Smoking in Gold Canyon

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Hi all   I'm Frank and I live in Gold Canyon, use a Masterbuilt Mes 30. (yeh, I know it's issues) Interests are sausage, hams and general smoking. Love to hear from fellow smokers.
Hi Frank.

I have the Masterbuilt Duo Pro.....and like it a lot.  But have recently converted over to trying pellets.  Like the idea of less mess and ease of use. My newest is the Daniel Boone model from Green Mountain - it has a computer WiFi controller, so that this lazy guy can program the cook times.... and monitor while sitting on the patio consuming an adult beverage or 2.  Of course if it is 110 degrees outside this summer, the adult beverage consumption will most likely be from inside the house !! GRIN..

As to what I smoke...so far it has been ribs, pork loin, beans, turkey, meat loaf, hamburgers, and some other odd things.  I tried a ham on one occassion but was not happy at all.  There again, it was a ham that had already been cooked, and I was trying to add some smoke to it.  Came out really dry.

Anyway... hopefully the postings here will pick up soon, since the weather is definately getting to be smoking weather !!!  I live in the area of south Central Phoenix up against South Mountain.  Good luck with you meals.

Smoke 'em if you got 'em !!!
 
Hi Buck;

              Sorry to take 5 plus days to get back. Guess I do have my brains in my smoke pit..........I have the infamous MES 30 Had to rip the electronics out and find a stand alone controller on-line.  It's a little high tech for an old guy, just finishing up my first smoke since the conversion. Just Polish and hot dogs. The Daniel Boone is a real step up from my entry level MES. Do the pellets work out that much better?

Have a 5th wheel trailer up on the Rim in Overgaard and thinking about getting something to keep up there. My smoke ing so far has been the run of the mill sausage, ribs and a few hams using Pop's recipe. Oh I did do a pork butt, smoked all day. Never did taste it as I dropped in the dirt.  We live in Gold Canyon just past AJ.  Gotta run and check on the sausage and crack open another cold one.   Talk to you soon    Frank

 
 
 
Hi Buck;

              Sorry to take 5 plus days to get back. Guess I do have my brains in my smoke pit..........I have the infamous MES 30 Had to rip the electronics out and find a stand alone controller on-line.  It's a little high tech for an old guy, just finishing up my first smoke since the conversion. Just Polish and hot dogs. The Daniel Boone is a real step up from my entry level MES. Do the pellets work out that much better?

Have a 5th wheel trailer up on the Rim in Overgaard and thinking about getting something to keep up there. My smoke ing so far has been the run of the mill sausage, ribs and a few hams using Pop's recipe. Oh I did do a pork butt, smoked all day. Never did taste it as I dropped in the dirt.  We live in Gold Canyon just past AJ.  Gotta run and check on the sausage and crack open another cold one.   Talk to you soon    Frank

 
Hey there Frank..... WHAT A coincidence..... I have a summer home in Overgaard myself.  I currently have the Masterbuilt Duo Pro Gas smoker at my home in Overgaard.... I am up behind (not in) the Golf Course.  I have the pellet smoker down here in Phoenix.  So this summer I will be using the Masterbuilt smoker up there with some wood chips I have up there.  

Personally I love the pellets...they seem to cook just as well as real wood, or chips...(maybe not quite as much smoke flavor) but much cleaner overall... And there are various flavors of pellets to choose from also. I am particularly happy with Applewood flavored pellets for anything with pork, chicken, etc.... and I do use Mesquite a lot for beef.   I have bought pellets from Barbecue Island in Tempe, and also the Sportsman Warehouse store on Greenfield in Mesa.south of US 60.  There are lot's of places to get pellets...including an independant seller in the Phoenix area, that will meet you somewhere with large bags. 

For your operation with the 5th Wheel in Overgaard you may want to consider the Green Mountain Davy Crockett model... it is kind of a tail gate/portable model  and I believe that even Walmart.com sells it. $369.99 with free shipping and I think it comes with the wifi.  Interesting that some of the other places I just checked were around $499.  Now if you are cooking for a larger group then the Daniel Boone is probably a better choice as it is bigger, but tougher to move around.

Well hopefully I will be headed up to Overgaard for a good part of the summer starting around mid to late April.  I just bought a new Side by Side Utility Vehicle that I am anxious to get up there and play in the forest with.  

Anyway... maybe our paths will cross up in Overgaard.... I'll know if I smell the meat smoking that you are nearby somewhere... GRIN !!

Take care,
 
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HI Buck;   Long time getting back, sorry. Yes it is a coincidence about Overgaard. You are on 1 side of the golf course and we are on the other side in Lazy L (back of the store) space 38. Won't be up there till May. The 5th wheel is parked there all year. The space rent is cheaper than storing it down here. I have an old Ford Explorer 4wd that I use to play in the forest, fun.    It beats pounding both cars to death.       Have no idea what I will get for a smoker. Are you pleased with the Masterbuilt Duo Pro?  

Just wondering if w/o the electronics to go haywire that might be the one for me. Hope our paths do cross up there.   

