newbie questions

[lvjayhawk15]

Mods are all done (although I think the holes in my 2 lid vents might be small)- a few questions to start with...

1-what is a good 'first smoke'? Just want to learn fire control, etc...but possibly still be able to eat the food I cook, lol

2-Once i've nailed down temps, brisket is going to be my first one...I was curious what temp you all cook at? I've seen ECBs on here at 230, then some say regardless of smoker type to cook at 250?

2a- about how long does it take to do a brisket on the ol ecb? (i know thats a loaded question, I just wanted to get a range)

3- regarding charcoal and wood: how much to use? 

I did comb 5 pages of threads and didn't see the answers to these....trying not to wear people out hahaha

 

[Rings Я Us]

Hey cool.. you had posted mod pics?

 

[lvjayhawk15]

Hey cool.. you had posted mod pics?

No I hadn't posted pics of mine...I can when I get back home (im on vacay now) though.

Just bored and trying to learn while im at the inlaws so when i get back I can start smoking some meat =)

 

[Rings Я Us]

Well if your bottom is sealed up I can help. If your mods are as modified as my mods [emoji]128512[/emoji][emoji]127866[/emoji]

 

[Rings Я Us]

This is my ECB button up job.

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• Rings Я Us
• Jul 14, 2017

 

[Rings Я Us]

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[Rings Я Us]

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• Jul 14, 2017

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• Jul 14, 2017

 

[Rings Я Us]

The leg holes have RTV stuck on pennies covering them. Lol

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• Jul 14, 2017

 

[Rings Я Us]

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• Rings Я Us
• Jul 14, 2017

 

[lvjayhawk15]

No rope ring for me, and my charcoal bowl is drilled-- 5 holes on opposing sides, then 2 holes on the other opposing sides. Also used bolts to raise my charcoal bowl up off the bottom, along with the 10.5" grate, raised by 2 metal tubes.

I have it all resting on the original (silver) charcoal pan- since that has holes in it already (saw the idea on here somewhere....), then have 2 concrete blocks for it to rest on, so I can lift off if i need to tend fire.

Hope that made sense without pics lol

 

[Rings Я Us]

I used this sealant for the rope and stuff.

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• Rings Я Us
• Jul 14, 2017

 

[Rings Я Us]

Oh.. you have different model than me?

 

[Rings Я Us]

My pan for charcoal Sat or the rim rested on the legs inside the smoker.. it's black.. not silver.

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• Rings Я Us
• Jul 14, 2017

 

[Rings Я Us]

I don't use the water pan actually.. My charcoal pan is my new water pan. It's bigger and holds my brick nice..

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• Rings Я Us
• Jul 14, 2017

Covered in foil.. under top rack

 

[Rings Я Us]

Brick works good.. it's like 12 lbs

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• Rings Я Us
• Jul 14, 2017

 

[thinblueduke]

 
Mods are all done (although I think the holes in my 2 lid vents might be small)- a few questions to start with...

1-what is a good 'first smoke'? Just want to learn fire control, etc...but possibly still be able to eat the food I cook, lol

2-Once i've nailed down temps, brisket is going to be my first one...I was curious what temp you all cook at? I've seen ECBs on here at 230, then some say regardless of smoker type to cook at 250?

2a- about how long does it take to do a brisket on the ol ecb? (i know thats a loaded question, I just wanted to get a range)

3- regarding charcoal and wood: how much to use? 

I did comb 5 pages of threads and didn't see the answers to these....trying not to wear people out hahaha

Maybe try a pork loin for a first smoke? They only take 2.5-3 hours, as opposed to a longer pork shoulder smoke. I've never done a brisket.

I always shoot for 225. With charcoal, you're going to get some fluctuation, so maybe try to keep it in the 220-250 range for your first few smokes.

When I used charcoal, I always used lump. It creates much less ash than briquettes. But it's hard to measure, because it comes in uneven sizes, so you just have to eyeball it. The upside of that is that if you need a little more heat, you can add a few little pieces, and if you need a lot more heat, you can add some big lumps.

I usually use wood chunks the size of a tennis ball, one at a time. When the first one gets down to golf-ball size, I add another. 

 

[Rings Я Us]

My ECB @ 225 for ,4 hours... to internal temp 150. Pork stuffed loin.

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• Rings Я Us
• Jul 14, 2017

5 lbs. Last Sunday

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• Rings Я Us
• Jul 14, 2017

 

[lvjayhawk15]

Yeah, I have the gourmet edition, so the pans are slightly different....but i just found what seems to be a 'happy medium' from everything i've seen.

Thanks for the smoking tips, ill start with a pork loin to see how it goes- as always, thank you all!!

 

[Rings Я Us]

Take pork off at 145 and rest it is ok.. you can just do a simple brine for a day and just simple rub too..

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• Rings Я Us
• Jul 14, 2017

 

[Rings Я Us]

My brine was just salt,pepper corns, thyme, bay leaf and garlic.

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• Rings Я Us
• Jul 14, 2017

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• Rings Я Us
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