Recent content by Tom Murtiashaw

Two PBs off at 8am today after a 17 1/2 hour smoke. Internal temps at 205. Meat is very moist, with an excellent smoke flavor from using a combination of apple wood and blackjack oak wood. All BBQ has been pulled and seasoned with a little dry rub and North Carolina style vinegar sauce. The...

I am now experimenting more with lump charcoal for grilling because more brands of lump are available in Alaska (at least in stores around Anchorage). My question for you lump experts is how much do you use to start with. I have a Smokey Joe, an 18" OTG and a 22" Performer. With briquettes it's...

Thanks Dave, I may experiment without the pan at the beginning of one cook and then at the end of another to see if there is any noticeable difference. Also the idea about tossing some pieces of fat on the hot coals sounds interesting. Just more reasons to smoke more pb... Tom

I cooked a split turkey breast yesterday in the WSM (top rack) without a pan between the bird and the coals. I used half a ring of Stubbs charcoal lit by the Minion Method. I was able to bring the dome temp to 300 and halt it there with all vents at 25%, then I eased the temp up to 350 by...

No burn off smell. I started using the clay pot saucer this summer and I would never go back to water. I wrap the WSM water pan in heavy duty foil, then double wrap the clay saucer in heavy duty foil and set it right on top of the foiled water pan. (Clean up after the cook is a snap.)After the...

I had some chopped beef brisket in the freezer that was leftover from a smoke I had done several months ago, so I combined that with leftover moose burgers I had grilled this week and a little leftover moose sausage to make a pretty decent chili last night. Nothing fancy, just sauteed about half...

Marietta Old Vine Red from Sonoma. A consistently good wine made from mostly Zinfandel grapes. Usually retails in the $11 to $12 a bottle range. On sale you can sometimes get it for as little as $10.

John, I just ran it under the lid, no tin foil wrap. Good luck with that lottery. Tom

John, I had one of those Taylor therms like you describe with the silicone type insulation on the probe wire and it worked fine in the WSM low or high heat for a couple of years. The unit only stopped working one day for other unknown reasons. I suspect water may have gotten into either the...

What was the temperature in the WSM while you were smoking? If your WSM cooking temp was high or spiked towards the end it could have brought the internal temp on the pb up to 200 without all of the fat and connective tissue having the time to render down. I know from some of my past cooks that...

Copy and paste this link in your browser to go to a NY Times web article on a bbq joint in Hemingway, S.C. An interesting and enjoyable read. Also check out the multimedia links on the left side of the web page for an interactive graphic regarding Chris Lilly and the Big Bob Gibson Bar B-Q team...

Alan, What Don said, I think. I just know it worked well for me. There is a lot of information from other members on this site regarding how a clay pot saucer acts as a heat sink for purposes of keeping temps in the WSM low along with proper vent control. Using the Find button (shown above on...

The clay pot base first cook was a success. Easy to control WSM temp, and fuel consumption was minimal due to using only one lower vent at about 20%. I finally opened all 3 vents 12 hours into the cook and raised the WSM temp to 275 degrees in order to speed up the completion time, otherwise I...

Thanks Paul. I go vents at 100% from the start when I was using water and then dial down, but I just didn't want to risk giving it "too much gas" on this first clay pot base cook until I saw how my WSM was going to respond. I agree, top vent of course always wide open. I am about 7 hours into...

Trying for the first time today a long cook using a clay pot base instead of water in the water pan. I bought a 14 inch clay pot base at HD and double wrapped it in heavy duty aluminum foil and then set it on top of the foil wrapped WSM stock water pan. Fit perfectly. I have a ring full of...