                                                 Take Care    Frank
 
HI Buck;   Long time getting back, sorry. Yes it is a coincidence about Overgaard. You are on 1 side of the golf course and we are on the other side in Lazy L (back of the store) space 38. Won't be up there till May. The 5th wheel is parked there all year. The space rent is cheaper than storing it down here. I have an old Ford Explorer 4wd that I use to play in the forest, fun.    It beats pounding both cars to death.       Have no idea what I will get for a smoker. Are you pleased with the Masterbuilt Duo Pro?  
Just wondering if w/o the electronics to go haywire that might be the one for me. Hope our paths do cross up there.   
                                                 Take Care    Frank

Yes I do like the Dual Pro... But of course it requires some work also.. It has a water pan and charcoal/chips pan that are pretty much garbage, so most people including myself have modified those areas. I obtained a baking pan with aluminum liner for the water..the pan was just wide enough to side along the runners that normally the rack would slide into.....and than I found a way to make a ring about 2 inches above the burner and bought a smaller old cast iron skillet to place my wood chips. (The charcoal pan that comes with it has holes so ashes just fall out to the bottom). The original water pan is small and doesn't catch drippings well. Some guys have complained about the lack of door seal, and they find a material to try to stop the smoke leakage. I was fortunate, that while mine leaked - it was not enough for me to worry about. And lastly you need propane, which is by far the best fuel in order to help maintain good temperatures. One additional thing is that I and most put some form of shield around the bottom to keep the wind away from the flame (flame/burner is kind of open on the bottom). Now I know it sounds like I hate the smoker....but it does a good job, and making the mods was 1/2 the fun of messing with it. There used to be a whole area here with people talking about the changes they made...you may look around for that info.

Oh one last thing....you for sure need a good meat thermometer....and I actually drilled a hole in the back of the smoker and put in a small brass 'water' fitting that I could put the probe through. It allows you to monitor the meat temp without constantly opening the door. Lots of heat loss doing that. Good luck, and maybe we will see each other up the hill this summer.
 
Hi Buck

                  The MB Dual Pro just might be the way to go. Have to think on that. Seems most people need to modify/upgrade MB smokers. I guess that comes with the territory.

I did mine and it works great, just finished a turkey breast yesterday. The ladies liked it, I thought it was dry. Injected with melted butter and apple juice, butter under the skin and any cavity I could find. Just so the ladies (wife & niece) are happy. I use the smoke vent on top of my MB 30 to insert my probes.  Need to look at the Dual Pro to see.                                                                              Gotta run, Take Care   Frank
 
Hi Frank....
The MB Dual Pro is a good smoker....and yes there are things to do to it to make it better. I think that I am now more inclined to like my Pellet smoker a bit better. It is cleaner overall...and does a pretty good job of cooking. Pellets burn clean, and the ash is easy to clean up. Besides having to store the pellets (I use those 5 gallon buckets with lids)....... And having electricity to run the auger and computer panel (if it is equipped) it is the easiest I have ever used. And if you don't have a lot of room, or travel a lot, the smaller tailgate sized GMG unit is a great one from all accounts.

MD Dual pro = propane (charcoal but messy) and wood chunks
GMG Pellet = Pellets and Electricity
Guess it is a personal choice....and in my case I have both....but like the pellets the best.

Take care, and keep the ladies happy.

Keep in touch!
 
Hi Buck            I have been off line for awhile, had other things to fix and what not. Weathers getting warm and time to head up to Overgaard.  We are having a land line put in next week so I can stay up to speed. Would like to meet up one day. Frank
 
 
Hi Buck            I have been off line for awhile, had other things to fix and what not. Weathers getting warm and time to head up to Overgaard.  We are having a land line put in next week so I can stay up to speed. Would like to meet up one day. Frank
Hi Frank...well we have been up in Ogaard for about 4 days now.... and hope to spend most of the summer up here.  Maybe when you get yourself settled in up here...we can have a face to face.  Take care and keep in touch...

Just as an FYI....if you are installing a landline for just getting the internet.....we did not have to do that.  We have the internet, but no phone.  Cell phones work so well up here that we got rid of our regular phones about 4 years ago....

Chat soon
 
Hi Buck                      Well we went up to Overgaard and the tech from Frontier said he could not put one with more than 3 g's  (no speed) in our park due to distance.   Why did they not tell us that before?       Any way we are coming up on or about May 17'th for a week or two.   Would like to meet up for a face to face    Frank 
 
Hi Buck                      Well we went up to Overgaard and the tech from Frontier said he could not put one with more than 3 g's  (no speed) in our park due to distance.   Why did they not tell us that before?       Any way we are coming up on or about May 17'th for a week or two.   Would like to meet up for a face to face    Frank 

Bummer on your internet connection up here. Hooefully the weather will get a bit nicer.....while the temps up here have gotten to the 70's the wind is enough to blow you off the hill. The forecast is for cooler temps and windy for the next few days. Anyway..let me know when you get up the hill and we can chat. My email up here is:
Buck1-9-4-9ATf-r-o-ntier.com (just remove all the - dashes - and put in the @ sign instead of the AT).
 
Frank- hate to tell you this, but we are headed back down to the valley Sunday as I am not feeling well - and quite honestly I want to see Dr's in the valley rather than deal with them up here. I will try to let you know when I head back up.
 
Buck  we are headed up there this morning.    Get to the doc's  That is important. If you are sick or not feeling well get better.  I also have heard the medical care is not the best up there. At any rate we are going back down on or about the 28th.  For the future my wife Barbara's cell # 480 710 7423.  Or Lazy L park in back of the market,  Space 38, Cougar 5th wheel Stop on by some time. 

                                                                    Get Better                          Frank
 
Bummer on your internet connection up here. Hooefully the weather will get a bit nicer.....while the temps up here have gotten to the 70's the wind is enough to blow you off the hill. The forecast is for cooler temps and windy for the next few days. Anyway..let me know when you get up the hill and we can chat. My email up here is:
Buck1-9-4-9ATf-r-o-ntier.com (just remove all the - dashes - and put in the @ sign instead of the AT).

Hey Frank - are you still around the Smoker? Did you ever have any luck getting the internet at your place in Overgaard? I have heard they were putting in a new Frontier box near the Market and that should help you get the net. Anyway - of course we are in the valley for the winter - and other than maybe a short trip up during the winter we will not be back up until around the 1st of May. Need to get back to smoking some meat. Have been lax and not done anything recently.

take care and hope all is well.
 
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