Ordered a Tamale Steamer

[Raz]

We enjoy bar b que. Easy to find when we travel south, but not so here in Vermont. So I have decided to build a smoker. I started looking at 55 gallon drum designs but that's just too big. It occurred to me that I could convert my Weber Smokey Joe grill into a small smoker with a piece of sheet metal. I did an internet search for ideas and much to my delight some genius had the perfect solution, a $20 tamale steamer sold by Walmart. I quickly ordered one hoping to beat the price increase, tarrifs are coming.

Mini WSM Plans: Smokey Joe Smoker

http://www.walmart.com/ip/IMUSA-USA-...ilver/13370045


So, I'm wondering if anyone here has built and/or used a Smokey Joe Smoker. Any suggestions, stories, etc. are welcome. Raz

[John in Michigan]

We have also enjoyed southern bar b que beef and pork, all the way from NC to TX, and points in between.

My dad was born in southern VA and he experimented with various meats in his large cast iron charcoal grill. It also included a charcoal smoker box that he used occasionally. He tried rotisserie turkey and smoked beef brisket.

On our gas grill, DW has prepared rotisserie beef brisket. It is marinated, then roasted on the rotisserie at low temperature for several hours. Wonderful flavor.

[J Ron]

Many people mistakenly think barbequeing is a way of cooking. In the South Barbeque is a food. How it is cooked is irrelevent, it is pork with a sauce on it, I prefer a vinegar base sauce. It can be cooked on the grill, in the oven, in a crock pot or most any other way. I suspect steaming it would not produce the desired result but since I've never cooked it that way I can't say for sure.

Be careful cooking it, it is easy to over cook and be dry. Barbeque is a delicate food. It can be ruined if warmed wrong. Best warmed lightly in a skillet. Monitor the interior temp. closely when cooking. After cooking it can be pulled or chopped, do this while it is still fairly hot so it can be enjoyed right away.

In Atlanta you can order inside or outside BBQ. they cook the exterior crispy, I enjoy both.

Best of luck to you, I bet your efforts will produce pleasant returns. Learning to prepare something I enjoy and it turning out well is a great pleasure.

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by Raz

We enjoy bar b que. Easy to find when we travel south, but not so here in Vermont. So I have decided to build a smoker. I started looking at 55 gallon drum designs but that's just too big. It occurred to me that I could convert my Weber Smokey Joe grill into a small smoker with a piece of sheet metal. I did an internet search for ideas and much to my delight some genius had the perfect solution, a $20 tamale steamer sold by Walmart. I quickly ordered one hoping to beat the price increase, tarrifs are coming.

Mini WSM Plans: Smokey Joe Smoker

http://www.walmart.com/ip/IMUSA-USA-...ilver/13370045

So, I'm wondering if anyone here has built and/or used a Smokey Joe Smoker. Any suggestions, stories, etc. are welcome. Raz

We bought a Masterbuilt smoker and found a website at jeff@smoking-meat.com handy. He has a lot of smoker recipes. Just google How to Smoke Meats and you'll find a lot of help. My family loved my smoked turkey one Thanksgiving so much that the roasted one didn't get eaten very much. You can smoke ribs then add sauce when almost done and let it crystalize a little. Puts all the BBQ restaurants to shame. I use cherry, apple, whiskey barrel and hickory wood chips for smoking. Cherry and apple makes the meat a little sweeter but not overly so.

[Dennis mn]

Jann provided good information. You really don’t need to modify the Smokey Joe to smoke meat. Just fire up the grill, turn the heat down a bit to give you low and slow, put some hardwood on the charcoal. Meat on the grill. Sit back and relax, wait a couple of hours, then enjoy. I think that the secret is a low cooking temp. I have also found that too much wood creates a bitter, off taste in the meat.

[stude]

Originally Posted by Raz

We enjoy bar b que. Easy to find when we travel south, but not so here in Vermont. So I have decided to build a smoker. I started looking at 55 gallon drum designs but that's just too big. It occurred to me that I could convert my Weber Smokey Joe grill into a small smoker with a piece of sheet metal. I did an internet search for ideas and much to my delight some genius had the perfect solution, a $20 tamale steamer sold by Walmart. I quickly ordered one hoping to beat the price increase, tarrifs are coming.

