently require more tending to the fire.
Why? Can't they just run on all charcoal too? If not, why not?
Does a programmable PID fan style setup help at all?

I don't want to be up every 2, 3 or 4hrs through the night for an overnight cook (i.e. big Brisket). I don't want to be chasing wood from random places. I don't want to be storing epic quantities of wood.

Other than the cooking space, why should I look at an Offset?


----------



## jimmy86 (9/2/16)

Jump on harks website and look at gmg pellet grills. I don't have one (want one) but they are automated and have wifi which you can read temps off your phone and not have to tend to whilst you sleep.
They are apparently efficient to run also.


----------



## CmdrRyekr (10/2/16)

jimmy86 said:


> Jump on harks website and look at gmg pellet grills. I don't have one (want one) but they are automated and have wifi which you can read temps off your phone and not have to tend to whilst you sleep.
> They are apparently efficient to run also.


I like this answer. I just happen to have a contact who's a wholesaler. Epic Discounts Ahoy!


----------



## Mardoo (10/2/16)

Auberins does make BBQ controllers…


----------



## Spohaw (11/2/16)

Would make it almost like your not even bbqing with all that stuff 
Like the idea for people who want an awesome BBQ without having to actually do any work to cook it .... Flip a switch set the temp and rack off and check your phone every now and then 

Not my idea of fun ..... I like to set some wood on fire and watch it and play with the vents , add more wood .... Burn myself , melt hairs and drink a fair few beers 
Just grab the hark tri-fire offset i would recommend ..... Half the price twice the fun 
When my cheap offset falls apart ( thinking it maybe this year some time ) I'm getting a tri-fire ...... Unless something else comes out around the same price and the same quality


----------



## Spohaw (11/2/16)

You can run offsets on charcoal but wood is better 

I normally just light a few handfuls of briquettes and use wood for the rest of the cook


----------



## CmdrRyekr (11/2/16)

Spohaw said:


> Would make it almost like your not even bbqing with all that stuff
> Like the idea for people who want an awesome BBQ without having to actually do any work to cook it .... Flip a switch set the temp and rack off and check your phone every now and then
> 
> Not my idea of fun ..... I like to set some wood on fire and watch it and play with the vents , add more wood .... Burn myself , melt hairs and drink a fair few beers


I did say set and forget, but then again I always check the Maverick constantly and mostly it's at temp no worries.

I don't mind the odd adjustment, and even the odd wake up is ok. I've had that with the UDS. I just don't want to be out of bed every 2 hours to add wood. Is that required?



Spohaw said:


> Just grab the hark tri-fire offset i would recommend ..... Half the price twice the fun
> When my cheap offset falls apart ( thinking it maybe this year some time ) I'm getting a tri-fire ...... Unless something else comes out around the same price and the same quality


Hark tri-fire is constantly in stock at the wholesaler I know, so that's always going to be cheaper than the GMG by a factor of a million.



Spohaw said:


> You can run offsets on charcoal but wood is better
> 
> I normally just light a few handfuls of briquettes and use wood for the rest of the cook


Glad to hear, this does make things more appealing to me. I use mallee root charcoal in my UDS now and if I can use it in an offset, that could be the go. With some wood would be OK.


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## Spohaw (12/2/16)

Sorry mate I didn't read all the thread ... I don't cook while I sleep so I wouldn't know 

I only do day time bbq's , maximum 8 hour cooks but mainly 5-6 hour cooks ... Dinner / lunch bbq's


----------



## Spohaw (12/2/16)

Those hark 4 rack digital smokers look pretty good value for money $500 and should go all night


----------



## Spohaw (12/2/16)

Or a 4 rack Bradley digital smokers for $700 look pretty good too


----------



## Danwood (14/2/16)

Couple of pics of this weekends smoke-up.

3.5kg Pork leg rubbed with mustard then patted-on Cajun dry rub. I also stabbed holes and poked in pieces of garlic in various spots.
9hr cook, 5hrs with fairly continuous smoke (Almond), 3hrs no smoke and 1hr rest, wrapped in tin foil and a blanket in an esky. Spray basted with Apple juice, cider vinegar and brown sugar mix.
Carved up beautifully. Very moist and went great with pumpkin,carrots,fennel and potatoes, all roasted.
Cheers !


----------



## barls (14/2/16)

almost as pretty as what i saw at meat stock today.


----------



## Danwood (14/2/16)

barls said:


> almost as pretty as what i saw at meat stock today.


Why, thankyou Sir. That sounded like a good event to attend. What did you try, Barls ?

There was a Cider and Pork fest up here (Coldstream) a few weeks ago, which was pretty good. Brisket from a mob called '7 Fires BBQ' (I think...Cider was a big part of the event) was great. Their espresso BBQ sauce was very tasty.
A taster of Carolina Reaper chilli paste rounded off my day brilliantly. I couldn't stop the hiccups or river of saliva my body decided to produce for quite sometime.


----------



## technobabble66 (14/2/16)

Droopy Brew said:


> **** you all.
> 
> Now I can see myself entering another hobby vortex that will do neither my health nor my wallet any favours.
> 
> ...


^^ This. x10.
Hate you all.



... Though i think my tastebuds will appreciate it :lol:


----------



## barls (15/2/16)

Danwood said:


> Why, thankyou Sir. That sounded like a good event to attend. What did you try, Barls ?
> 
> There was a Cider and Pork fest up here (Coldstream) a few weeks ago, which was pretty good. Brisket from a mob called '7 Fires BBQ' (I think...Cider was a big part of the event) was great. Their espresso BBQ sauce was very tasty.
> A taster of Carolina Reaper chilli paste rounded off my day brilliantly. I couldn't stop the hiccups or river of saliva my body decided to produce for quite sometime.


i ended up with the brisket taco. there was some very nice food there but the lines were unbelievable


----------



## Crakkers (15/2/16)

Spohaw said:


> Those hark 4 rack digital smokers look pretty good value for money $500 and should go all night


Has anyone had any experience with these?
They look to be pretty good value if they work ok, but I can't seem to find much in the way of independent reviews on them - only from people selling them.
I know that electric smokers, even gas-fuelled ones, are frowned upon by serious smokers, but these just look so easy to use and surely must be capable of producing some reasonably delicious feasts.
I've been using one of those little Gasmate cheapies for a couple of years with some fantastic results, but it's just such a fiddly bloody thing with only one useful rack.
So would one of these Harks be $500 well spent, or a waste of money?


----------



## Danwood (15/2/16)

barls said:


> i ended up with the brisket taco. there was some very nice food there but the lines were unbelievable
> 
> 
> 
> IMG_1785.jpg


Yeah, tell me about it. These social gathering can be waaaay too social sometimes.


----------



## Cortez The Killer (15/2/16)

Crakkers said:


> Has anyone had any experience with these?
> ...
> So would one of these Harks be $500 well spent, or a waste of money?


I've had the hark electric for about 18 months and it's had a real work out. I run it with an a-maze-n pellet smoker which works well. I received an 'aussie smoke bloke' for xmas so I will be switching out to this shortly. It really pumps out some smoke.

The hark itself has been really good. I did however bypass the internal controller and am running it with an auberins controller. I found the internal one to fluctuate significantly say 10*C up or down and it seemed really slow to switch on or off. The auberins PID keeps the temp rock solid. The unit itself is solid and well insulated.

In terms of size they are more than adequate for my needs - deceptively roomy. 

Cheers


----------



## Crakkers (15/2/16)

Thanks for that info. 

Sounds like the internal controller is rubbish, with 10 degree fluctuations. I notice there seems to be 2 different types (maybe one has superseded the other) of control panels. One has a pop-up control box on the top and the other is integrated into the top front of the cabinet. Wonder if one is any more accurate than the other, or if the internals are still the same?

So if the temperature can be accurately controlled, does it make a decent standalone unit, or does it really need a separate smoke generator. I don't really like the idea of spending $500 on something that will need more money spent on it to make it useful.

Cheers.


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## Cortez The Killer (16/2/16)

Mine has the control panel on the front. From memory the flip up one was the earlier model.

There is a shoot on the side to drop chips etc into the chamber directly above the element. These last 20 to 30 mins before topping up. This method works but requires a little more attention.

I switched to pellets for convenience via the a-maze-n pellet smoker which can be had for ~$75. These run for 9 hours when fully loaded. There is a cheaper / similar model here $55 http://www.bbqspitrotisseries.com.au/p/ez-cold-smoker-tray-for-pellet-smoking/EZ-SMOKER-P

I run the smoker overnight quite often with 22 hour brisket. I don't have any interest in tending to heat / temperature and the thought of gas running unattended worries me. I usually run the smoke for 3 to 4 hours depending on what's in there and the balance of cooking time is really just a like running an electric oven at low temps to get that low and slow flavour/texture. I'll also set it up before I head to work and come home to a cooked dinner.

It has really changed the way the family eats and is great for parties. The temperature fluctuations via the internal controller were consistent enough to give repeatable results. But being a particularly fastidious person with an interest in electronics probably drove me to swap it out. I wouldn't let that sway you against purchasing one.

The unit itself is solid, well insulated and the trays sturdy. The 4 trays give plenty of room too.

I've toyed with the idea of building one from scratch after having got my head around running it but once you factor in the prices of trays, lining, insulation, elements / electronics etc you'd probably exceed the price of the Hark. At one point I also thought I should have got a bigger one like the masterbuilt but honestly I don't even fill the Hark when I host the Illawarra Brewers Union summer beer fest. Also at the time when I purchased I think the masterbuilt gen 2 or 3 was coming out and there wasn't enough info out there about whether they had resolved the issues with the earlier model - not sure what the current situation is though.

The unit has paid for itself with continual good eats.

Hope that helps. Any other questions let me know.

Cheers


----------



## Crakkers (16/2/16)

Thanks Cortez, plenty of useful information there.

I'll get onto it as soon as I can organise some spare cash.

Cheers.


----------



## cdbrown (17/2/16)

CmdrRyekr said:


> Reading about offsets, I hear they run on wood only, not charcoal, and consequently require more tending to the fire.
> Why? Can't they just run on all charcoal too? If not, why not?
> Does a programmable PID fan style setup help at all?
> 
> ...


I've got a Hark tri-fire offset and I use lumpwood charcoal, briquettes and those redhead charcoal (hexagonal shaped) and add wood chips or pellets. I haven't tried a cook with just wood as only have jarrah on hand so I stick with the charcoal. I do have to check it regularly but that's only to maintain enough fuel (I do need to investigate a better way) and I only do day cooks - 8 - 10 hours - for dinner.


----------



## WE5TY (25/2/16)

Fired up the Weber with the smokenator today... 10hr smoked boneless pork Leg I got on special from Coles. Pulled half and sliced half. Got a brew away too so it's been a good day!

View attachment 87170


View attachment 87171


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## Siborg (21/3/16)

Dammit, now I'm looking at a new and expensive (time and money) hobby! My missus bought me one of those mini-fish smoker thingys from Rays that runs on a couple of small metho burners. Going to give that a try with some fish and a few smaller cuts of meat to get a taste for it. I don't have the money to invest in a serious smoker, so I've been looking around at cheaper DIY options.

I was looking at a trash-can style smoker, but got turned off by all the discussion around zinc toxicity from the glavanised metal the trash cans use. There is obviously debate about the levels of toxicity from them at smoking temps, but I'd rather not risk it.

Had a look around gumtree and found that those 44 gal food grade drums can be bought for around $20. Might get one of them and look at making a ugly drum smoker. 

In the interim, anyone had any experience with the mini fish smokers from Rays? (Link)

Any tips/recipes/wood recommendations? They sell mesquite, malee, and sheoak - which ones work best on what kinds of meat?


----------



## indica86 (24/3/16)

I am considering a Hark. After getting a Weber Q and tasting home smoked goodness.... yum.


Has anyone used Avocado wood? I have a tree that drops the odd branch,,


----------



## BottloBill (24/3/16)

Siborg said:


> Dammit, now I'm looking at a new and expensive (time and money) hobby! My missus bought me one of those mini-fish smoker thingys from Rays that runs on a couple of small metho burners. Going to give that a try with some fish and a few smaller cuts of meat to get a taste for it. I don't have the money to invest in a serious smoker, so I've been looking around at cheaper DIY options.
> 
> I was looking at a trash-can style smoker, but got turned off by all the discussion around zinc toxicity from the glavanised metal the trash cans use. There is obviously debate about the levels of toxicity from them at smoking temps, but I'd rather not risk it.
> 
> ...


Maybe look into building a UDS (ugly drum smoker)


----------



## aussiechucka (5/4/16)

Just for those who would like to know. Brisbane BBQ festival July 2nd. Craft beer and great food. 
http://www.brisbanebbqfestival.com/


----------



## indica86 (6/4/16)

Anyone have one of these?
http://www.smokai.com
Looks to be a good idea especially with the Weber Q mount.


