Newbie from Philadelphia who has NO IDEA what I'm doing

[larica]

Hello all. LaRica from Philadelphia, PA. I became interested in grilled and smoked foods because I work with youth aging out of foster care and I also teach in the county jail. What's happening is those youth I taught when they were children in residential foster care have turned 18 yo and have been signed off from the state and left to their own devices. They operate in criminal activities to make money. Together, we came up with legal hustles they can do that will keep them out of jail. Food is one of them. My job is to get all the licenses, learn how to cook with a smoker and grill and in turn, teach them and set them up with their own locations. PHEW! A tall order. But seeing these kids come into the jail or sleeping on a bench and digging in the trash to eat hurts my heart. I am willing to learn anything as they are to change their situation. So, that's why I am here. So far I've purchased a Char Broil Electric Smoker, second use as we speak and the rain is coming - I see disaster or fire. I've also purchased a Master Built wood smoker and I already owned a normal charcoal grill. I've burned about $350 worth of product but I tell my testers consider it Cajun, lol! It's been edible but not something I would drive out of my for. Any advice would help us to create the best bbq Philly has to offer and set those youth who do not choose the college track up for years to come if this becomes passion. I've found professionals in other fields to teach them their craft as well but the food will be our constant money maker, will cover their housing, expenses and put cash in their pockets. Glad to be here, excited to learn. Any and all advice is appreciated. PS. I'll come up with a cool user name later. I just realized I'm like the only one who used an actual name. I'm old school!

 

[noboundaries]

LaRica, welcome to SMF!  Glad you are here and serving a segment of your community that is often an inconvenience to those in the mainstream.  I applaud your efforts. 

Aside from all the licenses and food safety issues, converting meat protein and vegetables into lip smacking goodness only involves fuel, heat, smoke, and meat.  The techniques are relatively simple once you learn how to control the first three.  The only other thing you'll need is a meat thermometer to tell when something is both done and safe to eat. 

Meat?  Use inexpensive, simple meat to cook, like chicken and pork butts (its not the buttocks.  It's a shoulder roast.  Butt is a historical term for how pork used to packaged).  Both types of meat, especially dark meat on chicken, are very forgiving of how they are cooked or smoked.

Electric smokers, wood smokers, and charcoal grills all involve three different techniques to control fuel, heat, and smoke.  The two easiest are the electric and the grill. 

Electric, there are a lot of electric smoker owners here at SMF.  Use the search feature and look up recipes for the "MES," which is short for Masterbuilt Electric Smoker.  That should give you plenty of ideas and techniques for using your electric smoker.  You'll need wood chips for smoke.

Grill, best set up for direct and indirect cooking, and it works best when it has a cover.  Lots of folks here still use charcoal grills for grilling and smoking, me included.  You can control the heat in the cooking chamber with the vents.  Less air in, lower temp.  More air in, higher temp. 

Read about thin blue smoke too.  Heavy smoke is not good for meat.  Allowing enough time for a fire to reach equilibrium, where the fuel is heated and burning cleanly, makes for a great tasting product. 

Your charcoal wood smoker, what we call a "stick burner," is the most challenging of the three types of smokers, but it can deliver the most product.  It requires a lot of attention to maintain your chamber temp and requires a bit of practice.

That should start you on your quest for smoked meat perfection! 

Enjoy the forum!

Ray 

 

[larica]

Wow! Great info Ray. Thank you for the quick response. I look forward to learning from the group. I'm soooo excited!

 

[wimpy69]

Welcome la rica, 1st of all, thanks for paying it foward. Was a philly plumber for over twenty years and witnessed first hand in all the neighborhoods what you are dealing with. There's several bbq compititions in town and the burbs every year. Made on American Street: Barbecue Competition is coming up in Oct. Go and talk to some of the officials and contestants, watch what cooks doing and how their handling their rigs. Explain who you are and your mission. There's another comp at Lincoln financial field but date hasn't been set. Look on the web under philly bbq compitition and you'll get info not only for town but burbs. Stop in at Percy Street bbq on south st or Sweet Lucy's Smokehouse on state rd and tell them about your program for some guidance. Everyone here is more than willing to help anyone with anything as long as you ask. Good luck with your venture.

 

[larica]

That's great! I've been looking for classes but could not find any here or S. Jersey so it's good to know that I will be able to network at the competitions. I've offered to drive to Bmore and work for free just to learn. Still awaiting a reply on that one. Thank you Wimpy69.

 

[noboundaries]

 
That's great! I've been looking for classes but could not find any here or S. Jersey so it's good to know that I will be able to network at the competitions. I've offered to drive to Bmore and work for free just to learn. Still awaiting a reply on that one. Thank you Wimpy69.

That works. 

You could also take the free 5 day smoking basics ecourse offered by SMF!  The link is below.  Just click on the link in the shaded area once you get there. 

Have fun!

Ray

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/f/127/5-day-smoking-basics-ecourse

 

[gary s]

  Good morning and welcome to the forum from a pretty nice day here in East Texas, and the best site on the web. Lots of great people with tons of information on just about everything.

         Gary

 

[joe black]

First of all La Rica, thanks for your service to the community. Welcome from SC. Ray has you off to a great start. Many others here will also help out, so just ask away and keep reading.

FYI, I read an article several years ago about a couple in a large city like Philly. The husband would go around at night in a refrigerated van and collect left overs from meetings, banquets and other places. He would come back to their establishment and put his haul in a walk- in cooler and write down what was there. When his wife came in the next morning, she would look at the list and make a menu. Then when her "students" (homeless folks) got there they would all start to cook. I believe that the article said that she could take 20# of sirloin steak and turn it into enough beef stroganoff to serve 200 homeless folks. The students then went on to be cooks and chefs in local restaurants, hotels, clubs, etc. the only requirement was that they come back one day a week and help teach.

I don't know if anything like this would work for you, but maybe you can get some ideas from this. Good luck, Joe. :welcome1:

 

[zerowin]

Welcome to the forum, and hats off to your noble goal.  It's refreshing to hear someone trying to make a difference.  I have a char broiler, but always used it for hot grilling, and never fought much with it for temperature control, although a lot of reading here has me rethinking that.  You'll find lots of recipes and guidance here, I've had a ton of help already in just a short time.  Points for your efforts sir!

Welcome la rica, 1st of all, thanks for paying it foward. Was a philly plumber for over twenty years and witnessed first hand in all the neighborhoods what you are dealing with. There's several bbq compititions in town and the burbs every year. Made on American Street: Barbecue Competition is coming up in Oct. Go and talk to some of the officials and contestants, watch what cooks doing and how their handling their rigs. Explain who you are and your mission. There's another comp at Lincoln financial field but date hasn't been set. Look on the web under philly bbq compitition and you'll get info not only for town but burbs. Stop in at Percy Street bbq on south st or Sweet Lucy's Smokehouse on state rd and tell them about your program for some guidance. Everyone here is more than willing to help anyone with anything as long as you ask. Good luck with your venture.

I will have to check those places out on my next day trip to Philly, only 2 hours away!