Backyard Smoker

I am a devout lurker on this website, and truly appreciate everyone's expertise. Until now I have been able to answer most of my food questions through the posts, and have not needed to post any questions myself. Actually, your posts and my love of food, have made me the resident restaurant expert at my office and in my family. However I am about to embark on a new path, and could use some specific advice. I am moving out of my south loop condo and to the suburbs. While the schools and space and proximity to family were the impetus for the move, I may be most excited about the fact that I will be finally able to get a backyard smoker.

I, of couse, have scoured Gary's website on the Weber Smoky Mountian. I have read the posts here on homemade bacon and lox (I can't wait to experiment). And I have borrowed a friend's vertical gas smoker to do some great shoulders. But I am looking to do something ridicuolusly over-the-top.

My web hunt has led to my falling in love with Wilber D. Hog, a gorgeous brick smoker. The only problem is, I have absolutely no experience laying brick, and my construction skills are severely lacking.

So here are the questions: Can anyone relate their experience in using a brick smoker? Does anyone know of a company that will build one of these for the construction impaired? Also, I was thinking that the fire box (where the smoking coals go after they have been burnt down) may be better placed to the side of the cooking box, rather than below (to better control the heat). What are your thoughts on that and other modifications? Finally, am I biting off way more than I can chew, and should I start with the WSM?

Any and all input is welcome! Construction will hopefully begin in early spring. I will post my progress, and later my cooking results.

Thanks!

Mel

Hey, welcome to LTH. You've come to the right place.

To answer your question:

MelT wrote:am I biting off way more than I can chew, and should I start with the WSM?

IMO yes, and YES.

As a student of the 5 Easy Dinners program, I'll admit to a bias, but I can't imagine an easier way to learn and make kick-ass bbq than on a WSM. Wait 'til you perfect your technique before you go blowing cash (and time) on a brick pit.

Yes, Wilber is a nice pit. Dave did a lot of research to build it. JeffB has recently built an excellent pit. Pictures and discussion are here

In general brick pits are used to BBQ traditionally as described by Bob.
You might want to check out Bob's sitehttp://www.bobinga.com for a little more information about cooking direct. Another great resource is http://www.sptsb.com

While I have never built a brick pit nor laid brick I do know it is heavy work and at least some attention to details is necessary. I would like to try it sometime but doubt if I ever will. If I was looking for someone to lay brick for a pit I would seek out someone who has experience building fireplaces. There are some definite characteristics that are similar.

I've cooked on a brick pit a couple of times, brisket, pig, and ribs. They are nice too use but for most suburban type uses a WSM, Backwoods, Kamado, Big Green Egg are probably a better bet to use.

I say go for it though and remember they are premanent!

crrush wrote:Hey, welcome to LTH. You've come to the right place.

To answer your question:

MelT wrote:am I biting off way more than I can chew, and should I start with the WSM?

IMO yes, and YES.

As a student of the 5 Easy Dinners program, I'll admit to a bias, but I can't imagine an easier way to learn and make kick-ass bbq than on a WSM. Wait 'til you perfect your technique before you go blowing cash (and time) on a brick pit.

I completely agree with this. You should get some experience under your belt (and by experience, I'm talking mostly about fire control experience) before you commission a brick pit. That way, you'll know what kind of features/modifications to design into the plan to fit your style of cooking.

I have 3 smokers right now and if I was starting out, the last thing that I would do is to buy or build a brick smoker. You need to get experience in fire and temp. control as well as starting out with simpler projects such as chicken and pork butts. I would start with the WSM or even a brinkman so that you can learn the basics and determine if you even want to begin smoking food. I use a big green egg right now but I started with a brinkman and learned alot of lessons on that $25 smoker. Avoid the temptation to have the biggest and the best - many a contest have been won on the WSM.

Maybe I will get the WSM and work out my game before I go brick. I just hate to wait. Isn't it possible for me to learn my technique in a brick smoker? If I follow some well done plans of experienced pitmasters, shouldn't the resulting pit be servicable, even for a newbie?

I just know I will want the space of a bigger smoker. And I know I will be using the thing for years, so why not start big? Also, it seems that temperature control would be easier in brick.

BTW, JeffB has the best piece of backyard cookery ever.

Thanks all for the info. Keep it coming.

MelT wrote:Maybe I will get the WSM and work out my game before I go brick. I just hate to wait. Isn't it possible for me to learn my technique in a brick smoker? If I follow some well done plans of experienced pitmasters, shouldn't the resulting pit be servicable, even for a newbie?

