Build a Fire Upside Down

Posted on | October 31, 2009 | No Comments

I just have to write a quick article on building a fire in the smoker as I have always subscribed to the boy scout version.. you know the small stuff on the bottom in a tee pee fashion, then slightly larger stuff on top of that and once it gets going you throw on some larger stuff to really get the fire going.

I have always been pretty good at it and I can’t say that I was one who had trouble building a fire but a short while back someone mentioned something about an upside down fire and I had to try it.

It requires forgetting everything you think you know about building a fire and learning everything totally backwards from what seems logical.

I did some research and once I thought I had the new way of building a fire figured out, I went out to my big wood fired smoker and decided to give it a try.

I had to give it my own thumbs up or thumbs down.

The idea is to place large 4-5 inch unsplit logs on the bottom of the firebox as close to each other as possible. On top of that and in a perpendicular fashion you place slightly smaller split logs very close together.

On top of those two layers you place small sticks of about 1-1/2 inch diameter very close together perpendicular on top of the layer directly beneath it.

Lay a section of newspaper on top of the wood.

Pile some very small kindling on top of the paper and then light the paper and wait for it to happen.

The paper starts burning and very quickly lights the kindling. Within just a few minutes the kindling is blazing and your job is over.

I don’t know exactly how it works but let me tell you that the kindling lights the wood below that, the wood below that lights the next layer and so on.

This setup will burn for hours unattended and this is happy news for anyone who needs to build a fire whether that be in the smoker or in the fireplace.

I have now tried it outdoors in my smoker firebox and in the fireplace in the house and it works equally well in both places.

My method is not exactly like some others do it but you get the idea.. it is backwards from what seems correct but for some odd reason it works and works very well.

Fire building is a technique that is learned and I hope this helps some of you in your endeavors.

I do think that some practice will be required to learn how much wood is needed to maintain a 225-240 degree fire but that will come in time.

For now enjoy the new fire building techniques and let me know if you have any tips to add to this.

I will be taking some more pictures the next time I do this which should help you visualize the actual procedure.

Smoked Turkey Legs

Posted on | October 29, 2009 | No Comments

Smoked Turkey Legs

This recipe includes both brining and smoking the turkey legs. The brining process is very important and I highly recommend that you do it. Don’t let the unfamiliar word scare you. It is simply a solution of salt and other flavoring that the turkey legs soak in for a few hours causing the flavors to get into the meat of the turkey and make them out of this world delicious.

So with that said.. let’s get started brining our turkey!

Brining Turkey Legs

Brine Ingredients

1 gallon water
1 cup kosher salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 TBS garlic powder
2 TBS onion powder
2 TBS red pepper flakes
2 TBS Cajun seasoning (Tony Chachere’s works great if you can find it)
2 TBS Tabasco hot sauce
1 TBS poultry seasoning

Place gallon of water and all dry ingredients into a very large pot on medium to high heat. Stir occasionally until mixture comes to a boil. Once boiling occurs the heat can be turned off and the brine can be left to cool to room temperature.

Once brine has cooled to room temperature, pour brine into a very large plastic container or two medium size plastic containers and place in fridge for further cooling.

The brine must reach 40 degrees F before adding meat to brine.

When brine chills to required temperature, add 4-6 turkey legs to brine.

Leave turkey legs in brine for 9 hours stirring around several times throughout the process.

After nine hours, remove turkey legs from brine and rinse well under cool water.

Getting Turkey Legs Ready to Smoke

About 30 minutes before you are ready to smoke them, Coat the turkey legs with olive oil and sprinkle on a little cajun seasoning for good flavor. Try to get the seasoning up under the skin wherever possible as this is where the flavor will be the most tasty.

Once you are finished, leave the legs on the counter and go get the smoker ready. I like to prepare the smoker for about 240 degrees with a mix of oak and pecan. Sometimes I use mesquite or other fruit wood just depending on what I am in the mood for and what I have on hand.

Please  note that I normally use a wood fired smoker but these can just as easily be done on propane, electric or charcoal as long as the temperature is right and you have smoke flowing, they will taste great.

Smoking the Turkey Legs

Once the smoker is going and the temperature is at 240 degrees F or so, get the turkey legs and place them right on the grate leaving about 1 inch between them to allow the smoke to be able to flow freely all around the meat.

Occasionally.. about once every hour or so, I like to brush on some olive oil or you can use the spray olive oil to make it real easy. This will help to keep them moist and will help to crisp the skin while they smoke.

If you are using an electric, propane or charcoal smoker then I recommend that you keep replenishing the smoke for  at least the first 2 hours.. I like to do it the entire time but I like the smoke to be very prominent.

