Welcome Dave to day 2 of my 5-Day Smoking Basics eCourse where I will be teaching you what I know about learning to smoke meat over an open flame. I have geared this course toward those who use charcoal or wood as a heat source as opposed to propane, electric, etc.
Yesterday, as you know, we dealt with picking out good meat for smoking such as choosing the perfect brisket, pork shoulder, rack of ribs, etc. and what to look for when you are at the meat counter of your favorite meat market or other place where you buy meat.
This second installment will deal with another very important aspect of smoking.. creating the heat source .
Building Your Fire
This is something that new smokers get frustrated with.. not necessarily the building of the fire because most of us are pretty good at that and it is extremely fun.. but the maintaining. Maintaining a consistent temperature in that smoker has got to be the most aggravating thing in the world for beginners.
Hopefully I will be able to give you some pointers here that will relieve some of that frustration and give you the skills you need to not only build a perfect fire but keep it up for hours on end.
Let me begin by saying that you should be using a good lump charcoal made from 100% hardwood as opposed to that briquette made of who knows what.
Lump charcoal will do you well.. trust me on that one!
I like to use the little paraffin fire starters which you simply light and lay down in the bottom of the charcoal pan or firebox. Arrange a pile of lump charcoal over the fire starter (the size of your pile will be directly proportionate to the size of your smoker and firebox). The average vertical Brinkmann or ECB (El Cheapo Brinkmann) will require about a 2 gallon bucket to get started.
You will then want to use a separate container to light another batch of lump charcoal in the same manner.. this will be used to replenish the coals in the charcoal pan or firebox in the smoker itself.
I want to detour for a minute here to explain a couple of mods you can do to the ECB to help it maintain a better temp and just burn better overall.
Mods for the ECB
The ECB does not have a smoke stack. It has a door which you can open or close to any degree to try and control the heat but this doesn't really work that well.
The first thing you want to do is take the charcoal pan and using a drill motor with a 1/8 inch drill, create a hole pattern in opposite sides of the pan. the pattern should be about 4 inches in diameter with the holes spaced at about 1/4 inch. This will allow more air into the charcoal pan creating a better burn.
You will also want to create a 4 inch round hole pattern in the lid of the ECB smoker in the same manner as before and with the same size drill. You will then need to cut a 5 inch round piece of light weight sheet metal or aluminum attached at one edge with a single sheet metal screw to allow it to swivel open and closed. This will be your outlet damper to control the flow of smoke from your smoker.
Drop me a line if you need further clarification on these mods to the ECB.
The Minion Method
A method that also seems to work well for maintaining a steady temp in the smoker is known as the minion method. This is simply loading your charcoal pan with charcoal and then placing red hot coals right on top of the unlit coals. As the red hot coals burn they slowly light the coals below and very steadily work their way to the bottom.
I have heard folks say they kept a vertical smoker going for 6 to 8 hours with little or no help using this method. If you are interested in learning more about this method, go to www.google.com and do a search for "minion method" in quotes. You will find lots of great information on the subject.
If you decide to just use the original method I mentioned above.. you will simply light the charcoal in the pan or firebox, light the charcoal in the extra container and as the smoke progresses you will add a few coals each 45 minutes to an hour from the container to the pan or firebox to maintain the right temperature which in most cases should be around 225 degrees.
Using the Water Pan
Ever wonder what the water pan is really for? It serves a couple of purposes one of which is the source of much debate. The first purpose is to help control the temp inside the smoker.
Water boils at 212 degrees.. as the water gets hot and begins to boil it starts putting off lots of steam which mixes with the air in the smoker and naturally strives to regulate the ambient temperature in the smoker to its own temperature just as ice in a warm glass of tea affects its surroundings and brings the temperature of the liquid down to a much colder state like itself.
The second purpose is something that is argued about quite a bit.. some believe that the steam creates moister air and that serves to keep the meat more moist in the smoker. I have not seen evidence of that personally but I will let you decide that for yourself.
Some smokers like to put various liquids in the water pan such as apple juice, wine, seasonings, etc which they believe influences the taste of the meat. There again.. I have no solid proof that it really works that way but you should try it for yourself and make your own decision.
That wraps up this session on building a fire and maintaining consistent temperature in the smoker. If you have any further questions allow me to direct you to our forum at www.smokingmeatforums.com where we have many seasoned experts ready and willing to answer your questions about smoking meat.
For more excellent tutorials, recipes, tips and advice, visit our website at smoking-meat.com
Tomorrow we will look at influencing the flavor of the meat which will include brining, marinating, mopping and the proper use of dry rubs and sauces. If you have any questions please feel free to drop me an email at jeff@smoking-meat.com or post your question at www.SmokingMeatForums.com
