DBRW
07-06-2020, 11:35 AM
I bought a New Braunfels Bandera Vertical smoker at an estate sale. I believe it was originally purchased about 1995. In great shape.
Thursday I spatchcocked a chicken and it came out very good. Tried to keep temp at 325 for 3 hours.
Saturday I smoked a brisket. It came out very well. Today I'm trying baby back ribs and using the rib rack.
My biggest issue has been heat management, it gets too hot or cools down too low. Mostly too hot.
I bought a Hauea thermometer from Amazon a month or two ago. Used it a couple of times on the weber gas grill and it worked fine. When I smoked the chicken it was awesome! One probe was on the rack and another in the chicken. It would alert my phone if the ambient temp was below or above the range. But when I tried the same with the Brisket the Hauea was terrible! It would give me false readings on the ambient. The alarm was constantly going off. Sometimes it would go blank so I couldn't read anything. The probe in the meat worked fine. I change the probe out a couple of times. For example, the thermometer on the smoker would show just under 300 and the probe would be at 540!
So I think I need to get a better thermometer.
When starting the fire with charcoal do you put the log(s) on right away? do you let the log(s) burn down some before putting on the meat?
Thanks everyone!
Thursday I spatchcocked a chicken and it came out very good. Tried to keep temp at 325 for 3 hours.
Saturday I smoked a brisket. It came out very well. Today I'm trying baby back ribs and using the rib rack.
My biggest issue has been heat management, it gets too hot or cools down too low. Mostly too hot.
I bought a Hauea thermometer from Amazon a month or two ago. Used it a couple of times on the weber gas grill and it worked fine. When I smoked the chicken it was awesome! One probe was on the rack and another in the chicken. It would alert my phone if the ambient temp was below or above the range. But when I tried the same with the Brisket the Hauea was terrible! It would give me false readings on the ambient. The alarm was constantly going off. Sometimes it would go blank so I couldn't read anything. The probe in the meat worked fine. I change the probe out a couple of times. For example, the thermometer on the smoker would show just under 300 and the probe would be at 540!
So I think I need to get a better thermometer.
When starting the fire with charcoal do you put the log(s) on right away? do you let the log(s) burn down some before putting on the meat?
Thanks everyone!