Skip to main content

Featured1,217 replies

Introduce Yourself -- Time for a CS RollCall

FM Former Member
Hi I'm Ken....a teacher in ND.Yes we actually do BBQ up here....although you have to make it yourself....not to many BBQ joints up here.The info on here is great.I finally broke down and bought a higher grade smoker where I can regulate the heat.I have been smoking for 20 years or so,but on a cheap Brinkman where temps can't be regulated.

Made my first ribs 2 weeks ago and smoked a chicken the past weekend.Pretty good.Still learning about how much wood to use and how long it takes to finish at what temp.
FM Former Member
Hey Ken welcome fellow MB�r!

I've have the same MB unit for a little over a year, I grabbed up the floor unit from my Bass Pro-shop, but it's now sitting in my garage, and my new CS09 occupies the prominent spot on my deck next to my big Weber! So there�s allot of stainless steel sitting out there!

Last year I almost had a crisis on my hands for Thanksgiving when the controller would only error out and unit wouldn�t start up from the cold, so I couldn�t get my bird going on time. Luckily, I brought the whole smoker into the garage (where it still stands!) and once it thawed enough, I was off and running, I ended up turning out a great bird too.

So on that note, I would like to share a tip with you since you appear to live even further up north than me: be sure to loosen the two screws in the back of the controller unit so you can freely plug and un-plug your digital controller. I strongly recommend that you keep the controller indoors when you�re not using it, since it�s very sensitive to rain/sleet, snow, and especially outside temps that drop under 30. Otherwise that controller rocked and I have to admit I liked it even better then the analog dial one on my CS. I really liked the exact readout of interior temp vs. my set temp, plus the ability to set my cook times so it could shut off by itself.

I had great luck with my MB, and you should know that most of the Cookshack recommended cooking times and recipes will convert over very nicely for you.
I also like using the water pan with about 1/2 cup of apple juice for my ribs & turkey make them extra sweet and moist. Your right though, everything always does come out very moist, but it�s also very bark-less.

My only complaints about the MB are that there is no door latch and no matter what I did, clean up was always pain! There are just too many unsealed crevasses and sheet metal seams on the interior, I always wished I could weld a few beads and close those seams shut. Because the interior steam pressure can force the grease/smoke/food particles into the insulation and behind the sheet metal, making for an unsanitary condition. So be sure to line that puppy with foil real good!

Take care-
FM Former Member
Hi, I'm gc/tx on the Forum. My real name is Charles. I'm a retired university business/financial administrator. I cooked my first brisket in 1971 and have been at it ever since. I didn't smoke a pork butt (Boston butt) until a few years ago. For several years, I've use a WSM for low and slow cooking, which in my case includes briskets, butt, and ribs. I use a Weber kettle for things I can cook in about an hour or less, hamburgers, for example, and use a gas grill for vegetables, fish, and things that cook within a few minutes. I ordered a Cookshack Smokette yesterday that will be delivered next week. I plan to use it instead of the WSM for low and slow cooking. I wanted a cooker for doing what I call Lazy Man Q -- one that doesn't involve fooling with charcoal, tending the cooker for temperature control, and a lot of clean-up after cooking, especially a water pan and a lot of ashes. So, I hope to use the Smokette for the low and slow barbecue items, and will continue to use the kettle and the gasser for grilling. The Cookshack Forum is great!
FM Former Member
Gurnee BBQ Dude,

I made a smoker full of ribs the past Saturday.The outside temp was 18 degrees.No problem getting it up to 225 and keeping it there.I also put apple juice in the water pan.Only used 3 oz. of Hickory and they had a nice smoke taste.

I did have to pull the wood loader out a 1/2 inch or so and use as a damper because the wood would use up all the oxygen and quit smoking.Everytime I opened the door,steam would roll out....nice moist result.

One question....I put foil around the waterpan and the bottom ash pan to make for easir cleaning.Are you saying you are lining the entire inside walls with foil?

What do you use to clean the inside walls between smoking?
FM Former Member
Ken,
It sounds like you pretty much got the main spots there. No I don�t line the whole interior, but I do line foil on the bottom floor with about 1" folded up tight against the sides over those bottom seams and I foil line the ash pan, the water pan washes out with no problems, but the bottom takes a beating from the smoke hitting it directly so maybe lining the bottom wouldn�t be a bad idea, but how much business do we really want to give to Remolds Warp right?.

As to my major cleaning regiment, well it�s about the same as it is for my CS:
1. Brush with a wire brush any heavy deposits off the racks or in the corners
2. Put about 2 cups of vinegar in the water pan and run it at 275 for about two hours
3. Then lightly spray the inside with Pam
4. Wipe the inside down with paper towels to get any heavy oil off along with anything else that comes off.
5. Re season with a sweet wood (hickory, apple) for 2-4 hours.

I routinely do this every other month or if I�m really using it heavily I�ll give it major cleaning, but otherwise, just keeping the pans & racks cleaned and changing out the foil every cook seems to work for me in-between.

Sounds good on those ribs, yeah keep the door closed! I had a bungee cord wrapped around it at one point to keep that door shut; I later put on a door latch, because that was one of my big grips with my MB. The pressure inside would blow open the magnetic door seal which couldn�t hold, so whom! Door open enter the rush of O2 and then the chips on fire! Not good, vs. my CS which has a latch that could hold back a tsunami.

