# Clay Pot Smoker ... a smokin'



## jebatty (Jun 27, 2012)

Made this yesterday and will smoke a chicken and some pork today. Both will spend in a few hours in brine and then spice rubs. I have oak, cherry and mesquite wood chips. What's the feeling as to use of these?


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## Eatonpcat (Jun 27, 2012)

That's pretty cool!


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## Highbeam (Jun 27, 2012)

What is it? Looks like an electric hot plate smoldering the chips? Like a litle chief?


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## Adios Pantalones (Jun 27, 2012)

I think they're very cool. Been seeing these online for a while, but haven't tried it


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## Jags (Jun 27, 2012)

You have been watching Alton Brown.


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## fossil (Jun 27, 2012)

I'm told they work a whole lot better if you stand them up vertically.


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## Delta-T (Jun 27, 2012)

Jags said:


> You have been watching Alton Brown.


Alton rules....he's my gastro-chemical hero


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## Jags (Jun 27, 2012)

Jim - you will have to keep us informed on how the chikuns and pork turn out. MMMmmmm...smoked pork. <drool>

(What the heck is up with the smileys? Two right hand pointers yields this)


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## fishingpol (Jun 27, 2012)

Nice temps for smoking.  Better than my crap smoker does.


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## jebatty (Jun 28, 2012)

> I'm told they work a whole lot better if you stand them up vertically.


 
My whole life is sidewise. A vertical clay pot smoker would have bummed me out.

Loaded a whole chicken, about 3.5 lbs, and 3 thick country-style pork ribs for the first smoking. Both brined 4 hours and ice-cold when put in the smoker. Results: 1) the 1000W hotplate struggles to maintain temp. I scanned the *bay for higher wattage hotplates, but more than 1000W in a small size that fits inside the pot may not exist. So, I wrapped the pots in a blanket and that helped quite a bit. Still took 2.5 hours to get the interior temp up close to 200F; hot plate on "HI" then cycled between 190-210F. Next smoke session will use more insulation around the pots. May need to come up with some more ideas to get added heat. 2) After 5 hours in the smoker, the ribs were done but chicken was still 140F. Ate the ribs; took the chicken out and will finish it in the oven today. 3) The ribs were quite dry, taste was good. Used oak wood chips. 4) Adding chips is easy but inconvenient, as have to remove top pot, drop chips into the chip pan on the hotplate, put top pot back on. The pot is pretty heavy, but with a glove (pot is too hot to handle with bare hands) and a finger in the pothole it is not difficult to take off the top pot. Removing the pot also cools the smoker down, although the pot retains heat quite well. 5) Not overly impressed with first results, but also not overly impressed with my first home run. I recall that reaching 2nd-3rd base was pretty good though. That was 43 years ago. Life tells me that experience improves the experience.

I may try poaching meat in water to basically get it up close to done temp before smoking rather than starting ice cold. Then let the smoker do its work at 200F. Flavor should be good, time will be shorter. Less drying out time too. I think oak wood chips may not be the best flavor enhancers. Will try different chips.

This coming weekend my son-in-law will do a large pork shoulder for the whole 15 of us in the fam damily; he's quite a gourmet chef on the home side. I think we can make the smoker work better the second time around.


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## jebatty (Jun 28, 2012)

I think I just solved the heating problem. My ash pan was a small stainless steel frypan. When I put the pan on the hotplate and watched it, it warped considerably, losing contact with the electric element, and the element would shut down and cycle. I had some 1/4" steel plate which I cut and put on the element, turned the hotplate "on" and watched. The heating element stayed on and the plate remained in contact with the element. If this is the way it operates now, there should be plenty of heat, and also the ability to achieve higher smoker temperatures, which some users recommend, depending on the meat being smoked.


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## Jags (Jun 28, 2012)

Jim - maybe keep your eyes peeled for one of the small cast iron skillets.  Around these parts they pop up in junk sales quite often, and mostly for small money.  They wouldn't warp on ya.


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## Adios Pantalones (Jun 28, 2012)

You can often pick one up new in a hahhdware store for less than $20, though much of the accomplishment in these sort of awesome projects is in scrounging / being a cheap ass.

I could hand-build or wheel throw a smoker with a lid, maybe with some cob that burns out in the firing for insulation... dag nabbit, another inspirational side track


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## Jags (Jun 28, 2012)

Along with single serving kettles with lid and legs for slow cooking on a wood stove??


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## Adios Pantalones (Jun 28, 2012)

Have you slow cooked in that, Jags? Hadn't even thought of that


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## Adios Pantalones (Jun 28, 2012)

By the way- send me the i.d. of the top, and the color, and I'll make a lid for you with just one little hole to let steam out if you want to slow cook.


