What I have done (intro)

[Ender1]

Hey everybody. I am just getting into the how and the to of bbq as I have just assembled my own smoker from gardening supplies per the Alton Brown method.

I am sure you are all very aware of this, but for some who may have missed it, I'll go over how it works.

Parts are:

A large terra cotta heavy rimmed pot (20"-22")
A large terra botta bowl with hole (20"-22")
A hot plate
A durable pan, without a handle
A bbq thermometer
An extension cord
A bbq grill

Here is a picture of the final assembled thing:

So, with my new toy, I have made two pulled pork butts. Both came out excellent. First one took about 16 hours to cook (actually, I fell asleep to be honest) yet still was not dry nor over cooked, somehow. Second one came off at the right time and was much better. Both smoked with hickory.

Used the Alton Brown recipe for preparing as well. Here are the videos he made as far as preparation and assembly are concerned:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZ2Uj_3v6Dw Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ka2kpzTAL8 Part 2

This is kind of my introduction, I guess. I am looking to get tips on bbq smoking and plan on moving on to Beef Brisket (this Thursday) and eventually on to ribs and jerky. Hope to see you all around.

 

[bknox]

That's cool. Can you start a fire in there or is it just the hot plate?

 

[Vermin999]

A guy at work made one of those too. He said he had to take the safety out of the hot plate because it kept turning off and another tip he said he does is plug it in at least 12 hours before he uses it to get the clay pots heat soaked.

 

[bigwheel]

Very kewlish. Fine job young man. Old Alton is a purty smart cookie. I saw the episode of him cooking a rib roast in a coupla flower pots in the oven. This would seem a logical extension of the concept. Or maybe he thunk up the other deal first. Who knows? I bet he has a good research team. Too bad some of his smarts dont rub off on that dumb portugese yankee from Falls River Mass. Now Rachel Ray is my girlfriend. Yeah thats the ticket. Yeah.

 

[Ender1]

That's cool. Can you start a fire in there or is it just the hot plate?

Just a hot plate. No flames actually start. Just wood burning without flame.

 

[Ender1]

A guy at work made one of those too. He said he had to take the safety out of the hot plate because it kept turning off and another tip he said he does is plug it in at least 12 hours before he uses it to get the clay pots heat soaked.

This is very true. Stock these hot plates don't really get hot enough to get you over 200 degrees in the pit.

What I did was take off the bottom plate and a few other extremities which helped it fit in the pot better. Also got some of the wiring out and wrapped up the sensor in tin foil as well as pull it away from the heat as far as possible. With a lot of wood fuel, I can get up to 250 now.

 

[Ender1]

Very kewlish. Fine job young man. Old Alton is a purty smart cookie. I saw the episode of him cooking a rib roast in a coupla flower pots in the oven. This would seem a logical extension of the concept. Or maybe he thunk up the other deal first. Who knows? I bet he has a good research team. Too bad some of his smarts dont rub off on that dumb portugese yankee from Falls River Mass. Now Rachel Ray is my girlfriend. Yeah thats the ticket. Yeah.

Emeril?

Yeah, Alton Brown is one of my culinary heroes. That man knows everything about food, it seems.

 

[Nick Prochilo]

No, not Emeril, he's from Texas!

 

[bigwheel]

Boy I squeeze one of your big floppy breastes and start squeezing and wont let go till it thunders. Just like an old red eared snapper turtle.

 

[Nick Prochilo]

I thouht I could make you scream!

 

[bigwheel]

Well guess he could be from Amarillo or some place else real far North. Kansas perhaps?

 

[Griff]

BW, Kansas is NOT the far north. Trust me on this one.