Smoking Meat - Any Tips?

Cafe Society
1

Last night I made my first attempt at smoking meat on the grill. The end result was very, very good, but I’m not sure I was using proper technique, although based on the results, I must have been doing something right! I’ll describe my set-up and maybe you can offer some pointers?

  • Three burner propane grill, no lava rocks or anything, just burners, heat distribution plates, then cooking grates.
  • Smoke provided by small cast iron box maybe 10"L x 6"W x 4" deep filled with small chips from a bag of “Texas Best Smoking Chips” or something like that. The box has slits cut in the lid to let the smoke out.
  • Because of the lack of depth in the smoker box, the chips I used were small and thin. I soaked them in water for about a half hour before cooking. I don’t think the chips were anything special like mesquite.
  • Per instructions from the smoker box, I placed the box straddling the left and center heat distribution plates, then placed the cooking grate on top of that.
  • Turned the left and center burners to medium, let the box heat up and start smoking for about 15 minutes.
  • I placed the meat (bone-in whole chicken breast and a cylindrical piece of pork tenderloin about 7" long and 3" in diameter ) over the right hand, non-operational burner.
  • Close the lid and leave alone for about 30 minutes.
  • When I checked on it at that point, it was producing some smoke, but not a ton, and the smoke smelled like a house fire, not anything you’d want to cook with. I persevered nonetheless.
  • Checked on it periodically over the next 90 minutes. At one point when I opened the lid, the smoker box actually flamed up, but went right out. After about 2 hours, the box stopped smoking as the chips had been reduced to charcoal.
  • At that point (2 hrs cooking time) I checked the temp on the bird with my probe thermometer and got about 167 degrees F, and the temp in the grill was around 300 degrees F.
  • I moved the meat over the hot burners and let everything cook over the heat for about 15 minutes to get the bird up to 180 degrees F. End result was VERY juicy chicken and the pork loin was excellent - slightly juicy, very tender, and a little bit of a crust on the outside.

Now my questions. Did I actually smoke anything or did I effectively just bake this meat? Did I have the heat up too high? The chips shouldn’t actually burn should they? Is my smoker box a piece of crap? Do I need something with some more depth that can hold a sizeable amount of chips?

Finally, the rest of the meal was outstanding - Oregon Gold mashed potatoes with butter and pepper, and a salad of bib lettuce with sliced cherry tomatoes and jalapeño ranch dressing. No questions there, just felt the need to brag that I was able to provide such a grown up meal for me and the bride.

2

Sounds like you did it right. Indirect heat, low and slow. I usually smoke meats for a few hours, then wrap them in foil and finish them in the oven.

Your smoker did get a bit on the warm side…mine rarely gets over 200. A bigger smoker, one dedicated to just that operation, will enable you to smoke a larger variety of meats, like briskit. But for now, you are doing fine! :smiley:

3

Well, first rule of smoking: everyone has his or her own “perfect” way of smoking.

Second, congrats on taking the first step into the world of smoked meats. It’s one of my obsessions in the summer time.

My thoughts:
True smoking needs a smoker with true indirect heat so the meat is only cooked by the smoke. There are several charcoal cookers out there that can provide this. However, I use the smoke box on a propane grill sometimes for convenience as well. Alton Brown calls this technique “groking” (or grilling and smoking) because you’re still getting some radiant heat in the gas grill.

As far as the technique, soak your chips longer (this just depends on where you live and what the humidity is like. I live in Denver and I typically soak the chips for at least an hour because it is so dry up here.) Always have a spray bottle of water near by to extinguish flare-ups. I also keep one with a little bit of apple vinegar and water to give my ribs a bit of moisture and flavor in case they need it. If you ever have a problem with dry meats, I sometimes use a small reservoir of water and some flavor to create a moist environment for my meats.

As far as wood chips go, I recommend hickory as a good all around wood, especially with pork. Mesquite will give a great SW flavor–really good with brisket and steaks. Apple wood is wonderful with pork as well. I like alder wood for fish. Chicken is fairly versatile. Hickory is good, mesquite will give the Texas, SW flavor, sugar cane will impart a Caribbean hint, et cetera.

Anyway, everyone has different styles and different ideas of what they like. I recommend buying a couple of books for the basics (like the Barbecue Bible) and then just messing around with all of it. It sounds like the first attempt was a huge success–keeping the meats moist and properly cooked is usually the hardest part of smoking. Good luck and have fun!

4

Don’t smoke, it’s bad for you.

5

[Beavis] Heh-heh…heh…You said “smoking meat”…

6

Chicken and Pork Loin are the easiest. Work your way up to brisket…it needs a long cooking period (at least 8 hrs IME) or it can be pretty tough. Whole chickens, smoked are a great way to feed a big crowd on the cheap…around a buck a head for the meat.

Tip 1 : Always start the smoker well before lunch. Plan to eat something else for lunch. If you wait 'till after lunch to start smoker, you will be much to impatient (hand hungry!) to give the smoker the time it needs.

Tip 2: Smoker does NOT need constant attention. If you have no distractions, you will peek too often, losing heat and slowing the process. Once you have your process down, you only need to tend the meat every hour or so.

If you decide to buy a dedicated smoker, I can’t recommend the Brinkmann bullet style I have. Mine is no great shakes (very hard to get enough heat) and it is an older one. In recent years they have done some cost cutting, and the new ones are worse yet.

7

Thanks for the encouragement. I guess I’ll just keep on keepin’ on. Hope I can replicate my success. Tonight is supposed to be grilled talapia for the wife, grilled catfish for me. I get to use another new toy, the grilled fish basket. I think we’ll probably baste the fish in some garlic butter and serve it with corn on the cob.

Thank you state of Florida for already having good corn on the cob ready to ship. I didn’t even know you grew that there, but what the hell, the couple of pieces I had last week were really good.

And believe me - I knew those jokes were coming.

8

I’m using a Brinkman right now as well because I moved into a condo and I hate it. It is horribly bad at containing heat. I will replace it as soon as I move back into a house.

9

Most of my wood chips are from Sooke Hills. Here’s what they carry and suggested uses:

10

Chips are fine, but as you develop your skills as a smoker, get chunks instead. Soak them overnight and you’ll be good to go. Kevbo has some good advice…once you start smoking, stop fiddling with it!

My smoker is a converted 55 gallon drum, with prep shelves and a nice smokestack. It usually takes me 10-12 hours to do a brisket, but it is well worth it. I use a mix of mesquite and hickory for that.

Baskets are a great tool for grilling. Get yourself a couple, and try grilled fruit for dessert! :smiley:

11

Try soaking a pair of old pants in water and place them between the lid & the cylinder.

12

Thanks for the tip! I will try it this weekend!

13

Quite welcome, I got the idea from another Brinkmann owner. Chances are you’ll get good results. So far, I’ve used mine three times this year and two of the three briskets turned out just fine. I put them on at 10AM and they were ready by 4PM.