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## Jags (Jun 28, 2012)

No, it should probably have an internal glaze to make that happen and for cleaning purposes.

There are a few countries that this type of vessel is quite common. You go through the market and select ingredients, then hand it off to the dude that runs the central fire for a community (often to heat water) and come back in a couple of hours and hand the dude a few bean pods for managing the pot/heat - dig in.  With the proper leg height to manage heat - this could easily be adapted for a wood stove.

Will do.


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## Adios Pantalones (Jun 28, 2012)

I thought it was only unglazed at the very top inside... anyway- don't want to derail this thread

Saw them do that market thing on Anthony Bourdaine (or was it Andrew Zimmern?)


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## Jags (Jun 28, 2012)

Adios Pantalones said:


> I thought it was only unglazed at the very top inside... anyway- don't want to derail this thread
> 
> Saw them do that market thing on Anthony Bourdaine (or was it Andrew Zimmern?)


Andrew - that is where I pilfered the idea from (being the food whore that I am).

Yes, back to the smoker.


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## Jags (Jun 28, 2012)

Hey Jim - idea just popped into my head...How about using another clay pot (bigger if possible) for the base.  One clay pot - insulation lined, second pot, set inside of that.  At least the base would be insulated and the holes in the bottom should line up for your wiring.


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## Adios Pantalones (Jun 28, 2012)

See- that's why Jags is my test engineer, design consultant, and chief pedicurist.


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## Jags (Jun 28, 2012)

Huh, my other half just calls it ADD.  I like your version better.


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## lukem (Jun 28, 2012)

I've wanted to make one of these...but you can almost buy a "real" smoker for the price of the pots....and you still need a rack and hot plate.  If I find some cheap pots I'm in.  I think the ceramic would hold a much more consistent temperature...the cheapo sheet metal smokers vary too much with wind and ambient temp in my experience.


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## woodsmaster (Jun 29, 2012)

A tip to keep your ribs moist is to smoke them for about 2 1/2 hr then wrap them in aluminum foil to finish cooking. you still get a good smoke flavor thats not to strong ( some people are sesitive to smoked food ) I seen the pros on T.V. do this. I'm going to try this tommarow and I'll let you Know how they turn out. I usually smoke at 230 F


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## woodsmaster (Jul 1, 2012)

The tin foil worked great. they were very moist and tender.


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## wood thing (Jul 2, 2012)

jebatty said:


> Made this yesterday and will smoke a chicken and some pork today. Both will spend in a few hours in brine and then spice rubs. I have oak, cherry and mesquite wood chips. What's the feeling as to use of these?
> View attachment 69278
> View attachment 69279
> View attachment 69280


I like apple wood for pork and sometimes I use apple juice instead of water.  Its mild and goes well with other meats too.


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## Jags (Jul 2, 2012)

Woodmaster, that works because after a surface temp of ~180F the meat will actually STOP taking in the smoke.  One of the reasons for _low and slow_.


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## jebatty (Jul 2, 2012)

This was not expensive. Local big box Fleet Farm had the pots for $9.74 each, replacement grill for the small Weber was about $11.00, and the 1000W hot plate was $15.00. I added a digital probe thermometer for another $15.00. About $60 total.

Great idea to use the cast iron skillet.


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## JeffRey30747 (Jul 10, 2012)

I did the 2 hours in smoke and 2 hours in foil w/ apple juice routine on my ECB (El Cheapo Brinkmann) smoker this weekend. All taste testers were in agreement that it was an improvement over 4 hours of straight smoke. They were so tender that you couldn't lift the ribs by the bone. It would slip right out of the meat. This method will be my new standard for baby back ribs at home.


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## DevilsBrew (Jun 9, 2013)

I was searching for an alternative to the heavy & permanent Cob ovens and started researching cooking with clay. Anyway, I was reading other ways to turn the pots into a tandoor oven/grill and now I find out...smoker! Alton is awesome.

Here's a link to the video:
http://www.myspace.com/video/keith/alton-brown-39-s-pulled-pork-made-with-clay-pot-smoker/103721759

Here is a link to a basic clay pot grill:
http://bbq.about.com/od/grillinghelp/ss/aa050907a.htm


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## Mr A (Jun 9, 2013)

Mulberry is good for pork. I used some on a pork shoulder, I have 3 cords of it. I found a brinkmann sheet metal barrel smoker on CL, $40. It works well, stays around 200 degrees with electric heating element. About 13 hours to get the shoulder to 200. It is worth it to roll out of bed at 3am and get it going to be ready for dinner at 4pm.


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