If you like the smoke to be extremely subtle then you may want to go 2 hours and then finish with just heat.

The turkey legs will take about 3-4 hours to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

Finishing Up

Remove the turkey drumsticks from the smoker once they are at temperature and wrap them individually in heavy duty foil. They can be placed in the oven to keep them warm or eaten immediately if you so desire.

How to Re-Heat

They heat up really well.. just pop them in the oven at about 275-300 degrees for 30 minutes or until they are as warm as you like them.

The smoked turkey legs at the fair or at Disney world do not hold a candle to these babies.

Using a Thermometer When Smoking Meat

Posted on | October 24, 2009 | 1 Comment

To check temperature with any smoker I recommend a good Thermometer. The ones I have learned to love are the digital meat thermometers with a probe and a 3 foot metal cable. They run around 15 dollars but are worth their weight in gold in my opinion.

You can push the probe into the thickest part of the meat in whatever you are cooking. The metal cable attached to the probe is flat and easily runs through the door even with it closed or you can run it out of a vent or other opening.

The cable attaches to the monitor which sits on top of the smoker and gives you real-time readings on the temperature of the meat you are cooking. Most of them also have an alarm to alert you when a target temperature (set by you) is reached.

Now they have some that are remote so that the cable attached to a sending unit on top of the smoker. You have the monitor on your wrist or belt and know what the temperature is even if you walk off to do other things around the yard, in the garage or whatever.

These can be purchased at Amazon.com or you may also be able to find them at places like Walmart,Ace Hardware, Lowes, Home Depot, etc..

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TIP: Do not let the metal probe touch any other metal or it will fry the probe and you will have to get a new one. Replacement probes run around 5 dollars but there is shipping cost from the company and the hassle of having to wait for a new one to arrive. As with any tools, just be careful and you should be fine.

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Smoking Meat Terminology

Posted on | October 24, 2009 | No Comments

Charcoal: chunks of fuel that normally comes in 2 different types, briquette and lump.

Lump charcoal: Real hardwood burned down to odd shaped chunks in a controlled environment. This
type of charcoal burns hotter and cleaner than any other charcoal and unlike briquettes is free of
additives.

Water Pan: A pan for holding water in some smokers especially the bullet smokers. It is believed by
many that the water heats and releases steam which helps regulate the temperature of the smoker to
normal smoking temperatures.

Firebox: A term used to describe the part of the smoker where the fire is built. This is most generally
used on horizontal smokers also called Offset smokers.

Smoke chamber: The larger part of a horizontal offset smoker. This is the area where the smoke and
heat does it’s job of smoke cooking the meat.

Damper: A common term for vents that allow air to enter/escape and thereby affect the airflow within
the smoker.

Intake: The damper on or near the firebox which allows the user to open/close thereby allowing more
or less air to the fire. More air= hotter fire/Less air= cooler fire.

Chimney: The round tube like device coming out of the smoke chamber which allows the smoke to
escape from the smoker. Also called “the stack”.

Rain cap: A cap on the very top of the chimney which can be opened/closed in varying degrees to
allow more or less smoke to escape. Also serves to keep rain out of the smoker which is how it got its
apt name.

Smoking: Cooking at temperatures less than 250 degrees with the addition of smoke from various
hardwoods.

Cold smoking: Applying smoke to meat i n very low temperatures so as to smoke the meat without
necessarily cooking it. Usually around 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Hot smoking: Cooking foods with smoke at temperatures ranging between 190 and 250 degrees. The
goal is to cook the meat while also flavoring it with smoke from various hardwoods.

Grilling: Cooking at very hot temperatures normally in excess of 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Wet: Normally applies to ribs when they are basted with some type of sauce or marinade during
smoking.

Naked: A term given to ribs when they are served with no sauce on them. Normally the sauce is
served on the side and can be used if desired. Most naked ribs are coated with a dry rub prior to
smoking.
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NOTE: The next time you are in you favorite “Q” joint, order ribs and ask to have them served “Naked”.
Hopefully you will get ribs with no sauce and not wet ribs served by a naked waiter/waitress;-)
***************************************
Rib Rub: A concoction of spices made especially for ribs to flavor them and/or compliment the sauce.
Most rib rubs also work great on other meats as well such as pork shoulder and brisket.

Creosote: A nasty chemical that forms when the natural ingredients that make fire are disrupted such
as shutting a vent to choke the fire. Creosote can also form on meat that put into the smoker too cold.
For this reason it is recommended that you let meat sit on the counter for about 30 minutes prior to
smoking to allow them to raise in temperature a little and reduce the risk of creosote. creosote is burny
tasting and can make the lips and tongue feel numb when ingested.