----------



## barls (6/4/16)

indica86 said:


> Anyone have one of these?
> http://www.smokai.com
> Looks to be a good idea especially with the Weber Q mount.


yep nice got one mounted in an aldi branded hark.
works well


----------



## shaunous (7/4/16)

I hope you 2 are happy. I just bought one for my much used Aldi Smoker


----------



## indica86 (7/4/16)

I haven't bought one yet but it is on the shopping list.


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## seifer (7/4/16)

Hey lads, Ive posted this on the aussie pitmasters forum but I thought I'd share here too... I'm located in Sydney FYI. Id post this in the for sale area but it kinda only applies to smoking so here it is.


Im looking to build a couple of offsets for a business Im setting up. Offsets will be 18"/45cm in diameter and 4.5mm or 6mm in thickness and similar in styling to El Guapo which some of you saw at port Macq at The Smoking Barrels team site.
The pipe im sourcing is 9 metres long and ill probably only need 4 metres of it. 
Is anyone interested in buying the remainder of the pipe? It would be sold at $61 a metre for the 4.5mm or $90 for the 6mm, minimum 2 metres. Im easy on which thickness we go with.
If the price is right I would also entertain the idea of building you a smoker/or two but obviously at a greater price than $61 a metre but certainly won't be as exy as the production smokers out there, can happily build to your specifications assuming your happy with the set diameter.
My builds are rustic but they work well and that's how an offset should be.


----------



## Bribie G (16/4/16)

Just came home with an Aldi rebadged Hark double door gas fired smoker.
Fucked if I know why but they say never ever go shopping when you are hungry 

My test piece is going to be a slab of pork belly done on apple/cherry/mesquite chips. I'm thinking of a short marinade with garlic, ginger and Belgian Dark Candi Syrup.


Now here's a question with regard to the rubs.
I have a friend who has had most of her liver removed and is not allowed salt, plus I'd like to cut down myself.

Can anyone suggest any nice spice rubs for pork or chicken that are no-salt?


----------



## wobbly (16/4/16)

Countin the days until Aldi become operational in Perth Suburbs for stuff like this

Wobbly


----------



## CoxR (16/4/16)

Last year and the one before you could find the re-bagged Harks at Aldi for $100 a week or so after. I have often thought of buying one to convert into a wood/charcoal smoker.


----------



## Bribie G (16/4/16)

They could be putting less out this year, I got the second last at Lismore and it wasn't even a full pallet by the looks of it, it obviously had just been a stack about six or eight on the end of a pallet of mostly gardening stuff. I'll check at Casino next week.

edit: haven't used mine yet but what's the advantage of charcoal over gas?


----------



## CoxR (16/4/16)

Gas V Coal/wood is sort of like extract V all grain, great results from both but slightly better flavor and options in the later.


----------



## Ducatiboy stu (16/4/16)

Bribie G said:


> edit: haven't used mine yet but what's the advantage of charcoal over gas?


You dont need to worry about running out of gas


----------



## peteru (16/4/16)

Cooking with gas is like cooking with farts. Sure, it burns, but the smell!


----------



## peteru (16/4/16)

BTW: I have an Aldi gas powered Hark clone. It's only used when I need to do bulk batches - say 8kg of smoked chicken breast. I bought extra shelves for it from UrbanGriller so I can load it to the max. They are a bit of a pain, because if you want to go low and slow, you need to lower the chip pan down to the burner, fiddle with the control to turn it down below minimum setting and then constantly tend to the wood chips to ensure they are smoking.

A much better proposal is a Chargriller Akorn from Bunnings. That one gets a lot more use over here.

And if you ever see a Gasmate R2D2 lookalike charcoal smoker, don't bother. It's impossible to effectively control the temperature on one of those.


----------



## peteru (16/4/16)

Bribie G said:


> I have a friend who has had most of her liver removed and is not allowed salt, plus I'd like to cut down myself.
> 
> Can anyone suggest any nice spice rubs for pork or chicken that are no-salt?


Make your own. It's not hard.

Try this:

50% thyme
25% marjoram
20% oregano
5% garlic powder

Put all herbs in mortar and break them apart really well to release all the aroma. Use straight away.

If you don't have special dietary restrictions, the above flavour mix can be combined with a "rub base" mix. I usually go with one part salt and two parts brown sugar.

If you want to add some colour, paprika will do the trick.


----------



## Bribie G (17/4/16)

peteru said:


> Cooking with gas is like cooking with farts. Sure, it burns, but the smell!


What smell would that be? I have a gas stove and a gas room heater, burn clean as. Or is the smell a feature of a gas smoker for some reason?


----------



## peteru (17/4/16)

I guess I should have included a smilie. It's one of those things from the Aussie BBQ forums...


----------



## Bribie G (17/4/16)

My smoker isn't bubbling.


----------



## indica86 (17/4/16)

Did you rehydrate it?


----------



## barls (17/4/16)

peteru said:


> BTW: I have an Aldi gas powered Hark clone. It's only used when I need to do bulk batches - say 8kg of smoked chicken breast. I bought extra shelves for it from UrbanGriller so I can load it to the max. They are a bit of a pain, because if you want to go low and slow, you need to lower the chip pan down to the burner, fiddle with the control to turn it down below minimum setting and then constantly tend to the wood chips to ensure they are smoking.
> 
> A much better proposal is a Chargriller Akorn from Bunnings. That one gets a lot more use over here.
> 
> And if you ever see a Gasmate R2D2 lookalike charcoal smoker, don't bother. It's impossible to effectively control the temperature on one of those.


i got rid of the chip tray and have a smokii fitted so i can do as low as i want with no fiddling at all.
mines taken a fair beating.


----------



## Bribie G (17/4/16)

So do I moisten the wood chips before putting in the tray or just put them in dry?

ed: no worries, just downloaded the Hark PDF.


----------



## jyo (17/4/16)

Always wet your wood, Bribie.


----------



## Ducatiboy stu (17/4/16)

Yes, dry wood can be a bit rough


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## seifer (17/4/16)

Pfft maybe if your using sawdust or chips but if Ur in a proper smoker, ie a uds and up, and using chunks as you should, then soaking does f/a


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## WarmerBeer (17/4/16)

As I was told, water doesn't penetrate wood to any extent, that's why they build boats out of it. 
Don't bother soaking your wood.


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## seifer (17/4/16)

Spot on.


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## Exile (17/4/16)

Tried to soak my wood last night, the misses had a headache


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## seifer (17/4/16)

Lol, try oak instead of balsa wood next time.


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## Bribie G (17/4/16)

Currently cooking pork belly, supermarket thick sausages and 2 kilos of drumsticks

My wood only lasted about half an hour ( first time that's happened since I was a teen)

So is it normal to keep recharging the wood tray from time to time? I used about a cup and a half and have another lot handy to put in about an hour before flame out.
With the two door model of course it's fairly trivial to open the bottom door and do the wood thingo.

ed: I only about quarter filled the wood tray, as the instructions on the Samba Brand chips said just to use a cup. I rehydrated but as posted above it's maybe not necessary.


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## Exile (17/4/16)

Bribie G said:


> Currently cooking pork belly, supermarket thick sausages and 2 kilos of drumsticks
> 
> My wood only lasted about half an hour ( first time that's happened since I was a teen)
> 
> ...


I fill up my wood tray only once, because the smoke ring penetrates the meat before the outer layer gets crispy, I may be wrong tho


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## Seaquebrew (17/4/16)

Apply smoke at the start of the cook, how long is a matter of personal preference

For a 10hr cook I would have it on for 2-3hrs (remember cooking to internal temperature not time )

It is a learning process, enjoy 

Cheers


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## Bribie G (17/4/16)

Oh merciful Allah, if it were not for the fact that there's pork on the plate, take me now..........

This shyte is incredible. It turned the supermarket snags into something you'd pay $20 a kilo for at a deli. The pork is succulent and smoky, the chicken is a melody of richness.... where has a smoking oven been all my life?


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## Seaquebrew (17/4/16)

Nice work 

A pork rib roast is about half way in my 25yr old Weber kettle with just 1 chunk of hickory helping the Heat Beads

Veges now in

Hmmmmm, crackling and Pale Ale

Cheers


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## WarmerBeer (17/4/16)

Bribie G said:


> Oh merciful Allah, if it were not for the fact that there's pork on the plate, take me now..........
> 
> This shyte is incredible. It turned the supermarket snags into something you'd pay $20 a kilo for at a deli. The pork is succulent and smoky, the chicken is a melody of richness.... where has a smoking oven been all my life?
> 
> ...


I reckon you've overcooked the snags, albeit they're still great.

I usually give snags 1 hour, chicken wings/breast 2 hours, and a pork belly 4 or more, depending on thickness.

One trick with the snags, the skins will dehydrate when you pull them out of the smoke, making the skins tough. I put them straight into a bowl of water, then when I bring that inside, pull the snags out of the water, and you still get soft skin.

Try some decent Bratwurst sausage, smoked for an hour, rehydrated, then wrap and put back in the fridge until cooled. Slice them up, and you've got something you'd pay a lot from a continental delicatessen.


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## peteru (17/4/16)

Smoke penetrates meat up to about 60C. So, the question is not so much how long, but to what temperature. When cold smoking, having smoke applied for 24 hours will be beneficial. If your smoker is at 180C, then anything past the first hour or even 1/2 hour is unlikely to make much difference.

When cooking meat, the best results are usually achieved by cooking at very low temperatures (60-80C) for an extended amount of time, then towards the end of the cook, raise the temperature about 20C above target and wait for the meat to get there. If you want to get caramelisation (browning) on the outside, take the meat out of the BBQ/smoker, ramp up the temperature (at least 180C, because the Mailard point is just above 150C) and then return the meat to the hot environment for a brief amount of time.

I usually do very thick steaks by smoking them for about 40-50 minutes at around 70-80C, until the internal temp reaches about 45C. Get them off the BBQ, ramp up the temperature to about 220C (easy to do with real charcoal), then return the steaks to the BBQ for about 3-5 minutes per side until internal temp hits 58-60C. That tends to give the "product shot" grill marks on the steak and raises the internal temperature to just below the point where the cells burst and all the juice floods out. I rarely eat steak in restaurants these days, because very few places can cook steak properly.


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## Bribie G (18/4/16)

Bugger.
Picked a bad week to go on a diet. 

Snags procedure sounds excellent. 
Now off for a few giant steaks.


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## WarmerBeer (18/4/16)

Bribie G said:


> Bugger.
> Picked a bad week to go on a diet.


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## Bribie G (18/4/16)

Uncle Bribie's cleaning tip

If you have a smoker / oven with chrome shelves, to clean simply lay in laundry tub (edit: lay _them _in laundry tub) along with smoke tray, etc and cover with very hot water and a cup of liquid cloudy ammonia.
Leave for an hour
Nearly all the shit will dissolve and drop off, and just need a touch up with a stainless steel scrubber.


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## Fents (18/4/16)

mallee root with charcoal apple tree trimmings for smoke






Costco Ribs before rub (Costco's ribs are so MEATY!)






Into the Akorm kamado for 5 hours @ 230f (no wrapping, just basting every 20mins for last hour)






Got eaten to fast for after pics!


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## Exile (18/4/16)

Bribie G said:


> Uncle Bribie's cleaning tip
> 
> If you have a smoker / oven with chrome shelves, to clean simply lay in laundry tub (edit: lay _them _in laundry tub) along with smoke tray, etc and cover with very hot water and a cup of liquid cloudy ammonia.
> Leave for an hour
> Nearly all the shit will dissolve and drop off, and just need a touch up with a stainless steel scrubber.



Grandfather Exiles cleaning tip
Or you could just use canola oil cooking spray and just wipe the chrome shelves clean :lol:


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## Hop Thief (18/4/16)

Ok after looking at the aldi thread and then reading all of this thread, I couldn't help but go buy one of these aldi smokers tonight. I was going to wait a week or 2 to see if they come on special but when I checked tonight they had 5 left so grabbed one while they had em. Just finished putting it together a while ago but don't have any wood chips as yet so I can break it in. I'm not even sure I can even buy any tomorrow in the town I live in as we don't have a bunnings or bbq place. Looks like a road trip might be on the cards as I can't wait to try it. My first brew will be 2 weeks bottled on Thursday so what better way to try it than with a smoke up.


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## peteru (19/4/16)

Most hardwood will do for smoking. Untreated, of course, and best if it's not completely green. Take a stroll through the nearest bit of bushland and pick up a few fallen branches. A few chunks of red gum (bark removed) or yellow box is nice. Try a banksia cone.


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## shaunous (19/4/16)

Hot water and DiSan, another great cheap aldi product, cleans it all up a treat. Same process though, hot water in laundry sink.


Bribie G said:


> Uncle Bribie's cleaning tip
> 
> If you have a smoker / oven with chrome shelves, to clean simply lay in laundry tub (edit: lay _them _in laundry tub) along with smoke tray, etc and cover with very hot water and a cup of liquid cloudy ammonia.
> Leave for an hour
> Nearly all the shit will dissolve and drop off, and just need a touch up with a stainless steel scrubber.


