# Fire



## patriots (Sep 15, 2009)

Someone help me. I have been a chef in Boston for over thirty years. I want to try smoking meat but have know idea what you people are talking about. I want to buy a smoker a small one then get the fire going. I know all about meat. The problem is the wood. I have a fire pit, that i bought a cord of hardwood. There is maple and oak. Can I use this, or is it to old. Also how much do I use, and should I use lump charcoal to start. Please help


----------



## jaxgatorz (Sep 15, 2009)

Maple and oak are great woods for smoking.. As far as how much, that will depend on the smoker you buy...... Same for the lump..... BTW, welcome to  smf.


----------



## fire it up (Sep 15, 2009)

Firstly welcome to the site, you should stop over in Roll Call and introduce yourself to everyone.

As for the maple and oak they are both really good woods to smoke with.
All depending on what smoker you decide to go with will determine how to tend the fire and how much wood to use.
I own an sNp "Brinkman Smoke-N-Pit and absolutely love it, not a "small" smoker but it has a decent amount of grate space and doesn't cost too much, and if you start small you will end up wanting to go bigger.
Basically I start with one chimney full of charcoal and add it to the firebox, pre-burn a few chunks of wood with my weed burner and then add to the firebox, you have to be sure to keep the wood away from the hardcore heat to avoid it burning too much and producing white billowing smoke, you will always strive for TBS (Thin Blue Smoke).
Stick around on the site, ask questions and do some reading up on things and you will be smoking like a champ in no time at all.


----------



## patriots (Sep 15, 2009)

Its a start. I did not think it would have so many things to do.


----------



## richoso1 (Sep 15, 2009)

What he said. I moved your thread to roll call, so everyone can give you a warm welcome to the SMF. It's all good my friend.


----------



## pineywoods (Sep 15, 2009)

Welcome to SMF glad you joined us. A great starting point would be Jeff's 5 Day Ecourse it will give you all the basics and its free. There are Propane smokers, Electric smokers, Charcoal Smokers, and Wood burning smokers and figuring the type would be the best way to start as they all are a bit different but can all produce some good Q. We are here to help with any questions you may have. Have fun and happy smoking


----------



## bmudd14474 (Sep 15, 2009)

What he said and Welcome


----------



## beer-b-q (Sep 15, 2009)

Welcome, Glad to have you with us. This is the place to learn, lots of good info and helpful friendly Members.

For Those of you New to Smoking, be sure to check out Jeff's 5 Day Smoking Basics eCourse.
Click Here it's "FREE"... 5 Day eCourse

Everyone here enjoys seeing the Qview so be sure to post plenty of pics... Large ones that us old people with bad eyes  can see.

When you uploading to Photobucket I always use the Large IMG setting, 640 x 480 it is a nice size...


----------



## tndawg (Sep 15, 2009)

Welcome aboard!!

I got a Brinkmann Vertical Propane Smoker from Lowes for my birthday. I think they run about $150, and are very "portable" (not too big for a starter).  I like the propane idea, because it is easy to maintain the temperature. 

I think this is an ideal smoker to start with, but in time...well, I already got my eye on a New Braunfels!

Here's the one I have:



GOOD LUCK & HAVE FUN!!!!!


----------



## gnubee (Sep 15, 2009)

Welcome to SMF 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






 Yes it seems like a lot at first but really it isn't, check out the thin blue smoke in TNDawg's Picture. That is what your looking for. Heavy white smoke on cold meat creates creosote and a bitter flavour, plus it is not good for you. 
We cook low and slow. Ribs for example, take about 5-6 hours at around 220-235f but man oh man is the wait ever worth it. 
Here's a link to some tips. Included is a link to the types of good smoking woods and some that are actually harmful to you. 
Enjoy!
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81585

PS Smoking meat is just like following a recipe, the wood smoke , and temperature control are part of that recipe. It should be a piece of cake for a Chef of 30 years after a try or two. 
Jeff's free 5 day course would set you on the right path asap.
http://www.smoking-meat.com/smoking-basics-ecourse.html


----------



## eman (Sep 15, 2009)

Welcome Chef,
 Jeffs free 5 day course is the best way to get started .
 If ya got questions, Or just want to talk smoking or food in general , Join us in chat some evening.


----------



## bassman (Sep 15, 2009)

Welcome to the forum.  Glad to have you aboard.


----------



## alx (Sep 15, 2009)

Welcome Chef.You aint a southie-BOSTON- are yah.Wicked Good-MAINE- makes a fabulous lump/briquette up your way.JOIN IN........lots of knowledge here....


----------



## kookie (Sep 15, 2009)

Welcome aboard..............I am sure I am not the first one to say this but I will say it again. Sign up for the 5 day ecourse. Lots of great info there and it will get you started in the right direction before you buy a smoker. The ecourse also makes a great future resourse....


