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24 replies

Brand New Cookshack 55 for $500

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FM Former Member
Very sweet deal. Do they have another for that price?

I have had mine for a couple of years and really enjoy cooking on it. Spend some quality time on the forum search reading up on techniques for these smokers. I started with ribs and the result was not zoned in the first couple of times. Gets better every time though. Keep good notes.

Did a pork butt after the ribs and it turned out really good -- seems to be the easiest cut of meat to do well and perfect for seasoning the smoker.
FM Former Member
No, they don't have another.
They aren't gonna carry them anymore and this one was still there after 4 years and they simply wanted it off of the showroom floor - so, I seem to have lucked out.

Did 2 whole chickens yesterday w/ hickory.
I brined them for 3 hours prior to cooking and did them too high...I had read that cooking at the recommended temp may result in rubbery skin so to try a higher temp....well....what I ended up with was 2 BLACK! chickens........not very appetizing.

The wife was afraid of them....they seemed to taste fine, but the black was just too much to ignore...didn't make you wanna dig in to say the least...
Also didn't like the texture the brining gave them...I have really gotten away from brining lately for chicken - kind of makes the meat a bit too moist for my taste...almost mushy.

Gonna do 2 racks of baby backs today and will try not to mess these up!
FM Former Member
That's too bad about the chicken, Astronaut. I know a lot of people do them in their cookshack. I prefer mine on the rotisserie.

Were they burned, or were they blackened from the smoke? If the latter, one thing you might try is letting the heavy smoke burn off first. When all the white smoke is gone and you are only getting a very thin blue-grey smoke, then put the chickens in.

It's a matter of taste, but in my opinion, chicken is better when lightly smoked. I use pecan, apple, or cherry to add a light smoke flavor when I'm cooking chicken on the rotisserie. There are some even lighter smoking woods than those, such as Alder, Peach, Plum, Pear, and other fruit woods.

I hope your ribs come out good. I love ribs. I have smoked ribs about once a week since I got my Amerique in late May. My favorite are St. Louis trimmed spare ribs. I buy the untrimmed ribs and trim them myself. I had some incredibly meaty loin back ribs that I smoked this past Wednesday. In my opinion, ribs are the easiest and most rewarding thing to smoke in a Cookshack smoker.
FM Former Member
They were simply blackened from the smoke.
I made the mistake (knowingly) of rushing in too quickly without looking thru the forum for cooking tips. I'll likely give it another go this week sometime... and I'll try to let the majority of the smoke burn off prior to putting them in per your suggestion - thanks.

The ribs have been in for a couple of hours now at 225

Simply trimmed and rubbed with Rendezvous dry rub (lived in Memphis for 2 years!)

thanks for the input!
cal 2cal 2Member
I have found that when I really am not sure of HOW much smoke to use on a new piece, that I've never done, I use a rule that I learned on this forum.

Two little pieces of wood for short smokes,two middle size pieces for middle length smokes, and two large pieces for long smokes. I like to put in a small piece ALSO for my 4hr or longer smokes.Just me though!

As you smoker is more seasoned it tends to give off better smoke or it seems like it to me!
Last edited by cal 2
FM Former Member
The ribs are quite spectacular.
Used one small piece of hickory (around 2oz)

Very encouraged by the result.
Thanks for the advise about short/long smokes.

My only complaint is how difficult I seemed to find it to properly cover the smoker floor with foil...Guess I'm just lazy, however, to get a good cover with hole in proper place I had to get a bit messier than I like...perhaps I'm just being a girl about it.
FM Former Member
Actually had the same issue with the foil. Bought a box of thin plastic gloves at Sams. I use them when putting the foil down. Use heavy duty foil for the bottom and regular duty for the firebox. Also like the gloves for food prep -- think they were 1000 at a good price.

Have never blackened chicken in the 55. I use very little wood -- about 1oz. How long did the cook take and what temp was it when you took it off?

Super to hear the ribs came out so good. Have to admit I was brought up on heavily sauced ribs. The last two cooks I finally figured out how to do dry correctly and I am hooked -- for me, it was getting the right amount of rub and sugar. Any tips you have would be greatly appreciated.

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