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## Ducatiboy stu (19/4/16)

peteru said:


> Most hardwood will do for smoking. Untreated, of course, and best if it's not completely green. Take a stroll through the nearest bit of bushland and pick up a few fallen branches. A few chunks of red gum (bark removed) or yellow box is nice. Try a banksia cone.


Some of the locals at Wooli here smoke the local oysters with Banksia...damn nice they are

Ironbark is my pick of native hardwoods for red meats, pastrami's, jerky etc


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## Hop Thief (19/4/16)

I went and checked out local hardware and they had she oak shavings or bags of pellets. The pellets were a bit expensive so I grabbed the shavings. Will they be alright in the Aldi smoker or should I wait until I can get some bigger chips.


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## earle (19/4/16)

At my local BBQ Galore they sell 9/10kg bags of pellets for about $30. Limited varieties including hickory, peach? and macadamia. 3 of us went together and split a bag of each. Who knows if they are the same quality as the little bags of pellets but the price is right and the smoked food has been great.


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## earle (19/4/16)

Hop Thief said:


> I went and checked out local hardware and they had she oak shavings or bags of pellets. The pellets were a bit expensive so I grabbed the shavings. Will they be alright in the Aldi smoker or should I wait until I can get some bigger chips.


I reckon shavings might go pretty quickly, maybe put them in a pouch made of foil with a few holes, then sit that in the smoker tray.


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## Hop Thief (19/4/16)

earle said:


> I reckon shavings might go pretty quickly, maybe put them in a pouch made of foil with a few holes, then sit that in the smoker tray.


My local hardware wanted $18.50 for 450g of pellets. The joy of living in a country town with only 1 hardware shop. I will stock up next time I go to Melbourne. I have soaked the shavings for an hour and just put them on. Will get some foil pouches ready to top it up.

Cheers


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## barls (19/4/16)

highly recommend this bloke for your chips, chunks and pellets
http://www.aussiebbqsmoke.com
his pellets are actually 100% what they say they are. unlike most of the pellets that are about 70% filler.


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## seifer (19/4/16)

earle said:


> At my local BBQ Galore they sell 9/10kg bags of pellets for about $30. Limited varieties including hickory, peach? and macadamia. 3 of us went together and split a bag of each. Who knows if they are the same quality as the little bags of pellets but the price is right and the smoked food has been great.


Those are pellets for the pellet smokers, they are mixed in a 70/30 ratio with oak. The reason being they also provide heat as well. WHile they will work the flavours won't be much different because of the mix being in favour of Oak. Which by the way isnt a bad thing as I smoke with old wine barrels. What you want is the concentrated bags, they normally cost around $15 but your only getting a kilo or less for the price.


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## Hop Thief (19/4/16)

Put it on low just after 11.am, the gauge on the door says 75 c and I have smoke. the break in begins.


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## earle (19/4/16)

Seifer said:


> Those are pellets for the pellet smokers, they are mixed in a 60/30 ratio with oak. The reason being they also provide heat as well. WHile they will work the flavours won't be much different because of the mix being in favour of Oak. Which by the way isnt a bad thing as I smoke with old wine barrels. What you want is the concentrated bags, they normally cost around $15 but your only getting a kilo or less for the price.


Thanks, I wondered if they were different but didn't know how.


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## Crakkers (19/4/16)

These guys are pretty good for pellets as well.

http://www.smokedandcured.com.au/

According to their website, their pellets are 100% what they say they are with most woods, although some need a small amount of another wood to help bind the pellet.
They're pretty cheap too. I bought a 3kg bag through their Ebay store for $30 delivered. I think their 10 kg bags were only $60 delivered.


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## Bribie G (5/5/16)

Update on the Aldi / Hark smoker.

Consensus on the forums is that, up to now, this smoker doesn't go low enough to do a satisfactory "low and slow" . I haven't been able to double check the dial thermometer so I've been "winging it" for my first couple of smokes.

Yesterday I did a whole duck and a lamb shoulder. Bearing the low and slow thing in mind, I gave the meat a blast on high for an hour then turned it down to lowest for 3 hours. They both looked fine coming out of the smoker.







The duck turned out ok but could have done with a bit longer, however the lamb was still bloody inside.

I popped it in for another half hour on high to bring it back up, then an hour back on lowest. It's turned out spot on.




On the assumption that Hark may have acted on feedback and fixed the "problem", next time I'll have a crack at maybe a couple of extra large chickens done for say five hours or more on low and see how it goes.


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## seifer (5/5/16)

Don't get too caught up in the hype of "Low and Slow". I get just as good results, if not better cooking "Hot and Fast" (L&S ~120°C/250°F, H&F ~150°C/300°F)
Benefits are still a great cook, plenty of good smoke contact time and you get the meals done in close to half the time.


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## sp0rk (5/5/16)

Bribie G said:


> Update on the Aldi / Hark smoker.
> 
> Consensus on the forums is that, up to now, this smoker doesn't go low enough to do a satisfactory "low and slow" . I haven't been able to double check the dial thermometer so I've been "winging it" for my first couple of smokes.
> 
> ...


I can get mine to sit right on 110C if it's in the shade, vents closed and gas turned right down
I know shaunous changed the jet in his to a fine mig welding tip (or maybe it was a main jet from a moto carby) to get the temp down
I wouldn't mind modding mine so I can easily swap in finer jets for low n slow, then a big one for cooking pizzas up hot


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## WarmerBeer (5/5/16)

Mine sits on about 105 C on it's lowest flame, and yes, having a black metal box sitting in the sun will obviously have a major effect.

At those temps, I'd expect a large chook to take about 4 hours, you want to cook to temperature not time. You want 74 C in the thickest part of the breast, and around 78 in the thigh. But, and it's a big but, you won't get really crispy skin. For that, you want to go around 160-180 C, and probably for 2 hours.

Get yourself an instant read thermometer. The $20 brewing ones are okay, but a Thermopen is awesome. Plus, also does more accurate temp readings on your brew day.


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## Bribie G (5/5/16)

Thermapen sounds the go, I'll invest in one for the forthcoming comps season, up to now I've been using Robin's Kitchen / House type probe thermometers but time to step up I guess


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## Frothy1 (5/5/16)

I have an I Grill Mini for my temp probe and its the best $50 I've ever spent.

read about it here http://product.weber.com/igrill/igrill-mini/

It also displays a graph timeline so you can see when it will be finished, way in advance.

I'd post a pic but my security setting wont allow on this stupid computer.


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## Bribie G (5/5/16)

Now you've got me going... I can see all sorts of brewing possibilities. I see that Weber also do a pretty standard looking instant read thermometer as well for a nice price, and a couple of remote models as well.


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## Whiteferret (5/5/16)

I've got a Maverick ET732 dual probe remote monitor. Does food internal and smoker or oven temp with alarms and timers. The probes aren't waterproof though.


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## peteru (5/5/16)

When you are talking low and slow, you should be thinking largish slabs of solid meat in the 100-120C range for 20+ hours.

To prevent the meat from drying out, you will need to ensure that the water pan is topped up with water, so the air is moist.

When doing low and slow a remote temperature probe with alarms is about as important as a fridge when you want to do lagering. Sure it can be done without, but why would you? The Maverick ET732 is a good piece of equipment, but I think there is some more competition out there. Something like a Raspberry Pi or Arduino with WiFi and a few temp probes would make for a more sophisticated system, but it wouldn't be nearly as easy to get going.


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## Frothy1 (5/5/16)

Pictures peteru.... We need to drool over pictures.


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## seifer (5/5/16)

Ha. My tip, Buy the best thermo set up money can buy. Now take the probe in your left hand and a pair of scissors in the right. Cut the cable. Once cut, take your now wireless hi tech probe and stick it in the meat. When it goes through like a hot knife thru butter, your meat is done. If not check a half hour later. Rely on a digital temp all you want but probe tender is probe tender. A real pitmaster only needs to use his finger anyway. Save your cash guys. Really.


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## sp0rk (6/5/16)

Seifer said:


> Ha. My tip, Buy the best thermo set up money can buy. Now take the probe in your left hand and a pair of scissors in the right. Cut the cable. Once cut, take your now wireless hi tech probe and stick it in the meat. When it goes through like a hot knife thru butter, your meat is done. If not check a half hour later. Rely on a digital temp all you want but probe tender is probe tender. A real pitmaster only needs to use his finger anyway. Save your cash guys. Really.


I have a few friends that have IBS and similar conditions who I cook for every now and then,
I'd rather stick with knowing that I'm not going to make them shit their guts out for a few days


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## Bribie G (6/5/16)

Finger? Real hardened BBQ men use their ........


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## sp0rk (6/5/16)

Bribie G said:


> Finger? Real hardened BBQ men use their ........


Meat injector?


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## Frothy1 (6/5/16)

Does this technique work for mashing in as well?


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## sp0rk (6/5/16)

Frothy1 said:


> Does this technique work for mashing in as well?


I do use mine as a masher sometimes...


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## seifer (6/5/16)

sp0rk said:


> I have a few friends that have IBS and similar conditions who I cook for every now and then,
> I'd rather stick with knowing that I'm not going to make them shit their guts out for a few days


If you need a thermo to know if your brisket, pork etc is still raw enough to do that then you're seriously doing this style of cook wrong.
You can pull three briskets all at the same temperature and they will differ in tenderness. Every bit of meat is different.
Sure, use a thermo to know when your in the ball park but you pull it off by feel, not by a number.


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## sp0rk (6/5/16)

Seifer said:


> If you need a thermo to know if your brisket, pork etc is still raw enough to do that then you're seriously doing this style of cook wrong.
> You can pull three briskets all at the same temperature and they will differ in tenderness. Every bit of meat is different.
> Sure, use a thermo to know when your in the ball park but you pull it off by feel, not by a number.


Oh, I know it's cooked, I never use a thermo when I'm cooking for the wife and I
But when you're dealing with conditions like that, in my opinion it's better to be safe than sorry, I'd rather not make my friends sick
That said I use a $20 thermo from Big W that's also my brewing thermo


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## Frothy1 (6/5/16)

See the thumbnail.

What I like about the igrill is that if the temperature is constant, you can predict way in advance when you will hit a desired temperature.

It's a very handy tool to have at your disposal.


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## peteru (6/5/16)

Cooking meat is a non-linear process. Before you hit the stall, there's generally no way of predicting how long it will take. However, if you are cooking to a timetable, say a 6pm dinner gathering, then proper temperature monitoring and control will certainly let you adjust things to either speed it up or slow it down. At least a bit. Having the information about temperature certainly won't harm your cooking - if anything it will make you a better cook, because you will have another tool in your arsenal and will be able to better understand the cooking process.


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## seifer (6/5/16)

peteru said:


> Cooking meat is a non-linear process. Before you hit the stall, there's generally no way of predicting how long it will take. However, if you are cooking to a timetable, say a 6pm dinner gathering, then proper temperature monitoring and control will certainly let you adjust things to either speed it up or slow it down. At least a bit. Having the information about temperature certainly won't harm your cooking - if anything it will make you a better cook, because you will have another tool in your arsenal and will be able to better understand the cooking process.


What he said, How that equipment can account for the stall and how long the stall will be is beyond me.


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## peteru (6/5/16)

The equipment can not account for the stall or predict the duration, but it allows you to pinpoint the stall and adjust temperature. It also allows you to have an idea of what's going on without opening the smoker, because remember, "If you're looking, you're not cooking!"


----------



## Brownsworthy (9/5/16)

G'day all, 

Just wondering if anyone has had any experience with smoking meat in a gasmate pizza oven with a smoker box. 

I think being gas it might get a bit too hot and was thinking of using a tray with heat beads.

I've got a lovely piece of corn meat I want to turn into pastrami. 

Cheers


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## Spiesy (9/5/16)

Seifer said:


> Ha. My tip, Buy the best thermo set up money can buy. Now take the probe in your left hand and a pair of scissors in the right. Cut the cable. Once cut, take your now wireless hi tech probe and stick it in the meat. When it goes through like a hot knife thru butter, your meat is done. If not check a half hour later. Rely on a digital temp all you want but probe tender is probe tender. A real pitmaster only needs to use his finger anyway. Save your cash guys. Really.


So you get the same results cooking hot and fast and you do low and slow, and you think a temp probe is useless?

Okay then...


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## seifer (9/5/16)

Spiesy said:


> So you get the same results cooking hot and fast and you do low and slow, and you think a temp probe is useless?
> 
> Okay then...


Not sure what you are getting at?


