Wood over gas smoker

[grumpyoldman]

for the past 20 years i have been using a vertical wood over gas smoker , and i wouldn't trade it for anything ,it smoke's great, easy to operate and is still going strong after 20 years

 

[Kathleen]

Are you starting a "show me your smoker" thread? You rabble-rouser you!

I do love wood smoked foods.

 

[caseydog]

I bought a pellet smoker last year, and the first time I used it, I thought, "Where have you been all my life." I can do a 16 hour smoke and still have a life... or get some sleep. And, the smoke is ALWAYS that "thin blue smoke."

CD

 

[Badjak]

I use a weber smokey mountain for warm/hot smoking
And a ProQ smoke generator for cold smoked food

 

[caseydog]

I use a weber smokey mountain for warm/hot smoking
And a ProQ smoke generator for cold smoked food

I had a WSM with and iQue temperature controller in the past. It did a really good job, but still needed some attention to keep the fire steady. It would be fine, until I decided to run to the store or get some sleep. It KNEW when I wasn't watching.

I also have something similar to the ProQ smoke generator that I can use on my gas grill to add a little smoke to grilled foods, or to cold smoke. It is going to be very cold this weekend, but dry. I need to cold smoke some cheese. I can put my smoke tube in my Weber Kettle when it is 30F outside, and get perfectly smoked cheeses. My favorites are Swiss and Gouda.

The pellet smoker I use now wasn't cheap, but for me, worth every penny. I enjoy smoking meats, and especially like eating the smoked meats. Now I can enjoy it without making a career out of it.

CD

 

[dragnlaw]

My favorites are Swiss and Gouda.

i once bought some smoked Gouda. A very good brand name. Had to throw it out.
Then I saw a really nice cheddar I liked with something else added and thought 'oh, that sounds lovely' - threw that one out too.

Been very careful ever since about what is added to cheese.

 

[grumpyoldman]

i have a problem with long smoking times and here is why . the meat gets dirty , think i'm wrong ? on any smoker take your finger and wipe the inside of the smoke stack , your finger will come back black and covered with soot right ? now think about your meat that has been in all that smoke for all those long hours . at that point you have 2 choices , eat the soot or try to wash it off
the better way is to stop the smoke after 2-3 hours and just let it finish cooking without any additional smoke
your will never know the difference in the way it tastes

 

[Badjak]

I generally smoke smallish stuff, chicken, beef ribs etc, not normally anything that takes longer than 3-4 hours.

 

[caseydog]

i have a problem with long smoking times and here is why . the meat gets dirty , think i'm wrong ? on any smoker take your finger and wipe the inside of the smoke stack , your finger will come back black and covered with soot right ? now think about your meat that has been in all that smoke for all those long hours . at that point you have 2 choices , eat the soot or try to wash it off
the better way is to stop the smoke after 2-3 hours and just let it finish cooking without any additional smoke
your will never know the difference in the way it tastes

It is true that most of the smoke flavor penetrates during the first few hours, so technically, you can move the meat into an oven.

As for soot, dirty smoke makes a lot of soot. With my pellet smoker, I can barely see the smoke coming from the chimney. I can smell it, but it is nearly invisible. Smoke and soot is a bi-product of incomplete combustion of fuel.

CD

 

[grumpyoldman]

even so called "clean smoke" the thin blue smoke you are referring to still leaves soot , think i'm wrong ? after a long smoke ( 14-16 hours ) wipe your finger across the top of your meat and prove it to yourself , a lot of folks that smoke meat seem not to mind it , i just choose not to eat it myself

 

[Kathleen]

We have done long smokes. Some are wrapped in pink butcher paper. Some not. All delicious!

Frank is our pitmaster. His Yoder makes awesome things. Here is a photo of his smoker. She does nice cooks.

 

[grumpyoldman]

nice looking smoker !! there have been many time's i wished mine was that big

 

[FrankZ]

nice looking smoker !! there have been many time's i wished mine was that big

It's not the size of the smoker....

I don't think it is all that big. It is a 20" and I did consider the 24" but it was half again as heavy and I had a worry about getting this one in the back yard.

 

[grumpyoldman]

my smoker is a commercial vertical smoker and i can only smoke 6 slabs of ribs at a time on it and because of that when i was operating my small BBQ joint there were many times i wished i had a much bigger smoker