# Questions from Italy



## ryoma (Sep 12, 2008)

Hi 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






After a long absence and after many tests done with a Weber One Touch Gold 22.5, here I am with a lot of questions

In Italy there aren't a BBQ tradition so many things that for you are normal for me are unknow.
I begun to use the BBQ for the direct cooking, but when I bought the "One Touch" I did the indirect cooking using only charcoal.

I begun with the Standard Method; a short time ago i tried the Minion Method with a great satisfaction.
I Adapted it to the use with the "One Touch" and I added a small quantity of chips to smoke.
In the Minion Method anyone advises to add in the charcoal out a little of dry wood chunks with a homogeneous distribution, but leaving out some pieces on the surface.

In thet way, when you add the hot charcoal it begun to smoke it may happen to make too much smoke in the BBQ, that cause a bitter taste for the meat.

How can I understand how many wood chips/chunk I need to use?

Some BBQ purist use a little quantity of charcoal to begin the combustion and then they continue only with wood pieces like in the photo






Is it right or I'm wrong?

With this system the smoke quantity is too much in the long cooking, like 12-18 hours, so we could oversmoked the real, couldn't we?

Anibody else smokers the real only for one third of the cooking period that is one hours for every kilo of meat.
So 6 Kilos= 6 hours of cooking that include two hours of smoke.

One of my problems is this!!!
I'm not able to use the right quantity of woods to smoke

I need some advices, photos ore come videos (youtube etc..).
Which is the real way to smoke the meat??

Can I smoke for all the cooking or only for a little period??
I would buy some books to probe this matter, but I prefer books with photos.

On Amazon I found:
   1) Mastering Barbecue di Michael H. Stinse
  2) Peace, Love, & Barbecue di Mike Mills
  3) Smoke & Spice di Cheryl e Bill Jamison
Have you got any other books to suggest?

Thank you for all 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





P.S. I can't speak english well, so my girlfriend translates the text for me. This is the reason of my delay, of the absence of searches in the forum and of my request of photos and videos.


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## richtee (Sep 12, 2008)

Welll    welcome bacy Ryoma!

Hmm send a pict of your whole smoker...I'm thinking you are using too much wood... and/or not running a high enough temp to burn the wood correctly. Lump charcoal use would make it easier, and you would use less wood.


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## ibsmoking (Sep 12, 2008)

Sounds like you have a lot going on.  That is a Weber Kettle that you are cooking on I believe, there are a lot of guys here that use them with great success, mybe one of them will be along to help.  Also on the left side of the page there are a lot of "How To" post and Jeff's 5 day ecouse that you may want to sign up for.


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## stacks (Sep 12, 2008)

Ryoma -
I'll admit I don't know what an O.T. 57 is 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 but I have tried cooking using all wood and have found on the smaller smokers like my brinkman offset it is easy to over-do the smoke and destroy an otherwise fine piece of meat. The pic you have looks like your going with all wood. Try pre-burning the wood (make a campfire) and use the hot coals to fill your smoker. The issue you may find is you will go through a lot of wood per smoke to build a coal base to transfer over and it takes more time.
I prefer to use lump charcoal to maintain temps adding wood for smoke. One of the logs shown in the pic would smolder for several hours at 225 - 250 and not give your meat that bitter over smoked taste. On a 10 - 18 hour smoke I use wood up until I foil. If not foiling I use wood during two thirds of the smoke. How much wood varies.
You need to practice to get an idea of how your smoker works and how different woods effect meat (apple on chicken, hickory for pork, mesquite for beef, etc) Also seasoned wood is better than green and NEVER use soft wood like pine. A good rule of thumb is "if the tree bares fruits or nuts the wood is good to smoke."
I hope this helped answer some of your questions. Check out the 5 day e-course and good luck on all your future smokes.

Mike


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## ryoma (Sep 13, 2008)

Hi 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





I'm sorry but my bbq in USA is called Weber One Touch Gold 22.5 inch; in Italy is called Weber One Touch Gold  57 cm. I wrote the abbreviation in Italian that OT57; Excuse me 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 (I have immediately corrected)

 At the moment I'm using a modified Weber One Touch Gold 22.5 similar Smokenator. (a little bulkhead)























I'm building a vertical offset smoker.

 The smoke chamber is similar (in dimensions) to a Big Drum Smoker (the second or third from the left)






the firebox is similar (in dimensions) to weber smokey mountain cooker






It is like a big ProQ Exel20 with a separate firebox

When I will finish, I'll send you the photos

Thank you for all


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## richtee (Sep 16, 2008)

Hey Ryoma... OK..you need to use charcoal for the heat source in that smoker. And you should consider pre-burning wood chunks for smoke. And a key point... remember  if you smell smoke- you are smoking!

 Many people, especially beginners make the mistake of using TOO MUCH WOOD! Have you seen this thread?
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...67333#poststop


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## walking dude (Sep 16, 2008)

peace love and bbq is a EXCELLANT book ryoma


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## m1tanker78 (Sep 16, 2008)

You'll get great satisfaction after building and cooking a few times on your homemade smoker. Oh, and a few headaches along the way! I built my own smoker and couldn't be happier with it. If you'd like you can check it out here:  http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ad.php?t=23040

I hope you'll take pictures and post 'em when it's done!

Good Luck
Tom


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## dan of the highlands (Sep 17, 2008)

Ciao Ryoma!

I spent 3 years living in Toscana con mia moglie.  Lei e Pisana.  My wife is from Pisa and I was at Campo Darby.

Dove se abitta?  (My Italian is very week, please excuse my attempts)


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## shooterrick (Sep 17, 2008)

Just me but after I have a good bed of coals and my  smoker is stablized I dont mind adding a few splits without preburning.  I dont get the creosote taste some speak of.  Of course when I started smoking I would add far to much wood to the coal bed and created problems.  

After I have taken on enoegh smoke say 3-4 hrs for a butt, internal temp around 145 I wrap the meat in foil to protect it from taking on more smoke than I want and to let it self baste so to speak.  This smoke time also depends on the wood used and the smoker temps.  

The pic you showed of a firebox could very well be my firebox at the begining of the burn while I am building the coal bed and stabilizing my smoker temps.  Without knowing what stage this smoker is running in, it is impossible to say the pic denotes right or wrong.  

Hope this helps.


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## ryoma (Sep 17, 2008)

Hi 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





I can't speak english well, so my girlfriend translates the text for me. This is the reason of my delay, of the absence of searches in the forum and of my request of photos and videos.

Can you look for any links and write it for me on your answers,please?

As soon as possible i'll answer to all.

Thanks for your patience


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