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## barls (9/5/16)

Seifer said:


> Ha. My tip, Buy the best thermo set up money can buy. Now take the probe in your left hand and a pair of scissors in the right. Cut the cable. Once cut, take your now wireless hi tech probe and stick it in the meat. When it goes through like a hot knife thru butter, your meat is done. If not check a half hour later. Rely on a digital temp all you want but probe tender is probe tender. A real pitmaster only needs to use his finger anyway. Save your cash guys. Really.


i was watching the comp smokers at the sydney event and only saw them using a thermometer.
since I've had my maverick I've found my pork is more consistent in texture.
each to their own. do you use the brewing rule of thumb as well?


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## seifer (9/5/16)

We have to use the probes as per comp rules.
Chicken especially you need to make sure you're above regulation temp, I'm all for probes in such cases, especially thermapens which makes checking multiple thighs quickly necessary in competition format.
And since I have my thermo there already then it works fine as my feeler probe, thats why you only saw people using them, no need to carry two different probes

But my point for the big cuts ie, pork and beef, you simply cannot just assume that 203f, or 195f or wherever u normally pull your meat is done.
It will always differ and this is where my point of probing your meat to check tenderness comes into play. Beef, look for probe tender, Pork when the shoulder bone comes free, Ribs when you get a nice bend till the meat cracks but meat is still on the bone. These will occur at different temps depending on the meat. If you want the best cook you need to look for signs such as these, not a number.
Use your probe early in your Q'ing career to get a good feel for it, but as you cook more and more often you will start to appreciate that you simply do not need it to produce the best slow smoked beef or pork.
And I absolutely stand by my comments on H&F vs L&S. Again I am not alone on this thought and a little research will help you out, people take both sides of the fence on this issue but my point is there are two sides of the fence. I get great results with both, but why cook for longer if I dont have to?
Get a feel for what works for you, especially starting out, but the old rules on BBQ arent necessarily the best rules or the only rules and only experience will teach you that.


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## seifer (9/5/16)

FYI Ill be cooking at Young Henrys on the 28th if anyone wants to come down and to eat and chat about BBQ, im more than happy to compare tips and talk all things Q and Beer.


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## Spiesy (9/5/16)

Seifer said:


> Not sure what you are getting at?


Forget BBQ, it's just basic cooking knowledge that a big, tough piece of meat needs low and slow cooking to break down the connective tissue into a nice, tender piece of meat. 

Do you cook big pork shoulders, roast lamb, brisket etc hot and fast?

Maybe it does work for you. I have just never heard of anyone adopting such a process and it working.


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## seifer (9/5/16)

Spiesy said:


> Forget BBQ, it's just basic cooking knowledge that a big, tough piece of meat needs low and slow cooking to break down the connective tissue into a nice, tender piece of meat.
> 
> Do you cook big pork shoulders, roast lamb, brisket etc hot and fast?
> 
> Maybe it does work for you. I have just never heard of anyone adopting such a process and it working.


Sorry I thought this thread was dedicated to BBQ??

I get the feeling you don't know the definition of hot and fast. Hot and fast is cooking at 275-325f as opposed to 225-275 as is traditional.
It is still not as hot as say your oven or over a grill. It is still a slow cook. You still use your smoker. It just doesnt take as long.
Read up on it, lots of people getting great results.


http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=118462

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=84785

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=104031

http://ausbbq.com.au/hotnfast-smoked-brisket-in-six-hours-yes-you-can/

https://backyardbbqbootcamp.wordpress.com/2013/01/13/hot-n-fast-method-for-fantastic-bbq-brisket/

http://www.patiodaddiobbq.com/2012/02/hot-fast-memphis-style-pulled-pork.html


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## Spiesy (9/5/16)

Seifer said:



> Sorry I thought this thread was dedicated to BBQ??


You have misinterpreted me. 

What I was trying to say was, broad strokes speaking, in terms of general cooking (of which BBQ falls under) - big, tough, pieces of meat are generally recommended to be cooked low and slow.


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## Spiesy (9/5/16)

Seifer said:


> I get the feeling you don't know the definition of hot and fast. Hot and fast is cooking at 275-325f as opposed to 225-275 as is traditional.
> It is still not as hot as say your oven or over a grill. It is still a slow cook. You still use your smoker. It just doesnt take as long.
> Read up on it, lots of people getting great results.


Okay. Correct, I thought when you meant "hot" - you meant hot. Not 30-degrees warmer. 

And I'm not trying to be smart-arse. That's just how I read it, sorry.


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## seifer (9/5/16)

Spiesy said:


> You have misinterpreted me.
> 
> What I was trying to say was, broad strokes speaking, in terms of general cooking (of which BBQ falls under) - big, tough, pieces of meat are generally recommended to be cooked low and slow.


I edited my post above, I believe you dont fully understand what is meant by hot and fast. 
Myron Mixon (im guessing you watch BBQ Pitmasters) is a hot and fast guy.


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## seifer (9/5/16)

Spiesy said:


> Okay. Correct, I thought when you meant "hot" - you meant hot. Not 30-degrees warmer.
> 
> And I'm not trying to be smart-arse. That's just how I read it, sorry.


Ha all good, im not trying to sound to so up myself either haha, hard to get tone across in text form.


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## peteru (9/5/16)

I think I see the disconnect here. My assumption was that this thread is mainly concerned with relative BBQ newbies that need some tips on getting their BBQing into shape. On the other hand, Seifer appears to be talking on the level of semi-pro or at least a dedicated and experienced pitmaster.

If you are looking at relative newbies, chances are that they have both poor temperature control and incorrect readings. The majority of thermometers mounted on BBQs are by default wildly out of whack. Even when you do calibrate those thermometers, it is often only possible to do that to one temperature - 100C. If you are cooking with charcoal or wood (which you would be for *real* BBQ), you will need something like the Maverick to learn how to control temperature on your equipment.

I don't dispute that as you become more experienced, you can rely on the wireless probes less and less, but to get to that level they are a very, very useful tool. Case in point, for the last 8 weeks or so, I have done on the order of 20-30 cooks and used my Maverick exactly once. That was for a 20 hour (overnight) cook with lump charcoal. It was there mainly as an alarm, in case the temperature went out of range. For all the other stuff, a quick poke with the Aldi version of a thermapen is sufficient - mainly to confirm both the texture and temperature. Yes, I'm too lazy to setup the Maverick for things that I know how to cook with my Akorn. If I was using someone else's BBQ rig, I'd be putting the Maverick into action as the first item.


----------



## Bribie G (26/5/16)

Back to the newbie stuff :lol:
Apart from the fact that my airlock isn't bubbling, I'm doing my first "mega smoke" for a family thing in Sydney. Prepped and rubbed them today and will chill then smoke tomorrow.





30 fairly large chicken thighs, a No 14 Free range for the envirowarrior lady and a couple of dozen supermarket thick snags. One batch with hickory, the other with apple/cherry. I'll be doing them on hottest setting (Hark / Aldi) and now have a hand held probe.

I'd appreciate a couple of ball park figures - based on previous I'd guess an hour for the snags, hour and a half for the thighs and two hours for the chicken? Or maybe three? Any suggestions for internal temps?

Also would this stuff handle freezing for the trip then being thawed then "refreshed" in a conventional oven?


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## sp0rk (26/5/16)

I find snags are best sloooooow
the skin gets a bit tough, but the insides are like melted butter


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## WarmerBeer (26/5/16)

Bribie G said:


> 30 fairly large chicken thighs, a No 14 Free range for the envirowarrior lady and a couple of dozen supermarket thick snags. One batch with hickory, the other with apple/cherry. I'll be doing them on hottest setting (Hark / Aldi) and now have a hand held probe.
> 
> I'd appreciate a couple of ball park figures - based on previous I'd guess an hour for the snags, hour and a half for the thighs and two hours for the chicken? Or maybe three? Any suggestions for internal temps?
> 
> Also would this stuff handle freezing for the trip then being thawed then "refreshed" in a conventional oven?


Your timings look right, but I would be looking to cook at around 125 C, rather than full bore. On my Aldi, that's with the dial pointing to around 7 o'clock. 
You can most certainly smoke them the day before, cool them down to fridge temp, and transport in an esky down to Sin City. Reheat in the normal oven. I wouldn't refreeze them, it'll change the texture of the meat.


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## seifer (26/5/16)

Morning Bribie, I only ever cook chicken in competition (cupcake chicken, google it for next time), generally speaking for thighs at 300f/150c (hot n fast lads lol) they'll be in the cupcake tins in a chicken broth for around 1.5 hours, they then get sauced and put on the grill for another 30-45 depending on doneness. ( definately use your probe for chicken thighs aim for 165f/73c). If your cooking lower at 120 then take these times out longer.

Whole chicken at 300f/150c id go for around 1.5 to two hours, pull it when thighs are at 165f/73c.

It may be too late now but ill also brine my chicken pieces overnight, if you have an injector you can hit them all with a bit of chicken stock and some spices, avoid dark coloured spices ie paprika as it will make your meat look red/raw.

Sausages at these temps an hour is about money, if not more than enough. 

You can freeze i suppose, i normally refrigerate and "refresh" with no ill effects. Try putting a water bowl in the over when refreshing to keep things moist.

Good luck and post your porn.


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## Bribie G (26/5/16)

Thanks chaps.
Doing the sausages separately so I'll do them slower and try the suggestion of putting them into hot water for a while to rehydrate the skin. I'll get the finished product down to near freezing but not iced in my lager fridge.


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## indica86 (26/5/16)

Seifer said:


> It may be too late now but ill also brine my chicken pieces overnight,



Brined whole chicken is freakin amazing... Still new to smoking - ie only Weber Q half arse smoking but a brined whole chicken even on that is unbelievable.


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## peteru (26/5/16)

One thing I like to do when smoking chicken is to brine with thyme. We have a large rosemary bush in the backyard, so when it's time to put the chicken in the smoker I break off a few twigs and make a "nest" for the chicken to sit on top. I smoke it with apricot wood chunks.


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## Bribie G (26/5/16)

Hey lookout rosemary bush out the front you are about to lose some serious foliage tomorrow  

edit: what about putting rosemary twigs actually in the wood chip tray?


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## peteru (26/5/16)

Yes, adding fresh rosemary to the woodchip tray works very well too. The volatile oils from the rosemary tend to evaporate pretty quickly when it's so close to the heat source, so you get an intense blast, but it won't last. When the meat is sitting in the nest the process is a bit slower, so you get more time to infuse. The flavour profile also changes a bit. The cooler nest imparts a different infusion and sweeter aroma than the hot smoke. Both are nice.


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## tugger (26/5/16)

I did some brisket pieces and a piece of bone in chuck over the weekend. 
Used some red gum for the fire in the box and slowly added used oak chips. 
Around 5 hours on smoke and finished in the oven on low for a few more hours. 
Turned out great all pulled and mixed together for pulled hot dogs at a party.


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## peteru (26/5/16)

Red gum is a nice smoking wood, you probably didn't even need the oak - not that it would have hurt anything!


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## Bribie G (26/5/16)

Where do you guys get your chips from? I've only been able to find Apple/cherry/mesquite or Hickory at Bunnings.


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## Mardoo (26/5/16)

Awesome guy, lot of different woods. Give him a ring, he usually has more kinds than on the website. His "Convict Rub" is damn good too.


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## barls (26/5/16)

i get most of mine from something I've ether turned or from my fruit trees.


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## sp0rk (27/5/16)

Country Brewer Toormina has a bunch of different woods, last time I was there they had saw dust and small chips in big containers to weight out yourself
Down here I'm about to get some apple offcuts from Tilse's Cidery and a few other people locally have offered me pecan and nectarine offcuts


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## Bribie G (27/5/16)

I get my Yogurt and Kefir cultures from CB and I will check with them. 

I'm on my tablet and the auto complete did all the words from Yogurt up to the word "check". And that includes CB.
Bloody frightening.


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## Ducatiboy stu (27/5/16)

Bribie G said:


> Where do you guys get your chips from? I've only been able to find Apple/cherry/mesquite or Hickory at Bunnings.


Saw mills.

You can get Ironbark up there from the mills


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## Dave70 (27/5/16)

I burn ironbark in the heater, _brilliant_, but I thought it smoking with any species of eucalyptus was a no-no.


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## Ducatiboy stu (27/5/16)

Ironbark is an awesome smoking wood

Gives a really robust flavour


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## sp0rk (27/5/16)

Bribie G said:


> I get my Yogurt and Kefir cultures from CB and I will check with them.
> 
> I'm on my tablet and the auto complete did all the words from Yogurt up to the word "check". And that includes CB.
> Bloody frightening.


My phone suggests "Bribie" quite a bit now
I've told people that many times on here and brewing facebook groups that you can make a great stout from kits, that yours is magic


----------



## barls (27/5/16)

Re: Australian Native Timber Matrix for Smoking
this is the best list I've seen with what wood to use for what


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## peteru (27/5/16)

Keep in mind that there's nothing wrong with using any of those woods to smoke any food stuff you like - as long as the result appeals to you, it's all good.

