JSH
11-20-2007, 01:33 PM
Have two on the smoker as I type. Dangdest weather I ever saw for this time of year. Late Nov. and smoking in the backyard in a sleeveless shirt and shorts. That is all supposed to change tonight.
I packed the two birds with every thing under the sun. Apples, onions, pears, grapes and onions. I used some local bulk mixed season all spice along with some Old Bay seasoning. I am using wild cherry as a smoke wood. I have came to prefer it over anything else I have used. It seems to be more forgiving than hickory or pecan. I mean when a fellow starts a big smoker and gets involved in a card game, BSing, or the beer he is liable to forget about it for a bit longer than he wanted. So then when you go check on it and see it is a bit hotter than you wanted and water pan is almost dry, that calls for another beer to settle ones nerves. Then you may think a short cat nap is due and I will wake up in time to check it all. NOT.
Had this happen a few years back and thank goddness I was using oak for heat and cherry for smoke or I think it would have been a big disaster. Fired the smoker up late AM and got it up to temp. This takes a whil as the smoker box is big enough for to guys to stand up in, about 3x4' square and 7 1/2' tall. It held right at 30 turkeys very easy. The bottom rack is higher than most as the way the fire box was designed. It has a grease pan under the first rack then a big water pan under that, all the shelves are above that.
I am in the midst of designing a new one as enough raw material has fallen into my lap to do so. The biggun' I decribed has since gone south with the owner the last I heard. Sure wish I could get my hands on it to do some measuring. The fire box also doubled as a huge grill. You could get a full case of hot dogs and a case of hamburgers on it and still have room on the warming racks to keep a case of hot dogs and a case of hamburgers warm and ready. I cooked on this thing enough for a couple of years during the summer and the fall to really get a good feel for it. I know it is bad to use LP, but this had a couple of weed burners rigged to it to preheat and get the wood going the last I saw of it. The gent it belonged to said he after he got that rigged it could be set up and heated to whet you wanted in about a 1/2 hour.
Enough of my rambling.
Jeff
I packed the two birds with every thing under the sun. Apples, onions, pears, grapes and onions. I used some local bulk mixed season all spice along with some Old Bay seasoning. I am using wild cherry as a smoke wood. I have came to prefer it over anything else I have used. It seems to be more forgiving than hickory or pecan. I mean when a fellow starts a big smoker and gets involved in a card game, BSing, or the beer he is liable to forget about it for a bit longer than he wanted. So then when you go check on it and see it is a bit hotter than you wanted and water pan is almost dry, that calls for another beer to settle ones nerves. Then you may think a short cat nap is due and I will wake up in time to check it all. NOT.
Had this happen a few years back and thank goddness I was using oak for heat and cherry for smoke or I think it would have been a big disaster. Fired the smoker up late AM and got it up to temp. This takes a whil as the smoker box is big enough for to guys to stand up in, about 3x4' square and 7 1/2' tall. It held right at 30 turkeys very easy. The bottom rack is higher than most as the way the fire box was designed. It has a grease pan under the first rack then a big water pan under that, all the shelves are above that.
I am in the midst of designing a new one as enough raw material has fallen into my lap to do so. The biggun' I decribed has since gone south with the owner the last I heard. Sure wish I could get my hands on it to do some measuring. The fire box also doubled as a huge grill. You could get a full case of hot dogs and a case of hamburgers on it and still have room on the warming racks to keep a case of hot dogs and a case of hamburgers warm and ready. I cooked on this thing enough for a couple of years during the summer and the fall to really get a good feel for it. I know it is bad to use LP, but this had a couple of weed burners rigged to it to preheat and get the wood going the last I saw of it. The gent it belonged to said he after he got that rigged it could be set up and heated to whet you wanted in about a 1/2 hour.
Enough of my rambling.
Jeff