maiden voyage for my home built veritcal smoker a boston butt and some chicken legs QVIEW

  • 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.

thecapps

Smoke Blower
Original poster
Aug 17, 2011
81
16
Suffolk, Virginia
just took these pics a few min ago.  The butt has been on since about 10:30 last night its an 8 pounder internal temp at 180 right now 9.5 hrs later.  I have put in 20lbs of kingsford and 2 quarter of split wood.   I don't have a temp guage on the smoker yet as I got anxious to use it before being completely done, hense the turkey pan/water pan.  So I have just been monitoring the internal temp.  I hit 140 in a little ove 3 hrs, and been checking on it adding water/charcoal as needed every 2 hrs.  The chicken has only been on about an hr now.  Had to use it on labor day, with all the labor I have put into it, hope it pays off.

66d84e62_001.jpg
625d1fc4_002.jpg
2807daca_003.jpg
 
smoker looks sweet , Good Job!... one word of advice and i just  may be to cautious but  never put raw chicken  over any thing  in a layered grill or smoker  chick should be at the bottom that way it wont drip and  salmonella  stuff on the other food .....just my opinion.... food lookin good!!
 
Sounds like its working out for ya, but I think I would have used that meat probe to read my smoker temps during the cook. Then every so often, clean the probe and check the meat. 

Everything looks great!!!!

The only thing I would do different would be flip flop the chicken with the pork. 

I never never cook my chicken over the top of anything. (Ever) 

I used to never put pork over anything but since the new safe temp for pork changed I feel better about the pork being over other foods. After its cooked for a while anyways.

And dang, that chicken is looking mighty good on the crispness of the skin there.
 
thanks for the advice, i'll go move the chicken down now.  I have the thermometer for the smoker door but don't have the 7/8 bit i need to install it here at home.  I will be getting one in it asap, but like i said I was itching to use it.  I'm winging it for now.  does the fuel use sound about right?  or does it seam too much or too little.  I know it depends on weather, smoker, and other conditions.  Is there any charcoal usage formula?
 
20 lbs isn't to bad probably, but its hard to say for sure since we are not completely sure where the temps were at.

There is not a formula that I am aware of.

If you are sealed up really tight, even the fire access door.

You may get longer burn times. I am pretty regular to get 20 plus hours from my drums, using about 10 to 15 lbs. Lump. 

I have gone as long as 30 hours before with the temps in the high 80's during the day and low 70's at night.

I only had to adjust the air intake a couple times thru the night.

I think that once you get a reading on temps, you should be able to tune in right in and be pretty efficient on fuel.

One last note, not sure where you are located but if theres a harbor freight close, they have step bits for cheap. And they are actually a pretty decent bit.

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-piec...-782A-E011-B31E-001B2163195C&mr:referralID=NA

They do have a pack of three for less money but this set of two is the best they have. I have used both sets and this one last way way longer.

Just sayin, incase someone is looking to drill the bigger holes for cheap.
 
Last edited:
20 lbs isn't to bad probably, but its hard to say for sure since we are not completely sure where the temps were at.

There is not a formula that I am aware of.

If you are sealed up really tight, even the fire access door.

You may get longer burn times. I am pretty regular to get 20 plus hours from my drums, using about 10 to 15 lbs. Lump. 

I have gone as long as 30 hours before with the temps in the high 80's during the day and low 70's at night.

I only had to adjust the air intake a couple times thru the night.

I think that once you get a reading on temps, you should be able to tune in right in and be pretty efficient on fuel.

One last note, not sure where you are located but if theres a harbor freight close, they have step bits for cheap. And they are actually a pretty decent bit.

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-piec...-782A-E011-B31E-001B2163195C&mr:referralID=NA

They do have a pack of three for less money but this set of two is the best they have. I have used both sets and this one last way way longer.

Just sayin, incase someone is looking to drill the bigger holes for cheap.