Mini WSM Plans: Smokey Joe Smoker

http://www.walmart.com/ip/IMUSA-USA-...ilver/13370045


So, I'm wondering if anyone here has built and/or used a Smokey Joe Smoker. Any suggestions, stories, etc. are welcome. Raz

:Raz when on sale we picked up BBQ with full smoker built into it, called a Vector Smoke Hollow we paid $119.00 US$$ On sale at Camping World about 2-3 years ago.
stude

[Raz]

Thank you all for the good information and encouragement. We've had bar b que in Viginia and North Carolina, both east and west. No matter where you go they say theirs is the best. They're right, of course.

I was hoping to have the smoker built by now and in use. Unfortunately my free Walmart two day shipping has turned into a 5 day and counting Fedex adventure. My Tamale steamer is lost in the wilds of Georgia due to snow. Snow. In Georgia. Most unfortunate. Meanwhile the other two items I ordered (to get the free two day shipping) arrived last night. After twelve hours on the road the driver delivered my order and then got stuck. Two wheel drive delivery van with summer tires on snow covered mountain roads. We got him unstuck and on his way. Unfortunately he'll be back once the Tamale steamer escapes from Georgia. I'll keep you posted.

[War Eagle]

Growing up in Colorado, barbecue was beef, but here in Alabama, it's pork. Then there is the sauce - red (tomato base), yellow (mustard base) and white (mayonnaise base) each with varying amounts of vinegar, sugar and cayenne pepper to taste. But it all starts with, as others have said, your favorite meat cooked low and slow. We bought a small smoker several years back (Brinkman PitMaster Deluxe; firebox on the left, meat pit on the right), and my wife has mastered smoking everything from pork ribs to chicken to salmon - and sometimes, all at the same time. The meat pit is hotter on the left near the firebox, and cooler on the right near the smoke chimney. So you can vary which meats you want to cook at what temperature over time just by where you place them on the grill. Yummmmm.

[rbryan]

A proper pit Dale. Always makes me chuckle when folks talk about BBQ when what they really are referring to is a grill. You'll find a BBQ pit like that one in just about every backyard here in Texas. Flavor is largely a product of the type of wood used, and the rub. Sauce optional.

[War Eagle]

Originally Posted by rbryan

A proper pit Dale. Always makes me chuckle when folks talk about BBQ when what they really are referring to is a grill. You'll find a BBQ pit like that one in just about every backyard here in Texas. Flavor is largely a product of the type of wood used, and the rub. Sauce optional.

I've been hosted to a backyard "barbie" in England when they were simply talking about grilling outside. Regardless, they knew what they were doing with that grill! Yummmm again, but with a British accent this time!

[War Eagle]

Originally Posted by rbryan

... Flavor is largely a product of the type of wood used, and the rub. Sauce optional.

Our standard is charcoal briquettes with pre-soaked hickory chips, but we also keep some pecan, apple and cherry chips around for a little variety. I imagine there is a lot of mesquite used in Texas. These are a couple of our more spicy go-to rubs/spices (photo).

[rbryan]

Originally Posted by War Eagle

Our standard is charcoal briquettes with pre-soaked hickory chips, but we also keep some pecan, apple and cherry chips around for a little variety. I imagine there is a lot of mesquite used in Texas. These are a couple of our more spicy go-to rubs/spices (photo).

Yep, mesquite is used quite a bit here, but it's a very strong smoke and not at all suitable for some types of meat. I'd never use it on pork for example. I've tried the Butt Rub in your photo and it is indeed spicy. I have my own rub recipe, but nobody's getting it out of me till they put me in the ground.

