New here looking for ideas and recipes and picking your brains! I'm using cheap off-set smoker......yes I know:( But will be upgrading as soon as I can (ie when the missus agrees!:rolleyes:)
Mark
Mark
Hello from the UK
- Thread starter MJH73
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Howdy from across the pond Guv! No worries on the cheap smoker,many members have cheap smokers here.One instance is @Rings Я Us ,he doesn't own a smoker that cost him more than 30 Pounds,yet he cranks out good stuff! :)
Hi Mark. Welcome to the forum. Where in the UK are you from? I am from Kent. There are a few of us Brits who chat on here.
You should still get good results with the cheap offset but you will need to give it more attention than a vertical or kettle smoker. The secret is learning how to best manage the temperature stability in your particular smoker and to adjust your cooking method accordingly.
The first thing to do is to try to draught proof your cooking chamber. This is easily done using some self adhesive stove rope (Vitcas is a good supplier) and this can also be used to seal the lid of the fire box.
If your fire box does not have a raised grate it would be good to add a wire fire basket.
With the small offset smoker you will always get a temperature gradient within the cooking chamber (the hottest end where the fire box is located) and so you will need to rotate the meat several times as it cooks.
If your smoker has a lid thermometer... ignore it as they are almost all inaccurate. You really need to get yourself a dual probe digital thermometer - they are not expensive these days (e.g. Maverick ET732 or Inkbird). You clip the smoker probe to the cooking grate just beside the meat and push the meat probe into the meat itself.
Before you try to smoke anything too expensive try it with a cheaper cut first. A leg or shoulder joint of pork or a chicken are ideal - or even some sausages. Work on keeping the internal temperature at ~110-120 C over period of several hours. If this proves difficult then do not worry too much to begin with but you should soon get to grips with controlling your smoker. Once it is mastered then move on to the more challenging cuts. Cook to temperature - rely on the thermometer probe in the meat.
For smokes longer than 3 hours either wrap in foil after the 3 hour mark or baste the meat regularly to stop it going dry.
Let us know how you get on. We love photos on here :-)
You should still get good results with the cheap offset but you will need to give it more attention than a vertical or kettle smoker. The secret is learning how to best manage the temperature stability in your particular smoker and to adjust your cooking method accordingly.
The first thing to do is to try to draught proof your cooking chamber. This is easily done using some self adhesive stove rope (Vitcas is a good supplier) and this can also be used to seal the lid of the fire box.
If your fire box does not have a raised grate it would be good to add a wire fire basket.
With the small offset smoker you will always get a temperature gradient within the cooking chamber (the hottest end where the fire box is located) and so you will need to rotate the meat several times as it cooks.
If your smoker has a lid thermometer... ignore it as they are almost all inaccurate. You really need to get yourself a dual probe digital thermometer - they are not expensive these days (e.g. Maverick ET732 or Inkbird). You clip the smoker probe to the cooking grate just beside the meat and push the meat probe into the meat itself.
Before you try to smoke anything too expensive try it with a cheaper cut first. A leg or shoulder joint of pork or a chicken are ideal - or even some sausages. Work on keeping the internal temperature at ~110-120 C over period of several hours. If this proves difficult then do not worry too much to begin with but you should soon get to grips with controlling your smoker. Once it is mastered then move on to the more challenging cuts. Cook to temperature - rely on the thermometer probe in the meat.
For smokes longer than 3 hours either wrap in foil after the 3 hour mark or baste the meat regularly to stop it going dry.
Let us know how you get on. We love photos on here :-)
Jmt
Fire Starter
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