Smoking, Where do i start.

[New2BBQ]

Hi Everyone.

May i start off by apoligising if all what im going to ask is already posted. I have looked but can't seem to find the anwsers. This may take a while.

I have grilled for a while and this year i have spit roasted a few chickens on my gas BBQ with great results even if i say so myself. I really would like to start smoking my meats this year so have dusted off the old BBQ that being an Outback 100 charcoal bbq which is tiny in comparasson to some of you impressive Q's.
Thing is im just not sure how you start the smoking process off, I have just bought a cast iron smoking box for the charcoal bbq but there are no intructions, So i take it that in the normal fashion you light the coals, wait until the coals are grey and glowing red. Place the box on top of the coals with the soaked woodchips inside, wait for the wood to start smoking then place the meat on the grill and close the lid.

Is that correct?

The art of smoking if im right involves NO flame to the meat and the smoke and heat from the coals cook the meat as such. Am i OK in just placing the rubbed meat straight onto the grill and that there will be no flame? Should the meat be wrapped in foil . Do you see how confused i am on this.

The BBQ has no form of thermometer on the hood so again how can i tell its smoking and heat is at its best. I am going to buy some restraunt grade charcoal as you guys have mentioned that is the best coals to use. On that note how many coals would you suggest using in a bbq with a 50cm cooking diameter as a smoking
area. Don't give up on me just yet with that question please

Is there a rule of thumb of smoking time per pound or kilo of meat?

As you can see, a complete novice.

Thank you for yoru time in reading my question.

Mark

[Mike_P_in_Tucson]

OK, I had to look up the Outback to see what you have.

You want to try to cook with indirect heat, that is, having the coals to one end of the BBQ and the meat at the other end. You want to try to keep the tepmerature around 230F, +/- 20F, at the end the meat is on. I can't see from the pictures if you have some vents that can be used to control the temperature. Get yourself a digital thermometer and hang it inside the BBQ or stick the probe through a potato so it doesn't contact the grill.

I like to use wood chunks instead of chips. But, since you already have the smoke box, add chips and place it right on the coals. Don't soak the chips. Put the meat on as soon as the coals are up to temperature. For added flavor, apply a rub to the meat before BBQing. For pork shoulder and brisket, do it the day before and for ribs, about 3 hours before.

Rule of thumb for brisket and pork shoulder is 1 1/2 hours per pound of meat, but still use a thermometer to check the meat temperature. Both should be about 195F. For ribs, a lot of peaople use the 3-2-1 method. Youcan find lots of posts about it here.

Do a search for the "minion method" of starting you coals and use that. I would say use as much charcoal as you can get on the BBQ without havin any of it under the meat. And to help moderate temperatures, you could put a pot with water on the grill right over the coals.

I'm sure others here will post more info that you will find helpful. But remember, it will take a bit of trial and error to get it right. I would suggest starting out doing a pork butt for pulled pork. That cut of meat is very forgiving.

[philnewts]

Hi

The method you describe with the smoker box is correct. This box would sit on the hot coals under the grates. It is possible to add wood directly to the coals but you may get a longer burn time with the box.

As for the method after this you need to use indirect heat. You will need to arrange the coals so that they are on one side of the grate leaving the other half free of coals. You could also place a water pan on the side with no coals and place the meat above this.

If you do a search for indirect smoking and how to arrange your coals there are plenty of resources out there covering this method.
Leaving the lid on during cooking will allow the smoke to circulate the food and the heat will slowly cook the meat.
I hope this is a start for you. Let me know if you need any more help.

Regards Phil

[New2BBQ]

Thank you for the advice, Im feeling more confident already.

I will look up the minion method and look forward to posting my comments on the outcome of my first smoke.

Best regards

Mark

[ozza]

hey Mark, I havent really anything to add rather than just give it a go!!

defo get yourself a digital therm (or two), one for the meat and one for the lid temp (you can buy them off ebay to start you off)

once you get into the groove youll ask more questions and search for more stuff, personally i started with something simple like beer can chicken which takes around 3.5 hours at 225-250of.

dont worry about making mistakes, nothing is that major as long as the temp of the meat is right and you'll find the way

have fun fella

Owen

[clairbare]

Another question on this post - and also very new to this whole bbq'ing thing

I want to post a picture of my bbq but not sure how to!!

I am using charcoal on one side and have wood chunks, do i put the wood onto the white coals or beside them? is the wood meant to blacken? I have read that this can cause Creosote to attach itself to the meat

Cheers
Clair xx

[Steve]

Hi Clair,

You do want the wood to blacken because you want it to burn slowly, thus producing smoke. If it burns too fast you don't get smoke.

Creosote build up is caused by inadequate exhaust ventilation. With a kettle BBQ like you're using, normally you would have exhaust vents fully open and control temperature by adjusting intake openeings.

As for posting pictures, we recommend using Photobucket to publish your pictures (it's free) and using the options on the PB site to insert BBCode into the forum. There's instructions for doing this in the rules and guidelines forum see http://www.bbbqs.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=4

Cheers

Steve

[clairbare]

Thanks Steve




Here are pics of our little smoker/bbq

Rain forecast for next few days so unless i put up the gazebo, think i will do a little bit more reading and making/testing some new rubs

[All Weather Griller]

HI Clair,

That's a fairly standard Kettle design although I fear it may be a little small for a beer can chicken (I think the indented handle eats into your space).

Don't worry about the weather... you have a lid and its doubtful you will lose much heat from elements at the minute.

Another tip, I'm the photo's were just taken as is, but so you are aware you're ash pan should be cleared out before each cook and a build up can and will affect your air flow.

Once you have got your style established I would (and I am biased) get yourself a Weber 57cm One Touch Kettle (http://www.bbqworld.co.uk/bbqworld/prod ... me=1341004), you will have lots of cooking space for beer can chicken and they last forever. Btw they aren't typically used for smoking, this doesn't mean they can't be.

Cheers

Adie

[Chris__M]

Once you have got your style established I would (and I am biased) get yourself a Weber 57cm One Touch Kettle (http://www.bbqworld.co.uk/bbqworld/prod ... me=1341004), you will have lots of cooking space for beer can chicken and they last forever. Btw they aren't typically used for smoking, this doesn't mean they can't be.

I know it's easy to spend other people's money (and fun!), but I would tend to spend a little more still and go for the Weber 57cm Premium. This normally comes in at about 40-50 quid more, but has a proper ashpan, rather than the concave dish, which makes cleanup much easier, and - most importantly - it comes with the hinged grate, which the simple One-Touch doesn't.

I don't know what I would do without my hinged grate, it simply makes life easy. You can buy them separately, but they cost 25-30 quid on their own, so I think it makes more sense to get the Premium from the start.

This is the equivalent of what I am currently cooking on (One-Touch Gold), and that has kept me going happily for about 3 years, during which I have grilled, roasted, and even smoked a little. Admittedly, I am now about to spurn it for a pellet grill, but I still think it is amazing value for money.