Hello all from Nottingham, UK

[jgilbert86]

Jules here from Nottingham, in the U.K. (Yup, Robin Hood country) full time electrician, part time smoker, and all around meat enthusiast. Been lurking for a while so thought I'd sign up. Relatively new to smoking so expect some (probably) dumb questions.
Been using a fairly rough home made smoker for the last couple of years, but recently bought a 'Hecht Smokehouse'.
Haven't seen much on it before, but am incredibly impressed with the build quality size and price. Only done one smoke on it so far (second tomorrow) which wasn't the best due to low temps. Was fighting some fairly cold (British) winter weather.

 

[smokin monkey]

Hi Jules Welcome to our "Family" and "Addiction"

Plenty of good folk on here, ask any questions you can think of, and you will get your answers.

Please take time to look at the UK Smokers Group,

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/f/3161/uk-smokers

And introduce your self on the UK Roll Call
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/229926/roll-call

The UK Smokers Group Is where UK members can ask and share information that is unique to smoking and curing in the UK and does not obviously fit into any of the main forum categories.

We have had our 3rd UK Smokes weekend, where members attend and cooked over the weekend, planing has are already in place for 2017 and the date are 21-22 July, you are more than welcome to come along, even if it's just a visit on the Saturday. Please use the link below to view the website.

http://www.uk-smf.co.uk

I have Googled your Smoker and it's not a product I am familiar with, but I am sure the members on here can get it operating much better and more efficient.

image.jpeg

• smokin monkey
• Jan 28, 2017

Question about this photo, is this the fire bowl as indicated?

What is below the first rack? Is it a plate or some sort of bowl?

How was the seal on the door? Did you have much smoke leaking?

The reason for the question are, if that is the fire bowl, I would recommend fitting a baffle plate above it, similar position to the first rack. This baffle should leave approx 25mm (1inch) gap all round to the side of the drum. The baffle can be a piece of metal or even a metal dish (shallow roasting dish) this can be filled with either water or sand. All three options will protect meat cooking on the racks above from "Direct Heat" from the fire bowl, and help produce a more stable temperatures as they act as a heat sink.

Use Wood Burning Stove rope and apply it to either the door or the body of the smoker to get a better seal.

Is there a air vent at the bottom of the smoker near the fire bowl? This is the important part to regulate cooking temperature.

There are different ways to set up the charcoal so the smoker runs more efficiently, and I am sure Wade will be along soon, and he has some very good pictures to show this.

If you are struggling to raise the temperature in cold weather, try wrapping the Smoker in a Welders Blanket, available from Machine Mart etc.

I am in Nottinghamshire (Sutton In Ashfield) so if you need any help just PM (private message) me.

Smokin Monkey [emoji]133660013031[/emoji]

 

[wade]

Hi Jules and welcome to the forum.

Like Steve (Smokin Monkey), I have not seen this make of smoker before so had to look it up, From the photos it does look as if it constructed well and I do like the positive door latch.

https://en.hecht.cz/hecht-smokehouse-garden-smokehouse/

The air temperature would have some effect on maintaining the internal cooking temperature however a few quick questions...

• What temperature were you trying to achieve? Higher than 110-120 C (230-250 F)?

• Were you using the built in temperature gauge to measure the temperature? This may sound a silly question but this type of built in thermometers is notoriously inaccurate.Most of us also invest in separate dual probe digital thermometers to give us our actual cooking temperatures - something like a Maverick ET-733.

• What were you using for fuel? This will make a big difference to the heat produced. For this type of smoker it is best to use a bed of good quality briquettes (I can recommend Heat Beads) as these will give out more consistent heat over a longer period of time than when using charcoal or wood. The photo below is in a ProQ smoker but it has a very similar fire basket to the WSM and also your Hecht.

ProQ Minion.jpg

• wade
• Jul 14, 2016

Setting up the fuel like this, where a few initially lit coals gradually spread to unlit coals over the duration of the cook, is called the Minion method. You can place either wood chunks or food grade wood pellets on top for specific smoke flavours.

I can see that the fire basket in the bottom of your smoker has holes drilled in it to allow in the air, however these seem quite small. Is there a grate or wire basket inside the bowl to hold up or contain the coals? If not then you may like to put one in so that more air is able to get to the burning coals

• How were you using the top and bottom air vents? From the photo I can see that there are bottom vents on one side - are there vents on the other side too? To get the smoker up to temperature it is important to start with both the top and bottom vents fully open. As the temperature inside the smoker approaches the target temperature then gradually close down the bottom vent until the required temperature is reached. Be careful though as it can be easy to overshoot. When you get used to it you will probably find that you will end up half closing the top vent and using the bottom vent for fine temperature control.

• Was the smoker in a sheltered location? This time of year a chill wind will very quickly remove heat from the cooking chamber. Try to make sure that it located out of any wind and, as Steve mentioned, you can try to insulate it using something like a welding blanket.

• Did you keep opening the door? This is a mistake that many people make to begin with. There is a saying that "if you are looking you are not cooking". If you open the door too often it will cause the temperate balance that you are trying to achieve to be lost and results in significant swings of temperature inside.

What are you cooking today? Please take some photos and upload them 

 

Some up close photos of the different parts of the smoker itself would be very helpful - like the fire basket and air vents.

Cheers - Wade

 

[SmokinAl]

Welcome to SMF!

Glad you decided to join us!

Al

 

[wade]

Hi Jules. I was looking at another thread on here about a new thermometer being developed called the "Meater" and in the video it shows what looks to be your smoker - a



It is in the first video near the top of the page and is at 1 minute 21 seconds.

