High Time to Break-in the Weber Smokey Mountain

[Cookinman]

Or actually more aptly put - time to break ME in on th WSM...lol

Last week Bolo decides to clean out the garage a bit and as a result I inherit a very well seasoned top knotch charcoal smoker. Bolo - Lemme know when the new wife makes you clean out the rod and reel closet - K pal?

So W Kids sick all week and a holiday thrown in- This weekend was really my first chance to fire it up

OK, so I nailed a few kings before work today Took one home for Dip, but - since they are relatively easy to do and smoke in like 2 seconds flat-I will likely do them alongside a turkey I had leftover from Thanksgiving ( ALSO donnated by a pal who's boss handed it to him after he already had one...he hates to cook, so the deal was I use it as a learning tool and if I don't screw it up - We all feast...)

I want to see If I can manage a constant temp for a couple hours straight.

So not really wanting to spend alot of $$ to make an elaborate brine, never having worked with this smoker before ( OR Really ANY Charcoal Smoker ) I opted for a basic 2 G water 2 C Kosher Salt brine...cheap and easy. I've been doin some homework so - I'm pretty sure I can do pull this off OK but if for some reason I cannot control my burn or smoke on the test run- I do not want to invest alot of $$ into my test run...Always looks easy on paper

On the chance this smokin works out well the first time, I also do want it tender if possible at least :tooth:


Made sure to finish the water measurements off with a couple good pitchers of ice cubes as the water here in - So FL is still sorta warm outta the tap in DEC...Better safe than runny I always say... EDIT NOT in pic - I just ran out and dumped in 3 big frozen water bottles to be double sure the water is close to or below 40 ASAP!




Tossed in a few Bay Leaves and Peppercorns for good measure and it was off to the garage fridge for a 12 hr nap before the AM fire up...



I'll take this up again tomorrow - Got a simple cajun style rub n compound butta' in mind for the skin and maybe a quick inject to soak in while the skin dries off - and off to the smoker she goes !

Sure hope I don't screw up my first smoke... :worthy:

Now off to clean a King

[Cookinman]

9:30 AM
Just realized my wife's last day of Clinicals is this sememster at the hospital which means a small partyy and ultimately NO CAMERA for me I wanted, really to documentthe whole thing for feedback...oh well....

Bird is outta the brine after 10-12 hrs or so. Skin rolled back, Cajun rub applied subcutaneously ( wife in RN Program, rubbing off....lol )
Skin skewered shut after stufffing cavity W 1 Lemon and 2 aqpples for moisture as I plan to use the water pan as a drip pan solely this go around.

Wing tips tucked and drumsticks lightly bound ...

Cajun rub applied on the outside and Bird in the fridge again to dry out a bit while I ponder whether or not to invest in making a garlic/herb butter rub for the outside of the bird...

Will give it an hour or 2 and then fire up the smoker ...

[Cookinman]

Coals ready - 4 pieces of mesquite on top - ( only chunk wood I couild find cheap and fast )

Decided on a lather of a compound butter of Butter Kosher salt, fresh garlic, thyme, Lemon juice, fresh cracked black pepper, a tad cumin, garlic powder, worsteshire sauce and a little cayenne. Quick twirl in the kitchenaid and caked her all over the turkey...

Original Bird-in time was scheduled at 12:15 or so.

But after assembling the smoker over the fire emps spiked well up over 425 .

shut all bottom vents-left top open to vent and opened the lid to let soe heat out. repeated in a few mins

Brought temps down to 375...Good time to put cold bird in and sure enough - temps down to 325 now.
Bird in - @ 12:20 P

Watchin to see if I will open a bottom vent a bit to stabilize - So far so good

Temps did drop to 275 for a tad.
Right now 1:20 I have 1 100% and 2 @ 50% - seems to be fairly steady at 325 -340 which is where I want to be for this.

Smoke is barely visible from the top vent - so far so good on that.

