OK gang, need your input. Got my casing yesterday, found the burner and
racks and I'm ready to weld. I need to know:
#1) how high above the burner I need to mount the chip pan holder?
#2) do I put the water pan directly underneat the bottom food rack, or
anywhere between the chip pan and the bottom rack...where?
#3) how many vents, and where? I'm assuming two small coaster-sized
dampable vents in the bottom under the burner and I plan on drafting
with an 18 inch piece of 3 inch muffler pipe out the top, with a
damper.

Please CC me reply directly as I'm not always able to read the list
replies. Thanks for all your help !

Ronnie Lyons

Not long ago, I bought a Char Broil Silver Smoker. And I'm still
getting used to it. I'm getting used to controlling the fire... but
something is bugging me.

I keep the temperature around 220 - 250 F. And the meats I put in there
(8 pound beef brisket, 4 pound boned leg of lamb) don't get up to the
temperatures I'm looking for, around 195F. Even when they stay in the
smoker for 8 plus hours. It seems the temp of the meats gets to about
165F and stays there.

The meat tastes great (the lamb was spectacular), but in the case of the
brisket it wasn't as tender as I was looking for.

So... any suggestions? Hotter in the smoker towards the end of the
smoke? Hotter overall? Just tough it out and cook longer?

As a side note, I live in the Rocky Mountains at 7,700 feet - will that
impact cooking times?

Thanks,
Mike

In alt.food.barbecue, Mike Avery > wrote:

> I keep the temperature around 220 - 250 F. And the meats I put in there
> (8 pound beef brisket, 4 pound boned leg of lamb) don't get up to the
> temperatures I'm looking for, around 195F. Even when they stay in the
> smoker for 8 plus hours. It seems the temp of the meats gets to about
> 165F and stays there.

It is normal for meat to stall for a long time at around 165. I don't
know why, but I think it is due to the heat being used for chemical
reactions having to do with the breakdown of connective tissue.

That being said, I wonder how accurate your thermometer is, and I wonder
if thermometer placement is optimal. Try using different spots for your
thermometer, and see if the temp is varying at different points in your
smoker.

Finally, you mentined 8 hours of cooking time, and you mentioned tough
brisket. Assuming that you are cooking a full packer cut, 8 hours is NOT
enough time to cook brisket. Brisket is a difficult meat to cook well.
And it can take lots more hours than 8. Your 8 pound brisket can take
12 hours or more to be done.

Try cooking a Boston Butt. Get the biggest, thickest, fattiest one you
can find. At least 5 pounds, but bigger is better. Throw away your meat
thermometer and stopwatch. Cook it until the bone can be rotated and
pulled out by hand.

My philosophy is that barbecue is done when it is done. Crack open
(another) bottle of bourbon, throw some electric blues or rockabilly on
the boombox, and feed the fire as needed. If your smoker is really in the
220 - 250 range at the meat level, your Q will be done when it is done.
Great barbecue requires patience. Strictly speaking, thermometers and
clocks are unecessary.


--
A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.
--Edward R. Murrow

wrote:
<snip>
> My philosophy is that barbecue is done when it is done. Crack open
> (another) bottle of bourbon, throw some electric blues or rockabilly on
> the boombox, and feed the fire as needed. If your smoker is really in the
> 220 - 250 range at the meat level, your Q will be done when it is done.
> Great barbecue requires patience. Strictly speaking, thermometers and
> clocks are unecessary.
>
>

Heed that advice. It's probably one of the most important
things to learn once you diverge from brickettes. ;-)

--
Steve

wrote:
> In alt.food.barbecue, Mike Avery > wrote:
>
>
>> I keep the temperature around 220 - 250 F. And the meats I put in there
>> (8 pound beef brisket, 4 pound boned leg of lamb) don't get up to the
>> temperatures I'm looking for, around 195F. Even when they stay in the
>> smoker for 8 plus hours. It seems the temp of the meats gets to about
>> 165F and stays there.
>>
>
> It is normal for meat to stall for a long time at around 165. I don't
> know why, but I think it is due to the heat being used for chemical
> reactions having to do with the breakdown of connective tissue.
>
Odd.... but thanks.
> That being said, I wonder how accurate your thermometer is, and I wonder
> if thermometer placement is optimal. Try using different spots for your
> thermometer, and see if the temp is varying at different points in your
> smoker.
>
I'm using one of the wireless dual probe thermometers. One probe is at
the grill level, the other in the meat. I checked them both with
boiling water, and they are accurate.
> Finally, you mentined 8 hours of cooking time, and you mentioned tough
> brisket. Assuming that you are cooking a full packer cut, 8 hours is NOT
> enough time to cook brisket. Brisket is a difficult meat to cook well.
> And it can take lots more hours than 8. Your 8 pound brisket can take
> 12 hours or more to be done.
>
The brisket was way tough. And about 10 hours. It was probably around
4 to 6 pounds..... it wasn't a full brisket. We enjoyed the taste. In
the end, we put it into some chili where it softened up and added a very
nice flavor to the chili.
> Try cooking a Boston Butt. Get the biggest, thickest, fattiest one you
> can find. At least 5 pounds, but bigger is better. Throw away your meat
> thermometer and stopwatch. Cook it until the bone can be rotated and
> pulled out by hand.
>
I'll watch prices and do that.
> My philosophy is that barbecue is done when it is done. Crack open
> (another) bottle of bourbon, throw some electric blues or rockabilly on
> the boombox, and feed the fire as needed. If your smoker is really in the
> 220 - 250 range at the meat level, your Q will be done when it is done.
> Great barbecue requires patience. Strictly speaking, thermometers and
> clocks are unecessary.
>
You can't rush barbecue or bread. On the other hand, whether you're
cooking for family, friends, a contest or a business it really helps to
be able to predict when you'll be done. Experience coupled with time
and temperature seem to be the way to get there. (Of course, that may
explain why so much commercial barbecue isn't worth the paper needed to
wrap it as you throw it away.)

Mike

--
....The irony is that Bill Gates claims to be making a stable operating
system and Linus Torvalds claims to be trying to take over the world...

Mike Avery mavery at mail dot otherwhen dot com
part time baker ICQ 16241692
networking guru AIM, yahoo and skype mavery81230
wordsmith

"Ronnie" <> wrote in message
oups.com...
> OK gang, need your input. Got my casing yesterday, found the burner and
> racks and I'm ready to weld. I need to know:
> #1) how high above the burner I need to mount the chip pan holder?

How big a burner and how high a flame? A few inches is sufficient.


> #2) do I put the water pan directly underneat the bottom food rack, or
> anywhere between the chip pan and the bottom rack...where?

In the trash. You don't need a water pan.


> #3) how many vents, and where? I'm assuming two small coaster-sized
> dampable vents in the bottom under the burner and I plan on drafting
> with an 18 inch piece of 3 inch muffler pipe out the top, with a
> damper.

Damper is to keep rain out when the cooker is not being used. All other
times it is open.
You want plenty of ventilation on the bottom so as not to build up any gas
inside.