Putting meat on the smoker before starting fire, anyone else like to?

[motolife313]

Seems easier this way to me and seen it on man,fire food. Cooking some baby backs now. They been on 5 hours hit 190 and I painted them then it dropped down to 182. The other night I was doing chicken thighs, 5 pounds of them, brought it up to 160 then painted with sauce and it dropped to 140. Door was open 3-4 minutes. I just put trust in the gauge. I didn't even take out the probe when painting. Cooking on my custom smoker. Stick burner at 250. Don't think I can post pics right now sorry but I'll get some up later. Using cherry alder and little oak. Having fun! Thanks. Done now brought them to 195

 

[SmokyMose]

Painting?

 

[motolife313]

Title is supposed to say"putting meat on smoker before starting fire, anyone do this"

 

[motolife313]

Smokey Mose you know what I mean.

Figured I'd get extra smoke this way to letting the meat start cold in the smoker

 

[SmokyMose]

Smokey Mose you know what I mean.

Figured I'd get extra smoke this way to letting the meat start cold in the smoker

Ok, I figured you were talking about brushing on sauce.
Letting beef sit a bit before heat should be ok, but I’d be careful with pork....

 

[motolife313]

Yep that's what I was talking about. Brushing on the sauce. I'm tossing on the meat then start the fire with in couples minutes or so. Or right after tossing it on

 

[motolife313]

Thanks for making title correct!!:D Drink up!

 

[motolife313]

Here we are a 9:20 am or so no fire light yet then started after I should the door

 

[motolife313]

I wish I'd of got a pic becuse saucing looked much better, all done at 3:00 they were super tender

This was just starting it. Cherry and alder. Oak on the sides

 

[motolife313]

This is what the fire looks like for 250. I have no adjustments, just fire size

A lot of smoke!

 

[motolife313]

And the cooker.

 

[SmokinAl]

I start the fire & immediately put the meat on. I think you get a better smoke flavor that way.
My Lang only takes about 20 minutes to get to temp, and I get very little white smoke, while it's heating up.
Al

 

[phatbac]

With my Lang I usually don't because my start up process take about an hour. I generally don't want to leave my meat out for an hour (winter time would be OK i guess). First i hit it with a wire brush and some paper towels to get some the surface grease/old food particles etc. My start up process is to light charcoal ( in a chimney using those greasy paper towels to start the fire) and start wood with that hot charcoal. let it burn wide open for about 45 minutes until it get to about 350-375 in the cook chamber and then i Hit it with a garden hose to steam clean it. I close up th4 damper to the temp i ant (kinds get a feel to where you dampers are to what temp you run) and let it regulate the temp from there. Then i put on the meat.

Happy Smoking,
phatbac (Aaron)

 

[tallbm]

With the exception of chicken/turkey or maybe a big hunk of meat I'm trying to time more precisely. I put meat on the rack and then start the smoker up all the time.

Benefits are more smoke time on quicker cooks like ribs and such, as well as simplicity in juggling all the balls of getting meat read, smoker ready, pellets ready, etc. etc.

Chicken/Turkey cooks so quickly and needs that 325F temp for edible skin so I ALWAYS preheat and I overshoot to handle the drop in temp when I open the door and insert the chicken/turkey.

As for big meats, if I'm timing a brisket to cook in 8'ish hours I may preheat the smoker to make sure I am closer to my time rather then having the smoker (my mes) take longer to come up to temp. If i'm not trying to get a precise timing then I just put it on and then turn the smoker on :)

 

[SmokyMose]

That’s a wild looking smoker, moto!
“Point” for the tasty looking ribs and the security crew

 

[motolife313]

Thanks! I just updated the build thread in reverse flow forum section on smoker builds. The best ribs I've made. I was letting them go like 8 hours and was wondering why they tasted horrible lol. I'm thinking about getting a butt today. Pm me if u wanna shoot the shit

 

[sqwib]

Awesome Ribs

No I never put the meat on first on my stickburner, the first hour is usually junk wood to get a coal bed.

My normal procedure is:

1. load up to the gills with junk wood
2. fire up the log lighter
3. fiddle with the pit, brush grates, add drip pans, water, wipe down the table with bleach
4. get out some rags and supplies
5. after about an hour I'll add some good wood
6. place the meat on the pit with the lid open until the "good" splits are burning real good
7. close the lid

When I see wavy lines and no smoke coming from the stack I'm a happy camper.

