My 1st smoker. Off set wood burner. A good one. How do I break it in before my 1st cook?
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This article may help you- it covers grills, smokers, calibrating, seasoning, etc- lots of information to sift through. But in general it stresses dry runs. Do dry runs. Two main temps you'll want to hit and learn to maintain are ~225F for most things, and ~325F if you intend to do much poultry. On the first fire-up I'd suggest getting her real hot to burn off factory oils and residues from the cooking chamber and all the grates. Depending on what cooker you have, you may find it holds its temp better once it's been heated up for an hour or two than at first. Thick metal needs time to absorb the heat then the shell will be an insulator for you. Also when cooking, you'll want to practice burning a small HOT fire, instead of a large fire that needs choked back. Hot fires produce the best smoke for food. It's a balancing act but it's fun! While 225F is a very common temp, some stickburners will do better at 275, or 250. Stickburners are a different animal. Less confined, more natural. With that comes more variances, like a horse compared to a car.
On that note, if you plan to cook with all logs, Meathead's 'Smoking with Wood' article is a very handy resource to help understand the nuts & bolts of log cooking. There's more to it than 'light fire cook food' and he outlines some things we might not otherwise have though about.
Now, on to the real question at hand- what did you get?? And do you have pics?Last edited by Huskee; December 15, 2015, 05:44 AM.-
Thanks for the information- I bought a Texas Longhorn model TL-20. Single lid-20X32 grill- 20X18 fire box. What's a good thermometer to put in the lid? -
mad mike as far as lid-mount thermometers, Tel-Tru is one of the better ones out there. However, remember something- you're not cooking up at your lid. You want to know the temp right where the meat sits, there will be a difference. We highly recommend getting a digital thermometer with probes. A popular affordable one is the $60 Maverick ET 732 (it's dual probe so you get one for the grate where the meat sits, and the meat itself, it's wireless and has alarms, so you can stay indoors or do other things). A maker called ThermoWorks makes higher-end digital BBQ thermometers. Check out Meathead's article on why digital thermometers are so important: http://amazingribs.com/bbq_equipment...ws-and-ratings
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Thanks for your help. When I get it all set up and broken in, I'll get back to you.Comment
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When I went to pick it up they had a LYFE TYME double lid 20X40 with a 20X20 firebox. It was $1450.00 last month and yesterday it was on sale for $1075.00. That's what I brought home. Started breaking it in last night. Now I just have to learn how to use it.Comment
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mad mike, Congratulations on the New Smoker! It sounds like a good one! Post some pics! Eat well and Prosper!
From Fargo ND, DanComment
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Thanks- First cook today. BrisketComment
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