How often Do You Add Wood Chips?

Posted on | October 24, 2009 | No Comments

How often do you you add more chips or chunks when you are smoking meat? First off, this is only for those of you who are NOT using a “stick burner” or a smoker that only takes actual sticks or splits of wood.

Many new meat smokers do not understand the “full” concept of smoking.. they have a general idea but sometimes wonder if they need to replenish the wood chips when it stops smoking or whether to soak the wood chips or even where to put the wood chips or chunks.

I had a newcomer ask me one time if the wood chips go in the water bowl.. now this may seem basic to some but I subscribe to the notion that there are NO stupid questions and questions are how you learn and if you don’t ask questions then you never get smarter.

The answer is YES.. you do need to replenish the wood chips when they stop smoking whether that is every 15 minutes or every hour. It is different for each smoker and also depends on the method of adding wood chips to the fire.

I actually have a formula that I use and it seems to work well for me:

Keep adding smoking wood to the smoker for about half of the total cook time or until the meat reaches 140° F.

If you are having trouble with the wood chips or chunks burning up too quickly, simply soak them in water for about 30-60 minutes before you are ready to use them. This will slow down the consumption of the wood and make them last slightly longer.

I prefer not to soak the wood most of the time but as I always say.. these things are personal preference and there are no rules one way or another.

Another option if you are using wood chips is to soak one half of the wood chips in water for 30 minutes then mix half wet and half dry chips and place a single handful onto a 12 x 12 inch piece of heavy duty aluminum foil.

Wrap the foil around the chips and poke three or four holes in the top of the foil to allow the smoke to get out.

Lay the package on top of the coals or heating element of your smoker for good smoking action. Be sure to make several of these so you can have them ready once the first one stops smoking.

Start a Fire In A Horizontal Offset Smoker

Posted on | October 20, 2009 | 2 Comments

How to start a fire in a horizontal offset smoker or any smoker for that matter is something that many folks struggle with and I must tell you that I am no expert by any means.

I can cheat and use the liquid firestarter or use a weedburner but to really start a fire with just kindling is an art that must be practiced in order to get good at it.

I have not mastered the art but I can get the fire going and “most” of the time it actually stays lit;-)

The trick is to take that nice sharp axe hanging in the shed and cut some long, thin slivers of wood.. what we use to call kindling. I happen to be VERY good at this as it was my job as a boy of ten and on up to keep plenty of kindling at the ready. We burned wood up in those North Carolina mountains and starting fires was a constant thing.

I did not get any pictures of me chopping kindling as I could not figure out how to do that with only two hands and I really needed both of them but I did get some shots of the kindling and how I stack it in order to start the fire in the firebox.

This smoker happens to be the Brinkmann Smoke n’ Pro and as it is several years old the firebox is starting to show it’s age. Still works pretty good though and I just smoked some chicken quarters on it in less than two hours.

As you can see, I have my newspaper and lighter ready for use.

This is how I start.. I lay two pieces of kindling about 6-8 inches apart and then lay two more pieces in exactly the same configuration only perpendicular to the first two.

I stack about four or five layers of those and then maybe an extra piece here or there for good measure if I feel like it.

Then I get some nice dry newspaper and place a few wadded up pieces in strategic locations under the kindling. I normally use about three or four pieces as this usually does the trick.

Once the kindling is started it is very important that you get some slightly larger pieces of wood on top so it can be catching fire. The kindling will not burn long and you must have something with a little more substance getting going so as to create the kind of fire that will maintain 225 degrees or more in the smoker.

Once those slightly larger pieces are started good you can lay one more nice sized piece on top if you need it. This will usually at a rate of about one three inch diameter stick per hour or so. You will have to practice to see how it works out in your particular smoker.

Just a note: I leave the firebox lid open the entire time I am getting the fire started. I don’t even worry about getting the heat into the smoker until I am seeing coals starting to develop. Once I add the final piece of wood and it is burning really good.. THEN I close the lid on the firebox and watch the temperature gauge to tell me if I need to adjust the dampers.

For my smoker it’s firebox vent wide open and chimney damper open about half way throughout but that is not to say I won’t adjust it a little if needed.

So my suggestion is to give the weedburner and the liquid firestarter a break and start practicing your technique on how to start a fire in a horizontal offset smoker.

Red Tint in Smoked Meat

Posted on | October 19, 2009 | No Comments

I had an email recently from a fellow complaining that there was always a red tint to smoked meat that he cooked.. sausage in particular.

This got me to thinking that there may be many out there who really do not know what this is and why.