There is a harbor freight near by, I have the three peice set but it only goes to 3/4, I still have some work to get the smoker sealed up, the smoke chamber I was going to use some type of fiberglass seal rope/tape, still looking for a good source.  the firebox will be tough on the hinge side, It is a commercial ball bearing door hinge that i welded on. i had to notch out the door and frame to make it work, but i'll try to figure out something.   

well the butt hit 205 the chicken i didn't probe, but it was done. maybe a little too done, but not horribly bad, some of the smaller drums were a it dry. will post pics of butt after pulling.  when I pulled it off the grate to towell wrap it for the cooler, it was already falling apart.  The kids loved the chicken, thats what matters, if they are happy I am happy.  Oh and the temp probe from wally world is a peice of poop if you want anything over 175*, it has no custom settings, it will beep off and on after your temp hits the target.  I ended up turning it off and just turning it on every once in a while to see the temp, so i didn't have to hear it.  wonder if they will take it back....

f0e92f66_008.jpg
844fc333_005.jpg
19fb071d_007.jpg
90608361_006.jpg
783811ed_004.jpg
 
oh man am I happy with the final product.  couldn't have done it without the info from this site.  I didn't do much for the prep of the butt or the chicken, the chicken had just salt pepper, the butt had salt pepper, garlic herb old bay, minced garlic, lemon pepper, (i need to go buy more spices), it was what I had on hand and only went on the butt maybe an hr before it went in the smoker, can wait to try a marinade/soak/brine, dry rub, etc.  as far as the tenderness and texture, i think the pictures should show that just fine.  i told my wife now I want to feed everyone and maybe show off a little.  Thanks everyone.

c108c5c9_012.jpg
44765ed1_011.jpg


152b9e7a_013.jpg
8e7af357_009.jpg
 
haha! Your little girls face dosent match the thumbs up :) Cutie but sending a mixed message. I'm guessing the meat was still a little hot for her?

Looks like great grub!
 
Looks good Capps!

And I have that same thermo and it makes me mad every time I use it! The other thing you will find is you need to boil test it each time you use it. When the batteries get low it doesn't read a proper temp.
 
haha! Your little girls face dosent match the thumbs up :) Cutie but sending a mixed message. I'm guessing the meat was still a little hot for her?

Looks like great grub!
thats just her being goofy, i said "gimme a thumbs up"  and she did that.  she's got my personallity.  It was hot though, but not too too bad.
 
Looks good Capps!

And I have that same thermo and it makes me mad every time I use it! The other thing you will find is you need to boil test it each time you use it. When the batteries get low it doesn't read a proper temp.
yeah i'm going to be looking for something better, can't deal with that thing.  any suggestions on another wireless thermo?
 
I also have a Trutemp. It is awesome! Always reads the proper temp. I have probably boil tested the trutemp just as often as the other. Since I had water boiling I may as well. But every time it reads right at 212.
 
yeah I know..I'm a lil late LOL.  If that wally world digital is the same as I had you can set your temp where you want...ie you don't have to have it set for pork.  mine worked ok till it got wet !

nice looking build, hoping to do my second this winter. If you can pony up the cha ching, the Maverick ET732 is sweet.
 
yeah I know..I'm a lil late LOL.  If that wally world digital is the same as I had you can set your temp where you want...ie you don't have to have it set for pork.  mine worked ok till it got wet !

nice looking build, hoping to do my second this winter. If you can pony up the cha ching, the Maverick ET732 is sweet.
the one i have you press meat and scroll through chicken, turkey, beef, pork, veal, i think thats it, havent seen where the temp can be set.  and yeah i'm eyeballin that maverick, for now i have mounted a standard guage in the door.  my second run with it i realized i was probably running hot with that pork butt and legs.  I reached 300 and it started to climb and i had to close the intake about 3/4 closed to get it down in the 250 range, pretty much the whole time i was smoking the intake was in that quarter open position.  the first run without a guage i had the intake wide open the entire time, I probably could have cut down on the charcoal consumption with a guage.
 
 
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Latest posts

Hot Threads

Clicky