I just know I will want the space of a bigger smoker. And I know I will be using the thing for years, so why not start big? Also, it seems that temperature control would be easier in brick.

BTW, JeffB has the best piece of backyard cookery ever.

Thanks all for the info. Keep it coming.

Sounds to me that you already have your heart set so I guess your next step is to get some quotes for the actual construction. You might want to think though what you want to cook in or on it. I saw the pics of the grill and it is extremely large. Are you planning or doing alot of pig roasts or just the occasional steaks and chicken? How often would you use it? If its only 3-4 times over the summer, that is going to be extremely expensive BBQ.

If you wan to go big, have you ever thought about an offset smoker. Check out the Klose grills and smokers, they are some of the best around.

MelT wrote:Isn't it possible for me to learn my technique in a brick smoker? If I follow some well done plans of experienced pitmasters, shouldn't the resulting pit be servicable, even for a newbie?

I just know I will want the space of a bigger smoker. And I know I will be using the thing for years, so why not start big? Also, it seems that temperature control would be easier in brick.

These statements alone reinforce the need to get some experience before building something as permanant as a brick pit. You've obviously got a bit of a learning curve ahead of you.

stevez wrote:

MelT wrote:Isn't it possible for me to learn my technique in a brick smoker? If I follow some well done plans of experienced pitmasters, shouldn't the resulting pit be servicable, even for a newbie?

I just know I will want the space of a bigger smoker. And I know I will be using the thing for years, so why not start big? Also, it seems that temperature control would be easier in brick.

These statements alone reinforce the need to get some experience before building something as permanant as a brick pit. You've obviously got a bit of a learning curve ahead of you.

I appreciate the comment, but please tell me why my statements are off base.

MelT,

Good luck with your decision, it is a tough one. I would also go with the others rec's to start small, and move up once you know you are dedicated to smoking meats. I consider myself an amature meat smoker, and I have been at it for about 10 years, perfecting rubs, technique, etc. It is one of the toughest cooking diciplines to learn and master in my opinion. There are times when I am turning out high quality meats, and then I run into patches where I am not happy with the product, and have to step away from my smoker, and take a break.

With the above said from spring until late fall the smoker is typically fired up typically from Friday night until Sunday smoking picnic shoulder, pork butts, ribs, chicken, sausage, etc. I use a Charbroil smoker with the side fire box, and have been very happy with this smoker.

I am now considering a pemanant brick pit like you are thinking about. I have about an acre of property, and will have to lay a concrete slab, and electricity out to the area of my property I would build the pit. Luckily I work in the brick business so I have the brick contacts, as well as masons I can get to do the job right. Even with these industry contacts it is a big investment thats why I say take your time, & make sure you are dedicated to smoking meat. It is an investment in time, effort, and money.


heres a great website for info

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com

Good luck.

MelT wrote:I appreciate the comment, but please tell me why my statements are off base.

There are so many variables involved in smoking that starting out with a big brick pit would be like a teenager getting their drivers license and getting a Lamborghini Gallardo as their first car. Sure they can get around with the car (until they wreck it), but the subtlety of what makes it a great car would be completely lost on the inexperienced driver. You need to get a bit of experience first so you know what to ask for in a custom built brick pit. Remember, once you build it, you can't change the design later. If it were me, I'd make the couple hundred dollar investment in a WSM first. That investment will be a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of the finished brick pit. Consider it research.

To continue the car analogy, think of the WSM as a Dodge Neon ACR. Sure it's not as kewl as a the Gallardo but it'll spank pretty much most Porsches and Vipers.

I've had the Brinkman for about 10 years. Cost like $50 at Wal-Mart. I guess I have the Yugo.

MelT wrote:Also, I was thinking that the fire box (where the smoking coals go after they have been burnt down) may be better placed to the side of the cooking box, rather than below (to better control the heat). What are your thoughts on that and other modifications?

MelT,

I am all for going big, starting big, live by Nothing says excess like excess, but your statement above suggests you would be better served getting at least a season of low and slow smoking under your belt before jumping into the (very) deep end of the pool.

Heat is not controlled by placement of the firebox, but by size/intensity of fire. Changing the position of the firebox from direct to off-set changes the style of barbecue. Wilber D. Hog and Sidney R Pig are North Carolina style 'shoulder pits' well thought out and perfectly executed by Dave Lineback, a man with an impeccable Barbecue CV. Dave recently built, after meeting Bob in Ga at Dan Gill's Oinkster Fest in Virginia, which Bruce and I both attended, the Pete Jones Memorial Whole Hog Barbecue Pit

Lest I be unclear, it's not about the equipment, WSM, Brick Pit, Klose off-set, truck tire rim with rebar for a cooking grate are all capable of turning out seriously good barbecue, it's about patience, practice and perseverance. Cooking a few times on a borrowed vertical gas smoker is a start, a very small start.

