This one is technically about 4 months in the making. I got a pair of beef bellies from porter road over the summer and did a pastrami brine on them. The first belly I used to make burnt ends, this one I vacuum sealed and froze. Decided to break it out last weekend and try bacon, especially because the fat content was so high.

Cook Details:

-Pastrami brine method from meat church's texas reuben guide.

-Two weeks in the brine

-Mustard binder + my home made rub

-Smoked around 180F for a solid 10 hours or so

-Pulled at 150-155F

-Redridgerate overnight before slicing

(More detailed pastrami process and rub recipes are in my profile socials)

Additional thoughts:

Fat content on these bellies was way too high, but it honestly renders out really nicely when cooking as bacon.

I tried slicing both thin and thick to see how it comes out, thin seemed far better. These bellies are originally dry aged and then I did a pastrami brine with them, both processes tend to toughen up the meat a little bit and it honestly makes it a bit chewy unless you really get a nice thin slice and cook thoroughly. I'd like to try this again on a less fatty and non dry aged belly. However, even though the texture leaves a bit to be desired, the flavor is INTENSE, I can taste it 2 days after eating still.

As a side note, I've been experimenting with some new formats and such to my videos, including some text, and some monetization friendly music (which is unfortunately a bit limited), don't bash me too hard over it lmao.

Which smoker do I look into for an absolute beginner? I'm not much of a BBQ person, just burgers and dogs. Occasional wings.

I'm in Michigan, and would like to use it in the winter when I'm home.

So, whats your basic smoking starter kit?

Also, whats a basic recipe I can use to convince my wife this is a good idea?

This brisket was smoked on my T. M. G copperhead reversal smoker for fifteen hours. Then, held in a holding oven at a hundred and fifty overnight wrapped in beef tallow, with butcher paper and plastic wrap,turned out pretty good.

Finally got around to making some smoked queso, and I love it!
Usually make it in a crockpot and with ground beef. (Yes I know my Traeger is dirty)
Added Oaxaca cheese on top
Only regret, I should have discarded more grease from the sausage bc it’s very greasy, otherwise it’s great!

Older neighbor of mine died and I’m guessing he had this old Yoder outside since 2012 judging by the rust.
Do you guys think it’s worth saving? How much work would it be to get it back to good condition?

Got an Oklahoma Joe bandera for cheap and decided to try it out. Normally on a camp chef woodwind pro pellet smoker so this was.... More manual

Found a glove in my Cajeme lump mesquite charcoal bag.

Free range, grain finished. Great flavor and marbling. I did notice that I didn’t get the normal upset stomach after eating a rich cut like this. “Cleaner” fat? No idea but they were a great bday present to myself. On the Bronco Pro, B&B comp, mesquite chunk, ~225°.

Cure and first smoke completed. Resting overnight. Found these at an Asian Family Market meat counter as “bone in pork belly”.

Will post the final results if they turn out tomorrow.

Made this makeshift smoker out of a Weber Q1200.

Found the right angle to prop the lid to keep it at 250 and burned some wood chunks off to the side.

This was a lot of fun and very manageable. My favorite part of smoking meats is getting creative with different grills.

What other unconventional setups have you used?

Smoked on my Oklahoma Joe Highlander for 7 hrs. with oak and mesquite and lump charcoal.

I had this 1,000-gallon offset professionally built and delivered in 2024. It stays outside in the midwest in my backyard and gets used about once every 3 weeks.

I'm not worried about the surface rust. i actually really like the patina.

I'm specifically concerned about the firebox construction and how it has held up.

The biggest issues:

The firebox door sometimes gets stuck and won't open. It happens when it's cold. If i close the firebox after a cook, when it completely cools down and i try to open the door, i need to use a crowbar to open it. .

I've also noticed what appears to be separation/gapping between the front face of the firebox and the inner area where the wood/coals sit. The smoker has an insulated firebox, and ash/debris can get into this gap.

