Cinder block smoker

[Padukacat]

Anybody else ever do any meat smoking? I’ve built me a smoker and loving it! If you have any special recipes fire away! I’ve done brats, ribeyes, wings, and sitting here doing a cut up whole chicken and pork chops. Ribs tomorrow! I think I’m addicted to smoking...

[Darrell KSR]

Let's see a pic!

I don't, but jealous of those who do.

[Padukacat]

Just ate the pork chops they were really good, I’ll upload some pics later.

[MickintheHam]

Just ate the pork chops they were really good, I’ll upload some pics later.

Nothing better than smoked pork chops. Stuff them with some cornbread dressing. Add andouille and crawfish to the dressing. You can substitute oysters or smoked sausage to the dressing if you must. And use a heavy hand with some Tony Chachere’s in the dressing, inside the pouch and outside the pork chop.

[dan_bgblue]

Before I built a smoker out of an old propane tank, I had a block smoker built on the patio in the back yard. Used to cook boston butts, pork ribs, whole turkey, and beef brisket quite often. I would not fire it up unless we could fill it up, so we generally cooked for the neighborhood. We would put the meat on at around midnight and it would be cooked by around noon the next day.

Many years ago, I used to help cook meat at a catholic church homecoming celebration every summer in Union Co. We cooked 10,000 pounds of meat on open smoke pits.

[KentuckyWildcat]

Used to enjoy smoking some but learned I have a tomato allergy. I mostly did Boston Butts and it is just not the same without tomato based bbq sauce.

I've debated on an electric smoker to still do some Turkey and chickens for the family.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

[Padukacat]

Well, I had my first failure with smoking yesterday, as my ribs just really didn't turn out well imo. I was kinda feeling invincible after the chicken and pork chops and thinking this was a piece of cake. Not sure what went wrong, but they really were pink throughout, after cooking for 5.5 hours on 220-275 heat. First two hours were bone side down with rub on them, and ill admit for about 45 min of that time my heat dipped lower than expected, as I thought I had it stoked pretty well it didn't stay up and was around 175 deg for a while. After the 2 hours it looked pretty solid, so I put some foil on it and poured some beer in there for moisture and put them top down for 2 hours. Even had the heat a bit high for this 2 hours probably 250 average with a solid amount of smoke. Last hour and a half was bone side down with no foil and basted in sauce. I think I basted it too early thinking I would take them off in 30 min and actually left them on for 1.5 hours because it was earlier than I wanted to take them off. So I take them off, they feel pretty solid, not falling off the bone really but seem pretty good. I'm thinking heck 5.5 hours they have to be done, I read on baby backs from 3-4 hours was usually good, and that the 2-2-1 dries them out and 3-2-1 is too long for baby backs? So I get them inside and everyone fills a plate even the neighbor kids that are over, then I start eating and just did not like them. Actually a few ribs tasted OK and my daughter liked hers, but some didn't taste real well. They were pink all the way through and almost of a medium texture at the top and seemed undercooked. No tan or brown anywhere. After a bite or two all I could think is that everyone would get sick. I went on a search to figure out what the heck just happened and really couldn't figure it out. I did read where stores use "enhancers" on the meat which could have caused it to be pink throughout? I assume I just didn't have the heat high enough but for as long as it was below 220 I had it above 275 I bet both by accident. Maybe I had too much smoke in the ribs? It did taste a bit smokey and just didn't have a good taste to the meat at all. I went back later and tasted some after it cooled and same thing, and smelled a fatty area on top of the ribs and it almost had an ammonia smell to it...so then I'm thinking was the meat bad. Wife got the meat at aldi which is hit or miss on having great and horrible products imo. It was very red colored so enhanced I assume...vacuum packed too. So I froze it the first day she brought it home because I didn't have time to do them. Got them out the night before I cooked and thawed them some then put in fridge. before I went to bed I put a rub on them and put back in fridge. got up and cooked them the next day at noon. Somebody help me out and tell me what the heck went wrong here?

[KeithKSR]

Well, I had my first failure with smoking yesterday, as my ribs just really didn't turn out well imo. I was kinda feeling invincible after the chicken and pork chops and thinking this was a piece of cake. Not sure what went wrong, but they really were pink throughout, after cooking for 5.5 hours on 220-275 heat. First two hours were bone side down with rub on them, and ill admit for about 45 min of that time my heat dipped lower than expected, as I thought I had it stoked pretty well it didn't stay up and was around 175 deg for a while. After the 2 hours it looked pretty solid, so I put some foil on it and poured some beer in there for moisture and put them top down for 2 hours. Even had the heat a bit high for this 2 hours probably 250 average with a solid amount of smoke. Last hour and a half was bone side down with no foil and basted in sauce. I think I basted it too early thinking I would take them off in 30 min and actually left them on for 1.5 hours because it was earlier than I wanted to take them off. So I take them off, they feel pretty solid, not falling off the bone really but seem pretty good. I'm thinking heck 5.5 hours they have to be done, I read on baby backs from 3-4 hours was usually good, and that the 2-2-1 dries them out and 3-2-1 is too long for baby backs? So I get them inside and everyone fills a plate even the neighbor kids that are over, then I start eating and just did not like them. Actually a few ribs tasted OK and my daughter liked hers, but some didn't taste real well. They were pink all the way through and almost of a medium texture at the top and seemed undercooked. No tan or brown anywhere. After a bite or two all I could think is that everyone would get sick. I went on a search to figure out what the heck just happened and really couldn't figure it out. I did read where stores use "enhancers" on the meat which could have caused it to be pink throughout? I assume I just didn't have the heat high enough but for as long as it was below 220 I had it above 275 I bet both by accident. Maybe I had too much smoke in the ribs? It did taste a bit smokey and just didn't have a good taste to the meat at all. I went back later and tasted some after it cooled and same thing, and smelled a fatty area on top of the ribs and it almost had an ammonia smell to it...so then I'm thinking was the meat bad. Wife got the meat at aldi which is hit or miss on having great and horrible products imo. It was very red colored so enhanced I assume...vacuum packed too. So I froze it the first day she brought it home because I didn't have time to do them. Got them out the night before I cooked and thawed them some then put in fridge. before I went to bed I put a rub on them and put back in fridge. got up and cooked them the next day at noon. Somebody help me out and tell me what the heck went wrong here?

We have smoked meats that retain a pink color. It has something to do with the organic material you used to smoke the meat with.

Here is a link that gets into the scientific reasoning: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/amand...b_3592502.html