If you feel the need to make a statement, ie spend money for something friends will ooh and ahh over, get a Komodo Kamado or Klose, both terrific cookers and not a permanent addition to your backyard. If you simply want to learn to make good BBQ without the wow factor I suggest a WSM.

Enjoy,
Gary

OK, OK. . . . but doesn't every teenager dream of the Lamborgini? You all have convinced me that I should find out exactly what I want before I make the investment in a permanent piece of backyard cookery. The question of direct cooking vs offset smoking allows me to realize that I don't know enough to make good decisions on this.

Maybe my next series of posts will be "The Novice's Walk Through the 5 Easy Dinners".

Honestly, thanks for the posts. My wallet thanks you. More importantly, I may have made decisions on the pit that would have bugged me for a lifetime. As I said last night watching the Bear game. . . "maybe next year."

MelT wrote:

stevez wrote:

MelT wrote:Isn't it possible for me to learn my technique in a brick smoker? If I follow some well done plans of experienced pitmasters, shouldn't the resulting pit be servicable, even for a newbie?

I just know I will want the space of a bigger smoker. And I know I will be using the thing for years, so why not start big? Also, it seems that temperature control would be easier in brick.

These statements alone reinforce the need to get some experience before building something as permanant as a brick pit. You've obviously got a bit of a learning curve ahead of you.

I appreciate the comment, but please tell me why my statements are off base.

Looking at the pit that you are talking about - I can see some red flags popping up for the newcomer.
First - this pit is made for wood which is ALOT more difficult to maintain and control temp. than charcoal or brickettes. You could use charcoal but why spend all that money building a wood log pit to burn charcoal.
Second - it appears that the heat source is directly below the meat. That will require quite a bit of monitoring especially if you use wood. It would also be very easy to oversmoke the food which will give it a bitter taste.
Third - brick will provide thermal mass which could work for you or against you. If the pit gets too hot, it will be difficult to cool it off and this is a very real possibility.
Four - if you are doing brisket or shoulder, do you want to monitor this pit for 14-16 hours, making sure if you are using wood that you not only keep the temp. consistant but also prepare wood in the secondary box to use as replacements thru the smoking process.

BBQ books are nice and I have alot but nothing beats experience and knowing your smoker. Resist the urge to have the biggest and the best and let your food do the talking, not the smoker.

Muttster wrote:Second - it appears that the heat source is directly below the meat. That will require quite a bit of monitoring especially if you use wood. It would also be very easy to oversmoke the food which will give it a bitter taste.

Muttster,

In the Wilber D. Hog style of pit wood is burned to coals prior to placing in the firebox. This results in barbecue that is, typically, less smoke flavored than off-set. In extreme cases over smoking will impart a bitter acrid taste, but it's more often the result of a mismanaged smoldering fire.

Enjoy,
Gary

is it too cold out to use the kettle smoker now? All this smoker talk is got my mouth watering for some bbq.

never to cold to fire up the smoker..

with the above said it is alot more fun sitting on my deck for hours on a Saturday, or Sunday tending the fire, listening to the White Sox, & bending an elbow than it would be now...

but then again I would have to shovel my deck to get to my smoker...

I guess Honey 1 will have to tide me over until a path is cleared

I guess the real point is that you could use a WSM for a year, throw it away, and you still wouldn't have added to the final cost of a brick pit by more than a few percent.

Built-in brick barbecues were common in suburbia in the 50s, but jeez, I haven't seen anyone use one of those in 25 years. There's a reason for that, and why the equivalents of those people today all have $1000 Weber Genesis grills instead. I agree that something like JeffB's BBQ/pizza oven is seductive, but it was built very much to spec, which suggests that you ought to have a firmer idea of what your spec is before building to it.

I have used several types of smoker. I started with a New Braunfels offset which worked fine but was a lot of work to maintain temperature. Then I went to a Grill Dome ceramic which also worked great, easy to maintain low and slow temperatures. The Grill Dome also works well as a pizza oven and I found that's all I used it for after I bought a Traeger wood pellet grill/smoker http://www.traegergrills.com/ I really like the Traeger, it has a digital control option which allows you to set the temp and hold it indefinitely. It uses wood pellets which come in about 6 different wood varieties so you can change flavors based on what meat you are doing. It does a wonderful job and is truly a lazy man's smoker.

