My first smoke

kratos · Sep 6, 2006

So far did 2 smokes the first one was not all too successful was doing sausages and was using hickory chunks (only chunks I could find).

Created my fire in the Fire Side Box with charcoal and add hickory after hickory. Smelled great tasted like (my wife tells me) like eating cigarettes.

My second smoke (to my wifes hesitation) was a unstuffed chicken breast marinated in Balsamic vineager and honey overnight. Created my fire like before but only added hickory chunks a little at a time and added some charcoal here and there to help keep the temp up. This was a hit with my wife the hickory was there in the aftertaste.

I have signed up for the e-course and got my first installment which for some reason is Day 3. Hopefully day 1 and 2 will arrive to provide me a little more feedback on the proper amount of wood to use.

but so far loving it now if only stops raining in Philly so I can continue this fun new relaxing hobby.

JoeD617 thanks for the chunk idea I had to self regulate how much to use usually added a new chunk when I saw the no more smoke coming from the smokestack.

Kratos

meowey · Sep 6, 2006

Hang in there. It sounds like you are on the right track. The goal is to figure out how to get the thin blue smoke. If that means adding a few chunks at a time, then that would be good. I use a GOSM propane fired smoker and find that I need to add 2 chunks about every 45 minutes to an hour to get the smoke I want. Too much smoke is not a desirable thing.

Keep us posted. Hope the weather clears for you. Post some pictures if you can.

Regards,

Meowey

smokemack · Sep 6, 2006

Hey Kratos, I use a smoker with side fire box as well. My method is a minion build on the charcoal, and one or two wood chunks (depending on size). As I notice the smoke dissipating, I add more chunk. I stop adding wood chunks when the food that I am smoking reaches 140 degrees inside. After 140 degrees the smoke does very little for the flavor and could impart a "bitter" or "too much smoke" flavor to the meat. Hope that helps. Good luck...

Dutch · Sep 7, 2006

Kratos, Sound like moving in the right direction. A lot of what we learn is by trial and error and that's why it's importaint to keep a Smoke log and record what you do and when you did it. There is a link to a download (in General Discussion IIRC) that you can save on your hard drive and print off when you need.

Looking forward to your progress to the 'thin blue'.

icemn62 · Sep 7, 2006

Welcome Kratos.

Grab a cold one and continue the goo dfight. The ultimate search of the hobby Q'er is the Thin Blue Smoke. You would think more wood would make for better taste, but in the Q world I have found in many cases less is more. Keep up the work you have done so far, you are on the right track and soon the wife will no longer have hesitations about your smoking some meat, she will be looking forward to it.

joed617 · Sep 7, 2006

Kratos, You're getting the idea .. good for you.. When I start my smoker I get a nice bed of coals glowing and usually just add a good handful of charcoal to keep the temp up and switch every other time with a couple of chunks of hardwood.. I'm happy it's working our for you and soon you'll be able to smoke anything.. Keep up the good work and if you need advice .. just ask away and I am sure someone will respond to point you in the right direction..

Joe

buzzard · Sep 11, 2006

glad you made it. i too made the same mistake my first smoke. i did chicken several ways, and just kept adding misquete, it was one of the grossest things i have ever eaten. but i didnt realize it at the time. i figured that was how it was supposed to be and i ended up eating all of it. damn i was stupid then. i remember reheating it in the microwave and it made it smell for weeks, i scrubed it and scrubed it nd could not get rid of the sale.

god the thought of what i did now not only makes me laugh but churns my stomach at the same time, i can almost still tatste the extra strong smoke flavoring!!!!! it stayed in my sinuses for days. :lol:

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