[Raz]

This is my favorite rub. It's a variation of a rub published by Weber. Good on pork and chicken, especially beer can chicken. I apply a day or two ahead. Enjoy, Raz

1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp granulated onion
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp pepper

[War Eagle]

Originally Posted by Raz

This is my favorite rub. It's a variation of a rub published by Weber. Good on pork and chicken, especially beer can chicken. I apply a day or two ahead. Enjoy, Raz

1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp granulated onion
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp pepper

Thanks for sharing! We'll call it "Raz's Rub" and give it a try next time we fire up the smoker. Grilling/smoking season is just around the corner here in the South.

[Raz]

As I said the folks at Weber deserve most of the credit. I've never had a smoker so I can't say what effect the smoke will have on the flavor but it's good on grilled food. Do let me know what you think.

[k corbin]

Originally Posted by Raz

We enjoy bar b que. Easy to find when we travel south, but not so here in Vermont. So I have decided to build a smoker. I started looking at 55 gallon drum designs but that's just too big. It occurred to me that I could convert my Weber Smokey Joe grill into a small smoker with a piece of sheet metal. I did an internet search for ideas and much to my delight some genius had the perfect solution, a $20 tamale steamer sold by Walmart. I quickly ordered one hoping to beat the price increase, tarrifs are coming.
So, I'm wondering if anyone here has built and/or used a Smokey Joe Smoker. Any suggestions, stories, etc. are welcome. Raz

The tariff on aluminum is 10% and that tariff is not being applied to aluminum produced in the USA. Canada or Mexico. We do get a lot of aluminum materials from Canada. So the price increase on your pot would not amount to more than two dollars at the most if it was being made from imported aluminum and if it was being imported as a finished product from countries other than Canada and Mexico. I just bought a steel mounting bracket for my TV that was made in Canada, no tariffs on it.

[Raz]

Well, it took FedEx three tries but they were able to deliver my tamale steamer. A few dings but nothing major. The bottom fits the Smokey Joe like a glove. Very stable. On top the lid is a hair small and will need some tweaking. The grill fits inside with about 1/8" to spare. The indent a few inches up from the bottom will hold the grill for cooking taller food like chicken that normally the lid would touch. A few screws will keep it at the top for smoking.

As winter has returned bringing us 30" of snow in the last week I don't see a bar b que opportunity for a while, so I'm going to study my options before proceeding. More to come.

[Alf S.]

Originally Posted by Raz

This is my favorite rub. It's a variation of a rub published by Weber. Good on pork and chicken, especially beer can chicken. I apply a day or two ahead. Enjoy, Raz

1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp granulated onion
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp pepper

Hi: Raz... Sounds good as long as it doesn't rub you the wrong way!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Casita Greg]

Put my Costco 6 Lb Brisket "flat" in the fridge yesterday with my dry rub on it. (I like Costco's meat, but they don't carry the full "Packer Brisket" with both the point and the flat. All they stock are "cryovac" flats.) Rather than the traditional corned beef I usually do for St Patty's Day, I'm going to make this brisket instead.

I'm gonna inject a little low sodium beef broth in it before I put it in my new Cuisinart smoker for dinner tonight. I figure that it will be a good chunk of meat to break in my new smoker. I plan on using Oak chips, and run it at about 220~225 degrees, and when the brisket hits about 150 degrees F, (aka, the "stall,") I'll wrap it in heavy duty foil, (aka "Texas crutch,") add a little more beef broth in the bottom of the foil, and transfer it to the oven with temp probe inserted. Perfect temp to shoot for is 203 degrees F, and rest it in one of my insulated coolers for a few hours wrapped in the foil and a towel around it. Toss it under the broiler without the foil for a couple of minutes to firm up the bark before serving. Yum!

This my new present "from me to me."
https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-COS...isinart+smoker

My dry rub recipe for beef, (makes about half a cup.)

Ingredients:
Kosher Salt, (1/2 tsp/per Lb. of meat)
3 Tbsp. Black Pepper, (course grind)
1 Tbsp. White Sugar, (granulated)
1 Tbsp. Onion Powder
2 tsp. Mustard Powder
2 tsp. Garlic Powder
2 tsp. Ancho Powder
1 tsp. Chipotle Powder

[Raz]

Sounds good. We'll all be over for dinner. . Have to confess I've never been to a Costco. The nearest one is about 75 miles from here.