Latest picture.
Had beans for lunch.
Started out with Mesquite and finishing with Hickory.
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This may very well be some of the best BBQ I have had in a very very long time.
I know it is the best from this offset smoker.
Not smokey, not bitter and not burned.
The ribs and chicken were over the top, not over cooked and tender too.:yes:
I cant get over how tender and good the one rib was I ate.
And no foil wrap to boot.

The brown sugar spice rub I dreamed up was an experiment and it was a fantastic success.
Very happy I decided to do this today.:D:D

Looks good!!! I haven't eaten BBQ in a while and today might be the day.

[QUOTE=Rajun Gardener;742522]Looks good!!! I haven't eaten BBQ in a while and today might be the day.[/QUOTE]

It was good, just about got the offset smoker figured out.
My problem is I am just about burned out on offset smoked BBQ before it is time to eat it.

Got some packed for lunch tomorrow though. :yes:

Homemade pickled okra too.

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All this talk about BBQ brisket made me go down and get one today.
I chose the one with the thickest flat end and it also turned out to be the smallest.

Trimmed the nasty outside layer of locker plant fat off and covered liberally with 2/3 coarse ground black pepper and about 1/3 kosher salt.
No fancy rubs.
It is now resting outside to get to room temperature while the fire is getting ready.
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I was thinking the same thing. I'm out of my freezer stock of smoked brisket, I use it in ramen and sandwiches for a quick lunch.

I also bought two packs of bratwurst and a pack of my favorite hotlinks to go on later.
In the refrigerator is one of the biggest watermelons I have seen in a coons age.
It was already cool when I bought it for a little over 5 dollars.
It almost didn't fit.
The brisket weighed 11 pounds more or less after trimming.
Gonna cook unwrapped all the way to the end.
Humidity in the 40's so I have a bowl of water in the smoker and spray the meat with water about every 1.5 hours.
That is the only time I look at it.
The rest of the time I am keeping it around 275 to 300 F degrees F on the point end and 225 F on the flat end.
Fat side up, point towards fire box.
Smoke barely perceptible most of the time.
Reading a book and cat napping in the house because it is 100 F outside.
I will take a pictuer and post it 4 hours into the cook at around 2:00PM the next time I spray it with water.

Here it is four hours into the cook.
I haven't moved it flipped it or anything since it went in and wont.
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That's a nice start!

Eight hours in.
You can tell the sun is starting to go down.
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What BBQ would be complete without potato salad?
Here is my E-Z potato salad.
Equal parts.
Mayonnaise.
Mustard.
Dill relish.
Sweet relish.
Finley chopped onion.

Equal parts red and Russet potato.
Peel the russet potatoes.
Mix first ingredients first.
Adjust to taste.
Then add potatoes and mix.
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Show me your meat Big Boy.:chck::smkrd:

[QUOTE=Rajun Gardener;745504]Show me your meat Big Boy.:chck::smkrd:[/QUOTE]

Coming soon.:twisted:

Pulled it at 180 F because it said it was tender.
You can't undo dried out flat end.
Now it has to slowly cool off.
Sausage in the smoker.
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Glad I did flat end tender and juicy. :yes:
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Oh hell yeah.
Point not cooled off enough yet eating flat end and fresh bratwurst.
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That looks good! That layer of fat is nothing but flavor especially on the flat.

I saw that first pic last night before I went to bed and dreamed of brisket. I have on in the smoker now and plan on it being done by 4.

[QUOTE=Rajun Gardener;745520]That looks good! That layer of fat is nothing but flavor especially on the flat.

I saw that first pic last night before I went to bed and dreamed of brisket. I have on in the smoker now and plan on it being done by 4.[/QUOTE]

I need to figure out some way to get this thing to hold more heat.
It eats wood because the metal is so thin.
I'm honestly considering fireplace tiles or some sort of insulation.

That's one of the reasons I did all those modifications to mine, the other was to distribute the heat as evenly as possible across the grates.

I lowered the firebox to let the heat flow easier into the cook chamber.

Installed 1/4" plates in the bottom of the cook chamber to hold heat and spread it out evenly. It works like a baffle that are an after market item you can buy.

And lowered the exhaust to the grate level to hold the heat in longer. Most of the high end pits do this, even Franklins pits are famous for that style.

Even with all those mods I still have to throw a log in about every 20 minutes. I buy my wood from an old guy who sells firewood and cut the splits in half, that maintains 225-275 depending on the wind and temperature.

If you want to spend more cash on a new smoker Walmart is starting to mark down smokers and the Oklahoma Joe Barrel smoker is a fuel saving smoker that cooks excellent. Some people found them for $74 up to $184 marked down from $299.

Enter your zipcode and check your stores.
[url]https://brickseek.com/walmart-inventory-checker?sku=475458441[/url]

I did lower the fire box hole but there is nothing you can do to make the thin metal retain heat.
The temps inside are perfect for the way I cook you just have to keep stoking the thing.

It is like a cast iron kettle will boil and keep boiling at a much lower amount of BTU's at the burner than an aluminum or thin metal one will.
There is no replacement for mass.

I know, that's why you do the other things to help it hold heat. You can make a new firebox out of thick walled pipe, that might help but there's a reason these are called COS=cheap offset smokers.

It's a starter smoker and a BBQ grill at best, the rest is up to the user to make it work. That's why people who smoke all the time buy a good, thick metal offset. These days it doesn't pay to spend 1K on a good offset considering all the options available that are basically an easy bake smoker that takes less time to run and burn less fuel.

You could always use it to smoke for the first 3 hours then finish it in the oven and that's what I'm gonna do from now on but I'll use the pellet smoker to finish it.

OR YOU CAN BUILD ONE!! I know you have the tools and you can take your time to build it the way you want it. A custom offset with a vertical box for low heat smoking is what you need to do sausage and the other smoked/cured meats you make.

Check out this guy from Louisiana that makes them to sell in his back yard. If you dig through his channel he explains all the tips and tricks he's discovered along the way.
[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-nd32AU5IQ[/url]

I look at the video tonight.
I prefer to finish off in the Dutch Oven it is more energy efficient. :)

Saw the video, I am looking at 1/4 to 5/16 thick steel at least if I built one.
But more than likely would build one from fire brick.

One of my young coworkers last name of Nunez found this on the side of the road and has been asking me questions and advice on how to restore it.
Rust removal shelves and so on.
Here is what he did.
Looks nice and very proud of him. :yes:

PS I never told him to put a shelf on the fir box but he did,it might get too hot and catch on fire.
Live and learn. :)
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Looks Beautiful!

[QUOTE=SueCT;747738]Looks Beautiful![/QUOTE]

Thanks.
He is a so called millennial, almost all of my coworkers are millennials.
If you can identify ,relate and gain their trust they are like information sponges.
The ones closer to my age are critical and negative towards them.