I use a dry rub, I cake both sides and let it sit while I get the smoker going, I always struggle with the heat but it sits at 250ish. I cooked about two hours and then wrapped for another hour. The bone comes out clean but the ribs usually are a little tougher

Funny thing about bbq comps is that you can turn in the perfect product and get 7's and 8's, or turn in basically shit and get a call. Several years ago we were doing the now defunct Great American BBQ out at the old dog track in KCK. I was in charge of the chicken that year. I normally debone and brine my thighs, trim the skin (don't scrape it), then smoke and glaze finish them.
We stayed up way too late and drank way too much beer and rum. I didn't get up in time to get my chicken prepped. In fact, I only had about an hour until turn in. I grabbed some drumsticks I had brought to grill up for lunch. I put them in a plastic bag with my rub and shook it around, think shake and bake. They were totally crusted with rub, lol. Knowing I had no time to smoke them and get them done, I put a chimney of charcoal in the old weber kettle that we use to keep coals ready to load onto the smoker. I grilled them over high heat, turning them constantly. They developed a nice color and char. Then I sauced them and continued to turn them constantly, developing even more char and layers. I put them in the turn in box and we all laughed our asses off. Well, you guessed it, we got a call for chicken and a 9th place ribbon out of 212 teams.
I tried to replicate it the following year and ended up with middle of the pack scores. Must've just got the right table of dumbassed judges.

So what's an easy way to smoke chicken thighs and legs and get good smoke flavor, but also get crispy skin? Smoke low at 225F till ??? and then crank to 400F or something till the skin crisps up? Then glaze?

Or maybe just roast at 375F with a smoke tube?

This is soooooo true. After a few too many years of that we started having friendlies at a friend's farm (who owns a landscaping business), and it was so much cooler. His landscaping clients were, perhaps, the big winners. The competition was just as competitive, just as serious, but the judging was done by peers not competing in that area (you couldn't compete in them all). I'll never go back. At the end of the day we camped at his pond, rode horses, drove tractors, did horse rides, and (in my case) watched lawn tractor races.

There was never a better competition I spent money on to get a table of judges who made you scratch your head.

Broil them to finish off for a crispy skin

Mapp gas torch

There really isn't an easy way to get them smoked just right and crispy skin for competition. If you are doing it for home, smoke em up like usual then put them skin side up under your broiler for about 4 minutes to crisp them up. Or you could put them skin side down over coals, but then you better be careful bout the skin sticking to the grill.

I'd just smoke them at 250 for about 2hrs with just rub on them, then flip em and crisp them over coals. Then glaze.

Get 'em before it's gone -- make sure to log in or make an account for free shipping

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Royal-Oak-1...tes/1000175405

Smoking a Ham in a maple glaze on Friday.

Does this burn longer than Kingsfords regular charcoal?

Not Kingsford match light.

Good question as I am not sure. I do know that I like the flavor a heck lot more than Kingsford, though.

The length of burn is a little shorter than Kingsford, but Royal Oak burns substantially hotter than Kingsford.

Kingsford redesigned their briquette with the ridges supposedly for easier lighting a few years back. At the same time they introduced the pro line. Must of us that used Kingsford noticed right off the bat burn length went downhill. The pro briquettes burn like the old original.

I'll give these a whirl I used to use Royal Oak years ago because it was cheaper but used to be a bitch to light and stay lit.

Threw some chicken quarters on the Rec Tec. Smoking 285 for an hour or so, then I'll flip for 30-45 minutes skin down, and them let them get to temp.

Memorial day weekend should be $9.99 now 12.88

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I have been using the 12 lb KF Pro I bought @ $2.88

Almost done. And done. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...d74c09f3ec.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...bb9227de8d.jpg

Cross posting from the dinner thread.

I have four filet mignon I need to cook up tomorrow. I was originally thinking sous vide and sear hot and fast. But now thinking maybe reverse sear on the smoker and finish hot and fast.

What should I do?

Two and two. Might be more work, but could be an interesting head to head comparison for future reference.

That's a good idea.

Tell the wife to get to work and crack open a drink.

Did burgers on the rec tec tonight. Those grill grates are amazing. Better char than my gas grill. Have been nothing but happy with this purchase.

