Adding Charcoal During Smoking

Q: Is it ok to add cold charcoal to the already hot coal to keep up the heat or should it be already hot when added to my heat source?

A: You will acheive the best results from using a charcoal chimney or something similar to start the charcoal and get it hot and glowing before adding it to the firebox to replenish the coals.

Adding cold charcoal to the already hot coals will start the coals eventually but there will be a warm up period, and ignition period and could even cause some creosote to form during this process causing your meat to take on a bitter taste.

If you do not have access to a charcoal chimney or are unable to buy one you can use an old metal pan or a pan out of a bullet style water smoker to start the charcoal for adding to the firebox.

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August 2006 SM Newsletter

The Smoking Meat newsletter for August 2006 has been sent and can be read at the following address:

http://www.smoking-meat.com/august-2006-smoking-fundamentals.html

Jeff Phillips

Smoker Getting Too Hot

Q: My last email may have been lost somewhere. I need your advice on
two points: 1.) My GMS is showing

over 300 degrees while smoking, and I am trying to get the 225 you
recommended. How can I keep it

under that 3000 mark? 2.) My baby back ribs and country ribs were
too hard and dry.

Thanks for any advice.

A: I apologize for the delay in answering.. I have been swamped with email the last month or so. I think it is so hot outside that everyone is inside on the computer instead of out smoking meat.

To answer your question...

There are several things you need to do.. first off you should double check your thermometer just to make absolutely sure that it is reading correctly.

Then you should make sure that your burner is operating correctly.. get the flame to burning and then watch the flames as you go from high down to low in a gradual descent and you should notice a big difference in the size of the flames.

This is just to ensure that the burner is operating correctly.

A few things to do to temporarily help the smoker to stay cooler is to replenish the pan with ice cold water. You may also be able to prop the door open a little to ward off some of the un-needed heat that is causing your smoker to get too hot.

In all honesty.. I own one of these smokers and while it has no trouble maintaining 225 degrees even in the winter time, it still will cook at low temps if I put it on low.

I am almost wondering if the propane is not being regulated correctly.. I am not a propane expert by any means but I have to wonder if you have tried a different propane bottle or you may need to call the company and see if they would be willing to send you a replacement burner or regulator.

Another option.. if the flame does not get low enough on the "LOW" setting then try turning down the propane bottle to allow less gas into the burner. Somehow you have to get the flame small enough to maintain 225 without getting up into the 300 degree range.

Make sure to use a thermometer to monitor the temperature of the meat.. even if it is cooked too hot, it should still get tender just as if you grilled it or baked it in the oven and the higher temperatures.

You might also look into the 3-2-1 method which is great for turning out super moist and tender ribs. I have written a page on this method as you can see below. The baby backs would actually be more of a 2-2-1 method which you will understand fully upon reading the information I have provided below.

http://www.wyntk.us/food/3-2-1-rib-method.shtml


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Importance of Monitoring Smoker

Q: unbelievable website!
I am new to smoking and I was wondering how important it was to constantly monitor foods like turkey, ribs, ham. Thanks!

A: Smoking is one of those hobbies where the fun is in sitting back and watching the smoke with a cold glass of southern ice tea in hand. I understand that some just enjoy the flavor but would rather it be more of an automatic thing while they do other things around the house or even sleep.

To answer you question.. it really depends on what type of smoker you have and what you are cooking. I like to baste every hour or so with apple juice or other liquids and marinades and so this pretty much forces me to monitor the meat that often.

Using a gas or electric smoker you could technically leave turkey, ham, etc. in the smoker unattended for several hours at a time if your chip box/container is large enough to hold a good bit of wood chips or chunks and it would probably be ok. Using charcoal you would be constantly adjusting the vents and adding charcoal as needed to maintain temperatures in the smoking range and you would need to stay pretty close to the action.

Smoking meat is a labor intensive chore but it is fun labor so it cannot be classified as work.

I am not sure if that adequately answers your question.. I think it is very important to stay really close to what you are cooking and to know at all times what is going on in the smoker. This ensures that the end product will be a delightful thing.

I can think back to some of my mistakes and most of the time it was a result of trying to do too many other things while operating the smoker leading to forgetting to baste, add charcoal, wood, etc.

Give the smoker and the meat the attention it deserves and it will pay back a hundred times over.

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Toxic Tasting Ribs

Q: Hey I am new to smoking and whenever I smoke ribs the end up with a very bad taste almost like a toxic taste any suggestions? Thanks

A: Sounds like you are experiencing creosote.. not a good thing and usually caused by using green wood or not enough airflow into and out of your smoker. Let me know what type, model, size of your smoker and I will try to get you some more specific directions.

For now here are some tips to help you..

Make sure the wood you are using is a hardwood that bears fruit or nuts and is not coniferous such as pine, evergreen, cedar, etc.

Make sure the wood you are using has been seasoned for at least 6 months before using.

If you have vents in your smoker make sure the smoker can pull air into the fire area through some type of opening and make sure there is ample opening at the opposite end of the smoker for the smoke to exit.

Smoke will create creosote if it is allowed to linger instead of quickly moving over the meat and out of the smoker.. this chemical is very harsh tasting and may even make your tongue feel numb on contact.

I also recommend that you use lump charcoal for heat and seasoned wood for smoke unless you have a really large smoker like the kind you see mounted on trailers otherwise it will be too much smoke in too small of an area and leave your meat tasting very bad.

Try to get me more information about your smoker and the wood you are using and I will try to be a little more specific.

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The Technorati Tag for this post is Smoking Ribs

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Out of Town

Please forgive the lack of posts over the last few days.. I have been out of state on some personal business that had to be attended to and my internet connections have been quite sketchy to say the least.