Going to prep the kingfish for a smoke once the temps stabilize a bit. Being that they cook so fast at this temp - I will likely throw them in when I replenish the wood chunks to maximize their smoke flavor in-take. Sure wish I had my camera here....

[Cookinman]

2:30 P and temps rock solid at 330 for quite a while. Internal temp on the bird is 110 at the breast and 120 at the thigh. Skin getting a nice tan and man does it smell great ! Got a way's to go still.

NOW If I could only figure out how to baste this thing from it's juices and the compound butter I used.....

[Cookinman]

4:15 EST

145 int @ The breast
155 @ The thigh

STEADY at 325 +/- 1-2

One last hunk of Mesquite and on W the Kingfish to the top grate.

This WSM is pretty damn cool ! Just what I need another addictive pastime

[Morpheus]

Man you have had me hungry all day

[Cookinman]

OK 165 at breast and 180 flat on the thigh - pulled the bird n King-
She has a great tan - good color and the skin I'm nibbin is FANTASTIC.

Gonna carve in 20 when it rests ! also nibbl'n on a few of the apple slices from the cavity - smoked apples I am finding out, absolutely ROCK !

[MoJo]

You know i am right over here on royal palm....lol

[bolo]

Just like the fishing report, no pictures equal crappy report.

[Cookinman]

Just like the fishing report, no pictures equal crappy report.

What a Richard !

Next up is a Boston Butt.

ALTHOUGH - A PAl who tasted the bird DID run out abd buy me another turkey to play with....lol that was so much fun !!!

Thanks again BOLO !

[bolo]

Just like the fishing report, no pictures equal crappy report.

What a Richard !

Next up is a Boston Butt.

ALTHOUGH - A PAl who tasted the bird DID run out abd buy me another turkey to play with....lol that was so much fun !!!

Thanks again BOLO !

Try that rub on the Boston Butt. Most of the guys use commerical BBQ sauce and thin it down with good quailty apple juice. Pulled the pork and add additional seasoning to it and add your sauce. Add a few slabs of rib while you are at it. Call me if you need help.

In a few years I see you buying my pit.

[Cookinman]

Most of the guys use commerical BBQ sauce and thin it down with good quailty apple juice.

That's for fella's that know no better... Just Kidding - I am a newbie to REAL BBQ, but have a couple things I have learned along the way to pull out at the right time.....

Actually I bought some ingredients to make a couple batches of my own Mango BBQ to the consistency I wish...

I have the mango's growin in the back and also a habanero plant nearby for a lil heat, that some fresh tomato's some cracked black pepper, light touch of B sugar, squeeze of a lime or 2 and a splash of Apple cider vinnegar, sweet red peps, carmelized red onion, couple other little items of love in there too ....cook it out in your favorite fruit juice to balance consistency - Blast it with a commercial Ber-mixer and strain through a chinoise, adjust sweet to sour counterpoiunt W vinegar, sugar and fruit...

Also dug out a recipie for some red bananna kitchy that would go nice here too I think - Just not too sure what will happen when exposed to heat so sooooo long. With moist indirect heat - I may be OK.

This will be a jammin mop !

Your stick pit is like half of my daughters college fund - so not a chance - besides I do not want my wife to have access to anything that can dispose of a whole body withpout a trace....

[bolo]

Dude, if you like habernao peppers wait until you try my friends Texas Pepper Jelly.

[Cookinman]

Dude, if you like habernao peppers wait until you try my friends Texas Pepper Jelly.

Love / Hate

Mouth loves em but my @ss hates em...lol

Call me about the dip - I'll give you some basic things to include, but you will need to work out the amounts based on the amount of fish you are smokin.

[bolo]

Mouth loves em but my @ss hates em...lol

Dude, you are suppose to eat it not stick it up your ......

[Frogfish101]

Mouth loves em but my @ss hates em...lol

Dude, you are suppose to eat it not stick it up your ......

