Building your own backyard smoker

 

Because barbecuing is an art all its own and Americans love grilled steaks, burgers, and hotdogs, nothing beats a backyard smoker in functionality. Genuine barbecue entails cooking fattier, tougher cuts of meat such as beef brisket and pork butt for 4 to 6 hours and longer at extreme temperatures approximating the boiling point of water.

The result is flavorful and succulent meat from an originally tough texture. The fat is rendered out while the low and smoky fire imparts a flavorful aroma that penetrates the fibers of the meat. A truly talented cook can produce great barbecue in anything. However, if you are planning to replace that old small water smoker, you can build your own backyard smoker.

You first need to get an 115-volt wire-feed welder for a reasonable price. The entire welding process can be done using a 0.035-inch flux-cored wire. If you choose to use thinner metal, gas welding will be fine. With an arc or stick welder, the thinnest you can successfully weld is 10 ga.

Weld the ends on first while ensuring minimal distortion, then cut holes out for the doors. You can obtain nice, rounded corners using a two-inch hole saw. Just cut three-quarters of the way around the openings since you will be using the unwelded seams for the bottom of the door. Use a saber saw to cut the steel, although this can be pretty tedious and will entail going through plenty of blades. If you don’t mind throwing a greater quantity of sparks, you might use the cutoff wheels on the grinder for faster results. If you can, just get a hold of a plasma cutter.

Get your local sheet metal shop to cut the pieces for the chamber to size and then roll the drum sections for you for a fee. The material can be just about anything of steel but steer clear of galvanized sheets. The best material to use is a food-grade steel barrel. A cheap but good-quality piano hinge provides clean and tightly-sealed doors. You can choose between sheet metal screws and pop rivets to hold the hinge in place. Wooden handles can be mounted in place using 5/16-inch bolts and brass spacers. The handles should be sanded and paste waxed for a smooth texture. The wooden handles stay cool to the touch for problem-free handling.

For smoke management during use, you can install a 3-inch chimney pipe that channels the exhaust smoke out. Use the end of a soup can as a low-tech yet efficient firebox damper. A two-inch water pipe serves to connect the smoke chamber and the firebox. Use a collar for pipe union to serve as the nuts.

The unit’s firebox is suspended from the formed connection, which is guaranteed to be amazingly airtight. Found lower down are the bolt and wingnut that hold every component together solidly.

Once everything is assembled and painted, create a hot fire in the firebox, which makes the metal heated enough for the paint to set and also to burn off the mill scale along with the residue cutting oil on the inside. After everything cools down, wash it all and then apply vegetable oil to the inside of the smoke chamber to protect from corrosion.

Smoking fish – my tips

Smoked fish is a delicious treat that is also good for you. When fish is properly smoked the meat comes away in juicy, flavorful chunks with a taste that is hard to beat. Here are a few of my tips for preparing and smoking fish.

 

 

  1. Start with the right type of fish.

While you can smoke any type of fish, some do work better than others. Tuna, salmon, sailfish and sea bass are some of the best fish to smoke since they are fattier than other varieties. This helps them absorb the flavor of the wood chips better than leaner types of fish.

 

  1. Preparing your fish.

There are several ways you can prepare your fish for smoking, but I prefer to use fillets with the skin on. Leaving the skin on helps the fish stay together better in the high heat. It also helps the fish absorb more of that great smokey flavor that everyone loves. The heat also makes the skin curl away from the meat so it easily flakes away in chunks when you are ready to eat.

 

  1. Choose your wood chips carefully.

It is important that you pay particular attention to the type of wood chips that you will be using. Fish has a light and delicate flavor that can be easily overpowered. Over the years I’ve found that cherry, apple or even alder flavored wood chips work best when you are smoking fish.

I should also mention that this is a matter of personal taste, and what works for me may not be something that you enjoy eating.
 

  1. Temperature is critical.

Regardless of whether you caught the fish on your last trip or purchased it from the grocery store it is important that it is cooked to the right temperature. If it is undercooked you run the risk of giving yourself and guests food poisoning, and if it is smoked for too long the fish will have a burnt taste and dry texture. Perfectly smoked fish will have an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

The best way to check the temperature is with a meat probe, but this might not be possible with thinner fish fillets. If this is the case then you can smoke the fish for three hours, adding an additional 30 minutes for every pound it weighs.