Should be posting in full swing starting tomorrow (Tuesday the 14th).

Y'all take care now!

Jeff Phillips

Brinkmann Thermometer

Q: The thermometer on my smoker has an "ideal" range. I am assuming, from what I've read so far, that this ideal range is around 225 degrees because the water in the pan has regulated the temperature. Is that right? I want to make sure I have the right temperature the whole time its cooking.


A: Those thermometers are not very reliable.. "Ideal" should be pretty close to what you need but it is no guarantee. If you have a meat thermometer or any kind of thermometer at all you may want to see if you can get a reading at meat level when the smoker thermometer says "Ideal" and see what temperature it is.

If I remember correctly.. "Ideal" is a pretty wide range. I would try to keep it in the center of the "Ideal" for now.

You should be able to buy a dial themometer at Lowes, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, etc. that will mount in the lid of your smoker to give you more accurate reading.

You are correct in that the steam from the water pan will work very hard at regulating the temperature inside the smoker. It is not perfect but it is better than nothing.

Good luck on the ribs!

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Charbroil Bullet Water Smoker

Q: The eCourse was helpful but all I really want to know is HOW to actually work my smoker (if you can imagine someone not know that). I was given a bullet type of Char Broil smoker and it didn't have a manual so I have no idea where to put the water or how much, where to put the coals etc. just the basic instructions. That's what I was hoping your e course would tell me. I can use the helpful information from your course after I figure out how to prepare the smoker for cooking. I just want to make sure I'm doing it right. Thanks so much for any information you can share.

A: I will try to help you with this.. I found a manual for the product but unfortunately it really does not go into alot of detail on the operation side of things.

I will tell you upfront that this smoker is very labor intensive but can produce some great barbecue. It will work better with some modifications but for now I will not delve into that.

You should have 2 pans.. the bottom one is for charcoal and holds about 8 quarts while the top pan is for water and holds 6 quarts.

I recommend lump charcoal which burns cleaner and hotter but you can use regular charcoal if you really have to.. I also recommend using a charcoal chimney to light the charcoal and then pour it into the charcoal pan when it is ready.

I am not sure how much charcoal you will need initially.. I would fill the pan pretty full and you can always add more if needed to obtain your target temperature.

Fill the water pan with about 2 inches of hot water.. boiling water will lend better results. You may want to use a long funnel to make this task easier. Replace with hot water as needed.

Once the smoker is maintaining 225 degrees, place your meat on the top rack and replace the lid very quickly so as to not lose too much heat.

For the smoke, use chunks of wood and place about 5 or 6 at a time on top of the charcoal and keep replacing them when they burn up until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees or so. You can apply smoke longer if you want more smoke flavor but be careful so as to not overdo it.

You can also use a large handful of chips wrapped up in foil with lots of holes poked in it to let the smoke out. Simply place it on top of the charcoal as well. When it stops smoking, replace it with another package of chips until the meat reaches about 145 degrees.

You will need to purchase a good meat thermometer if you do not own one.. the best kind are the instant read digital kind that have a probe that stays in the meat the entire time it is cooking. This will allow you to monitor the progress of the meat throughout the smoking process.

Mop the meat with apple juice, melted butter, beer, italian dressing, marinade or just about any liquid about every hour during the cook.

Most likely you will need to add more lit charcoal about every 30 to 45 minutes to maintain temperatures. You will definitely need a charcoal chimney or at least another metal pan to facilitate this. Light the charcoal and burn it down until it is ready. Regular charcoal will be grey and ashed over, lump charcoal will be glowing orange. Add more charcoal through the charcoal door very carefully with a pair of tongs or a metal scoop.

If you have trouble maintaining high enough temperatures, let me know and I can help you with some modifications that will make your smoker operate a little more efficiently.


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Gourmet Brinkmann Charcoal Smoker

Q: I downloaded the PDF file and have been reading through it. I was given a brand new Gourmet Brinkmann charcoal smoker. The manual says that the 1/4" gap around the sides of the dome lid are there to let some of the smoke escape and keep it a constant temperature. Is there any need to drill a hole in this model since it is not the same as the 'el-cheapo'?

A: Personally, I would use it a few times and see how good it obtains and maintains temperature. It may do fine and then again it may be a huge chore getting it hot enough and keeping it there for any length of time.

The modifications recommended for the El Cheapo allow more air into the charcoal pan creating a hotter burn and more complete combustion. It very well may not be needed for the newer gourmet models.

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Jeff's Naked Rib Rub and BBQ Sauce Recipes.. a religious experience! Make everyone think you're a pro (even if you're not!)

Great Tip on Smoking Wild Meat

Tip: I am an avid hunter and have hunted most types of animals. I am also a smoked meat lover along with jerkies and dried meats.

I have smoked venison, bear, buffalo, elk, carabou and even armadillo meat. (not crazy about wild boar). Your instructions for smoked meats work well with these types as well. I usually smoke ribs for about 6 to 8 hours at 225f +/- depending on size and weight. Also, if you do not like strong "wild" tasting meats, I would recommend a good strong flavored dry rub that contains paprika and cumin, or a good marinade with which to baste or brush the meats with every 1 to 1-1/2 hours, to tame the "wild taste" a bit, especially on the bear, elk, carabou, and venison meats. . .

All these animals have very meaty ribs (except venison) and are very good tasting,(in my opinion) but you must trim all the fat off the meat will get an even stronger wild taste.

Comment: Thank you for this great tip.. I will pass it on to the visitors of this site. Folks are always looking for information on smoking the more exotic animals.

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Jeff's Naked Rib Rub and BBQ Sauce Recipes.. a religious experience! Make everyone think you're a pro (even if you're not!)