Cookinman's a silly goose...he's been doing it the wrong way all these years!

[Cookinman]

Cookinman's a silly goose...

Easy on the language there pal, this is a family type place....

[Frogfish101]

Cookinman's a silly goose...

Easy on the language there pal, this is a family type place....

I don't know if that's sarcasm or not...just in case, I didn't realize there was an 'uber-negative' connotation for 'silly goose'

Let me know so I don't feel like an idiot for too long...

[Frogfish101]

silly goose

When someone does something to make you giggle, you call them this.
Oh Jimmy, you're such a silly goose!

This is my fruity definition

[Cookinman]

Cookinman's a silly goose...

Easy on the language there pal, this is a family type place....

I don't know if that's sarcasm or not...just in case, I didn't realize there was an 'uber-negative' connotation for 'silly goose'

Let me know so I don't feel like an idiot for too long...

....lol No worries man, I was joking ( <--- universal smilie for makin a funny )

It made me chuckle because my 3 yr old calls me a silly goose all the time. A lil' strange to hear it from an almost grown man is all...no offense taken in the least.

[Frogfish101]

Haha, ok. Just wanted to make sure...lol

[bolo]

Anthony, Frogfish is still a young snapper. It would be weird if Keith said that to you.

[Cookinman]

Anthony, Frogfish is still a young snapper. It would be weird if Keith said that to you.

Dude, it is just odd hearing ' Silly Goose" and 'Giggle' used in context in a serious from anyone but a 3 yr old...hahaha - No offense there Frogfish, m'boy, I am just bustin' em a little bit.

BUT - now if a 300# Chinaman busted out with a Giggling, Silly Goose rhyme just at about bedtime, I might be inclined to just snuggle in, all cozy and warm, quite safe from bedbugs, sea monsters and things that go bump in the night....Oh pleeeese tell me a BBQ story Mr Bolo-man Pul-eeeeeze...

[Cookinman]

Anthony, Frogfish is still a young snapper. It would be weird if Keith said that to you.

He aint that young...lol

I applied to University of Michigan (accepted), Stanford, Harvard, UPenn, and Northwestern so far...I have Johns Hopkins, MIT, WashU, and Duke to finish.

I should hear back by Stanford on the 15th. I'm ungodly nervous...lol.:

Dude, it is just odd hearing ' Silly Goose" and 'Giggle' used in context in a serious from anyone but a 3 yr old...hahaha - No offense there Frogfish, m'boy, I am just bustin' em a little bit.

BUT - now if a 300# Chinaman busted out with a Giggling, Silly Goose rhyme just at about bedtime, I might be inclined to just snuggle in, all cozy and warm, quite safe from bedbugs, sea monsters and things that go bump in the night....Oh pleeeese tell me a BBQ story Mr Bolo-man Oh Pul-eeeeeze...

[bolo]

Dude, it is just odd hearing ' Silly Goose" and 'Giggle' used in context in a serious from anyone but a 3 yr old...hahaha - No offense there Frogfish, m'boy, I am just bustin' em a little bit.

BUT - now if a 300# Chinaman busted out with a Giggling, Silly Goose rhyme just at about bedtime, I might be inclined to just snuggle in, all cozy and warm, quite safe from bedbugs, sea monsters and things that go bump in the night....Oh pleeeese tell me a BBQ story Mr Bolo-man Pul-eeeeeze...

Hell will freeze over first before you ever hear me giggling and say Silly Goose.

[Frogfish101]

Chris and Bolo were holding hands and giggling last year at Ch2...

[bolo]

Chris and Bolo were holding hands and giggling last year at Ch2...

What cry baby? Who was the one crying "Daddy im stuck on the bottom again?" Chris had to help you everytime in the dark. FYI: That was the first time I ever met Chris.

[Frogfish101]

Pssssh. Come up here to do some steelheading with me, we'll see who cries then! "Waaahhhhh, my finger just froze off!"

You and Chris were meant to be...