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Flip them upside down, bro.

Did this time, right now just seeing how things work different ways.

damn man do you ever have a bad smoke? Well done sir, looks damn tasty.

Royal Oak Premium 9 bucks for 36 lbs. If you need briquettes now not bad if not I wait till Kingsfords holliday pricing.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Royal-Oak...kl1YMX-I0uc2o0

https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/fa0...d&odnBg=ffffff

May need to do this. Dammit, I just picked up 40# of B&B at Academy Sports.

I'm breaking out the Weber kettle and tossing on a pack of chicken. I haven't had BBQ chicken for a couple of years, I figured I was due.

:eek:

It looks like classic non ridged. I don't know whats best, but some of it I swear has sand in it

I am set till Memorial day but still haven't seen the deals appear. isn't the Kingsford $10 for 2 18lbers?

Reverse searing these big ass filets today. Should get a touch of smoke from the reverse sear on the Stampede. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...129dad71ea.jpg

Anyone ever have trouble lighting lump charcoal? I've never used this B&B, but it's just not taking a light in the chimney.

Not those B&B Charcoal Logs? I tried some of those recently and did not like them at all. I think they left a filmy taste on my food. They didn't burn very good and I start my charcoal on a Blackstone propane burner.

Not logs, but they're pretty big chunks.

Which CPer is this?

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Lump can be a bitch to start I normally place them among already started briquets. Some people just soak with charcoal lighter fluid but I get the hate for that. The best way was mentioned I have a old turkey fryer burner I use and just place the chimney over it but find briquets already glowing then placing works.

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Dammed that looks good even a little smoke line.

On my chimney, I soak one sheet of newspaper with bacon grease and then use 2-3 sheets of dry stuff, starts about everything.

Blackstone burner I like that idea.

We tried soaking it in out, didn't help.

Trying these little Weber starter cubes next.

I use starter squares with lump right in the basin. Mostly because I don't like using a chimney on a wood penthouse deck with other families living in the building. That said, the starter squares always get it done for me, although they can take longer than a chimney would depending on the conditions.

I'm going to run up to the store and buy some Ground Beef to make burgers, and some beer. I need to do a Home Depot run for a few small supplies for a frame I am making to hang steel targets at my shooting club. Otherwise, that's about it. I just finished doing a crapload of yardwork.

Just grilled up two small chuckeye steaks, five cajun chicken breasts and a pack of regular brats... tonight’s delicious steak and fries dinner, and a weeks worth of work lunches in one shot

#lifehacks

Still cold and raining, screw smoking meat today, the injection will be better tomorrow anyway.

Call me wuss if you want.

Johnsonville sweet brats, on George Foreman, onions and peppers served over homemade Cavatappi and white cheddar sauce

I have never used B&B lump only Royal Oak and Cowboy which was awful. It almost sounds like it was stored outside in a humid environment. A mix of dryer lint and candle wax is a boy scout fire starting concoction.

I bet Inmem58 could have it glowing in no time.

Wow, I've never had that problem. Perhaps put the chimney on some bricks for more air?

Smoked chicken thighs and brats. Used pecan in the offset at 300. Homemade rub.

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Homemade Gates bbq sauce

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Keep it gangster

What's the white shit in the sauce? You using the Ollie Gates recipes he gave Martha Stewart? I don't think he left out any secret ingredients; it tastes just like what they use in the restaurants.

Yes sir, I did use that recipe. It’s garlic powder!

I love this damn sauce. It’s way better than the molasses shit we have here in Cali. Sweet Baby Rays is pretty good though, but I don’t think that’s Cali product?

Garlic powder I suspect. :shrug:

Correct-a-mundo

Where do you all get your wood for smoking? I get mine at Academy Sports down here in Florida.. cheapest place I have found yet.

Looks like there are a couple of those up in KC area.

Home Depot or Walmart.

Both have the same brand of wood chunks I use.

Doh.. no Academy Sports within 250 miles of you apparently.. :: chuckle ::

They got really large bags of wood for $15 usually.. sometimes on sale for $10.

https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/b-b...dCatid=5152562

Best deal I have found and they have probably 6 varieties of wood like that. Bags are roughly 3 feet by 1.5 feet and packed full of large chunks.