----------



## oldschoolbbq (Sep 16, 2009)

Hey,and welcome to the SMF
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	




You are going into a wonderful area of culinary fun. I was a Chef for several years(school of hard knocks) and have smoked for all my life.I introduced smoker food to more than several Restaurants I served . The French Quarter in Perrysburg , Ohio being one. Chef, Doug was very pleased with the Salmon I created. Smoked on the stove in a buffet pan and a steamer pan topped off with foil and a lid to contain the smoke, and Cherry chips.
 It's a fun and rewarding adventure, at home you can practice new ideas and prefect winners. Work offrers a multitude of challenges, this helps give another avenue of choice! 
As for which model to choose from? Start(this is my honest opinion) with a rather self producing unit. Like a small vault unit. Easy to operate as a beginner and good enough to offer the product to friends and customers.
I'm writing this as if you were a working Chef. 
On off time when you need to unwind, read the post and search the archives. There is a topic for almost any area you wish to paruse.
It is now my retirement fun and I am rejoicing in the fact I can still wow people with my skills!
An other member you should PM is Ront. Used to own a restaurant. Cool , guy and a good member(recently Knighted:)- Congrats Ron).
Look around, locate some post that have a unit you like and ask away.
Just think about the choice and get the ubit that keeps you interested, otherwise you'll be disenchanted and leave the thought behind. 
Good luck and if you ever need a question answered, I'm open. And so are the other folke on this forum.
Have fun and SMOKE HAPPY 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	




Stan       aka        Old School


----------



## zjaybird (Sep 16, 2009)

Hey Patriot...welcome aboard....if you cannot yourself falling in love with smoking then you are not reading all the post here.  There are guys on here that have forgotten more about smoking then I will ever know.  Let us know when you get good so we can come to your establishment and try it out.


----------



## irishteabear (Sep 16, 2009)

Welcome to SMF.  Glad you joined us.


----------



## oldschoolbbq (Sep 16, 2009)

Had a drama here and lost my train of thought.
Anyhow, the wood you spoke of, it really (IMHO) shgould be cut smaller than "fire wood". In my smoker,I use 16" split wood that I have oared down to 2"X2"X 8". Seems to do a better job of control. The Big pits(Pro-business type -use whole or single split wood, but at home it not a option.
As for,is the wood O.K.? Take a piece and set it afire,let it burn a bit and see what color the smoke is,(is it white? Is is light? Is it slightly blue?)
If it is cured well and not too dry, it will smell good and burn with a light smoke-if the air and oxygen is getting to it> that is the optimal smoke.
Play with different woods also and smell them. Sounds crazy,but (again,my opinion) it's like foods ,you can smell the flavor...
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	




Try building a UDS and learn from the get go? Just don't brun your bridges, you'll love it as much as we do!
Have fun
Stan    aka    old school


----------



## patriots (Sep 16, 2009)

You all sound like a great group. I want to thank you for inviting me to your community. I will have a lot of questions and maybe give you some of my recipes from thirty years of working. You are probaly not use to food made by a yankee:) Unlike a lot of you, I have never killed my own food with a rifle or a bow:)


----------



## richtee (Sep 16, 2009)

But have you used a cleaver?


----------



## fastfusion (Sep 16, 2009)

Welcome aboard Patriot,

Just to let you know, this can become highly addictive. I started out in July with a Vertical Watt burner and have since added an ECB (El Cheapo Brinkman) to the collection.   This is a great place to learn and share your success-QVIEW !!! 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






and the occasional failure.


----------



## patriots (Sep 16, 2009)

I am a quick learner. What type of smoker should I buy. I wan to do all wood.


----------



## fastfusion (Sep 16, 2009)

What type of smoker depends on how much your wallet can handle? how many you plan to cook for? there is a smoker for everyone's budget.


----------



## patriots (Sep 16, 2009)

Family and a few friens. maybe a brisket and some chicken at one time. Not for any large groups


----------



## pineywoods (Sep 17, 2009)

Yea right when you start kicking out that awesome Q it will be lots of family and lots of friends and those small smokes grow into big ones


----------



## mballi3011 (Sep 18, 2009)

First off welcome Lunchbox to *SMF*. You'll like it here cause there are abunch of good folks here that would just love to help you out with just about anythignto do with smoking. We really like to have newbies here because they can bring in a new propective to how things are done. There's nothing like a new set of eyes to give and new way to make things that little differant to make things alittle better. So I hope you know about the *Qview* here. 
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ad.php?t=58920
Here's a link to photobucket it's free and easy to download pictures. Then if your really new to smoking Look up the E-course. 
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...play.php?f=127
It's also free and it will give you the basics of smoking. So after all of that you just need to go grab something to smoke and if you have any question just post them here and we will answer it quickly so you don't have any mishaps with your smoke. 
Welcome To Your New Addiction


----------



## oz (Sep 21, 2009)

Hey patriots..welcome to the forum.  First of all, I am up here in the Boston area too.  I have found Cowboy lump charcoal at Lowe's pretty routinely.  Not the best but it works fine.  I use oak and  cherry in a vertical smoker.  Now, you should keep it simple.  It is important to keep the cook chamber temp as steady as possible.  I heat with the lump and use small logs of oak or cherry for flavor.  You don't want a lot of smoke so feed the wood in slowly.  I have learned that it is super important to monitor the meat temp as well.  For years I couldn't get tender, fall-apart brisket, then learned to get the internal temp up and that is the magic.  Be patient with it.  I don't baste during the cooking either, but then I am originally from Texas.  I wish you good luck and enjoy the process, smokin' is loads of fun.
Cheers,
Oz


----------

