Well, as it turns out, we have just completed the first of two
18ft 2 ton Torpedo BBQ smokers, and now it’s ready for paint booth finishing.
An automotive high resin Black with reducers & hardeners, then 4 clearcoats with resin
to give it a 3D effect. Should come out NICE.

I expect after we finish filming our next BBQ TV special in a few weeks,
We will add both of them to a Mobile Trailer with a polished Stainless Steel floor,
Add on equipment, maybe even a roof, with a ¾” Granite 3 ft tall Plaque to our Military.
Should be nice.

The Torpedo’s are 24” diameter, reduced the last 7ft from 24” to 6”,
With dual SS Scorpion Propellers that turn at 80 revolutions a minute.
We added a smoke generating machine made for the Hollywood stage,
To produce smoke & cavitate 20ft behind the Tubes by wireless trigger.
I tested it this morning, & it works great.


Submerge Arc welding the reducers for the rear assembly’s



The Base stands with 8” wheels recessed weigh 1000 # each.



Initial Assembly/ main body & tail assemblies




Rolling Base Stands welded on/Notice electrolesis effect from welding


50 Holes drilled for the Stainless Steel Rivets




Rear electronics rear entry door/ main body meat racks/SS Props


Battery Packs, Motors for propellers added in




Stainless Steel rivets, recessed thermometers
& Stainless Steel Cervo’s, with fake firing pins.




Finished Products will look like this with our stands when painted
with Automotive Paints & