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Posted: 5/8/2021 6:03:53 PM EDT
Just had to haul it away, even tossed in the wood stand and wood.

Looks like a Texas Smokemaster?

Attachment Attached File
Link Posted: 5/8/2021 7:47:06 PM EDT
[#1]
OP scores!
Link Posted: 5/8/2021 7:47:20 PM EDT
[#2]
Can’t beat free. Looks good, now get to smoking! I have a WSM and love it. But have been wanting a side box smoker.
Link Posted: 5/8/2021 10:36:13 PM EDT
[#3]
Leaving that dry wood behind would have been a better option.  It's dehydrated and won't cook for crap on any smoker.  Get some felled 2-3 year old seasoned wood.  I have no idea on the smoker, but it looks semi-heavily built so it should be decent to cook on.  
After hauling that old woof off, I'd also highly recommend putting termite bait/traps/poison out so they don't wreck your trailer.  Get some cheap meat, salt and pepper and start cooking.
Link Posted: 5/9/2021 7:17:15 AM EDT
[#4]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Leaving that dry wood behind would have been a better option.  It's dehydrated and won't cook for crap on any smoker.  Get some felled 2-3 year old seasoned wood.  I have no idea on the smoker, but it looks semi-heavily built so it should be decent to cook on.  
After hauling that old woof off, I'd also highly recommend putting termite bait/traps/poison out so they don't wreck your trailer.  Get some cheap meat, salt and pepper and start cooking.
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Yeah I was curious if there was a shelf life on the wood.

I'll use it to start my coal bed and in my backyard fire pit, but good point in the termites.
Link Posted: 5/9/2021 3:34:29 PM EDT
[#5]
Cooking would should be heavy to the feel when you pick it up.  Charcoal can also be used, it's cheap and will put a good smoke flavor into meat as well.  If you get the chance, watch Aaron Franklin's MasterClass on cooking brisket.  It contains a lot of really good information.

As you're learning to smoke, cook some $.99/lb pork butts, spare ribs, etc.  When you have learned how your pit operates, then get into chicken thighs and briskets.
Link Posted: 5/9/2021 4:41:41 PM EDT
[#6]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Can’t beat free. Looks good, now get to smoking! I have a WSM and love it. But have been wanting a side box smoker.
View Quote


@kaotic504

People I serve smoked meats to will hardly believe I do all my smoking in a 18.5 WSM.  Love that darn thing.

CMOS  
Link Posted: 5/9/2021 4:49:57 PM EDT
[#7]
Have you done any smoking / grill work before?  Be advised than a smoker with an offset firebox, using wood, is the most difficult of all grill to use.

Hard to keep at a stable temperature due to the offset nature, and little insulation on the grill section.  Can lead to wide fluctuations in temperature as the beginner is always over-reacting to the grill temperature.  That said, that style is tops for briskets and other items where you want a full bark on them.

Couple of tips:

Cooking is temperature based, not time.  Using time is like saying drive 45 minutes and turn left, instead of drive 45 miles.  If you don't have one, buy a good digital temperature probe for the meat, and with an offset smoker, for the grill temperature, as the little metal arrow on the door might as well say cold, warm, and hot, on it, as accurate as they are.

Get a probe that you can connect to your phone, so you can look at a graph of temperature compared to time, to see what's happening to the meat - cooking at a steady pace, stalling, coming out of the stall, etc.  It gives you heads up on what's happening.

Brisket is the hardest thing to cook - try pork shoulders first.  With much more fat, and more tender meat, they are much more foregoing than a brisket for starters.

I'd practice with charcoal before I used wood as my primary fuel source.  As above, the offset smokers are tricky to keep at the same temperature for a beginner - even harder if you're using wood of varying size, quality, compared to charcoal.

Let us know how it goes.  Good luck.
Link Posted: 5/9/2021 5:16:50 PM EDT
[#8]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Have you done any smoking / grill work before?  Be advised than a smoker with an offset firebox, using wood, is the most difficult of all grill to use.

Hard to keep at a stable temperature due to the offset nature, and little insulation on the grill section.  Can lead to wide fluctuations in temperature as the beginner is always over-reacting to the grill temperature.  That said, that style is tops for briskets and other items where you want a full bark on them.

Couple of tips:

Cooking is temperature based, not time.  Using time is like saying drive 45 minutes and turn left, instead of drive 45 miles.  If you don't have one, buy a good digital temperature probe for the meat, and with an offset smoker, for the grill temperature, as the little metal arrow on the door might as well say cold, warm, and hot, on it, as accurate as they are.

Get a probe that you can connect to your phone, so you can look at a graph of temperature compared to time, to see what's happening to the meat - cooking at a steady pace, stalling, coming out of the stall, etc.  It gives you heads up on what's happening.

Brisket is the hardest thing to cook - try pork shoulders first.  With much more fat, and more tender meat, they are much more foregoing than a brisket for starters.

I'd practice with charcoal before I used wood as my primary fuel source.  As above, the offset smokers are tricky to keep at the same temperature for a beginner - even harder if you're using wood of varying size, quality, compared to charcoal.

Let us know how it goes.  Good luck.
View Quote



Been following mad scientist bbq for a while so think I have a good bit of info to start, also have some friends that'll help me get going. Well aware that fire management is my biggest challenge, and wood needs to be sized to the smoker, etc. I know the smaller offsets are the hardest of all, but I'm okay with a challenge.

I use a thermapen when grilling, but this will be my first foray into smoking. Definitely not expecting my first few slabs to turn out perfect, but it'll be fun.
Link Posted: 5/9/2021 6:03:40 PM EDT
[#9]
Back when I had one I would try and keep my firewood all about the same size. I had it down to were I knew how many pieces I need to add every few hours to maintain the temp I was wanting.
Link Posted: 5/21/2021 11:49:38 PM EDT
[#10]
Attachment Attached File

Did a test run with some good wood to clean off the new grate and see what kind of fire I'll need, pork butt goes on in the morning.

Fridge full of beer at the ready, going to be a fun Saturday.
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