I can certainly understand how this could be a little scary to a new smoker.. thinking the meat is still raw and you don’t want to make your family or guests sick!

Let me just say that this is completely normal and not only is it normal but it is coveted. This red or pink tint on the outside edge of smoked meat is known as the smoke ring and I have heard my share of smokers bragging about that miraculous 1/2 inch smoke ring on their brisket or pork butt.

Because of this smoke ring, it is difficult to tell visually when some meats are done cooking. This is why I always recommend using a digital probe meat Thermometer to monitor the temperature of the meat while it cooks. In this way  you can let the temperature of the meat tell you when the meat is done and safe to eat.

For some reason, a chemical reaction takes place when the smoke meats the pigments in the meat and it is this lack of oxygen that causes the pigment to retain its’ color even after it is cooked fully.

Chicken, pork, beef, turkey, etc. will all have some pinkish flesh usually on the outside edge.

This process can be artificially created by adding sodium nitrite and nitrates such as in hot dogs, ham, bologna, etc.

If you will look at my picture of the slice of meatloaf on the smoked meatloaf page, you will notice this ring very distinctively. To smokers, it is a beautiful thing and something worth bragging about.

Let it be known that the smoke ring is not an indicator of flavor whether good or bad.. it just indicates that the meat cooked in a smoky, oxygen deficient oven.

Red Velvet Cake Recipe

Posted on | October 19, 2009 | 2 Comments

This red velvet cake recipe is the original recipe made from scratch. This recipe also demonstrates how to make the original icing which is also made from scratch as opposed to cream cheese.

If you have to know.. this is my most favorite cake in the world and my wife makes me one every year on my birthday.. can you say DELICIOUS!

This red velvet cake recipe is worth a million dollars to me but I am so nice and I like to share so here it is…

Red Velvet Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

2 oz Red Food Coloring
2 TBS Cocoa
1/2 Cup Shortening (Crisco)
1-1/2 Cups Sugar
2 Eggs
1 Cup Buttermilk
2-1/4 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Vinegar
1 tsp Baking Soda

Directions:

Make paste of food coloring and cocoa – set aside – cream shortening and sugar – add eggs and cocoa paste – beat until fluffy – then add buttermilk and flour that has been mixed with salt – add vanilla and mix well with beater – remove from mixer – add vinegar – mix by hand then add baking soda – mix by hand again – bake layers in (3) 8-inch pans which have been greased and floured – bake at 350 degrees  for 30 minutes.

The Red Velvet Cake Icing

Ingredients:

3 TBS Flour
1 Cup Milk
1 Stick Butter (Softened) do not melt
3 TBS Shortening (Crisco)
1 Cup Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla

Directions:

Cook flour and milk until it forms a thick paste – set aside to cool – refrigerate to make sure it is completely cooled – Cream butter and shortening until fluffy – add sugar and beat again – add vanilla and beat well – add cooled cooked mixture (make sure this mixture is cold or it will melt the butter and shortening when added to this mixture) – beat until it looks like whipped cream – spread on cooled cake

There you have it.. the original red velvet cake recipe for your very own. Feel free to make one and send it to me in appreciation for my generosity;-)

Smoked Meatloaf Recipe

Posted on | October 17, 2009 | 1 Comment

My smoked meatloaf recipe is to die for and if you have not tried it then you are definitely missing out on one of the finer things in life.

You would never believe how many folks email me every week and tell me that they will NEVER eat another oven baked meatloaf again. Well, I have not gone that far personally because I don’t wanna have to eat my words if my wife makes one but I can guarantee you that if I have anything at all to do with it, the meatloaf that I eat will be smoked.

I don’t have some kind of secret recipe for my meatloaf.. in fact the smoked meatloaf recipe that we use is very simple. Feel free to use your very own whether it be simple or one of those that is passed down from generation to generation. It is not so much the ingredients of the meatloaf that make such a big difference but in the addition of smoke flavor via hickory, mesquite, pecan or whatever type of wood that you have available.

To create this wonderful masterpiece, you begin by mixing up your ingredients. My basic recipe is below and it always turns out great. Feel free to use it or use it and change things up a little bit.

Basic Meatloaf Recipe

• 2 lbs. ground beef
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 1/2 green pepper finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced (optional)
• 1 C. fresh bread crumbs or saltine cracker crumbs
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• 3/4 C. ketchup
• 1/4 C. milk

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. blend the mixture about 4-5 minutes and then form onto a flat cookie sheet.

The thickness and size of your meatloaf is entirely personal but I make mine about 8×10 and about 2-1/2 inches thick.