Unfortunately though the Meter project seems to have stalled as it was expected to be released in Jan 2016

 

[jgilbert86]

Hi Smokin Monkey,
I didn't realise there was a UK smokers group, I'll be sure to get myself across there. I didn't realise we even had a smokers weekend either, I'm quite intrigued to learn more about that.

To answer your questions; it's the water pan. It's like a grate with a massive hole in it that the water pan sits in just above the fire basket.

The door seals really well. It was only when I shut the baffle on the top vent to kill the fire that any came out of the door seal. And even then it wasn't bad.

I had the bottom vent fully open, I think my problem may have been not enough fuel, the lump may have been slightly damp and was all small chunks, and the holes in the fire pan were cart small (about 10mm) I've since made them bigger.

Hi Wade.
It really is a well constructed piece of kit, I was surprised when I got it. The pictures and description online really don't do it justice at all. It's heavy too. And the price is fantastic for what you get.

Yeah, I was trying to hit around 110-120 deg.c

I was using the built in thermometer, I've managed to lose my other one (whoops) though I don't think it's too far off given the amount of time the ribs took to cook.

I was using lump charcoal. Although I think quality was poor. There was a lot of tiny chunks, and it had been outside for a good while.

Both vents were fully open for the whole cook, though I think the holes in the fire basket were a little to small (about 10mm) so I've enlarged them a bit. The vent is only on one side. I expect it would benefit from one either side mind you.

It's located currently in a small yard before my actual garden pretty well surrounded from the elements.

I probably did open the door a few too many times, was eager to get a good look at what was going on in there.

I think a culmination of several things were the result of a poor cook.

That look like a cool project, never backed anyone on kick starter before, that may have to be a first!


Hi SmokinAl,
Thanks for having me.

 

[jgilbert86]

Update on the cook. Just got it fired up to hopefully get it ready for dinner for me and the missus.
Have a brisket in, just a small 2.2lb half flat.

IMG_0567.JPG

• jgilbert86
• Jan 29, 2017

Ive used the minion method as advised, I've also used less water in the water pan.
First half an hour and the temps are looking good, in fact getting to about 275F so have closed down the vents half way and going to see where I go from there.

Shall keep you updated through out the day.

 

[wade]

That is looking good Jules. Enlarging the air holes will probably do the trick. Regarding the water pan - it isn't just for water. It predominantly works as a heat buffer between the coals and the food - helping to even out any heat spikes. You can also replace the water with sand and it will do the same job and will heat up quicker. If you are using water you can always start off with hot water from the kettle and this will also speed it up getting up to temperature.

Opening the door is not good for maintaining good stable internal temperatures. The sudden rush of air through the open door coming into contact with the oxygen restricted coals is like blowing on it with a fan. I know how difficult it is to resist looking though - I used to be just as guilty of that when I first started 

. That may have also been the cause of your temperature spike. As Trillian said to Arthur Dent "Hey that's better. Have you managed to make some sense of the controls?". To which Arthur replied "No, we just stopped fiddling with them."

Regarding the brisket - when it is up to temperature don't forget to wrap it in a couple of layers of foil and let it rest covered in blankets for an hour or two before eating. It is not just the internal temperature that is important but also the length of time it is there. Looking forward to seeing the end result 

 

[jgilbert86]

Yeah, it seems to have helped a lot. Fire seems a lot better. I'm using briquettes today. I'll give sand a go on the next cook. Just topped up the water slightly as the temps started to get a little high again.
Fighting the temptation to open the door and have a look haha.
I've made the mistake of not letting a brisket rest before. Have plenty of tea towels ready to keep it cosy.

About 2ish hours into the cook and internal temp seems to be a little over 150f so getting ready to foil it up shortly.

There is a distinctive lack of bark though, but I suppose being a small piece of meat it is lsnt going to to be in there long enough to develop a really good bark.

Also, had a look over in the UK forums to post in the role call, but it won't let me post there, only in the American forum, do I have to change a setting or something?

 

[ab canuck]

Hello Jules and welcome to SMF from the Great white North  

. Browse the forums and ask lots of questions, get involved. There is a an amazing amount of info, recipes and knowledge here that are second to none. Enjoy good luck and share your experiences.

 

[jgilbert86]

IMG_0568.JPG

• jgilbert86
• Jan 29, 2017

The result. Overall not bad, but was a little tougher than I would have liked, could have done with another hour on the smoker I guess.

 

[wade]

Also, had a look over in the UK forums to post in the role call, but it won't let me post there, only in the American forum, do I have to change a setting or something?

If you try to reply to one of the posts it will tell you that you need to "subscribe" to the group. Just say yes and it will then let you post as the groups are not locked.

 

[smokin monkey]

Hi Jules, sorry that I have not caught up with this thread. I am on Holiday at the moment in India, and with the 5 1/2 time difference it makes it difficult catching up on things.

Looks like Wade has been taking no care of you, and giving good advice.

It looks like you have experience and know what you are doing.

The clarification on the set up of your smoker has made it easier to give advice. Seems the smoker is pretty well made and set up well.

Close control on the bottom vent will be essential, to maintain good temperature, and using a quality charcoal/bricket will also help.

If you are going the route of Charcoal, if you have a Bookers Card, the Restaurant Grade Charcoal in Blue 12Kg bags for around £12.00 is a good buy. Also the frozen ribs in the Yellow box (marked extra meaty) are the best. They also Have Full Belly Pork, with ribs, Brisket etc. If you do not have a card or have difficulty getting one contact me. Another place for cheaper meat is Parfetts just off the A38 @ Alfreton.