# New Hell Bender smoker.



## rbnice1 (Jun 18, 2022)

So I just picked up a new smoker from a new small bbq company in southern missouri.  Hell Bender BBQ.  Not sure if I'm allowed to post a link to there website?

So on this thread I will be documenting this smoker and showing at least the first few cooks along with my thoughts.

So initial thoughts was the price was good, tho they are not a big name like fat stack or franklin or any number of other manufacturers.  Its built very stout.  I would guess with minimal maintenance this will outlive me by a large margin.  It is very short.  In my case not a big deal because it will be going up on blocks.  The guys who built it were looking for feedback and will be making adjustments on future pits.  If I was going to leave it on wheels, I would defently ask them to make it taller and also ask for locking castors on the wheels.  I love the large collector and the large/tall stack.  The fire box is also semi insulated and huge!  The design how the firebox is embedded into the main chamber by 6ish inches is different.  Im not sure if this will be good or bad yet.  Im hoping good.

Forgot to post dimentions.  Firebox is 24 x 22 inches.  Cooking grate is 36 x 23 inches.  Stack is 6 inches and is 48 inches tall.  
Measurements:
84 inches tall.
48 with stack removed.
30 inches from back to handle.
84 inches from collector to firebox handle.

So, on to the first fire and biscuit tests. 
I loaded it with 3 or 4 handfulls of lump charcoal and starter.  Once the coals were going some i added 3 small splits to get it started.  The wood im using is bad.  its oak that is a bit punky.  But after it settled in smoke out the stack looked good and smoker rose to 325F at left side grill level pretty quickly.  It then slowly came back down to 270f.  I then started adding wood slowly.  Again wood is bad but i was curious how it maintained temps and how much wood would to add and how often.  Here are some pics while we wait for data, then i will put the biscuits on.  So far Left side and middle are around 1F difference.  Right side of course is much hotter.


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## rbnice1 (Jun 18, 2022)

So not bad tho the swings are a bit more then i normally want so I think I will try to cut back the incoming air a bit and see if it levels a bit.


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## JLeonard (Jun 18, 2022)

looks like a great looking cooker. You'll have fun figuring it out.
Jim


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## Displaced Texan (Jun 18, 2022)

Looks great. Not that you asked, but I would under think learning this new pit. Maybe add another Tel Tru and trust them. Learn to even the temps without needing baffles or tuning plates. I over thunk my pit and when I went back to using feel, the results are much better. 

Either way, enjoy!


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## rbnice1 (Jun 18, 2022)

No, not planning any tuning plates. I closed the door some and droped peak temps down 20F on the next split. We will see how the low end looks, so it feels very controlable to me. Again wood is bad so some of its that. 1 of the splits i added gave me a high spike then was down to ash in 10 minutes. Was just too much punk. im half temped to just scrap it and use my good ash tomorrow and through some small hickory pieces in. My main stack of hickory wont be ready till prob fall.


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## Sven Svensson (Jun 18, 2022)

Looks like a tank. Very nice rig.


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## jcam222 (Jun 18, 2022)

Always fun to learn a new cooker! Looks nice.


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## rbnice1 (Jun 18, 2022)

So played with the door and over corrected and snuffed it down too much.  Then got it pretty good.  I like it opened up for more even temps but closed down some it runs better temps but less even.  im sure there will be a happy middle.  That said I did a biscuit test.  And the cook was very very even.


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## bohemiansausage (Jun 19, 2022)

rbnice1 said:


> So I just picked up a new smoker from a new small bbq company in southern missouri.  Hell Bender BBQ.  Not sure if I'm allowed to post a link to there website?
> 
> So on this thread I will be documenting this smoker and showing at least the first few cooks along with my thoughts.
> 
> ...


I'm very impressed!  I can't find a website for Hellbender.  Could you post a little info about the manufacturer, please?


