Newbie smoker from UK

[Alex Douglas]

Hey All, I’m Alex, I have just bought my first smoker so should arrive this week.

Looking forward to trying to learn and cook some great meat.

 

[bdskelly]

Welcome Alex! We are delighted you joined. Brian

 

[Bearcarver]

Welcome Alex!!

Which Smoker are you getting?

Bear

 

[wade]

Hi Alex and welcome to the forum
There are a few of us from the UK who chat here and so it is always great to see a new face :). Where in the UK are you from?

Which type of smoker have you bought? There are a lot of different types and they all have slightly different "personalities". What are you looking to cook? Will you be mainly grilling (a lot of people do, even on a smoker) or are you looking to cook things like pulled pork, ribs, brisket etc.? Maybe you will also be using it to hot roast things like chicken, joint roasts etc.

When roasting or cooking low-and-slow the first thing you need to master is the temperature control with your particular smoker. Just like cooking in the oven, for best results you need to be able to bring it to a specific temperature range and be able to hold it there for several hours. The method of doing this will depend on the type of smoker that you have bought. Also some smokers out-of-the-box require some simple "mods" to help you cook with them efficiently. These are usually quite simple and are to do with sealing air leaks.

My advice would be to start with some inexpensive and forgiving meats while you are mastering the temperature control. Sausages, a small pork joint or maybe a beer can chicken are good to learn with and if they go horribly wrong then the dog will still enjoy them ;). These can be cooked at higher temperatures (~160-180 C), which are easier temperatures to maintain and are only required for an hour or two. Then you can progress onto the low-and-slow meats like pork ribs, pulled pork, brisket etc. which require temperatures of ~110 C to be maintained for 5-10 hours - depending on the meat.

One accessory you will really want to get for roasting/smoking meat is a dual probe digital thermometer (search for Maverick/Readycheck ET-732/733 or Inkbird) as these will give you an accurate temperature measurement of both the cooking grate and the centre of the meat that is being cooked. Once you start you will realise the importance of cooking by temperature. If the smoker you are getting has a lid thermometer then it is best ignored. Most integrated thermometers are too inaccurate to rely on.

If you are looking for inspiration and advice then you may like to come along to the Smokers Weekend that is being held at Billing Aquadrome in July (20th-22nd). It is a good family friendly meet where BBQ/Smoker enthusiasts meet in a non-competitive environment to share some great BBQ and a few beers. All levels of experience are encouraged and you will get a lot of good ideas from others there and you can also benefit from their experience. More details can be found here http://www.woodsmokeforum.uk/topic/...and-bbq-weekend-billing-aquadrome-20-22-july/

Cheers, Wade

 

[Alex Douglas]

Welcome Alex!!

Which Smoker are you getting?

Bear

Hi, I’ve just purchased the OK Joe Highland. It’s really the best for the money in the UK.

I really wanted an offset or I would of gone with the Weber.

 

[Alex Douglas]

Hey Wade, sorry didn’t see your reply.

I’m from North Yorkshire.
I’ve bought the Oklahoma Joe Highland.

I haven’t purchased any mods yet I have bought the high temp sealant for the fire box and smoke stack, I have a lot of chicken wire so may try and make a coal box out of that instead of buying one.

It’s my birthday the end of the month so going to buy some gaskets and toggle latch’s and some better thermometers then

I will have to wait till next month to get the baffle.

I’m won’t be grilling on it as I will likely buy a cheaper grill for that, as for meats I’m not too sure, as you say I will need to do a lot of trial and error to learn how to control the heat.

 

[SmokinAl]

Welcome aboard Alex!
Glad to have you join the group!
Al

 

[wade]

With the smaller (i.e.non commercial) offset smokers you need to remember that you will get a temperature gradient along the length of the cooking chamber - the fire box end being the hottest. This just means that you will need to turn your meat every hour or so to ensure even cooking.

 

[Alex Douglas]

With the smaller (i.e.non commercial) offset smokers you need to remember that you will get a temperature gradient along the length of the cooking chamber - the fire box end being the hottest. This just means that you will need to turn your meat every hour or so to ensure even cooking.

Cheers wade, I’ve heard getting the baffle mod almost eliminates this problem. Will keep it in mind. Getting so excited about it now

 

[CharlotteLovesFood]

Hey All, I’m Alex, I have just bought my first smoker so should arrive this week.

Looking forward to trying to learn and cook some great meat.

Hi Alex! I'm new here too and also from the UK.

I just googled your smoker and wish I'd have spotted that one, instead I ended up with a Jumbuck dual fuel with smoker...but then again I do want it for grilling as well as smoking or slow cooking so perhaps it'll be alright for me *fingers crossed*

 

[Alex Douglas]

Oooo why didn’t I see that! I’ve just bought a small grilling bbq for burgers ect. Where abouts are you from UK?

 

[CharlotteLovesFood]

Oooo why didn’t I see that! I’ve just bought a small grilling bbq for burgers ect. Where abouts are you from UK?

Haha I got it from Homebase, your smoker definitely looks better quality and mine was a pain to put together took me ages, plus I have a part left over that's not in the instructions and homebase don't seem to know what it is either :confused:

I'm from the west midlands not that I like to admit it:D

 

[Alex Douglas]

A part left over doesn’t sound good

 

[CharlotteLovesFood]

A part left over doesn’t sound good

That's what I was thinking and talking to the guys at Homebase they knew less than me and just said it wasn't on their display model either. It features in the contents but nowhere in the step by step instructions. I can't seem to find my grill online anywhere apart from Homebase. I've tried googling the part but keep getting the wrong thing come up.

 

[wade]

Hi Charlotte and welcome to the forum. There are some very reasonable quality lower cost BBQ/Smokers available at the DIY stores and garden centres these days and what you intend to cook will usually determine if any one of them is right for you. It will be great to hear how you get on with using it.

There are a lot of BBQ enthusiasts in the West Midlands and so you are not alone :). If you are interested there is also a BBQ social event being held at Billing Aquadrome on the 20-22nd July which is not far from you. More details can be found here
http://www.woodsmokeforum.uk/topic/...and-bbq-weekend-billing-aquadrome-20-22-july/

 

[CharlotteLovesFood]

Hi Charlotte and welcome to the forum. There are some very reasonable quality lower cost BBQ/Smokers available at the DIY stores and garden centres these days and what you intend to cook will usually determine if any one of them is right for you. It will be great to hear how you get on with using it.

There are a lot of BBQ enthusiasts in the West Midlands and so you are not alone :). If you are interested there is also a BBQ social event being held at Billing Aquadrome on the 20-22nd July which is not far from you. More details can be found here
http://www.woodsmokeforum.uk/topic/...and-bbq-weekend-billing-aquadrome-20-22-july/

Thanks Wade, for the warm welcome and the information, much appreciated :)

 

[gary s]

Good morning and welcome to the forum from a cloudy, windy and warm day here in East Texas, and the best site on the web. Lots of great people with tons of information on just about everything.

Gary