Meat Smokers

[LowSpeed_HighDrag]

High end gun guys tend to have other high end, time consuming, hobbies. Recently, I finally got myself into pellet smokers. I started with a Green Mountain Grill Daniel Boone based off of a few suggestions. It was a pain in the ass, and eventually caught fire! So, I returned it and bought what I should have in the first place, a Traeger. I snagged the Traeger Pro 575 with the WiFi controls, which is fantastically easy to use (when the app isn't crashing).

I have been smoking non stop since, and the family is loving it. I am a bit of a fitness addict, so I am disappointed by the pounds i have put on by eating nothing but fatty meats (lol), but it's a trade off. A week after getting my smoker, my neighbor showed up with an identical one on his backyard. He said it smelled too good not too. I've also smoked some briskets for the boys and girls on shift at my PD, and they devoured it!

What smokers are you guys using, what are you smoking, what are your favorite recipes and techniques? The more pics, the better!

The GMG Daniel Boone (RIP)


It's much better replacement:



WiFi Controls. Controlled through the cloud, meaning I can run errands and grill at the same time:


Beer Can Chicken:


Ribs:



Roast:



Brisket:


Bacon Wrapped Turkey:


Pizza:


Ribs and Rib Tip burnt ends:

[LowSpeed_HighDrag]

For Easter (Saturday, cop life and all) I'll be smoking a leg of lamb for the extended family.

I really enjoy Malcolm Reed's videos at How to BBQ Right:



I'll be doing a variation of this, but I think I'll stud some garlic into the lamb, and tie some rosemary sprigs into the butcher twine. I'll smoke it for a few hours over pecan wood.

I may do a mint jelly, or use the drippings and make a beer and onion gravy. We'll see, either way I'll snap some pics of the process and finished product.

[Arik]

My buddy and his dad built a cold smoker. Unfortunately it's only good for winter time but I buy the meat and give it to him to smoke. It's mostly ribs and pork loin and occasional leg of lamb but I also make sausages and salmon.

The loin, ribs and lamb go into a brine solution consisting of water, salt and garlic...tons of garlic... for several weeks. Then they get hung up in the smoker for close to a month. Initially a small fire is lit beneath the hanging meat. Let that fire burn itself out and repeat the process every day. Eventually a slightly larger fire is built in an adjacent chamber that will burn longer but won't have any direct heat on the meat. After a few weeks you just let it hang there with no smoke for some time. Obviously things with bones take longer

The smoker was built using bed frame rails and sheets of steel

[Biggy]

I had a Rectec Mini. It was a nice top of the line smoker, but sold it. Smoking is just not for me, it takes too long for me, and after a while I just got sick of all the smoke flavour overpowering the natural meat taste of everything.

[AKDoug]

I've had a Traeger for over 6 years now. We love it for just about everything. A word of caution, though, is that any smoker can catch on fire if you are not diligent about cleaning it. On Thanksgiving I smoked a brisket the day before, five racks of ribs in the early morning, then put the turkey in at around 10am without cleaning out the smoker. I crank the temp to 350 for the last 1/2 hour of smoking the turkey to really crisp the skin. Luckily my son and I were standing there when the whole thing went up in flames and we saved the turkey. The fire quickly spread to the grease bucket and the son and I just grabbed the whole smoker and moved it out on the lawn in the snow. A quick douse of baking soda put out the fire after that.

My smoker use has declined as I learn new cooking methods and as my children have moved out of the house. We still use it a few times a month. It is an integral part of my weight loss program (unlike the OP) as I cook a bunch of leaner meats on it as well. Salmon, turkey, and chicken are all great on the smoker. We'll do a turkey once a month (cheap protein) and eat it throughout the month as left overs.

[Biggy]

I got out of smoking and eat meat in moderation.

https://www-m.cnn.com/2019/04/17/hea...www.cnn.com%2F

[Whiskey_Bravo]

Still using my old school offset stick burner. I am looking to upgrade to a custom built one soon with thicker steel. Currently I can do 2 full size packer briskets and 2 pork butts but I am looking for something that will hold temp a little more stable and larger.

[titsonritz]

Did a tri-tip last weekend with my daughter and SIL. Try some corn bread in a cast iron skillet in that Traeger, you'll never go back to baking it in the oven.

[kerplode]

y'all makin' me hungry!

My wife wants a smoker, but so far we haven't taken the plunge. I'm lazy and there are a few decent places to get smoked meats around town. Maybe someday...

I don't care about the cancer deal. There are probably 5000 things I touch every day that'll give me cancer. Gonna die anyways...Might as well have some brisket while you're still here.

[Honu]

look into carnivore diet or keto diet if you are into health its not fatty meats that are the issue it will be other things !

also stuff like this total BS

I got out of smoking and eat meat in moderation.

https://www-m.cnn.com/2019/04/17/hea...www.cnn.com%2F

you are listening to the same people who used to say smoke cigarettes ! and at that point they were the smartest ! and today these idiots pushed on a agenda are the same spreading false info !!!
so much false diet info spread by those with money and lobbyists and so on

because if you want to believe them banning guns will end violence and guns are bad and kill

yet look at the prescription medicine problem we have etc.. not a peep

dont buy into the cancer with meat BS