Curing Smoker

[chargriller]

I will be curing my new BSKD tonight, I know when I was curing my Chargriller all I had was some veg oil that I applied with a scott towl, but now I spray down with some cheap veg oil in a can, green can I get at Wall-Mart.

I was thinking of using the spray oil again but, I have been collecting bacon grease that I have been using on my Chargriller, that seems to be working quite well.

What should I use spray or bacon, I like the spray because it is much easier to apply, but I like the bacon grease because it seems to coat better?

Also in the manual it says to get the smoking chamber to 200 for 2 hours then 400 for 1 hour. What is the purpose of the high heat at the end of the curing process? Is it required?

[Brauma]

Rob, I used Crisco on my 'Dera. My wife had an old can that was almost full and was on its way to being ransid so I had her permission to get rid of it. I used paper towels and smeared that sucker down good. It looked like it was painted white when I was done. When I fired it up I had a neighbor to come over and ask what I was cooking. I said "Crisco". I smelled good.

[Bill-Chicago]

I went the peanut oil route for the burn in, then I spray the hinges each and every cook.

[Brauma]

As far as stepping the heat up I would imagine that it has something to do with heating the metal to a point where the oils laying on the surface seep in and become part of the surface metal. This would make the metal somewhat rust resistant.

Also, stepping up the heat would allow for expanding and contracting to take place. After it cools go around and tighten your bolts again and you will be CURED!

[chargriller]

Why peanut? I would be afraid just in case company that was eating the food might have a reaction, not sure if it would matter since it is not actually being sprayed on the food, but the fumes from it burning might get into the food. Any thoughts?

[Kevin]

Rob,
Peanut oil has a much higher smoke point. Vegetable oil, canola oil, corn oil, etc. start to smoke at a lower temp. Here is a cut and paste regarding allergens of peanut oil.

-refined peanut oil (heat processed) is not allergenic (in other words, it will not cause an allergic reaction in the peanut-allergic individual). Of 10 peanut-allergic patients challenged with peanut oil, none reacted to the protein-free oils. Subsequent reports have indicated that oils contaminated with peanut protein may indeed produce significant allergic reactions in peanut-sensitive individuals. Cold-pressed oils are more likely to contain peanut proteins than hot-pressed oils 15.

-Hourihane and co-workers evaluated two grades of peanut oil for a large group of subjects with proven allergy to peanuts, in a double-blind, crossover food challenge with crude peanut oil and refined peanut oil. None of the 60 subjects reacted to the refined oil; six (10%) reacted to the crude oil. They concluded that crude peanut oil should continue to be avoided. Refined peanut oil did not pose a risk to any of the subjects. Change in labeling to distinguish the two grades are recommended 18.

[BBQchef33]

The curing process is a build up of resin in the pit. Honestly, if ya think about it, for the purpose of pit curing, i would thing you wouild want a lower cmoke point in the oil. The idea is to ruin the oil. :) and to make it form a sticky glue like resin inside the pit. A higher smokepoint oils may require higher higfher temps to break down. Make sense?
anyway..


Any oil will work, including bacon grease. I was taught to alternate between high heat and heavy smoke to cause the oil to change densitys during the process and form that glue like sticky resin. Start hot, with heavy smoke, to get the smoke to start blackening the oil, then choke it and let it run around 225 for while.. then crank it up and get temps into the 300s for a bit and give it a little more spray oil inside and choke it back.. heavy smoke for a bit, and then finish in the 200 ranges.

i do both inside and out. Yo may want to use pam on the outside, i never used baqcon or other oil outside, only inside. The outside will remain sticky for a while, but eventually, that goes away.

[Bill-Chicago]

Originally Posted by BBQchef33

i do both inside and out. Yo may want to use pam on the outside, i never used baqcon or other oil outside, only inside. The outside will remain sticky for a while, but eventually, that goes away.

I did this in April, and after the outside was cured, those farking little seeds with those ball of white crap where flying around. Outside of the Dera was a farking seed depoistory

[Wayne]

I used rendered Mastodon fat on my pit...I have owned it for a really really long time. I think you are debating an immaterial question. I do not think it will matter in a year after the smoke and fat from all the meat you cooked gets into the metal. I also never season the outside of the chamber. Never saw the point.

[Sawdustguy]

A high heat oil may not break down and may turn rancid. I used a can of Crisco which I put on a hot plate so it would liquify and painted the inside of the pit with a "NEW" cheap paint brush.

[BBQchef33]

Originally Posted by Wayne

I also never season the outside of the chamber. Never saw the point.

Try it once. After seasoning, the outside has a thick sticky coating on it that eventually drys up, but after that, water just beads right off it, and snow dont stick to it.

[Bill-Chicago]

Originally Posted by Wayne

I used rendered Mastodon fat on my pit...I have owned it for a really really long time. I think you are debating an immaterial question. I do not think it will matter in a year after the smoke and fat from all the meat you cooked gets into the metal. I also never season the outside of the chamber. Never saw the point.

Wayne, please post links to this Mastedon fat.

I am very interested, as I want to minimize rust. I always oil the outside of the pit, for just that reason.

Got 20#'s of sabertooth sausage I don't want to fark up

[chargriller]

I still have it cooking a way, the door gage is about 50 to 75 degrees off just like my chargriller.

I can get one heck of a nice coal bed it is glowing nice and orange. I have both vents wide open, I was using a small little fan to give me a nice air supply, I will for sure need to get the fire grate higher, and figure out how to clean out the coals under the grate.

Hope to do a fattie or to this weekend.

[BBQchef33]

the SKD doesnt come with an ash pan? if not, a large baking ban will do for the time being.

Get the baffle in there asap and the door gauge will become more accurate. Right now, the heat is running up the inside wall and out the chimney.

[kcquer]

BSKD comes with the same ashpan and charcoal grate arrangement as the (at least later) 'dera's.

Rob, consider bolts thru the side of the firebox to support your new firegrate. This will allow you to use the ashpan as a removeable one and easily get rid of ashes during the cook.