Gonna put my mini to the test Friday!

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

welshrarebit

Master of the Pit
Original poster
Feb 20, 2014
1,708
106
Kona, Hawaii
I've seen a lot of posts about how awesome the mini does in bad weather. Well, I've got a hurricane heading this way and it'll hit us on my smoking day! The storm was a cat four this morning and is currently a cat three and its projected path will be a direct hit on the big island. The good news is its projected to loose steam by then and only be a tropical storm when it hits us. I also live on the protected side of the island with two almost 14,000 ft high mountains and my 8,000 ft mountain between me and it.

I figure a couple of cinder blocks to help anchor the mini down and a new mod called the hurricane strap mod and I should be good to go...

Hmm, the perfect smoke for a hurricane? I'm guessing something fast if I gotta make a run for a shelter! Lol

I'll be sure to post q-view...
 
Last edited:
I would try to keep it out of the rain and wind.

Good luck.
 
Stay Safe! I've been tracking that Storm. At least it's supposed to drop down to storm category before it hits. I'd make a mad dash to Honokaa to Tex Drive in an get an emergency stash of malasadas!
 
Stay Safe! I've been tracking that Storm. At least it's supposed to drop down to storm category before it hits. I'd make a mad dash to Honokaa to Tex Drive in an get an emergency stash of malasadas!

No need to drive to honokaa. There's a Tex drive in in Kona now... A kamuela deli also. Malasadas sound good!
 
No need to drive to honokaa. There's a Tex drive in in Kona now... A kamuela deli also. Malasadas sound good!

I know, but it's not the same! Kamuela deli in Waimea was my morning breakfast stop! Only place open early enough! Saimen, loco Moco or fried egg sandwee was my breakfast of choice!
 
Storm update: it's slowing down and turned slightly south and isn't losing as much power as predicted. It's still projected to be a direct hit on us. Friday could be very interesting! There'll be lots of smoke wood to be cut up..,

There's also another hurricane right behind it that's going to be here probably on Monday.
 
No sense in waiting fire up that mini and get to smoking! Get those emergency smoked goods on your shelves!!!!

I love the photos from Costco there. People packing out mega packs of toilet paper. I honestly can say that's the last item I'd be buying to stock up on!
 
Last edited:
No sense in waiting fire up that mini and get to smoking! Get those emergency smoked goods on your shelves!!!!

I love the photos from Costco there. People packing out mega packs of toilet paper. I honestly can say that's the last item I'd be buying to stock up on!

I work doubles all week and I am only off on Friday. That's my smoking day! The local Costco is NUTS!!! Cars getting gas, people buying food water and yes TP. Because there's two storms back to back the inter island barges won't be sailing until the end of next week. That means no gas, no milk, no TP, etc... Whatever is on the shelves now has to last at least a week!

This morning we under a tropical storm watch. 7:30 am it changed to a tropical storm warning and at noon they changed it to a hurricane warning. I don't think the mini is gonna get fired up on Friday.
 
It's the calm before the storm! Absolutely gorgeous day. Sunny, no wind, if I didn't know the kaka was gonna hit the fan in the next 24 hours..,

My job is expecting half of our workers not to show up today! My boss offered to put me and my family up at the hotel if I work tonite. Civil defense shelter? Hell no! I'm staying at a four star resort!!! Hopefully the power doesn't go off so we can go down the water slides during the hurricane!

I don't knOw what's going to happen in the next 24 hours but it should be interesting...

Hopefully I'll be able to fire up the mIni.., hurricane vs mini? I'm betting on the mini...
 
I called out to my morning job to get my house ready. Anything that weighed 100 lbs or less is in the garage or went to the dump. My bay window is boarded up. My wife decided to stay home with the animals and I'm on my way to work. I brought my chainsaw if I have to cut my way home!

Kona is still not feeling any effect of the storm. Once I got past the airport the wind ready picked up.

If at all possible I will fire up mini tomorrow! Hopefully I'll have power and Internet service tomorrow.

Most stores here shut down at noon and sent their employees home to get ready.
 
by all means stay safe... but by all means PARTYYYYYY... Hurricane party.... we have em all the time..... be safe my friend and good luck...
 
Hope you packed your board, Mini, and cooking supplies!!! I assume you're already wearing shirts slippers and a rash shirt! First ever mini-smoke catching a wave!
 
Update: nothing so far! No wind. No rain, nothing! The storm has supposedly turned slightly south and will go over the southern tip of the island. About 40 miles south of me.

The south east side of this island is currently getting pummeled.

The restaurant that I work at was closed because only two waiters showed up. So I worked in the Italian restaurant and we did 600 dinners!!! No prob for me! I was the lead in that restaurant for over a year.

The storm is suppose to be past us by tomorrow.

Of course we still have another storm to dodge...

To dirt sailor: surfboard mod? Prob not a good idea. Your first 'duck dive' and your charcoal will be toast! ;)
 
Last edited:
Getting the mini fired up!!!

The storm has passed with no damage around here. The other side of the island got hit pretty hard. There's a lot of roads closed because of fallen trees and lots of power lines down as well, they also had some flooding. The only damage here was when I was moving my glass table into the garage it broke. There will be a fire pit to replace that...


So, today's smoke is tongue and shanks! They've been in the freezer from the last cow we slaughtered. I didn't cost me anything and worse case scenario the dogs eat good tonite. My wife is also picking up some salmon so that will go on later.



Thank you everyone that was pulling for us!

:sausage:
 
Tongue! You are my hero! I love tongue and would have never thought of smoking it. I await the results.

Disco
 
Three hours in. Pulled the tongue and trimmed the skin off. This rack also went to the lower level to make room for...


Salmon! I just put EVOO and S + P.


45 minutes later.


Six hours in. Mini has been running right around 230 the whole time. The smoke wood is kiawe, with a guava chunk added when salmon went on. IT is 162 and climbing. I have know idea what temp I should pull at but around 170 im gonna cut a slice off and see what its like.


The shanks were pulled after four and a half hours. The larger one was perfect and the smaller one was over cooked. I told ya the dogs were gonna eat good tonite....

Update: eight hours in. I decided to take it to 200. IT is 185. I just foiled it to try and get her done. I didn't have any apple juice (kids keep drinking it) so I put in some pickle mango juice! I figure it's vinegar, sugar, water, li hing mui and mangoes. The mini is still chugging along at 225. This is going to be either awesome or dog food! There is no in between...
 
Last edited:
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.
Clicky