Look into adding a pellet smoker to your arsenal. They don't put out as much smoke flavor as charcoal or wood burners. Especially the GMG ones their algorithm is so precise it combusts the wood pellets quickly and efficiently. So efficiently they burn up quickly meaning they don't smolder (smoke) before being consumed by the fire. Stay away from Yoder's (their fire pot is not circular but open ended on two sides meaning the pelts stack up like an ant hill the fire burns the middle while the outside ones smolder before going up in flames. (more smoke) or the Rec-tec theirs cycles the internal fan off and on so that the pellets have a chance to smolder before being burned up. Or I suppose you could add a water pan somehow to your PBC that way the fat cant reach the charcoal thus less smoke.
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Welcome aboard Carl-In-MO. We'd love to get an intro from you over in the Introduce Yourself channel when you get a minute. Thanks!Comment
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Thanks to all for the welcome, and for the responses.
Ernest, I think I will give lump charcoal a try.
It may be that I simply like a different smoke impartation. The best results I have had in the past were with a not so well designed (but well known) inexpensive electric smoker and a couple handfuls of hickory sawdust. I really liked the way the smoker was supposed to work. It unfortunately overheated on the right side (over the element) and all of the electrical components had to be replace rather frequently. And it only makes smoke until it reaches target temperature.
Ideally I think I would like a digitally controlled electric smoker, capable of temperature range of 150F (for drying jerky and summer sausage) to 350F (for finishing crispy chicken skin) with a convection fan for even heat distribution, low volume forced air for dehydrating, perhaps an external burner for controlled smoke addition!!!!! I am getting excited thinking about it! I am an electrical/instrument guy anyway, so maybe I just better build it.
I was kind of hopin this PBC could be tamed down a bit cause it sure is easy to use. And a lot less trouble than building the above!!Comment
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Carl-In-MO The trouble with electrics is they're built so thermally sound that the element typically doesn't cycle much, and there's only smoke when the element is running, and even then it's a different temp smoke, more of a smolder.
I think you would enjoy a pellet cooker. All the ease of push a button and walk away, arguably a lighter smoke flavor too. REC TEC and Green Mountain Grills (GMG) both make mini units. Perhaps consider one of them?Comment
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I've got a friend at work what uses a Masterbuilt electric. He's got an electric side smoker hooked up to where you would add wood chips. That way he controls the small ke seperate from the heat. Problem is he needs two electric circuits due to the combined current draw.Comment
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Ok I promise I'm not being funny this may be a legitimate way for you to get all the things you mentioned including the side burner (if you get 2 hot plates) until you are able to build the real one. I love the show Good Eats with alton brown. On 3 different occasions he as build temporary smokers out of lg garden pots (I actually built that one and smoked some bacon in it worked great but alas the owner of the pots wanted them back to put plants in! dang it) a cheap suitcase type thing and a cardboard box. Yes I said cardboard. The show is on cooking channel. Use to be you could find all of the episodes on youtube to watch when ever you needed but Cooking channel is greedy and has monetized them all meaning you have to pay a couple of bucks to watch them now. but they do give you abbreviated shorts and the cardboard box one was all I could find. But I think you will find it checks most of the boxes you mention. Its electric, uses saw dust and has a fan for conviction. check it out here ---> http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/al...salmon-0170771Comment
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The one thing I didn't see mentioned is how long are you cooking and do you wrap your meat at some point. One of the easiest ways to control smoke is to wrap the meat in foil once your happy with the look. It can soften your bark, but it will prevent over smoking of the meat. Often you can take the meat out of the foil near the end and place it over higher heat to firm the bark if needed. I know most wrap at 140-160 on briskets or butts, but maybe for your taste you should start around 125. I know my mom is very sensitive to smoke so I always have to wait at least 30mins after starting the charcoal before putting in the meat and wrap it early. I don't have a PBC (want one badly) but I have a homemade UDS so similar to cook. on. Hope you find something you like.Comment
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I have seen the episode where Alton cooks in the garden pots. It's pretty cool and probably works great. It just proves that slow cooking is really about temperature and smoke control. I know the purists will scream, but I am not sure I can taste the smoke ring, but I can sense smokiness, saltiness, spicyness, juiciness, tenderness and all around deliciousness!!! But then again "it's all in the eye of the beholder"!Comment
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One last thing to mention before you give up on the PBC as just too smoky for you, once you dump the charcoal there will be white smoke putting out for a while. fzxdoc 's lighting procedure is designed to get that white smoke out of the way before you put the meat in. I've had to adjust the lighting procedure to get consistent temps with my barrel, which means I sometimes have to wait 30 or even 45 minutes for the smoke to disappear. If I am impatient and put it on earlier, the smoke flavor is much stronger.
Now once you put the meat on, the drippings can cause smoke that looks like you have the white smoke again, but fear not, for that is what it was designeth to do.Comment
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Keep in mind that the PBC generates smoke from drippings. If you are using wood, consider ditching it and you'll still get some smoke (but less than with wood) even without wood.Comment
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I switched from Minion to Fuse in my WSM, so that I could run with more open vents and get a cleaner fire. The Fuse allows you to have a smaller fire, so you can open the vents more. My food started tasting better, and my smoke rings arrived and got prettier!
#FireManagementIsNumberOneComment
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I used lump in my PBC last weekend to do 3 racks of beef back ribs, it ran between 276 and 288 degrees the whole time according to my Maverick but was billowing a ton of white smoke, I assume from the beef rib drippings. The beef was 'oversmoked' but not in the same way that it would taste when you add too many wood chunks, as I did not add any.Originally posted by Ernest View PostComment
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What lump are you using now, Ernest , now that Ozark Oak is no longer available. Inquiring minds...
KathrynComment
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