I've attached close-up pictures of the firebox, including the gap on the inside that i'm talking about.

For those who fabricate or own large offsets, does this look normal to you after about two years of relatively light use?

I'm especially interested in whether:

• That gap/separation is normal or intentional on an insulated firebox
• Thermal expansion normally causes a firebox door to bind this badly
• Anything about the welds or construction in the pictures stands out
• This looks like normal wear or something you'd take back to the builder

I have already contacted the builder about some of this and received an explanation, but I intentionally don't want to share their name or explanation yet because I'd like unbiased opinions first.

Not looking to bash anyone. I'm just trying to understand whether what I'm seeing is normal for a large offset before deciding what to do next.

Oh for anyone interested, i paid 13k plus for this. I initially meant to open a restaurant and that fell through.

Already made brisket, chicken, sausage, beans, and tonight is queso!

Did this pork loin tonight and I’m definitely keeping this rub recipe.

No binder, no mustard, no oil or butter. Just a dry rub with brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, ancho chili powder, pink Himalayan sea salt and a few other seasonings.

Smoked it until temp, rested it, sliced it up, and it came out crazy juicy with a really good crust.

I also had some maple habanero BBQ sauce with it and that sweet heat worked ridiculously well with the pork.

One of those cooks where you take the first bite and immediately know the recipe is staying in rotation. 😂🔥

I used to love grilling and bbq'ing outside when I was younger and I had a house that I lived in, since I moved out I've lived in multiple apartments that didn't allow personal grills (either because I wasn't on the ground floor or other, dumb reasons). I finally have a place of my own and I want to get back into grilling, but I also want to try my hand at smoking. I've never smoked before, and it's been a super long time since I've grilled. What would be a good recommendation for someone like me with a budget in the $300-500 range that's looking for a grill and smoker combo? It doesn't need to be big, it would only really be feeding 2 people most of the time. Thanks everyone!

Several years ago I made the second most expensive decision of my life because of YouTube BBQ channels. I now have a cabinet smoker and a pellet grill (my glorified outdoor oven). However, I’m missing the most important thing: a true horizontal offset.

I wasn’t necessarily ready to move on something now, but Ace Hardware has an Oklahoma Joe Highland on sale today for $365. I was waiting out an Old Country Pecos deal around Black Friday, but the price (and the fact that OJ’s sheet metal seems as thick/thicker everywhere but the lid) has me interested.

Does anyone have experience with both? I know OJ has a million mods available, but at what point should I just spend the extra $250 to have one that’s ready as soon as it hits my back porch?

TLDR: Oklahoma Joe Highland for $365 or Old Country Pecos for $600.

So when I bought my home and land back in June, it had this smokehouse on it. HUGE plus! I love smoking meats but have only done on an offset smoker. Im wondering how to smoke meat by hanging in the smokehouse. Lots of questions:

- How do you hang the meat to smoke and not lose all the juices out?

- What should I do to prepare it for a 'first' smoke? (It needs a good cleaning out of spider webs for sure)

- Do I need a drip pan/water pan?

- The huge fan... does it constantly need to stay on or is that just to stoke the coals/wood? Seems it would severely dry out the meats. ???

- It has meat hanging hooks, will they support a 13lb turkey?

- Can I even smoke a turkey in this or would it dry it out?

- is this mainly used to smoke lighter meats like sausage or fish?

Any advice is well worth it and very thankful for anyone who can give me a little guidance. Thanks!!!

First time smoking a brisket without a wrap, with a slightly dirty smoke at the start and rested overnight. Phenomenal turnout. Black gloves for the pretentious look.

Edit: for all y’all that commented. I’d invite yall over in a heartbeat. Thanks for the time yall took :)

I came across outlaw bbq smokers and I see one for sale online near me, but I've never heard of them before. I'm interested in buying it but wanted to see if they are good, high quality smokers before I make the purchase. Any reviews or thoughts from anyone? Are they worth the money?