The Official Smoker Thread!

Has anyone done “homemade” bacon with pork belly? I have considered it but haven’t bought a belly yet. We just joined Costco and I think they have them there. I have them at a local butcher shop but they were $14 or $15/pound and I didn’t want to spend that much not having ever done it before. I think Costco has them cheaper but have yet to actually look.
 
Bigdave0924 said:
Has anyone done “homemade” bacon with pork belly? I have considered it but haven’t bought a belly yet. We just joined Costco and I think they have them there. I have them at a local butcher shop but they were $14 or $15/pound and I didn’t want to spend that much not having ever done it before. I think Costco has them cheaper but have yet to actually look.
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I always buy mine at Costco. They come in slabs approximately 8 to 10 pounds each. The skin is already removed. All you have to do is add rub and throw it on the smoker...

The slab I bought today cost $3.49 a pound. I am smoking half and put the other half in the freezer for another time. It all just depends on how many people are coming over for dinner.

I have never tried to make my own bacon because you have to salt it, season it, let it sit overnight, smoke it, then cook it... That's too much time and trouble for me...

I always smoke mine into burnt ends. Today, I'm trying the lollipops for the first time.

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Alabamacoastie said:
I always buy mine at Costco. They come in slabs approximately 8 to 10 pounds each. The skin is already removed. All you have to do is add rub and throw it on the smoker...

The slab I bought today cost $3.49 a pound. I am smoking half and put the other half in the freezer for another time. It all just depends on how many people are coming over for dinner.

I have never tried to make my own bacon because you have to salt it, season it, let it sit overnight, smoke it, then cook it... That's too much time and trouble for me...

I always smoke mine into burnt ends. Today, I'm trying the lollipops for the first time.

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The price of the meat from Costco looks a lot better than my local butcher. I try to buy local when I can but 4x the cost is little much
 
KnotRight said:
I cleaned my Pit Boss today after 5 or 6 smokes......was a little messy.
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I didn't know you were supposed to clean it... I vacuum the ashes out after every cook, but that's it...

I think of the inside of my smoker as being "seasoned" like a cast iron skillet. 😆
 
Alabamacoastie said:
I didn't know you were supposed to clean it... I vacuum the ashes out after every cook, but that's it...

I think of the inside of my smoker as being "seasoned" like a cast iron skillet. 😆
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i agree about vacuuming out the ashes but I do not like too much of the drippings hanging over the fire pit. I will scrape it once or so a year. Also, I like scraping the heat shield so I can open the fire grates.
 
About to sit down to eat them. I went to 175 and then wrapped instead of 165 just because I didn’t like the color at 165. They ended up over cooked a little bit temp wise they got to 209 while I was walking the dog but they are the most tender spare ribs I have cooked. I started taking notes in my phone when I bought my Pit Boss and it really helps I highly recommend trying it if you suffer from can’t remember nothing syndrome. CE930CA5-3388-4FDB-8334-F99BBAA5C95E.jpeg599F4F50-AF30-4152-A6D2-6F2E08B785D5.jpeg
 
Alabamacoastie said:
4 pounds of meatloaf just went on the smoker!

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And the after pic!

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2lbs of ground beef (80/20)
1lb of bacon
Worsterchire (wash you sister) sauce
A1 sauce
Montreal Steak seasoning
Goat cheese chunks
Raw garlic, carrots, onion, celery, spinach
2 eggs
Splash of beef broth

Smoke at 250 degrees until internal temp hits 160 degrees (about 3 hours).
 
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KnotRight said:
i agree about vacuuming out the ashes but I do not like too much of the drippings hanging over the fire pit. I will scrape it once or so a year. Also, I like scraping the heat shield so I can open the fire grates.
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Same. My wife’s first pellet smoker was a traeger and she about burned her house down with it from grease buildup and it caught fire and was on her screened in porch when it happened. We cleans the ash out after every cook and clean it clean it after every few cooks
 
Alabamacoastie said:
And the after pic!

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2lbs of ground beef (80/20)
1lb of bacon
Worsterchire (wash you sister) sauce
A1 sauce
Montreal Steak seasoning
Goat cheese chunks
Raw garlic, carrots, onion, celery, spinach
2 eggs
Splash of beef broth

Smoke at 250 degrees until internal temp hits 160 degrees (about 3 hours).
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You heart and cardio vascular system must be so much better than mine. I am envious dammit. If things do go south I’ve got the cardiologist for you.
 
I didn't even turn on my smoker today... I've been doing chicken wings in small batches in the air fryer, raw veggies, homemade ranch, Buffalo chicken dip, queso dip, fresh guac, chips, and cake!

My daughters invited some of their little girl friends over. We've been eating junk and watching Puppy Bowl all afternoon!
 
Alabamacoastie said:
I didn't even turn on my smoker today... I've been doing chicken wings in small batches in the air fryer, raw veggies, homemade ranch, Buffalo chicken dip, queso dip, fresh guac, chips, and cake!

My daughters invited some of their little girl friends over. We've been eating junk and watching Puppy Bowl all afternoon!
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Gonna need this homemade ranch recipe!
 
amyracecar said:
Gonna need this homemade ranch recipe!
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I wish it was something fancy... It's a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch (Buttermilk recipe) plus a cup of whole buttermilk and a cup of Duke's mayonnaise... Sometimes I finely chop a jalapeño into it.
 
Alabamacoastie said:
I wish it was something fancy... It's a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch (Buttermilk recipe) plus a cup of whole buttermilk and a cup of Duke's mayonnaise... Sometimes I finely chop a jalapeño into it.
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Gotcha!

I can make a good blue cheese dressing - Ranch is next on my list to tackle.
 
Put the brisket on at 8 PM, expecting to pull it around 1-2 PM on Saturday. I might not wrap it. Going to let it rest for 3 hours.
Update: 8:00 PM to 8:30 AM - 180 degrees
8:45 AM to 12:00 Noon - 200 degrees Internal Temp 145
12 noon internal temp 160. Going increase cook temp to 225.
2:30 getting late, temp up to 250. Internal temp 172

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My wife made some "Burnt Ends" yesterday.

They had a great flavor... maybe an hour less on the heat next time.

The effort was very much appreciated!

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