Nick1298

I thought so. Obviously the brisket’s IT will still increase after taking it off. Took the brisket off when it reached 195. It was fairly tender but a bit dry. If resting in foil should it be taken off earlier?

Rest wrapped or unwrapped??

I was thinking 400-500 for a fairly decent one but don’t know how realistic this is? I’d definitely prefer to get one that didn’t need any mods - I'm not that handy in that department!

Hi. I want to invest in a decent offset smoker. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Bought the inkbird 4 probe thermometer and am very proud of the results! Rib of beef and pork belly ribs 😍

Could have done with taking the pork off probably half an hour earlier and wrapping it about an hour before the end I think but was out all day so they were on there from about 11:30 to 18:15. Definitely need to invest in an internal thermometer though, the one on there really doesn’t work!

Great news - round 2 was a resounding success! Great smoke rings on the brisket and fall apart pork shoulder! Minion method worked!

Thanks very much. Yes it was a large Weber chimney. In fairness, I butterflied a whole chicken and cooked it on there - took it off after 3 hours and it was pretty much cooked - just had to stick it in the oven for 5 minutes just to get the legs to temp - so there must have been at least a small amount of heat. The pork shoulder I was cooking however was quite raw in the middle after 4 hours

Yes it is! I think there are a number of things I need to do differently next time - mostly using unlit charcoal as I only used one chimney of lit charcoal the first time round

Will give it a go. I’ll post the result once I’ve tried! Thanks

So basically I need to use the doors as well...

Yeah I’m going to check when I get home but I’m almost certain there isn’t one on the bottom. The damper is on top I believe

For my first ever smoke I just used wood chips in my charcoal smoker. Would people recommend using these or wood chunks? I’m guessing for long, slower cooks chunks would be better but not sure?

I’ll have a second go using all the advise give and then maybe give drilling a few holes ago if I have no luck

Not much of one no. I can obviously leave the door latch open but that doesn’t sound like it’s really enough...

So there literally just a vent at the top and then a small door latch on each of the two compartments

Not the best photo - I’ll try and get a better one

So it was just outside on my decking. It was fairly cold, maybe 6 or 7 degrees? Not too much of a breeze. When I said it barely got above 100 though - that was Fahrenheit! So clearly doing something very wrong! I’m going to try that setup you suggest above. How much hot charcoal would you suggest, about a chimney’s worth?

I find Morrison’s do an excellent range of meat. The quality isn’t bad and it’s fantastic value!

Should I be putting the hot coals onto some non heated charcoal?

Yeah, last resort I guess! Would prefer not to have to mess about with it too much!

I don’t think it’s a particularly well sealed bit of kit as the smoke did seem to be escaping but as it’s brand new, I suspect it’s just down to it being a cheap starter one

Thanks for this Wade. So the only ventilation at the bottom near the coals is a small door latch on the side - from what you describe, probably not ideal. I did use Weber charcoal st the start, so not sure that was the problem. That’s interesting about the wood chips - I’d read that smoking them is better but, as you say, could have been another reason for the struggling temperature. Not sure what the minion method is..? ill try leaving out the water - is just read that it helps keep the meat moist? not able to get a decent pic at the mo due to the lack of light but will post one tomorrow!

Yes it is!