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## rbnice1 (Jun 19, 2022)

So Starting the first real cook.  Got the smoker up to temp then added the pork shoulder.
I can say it runs much different using my good ash.  It runs very hot even with stuff shut down.  so will be playing with things a lot during this cook.  hopefully i dont screw the roast up.  lol


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## rbnice1 (Jun 19, 2022)

bohemiansausage said:


> I'm very impressed!  I can't find a website for Hellbender.  Could you post a little info about the manufacturer, please?





			https://hellbenderbbq.com/shop


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## rbnice1 (Jun 19, 2022)

4 hours in.  Threw the ribs on a few hours after this.


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## rbnice1 (Jun 19, 2022)

Wrapped the roast but didn't get any pics.  I did get pics when i pulled the ribs to wrap.  I pulled them a bit before I would have liked.  I'm still working on the fire management issues, however the last few hours have been much much better so I'm getting there.


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## rbnice1 (Jun 19, 2022)

everything wrapped for the next few hours.  As you can see there is still a bit of extra space.


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## culpepersmoke (Jun 19, 2022)

Looking good


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## rbnice1 (Jun 19, 2022)

shoulder is still on but ribs are done and eaten.  It was odd there was a lot less pull back on the ends then im used to.  The ribs were the most meaty i have had in a long long time as well.  That said they were about perfect as far as not mush but almost pull off bone.  The flavor was fantastic and it had a great smoke ring.  If every time I made ribs and they turned out like that I would call it a win and never complain. lol  Like i said I was getting very concerned because they didnt look done but they were perfect.  it was odd.


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## bauchjw (Jun 19, 2022)

Looks like a great smoker! Awesome results! Great fortune finding a quality start up that hasn’t sold out!


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## rbnice1 (Jun 20, 2022)

So finally had to go to bed and pulled the shoulder off.  It ran good, small stall at 163, but then wierd happened.  It got to 185 then just stopped....  it sat there for over 4 hours.  I thought maybe ther was something wrong with my probe so grabbed a second one and it showed 180, however it probed super tender.  I was perprexed.  I have never had a should probe tender under 194ish.  I don't even usually bother probing till 195 or so.  

Anyhow. it sat till my wife put it in the fridge at like midnight then this morning I pulled it out and shredded.  Its harder to tell with cold pork but the bone pulled clean and the smoke ring looked amazing.  Will try eating some later in the week prob.  Bagged them all up 15-16oz each!


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## rbnice1 (Jun 25, 2022)

So, Cook 2 begins!  Just put the thighs in the fridge to dry brine over night.  I will be doing these 2 ways.  Some straight smoked.  Some smoked then into the sous vide in a tallow bath.


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## rbnice1 (Jun 26, 2022)

Just pulled the the straight smoked thighs.  They seem tender and the small piece i tested tasted great.  I would guess the hybrid cook will be betetr, just from past exp.  That said the pit was a lot easier to control this time then last.  I got a big coal bed going then let it burn down to 250ish then put larger splits on and was able to keep 215 - 275.  The 215 was on purpose to lengthen the cook on the sous vide.  So either way was much more confortable.


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## rbnice1 (Jul 16, 2022)

Pork butt cook number 2!
Pretty small butt but i was busy all week and couldnt get in to grab a brisket.  Kinda glad I didnt.
Im still having issues getting it stable. I open it up a little and it goes way up and I close it down and it gors way down.  I really need to modify the door so I have better control of fresh air vs combustion air.  IE air from top/middle/bottom entering the burn chamber.  That said it wasnt bad minus the mis-step on my part for not moving the coals around after the fire up and just throwing wood on top.  Its done and currently resting till it goes in the fridge tonight then will get pulled in the morning.  So final pics wont be till tomorrow.


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## rbnice1 (Jul 17, 2022)

Turned out great!  To me the same as last time.


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## rbnice1 (Jul 22, 2022)

This weeks protein of choice!


