Whiskey Barrel Smoker and a Picnic

[ChetPunisher]

Well, today is the first cook on the WBS (Whiskey Barrel Smoker). I will be plugging her in shortly and adding the meat in a while. I'll add pics in a bit. Wish me luck!

 

[muidaq]

Luck, you don't need no stinkin luck. You're a brethren!

Whatcha cookin?

 

[ChetPunisher]

Oops.. I'm cooking a 9 lb. Picnic. Injected and rubbed last night. Here's a pic. The smoke stack is just a temp. Still trying to come up with an idea for that.

 

[ssbbqguy]

How are you bringing fresh air into the unit? With that size flue it wants some. Steve.

 

[ChetPunisher]

I have a 2 inch hole in the bottom that allows air in and the cord out. Right now the flue is two inches. I'm getting good smoke out.

 

[davefan360]

what would be a sweet chimney is 18or 16ga square tube. but then cover it with a box made out of aged wood. on the wood use a small torch to burn the grain a little. or get a wood burner to right your name or fav whiskey on the side

 

[boogiesnap]

thats sweet dude!

iron pipe for the chimney. it'd match the bands.

 

[javahog2002]

Nice cooker. +1 on the chimney. Using drier vent on that cool rig is not the cherry on the sundae.

 

[ChetPunisher]

Well aware that the dry exhaust tube is pretty darn ugly, but I wanted to try it out and I know all of you wanted to know how it does. So I'm sacrificing my honor by posting incomplete pictures...

 

[Gilstarr]

A man with a plan.. oh I'm sure everyone would like more updates and pics.. sitting on pins and needles.. looks good so far.. :thumb:

 

[ChetPunisher]

Well it has been on since 8:00 and is at the moment measuring 162°... Seems like it is right on schedule.

 

[MisterChrister]

Nice rig!

 

[ChetPunisher]

Well, back to the drawing board. Would not move the meat above 170° after 11 hours. I'm not disappointed. It is always good to learn something new and doing it to gain experience. I finished it in the oven and it is now resting. I will pull it in a while. Pics to follow. Not sure if I hurried it, it was only 55° out today. I know the empty barrel can reach 260° and hold steady. Not sure if the weather played a roll or if the meat did.

Any advice?

 

[kaosfury]

What was the temp in the cooker? Sounds like you hit a stall. They can be a real pain.

 

[ChetPunisher]

I only have one probe and it was in the meat. The thermometer in the barrel was reading 220°. When I was testing the barrel yesterday, There was about a 30° difference between the probe and the thermometer. I figured it was a stall, but I have never dealt with one before and it was going on 11 hours... I could have waited it out and pushed on into the night.

 

[kaosfury]

Yeah. Stalls can be a real bear. I freaked on my first pulled pork when it hit a stall. I'm an internet junkie also though, so I found a lot of info about it. Didn't stop me from finishing in the oven then, and was still good. That's the point anyways isn't it?

 

[ChetPunisher]

Well, the news just gets worse. Finished in the oven and started to pull... No smoke ring, no smoke flavor. Bark didn't develop properly. Still tastes good, but I would not put it in the BBQ realm. So now I have to decide if I want to figure out a way to use charcoal/wood without creating an inferno. I love the platform and I think it can be done. Just need to do some thinking. Good thing my Char Griller still makes stellar BBQ. Ribs on Memorial day will still be amazing...

 

[Chitown_hillbilly]

Somebody else on here has a whisky barrel that they use Charcoal in. I remember him saying he has to fill up with water once in a while to keep the wood from drying out to much and getting loose.

 

[Chitown_hillbilly]

Actually you probably don't want to mess with it, I'll be happy to drive up there and take it off your hands. I can even bring ya a steel drum and you can make a run of the mill UDS :wink:

 

[ChetPunisher]

Thanks for the offer... Um, no. I think I'll try a charcoal basket and see if I can work things out. If not I will have a great story of how I once burned my smoker to the ground...