Whatever you do, do not ever try to use Mango. It is one of the worst woods in terms of allergens and could easily give someone an asthma attack.


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## Ducatiboy stu (27/5/16)

Oyster farmers here use Banksia to smoke oysters

Very nice


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## Bribie G (27/5/16)

Smoking stuff seems to be hitting the same brain cells as brewing. I did two oven fulls of the thighs.

Some of the snags were a bit crisped after an hour, try 45 mins next time.

Whole chook is in the fridge, I used a nest of rosemary stems. Bloody beautiful.


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## peteru (27/5/16)

I see you chucked in some garlic as well - good man! If you haven't done so, try rubbing some olive oil on the garlic before it goes in. It helps the smoke to stick. Some people soak the garlic in brine before smoking - I haven't tried that yet.


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## Bribie G (27/5/16)

peteru said:


> Keep in mind that there's nothing wrong with using any of those woods to smoke any food stuff you like - as long as the result appeals to you, it's all good.
> 
> Whatever you do, do not ever try to use Mango. It is one of the worst woods in terms of allergens and could easily give someone an asthma attack.


Wow thanks for that, I've got a 60 YO mango tree and was eying it off.

ed: yes I rubbed off as much paper as possible and sprayed them with the Aldi Extra Virgin can.


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## Danscraftbeer (5/6/16)

Jerky. Smoked with saved Oak chips that were pressure cooked in Whisky then kegged with a Smokey Oak Stout.
You've got to hang around the BBQ to smell that when it heats to smoke its divine. 
Top side beef, sliced clean meat then marinated in an ongoing favourite recipe. Hot!
Smoked temps average around 100c over an hour or two then into my dehydrated for 2 to 5 days.




Edit: Slight modifications made to the BBQ to contain smoke better and a home made Stainless Steal removable 2 shelf rack. Then I use the standard cake racks from the supermarket for the wet Jerky. There is a cake tray for the wood chips under the cooking plate with that one burner only. On low. Shut the lid and smoke it! Add chips as you go too.


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## Benn (12/6/16)

Not Smoking per say but,
Roast Beef Weber - Success.
Note the Pink Smoke ring. I used up an old bag of beads and threw a few hardwood chips on for the first Hour. The pan gravy has a beautiful smoke flavour that is balanced almost perfectly. One of those roasts where your just using up whatever's in the cupboard. I don't think I'll be able to repeat this
Served it with a nice roll lightly buttered-no Vegies tonight.


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## seifer (14/6/16)

Cook from the weekend. 2 Brisket, 2 Pork butts, 5 racks of beef shorties and a pumpkin.


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## seifer (14/6/16)

Cook from the weekend. 2 Brisket, 2 Pork butts, 5 racks of beef shorties and a pumpkin.


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## blekk (14/6/16)

Bribie G said:


> Smoking stuff seems to be hitting the same brain cells as brewing. I did two oven fulls of the thighs.
> 
> Some of the snags were a bit crisped after an hour, try 45 mins next time.
> 
> Whole chook is in the fridge, I used a nest of rosemary stems. Bloody beautiful.


Looks like a Hark smoker there Bribie - What temps do you usually smoke at? Snags done at 110* for 1-1 1/2hrs can make the cheapest, nastiest snags gold medal winners :icon_drool2:


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## indica86 (15/6/16)

I ordered a Smokai the other day, should be here soon, it landed in Brisbane yesterday...


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## blekk (15/6/16)

indica86 said:


> I ordered a Smokai the other day, should be here soon, it landed in Brisbane yesterday...


Smokehouse to come next :beerbang:


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## peteru (16/6/16)

A backyard woodfired pizza oven can double up as a large capacity smoker / smoke house.

Not quite walk in, but you should be able to fit in 10's of kgs of small goods and keep it going for days on end.


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## Bribie G (16/6/16)

blair said:


> Looks like a Hark smoker there Bribie - What temps do you usually smoke at? Snags done at 110* for 1-1 1/2hrs can make the cheapest, nastiest snags gold medal winners :icon_drool2:


It's a Hark from Aldi rebadged and only $199. There were 3 guys going through the checkout with them as well and we ended up yakking in the car park like old ladies. 

Now here's a kitten airlocks question. I have a rolled boneless pork shoulder in that net thing to hold it together.
If you take the net off and unroll,it's uneven and ugly. 

However I'd guess you'd get more smoke into the meat. But maybe end up with some bits dried out and others undercooked? 

Ah first world problems. 

I did the sausages at probably 180 for an hour. 
Now have thermometer and will crank them down next time.


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## peteru (16/6/16)

Rolled boneless pork shoulder is not a good choice for smoking. Most of the exterior surface exposed to smoke is skin. While it may absorb some smoke, it will prevent most of the smoke flavour from penetrating the meat. To turn the skin into crackling that you might actually enjoy eating requires high temperature and dry heat - conditions that you usually don't have in a smoker.

I would cook it whole, with the net on. Pat the skin dry with a paper towel, then rub with salt and a little bit of oil to help the salt stick to the skin. Start with a low temperature and smoke it for an hour or so, then bring the temperature up to cook the roast to desired internal temperature. Remove the roast from the smoker and preheat a fan forced oven to 220-250C. Take the net off the roast and separate the skin from the meat. While the meat is resting, put the skin in the preheated oven (on a rack with a drip pan under) and let it crisp up to make nice fluffy crackling.

Next time you want to smoke a chunk of pork, try a whole pork neck.


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## Bribie G (16/6/16)

Thanks, sounds like a plan - then we'll get the crackling.

On the subject of pork, what exactly is a pork butt? I see it all the time on the food channel - is it called something else in Australia?


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## seifer (16/6/16)

Whole pork shoulder/neck bone in, skin off, fat on.


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## Bribie G (16/6/16)

Aha, I thought from the name it might have been from the other end of the pig :lol:


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## seifer (16/6/16)

Yeah everyone does at first haha


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## WarmerBeer (16/6/16)

♫ I like big butts, and I cannot lie ♫


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## blekk (16/6/16)

Busting the Myth - When hot smoking the first hour is where the meat absorbs most of it's smoke flavor??

Any truth to this? I have a Hark and do a heavy smoke for the first hour, then throw a little in the tray every hour after that which usually gives a nice deep smoke ring in the meat without the flavor being too overbearing. How do others hot smoke?


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## peteru (16/6/16)

It's not the time, it's the temperature. You'll get the most smoke impact up to about 60-65C.


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## Ducatiboy stu (17/6/16)

smoking a cold piece of meat works not very well


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## Ducatiboy stu (17/6/16)

blair said:


> Busting the Myth - When hot smoking the first hour is where the meat absorbs most of it's smoke flavor??
> 
> Any truth to this? I have a Hark and do a heavy smoke for the first hour, then throw a little in the tray every hour after that which usually gives a nice deep smoke ring in the meat without the flavor being too overbearing. How do others hot smoke?


Depends on the wood

I would crawl over broken glass for a decent Iron Bark smoked anything....

I used to go to a butcher in Singleton, he did some of the best Pastrami,Jerky, sausage, salami known to man and it was all smoked with Iron bark.

I loved that place.

He was next door to a bakery, so he would slice fresh pastrami to go on the bread rolls from next door. Used to walk in with fresh open rolls, he knew what to do


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## Mardoo (17/6/16)

...and the candlestick maker on the other side lit the way. 

But damn if that doesn't sound just like heaven.


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## Ducatiboy stu (17/6/16)

Mardoo said:


> ...and the candlestick maker on the other side lit the way.
> 
> But damn if that doesn't sound just like heaven.


Ironically, across the road was a bordello


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## Mardoo (17/6/16)

You're speakin' my language!


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## Bribie G (17/6/16)

As per the title of this thread.


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## indica86 (18/6/16)

Got the Smokai yesterday, did some thighs and chillies for pizza last night.
Today ribs for lunch


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## shaunous (20/6/16)

Done a casual Charcuterie course yesterday, not much into smoking (which I don't need anyway), but learnt and made salami, prosciutto, sausages, bacon, drinking beers and wine and eating plenty. Was a good day.


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## Ducatiboy stu (20/6/16)

Where at ?


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## shaunous (20/6/16)

Nana Glen Hall, farmer up the road found out about it and I jumped with joy to come along.


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## sp0rk (20/6/16)

shaunous said:


> Done a casual Charcuterie course yesterday, not much into smoking (which I don't need anyway), but learnt and made salami, prosciutto, sausages, bacon, drinking beers and wine and eating plenty. Was a good day.


That wasn't at that Synchronicity Farm at Nana Glen was it?
Their craft beer course seems like a bit of a wank


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## sp0rk (20/6/16)

One of the chicks I work with is from a big beef farming family, she's just told me her uncle owns a butchery but sales are crap right now so he's having to throw out meat
So she's offered to get me whatever I want from her uncle.
Hoping to fill my chest freezer this week for cheap 
Just a little bit of smoking will be done


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## shaunous (20/6/16)

sp0rk said:


> That wasn't at that Synchronicity Farm at Nana Glen was it?
> Their craft beer course seems like a bit of a wank


No but the owner of that joint was actually doing the course, his ah Mmmmmmmmmm...


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## shaunous (20/6/16)

sp0rk said:


> One of the chicks I work with is from a big beef farming family, she's just told me her uncle owns a butchery but sales are crap right now so he's having to throw out meat
> So she's offered to get me whatever I want from her uncle.
> Hoping to fill my chest freezer this week for cheap
> Just a little bit of smoking will be done


Sales are going crap, must be the only butcher I know not selling meat. Beef prices are back breaking records again right now.

I've been giving my smoker a right hammering, even more so now I added the 'Smokai' to it.


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## sp0rk (20/6/16)

I went to buy some unsalted silverside the other day and the butcher wanted $18 a kilo :/
For such a big beef farming area, the prices here are silly, could be because the closest (non private) abattoir is at Kurri Kurri
Some chinese mob are apparently building a new one down near Denman as a sort of co-op with farmers, should hopefully see the farmers getting better prices for their beef


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## Ducatiboy stu (20/6/16)

Got a side of Lamb last Fri, $36 cut up. ( about $7kg ) Only small lamb, but considering crumbed cuttlets where about $5 ea not long ago, it was a bargain


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## indica86 (22/6/16)

I want to have a go at making some bacon. Anyone have a cure without nitrites that they use?


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## peteru (22/6/16)

I'm allergic to nitrites. You really need to be very, very careful with hygiene, temperature control and timing when not using nitrates. Not only during the processing, but also packaging, storage and serving. Hopefully, those skills come as second nature to most brewers.

I dry cure with 50% salt and 50% brown sugar. I also add a few teaspoons of various spices every now and then. Cinnamon works well. So does mace, but start only with a small amount, it can get intense.

Avoid honey - it's a very high risk botulinum ingredient and without nitrates you are asking for it.

Do not expect pink bacon if you go nitrite free. It will end up looking natural - i.e. grey. It'll probably taste a lot better too.


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## seifer (22/6/16)

Id use nitrites with pork, but that's just me....and most ppl. Pm me and I can send you out a small bag of you want to test it a little.


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## indica86 (23/6/16)

Thanks guys.
I have read that celery is a natural source and saw someone using celery juice with their cure as a substitute.


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## gap (23/6/16)

indica86 said:


> Thanks guys.
> I have read that celery is a natural source and saw someone using celery juice with their cure as a substitute.


But is it not chemically the same ?


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## indica86 (23/6/16)

It would appear not quite in that the correct dosage cannot be measured.
Interesting stuff.
Can anyone recommend a book?


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## yankinoz (23/6/16)

Miscellaneous suggestionss:

Try lots of woods and give stringybark a chance.

With meat, the slower the better.

There's a world of barbecue sauces besides the thick, sweet tomato-based stuff: Habanero chiles in vinegar (use just the vinegar), mustard-based sauces and more. Google.

And now a rant: hot-smoking salmon should be a felony.


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## Airgead (23/6/16)

yankinoz said:


> Miscellaneous suggestionss:
> 
> And now a rant: hot-smoking salmon should be a felony.


No way! My hot smoked whole salmon is the stuff of legends! Whole salmon brined and smoked is my Xmas party piece.


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## gap (23/6/16)

Airgead said:


> No way! My hot smoked whole salmon is the stuff of legends! Whole salmon brined and smoked is my Xmas party piece.


I am with you on this. I have people who has had my hot smoked salmon and ask where they can buy it from.


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## Airgead (23/6/16)

And a nice piece of hot smoked rainbow or ocean trout is to die for... 

Even the humble mackerel, coated in black pepper and hot smoked is fantasic. 

Hot smoked fish in general is awesome. But particularly salmon. Brined with juniper and fennel... Smoked over the pruning from my fruit trees...


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## Ducatiboy stu (23/6/16)

It did some fish at casa del Shaunous at Xmas and rubbed some morrocan spice on then smoked in his smoker..

