Michael L.
TVWBB Fan
I've been reading this forum for awhile now, and have not seen anyone post this, so I thought I'd share.
I know a lot of people ask/read about smoking on the standard kettle and I've seen things like The Smokenator and The Rib-o-later, and I've seen set ups for foiling and all sorts of things, but I've never seen anyone using this. So here I go. Hope it works.
I got this roasting pan from Wally World for $10 a couple years ago when it was on sale just before Thanksgiving.
It fits perfectly on my grill, and I've done a bunch of chickens on it this way. It even fits perfectly between the two hinges on the cooking grate. I can only show you one because my other hand is holding the camera, but both can open even with the pan on the grill.
I know the WSM uses a ring to hold the charcoal together. So I decided to use my charcoal baskets in reverse fashion to restrain where my charcoal could go during the cooking process.
Mixed in some wood chunks (not chips).
I was finishing one bag of my favorite wood chunks, while starting a new one. So I just dumped the last little bits on top.
This is the final set up.
I went with this set up for a couple reasons. First the hinges open up over the charcoal, so I can add more if needed, or I can throw in some more wood if needed.
Also, I discovered today that my Maverick probe isn't working anymore, so I'm flying blind today for the most part. All I have to work with is the thermometer in the lid. I'll probe the meat later on as I get closer. But this set up allows the thermometer in the lid to sit over empty space instead of parking it directly over hot coals.
Hopefully that will give it a more accurate reading. And since the meat is sitting on a rack, and not on the grill itself, I think the temperature is a little more accurate. Not perfect.. .but hey.. it's what I got.
Flipped my Charcoal Chimney over and lit 6 briquettes using some weber cubes and a stack of bricks.
Then spread them out strategically over my bed of fuel.
Placed the pork shoulder, that had been injected and rubbed with my own ancient chinese secret and left to rest overnight, on the roasting rack and put her on the Performer.
I added some wire to the ends of the cooking rack because I intend to add another smaller roast on part way through the cook, and I didn't want them falling off the sides.
What you see in the bottom of the pan is a last minute dusting of brown sugar. What you don't see in the pictures is that I also put some apple juice in the bottom of the pan. I've never been one to use a water pan in my cooking, but I figured I'd try it this time.
I intend to pull this, refrigerate it, and take it to share at work tomorrow night. So I figure I can catch all the drippings mixed with the apple juice and add it back to the final product when I reheat it for serving.
Anyway.. I think this is a pretty effective method for smoking on a kettle for cheap. It has all the elements of a WSM in my kettle.
<UL TYPE=SQUARE> * I have a controlled charcoal containment system.
* Better air control this way than with a side set up because my coals are directly over all three of the vents instead of off to the side against the wall.
* The pan acts as both a heat shield and as a water pan. [/list]
And.. being that this is a performer... I'll also admit that at first I didn't think the 6 briquettes were catching the rest of the coal going, so I turned on the burner (which is located directly below my bed of fuel) for a minute to speed things up. And it worked great. I might even ditch the whole Chimney thing all together next time. Why bother?
So.. I've got all day cook now. Wish me luck. I'll keep you posted.
I know a lot of people ask/read about smoking on the standard kettle and I've seen things like The Smokenator and The Rib-o-later, and I've seen set ups for foiling and all sorts of things, but I've never seen anyone using this. So here I go. Hope it works.
I got this roasting pan from Wally World for $10 a couple years ago when it was on sale just before Thanksgiving.
It fits perfectly on my grill, and I've done a bunch of chickens on it this way. It even fits perfectly between the two hinges on the cooking grate. I can only show you one because my other hand is holding the camera, but both can open even with the pan on the grill.
I know the WSM uses a ring to hold the charcoal together. So I decided to use my charcoal baskets in reverse fashion to restrain where my charcoal could go during the cooking process.
Mixed in some wood chunks (not chips).
I was finishing one bag of my favorite wood chunks, while starting a new one. So I just dumped the last little bits on top.
This is the final set up.
I went with this set up for a couple reasons. First the hinges open up over the charcoal, so I can add more if needed, or I can throw in some more wood if needed.
Also, I discovered today that my Maverick probe isn't working anymore, so I'm flying blind today for the most part. All I have to work with is the thermometer in the lid. I'll probe the meat later on as I get closer. But this set up allows the thermometer in the lid to sit over empty space instead of parking it directly over hot coals.
Hopefully that will give it a more accurate reading. And since the meat is sitting on a rack, and not on the grill itself, I think the temperature is a little more accurate. Not perfect.. .but hey.. it's what I got.
Flipped my Charcoal Chimney over and lit 6 briquettes using some weber cubes and a stack of bricks.
Then spread them out strategically over my bed of fuel.
Placed the pork shoulder, that had been injected and rubbed with my own ancient chinese secret and left to rest overnight, on the roasting rack and put her on the Performer.
I added some wire to the ends of the cooking rack because I intend to add another smaller roast on part way through the cook, and I didn't want them falling off the sides.
What you see in the bottom of the pan is a last minute dusting of brown sugar. What you don't see in the pictures is that I also put some apple juice in the bottom of the pan. I've never been one to use a water pan in my cooking, but I figured I'd try it this time.
I intend to pull this, refrigerate it, and take it to share at work tomorrow night. So I figure I can catch all the drippings mixed with the apple juice and add it back to the final product when I reheat it for serving.
Anyway.. I think this is a pretty effective method for smoking on a kettle for cheap. It has all the elements of a WSM in my kettle.
<UL TYPE=SQUARE> * I have a controlled charcoal containment system.
* Better air control this way than with a side set up because my coals are directly over all three of the vents instead of off to the side against the wall.
* The pan acts as both a heat shield and as a water pan. [/list]
And.. being that this is a performer... I'll also admit that at first I didn't think the 6 briquettes were catching the rest of the coal going, so I turned on the burner (which is located directly below my bed of fuel) for a minute to speed things up. And it worked great. I might even ditch the whole Chimney thing all together next time. Why bother?
So.. I've got all day cook now. Wish me luck. I'll keep you posted.
