Recent content by Kevin Kurka

The sausage is a good touch. Brown it first in another skillet and drain it well and it'll not add any appreciable fat to the recipe. As for cooking time, all the ingredients are essentially cooked prior to combining, so there's really no minimum cook time. If you put on the smoker at...

I've put 3 chickens on the top rack and it was a little tight. Four might be pushing it if they're not quite small. As to the bottom rack, I don't think I'd be worried about the chicken juices contaminating product below. Here are the assumptions I'm basing this on: 1. The food is all put...

Buy a roll of Jimmy Dean (or your other favorite). Roll it lightly in whatever rub you are using that day. Toss it on the smoker. Run it up to 155-160, remove, rest for at least 10 minutes, and enjoy. There's no smoking easier.

I pull the grates and put them on the gasser and fire it up, then brush em. Quick, clean and easy.

Alton Brown, I believe, suggests using a heated cast iron skillet on top. Might be cheaper and use less cabinet space than a rarely-used electrical device.

Got mine today.

To add to what Bryan said, I also use my gasser to season. No mess in the oven and no smoke in the house. Really keeps the wife off my case, and I need all the help I can get!

I used the base of my Smokey Joe as a pit and had no problems. Left in the charcoal grate and didn't make a raging inferno and it was fine. My only regret is that I didn't have a Dutch oven there to make a cobbler.

I've seen some groups do a crab boil in them. Our scout troop also uses a turkey fryer for omelets in a bag. Basically, get REALLY GOOD ziploc freezer bags (don't skimp or they'll break) and crack a couple eggs in them and mix in your favorite omelets fixings. Drop them into boiling water...

I'm cheap and lazy. I just cut a 4x8 sheet of plywood in thirds and reconnected the pieces with piano hinges. It makes a nice triangle around the cooker and leaves just a small gap at the front should I need to access the door or front vent.

I usually like to throw a mess of brats and sausages on after I take my main dish off and toss on another bit of smokewood. I prefer apple, myself. I smoke them up to 165 or so and then repackage them for future. Then when the wife and I don't feel like cooking, we can throw a pack of brats...

Ahh...the instruction manual that comes with the smoker... Most people here recommend that, after you finish with the assembly instructions that you use that manual to start your first chimney of charcoal. That's just how much good it really is.

The ones in the photo had been sauced, I believe. That will make them appear redder than the bark actually is. Probably an optical illusion. Normally black product is the result of sugar carmelization.

Once there is a temperature gradient in the water bowl, natural convection starts to occur. The water moves around in the bowl and mixes as it receives and rejects heat to and from the air and various surfaces, resulting in a fairly well-mixed sample.

Luke, you better put a butt that big on a lot earlier than midnight if you're figuring on eating it for lunch tomorrow. I'd try more like noon today. You can always foil and hold but making it hurry up could be a trick. For something that big, I'd probably shoot for 250 or maybe even 275...