Was well wicked


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## peteru (24/6/16)

Celery extract is just another source of the same problematic ingredients - nitrites and nitrates. Once you have a severe allergy to this stuff, like I do, it does not matter where it comes from. You can't completely avoid it, but the dosages that are used in meat products to act as a preservative and curing aid are way, way above what I can tolerate.

It is possible to produce a decent range of pretty good small-goods without the use of nitrates, but you really need to be careful. I would say that if you don't have a real medical need to avoid nitrates, then you should use them (sparingly) when making your own cured meats. Definitely for salami, and very much advisable for bacon and ham. I'm not so certain it is needed for corned beef or pastrami, you could probably go under the recommended dosage and as long as you are not being lax with the handling of the product you'd be fine.

On the topic of hot smoking fish like salmon and ocean trout - definitely a super way of preparing fish when done right. I do the following rub:

50g brown sugar
25g salt
3 teaspoons dried thyme
4 teaspoons dried dill leaf
1 teaspoon of coarse cracked black pepper (optional)

mix ingredients well to make a rub. Place 4 large salmon or ocean trout fillets (skin on) in a shallow tray and cover the top of each fillet with the rub. Use enough rub to make a thin layer on top. Keep refrigerated for at least 4 hours. The rub should mostly dissolve and turn into brown liquid in the tray. You can use this liquid to make a reduction that can be served as extra sauce.

Heat BBQ to about 80-110C, place salmon on the grill and smoke for at least 30 minutes. Do not let the internal temperature of the salmon go above 40C. Once smoked, remove salmon from BBQ and increase BBQ temperature to 200-250C. Oil the grill and return salmon to BBQ. The high temperature will crisp up the skin and add some colour as the brown sugar caramelises. It's a good idea to have a temperature probe in the thickest part of the largest portion so that you can monitor the internal temperature and only open the BBQ once - when it's done. I like mine done to 52-55C, wife prefers it 60+C, kids love it whatever way.

The neighbours have a standing order with us to give them a days notice when we plan to do smoked fish - they like to bring theirs over and get it cooked at the same time. I can understand why, you just can't buy that much flavour from a shop and the vast majority of restaurants can't do it either.


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## shaunous (25/6/16)

Unless your making cold hung meats like Salami with some European family thats been doing it since Jesus Christ played football for Jerusalem and handed the recipe down through the ages in consistent similar climatic conditions, i would be using pink salt / curing salt. 
Risks aint worth it. 
Its like having unprotected sex with someone carrying AIDS, for a small quick satisfaction there is the high risk of death.

My 2c


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## shaunous (25/6/16)

Will definitely try that fish recipe Peteru. Cheers.


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## Bribie G (25/6/16)

Crossover thread post here:

I'm getting a Sous Vide cooker on Wednesday - I'll be an Aldi tragic hanging out at the door for them to open - I'm getting the vac sealer anyway so might as well go the whole hog.

Now I really want to do smoked chicken breasts but don't want to toughen them by putting them into a hot Hark smoker after x hours in the sous vide.

I was thinking of doing the sous vide thing, then slide them out of the bags and put them in the oven at the initial smoke burst, remove as soon as possible then sear off in hot skillet.

How long does it actually take to coat meat with a reasonable smoke?


----------



## Ducatiboy stu (25/6/16)

Bribie G said:



> I'll be an Aldi tragic hanging out at the door for them to open -


----------



## djar007 (25/6/16)

Have you thought about reversing the process Bribie? Smoke and or char the chicken quickly then sous vide to finish. That way you will avoid drying out of the meat. I find poultry in the sous vide is succulent and moist when freshly cooked but can dry out quickly. So I try lock the moisture in then cook.


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## Ducatiboy stu (25/6/16)

Give them a cold smoke then, I can see that working, the other way would be to use liquid smoke

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxJtjg6PvSw


----------



## SBOB (25/6/16)

Bribie G said:


> Crossover thread post here:
> 
> I'm getting a Sous Vide cooker on Wednesday - I'll be an Aldi tragic hanging out at the door for them to open - I'm getting the vac sealer anyway so might as well go the whole hog.
> 
> ...


I think a few drops of liquid smoke into the sous vide bag would be a more successful route to go if you want smoked sous vide chicken breast


----------



## Danscraftbeer (25/6/16)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> Give them a cold smoke then, I can see that working, the other way would be to use liquid smoke
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxJtjg6PvSw


and where do you get one of those BBQ's? I want one.


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## Ducatiboy stu (25/6/16)

I have seen another way of collecting liquid smoke that involved lots of tube, an old cupboard, an old window rattler aircon unit 

Basically the tube from the smoker exhaust was fed into the cupboard that had the aircon unit mounted in it and as the smoke cooled and condensed it dripped into a container

Very simple when you think about it

Fair bit of ******* about and did need a fair bit of space

I doubt that any SWMBO would never ever approve building one within 2km of the house


----------



## Bribie G (25/6/16)

Sounds like a plan, any drying would be counteracted by long slow cooking.


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## Danscraftbeer (25/6/16)

Actually you just need a chimney out the top of your BBQ/smoker. Then engineer something like that video to save a remnant of whatever you are smoking.
That sounds good to me. Techni Ice packs I have. A good lot of stuffing around maybe but I'd be keen on that than the bought stuff I've got.
Now I have to install a chimney on the BBQ/smoker.


----------



## Ducatiboy stu (25/6/16)

The toil of life never ends


----------



## indica86 (26/6/16)

Anyone have a good place to buy pellets that doesn't overcharge on freight?


----------



## barls (26/6/16)

once again
Aussie BBQ Smoke
or http://urbangriller.com.au/bbq-fuel/
both are good and reasonable people.
depends what your looking for though


----------



## Crakkers (26/6/16)

These guys are pretty good too.
http://www.smokedandcured.com.au/


----------



## shaunous (1/7/16)

Tonights cook up. Slow cooked pork belly + rack. MmmmmHmmmmmmm so good. Done a batch of mongrel snags to, amazingly good.

View attachment 89566


View attachment 89567


----------



## shaunous (1/7/16)

.


----------



## peteru (1/7/16)

My plan for Saturday is to buy a slab of beef, rub it with cinnamon, crushed cloves, pinch of mace and some paprika. Maybe use some fresh garlic and a bit of olive oil to turn it into a paste so it sticks better. Whack it in the smoker on Saturday afternoon and set to about 90C. Check it on Sunday morning and if required bring the temperature up, perhaps even foil it. It should be ready for Sunday lunch, with some fresh bread rolls. If I have time, I'll whip up some fresh mayo.


----------



## barls (1/7/16)

just got a nice hunk of pork and beef so ill be smoking soon. in to brine tomorrow


----------



## shaunous (2/7/16)




----------



## indica86 (14/7/16)

Having a lager






while cooking some lamb






Marri pellets smell so freaking good!


----------



## barls (29/7/16)

wag beef in a brine made with pils malt and d2 candy sugar.


patted dry ready for the rub


with the rub on it. it goes in to the fridge over night to for the crust


out of the smoker after 5 hours on red gum and iron box.


----------



## MastersBrewery (29/7/16)

I've put on 3kilo since I got my smoker, yer just makin me hungry!

Heh I'll just blame old age.


----------



## barls (2/8/16)

While not meat. I had some fun cold smoking today over 7 hours. 


Setting up and starting


And after 7 hours


----------



## tobyga (2/8/16)

Hi barls. Looks sweet. Is that cold smoking in a Hark/Coolabah? I have only hot smoked in mine but keen to cold smoke some cheese and bacon. What's your method?


----------



## peteru (2/8/16)

I've never been game enough to try cheese, for fear of having the temperature run away on me and ending up with a bucket of fondue.

The general advice on BBQ forums has been to put a lit heat bead in a milo can full of wood chips, then pop the lid on loosely. You can adjust combustion by moving the lid. To keep temperature down, the advice has been to fill up the water pan with ice cubes.

I've also heard of people running an external smoke generator, such as a smokai and pumping the smoke into the smoker.

Either way, you would not be using the gas burner for cold smoking cheese. There's no way that the temperature would stay low enough.


----------



## barls (2/8/16)

external generator aka smokai. water tray full of ice in the top.
wait till i can have a nice and cold day to boot.


----------



## Airgead (2/8/16)

barls said:


> While not meat. I had some fun cold smoking today over 7 hours.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You really, really like a bit of cheese don't you...


----------



## barls (2/8/16)

i get one chance a year generally to do it and i make sure i have enough for the year.


----------



## indica86 (3/8/16)

I've done it with my smokai and Weber Q. No ice. 
Only went for 2 hours and it was well smokey.

What wood did you use?


----------



## barls (3/8/16)

plum and peach.


----------



## Airgead (3/8/16)

Nice. Just out of interest, how many kilos is a years supply? 

And how do you store it?


----------



## barls (3/8/16)

about 3kg is what i do for myself personally. and generally int he bottom of the beer fridge which is at 1 degree.


----------



## peteru (3/8/16)

For long term storage of hard cheese, I always put it in a vacuum sealer bag, pump out all the air, then put the resulting brick in the freezer. When it's time for it to come out, I put the whole block in the fridge for a few days to come up to temp, then open the bag. Works really well for things like Jarlsberg when it's on less than 1/2 price special.


----------



## indica86 (4/8/16)

Made some lamb jerky today. Yum. Smoked with Marri pellets and a touch of Black Wattle shavings.


----------



## indica86 (5/8/16)

First go at bacon.
Maple smoked.


----------



## Frothy1 (7/8/16)

Moist Shorties over oak and apple.. 7 hours.


----------



## Frothy1 (7/8/16)

For a guy who is into photography, they are some ordinary photos, but you get the drift


----------



## barls (26/8/16)

for those that are looking for another way to do their steaks
http://www.smoking-meat.com/august-25-2016-how-to-reverse-sear-smoked-ribeye-steaks


----------



## peteru (26/8/16)

It's pretty much the only way for any steak that is thicker than about 1cm. Warm it through with smoke, get it off the BBQ, ramp up the heat, then caramelise the surface.


----------



## Frothy1 (26/8/16)

The missus hates bloody meat and the reverse sear method works very well.

I smoke (or low temp) to just under desired doneness, then I cover and rest for 10-15 while the grill gets red hot, then finish off and get those tasty char marks happening.

This way I can cook a medium steak for her that's tender and not bloody.


----------



## indica86 (1/9/16)

Made some more bacon yesterday and some skippy jerky today.
Yum all round.


----------



## Steve (1/9/16)

Ive been reading this thread over the past few weeks on and off now and and im very tempted to give it a go. I cant believe Aldi dont have them now for Fathers day. Great read, recipes and photos.
Cheers
Steve


----------



## Frothy1 (2/9/16)

Just a little blue smoke with Banksia pods for about 8 hours with Mallee Charcoal.

I'm addicted to these short ribs.


----------



## Bribie G (2/9/16)

Reggae reggae sauce $4 at Woolies at the moment.


----------



## Frothy1 (2/9/16)

What have you been putting that on Bribie? Any good?


----------



## Bribie G (2/9/16)

First time I bought it today, Sp0rk put me onto it. Looks fearsome, apparently made with Scotch Bonnet chillies.


----------



## altone (3/9/16)

Use sparingly - I tried it the other day and blew the roof of my mouth off,

I'm going to make a nice over the top Mexican beef with sweet potato wedges

No idea how well it will turn out,


----------



## earle (3/9/16)

Picked up a kettle BBQ at Rays closing down sale for $20. Not a weber but for $20 you can't complain. Put it to good use today to reverse sear some steaks and smoke a chook. Already have an Aldi gas smoker but the more the merrier when it comes to BBQs and smokers.


----------



## indica86 (12/9/16)

Smoking buddy has just made this ******* amazing reverse offset for himself.....


----------



## peteru (12/9/16)

That's some serious hardware. Needs bigger wheels, brake lights, towbar and a number plate.


----------



## Airgead (13/9/16)

I really need to learn to weld...


----------



## sp0rk (13/9/16)

Looking at possibly buying Vogelzang barrel oven kit and the kit for adding a second barrel on top
Would convert the top barrel into a smoker, that way it's indirectly fired.
Just need to pass it by the minister for finance...


----------



## Bribie G (22/9/16)

Aldi have wireless digital meat thermometers coming up Saturday 1 October.
They look to have a nice long metallised lead coming from the probe to a base station, and a mobile phone sized unit to carry around as you busy yourself with the salads etc.

$20


----------



## indica86 (24/9/16)

My first ham yesterday... win


----------



## indica86 (24/9/16)

First brisket today.

Holy ******* shit.


----------



## micbrew (4/10/16)

howdy all

wondering if you could school me on smokers
certainly like the idea of this !

currently have a small webber ,not sure this will suffice
or do I need a stand alone smoker

next question gas , electric or fire any suggestions welcomed

thanks Micbrew


----------



## peteru (4/10/16)

You can start with a Weber charcoal kettle and take it from there. It's not the best tool for the job, but it is possible to get some pretty darn good results.