MelT wrote:OK, OK. . . . but doesn't every teenager dream of the Lamborgini?

Yes, but after a few years of real world driving experience, the teenager in question may find that he actually prefers the handling and gearing ratio of a Koenigsegg CCRinstead.

teatpuller wrote:is it too cold out to use the kettle smoker now?

Never too cold for BBQ.

Serious BBQ men are like mailmen " Neither rain, nor snow, nor death of the night, can keep us from our duty" but we have to do it without spilling our bourbon.

OK. That is what I'm going to do on Saturday. How exciting.

That's my BBQ Pit/Pizza oven/Fireplace up there. In PIGMON's post, linked by Bruce above, there is a fair amount of detail regarding the design and construction.

I didn't do the masonry. However, I have built plenty of temporary pits over the years, and it does not seem to be a project that would be a huge challenge to build a permanent pit. The pizza oven and the arches and vaults in the fireplace call for pro work, but the pit is essentially a big box lined with fire bricks.

I'd be happy to provide details or contacts for the suppliers and artisans with whom I worked.

Last, I know you are contemplating a DIY job, which will be tremendously rewarding. However, in my opinion, Chicago is in a second golden age of masonry right now with some brilliant Eastern European and even Italian crews doing stunning residential work. My neighbor's house (wrapping up construction now) has decorative brick work that I wouldn't have thought possible, let alone accessible, five years ago. A couple of these guys could probably do something very special for you in a few days when they are not working on a big project. With the slowdown in the new home market, it might be easier and cheaper than you think.

Muttster,

In the Wilber D. Hog style of pit wood is burned to coals prior to placing in the firebox. This results in barbecue that is, typically, less smoke flavored than off-set. In extreme cases over smoking will impart a bitter acrid taste, but it's more often the result of a mismanaged smoldering fire.

Enjoy,
Gary

I would agree with you - my concern was that someone with undeveloped fire management skills would have wide temp variations and would be tempted, once the temp drops to throw on fresh wood without burning them down to coals.

Like anything else, its all about technique and practice.

Cheers

Rich

You can achieve the traditional direct BBQ style by using a WSM. Just cook on the top rack without a water pan. In the great scheme of things spending $250 for a WSM to use for a year or two while you plan your pit is an inexpensive investment. Brick pits are a nice specialty tool to have but they can easily become a brick eyesore if you lose interest or don't use regularly.

I've been BBQ'ing for about 20 years and am reasonably competent using a variety of styles of cookers. At one time I had 5 different smokers. The one that gets the most use is the WSM. I can cook a fairly large amount of meat, its very versatile to use, reasonably inexpensive to use, and it doesn't take up much space. I also have a smoker mounted on a trailer I keep in the back yard. I only use it for large parties.

Give yourself a year with the WSM, make your plans for a brick pit, and make a decision next winter on whether to forward with the brick pit.

Gary,

It must've been an interesting trip to meet Bob in GA and Dave (the father of Wilber and Sidney). I was looking at Bob's site, and they have some very specific ideas of BBQ. First of which, it must be whole hog. Secondly. . .

Bob in GA says:

We now determine that the pig should be cooked with hardwood that has been burned to coals. And furthermore that the coals must be placed in a manner so that they have a direct line of light to the pig.

While I appreciate their zeal, and imagine the results were top notch, they exclude off-set smokers, and anything that does not use the smoldering coals of a recent hardwood fire. They regard gas and electric smokers, and the BBQ competition circuit, as "the anti-christ".

As one just getting into this game, I am intersted to hear your and Bruce's thoughts on the trip, and the different styles of BBQ in various areas and at various skill levels.

MelT wrote:they regard gas and electric smokers, and the BBQ competition circuit, as "the anti-christ"

MelT,

Dan Gill's was not the first time I met Bob in Ga, he and I have been to barbecue get togethers in various parts of the country, and I have been to his farm in Ga, as has Bruce, in fact Bruce has visited Bob a number of times. Bob has, in particular on his web site, a very rigid viewpoint as he feels, rightly so, he is a Keeper of the Traditional barbecue flame.

You can learn a lot from people such as Bob in Ga, Dan Gill, Danny Gaulden, Kit Anderson, Dave Lineback and Bill SF/NM, though some of it will be surprisingly contradictory as barbecue is more art than science.

Enjoy,
Gary

Just as I open my eyes to the vast stores of internet BBQ knowledge, I find that not only are there differing opinions on cooking style, meat, and vessel, but vehemently contradicting convictions.

It looks like I have much to learn. . . and eat!

I put the WSM on my Christmas wish list, and I'm heading to Honey 1 for dinner.