OT Southern BBQ Ribs

[Daddy Dee]

Put some spareribs and a pork shoulder roast on the smoker this afternoon.

One thing I've found quite handy in removing the membrane from the inside of the ribs is catfish pliers. I haven't used them in years, but ran across them in a box a few weeks ago. Makes it pretty easy.

[Daddy Dee]

I'm starting to get pretty lazy. A few weeks ago I got a little electric smokehouse type cooker. It has a digital timer and thermostat. Just set the temp and time to cook and it runs at a steady temp until the meat is ready. It has a little tray device to add wood chips without even opening the door. Just put a cup full of chips in the tray, slide it in and dump it onto the heating element. Pretty user friendly. Below is a pic of the unit from an ad.

[Daddy Dee]

Here's the interior. It has a water pan, which I'm not using today. Don't think it really makes much difference and it is more work to clean up. It also has a drip pan on the bottom which channels grease out a drain into a small grease tray on the back of the cooker.

[Daddy Dee]

For years I've been smoking on a cooker similar to this pic. Only my cooker doesn't have the fancy firebox art, which does look pretty cool. It's a 20x48 cooker by Dave Klose. He's a fabulous welder in Houston, TX. I've got to get a digital camera organized so I can post my own pics.

Anway, I've spent some of my most enjoyable days tending the fire on this rascal. It does take a little effort to do it right. I think I can cook about the same amount of meat in either cooker. The log burner is much more romantic for a cowboy, though.

[ssh]

That's a fine looking rig, Dee. Is it faster to cook than your traditional smoker?

I smoked two 9 1/2lb porkloins (four pieces) yesterday. Charcoal & pecan wood. It took five & a half hours to get them to 145 (before rest). I put dried cherries and garlic chunks in slits all over them, then injected a b-b-q marinate.

SSH

[Daddy Dee]

Steve,

Not necessarily faster, just easier to hold a steady temp without tending the fire. It sets just like an oven anything from 100 to 275 degrees.

wow. your pork loin session sounds fabulous. I really like cooking with pecan.

[seti]

Steve,

Not necessarily faster, just easier to hold a steady temp without tending the fire. It sets just like an oven anything from 100 to 275 degrees.

wow. your pork loin session sounds fabulous. I really like cooking with pecan.

 

There is alot to be said for steady temp. That is a nice cooker!

[mark1101]

Dee,

That is a nice cooker. I can't read the name though. Is there a link to that? I'm actually interested in that thing. Thanks

[kaiser SET say]

http://www.bbqpits.com/ , Hope you don't mind Dee[]

[mark1101]

I was looking for info on the electric unit. []

[Daddy Dee]

Steve,

Not necessarily faster, just easier to hold a steady temp without tending the fire. It sets just like an oven anything from 100 to 275 degrees.

wow. your pork loin session sounds fabulous. I really like cooking with pecan.

There is alot to be said for steady temp. That is a nice cooker!

Thanks Seti.

Mark,

Got it as Sam's. It's made by Masterbuilt and perhaps a special model for Sam's. Masterbuilt sells smokers through other vendors, but from what I could see the Sam's smoker is slightly larger in the width dimension.

http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=356446

[BigStewMan]

Steve,

Not necessarily faster, just easier to hold a steady temp without tending the fire. It sets just like an oven anything from 100 to 275 degrees.

wow. your pork loin session sounds fabulous. I really like cooking with pecan.

the thermometer on my unit generally reads 200 just from sitting in the sun.

[Daddy Dee]

Big Stew Man,

What kind of cooker do you use?

[mark1101]

Dee,

Thanks for the link.

[mark1101]

Dee,

I checked out the Klose website.......for about 2 hours. OMG, those smokers are simply dream machines. My mouth was watering. You can have a lifetime of fun with one of those. You must enjoy using yours. I see you might be looking to reduce the labor some with the electric one. Let us know how well it works compared to the cowboy model.

[Daddy Dee]

Mark,

Glad to hear you enjoy browsing the Klose website. Dave does fabulous work.

My dad and I had burned through several Brinkmann type smokers over the years and it had been a long season since I'd done any cooking outside, except grilling. After his death I was going through my dad's stuff and found the remains of a couple of smokers and put them together and did a little smoking. I'd forgotten how much fun it was. The Brinkmann cookers I decided took alot of work to get loaded up and lifted on and off the fire pan. Decided I'd look around and see what else was out there and had no idea of the variety and styles of cookers. I wondered how in the world I'd make a reasonable choice. Anyway, I browsed websites and internet posts for six months of folks telling stories about experience with various cookers. One day I realized that I never read a single post of someone who got a Klose cooker and was sorry about it. Finally found someone who was upgrading to a Klose BYC so I got my cooker used.

Here's a guy who builds cookers in North Little Rock. I'd love to have one of his cookers. Different design than the Texas type cookers, but more user friendly. I would love to have one of his trailer mounted cookers. It's a father/son operation and they are both talented welders. Also have a very cool shop with a big CNC plasma cutter.

http://www.southwestsmoker.com/

[BigStewMan]

Big Stew Man,

What kind of cooker do you use?

Daddy Dee--I'm nowhere on par with you elite cookers. I just have some unit I picked up at Lowe's, I think it is Char-Broil. I wanted to get away from propane and get back to coals. This unit has an adjustable tray that allows me to adjust the distance between the heat and the food. It is your very basic $150 grill; but it does have a thermometer. After I read this thread, I was walking to my garage and passed the unit--the thermometer read 200 degrees. I thought, I can maintain this temperature without any heat source other than the sun.

[mark1101]

I use a charcoal Weber, about $79.00. Pretty cheap but I get excellent results and I really enjoy it. One of those nice Klose back yard smokers would be a dream for me. I think even the small ones must weigh several hundred lbs. I have no idea what it would take to get one to Georgia. They are not exactly cheap either. You really need to want one. Dee had the ticket finding a used one. I'd be perfectly happy with a nice old seasoned one. Last night I could almost taste the meat when I was browsing the Klose website.

[mark1101]

I love those Klose cookers. That is apparently what the Dinosaur Barbeque uses when they go mobile. They have purchased 5 of them (big ones). It would be cost prohibitive to get a backyard version of one of those to Georgia.

Has anyone heard of Lang cookers? http://www.pigroast.com/ This is close to my house.

[Daddy Dee]

I've seen a Lang cooker or two at Memphis in May and thought the appearance was a little rough.

What is also a Georgia made cooker is Davis and think they are very nice. Have you noticed the smoke stack is on the same side as the firebox? I think this is actually an improvement over the Texas style, Klose cookers where the heat and smoke simply pass through the cooker one end to the other. The Davis type design, Lang, too, the cooker has sort of a floor in it. The smoke and heat pass under the floor to the far end of the cooker where it does a U turn and comes back over the meat and out the stack by the firebox. the temp is more even through the cooker. A Klose or other similarly designed cooker has got a 10 to 12 inch hot spot next to the firebox which is too hot to cook on, unless you want something done quickly, really quick. I've often thought I'd love to have one of the Davis cookers.

http://www.davissmokersandgrills.homestead.com/