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## rbnice1 (Jul 22, 2022)

I have to say, this was the stangest brisket I have ever trimmed.  It had super thick hard fat seams places I have never seen before and the shape was weird.  It was 17 pounds.  I bet I trimmed 4 pounds of fat off it, and not pictured 3.5 pounds of meat/fat that I will grind later.


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## rbnice1 (Jul 24, 2022)

so this cook was a big odd do to some odd temps, but I added a couple holes on the door to try to make it more controllable.  While it was more controllable the smoke was a bit heavier then I like.  That said even tho the brisket took crazy trimming it was very good.  lol.

I think I have a few things I want to try out next.  But I want to think on them a bit more.


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## rbnice1 (Jul 31, 2022)

So running a second brisket today.  It looked much better then the last.


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## rbnice1 (Jul 31, 2022)

This time I decided to try smaller wood and different configurations to see if I could get more even temps with smaller spikes and better smoke.
I think I am finally dialing it in.  Smoke looks great very light, and worse temp spike was 290F.  I am adding a small chunk of wood every 30 minutes.  I still cant believe how hot this smoker runs with as little fire as I am running.  In this pic the smoker is at 245F.  I am running the back vent 1/2 open, then front vent 3/4 open, the door top vents open, and the stack damper 2/3 open.


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## rbnice1 (Jul 31, 2022)

Just pulled it.  Probed tender.  We will see in 3-4 hours how it turned out.  My original plan was going to be to cook it yesterday and let it rest over night.(ohh and not have to wake up at 4am.  lol)  But work interfered.
This cook was much better then last week.  I still need some mroe work but I cant wait till we cut this up.

Here was the cook log.  The big dips were spritz's.  Till I wrapped at 5hours.  The only big spike I could have actually arrested if I shut it down some but I wanted to see how it did and honestly as short as that spike was im ok with it.


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## rbnice1 (Aug 1, 2022)

Ok so the cook went fantastic......  Other then pulling it a bit early the smoker performed great.  That said the brisket was bad...  not cant eat bad, but the flat was tough and dry.  Which was odd since normally its dry but super tender or tough but juicy.

I did go ahead and cut it all up and split it into 3 large tupperwares.  I split each to 1/3 lean, 1/3 middle, 1/3 point,
I was mopping about it all day bummed because the cook went so good.

So I took 1 of the tupperwares out of the fridge and put the contents into a vacuum bag along with a table spoon of smoked wagu tallow.

Set the sous vide at 185 and let it go for 3 hours.  Again this was just an experiment since the results were not great.  

Well let me say it was amazing.  My kid tested a piece and didnt believe it was the same brisket as yesterday.  I am now reheating the other 2 tupperwares worth to then freeze for the parents!


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## tallbm (Aug 1, 2022)

rbnice1 said:


> Ok so the cook went fantastic......  Other then pulling it a bit early the smoker performed great.  That said the brisket was bad...  not cant eat bad, but the flat was tough and dry.  Which was odd since normally its dry but super tender or tough but juicy.
> 
> I did go ahead and cut it all up and split it into 3 large tupperwares.  I split each to 1/3 lean, 1/3 middle, 1/3 point,
> I was mopping about it all day bummed because the cook went so good.
> ...


Glad to see you got it fixed.

Dry and tough for a brisket = under cooked.
When probing make sure you probe all over, especially the flat because the point will very likely be tender way earlier and is hard to mess up.  The point is not a good indicator of tender, the flat is what gives you problems.

I always recommend people put a few temp probes aiming for the thickest yet center most portion of the FLAT muscle, never the point.

When probing by stabbing be sure to stab all over the flat with something like a kabob skewer, especially in the thickest center most area of the flat.

As you have discovered a tough dry flat can be saved simply by cooking more.  It is tough and dry because the collagen has not broken down to become juicy goodness and when boken down the meat is tender to not have that invisible tough stuff holding the meat so firmly together :)

Keep it up and you will be nailing em consistently after a while.
Also I would recommend waiting until an internal temp (IT) of the meat of 180F before wrapping and seeing how good it tastes then.  I'm interested in what you learn from trying this :)


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## rbnice1 (Aug 2, 2022)

My intention was to wait till 180 before the wrap but the outside was looking pretty good and i was concerned about it.  I also realized after I pulled it I meant to put it back in flat side toward the fire after the wrap and didnt.  Also I did probe the flat in 3 or 4 spots.  It felt really loose with no resistance but the results dont lie.  It needed another hour or 2.


