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The Pit...



The Temp



The contents



Time to eat...

droolin here !!!!

Wow,

Thanks for the post. You led me to www.gatorpit.net ! I need one of those.

350,

Those guys are local for me, and they did a real bang-up job on my pit. Since I love to eat meat...best to do it the best you can. I had to laugh at the temp guage when I first saw it. I use the pit all the time as you can probably tell, it needs a little care. I cook everything from veggies to fish, shrimp and above all...all the meats: ribs, chicken, brisket, pork, goat, sausage, etc. If you show up to my place, especially out of towners...expect Bar-B-Que for dinner.

Wow, that looks awesome!
Finding a real cooker like that here in Virginia is impossible.

TLFW,

I just have to find out more about this baby. How do you generally cook with it? Do you put a fire in the smoker box always or for BBQ do you build a fire under the BBQ section and then cook on the coals? If you have time, I'd very much appreciate hearing more about your cooking fun with your rig!

Very nice!, and the wood? Details man! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

The Firebox


Detail from inside pit

The firebox is lower and seperated from the pit where the meat would be located. I put the coals in a chimney starter and light without any firestarter or chemicals (I don't want that taste in my meat). When coals are nice and hot, I transfer to the firebox, then add logs or chunks of wood for flavor. I use and can get here in Texas Mesquite, Pecan, Oak, Hickory, Apple, and Cherry. I use what I want depending on item being smoked. I would love to get my hands on some peach wood and try that out too.

This pit is only used as a smoker and not as a grill. I don't even own a grill...sorry boys, I smoke. I like the grill, just not like I like smoke.

Thank you tlfw,

I appreciate you taking the time for a few more pictures and some use details. Very well thought out, practical and heavy duty design.

tlfw - OK. I see those ribs there. I would really like a step-by-step on how you do them. You don't need to give ingredients and all that (unless you want to ), just the technique/process.

Please and thank you, sse

I'm not one that cares about "secrets" of cooking...er...sauces, ingredients, techniques, etc. I enjoy eating well and I practice and learn new things all the time. I listen to others and enjoy hearing what works for them. More then one way to Bar-B-Que that cat... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Ribs-

I buy �country style� ribs referred to here in Texas. They are made of pork with lots of meat around the bone. I have a rib rub that I use on them. I�ll post that when I get the specs. Most of the flavor that you will get will come from the quality of the meat and the smoke that you use. I don�t always use the same wood as I do like some variety from time to time. For smoking these ribs I used one oak log with several cherry wood chunks added throughout the cooking process. I cooked the ribs for 4.5 to 5 hours. I started with the chimney starter full of charcoals, and when they were ready, I added them to the firebox and put the oak log on top to burn. I let the pit get to temp (200-225) then I add the meat. Generally when cooking a full bottom rack like I did here I will rotate the meat from farthest from firebox with those closest to the firebox every hour or so. I don�t turn the meat over, but that is just personal preference. The best thing about smoking as a cooking method is that you times of perfection is measured in half hour increments. For brisket it can be as much as a 2 hour window. You can�t tell someone to smoke the �item� for a specific time. Time�depends on the pit and temps that are being used, and you don�t have to be very precise. If I took the ribs of after 4.5 hours they would be perfect, as if I would take the same off after 4 hours or 5 hours respectively. It really wouldn�t make that much difference, just sit back and enjoy your beer. Trick to smoking is learning how to keep the temp. as consistent as possible. Then to find out what flavor of wood you like in what cuts of meat. Beauty is you will get to consume lots and lots of Bar-B-Que until you have found what you like best. If you don�t remember, you get to start over and try them all again. This process may take some years to achieve�others that are lucky�may never get there. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Sauce-

Generally I don�t use any�meaning almost never. However, when requested I will make sauces. The same rule applies to sauce as it does to smoke, it takes lots of experience to find exactly what you like best. Again, not a bad thing there either. For these ribs, I did apply a Texas Jack Sauce that was rather good if I say so myself. It is rather hot for those not used to a little Texas heat. I add the sauce the last 30 min. of smoking and only to one side. Most of the time, I just have the sauce on the table and people can us it as they see fit.

I would love to hear about others and their bar-b-que techniques too. I do believe I will never eat enough bar-b-que to ever find the best. All I know is what is the best I have eaten to date�everytime I eat some, I try and eat the best and then judge where to put it on the hierarchy list later. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

THANKS!

Thanx, yummy. I've got a bunch of cherry I'm going to try on something dead! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I'll add that one of the biggest problems getting ribs at supermarkets is they have a tendancy to trim off all the meat!

And good bbq, the meat just falls off the bone mmmmm!!!

You can cook good barbecue at home in the oven - if you have to. Put the pork ribs in a roaster with a tight-fitting lid, add about 2 cups of water with a little liquid smoke in it, sprinkle garlic powder, salt and pepper on the meat, or use a favorite rub if you have one. Put the cover on and place in the oven at 225 - 250 degrees for 4 or 5 hours. Then you can remove and finish off with sauce if you like on the grill or even under the broiler for the barbecued look.

Right into my big wide open snoot!

sse

Awesome.....

And you can substitute tofu for the pork <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> I'm sorry, but if there isn't fire and smoke it is not bbq, and liquid smoke is a sorry substitute for real smoke. It may be tasty, but it isn't bbq.

There are some pretty good bbq joints in CA though, so don't dispair!

I'm trying this later today, saw it on TeeVee. Have some left over spare rib which is just trimmed off from slabs I did over the last holiday. They've been in the rub for a day.

Brown 'em good over hot coals, both sides. Then remove, wrap in foil, put over to the side for an hour, or more, to get them all cooked and happy and tender in their own juices. (Sorry, no smoke this time.)

Sounds like a winner to me.

Regards, sse

Shreck
I agree with the comments here about the differences in woods... and cherry is a favorite of mine, but be careful with straight cherry as smoker wood as it can produce a very sour edge to the flavor. I like to mix it with alder to knock that down.

Mesquite is extremely good and strong flavored, so it will clip a lot of the sour off as well. To my taste mesquite is the strongest flavor and best, but needs to be used carefully on milder cooking tasks. Cherry can be sour, but is really good in moderation. Hickory and pecan are pretty gentle and lack real authority as smoke, but are very usable. Maple, birch, beech and alder are all very mild and I use them just to cut stronger smokes. Apple and pear have their own difficult to describe flavor, but it is very good, mild and almost sweet. Cottonwood is popular here for fish and I cannot begin to understand why... YUK!!!

Paul
I am with you on the liquid smoke! I cannot tolerate the stuff at all!
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