Recent content by ~kev~

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  1. ~kev~

    What happened to cooking with wood?

    So far, mine has cost about $400 - $500 to build. Even when I had a vertical 18 inch in diameter grill, I still used wood. I guess a lot of it has to do with choice and a mind set. Most people (not all) go to somewhere like Lowes or Home Depot and buy a gas or charcoal grill. That person...
  2. ~kev~

    Freezing/Storing Venison Sausage

    My sausage is made by the local butcher. I just bring him the deer and tell him what I want. Recently the butcher started vacuum sealing the sausage. But I can not tell the difference between the vacuum sealed and the wrapped in paper sausage. The butcher wraps or seals the sausage after its...
  3. ~kev~

    What happened to cooking with wood?

    As I read through some of these post, I am getting a little confused. Where do words like dampeners, controls, propane, manifolds and charcoal come into play smoking meat? How many people just build a fire, set the vent so that enough air gets into the fire box so the pit holds a certain temp...
  4. ~kev~

    Hello from East Texas - with pictures

    I have 4 more tanks waiting to be turning into pits - 2:250 gallon tanks and 2:150 gallon tanks. They have already been bought and sitting in a field. The next design will have a 5+ foot vertical smoker on the front of the horizontal pit. Hopefully the vertical smoker can have 4 or 5, 24 inch...
  5. ~kev~

    Smoking chicken for 3+ hours

    One of the problems I have run into with slow cooking chicken, the chicken gets "too" smoked with a 3+ hour cook time. The skin has a juicy layer of black on it that makes it a little messy to eat. The average cook time for my chicken is at least 3 hours at around 225 degrees. The wood is...
  6. ~kev~

    Hello from East Texas - with pictures

    Thank you. It not finished yet. Once I got started building it, I thought about all kinds of stuff I wanted to add. Maybe in another 2 months it will be finished. Just north of Jasper, about 4 miles out of town.
  7. ~kev~

    Help w/ intake, please.

    I am going to guess that Picture005.jpg is your firebox? It looks like the builder used 3/8 plate steel for the door and sheet metal for the firebox cylinder? Is that mesh what the wood sits on? It looks like the vent is too small for the size of the firebox. If I were you, I would cut an...
  8. ~kev~

    First Time Wood Smoker, Looking for Tips

    Before cooking on your grill for the first time, build a fire in it and let it burn for a full day. This will season your pit and give it a good smell and add flavor to the meat. This will also give you an idea on how much wood you will need and for how long you can cook with X amount of wood...
  9. ~kev~

    Red Oak...

    Red Oak is a wonderful wood to smoke with. The butcher that makes my deer sausage uses red oak to smoke just about all of the sausage for his customers. I use a mix of red oak, pen oak and pecan. Sometimes I just use red oak, sometimes pen oak and throw some pecan on top of what I am using...
  10. ~kev~

    Hello from East Texas - with pictures

    Thank you. I have been working on that pit for a little over a year. I am just outside of Jasper.
  11. ~kev~

    Hello from East Texas - with pictures

    Why did my post get moved to the bottom when I edited it? Never mind, newest post are on top here.
  12. ~kev~

    Hello from East Texas - with pictures

    Hello everyone, my name is Kevin. A little about myself: Age - 40 Married - Yes Children - 4 and 4 step kids for a total of 8. I consider myself about 1/2 way on the "smoking experience" scale. I have been smoking meat for several years, but I do not do it full time. One of my first smokers...
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