Aussie BBQ Forum

Guys

Started my first cook on the Dusty about 30 minutes ago.
Will post photos of the process later.

The first issue I have is temperature. Do I believe the hood thermometer or my itronics probe?
The probe reads 210f but the hood reads 280f.
At present the meat reads 132f.

Forgive the imperial measurements but I am following an American recipe and am aiming for cooking 225-250F and meat 150f.
The meat is an 8lb brisket from Costco and I hope approx. 10 hrs.

Advice needed and why don't you come along for the ride?
(the clueless chef)

Ken

Guys

1st off photo of stack. Now a photo of the smoker showing leaks under lid and around door! Been cooking for approx. 1hr.
Oven settled at 224f and meat at 82f.
Meat probe had been pushed through meat giving false reading. Pulled probe back and seems better.

Using probe temp rather than hood temp.

Ken

Okay

Smoker stopped smoking!

After 2 hrs; oven 223f and meat 106.

Looks as though I will need to add more charcoal at some stage.
I will be disappointed if I have to as I would really like to run for 7-8 hrs unattended when I get things dialled in.


Ken

Kenneth237 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 02, 2018 7:39 am Guys

Started my first cook on the Dusty about 30 minutes ago.
Will post photos of the process later.

The first issue I have is temperature. Do I believe the hood thermometer or my itronics probe?
The probe reads 210f but the hood reads 280f.
At present the meat reads 132f.

Forgive the imperial measurements but I am following an American recipe and am aiming for cooking 225-250F and meat 150f.
The meat is an 8lb brisket from Costco and I hope approx. 10 hrs.

Advice needed and why don't you come along for the ride?
(the clueless chef)

Ken

All good Ken, lots of cooks on this site (and other Australian sites) still use American units of measurement, I suppose it comes with the territory.
Regarding the temperature readings, it all depends on where your itronics probe is located in relation to the hood probe. If it's on the food rack, there will be a big variance in temp due to the physical distance between them. There's also airflow to consider as well, as you'll get cooler temps within the hot air flow. Don't get too hung up on precise temperature control, just enjoy the experience and the results.
Good luck with it and keep the pics coming,
Steve.

Kenneth237 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 02, 2018 9:08 am Okay
Smoker stopped smoking!
After 2 hrs; oven 223f and meat 106.
Looks as though I will need to add more charcoal at some stage.
I will be disappointed if I have to as I would really like to run for 7-8 hrs unattended when I get things dialled in.
Ken

How many briquettes did you use in your pile? Photos can be deceiving, depending on the angle, but it doesn't look like your charcoal basket is very full. You need to load it right up to give you enough fuel for a long cooktime.
What method did you use to light the briquettes? The 'minion method' is popular with a bullet style smoker.
Also, a lot of cooks in Aus have found the Kingsford briquettes to burn hotter and faster than Heatbeads, so that may also contribute to a shorter burn time.
Don't worry about the smoke leaks, they'll seal themselves up after a while. In the interim, you could try and rotate the lid to see if there's a sweet spot with less leakage.
I'm sure that someone with more experience in bullet smokers will be along to offer some advice.
Good luck with it,
Steve.

Guys

Topped up the ring with slight mound - possibly more next time.
Yep used minion method.
Threw in a couple of handfuls 20 min ago as the temp had dropped.

It is now sitting at 227 and 126 so everything is looking good.

I will lift lid short;y and throw some spuds and corn in. I am looking at 530pm serve.

As far as probes go I have the meat probe entering throguh the top vents and the oven probe under the lid and dangles below meat grill.

Once I am happy I will drill holes and place grommets as well as sealing all leaks.
At this stage I am happy that the leaks, especially the door, are quality issues.

Thanks for the feedback.

Update

Started cook at 7ish.

1100: temp 224/144
added couple of handfuls of fuel
readjusted meat probe from vertical in meat to horizontal
added spuds and corn
1115 - 1200 added more fuel as I was loosing heat down to 200
1200 242/140
1226 206/146 time to add more fuel!


Ken

Hmm interesting since 1230.

Couldn't get the temp over 150 for over an hour so I wrapped in foil with some cider thrown in for moisture.

Then I couldn't get the smoker hot. It just kept dropping no matter how much fuel I put on.

Decided strong action was needed so off came the top barrel and I took out about 2 shovels of ash.
This seemed to clear everynting up and temp steadily grew to 270 and for the last 30 minutes settled at 250.
The meat has now increased from 150 to 170.
Its now been 8hrs cooking - I'll leave it on for another hr and will most likely rest it regardless of temp.

I am using a lot of fuel!!!!!

Firstly....stop using Kingsfords....i think they are useless for long cooks.....i only use heatbeads in red or brown bags for long cook ups as they have the endurance.
Then i use whatever smoking wood i need.
Maybe also the charcoal grate is alot smaller than WSM...not sure.

Davo

Family Fed!!!!!!!

Took the meat off at 345. It had quickly reached 185 and I like to err on juicy rather than dry. Rest for 45 minutes.

It was interesting that on clearing the ash the temperature increased quickly and stayed at approx. 260 easily, even when the coals died right down. I will take Davo's advice and use something else next time maybe even just lump charcoal. I am interested in that a lot of ash was produced and with the vents in the bottom of the Dusty it could lead to choking - time will tell.

So how did it all end up? I have never seen a cooked brisket in the raw so to speak but It looked good.
As you can see from the second photo there was a significant smoke ring but only on the top.
I think it is quite thick for a brisket and you can see a pocket of fat which I don't think did me any favours.
If I was to cook higher for longer for a meat temp of 205 maybe this eye would disappear.
This was a 3rd of the original 18lb brisket. The other 2 cuts in the freezer are a lot thinner and more uniform in thickness.
Any way every one loved it and came back for seconds, thirds etc.
Corn worked well but I did have to wrap. The spuds failed in that they were still hard.
Had nice flavour but..... Next time spuds on top shelf.

Next time I will use a different fuel and wrap as soon as I hit 150 meat because I lost about an hour waiting.
I will also seal up all leaks and put a couple of grommets for the probes and remember to put meat probe in horizontal.


Overall happy to declare success.

Ken

G’day
Temp drop on long cooks is often caused by the build up of ash around each bead letting less and less oxygen in for combustion. Result temperature drop.
To remove the ash gently without resorting to opening up the bullet smoker.....or taking the lid of the kettle.
Close the the top vents completely. Stops heat loss and most important it stops in the chimney action that will bring the ash to the top and on your meat.
Using a block of wood start tapping each leg in turn that will dislodge the ash off each bead. Don’t be too
Vigorous or you just pack the fire down.
Wait 3 mins and Open the top vents again. Expect a spike in temps, except that it will drop back without resorting to playing with the vents!
If this fails to work at least you know that you have run out of coals without peeking. You then have time to get new beads lite gloves on hand etc. Again close the top vents to minimise disruption to your cook whilst you renew your coals.
Hope this helps

Is it possible to leave a bullet smoker 8-10 hours without checking up on it and still maintaining temperature?

Beefcurtains wrote: ↑Mon Dec 17, 2018 7:55 pm Is it possible to leave a bullet smoker 8-10 hours without checking up on it and still maintaining temperature?

Absolutely, that's what they're designed for, and superb at.