Clay Pot Smoker ... a smokin'

[wood thing]

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

 

[Jags]

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.

 

[jebatty]

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.

 

[JeffRey30747]

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.

 

[DevilsBrew]

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

 

[Mr A]

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.