 

[motolife313]

Sqwib thanks for the replie. If your firebox is running that hot and showing clear smoke out the exuast isn't there Gona be a lack of smokey taste? What kind of wood do u like to burn? I got about 7 different kinds that I get myself. Alder,maple, oak, apple,cherry,plum, I usually mix them a little. I'd like to just run 1 so I can try and tell the difference. Got a Boston butt for .98 cents a pound today, just got a small 7.5 lb one that was thick. I'd like to do bigger but it's only three of us in the house

 

[sqwib]

Sqwib thanks for the replie.
If your firebox is running that hot and showing clear smoke out the exuast isn't there Gona be a lack of smokey taste? Yep

What kind of wood do u like to burn? Almost anything I can get my hands on but prefer Oak, Cherry, Maple, Hickory. The wood is more so a "fuel" than flavoring so I try to get the woods with the highest densities like hickory that leave an incredible bed of coals.
When I come across some good "smoking" wood, I usually cut off a couple hunks for my GOSM.
I got about 7 different kinds that I get myself. Alder 26-42, maple 39-47, oak 37-56, apple 41-52, cherry 43-56, plum 41-49, I usually mix them a little. I'd like to just run 1 so I can try and tell the difference.
all make great woods for flavoring, and as you can see by the densities I posted next to your woods, cherr and oak would be the best for me.
Got a Boston butt for .98 cents a pound today, just got a small 7.5 lb one that was thick. I'd like to do bigger but it's only three of us in the house. Awesome price, go big, pork freezes extremely well, fresh or uncooked

I do want to point out that I am one of the few that prefer to run my pit that way, that is why you will see me sometimes state "Pit Cooked" on my posts and not "smoked". The higher Densities usually equates to more BTU's so a cord of alder as opposed to a cord of hickory would be a significant difference, that is why in my neck of the woods Hickory is more expensive or at least that is what I believe.

If I want something with a "pronounced" smokey flavor, I will smoke on my GOSM, and I can control the smoke easily, sometimes I'll use one chunk in the smoke box for a two - 3 hour smoke, other time I add wood the whole time.


Here is a post from my website, this is how I like to "Smoke" on my GOSM

• This was another attempt at the much sought after TBS. But I really wanted to achieve this for the seasoning of the BB. This time I tried big chunks and stacking. I started with few logs of cherry and ran them through my band saw.

• Stacked them like so,

• Placed them in the pan and added a few smaller chunks for insurance.

I absolutely never soak the wood, I feel that the water only delays the inevitable and doesn't keep the wood from igniting, only limiting the amount of oxygen will do this, others may disagree but that is what I do.

OK everything is looking good, getting just a wee bit of smoke and here is what I got.

• The piece on the right is completely used up and the piece on the left has a wee bit of smoke left in it, notice the Reddish brown on the piece to the left.

• This picture shows what a spent piece of wood looks like before it ashes up.

• Another closeup of a used up piece of wood.

On my GOSM, I never let my wood go to ash, I feel that once you get beyond the the "Charcoal" state of the wood that the quality of the smoke is severely diminished. A lot of folks go right to ash but if you watch closely, you will notice that once you pass this stage, your smoke may sometimes become more white.
That is what I have found, others may disagree.

PS, A grate about 4" above the bottom of your firebox for your fire will prevent ash buildup and choking of your fire.
You could also insulate the pipes with mineral wool.
Windy days may wreak havoc on your temps.

 

[bluewhisper]

I get the offset fire running the way I want it before I add the meat. Startups give the worst white smoke of the session by far, and I don't want the cold meat in the chamber sweating like a beer while that is swirling around.

My frequent routine is to get the smoker ready first, just make sure it's clean and the ashes are out of it. Make sure the wood/charcoal is ready. But the clock hasn't started yet.

Go rub the meat, wash hands, and let the meat rest on the counter, maybe skinned with plastic. Now the clock starts as the meat begins to warm up from refrigerator temperature.

Go light the fire. Fuss with that and hope that Fortune smiles upon you. Meanwhile the cooking chamber is heating up. Then when everything is ticking over right, put the meat on, and go.