 

 

 

My favorite recipes of smoked meat

jo3Wouldn’t it be nice to spend the labor day weekend regaling friends and family with some bodacious barbecue ribs? Might I interest you in some smoked pork steaks? Here are my favorite recipes for smoked meats, but first, I prepare my own special Barbecue spice rub by mixing paprika, brown sugar, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper and onion powder in a bowl. I keep this mixture in the freezer in a sealable plastic bag or store it in an air-tight container until I need it for the smoked pork steak recipe:

 

Smoked pork steak

 

These are the things I need to cook this fantastic recipe: pork steaks, at least one per person; some Kosher salt; some of the barbecue spice rub I prepared earlier; my favorite barbecue sauce (optional for glazing). To dry brine the steaks, I place them on a sheet pan or a similar container and sprinkle them with Kosher salt on the top sides only. The salt draws out some of the meat juices to the surface. The juices mix with the salt to produce a slurry that gets reabsorbed into the meat. I put the meat into the fridge for three hours, so I do this step way ahead of time before the actual smoking process.

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To ensure that no residual salt remains after the dry brining process, I rinse the meat after taking it out of the refrigerator. Then I lay them back onto the sheet pan. I then sprinkle the slabs generously with my prepared barbecue spice rub and then let the steaks sit for around 10 minutes till I see them achieve that nice wet look. I flip them over and then do the same thing to the other side. I leave the pork steaks be and go to prepare the smoker. The smoker has to be set up to about 225°F with indirect heat. Once the machine is preheated, I put the steaks directly on the grates. My favorite smoking wood is pecan in my charcoal grill, but if you use an electric or gas smoker, you will also have to keep the smoke going for an hour just like I do with my charcoal grill. The perfect doneness temperature for the meats is 180°F. I glaze the steaks with my favorite barbecue sauce a half hour till they’re done, and allow the sauce to caramelize while doing the same to the other side.

 


Barbecue ribs

Two slabs of delicious BBQ spare ribs with dipping sauce

I mix together the following ingredients in a medium bowl: garlic powder; cayenne pepper; paprika; salt; onion powder; cumin; ground black pepper; cloves; brown sugar; nutmeg; cinnamon. I apply the mixture generously to the ribs, which I place in a large roasting pan that I cover and put in the fridge overnight. An hour prior to smoking, I take the ribs out from the fridge. I prepare my outdoor smoker or grill by bringing it to 200 to 225 degrees Fahrenheit. I smoke the ribs for 6 to 8 hours while adding wood chips a handful at a time every half hour to 45 minutes to keep the smoke steady. I want the ribs tender inside and crispy outside when done. I let the cooked ribs sit for 15 to 20 minutes after taking them out of the grill and before serving.

I have a new smoker!

There are a large variety of factors that can have an effect on the price of the electric smoker. If you intend to purchase an electric smoker soon, it’s very important you know how to choose the leading one for you. If you wish something that’s along your budget plan after that, this may be the finest electric smoker for you. Now let’s check out the finest electric smokers obtainable in the industry today. Should you be trying to find the very best electric smokers, we’re here to allow you to choose through our large collection of electric smokers reviews.

If your plan is to prepare barbeque for your own family and you really do not possess the patience to light a fire, employing an electric smoker is really your option. Splendidly, you should invest within an electric smoker that is uncomplicated to to wash and maintain. It contains each of the features of the fantastic electric smoker which you require at a cost you can afford. This may help you making a determination which you will certainly not be sorry and get the best electric smoker.

Among the things that can have an effect on the choice which will be made would be the purchase price of the electric smoker. Indeed, not each of the electric smokers which one can see in the market are exactly the same. So I’ve gathered some of the most effective options which you ought to have within an electric smoker that may save you from buying low excellent smokers. Add to that this is among the cheaper electric smokers in the marketplace and you may see that you get really decent value with it.

Here, we’re going to direct you on using an electric smoker. Ideally, it’s advisable to search for a range hood which will vent outside because it will pull moisture together with smoke, grease, and odors from the home. Also be sure you maintain a check on the heat so the water will not boil but maintains a simmer. You won’t need to be worried about the motor breaking down during work.

Purchasing an electric smoker isn’t nearly enough, you must know the very best ways to make use of, clean and keep it. If you truly desire an electric meat grinders for your personal business, this really is perhaps the top choice you might make. In case you are planning to get any of these amazing appliances, nor understand how to settle on a bread maker that is certainly just correct for you, then here are a few ideas to help you make the correct choice. That is why folks love making bread at home, right from scratch, although it involves loads of work. Being prepared with the essential equipments will not just be great food however it’ll also save you a whole lot of time and also effort. This heavy-duty machine is created for commercial uses, and is quite useful round the house.

This is a very handy slice of equipment that may be discovered within the store room of folks who are fond of cooking gourmet food. Fortunately each of the electric smokers within our list fulfill the demand for quality and endurance. But preparing food in this way, without Realizing the basics of the smoker could be disastrous. This tool has made a substantial contribution to all of the chefs in all sections of the world. There are a number of features you should remember while deciding on the most appropriate range hood.