Porcelain Smoker / Grills

[YosemiteSam]

I have experimented with soaking and not soaking and I do not soak them because I do not want to over smoke the meat. However, on an enclosed ceramic cooker, dry chips can jack your heat level up really fast if you are going for low and slow. First time I did ribs on mine, it took me too long to get the temp down and the little bones were already sticking out the end after 15 minutes. They looked so sad.

One drawback to those cookers is brisket, if you are a 200-225 18 hour guy. To add charcoal, you have to take too many pieces off the smoker and hitting that magic spot again is difficult so it's best to go with the new approach that Aaron Franklin developed and cook it higher for a shorter period of time and you get the nice bark. And go with the packer trimmed brisket and trim it up yourself, the flats and points do not have enough fat for the higher temp. You can cover them with bacon but you don't get bark and that's my favorite part.

Hmmm, I'm really going to have to check this Aaron Franklin guy out. Even though I've smoked a lot of stuff, brisket was something I never even tried with my thin metal tube smoker. I just wasn't going to deal with 18 hours of managing it given how much heat loss it had. I generally smoke boston butts, chicken, peppers, etc. I always stayed away from really large slabs of meet.

I was hoping a Kamado was the answer. I've heard you can let it run overnight without the temp changing if you get it right.

I'm hoping to make a run at beef jerky too. Currently, I just use liquid smoke and a dehydrator, though I tend to just buy it more often. I'm hoping the new smoker will make enough of a difference that I will want to go through the effort of making it.

 

[CyberB0b]

I bought the Kamado Joe Classic III, not the Big Green Egg.

I was just looking for others that had one for tips and tricks as this will be my first.

That's a good one.

 

[CouchCoach]

Hmmm, I'm really going to have to check this Aaron Franklin guy out. Even though I've smoked a lot of stuff, brisket was something I never even tried with my thin metal tube smoker. I just wasn't going to deal with 18 hours of managing it given how much heat loss it had. I generally smoke boston butts, chicken, peppers, etc. I always stayed away from really large slabs of meet.

I was hoping a Kamado was the answer. I've heard you can let it run overnight without the temp changing if you get it right.

I'm hoping to make a run at beef jerky too. Currently, I just use liquid smoke and a dehydrator, though I tend to just buy it more often. I'm hoping the new smoker will make enough of a difference that I will want to go through the effort of making it.

He's the new brisket guru and even acknowledged by Raichlen, the recognized authority on grilling and smoking. In fact on one of his last shows about brisket, he gave all of the credit to Franklin. The guy started with a barrel smoker doing two briskets a day and now does 110 of them a day out of his brick and mortar in Austin. He is also featured in the movie "Chef" with Jon Favreau and actually taught him how to cook brisket. He was on two of Favreau's "Chef Shows" on Netflix in season 1, all about brisket. And if you like wood fired pizza, catch the one with Robert Rodriguez.

I still use the dehydrator for my jerky but I don't use liquid smoke, I use soy sauce, Lea & Perrin, Crystal Hot Sauce, Mike's Hot Honey, Fish Sauce, ground black pepper and chili flakes and it's pretty terrific. By the Way, if you want the best liquid smoke, get Living Nutritional Pure Liquid Smoke, none of that crap Figaro and the rest put in there, it is just pure smoke. Major difference in flavor.

And Sam, those last two cookbooks by Raichlen are must haves for the Backyard BBQing Bubbas.

 

[YosemiteSam]

@CouchCoach What are the last two books?

Oh, and I need a recipe for Texas BBQ sauce. You can't get Texas BBQ sauce up here. You get mostly the sweet stuff and if you want something tangy, it's usually some off-shoot of a Texas BBQ sauce rather than what I'm used too.

Back when I was a kid, there was this catering BBQ joint on Forest Hill Dr in South Fort Worth near the Quick Way convenience store on the corner of Enon Ave.. They made the best BBQ sauce. I wish I knew how to make that.

 

[CouchCoach]

@CouchCoach What are the last two books?

Oh, and I need a recipe for Texas BBQ sauce. You can't get Texas BBQ sauce up here. You get mostly the sweet stuff and if you want something tangy, it's usually some off-shoot of a Texas BBQ sauce rather than what I'm used too.

Back when I was a kid, there was this catering BBQ joint on Forest Hill Dr in South Fort Worth near the Quick Way convenience store on the corner of Enon Ave.. They made the best BBQ sauce. I wish I knew how to make that.

Project Fire and Project Smoke and his Barbecue Sauces, Rubs and Marinades is a must have as well. The guy is the absolute end all to grilling and smoking and you would dig his show, he has all the toys and uses them.

Steve Raichlen is to BBQ what Rick Bayless is to Mexican.

If you want a good OK/TEX BBQ sauce, try Walt Garrison's, his salsa is the best jarred salsa I've ever eaten. I have to order it online because the stores don't carry it down here. I am more into the vinegar, not so sweet, sauces but his BBQ sauce is really good, if you want that traditional sweet Texas sauce and it's thick.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

I've never used one. I did look at them but I couldn't find one big enough to work for us. Too many mouths to feed. They looked cool though.

 

[CouchCoach]

I've never used one. I did look at them but I couldn't find one big enough to work for us. Too many mouths to feed. They looked cool though.

You are space limited with those but that new horizontal one has a lot more cooking area. I think they're very pricey though.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

You are space limited with those but that new horizontal one has a lot more cooking area. I think they're very pricey though.

IDK Coach, I haven't seen those. I looked at those egg deals a couple two or three years ago. We went with a Traeger instead. Also have a smoker that is mounted on a trailer for larger family functions. Keep that one down at the Ranch.