I go to guys who go out in the woods and cut it. $25 for a full size car's trunk load or $75 for a "can't take another stick" truckload. oak, wild cherry, pecan all bark free,
Local guys get good fruit (apple, pear, cherry) woods and I take a 1/4 truck load for a quarter.

Wally's works for filler but it's crap.

*******a long term marinated, not pumped rump roast and drunken tomatillo chicken thighs

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Dayum that looks perfect.

Hopefully no smoke alarms going off:D

Wow. NOICE! Must have been the garlic powder!

Put it in a cardboard egg carton for convenience.

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Sweet Baby Ray's comes out of the BBQ hot bed of Chicago Illinois.

I smoked a 4lb rump roast (prime) with Stubb's beef marinade. then cooked the leftover marinade and strained and injected the remainder

I bathed for a day some B/S thighs in Tomatillo sauce and smoked themeat 195 for about 3h ours.

Beef was juicy and tender but cooked to M/R:shake: I will slice it wafer thin for sammies.

The chicken was great, tender like butter and the taste begged for super hot bbq sauce.

I will be doing this again with a twist of tequila for the chicken, a little more rare for the beef.

I cooked some mini-pizzas on my new Big Green Egg. Did some experimenting with temperatures and cook times. Pretty happy with the outcome. May have put too many wood chunks on to get a smokey flavor this first time around.

Plan on smoking some baby backs on it in a couple of weeks.

my wife nominated me to cook for the high school baseball team banquet. There were 80 people total so I used my comp teams stick burner on a trailer. Honestly, it's impressive to see but a pain in the ass to cook on compared to my WSM as the temps fluctuate and are uneven from side to side. Anyhow, 12 hours later, after this pic was taken, I drove the entire smoker to the HS parking lot and just served the meat right off the smoker. I had to empty the fire box first of course. 10 slabs of baby backs, and 5 pork shoulders cut in quarters to speed cook time and increase bark. It was a big hit.

Need some tuning plates in it? Or was it hard to hold the whole thing at temp?

It’s an old Oklahoma Joe’s commercial smoker, so it has the tuning plate. Unfortunately one side is still generally about 50 to 70° hotter than the other although it gets better as the meat gets hot. It’s more of a pain just to keep rotating the meat for the first several hours

By tuning plate, I'm assuming you mean the pull bar I can pull in or out that shuts to hole to the firebox lower end? This smoker also has a large tube that runs the length of the smoker. The tube has holes that gradually get larger as they go away from the firebox, thus, in theory, having more heat go to the farther end. I've been using this thing to feed the masses of people at our comps for years but never use it for meat we turn in because
1. it really smokes the meat more than I prefer
2. rotating meat on a hot smoker is a pain in the ass

Looks great but why remove the fire again. I don't comprehend.

Smoked a couple filets on the RecTec at 180 until the filets were to 130. Then cranked the RT and seared at 550. Good stuff.

Smithfield bone-in pork shoulder. 15 more hours to go.

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Nothing this weekend but for shit's and giggles I think I'm going to subscribe to this https://www.bbqbox.com/?sscid=51k3_jcz90this

Got bored cooking on my gas grill and got myself an early Father's Day present.

Now if it would just stop ****ing raining for a few minutes I might get to break it out this weekend.

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Did you run out of money after buying the performer and had to start drinking Busch Light?

3 racks, 2 chickens, pork butt

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3 weeks with a smoker in the bedroom. For the ****ing love of god, please stop raining long enough so this job can get finished :deevee:

I'm smoking vicariously through y'all this weekend.

Yup. Maybe I can grill some Bar-S hotdogs and Dollar General ribeyes.

ROFL

Smoking some pork belly tomorrow . I haven't decided if I'm doing burnt ends or just plain smoked pork belly.

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Looking at the weather I think I can do my brisket this weekend. Might rain for part of the smoke but I think I can get it done.

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We got ribs, Tri tip, chicken thighs, hot links & hot dogs for the kids! 3 days of bbq & then I’m fasting for a week 🤣