Beginner Smoker in Northern California

[northcoastbbq]

Hey there, 

   I am a college student in northern California, and my family just bought a smoker from an online auction (they thought they were getting a grill bbq, I had to correct them). My family has a vegetable farm and dairy, and we have always raised our own pork and beef for ourselves. My family is letting me have the smoker as of right now to mess around with, and I am eager to test it and make some delicious food. Me and my family live in Humboldt County, with a coastal climate. 

   I actually tried the smoker on super bowl Sunday, and it was a somewhat successful attempt as it was edible, but nowhere near good quality meat (besides the deer jerky that was awesome). The smoker we purchased is custom made, I am not sure if it is a good design or not, I have never seen anything like this before. The temperature was very hard to control, and I just recently ordered a maverick digital thermometer. We used 2 year old dried apple wood from a huge tree we had pruned heavily, and the smoke flavor was good. I hope that I can get some advice on the smoker, as I am a huge amateur and want to learn as much as I can! I will post some pictures of the smoker. I appreciate any advice and comments on the smoker!

Thanks!

Silas S.

Front with propane burner:

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• northcoastbbq
• Feb 4, 2014

Inside the smoker:

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• northcoastbbq
• Feb 4, 2014

you can see there is a roof cover just over the exhausts, it is removable

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• northcoastbbq
• Feb 4, 2014

There are two dials on the smoker, one located more towards the fire box and the other in the back

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• northcoastbbq
• Feb 4, 2014

Overall picture of it:

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• northcoastbbq
• Feb 4, 2014

Fire box with the damper:

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• northcoastbbq
• Feb 4, 2014

 

[fishwrestler]

Well and hello from a fellow Northern Californian. I have seen this smoker for sale for some time or one like it up towards the Chico Redding area, would love to see some pics of it in action. How did it hold temps etc. use much wood to get it hot,

Glad you joined

Robert

 

[gary s]

[h1]

Hello and welcome from East Texas. This is a great site, lots of information and great people that are willing to throw in their two cents worth on about anything.   [/h1][h1]  [/h1][h1]Gary[/h1]

 

[northcoastbbq]

Hey Robert,

I am pretty sure the one you had seen for sale is the same one, as the auction we got it from is based in the Chico area. Do you mind me asking what the sale price was when you had seen it for sale? If you remember. I had a lot of difficulty getting the temperature to be controlled, and burned through a lot more would then I thought I would. I had a 1/2 brisket and two 6 pound pork shoulders in it, and had to run it from 7:30am to 6pm, and even after that the meat was cooked, but tough. And during this cooking time I was constantly adding wood. The front dial near the fire box would fluctuate from 200-300 degrees, and the dial towards the back would normally be 100 degrees less than the front. This was the first time I have ever smoked before, so I figured it wouldnt turn out perfect. Next time I use it which I am hoping for on Sunday I will have a maverick digital thermometer inside to give me a more accurate reading. I'm also going to be doing chicken thighs so I should only be using it for a couple hours at most..I think.