At the risk of embarrasment in comparason to what you've got going in your pit...


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Did 15 chicken thighs (about 6.5lbs) for pulled chicken last week.
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Looks great. I can't believe that I missed this one until now. I'm slipping in my old age!

I have 2 levels in my smoker, so if there is room, I puit the beans under the pork butts for a while and let the dripin's season them up.


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Dang that looks tasty...thighs are my favorite. Do you have some kind of separator for the coals?
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Yeah I also have 2 levels...was just too lazy to pull the rack that time. I need to give that technique a shot next time.
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Nice smoker! I wish my two levels were that easy to get at. My only question...why is there not a cigar in your hand? :-)
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Thanks bro. I was experimenting with cinnamon, sage and ginger in the brine and a garlic, black pepper, chili powder, bell's seasoning & season salt rub and it worked out really well.

I'm using firebricks as seperators - here's a few better photos:

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Use the cinamon stick in the fire. Put them on with the meat so it has time to get in. I'll soak the sticks for about minute in water first. Buy the cinamon at an Indian grocery store and they are wicked cheap. You'll be amazed by the fragrant smoke the barrels out from cinamon.

If you are doing pork, you can also throw in a clove or two into the fire but watch out! You're gonna laugh when you see/smell how short and intense the smoke is! :-)
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Actually, it's in the cigar clamp attached to the shelf behind me. Whenever anyone around the church smells a cigar, they immediately ask where I am.

:-)
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Ohhh, I like that idea.

Thanks :-)
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Cool...great idea. I'll need to use that for my small grill. :-)
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Pavlov's dog...they smell a cigar and need BBQ? :-)
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Pretty close!

Funny thing is, My sister-in-law (who lives 4 blocks away) manages to show up unanounced within 30 minutes of me firing up the smoker...everytime. I kept accusing my wife of calling her on the phone, but that wasn't the case. Must be a 7th sense :-) :-)
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They work surprisingly well as buffers to even out the heat. With them in place, I can load about an entire weber chimney worth of fuel in there, so I'll get about 1/3 of a chimney full of k-briqs going, then dump that in there along with about 1/2 to 2/3 of chimney of unlit briqs plus smoke wood and let the minion method do it's thing - end result: about a 6 hour cook with no adding of fuel necessary.

I have the fire bricked 22OTG going right now with a small pork shoulder in it - it's holding 240F nicely.

Make sure you get firebricks, not red clay or concrete bricks - the latter two can shatter.
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Damn.
I'm always seeing other's photos, but never think to take any myself.

One of these days....

Great ideas regarding the beans. Guess I'd have to get a Dutch oven first.... LOL.

Love the food-p*rn guys. Keep up the good work.


(BTW: I'm a Pork Butt guy, mainly.)
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I have an older New Braunfels Black Diamond patio smoker in addition to my tow-behind. I use fire bricks below the cooking grate to help "tune" the cooking chamber temperature. They add thermal mass that helps me maintain temperature longer and uses less fuel. I have also modified the stack height to improve airflow. My wife say's that it's a hold over from racing days of my youth...Hot Rodding the Smoker.
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I'm always up for some BBQ P_m...

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Daaaaaang Steve...you da man!
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Right On Steve! Thats awesome!
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Just pulled this small (4.5lb) pork shoulder off of the bbq - it's now resting in a warm cooler contemplating the meaning of life for the next 30-45 minutes or so.

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(crappy kodak camera doesn't take good photos in low light)

First time I've coated a shoulder with mustard before the rub, not sure if I used too much mustard or if that's how it's supposed to be, but the mustard & rub bark is like frickin' plaster. I think it's a good thing though, since it rendered maybe 1 to 2 TBS of fat into the drip pan for a 6.5-7 hour cook and damn near squirted me when I went to pull the thermometer out.

(keeping fingers crossed)
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