 

[CouchCoach]

IDK Coach, I haven't seen those. I looked at those egg deals a couple two or three years ago. We went with a Traeger instead. Also have a smoker that is mounted on a trailer for larger family functions. Keep that one down at the Ranch.

Same principle but it's horizontal with about twice the cooking space as the usual vertical ones.

 

[YosemiteSam]

Project Fire and Project Smoke and his Barbecue Sauces, Rubs and Marinades is a must have as well. The guy is the absolute end all to grilling and smoking and you would dig his show, he has all the toys and uses them.

Steve Raichlen is to BBQ what Rick Bayless is to Mexican.

If you want a good OK/TEX BBQ sauce, try Walt Garrison's, his salsa is the best jarred salsa I've ever eaten. I have to order it online because the stores don't carry it down here. I am more into the vinegar, not so sweet, sauces but his BBQ sauce is really good, if you want that traditional sweet Texas sauce and it's thick.

I picked up those three and his brisket book.

No idea what you mean by traditional sweet Texas sauce. Texas BBQ sauce has always been a vinegar based tangy / peppery BBQ sauce. Sweet BBQ sauces where always the ones from other places.

The only time I really prefer a sweeter sauce is on my babyback ribs. Other than that, I will eat it with dry rub only, or with a Texas (tangy) BBQ sauce.

 

[Tabascocat]

I have had an egg and overall, loved it for grilling steaks, chicken, etc. It has its uses for smoking but there are much better options out there, especially for brisket, ribs and large cuts of meats. Ribs aren’t hard to do on it because temp control isn’t much of an issue for 4-5 hours.

A brisket is on another level and very hard to control if smoking low and slow.

I got rid of it and got a Rec Tec to go along with my stick smoker.

 

[CouchCoach]

I picked up those three and his brisket book.

No idea what you mean by traditional sweet Texas sauce. Texas BBQ sauce has always been a vinegar based tangy / peppery BBQ sauce. Sweet BBQ sauces where always the ones from other places.

The only time I really prefer a sweeter sauce is on my babyback ribs. Other than that, I will eat it with dry rub only, or with a Texas (tangy) BBQ sauce.

Depends because most of the sauces down here are sweet, cloyingly sweet. Franklin has sweet sauce but he also bottles a vinegar based sauce.

Try this one on, this is a recipe from the most famous BBQ restaurant in AR, The Shack. I've been making this one for about 45 years.

42 oz Heinz Ketchup
1 QT Apple Cider Vinegar
1 QT Water, filtered or bottled
3 TBL Brown Sugar
3 TBL Sea Salt
3 TBL Coarse Ground Pepper, McCormick's is good
3 TBL Chili Powder
One small white onion finely chopped

Cook that on low heat for a couple of hours, uncovered, stirring it up often. If you're planning on keeping some bottled for a while, leave the onion out.

The nice thing about this recipe is that you can slant it in whichever direction you want to go. I like it spicy so I add more salt and pepper, it's got that pepper vinegar bite you're referring to and I like that a lot. On game days, I'll throw some of those Li'l Smokies in with that sauce and snack myself silly. The only thing I do not like it on is chicken but I have cut it with 50% honey and that works, I do like my BBQ chicken with a sweet side. It's bodacious with brisket, ribs and sausage.

 

[CouchCoach]

I picked up those three and his brisket book.

No idea what you mean by traditional sweet Texas sauce. Texas BBQ sauce has always been a vinegar based tangy / peppery BBQ sauce. Sweet BBQ sauces where always the ones from other places.

The only time I really prefer a sweeter sauce is on my babyback ribs. Other than that, I will eat it with dry rub only, or with a Texas (tangy) BBQ sauce.

I haven't read the Brisket one but he made his name early on in the game before smoking became the home thing to do it is today. My first cookbook ever was The Barbecue Bible by him but he's learned a lot and I like him because he'll tell you who he gets some ideas from, unlike some of the Food Network Thieves. Set that show to recrod and watch him, he doesn't think there's anything you can't grill or smoke.

 

[CouchCoach]

I have had an egg and overall, loved it for grilling steaks, chicken, etc. It has its uses for smoking but there are much better options out there, especially for brisket, ribs and large cuts of meats. Ribs aren’t hard to do on it because temp control isn’t much of an issue for 4-5 hours.

A brisket is on another level and very hard to control if smoking low and slow.

I got rid of it and got a Rec Tec to go along with my stick smoker.

I've got a bud that uses his smoker only for the first 3 hours on a brisket, after that, no more smoke is getting in the meat. Then he uses his oven and treats that just like smoking it with wrapping in butcher paper and resting it in the cooler. It's as good as any I've had except Franklin's and Mueller's because they've mastered the best part of the brisket to me, that bark. And they both use the same seasoning, just S & P.

 

[Tabascocat]

I've got a bud that uses his smoker only for the first 3 hours on a brisket, after that, no more smoke is getting in the meat. Then he uses his oven and treats that just like smoking it with wrapping in butcher paper and resting it in the cooler. It's as good as any I've had except Franklin's and Mueller's because they've mastered the best part of the brisket to me, that bark. And they both use the same seasoning, just S & P.

Yea, I usually smoke it to the stall and/or 170 degrees then wrap in butcher paper as long as the bark looks good. Key to a great bark is more sugar, S & P(more rub really) and no moisture in the smoker. That is a big reason why I don’t soak wood.

Oh, I am going to try that bbq sauce above but will add mustard to it

 

[CouchCoach]

Yea, I usually smoke it to the stall and/or 170 degrees then wrap in butcher paper as long as the bark looks good. Key to a great bark is more sugar, S & P(more rub really) and no moisture in the smoker. That is a big reason why I don’t soak wood.

Oh, I am going to try that bbq sauce above but will add mustard to it

Lemme know how that turns out.