New Perfect Flame

[pi in sc]

Purchased a new Perfect Flame LP Smoker from Lowes today... Plan to assemble either this evening or first thing in the AM followed by the break-in. Ideally I wanted a GOSM, but could not find one locally and the Perfect Flame sure seems to be a very close knock-off.

Can't wait to try her out on Sunday and figured I would load it up with a little of everything to treat the family to lots of smoky goodness. A fatty, ribs, bacon wrapped shrimp... If I am going to fire it up, seems only logical to pack it full.

Any/all advise and comments welcome!

Paul

 

[bassman]

Congrats on your new smoker. I have seen those at Lowes. Looks like a reasonable copy of the GOSM. Make sure you post some pics.

 

[mofo]

I guess I would only caution against trying to do to much at first. You really don't want to keep opening up the front and checking on ribs, a fatty and shrimp as you will continually be losing heat. A fatty is easy enough to do but a bit of prep time. Ribs are easy using 3-2-1 for spares and 2-2-1 for BB's. And I'm certain bacon wrapped shrimp is also easy though I have never tried it.

I'm just saying take it easy and get to know your smoker a bit before jumping in with both feet. You'll probably be a little nervous... and the fewer things to worry about the better. You can always fire it up again the next day to try something new.

Also, be sure to have a wireless thermometer to check the temps of the smoker. I know the GOSM is way off, so I would not trust what came built in on your smoker.

Best of luck to you and look forward to seeing some Q-Vue.

 

[pi in sc]

Hmm - You know... Good advice. The wife is already a little miffed about the new smoker... "Can you explain to me why you need ANOTHER grill?" Sheesh! Women cannot grasp the genes that are involved here and the uncontrollable need we have to cook stuff over fire!

With that said, I was thinking a fatty on top, dripping all that goodness down on the ribs would only help add flavor. What-cha think?

You know it took me a while to go thru a bunch of threads before I found out was GOSM stood for... I am just going to jump in this time and ask... WHAT? 3-2-1? 2-2-1?

 

[blacklab]

3-2-1 are just time estiments for ribs. 3hrs smoking 2hrs wrapped in foil 1 hr unwrapped. There use to be a sticky just on that subject.

BTW
A buddy got a perfect flame 2 wks ago. Nice looking unit hasn't done anything yet, not even breaking it in.

 

[pi in sc]

AHHH! Basically braising.

Yeah,it seems nice. But I will hold judgement until after I have used it a few times. I did get stopped twice on the way to the register by two different shoppers who said they love theirs and I made a good choice.

 

[vtanker]

Nice buy! dont forget to cure it first. Good luck with it. Look forward to some Qviews

 

[fire it up]

Congrats on the new smoker, always makes you feel good.
I think ribs and a fattie are a great idea since they both take a little while to cook. The shrimp wouldn't take that long to cook so maybe grill them, or add them towards the end or how about seasoning them heavily and wrapping some sausage around them, mold into balls and smoke?
I do know how you feel, why waste any of the heat and delicious smoke if you are already cooking and have room.
Could even do a few fatties and wrap and save one. I have made fatties, frozen and thawed the same one out at least 8-9 times cutting off a slice or 2 and making a breakfast sandwich with a slice of fattie (heated in a pan) some egg and cheese on a biscuit. Puts ANY of those fast food breakfast sandwiches to shame. Slice of meat from the fattie was just as perfect coming out the last time from the freezer as the first so no waste there.

 

[pi in sc]

Man! I just ate and you are still making my mouth water... Yall can get biscuits up there? Heck, what about grits?

Well, bad news. I came home early to put the new smoker together and the thing was in real bad shape. More dents than a 73 Pinto. Looked like something (very) heavy was set on top of it and dented the top and bowed the sides. I took it back but there were no more in stock.

I did hit the WM and HD. Ideally I would like a GOSM, but cant find one. I did see this one at HD, anyone know anything about it?

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...ctId=100661410

 

[fire it up]

That sucks about the dents.
Home Depot has sold me dented material many times but Lowes always was good about it, guess it was just bad luck. Sorry to hear it.
And yes we have biscuits up here in Jersey, grits too, though to be honest most all of the grits you can buy are like instant rice, pour into boiling water and let sit *poof* you have a semi-grit.
First time I had the real thing was in NC and they were great, so I don't even buy them up here in Jersey, no point.
Can you make grits in the smoker? I wonder how well they would come out...

 

[pi in sc]

Actually, yes. One of my favorite dishes is shrimp and grits. I pour cooked grits in small caserole dishes and place in the smoker to set... It takes a while, but very tasty and a great presentation when you dump on to a plate and they keep their shape.

 

[pi in sc]

Take Two:
I got up early this AM and drove ti a Lowes on the other side of town and purchased my second Perfect Flame... It was VERY simple to assemble and turned out to be a great family project when a 7 and 9 year old joined in.

This one is a bit different than the first. Not only was not not dented to heck, a few small design changes. Most notibly the smoker box is a nice cast iron instead of a flimsy sheet metal.

It is smoking as we speak... The instructions say 45 mins to season, but that seems too quick to me. How long should I allow it to burn for a good seasoning?

 

[jaxgatorz]

Ive had that same smoker for some time now...... 45 minutes to an hour should be fine on the seasoning...... DO NOT trust the thermometer that comes with it...Mine was over 50 degrees off.....I think you'll find after playing with it for a while that you'll be happy with the results........

 

[pi in sc]

I assume you are happy with the Perfect Flame? So far I am impressed with the burn. Nice light smoke, steady temp. I checked the temp quickly and the thermometer it is off by approx 20 degrees, but I need to check again. It appears the stock thermometer can be adjusted/calibrated?

(BTW - Go 'Cocks! Damn I hope Spurrier can build us a team this year!)