If you are talking about generic BBQ cooking, including low and slow and smoking, then an insulated and air-tight charcoal BBQ is probably the most versatile tool. If all you want to do is smoke small-goods then you really need to do a bit of homework and decide whether a dedicated electric smoker may be a better option.

In general, gas BBQs and smokers are the least favoured option by those who are serious about BBQ, but they do have their place.

At the end of the day, just about anything can be used to get good results, including a hole in the ground, covered by a piece of old corrugated metal roof.

You'll find plenty of good info on the Aussie BBQ forums.


----------



## indica86 (5/10/16)

As a newb myself, I'd suggest using what you have to learn. That way you can have a chance of working out where you want to go.


----------



## beercus (5/10/16)

micbrew,

i just use my standard 5 burner bbq. I use an "amaze smoke generator' http://www.mistygully.com.au/amazen-cold-smoke-generator/

Strip out everything in the bbq except for one gas burner (on the far left) and the grill racks. Light the gas burner at one end, meat at the other with a tray of water under it, amaze in the middle. BBQ will hold 110oC for a long as i have gas, pellets will burn for hours.

I have done ribs, ham, brisket.... i normally give them 2-3 hours of smoke and then wrap and go low and slow...

I would love to have the room and extra dosh to buy an offset smoker like this
http://www.bbqsplus.com.au/product/469/1201/50236/texas-pro-pit-offset-smoker

but i will continue to use my standard bbq and dream.....
but did see this recently..... maybe a good compromise.. 
http://www.mydeal.com.au/heavy-duty-charcoal-bbq-offset-smoker-w-thermometer?gclid=CID05pDVws8CFVCVvQodBLUC7A

cus


micbrew said:


> howdy all
> 
> wondering if you could school me on smokers
> certainly like the idea of this !
> ...


----------



## Frothy1 (5/10/16)

The kids were fighting over these lamb ribs

Smoked with Apple wood over Mallee charcoal for 8 hours

Damn they were tasty.


----------



## robv (1/11/16)

Brahman hump


----------



## Bribie G (1/11/16)

There's a mob of them on the way into town. 

Looking for my Aldi knife sharpener.


----------



## robv (1/11/16)

Bribie G said:


> There's a mob of them on the way into town.
> 
> Looking for my Aldi knife sharpener.


Get some if you can


----------



## indica86 (24/11/16)

Home cured Chacuterie plate for dinner with beers last night.

Ham, pastrami and salami. All I need now is some cured whole muscles...


Yum.


----------



## Bribie G (5/1/17)

I was in Aldi at Lismore today and they have a stack of Coolabah 2 door smokers (rebadged HARK) for $175

May be available around the stores - I didn't notice them coming up again this time around but then I haven't been looking.

I'm still in love with my unit, went into Bunnings today for a swap n go and some smoke chips.

Also Aldi currently have a big range of Sweet Baby Ray's sauces in the centre aisle at the front of the store, you know the area where the Stollen and xmas cakes and Easter Eggs take turns.


----------



## indica86 (7/1/17)

Yeah they are a great smoker.
I drilled a hole in the side at the bottom for my smokai so I can cold smoke in it too.
******* great cheap shit piece of work.

**** my mates massive stainless whole carcass smoker.


----------



## DUANNE (8/1/17)

micbrew said:


> howdy all
> 
> wondering if you could school me on smokers
> certainly like the idea of this !
> ...


the weber is a great place to start ive got an offset smoker but still regularly smoke on the weber for smaller bits of meat rather than spend all day tending to the fire.. you can run a snake with heat beads that with only minor adjustments to the air vents at the bottom will hold 250f all day long. one tip though is to use chunks of wood for the smoke flavour chips really dont work the same.


----------



## Doug2232 (12/1/17)

Didn't know we had fellow smokers in here. I do comp bbq and its a hell of a lot of fun.

Hit me up with any questions you have around smoking, different meat cuts, wood, rubs or sauces...

Happy to help after you all help with my beer quest...


----------



## indica86 (20/1/17)

First go at smoked ribs today.... **** yeah!


----------



## yum beer (20/1/17)

Get a cheapo 3 part barrel smoker for Xmas, gonna give it its maiden run tomorrow.
I've got a chunk of pork belly and might throw the Saturday BBQ snags in there as well. 
Will be making my own sausage and the like shortly with a grinder and sausage stuffer also for XMAS.
Gammy leg is keeping me a little less mobile and upright than I would like, but nearly back to normal.


----------



## tugger (23/1/17)

I smoked some salmon on the weekend. 
Usual sugar salt dry brine and smoked with leftover oak from that other thing we can't speak about here. 
It was awesome, I convinced the wife to allow me to buy an offset Texas style smoker.


----------



## peteru (23/1/17)

Oh yeah! Salmon or ocean trout with brown sugar, salt, dill and thyme rub is awesome. The kids can't get enough of it and if I'm lucky and there are leftovers they are great mixed with a bit of lemon juice and mayo and turned into a spread that goes on some nice dark rye sourdough.

Now I'm hungry...


----------



## Airgead (24/1/17)

Did a couple of rainbow trout in the smoker over the weekend. With a home made chili aioli. Vanished too fast for photos.


----------



## indica86 (24/1/17)

Nice, I'll have to get me some fish and give that a go.

Smoked a ham this morning. **** knows why anyone would buy that crap from the shop.
So glad I started doing this.


----------



## tugger (26/1/17)

Here is biab salmon. 
Brine in a bag. 
I'm building the fire now.


----------



## barls (26/1/17)

got 2 butterflied lamb legs in the smoker with a piece of pork scotch for pulling later.


----------



## indica86 (26/1/17)

I love a smoked lamb leg


----------



## tugger (26/1/17)

It's looking so good.


----------



## barls (26/1/17)

just put the pork in a tray with a little of the wife english brown to help it become more moist.


----------



## sp0rk (23/2/17)

Just picked up 2.5kg of beef ribs to throw in the smoker on saturday morning.
Also dropped over to Tilse's Cidery in my lunch break and asked about some apple wood, they had half a pallet that's been sitting around for a bit and offered it to me for $20
Winning!
For anyone in the Hunter region wanting some apple wood, they'll have plenty more soon, they're next to the Bowling Club in Scone


----------



## Ducatiboy stu (23/2/17)

So Tilses Apples are still going 

I remeber going up to their orchard way up behind Moonan Flat


----------



## sp0rk (24/2/17)

Yep, their Apple Truck Cider is starting to get pretty popular
Might ask about some fresh squeezed juice when I head in today, wouldn't mind trying some funky cider with a bit of the cake from my brett saison


----------



## indica86 (8/4/17)

This is a pork shoulder I had in cure for a week, then cold smoked for 6 hours, then thrown in a banquet bag and cured in the fridge for 6 weeks.

Tastes so ******* good.


----------



## Ducatiboy stu (8/4/17)

Looks unhealthy...might even make you sick

If you need to dispose of it than I can help. You will need to send it to me for proper disposal


----------



## Bribie G (8/4/17)

That reminds me I missed 24 Hours in Emergency last night, will have to catch up on SBS on Demand.


----------



## indica86 (11/5/17)

Left over 8 hour smoked lamb shoulder on flat bread today.


YUM


----------



## indica86 (14/7/17)

Brisket day tomorrow.
Free organic home delivered with the rest @ $16 a kg.


----------



## Rocker1986 (8/10/17)

I've been in the process of making bacon for the first time over the last few days. It's being made from pork loin (short cut bacon) rather than the belly, using a variation of the Canadian bacon recipe from the Charcuterie book. It was done as a wet cure, ingredients in that were:

4L water
350g non iodised salt
225 sugar (I used brown sugar)
42g curing salt #1 (6.25% sodium nitrite)
This was boiled on the stove and allowed to cool to room temp then refrigerated overnight, at which point the loin was submerged in it for 48 hours in the fridge. Yesterday I removed it from the cure, rinsed and patted dry and placed on a rack in the fridge in prep for smoking it today. It will be smoked with hickory.

I did cut a small slice off it yesterday to fry up for an early sample tasting and it was bloody delicious so I'm looking forward to the proper finished product. 

The three images are the cured loin on the rack, the slice in the pan and the loin submerged in the cure earlier.


----------



## laxation (9/10/17)

Let us know how it goes. I've only done bacon before with a 7 day dry rub


----------



## Rocker1986 (9/10/17)

Turned out bloody well for a first attempt! Next time I'll leave it in the cure for longer, will try 4 days as there was a slither through the middle that wasn't quite reached by the cure, but the smoking went well and gave a lovely flavor to it. Definitely better than the earlier tasting. 

It smells more like ham steaks "raw" but once fried in the pan it's bacon through and through. Just need something to make slicing it easier now.

Looking forward to trying again though and improving on it


----------



## koshari (9/10/17)

indica86 said:


> Brisket day tomorrow.
> Free organic home delivered with the rest @ $16 a kg.


how do you do your brisket?


----------



## peteru (9/10/17)

While not a traditional recipe, the best brisket I ever made spent around 70 hours in the Grainfather at 55C (sous-vide with sea salt, garlic powder, fresh marjoram and rosemary twigs), then about 2 hours in the smoker with banksia cones at around 60C. Rested for about 15 minutes while I got the smoker up to 200C, then caramelised on the outside, which only takes about 1 or 2 minutes on each side. Wrapped in alfoil, put in a plastic container and rested for another hour before serving.

The beauty of this method is that you are completely in control of the timing when it comes to serving the meal. A big enough chunk can easily be rested for several hours.


----------



## SBOB (9/10/17)

Only recently joined the meat smoking cult.
Was able to get a good deal recently on a new model Kamado Joe, and this weekend I have it it's first decent run.

Atomic buffalo turds, moink balls, and a pulled pork (sous vide first), all smoked with cherry wood...

Was pretty tasty


----------



## Rik (15/10/17)

Smoked belly...yep it's a thing


----------



## earle (22/10/17)

Slow smoked ox tail stew. Got a whole lot reduced by 50%. It's sitting on the stove in the photo but has been in my aldi smoker all day.


----------



## Bribie G (23/10/17)

What temperature on the dial?


----------



## earle (23/10/17)

I didn't use a water bath over the smoker dish so it sat at about 130C ish for about 5 hours. At that point it still appeared to have too much liquid so I bumped it up into the 180-200 range for a couple of hours. As to be expected the wider/flatter pan evaporated more quickly but the crunchy bits were delicious.


----------



## earle (28/10/17)

Pulled pork from the Aldi smoker


----------



## barls (28/10/17)

pic no workie


----------



## earle (28/10/17)

barls said:


> pic no workie


Are you sure. I loaded it to the AHB gallery so should be fine.


----------



## Bribie G (28/10/17)

Looks fine to me. drool.


----------



## Rocker1986 (28/10/17)

Smoked another batch of bacon earlier in the week. This loin came from a butcher instead of Coles, and didn't blacken as much over the 3-4 hours in the smoker. This one I cured for 3 days which I think is long enough but I did overdo the salt a bit so will dial that back on the next one. 

In any event, it's a lot nicer than store bought bacon and I enjoy making it too.


----------



## Rik (29/10/17)

Made some Bakkwa


----------



## tugger (29/10/17)

I picked up my new offset Texas style a few weeks ago. 
It's been getting a regular workout.


----------



## nosco (29/10/17)

First run on the Aldi gas smoker. Ive done ribs before on the Weber but it is a pita to get the snake burning. It was a breeze with the gas smoker. Ive just wrapped them in foil and should be ready in an hour or so.

The in-laws are over so i had to keep it simple. Next time ill spice it a bit more and make my own sauce i think. I need one of those silicone basting brushes too. Before and after pics.


----------



## earle (29/10/17)

Smoker's so clean. Ribs look good.


----------



## mattyh77 (29/10/17)

What temp did you have the ribs on and how long?


----------



## Andy_27 (29/10/17)

I missed out on the Aldi smoker this weekend so I ordered a ProQ Frontier from BBQs Galore. I really wanted a charcoal smoker but I thought gas would be sensible, hence the Aldi one... but screw it! Now I can play with fire!!


----------



## barls (29/10/17)

earle said:


> Are you sure. I loaded it to the AHB gallery so should be fine.


that probably why. i can't see the gallery at all. can someone post the link to the gallery and ill look. theres so many things that got stuffed up for mods.


----------



## Bribie G (29/10/17)

nosco said:


> First run on the Aldi gas smoker. Ive done ribs before on the Weber but it is a pita to get the snake burning. It was a breeze with the gas smoker. Ive just wrapped them in foil and should be ready in an hour or so.
> 
> The in-laws are over so i had to keep it simple. Next time ill spice it a bit more and make my own sauce i think. I need one of those silicone basting brushes too. Before and after pics.View attachment 109314
> View attachment 109315


To clean off the racks, just put in laundry tub and cover with hot tap water and some cloudy ammonia then walk awaty, come back half an hour later and the grease and dirt will have just fallen off, use a dishwashing brush if necessary. Pure perc works well also, if you have access to it.


