I'm a novice when it comes to smoking. I've been doing it for maybe seven years. First on a Weber kettle and then for the last four years with a an upright propane-fired (cheaters) smoker. Some things turn out pretty good (hot-smoked salmon). Some things (brisket) not so good. But my pork shoulder is amazing! I'd enter a contest if it wasn't for the whole "no propane fired smokers" rule that all of the BBQ competitions employ.
So last night, we dined on pulled pork, zinfandel baked beans, corn on the cob, and Dogfish Head Hellhound on my Ale. As the week progresses, I'll share the recipes for the whole meal. I'm still on the fence about sharing my BBQ sauce recipe, but I'll probably share it. I'll also review the Hellhound. Stay tuned...
The food and beer sounds great. I recently bought an Brinkmann electric smoker from Bass Pro. I love it. So far I've made 2 beef briskets (I buy mine from Laurel Meat Market), a bunch of hot links, pork ribs, and a pork loin.
ReplyDeleteI prefer the electric smoker for a few of reasons.
1) Unlike a wood or charcoal smoker, you can get very consistent temperatures within the electric smoker. The same can be said about the propane smoker as well.
2) Unlike the propane smoker, I don't have to worry about if I have enough propane prior to deciding to smoke something.
3) It's less maintenance. I can plug it in, toss the meat on and walk away for 4 hours before having to come back and see how it is. I'm sure you can do that with the other types of smokers if you are a pro, but I'm still a novice so this works for me.
Overall I think the Brinkmanns does a very good job, maybe not great, but good enough job for my friends and I to enjoy what we have.
Anyways, I look forward to hearing your recipes.
-Brent
Hi Brent - thanks for the comments. Yes, the propane smoker is close to fool-proof for maintaining temp. I need to replace the wood chips/chunks every 2-3 hours, but aside from that it's a pretty hands off affair. Prior to this, I did the Alton Brown electric hot plate and smoker box in the bottom of a Weber kettle. That worked shockingly well.
ReplyDeleteI do mostly pork shoulder, pork ribs, and whole chickens. I've had good luck with hot smoked salmon, sausages, and chicken wings and drums as well.
Over the winter (on really cold days) I was able to smoke cheddar and mozzarella with the smoker on its lowest setting.