[GT Audio Works]

We just had our first meal cooked with the grill smoker I built.
WOW !! Quite an improvement from my Weber gas grill.
I cooked a pork roast and chicken breast..the meat was succulent, juicy and tender.

I got two 20" clay pots and a smaller clay pot and coal grid to hold the coals and a cooking grate and a nomex gasket to seal the 2 halves.
I didn't get to making the handle for the top half or a damper to regulate air flow yet but I managed without it.
                                                                                                                                                                          Greg

[WireNut]

   
    Now that's DIY 

[TrungT]

Happy 4th of July.


 

[Bob in St. Louis]

Nice!
What on the hanger? Butts?
I like how they're basting the ribs. That's just cool. 

[TrungT]

Thanks.2 X Brisket.   
"Briskets on top rack, Ribs on the bottom rack" - Learned from BBQ rest. 30 yrs ago. 

[Bob in St. Louis]

That'll work!
It's been too long since I"ve done a brisket.
Have you ever smoked a chuck roast?

[TrungT]

No, not yet.

[TrungT]

 


 


  

[Charles Xavier]

My brisket ended up in the garbage can today. Second time. My brother says pull the brisket out at 165 but every forum I read says 180. I have only made 2 ok Briskets. I guess I should start listening to him because his comes out YUMMY.

[vinyl_guy]

I smoked a 12 lb brisket on the Traeger this weekend. Marinated it for about 8-9 hours and then put it on Thursday night around 7 pm and smoked it, fat side up on the smoke setting (165) for 4 hours and then at 180 for 8 hours. Used maple and apple pellets. Wrapped it in heavy duty foil and cooked it for another 6 hours at 225-250. Internal temp reached 180 and I shut the grill off. Very tender and tasty.

[hibuckhobby]

Looks great VL!
What are you using for marinade?
Hibuck...

[Bob in St. Louis]

Charles, here's something that you'll find hard to swallow:
Some guys cook perfect brisket and never take a temp reading. 

Yip. Read that again.

Here's the deal.....Use the metal probe of your thermometer as a "feeler gauge". Stick it in the brisket, but notice how it feels going in. When the probe feels like you're pushing through warm butter, then you're done.
At that point, take the brisket, wrap it in aluminum foil and put it in a small cooler for an hour or two. This allows the juices to "re-enter" the muscle, and firm back up a bit. If you pull the meat off the smoker sooner than the point where it "feels like butter", then it will be tough, dried out and chewy. I think this is where you took yours off. I do believe that if you cooked it longer it would have been fantastic.

One of the best forum posts I've ever seen, was >> THIS ONE << titled "Basic Brisket Tutorial". About halfway down the page he talks about the brisket smoking for 10 hours and says,
"It was not done yet. The point was very tender, the probe slid right in and out like butter. The flat was not tender however, I had to stick the probe in and it had some decent resistance. So I put the lid back on and checked it again in an hour. It still wasn't quite ready so I waited another hour, then it was done and tender in both the flat and the point. So this packer took 12 hours at 250 to get done. I don't even know what internal temp the brisket was, and I frankly don't even care. I know it is done and that is that. You will know too after doing this. Just don't panic and take it off too early. Wait until the meat gives up and is tender."

I underlined the important part.
Don't give up yet. Brisket is awesome. Try again. 

[Bob in St. Louis]

Vinyl Lady, that looks amazing!
I almost bought a Traeger.....that's a lifetime unit right there!

[ton1313]

Advice request please.

Im considering a Napoleon Apollo smoker as my first adventure in smoking meat. They have 2 sizes, 17 and 20 inch. Which size would be best to get? Obviously, the bigger one would handle larger cuts of meat, but would there be any disadvantages?

Im open to suggestions of other smokers as well. I would like to keep total investment under 500. The two above are 250 and 350 respectivly.

Thanks,

Todd

[Bob in St. Louis]

Hey Todd,
I've never, not once, heard of that brand.
Check out the 18" and 22.5" Weber Smokey Mountain ("WSM"). Their customer service is second to none. I've got the 22.5 and love it.
The reputation they've earned on the BBQ forums is very high, and they have a very strong and loyal following.

Personally, I'd get the large one. Unless space is that much of an issue, you're not gaining much by purchasing a smaller unit.
Two pork butts, a large brisket, a turkey, or a couple racks of ribs will dwarf the smaller units. You'll run out of room very quickly.

Bob

[ton1313]

Thanks Bob,

I have one of the Napoleon Prestige gas grills, and absolutely love it, that is the reason for me looking at their smoker. This company is lesser known in the US, as they are from Canada, and make a seriously well built product.

The WSM is definitely an option. The one thing that the Napoleon has is 5 hooks that allows you to hang meat from the lid. Does the Weber have this option?

[Bob in St. Louis]

Good to know. Not sure about the hooks, but I've seen the "UDS" guys using hooks.
They're easily/cheaply purchased/fashioned, and I would fit about any grill/smoker.
I am unaware if Weber sells an "official" Weber brand hook. Basically, it's just a 's' shaped piece of wire.

[marvda1]

the basic rule of thumb is to a cooker larger than what you need.

[WireNut]

the basic rule of thumb is to a cooker larger than what you need.

I just recently realized that same thing being in the market for a new grill. With a larger grill you could push the coals off to one said and cook more indirect.

[Charles Xavier]

Charles, here's something that you'll find hard to swallow:
Some guys cook perfect brisket and never take a temp reading. 

Yip. Read that again.

Here's the deal.....Use the metal probe of your thermometer as a "feeler gauge". Stick it in the brisket, but notice how it feels going in. When the probe feels like you're pushing through warm butter, then you're done.
At that point, take the brisket, wrap it in aluminum foil and put it in a small cooler for an hour or two. This allows the juices to "re-enter" the muscle, and firm back up a bit. If you pull the meat off the smoker sooner than the point where it "feels like butter", then it will be tough, dried out and chewy. I think this is where you took yours off. I do believe that if you cooked it longer it would have been fantastic.

One of the best forum posts I've ever seen, was >> THIS ONE << titled "Basic Brisket Tutorial". About halfway down the page he talks about the brisket smoking for 10 hours and says,
"It was not done yet. The point was very tender, the probe slid right in and out like butter. The flat was not tender however, I had to stick the probe in and it had some decent resistance. So I put the lid back on and checked it again in an hour. It still wasn't quite ready so I waited another hour, then it was done and tender in both the flat and the point. So this packer took 12 hours at 250 to get done. I don't even know what internal temp the brisket was, and I frankly don't even care. I know it is done and that is that. You will know too after doing this. Just don't panic and take it off too early. Wait until the meat gives up and is tender."

I underlined the important part.
Don't give up yet. Brisket is awesome. Try again. 

I did just that. And when I took it out of the cooler I had to use a circular saw to  cut it.