Hi All,
I have to say that I am hooked with smoking meat with logs, which in itself is quite hard in sunny Dubai ..we don't have many trees out here at all.
I got into smoking a while ago when I was asked to design and make a smoker for a hotel client of ours..I did a bit of research and arranged for a fabrication company to make a cabinet smoker from stainless steel..I will try and find some pics and post at a later date.
Long story short I have since shipped a Lang 36 hybrid deluxe and have been playing with it for a few weeks.
I find it a great unit well built and very practical, for wood I am using beech & sometimes birch..as you can imagine there is not much choice available here..apparently there is some oak kicking around but yet to find it.
I have invested in a thermoworks blue therm due to get my core temps sorted and it works well as advertised.
Still being a newbie at this I am finding it challenging to manage the fire...I start off with some kindling and make a small pile in the fire box..do the log cabin method with splits around and get it going..within 45 mins I am up at 300 deg F and dropping into the smoke zone..
Yesterday I did 3 plates of beef short ribs (using a rub with black pepper / mustard powder / paprika / chilli / salt ) on a low and slow for 5 1/2 hrs ...trying to keep the fire at 250 / 275 but it did yo yo up and down a bit, I kept the smoke stack fully opened and the dampers at about 2 inches open..the fire box door slightly agar.. every 35 mins or so I added a split stick or 2,
I have been keeping the fire pit door 1/4 open when adding a stick for a few mins to try and get the white smoke to burn off and settle down a bit before closing it up again...is this recommended?
It cooked well and I pulled ribs at 198 deg F internal..in truth they could have done with an extra 5 deg but were still quite tender and went well with a chorizo / bell pepper bean casserole....yum!
A couple of weeks ago I tried a brisket / pork butt / leg of lamb cook and that went well but was a full 12 hrs...with the lamb going in 1/2 way.
Anyway any tips on fire management from a lang owner would be most welcome.
A few pics from my first smoke attached..
I have to say that I am hooked with smoking meat with logs, which in itself is quite hard in sunny Dubai ..we don't have many trees out here at all.
I got into smoking a while ago when I was asked to design and make a smoker for a hotel client of ours..I did a bit of research and arranged for a fabrication company to make a cabinet smoker from stainless steel..I will try and find some pics and post at a later date.
Long story short I have since shipped a Lang 36 hybrid deluxe and have been playing with it for a few weeks.
I find it a great unit well built and very practical, for wood I am using beech & sometimes birch..as you can imagine there is not much choice available here..apparently there is some oak kicking around but yet to find it.
I have invested in a thermoworks blue therm due to get my core temps sorted and it works well as advertised.
Still being a newbie at this I am finding it challenging to manage the fire...I start off with some kindling and make a small pile in the fire box..do the log cabin method with splits around and get it going..within 45 mins I am up at 300 deg F and dropping into the smoke zone..
Yesterday I did 3 plates of beef short ribs (using a rub with black pepper / mustard powder / paprika / chilli / salt ) on a low and slow for 5 1/2 hrs ...trying to keep the fire at 250 / 275 but it did yo yo up and down a bit, I kept the smoke stack fully opened and the dampers at about 2 inches open..the fire box door slightly agar.. every 35 mins or so I added a split stick or 2,
I have been keeping the fire pit door 1/4 open when adding a stick for a few mins to try and get the white smoke to burn off and settle down a bit before closing it up again...is this recommended?
It cooked well and I pulled ribs at 198 deg F internal..in truth they could have done with an extra 5 deg but were still quite tender and went well with a chorizo / bell pepper bean casserole....yum!
A couple of weeks ago I tried a brisket / pork butt / leg of lamb cook and that went well but was a full 12 hrs...with the lamb going in 1/2 way.
Anyway any tips on fire management from a lang owner would be most welcome.
A few pics from my first smoke attached..