Originally, I set the cookie sheet with the meatloaf on it right on the grate and let it smoke away but then I decided on later attempts that it needed to be up out of the juice a little so I started placing it up on a rack of some sort inside of a larger aluminum pan. This allowed the juices to be caught but also kept the meatloaf out of the juices so it could form a nicer crust.

Smoking a meatloaf will take in the neighborhood of 3 hours at around 250° F but be sure to use a digital probe meat Thermometer to monitor the temperature and let that be your guide to tell you when it is finished. Let it reach 160° F and it is finished.

About 30 minutes before it is done you can add some ketchup or better yet, some barbecue sauce to the top and sides of the meatloaf to give it that nice topping that we all like so much.

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Quick Tip: My very own barbecue sauce recipe is amazingly good on this meatloaf.. you really owe it to yourself to try it.  Get my Rib Rub recipe and/or my special Barbecue Sauce recipe today and you will thank me tomorrow;-)

Testimonies | Order

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I tend to add smoke for the entire time it is cooking if I am using one of my smaller smokers.. if I am using the stickburner I don’t have a choice;-)

I like it nice and smoky and usually end up with a good 1/2 inch smoke ring or better. Use your own judgment on that based on how much smoke flavoring you like.

Like most meatloaf, this smoked meatloaf is also good on sandwiches or just reheated in the microwave. If you really want to cause a stir, take some to work and heat it up in the microwave in your lounge or break area. Folks will start gathering around and asking questions as the wonderful smell goes wafting across the room and out into the other areas of the building.

If you have a smoked meatloaf recipe you would like to share, please post it below in the comments section for all of us to enjoy.

Keep Smoked Meat Warm For Hours

Posted on | October 16, 2009 | 2 Comments

Many of you have asked me how to keep smoked meat warm once it is done cooking and many times this is also in reference to needing to transport the smoked meat to a different location and you do not want it to cool down over the 2 hour drive time or whatever the distance/time happens to be.

I have the solution for this and I will show you how to keep practically any meat, whether it is smoked or not, hot for as much as four hours.

This is my answer:

Once the meat has finished smoking/cooking, wrap the meat in foil or even a foil pan with a lid or foil over the top of the pan would be ideal. Wrap a thick towel around the foiled meat and place it down in the cooler.

Continue to fill the cooler with throw pillows, blankets, towels, etc.  until you can just close the lid without it popping back open.

This will keep the meat hot for as much as four hours. This does somewhat depend on how long it took you to wrap it, what the internal temperature of the meat was before you wrapped it, etc. but you get the idea.

I have found that this is an excellent way to add a little extra tenderness to pork shoulders, briskets and ribs so I usually plan to get them done two or three hours early.

This gives me time to go take a shower and get ready for dinner so that I don’t smell like smoke. My wife does not mind me smelling like ribs but if I am having dinner guests over, I don’t want to smell like the food I just prepared;-)

There are a few things I must tell you.. this will soften the outside of the meat so for those of you who have to have that crust on the brisket or crispy skin on the chicken better only use this in emergency situations.

You could alternatively throw the meat on a grill to crisp up the outside right before serving it if is that big of a deal.. I usually don’t bother with it but I am just mentioning it so I don’t get complaints later..

Jeff.. you ruined my meal. I put everything in the cooler and when I took it out the crust had disappeared! I can hear it now.

So relax a little about the exact time that you want to eat dinner and just plan to get the food done a little early. When the guests arrive you will have time to mingle and they will wonder how you did it.

Food safety

I do recommend that you use a digital probe meat Thermometer in the meat so you can monitor the internal temperature of the meat. You do NOT want the meat to get below 140°F and stay that way for very long. It is imperative that it stay above this temperature until you are ready to serve it.

Just a safety precaution. I have never had a problem with this but I do want to mention it for those of you who are new to the game.

Happy eating!

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Recently Written

• Build a Fire Upside Down
• Smoked Turkey Legs
• Using a Thermometer When Smoking Meat
• Smoking Meat Terminology
• How often Do You Add Wood Chips?
• Start a Fire In A Horizontal Offset Smoker
• Red Tint in Smoked Meat
• Red Velvet Cake Recipe
• Smoked Meatloaf Recipe
• Keep Smoked Meat Warm For Hours

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About Jeff

Jeff Phillips is the owner of several websites including but not limited to Smoking-Meat.com and SmokingMeatForums.com where he serves his purpose in life teaching others the art of smoking meat and how to have fun doing it. Jeff also publishes an online smoking meat newsletter each month where he has more than 50,000 subscribers.
He lives near Tulsa, OK with his wife Abi and three beautiful children, two dogs, two cats, a leopard gecko and two beta fish.

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