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## tallbm (Aug 2, 2022)

rbnice1 said:


> My intention was to wait till 180 before the wrap but the outside was looking pretty good and i was concerned about it.  I also realized after I pulled it I meant to put it back in flat side toward the fire after the wrap and didnt.  Also I did probe the flat in 3 or 4 spots.  It felt really loose with no resistance but the results dont lie.  It needed another hour or 2.


Practice makes perfect.  I'm sure the next one will be much better :)


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## bill1 (Aug 4, 2022)

tallbm said:


> ...It is tough and dry because the collagen has not broken down to become juicy goodness...


Cook more for more juice always seems a little counter-intuitive to this old hamburger cook but its true and is the secret to pork success!


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## rbnice1 (Sep 6, 2022)

Ok so on to the next round of cooks!!!

I took vacation for a long 6 day holiday weekend.  I started last weekend with some ribs.  They turned out good but ribs are ribs... perfectly cooked for my liking.


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## rbnice1 (Sep 6, 2022)

Then the main event!  Third or forth? attempt at a brisket!  I have to say this smoker was much easier to maintain temps this time.  i can only account it to slightly cooler ambient temps and it was overcast all day on both cooks.  It wasnt super controlled but well with in what I expect.  Some of the spikes I did on purpose and some of the drops were from spritzing.


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## rbnice1 (Sep 6, 2022)

I am trying a texas style rub and a hybrid cook based on some other research.  It stayed on the smoker till I hit 190f.  Then pulled and wrapped.  I then would have put it in the oven at 160f, but after testing last week my oven sucks.  lol.  So I put it in a vac bag and into a cooler with my sous vide at 160f till tomorrow for dinner.

The bark looked really really good.  And again the smoker ran fantastic.  Was very happy.  I wish my trim was better but out of any one eating it I doubt anyone but me would know there was any issue.  So here are the pics!  I realized this morning when I was ready to do it that I was out of pickles....  I really wanted to try thinned mustard with pickle juice.  Maybe next time!


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## tallbm (Sep 6, 2022)

rbnice1 said:


> I am trying a texas style rub and a hybrid cook based on some other research.  It stayed on the smoker till I hit 190f.  Then pulled and wrapped.  I then would have put it in the oven at 160f, but after testing last week my oven sucks.  lol.  So I put it in a vac bag and into a cooler with my sous vide at 160f till tomorrow for dinner.
> 
> The bark looked really really good.  And again the smoker ran fantastic.  Was very happy.  I wish my trim was better but out of any one eating it I doubt anyone but me would know there was any issue.  So here are the pics!  I realized this morning when I was ready to do it that I was out of pickles....  I really wanted to try thinned mustard with pickle juice.  Maybe next time!



Looks great to me, how'd it taste and come out in the end?


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## tbern (Sep 7, 2022)

Looks really good, nice job!!


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## rbnice1 (Sep 7, 2022)

tallbm said:


> Looks great to me, how'd it taste and come out in the end?


Dunno its still in the warmer till dinner tonight! :P


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## rbnice1 (Sep 7, 2022)

Ok so pulled it out and sliced it up.....  Fantastic.. pics do not do it justice.  flavor is strong.  I was a bit worried about it being pepper heavy but it isnt.  its just a bit strong smoke.  Tender as hell and moist as much as possible.  I think I would pull it a bit sooner for less smoke but other then that awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## tbern (Sep 7, 2022)

Glad it was a success for you!!  Sounds so delicious!


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## rbnice1 (Sep 7, 2022)

not sur why but pics didnt post.


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