Hello all,
My name is Al and I live in North Las Vegas, NV. I have been smoking for a few months now on a Brinkmann Gourmet Charcoal unit. I made the mods but have had a heck of a time keeping the temps down, probably due to the 105-115 degree temperatures outside. The only fix that worked was to use a very small amount of charcoal. I am curious to see what happens this winter when the outside temps are 60-70 degrees cooler.
I recently picked up (on sale) the Brinkmann Gourmet Electric smoker (is this cheating?). I don't smoke on it as I like the charcoal flavor...but I do move the meat onto it once it hits 140 degrees at the end of the smoking period to finish it. It is much less stressful as the unit stays at about 235 degrees.
So far I have tried ribs (came out ok but not great, too much heat), a few chickens, saugage (awesome), a pork shoulder (awesome), and most recently a turkey breast (practice for Thanksgiving) that came out nice and juicy.
I started out with the typical big box store hickory and mesquite but recently found a firewood place in town that has all kinds of wood. Currently my "inventory" includes apple, peach, maple, pecan, and walnut. Sadly they did not have alder so I haven't tried any fish yet, and would love to try a pizza soon.
I have lots of questions on a variety of subjects that I will post in the (hopefully) appropriate forums soon but so far I am having a lot of fun and eating some great food. The only trouble is that my gas grill is now collecting dust!!
Happy smoking!
Al
My name is Al and I live in North Las Vegas, NV. I have been smoking for a few months now on a Brinkmann Gourmet Charcoal unit. I made the mods but have had a heck of a time keeping the temps down, probably due to the 105-115 degree temperatures outside. The only fix that worked was to use a very small amount of charcoal. I am curious to see what happens this winter when the outside temps are 60-70 degrees cooler.
I recently picked up (on sale) the Brinkmann Gourmet Electric smoker (is this cheating?). I don't smoke on it as I like the charcoal flavor...but I do move the meat onto it once it hits 140 degrees at the end of the smoking period to finish it. It is much less stressful as the unit stays at about 235 degrees.
So far I have tried ribs (came out ok but not great, too much heat), a few chickens, saugage (awesome), a pork shoulder (awesome), and most recently a turkey breast (practice for Thanksgiving) that came out nice and juicy.
I started out with the typical big box store hickory and mesquite but recently found a firewood place in town that has all kinds of wood. Currently my "inventory" includes apple, peach, maple, pecan, and walnut. Sadly they did not have alder so I haven't tried any fish yet, and would love to try a pizza soon.
I have lots of questions on a variety of subjects that I will post in the (hopefully) appropriate forums soon but so far I am having a lot of fun and eating some great food. The only trouble is that my gas grill is now collecting dust!!
Happy smoking!
Al