----------



## nosco (29/10/17)

mattyh77 said:


> What temp did you have the ribs on and how long?



At a steady 100c for about 4.5 hours which was too long. I was thinking 3 with a long rest in foil as they are pretty small ribs and that would have been about right. 2 hours in the smoke. Baste with sauce and then leave for 15 to crust up. Then 1 hour at 100c in foil. Then leave it for a good 15 in the foil to rest. I had to wait for every one else to get there shit together before we ate so they stayed in too long. They were falling off the bone which was nice but I was hoping to get them to stay on the bone a bit. I followed this method.


----------



## barls (29/10/17)

i always did the 3-2-1 method with ribs
which is 3 hours smoking, 2 hours foiled and 1 hour resting.


----------



## tugger (30/10/17)

Ribs. Yep. 




Foil them up for soft pull apart deliciousness.


----------



## bradsbrew (30/10/17)

barls said:


> that probably why. i can't see the gallery at all. can someone post the link to the gallery and ill look. theres so many things that got stuffed up for mods.


Barls at the top left, next to forums and recipes, there it 3 little horizontal lines. Click on that and you will get a dropdown and gallery should be an option. Or turn your phone on the side and the gallery tab will be there


----------



## barls (30/10/17)

bradsbrew said:


> Barls at the top left, next to forums and recipes, there it 3 little horizontal lines. Click on that and you will get a dropdown and gallery should be an option. Or turn your phone on the side and the gallery tab will be there


problem has since been fixed. i didn't have permissions for it strangely enough. 
looks almost as tempting as my last one @earle


----------



## wobbly (1/11/17)

Andy_27 said:


> I missed out on the Aldi smoker this weekend so I ordered a ProQ Frontier from BBQs Galore. I really wanted a charcoal smoker but I thought gas would be sensible, hence the Aldi one... but screw it! Now I can play with fire!!



For those that missed the Aldi smokers have a look at the Jumbuck Gas Smokers/units at Bunnings for $198. They are a two door style very similar to the Aldi units 

Cheers

Wobbly


----------



## indica86 (1/11/17)

tugger said:


> deliciousness.



**** YES, that is some MEATY ribs mate.


----------



## Andy_27 (1/11/17)

Big W also had one for $249. A mate got one to replace an Aldi smoker and it seems a bit better quality than the Aldi job.


----------



## earle (1/11/17)

Andy_27 said:


> Big W also had one for $249. A mate got one to replace an Aldi smoker and it seems a bit better quality than the Aldi job.


Pretry sure the aldi ones are actually rebadged Harks. I wonder who makes the Big W ones.


----------



## mattyh77 (4/11/17)

Although I've used a Weber before to cook meat, today was the first time I used a smoker (from the Aldi sale).

It was only a 1.2kg brisket but was in for 6hours at about 110c. Wrapped it in foil when internal temp was about 70c. Took it out at 90c and rested for about 45 mins.

I used some mesquite wood for the smoke.

Thoughts: I think it could have been on for longer as it wasn't quiet as tender as I thought it should be (the brisket I did on the Weber was a lot more tender). I think I need to check the calibration of my meat thermometer as it may be reading a bit over.

Whats the secret to a good smoked brisket?


----------



## akx (4/11/17)

mattyh77 said:


> Whats the secret to a good smoked brisket?



I've followed the tips at amazingribs.com and had pretty good success with all manner of smoked and grilled meats.


----------



## indica86 (5/11/17)

akx said:


> I've followed the tips at amazingribs.com



I love that site.


----------



## Andy_27 (5/11/17)

akx said:


> I've followed the tips at amazingribs.com and had pretty good success with all manner of smoked and grilled meats.



Thats not a bad site. I'm going to try his Georgian smoked chicken today.


----------



## barls (5/11/17)

mattyh77 said:


> Although I've used a Weber before to cook meat, today was the first time I used a smoker (from the Aldi sale).
> 
> It was only a 1.2kg brisket but was in for 6hours at about 110c. Wrapped it in foil when internal temp was about 70c. Took it out at 90c and rested for about 45 mins.
> 
> ...


time my last brisket was nearly 10 hours and about the 1.5kg mark.
i take it to 195-200 F you can check with the probe, if it pulls easily to either side its great,


----------



## Rocker1986 (12/11/17)

Smoked another batch of bacon yesterday, made from loin. Also have a belly in the freezer for the next lot. Turned out well, could probably use a tad more salt though. Still refining my cure recipe.


----------



## mattyh77 (12/11/17)

Are you using a dry or liquid brine.
Waiting for my pink salt to arrive next week (cure no 1) then I was going to dry brine a pork belly. 
Been reading the book Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn. 
Says to use the dry brine for 7 days and turn every day as the liquid comes out. 
Firstly time doing anything thus style.


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## Rocker1986 (12/11/17)

I use liquid, it doesn't take as long. I usually submerge the meat for 3 days, turning it at the halfway point. The first batch I only did two days and it didn't penetrate all the way through, and wasn't quite salty enough. Second batch was 3 days and went much better but a little overdone on the salt, and then there's this batch. I have that book too, I'm using the Canadian bacon recipe just without the herb additions.

Sent from my Agora 4G+ using Aussie Home Brewer mobile app


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## indica86 (12/11/17)

mattyh77 said:


> I was going to dry brine a pork belly.



That bacon from that book is so good!


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## seamad (12/11/17)

I've always skinned the meat before curing on the understanding that the cure penetrates evenly ( most recipes say to skin too ). I also cryovac the meat/dry rub, turning not so important then.
Your bacon looks good, will have to make a batch again. Get a bit lazy as my butcher has a smokehouse in shop, and makes good hams/bacon and other smallgoods.


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## Rocker1986 (12/11/17)

I did take the skin off on the second batch actually. Might have to make it a regular thing, I suspect it did penetrate better with the skin off.


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## nosco (19/11/17)

Beer can chiken in the Aldi smoker


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## Danscraftbeer (19/11/17)

nosco that chicken could pass as been rolled in spent grain haha.
Perfect job though.


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## nosco (19/11/17)

Yeah I over did the italian herbs a bit. Tasted great though.


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## mattyh77 (25/11/17)

First go at bacon. A hickory smoked maple pork belly using the Aldi smoker


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## SponsorSFC (16/12/17)

Bought one of the Adli gas smokers a few weeks ago.

Smoking day tomorrow. Got a Brisket and pork shoulder and the alarm set for 5am.

Will get up get that going then sit around the pool with a few home brew and watch the cricket.


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## Rocker1986 (23/12/17)

Smoked my Christmas ham yesterday after it sat in the cure for 10 days. It is only a small one because I don't have the fridge room to do a full size one, and there's only 8 people to feed. Simmered it for about 10 mins first to drive out some of the salt, then into the smoker for about 4.5 hours with Hickory. The skin was removed after this photo; Monday I'm making a maple glaze for it and will bake it in the oven. It tastes really good too.


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## Dae Tripper (23/12/17)

tugger said:


> View attachment 94855
> 
> It's looking so good.



Hey Tugger, that looks great! Could you please elaberate on the brine, smoke times and temps? I am keen to give it a try.


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## tugger (24/12/17)

The brine is a dry brine. 
That is 1 cup brown sugar to 1/4 cup of coarse salt. 
Pack the fish in a container with loads of the salt sugar mix on top and underneath. 
Stick it in the fridge for minimum 4 hours. 
I think 4 hours is perfect but you can leave it longer. 
I find it dries out too much if you leave it too long. 
Wash off all the salty sugar liquid and let it dry for an hour. 
Bung it on the smoker around 100c for about an hour or until cooked through.


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## Dae Tripper (24/12/17)

tugger said:


> The brine is a dry brine.
> That is 1 cup brown sugar to 1/4 cup of coarse salt.
> Pack the fish in a container with loads of the salt sugar mix on top and underneath.
> Stick it in the fridge for minimum 4 hours.
> ...


Yum yum, thanks Tugger!


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## Rocker1986 (26/12/17)

Honey maple smoked ham for Christmas. It turned out fuckin good, was a bit of a hit with all who tried it.


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## Digga (26/12/17)

Ohhh hell yeah!! That looks out of this world.. we didn't do a glazed ham this year and that makes me completely hate myself for not.

Well done mate.


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## Rocker1986 (26/12/17)

That's the first time I've made a ham although the process wasn't much different to the bacon I usually make. It was the best ham I've eaten in years. I'll definitely be making more hams.


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## indica86 (27/12/17)

Well done mate!


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## mattyh77 (27/12/17)

Did you leave the rind on while brining and cooking?


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## Rocker1986 (27/12/17)

Thanks mate, it definitely exceed my expectations.

Matty, I left the skin on while it was curing in the brine, and through the short boil/simmer and smoking process. After that I cut it off and put the ham in the fridge until Xmas day, when it was taken out and the diamond shapes cut into the fat, baked in the oven for 90 mins at 170/180°C while applying glaze every 25 minutes or so.


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## Ronwales (2/1/18)

SponsorSFC said:


> Bought one of the Adli gas smokers a few weeks ago.
> 
> Smoking day tomorrow. Got a Brisket and pork shoulder and the alarm set for 5am.
> 
> Will get up get that going then sit around the pool with a few home brew and watch the cricket.


How did the brisket turn out? I've only made it a handful of times , but when done good the taste is absolutely delicious


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## SponsorSFC (2/1/18)

Turned out really well, nice smoke ring and very tender. There was plenty left over so had a few days of it to have with some home brews.

Ended up doing it again on Boxing day.


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## Ronwales (2/1/18)

SponsorSFC said:


> Turned out really well, nice smoke ring and very tender. There was plenty left over so had a few days of it to have with some home brews.
> 
> Ended up doing it again on Boxing day.


What temp do you do yours and how long. I find getting a nice bark on it a bit tricky


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## SponsorSFC (2/1/18)

I do mine at 100C.

I keep adding wood chips until it hits an internal temp of 65-70C then just keep it on heat until it hits 95C internal. Roughly 4 hours to get to 65C then 6 hours to hit 95C.

I then wrap it in foil and an old towel and let is rest in an esky for about 2 hours.

I had to use a Texas crutch for the boxing day one as it hit a stall. There was a bit of wind about which probably didn't help things.


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## mattyh77 (2/1/18)

Do you get the crispy bark on it? I've done a couple now but now bark. Using water in the dish so maybe too much moisture. Might try without water next time.


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## SponsorSFC (19/1/18)

mattyh77 said:


> Do you get the crispy bark on it? I've done a couple now but now bark. Using water in the dish so maybe too much moisture. Might try without water next time.



When I used the crutch no. Otherwise yes.

I have seen that some people throw a crutched brisket on the grill for a few minutes after the rest to dry out the bark. Not tried it myself though.


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## bevan (29/4/18)

Edit: deleted post as I read the small print at the bottom and it was a single use vouch on eBay. Apologies


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## Hpal (18/5/18)

After some advice please guys. I’m smoking a 2.3kg leg of lamb (boned) in the bbq tomorrow. Haven’t done much of it before but need pointers on temp and time so I don’t stuff it up. I have some Shiraz soaked oak which I plan to split into chips and put in a metal tray.
Should I put anything in or on the lamb?
Should I do it up high in the hooded bbq or on the grill with the smoker tray next to it?
Is my best bet to whack as much smoke in as I can at a fairly low temp for a fair while (4hrs??)
One burner on low will likely be too hot, should I just make a little fire with the chips and let that do the job then make it hotter last half hour to put a nice crust on it?
I am a complete novice 
Cheers.


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## tanked84 (7/9/18)

Rocker1986 said:


> I've been in the process of making bacon for the first time over the last few days. It's being made from pork loin (short cut bacon) rather than the belly, using a variation of the Canadian bacon recipe from the Charcuterie book. It was done as a wet cure, ingredients in that were:
> 
> 4L water
> 350g non iodised salt
> ...


Can this be done without the curing salt?


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## Funk then Funk1 (7/9/18)

tanked84 said:


> Can this be done without the curing salt?


As long as you don't mind a dose of botulism (potentially)......


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## Rocker1986 (7/9/18)

tanked84 said:


> Can this be done without the curing salt?


Not entirely sure. It would be more like a salted pork than proper cured bacon and would likely be grey rather than pink. Taste wouldn't be the same either I don't think. But, I've never tried it so I stand corrected.


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## Donz (22/2/20)

Had to chuck in a build I worked on for smoking meat


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## TONY VAN DER ZANDEN (24/2/20)

Donz said:


> Had to chuck in a build I worked on for smoking meat
> View attachment 117577


Nice Job.


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## Bob65 (29/8/20)




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## Ronwales (29/8/20)

Whole brisket time go wrap!


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## Ronwales (18/10/20)

I use a old chargriller offset smoker and im smoking a chunk of silverside today , low and slow


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