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Hanging Meat in a UDS

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dmprantz

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The PBC is all the rage these days, and there's nothing wrong with that, but I wanted to share an alternative that I've been using for years. I've been hanging meat for a while, so when I saw this, I jumped on the opportunity. It's the hanging attachement for the Smoke EZ. (http://www.smoke-ez.com/). If you have a Cajun Bandit or a UDS with a Kettle lid, this will fit right on and give you maximum hanging room. If you have the standard UDS lid, you may have to add some extra hangers, but at the end of the day, this thing just works. I've spoken to the company owner on the phone and in person several times, and he's super nice. He also sold me just the hanger at a reasonable price. When I saw him at the Jack, he had his 26" version on display, complete with the hanger. Put that in your 85-96 gallon UDS! I know I will if I ever build one.

dmp
 
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Pros:


  • The biggest advantage of hanging meat is that you don't have to worry about a sear. With large cuts you can trim away all fat and get more bark. With poultry, you can hang them dark meat up and still have a pretty breast when you flip it over to serve. You also get great smoke penetration all around.
  • Another perceived advantage is that I think the juices render out better and meat cooks up more tender. This could be all in my head, but I think gravity does some cool things.
  • Finally, I think it's faster to get meat in and out of the cooker.

There are disadvantages too:


  • First, you have to have an appropriate cooker to hang meat. Horizontals won't fly, and even verticals need enough space.
  • For large cuts, hanging meat does not make as much use out of available space, so you can cook less meat when hanging.
  • Hooks and harnesses aren't free, so there's a cost involved.
  • Not all meats should be hung! There are some people who do it, but I don't hang briskets, as an example.

With this device, the pros and cons are pretty much the same as above. It's designed to work with a kettle lid, so if you don't have one, you may not appreciate it as much as the rest, but at the end of the day, it's a good product.

EDIT: I should say that I had a Cajun Bandit for about two years, and once I got this device, I never used the grates. To be fare though, I probably used it 5-10 times in that timespace (too many cookers). I've since sold the CB, but I kept the meat hanger because it's just that darned good.

dmp
 
Bludawg said:
:noidea: I don't get all the fuss I've been hanging meat for 50+ years the ladies all call me smokehouse:bow:
Click to expand...

Do you find that the end of your meat closest to the heat gets done first? :bounce:
 
Here's an older thread on the topic that I just happened to find:

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-92409.html

I think Fast Eddy/Cookshack sells hooks for ribs. Bacon hooks can be used. I use John Willingham's harnesses which are great for butts and birds. He has a special one that's good for hotdogs. His eCommerce site has been down for about a year, but you may still be able to buy them from him if you call.

I've thought about commissioning some one to build some more, and if any one is interested in doing a group buy, let me know!

dmp
 
dmprantz said:
Here's an older thread on the topic that I just happened to find:

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-92409.html

I think Fast Eddy/Cookshack sells hooks for ribs. Bacon hooks can be used. I use John Willingham's harnesses which are great for butts and birds. He has a special one that's good for hotdogs. His eCommerce site has been down for about a year, but you may still be able to buy them from him if you call.

I've thought about commissioning some one to build some more, and if any one is interested in doing a group buy, let me know!

dmp
Click to expand...

Google is your friend.
http://www.google.com/#q=meat+hooks...50,d.aWM&fp=f3f9041b75a6911a&biw=1280&bih=670
 
I've used a Craycort cast iron grate with 1/2 of the grates removed so I can hang ribs. That leaves the other half with grates for putting other items on, like potatoes. I'll post pics next time I do this.
 
I know thirdeye has fabricated stainless steel hangers for jerky, hopefully he will chime in.

But I see absolutely no reason you could not fab some hangers or use a Smoke EZ setup.

I have been using Bayou Classic Chicken Wing and Leg racks in the Big Drum Smoker clones and they are no different than hanging from hooks on a rod.

100_1723-1.jpg


100_1728-1.jpg


I figure if I ever had the desire to hang meats in my 55 gallon drums, I would be able to successfully use the Weber cast iron grate insert holder to suspend meats on hooks.

IMG_1668.jpg


This way I would not have to alter my drum in any way.

Paul Kirk told me one of his first smokers was a drum style in which he hung meats on hooks.

Of course the PBC purists will point out that its a 30 gallon drum in which case I will sacrifice an 18" cook grate and cut the center rods out.
Case closed.
 
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One of the big benefits of the John Willingham "Harnesses" is that they have three or four prongs that go all the way through a shoulder (or brisket or chuck roll, etc) and support it. It's just better than plain old hooks, but like I said, you pay for them. Personally, I think one of the big bennefits of the Smoke EZ over a DIY version with grates and/or rebar is the round hanging area - you are able to hang your meats in a circult and get the best use of space, at least that's what I see. Maybe the ideal thing would have two rings like Willingham cookers have.

dmp
 
dmprantz said:
One of the big benefits of the John Willingham "Harnesses" is that they have three or four prongs that go all the way through a shoulder (or brisket or chuck roll, etc) and support it. It's just better than plain old hooks, but like I said, you pay for them. Personally, I think one of the big bennefits of the Smoke EZ over a DIY version with grates and/or rebar is the round hanging area - you are able to hang your meats in a circult and get the best use of space, at least that's what I see. Maybe the ideal thing would have two rings like Willingham cookers have.

dmp
Click to expand...

Is there another source for a W'ham harness or pics of the setup? The site is stagnant and has been for a long time. http://www.willinghams.com/
 
All you need is 4 1" pieces of 1" angle iron and 2 22" pieces of 1/2" re bar a few tack welds 6 6011 weld rods( flux removed) pointed and bent and Bobs you uncle.
 
swamprb said:
Is there another source for a W'ham harness or pics of the setup? The site is stagnant and has been for a long time. http://www.willinghams.com/
Click to expand...

As I said, you may still be able to call and order them over the phone, because the company is still in business. If not, or even if so, I've considered comissioning some more to be built, and would love to get a group buy. Essentially, they started out with four prongs, and have since dropped to three, but the four prongers are much better, especially for whole shoulders and clods. I'll take a picture next time I have a chance. Ping me if you're seriously interested and I forget.

dmp
 
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