I use about a cupful of mixed hickory & apple wood chips for mine, and I always remove any bark or funky looking pieces. I don�t use wet chips, because they wont smoke up as fast, and can be hard to start up (which prevent you from infusing as much of the smoke flavor as possible because the meat is still cooler and can still accept more smoke flavor vs. at the end of your cook when the meat pores are sealed up and the smoke only darkens the exterior of the meat) plus I think wet chips make smoke bitter, and the old saying is: the sweeter the smoke, the sweeter the meat.

On the ribs, if you go for a 4-5 hour cook with the apple juice on the pan, you might want to consider doing a Chicago style finish on them, since I doubt there would be any bark to them, but seriously moist and fall off the bone. So after the smoker has finished doing its job, fire up a grill to high, and let it get real hot. Lightly brush on a thick BBQ sauce (I especially like Sweet Baby Rays from Chicago) but KC Masterpiece or one of a similar thickness will work too, give them a quick & light charring (just a few seconds on each side, if you go too long or for minutes you will mess �em up!), and I think you�ll really like the final results.
FM Former Member
I'm from eastern KY (as you might imagine), built a 5'X 5' masonry pit last summer (my first smoker). I'll have to say that it has been FUN, I love it! I have always enjoyed cooking so this is just another way to offer good food to my family and friends. I've fired my pit 8 times or so, mostly pork butts and shoulders. I have a burn barrell then shovel the coals into the pit. I'll try to post some pics of it here.

Well it's the first of April this weekend so I'm going with ribs on my first firing this year.

Have a good one or maybe a cold one!


FM Former Member
Greetings smokaholics.
My name is Ron Bennett and I'm addicted to BBQ too. I came over to the dark side about a year or so ago, and have never looked back. My Competition team, "Smokenspice", will only be able to do a couple of comps this year,probably Great Bend and McPherson unless I can get my boss to let me off a little more.
My real job is that of a long haul trucker, doing all 48 states,so time home is premium.
I have a FE100, a Traeger 075, a Traeger 150, and other assorted grills and little smokers.
and a 24 ft concession/comp trailer (For sale)
Wife and 2 boys round out the team.
The hardest thing I have encountered in my new job is missing all the great folks I have met over the years, and wishing I could get out more.
Well, maybe next year.
FM Former Member
Hello all. I am from originally from Arkansas and Memphis, but I have lived in North Carolina for the past 18 years. I have been using various smokers for many, many years. In the early 80s, I had a team that competed in Memphis in May (Ribs) for five different years.

I purchased my Model 055 about two years ago and really love it. I have tried several meat, but I mainly cook ribs. It has made smoking so much easier.

I have visited the forum since before I puchased my smoker, but only registered recently. I love the recipes and conversation.
FM Former Member
Hi all - Name is Kevin. I'm a (legal) alien from the UK. Dayjob is wireless telecomms consulting management. Married to a fine young lady called Sharon who is a great wife and mother to my young daughter. My real interests are studying the game of chess (I'm fairly useless but enjoy the challenge), trying to get all of the 9mm slugs from my Glock 34 into a 2 inch circle at 15 yards at the range, getting myself in better shape down at the local 24 hour fitness, smoking cigars and good bourbon, and trying to cook. Love Q so thought I'd give it a whirl. Started with the Weber smokey thing but got brassed of with temperature control and constantly adding more charcoal - made cooking a chore. Searched around the web and found cookshack. Procrastinated for two years before taking the plunge with a new 008. Wish I'd done it 2 years ago, its awesome! Had excellent results so far with pork butt and brisket. Great forum - hopefully one day I'll have learned enough to contribute something original.
Last edited by Former Member
FM Former Member
Welcome to all the new members. This is a great forum where you can enjoy the company of other avid (or rabid?) barbecue lovers. We are glad you are here and can't wait to hear more from you. Tell us what you are doing, attach pictures to your messages, ask questions!

My parents started Cookshack about 45 years ago, and I have been involved in the business for about 25 years. (Yikes! Can I be that old?) Big Grin

I am always glad to help you. Just send me an e-mail or private message. Or call me on my cell phone at 405.361.2196. Don't call me in the middle of the night, I am not that nice. I can't always solve your problem immediately, but I can get you to the right person.

Glad you are here!

Donna
FM Former Member
Howdy folks! My name is Craig and i'am fairly new to this CS forum. Yet already, I see there are very experienced and knowledgable smokers here. I'am in a small town just N. of Raleigh, NC deep in the heart of hog country.

My first memory of Que was watching and eventualy helping my grand daddy smoke a whole hog for a local church fund raiser. I was probibly only 4 or 5 years old at the time. I never forgot the aroma of the hickory smoke as it came off his homemade smoker. Reckon you could say its in my blood.

Above all else - have fun.
PreviousNext

Add Reply

Post

Membership Required

We're sorry. You must be signed in to continue. Sign In or Register
×
Are you sure you want to remove from your Block List?
×
Loading...
×
When you block a person, they can no longer invite you to a private message or post to your profile wall. Replies and comments they make will be collapsed/hidden by default. Finally, you'll never receive email notifications about content they create or likes they designate for your content.
Note: if you proceed, you will no longer be following .
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×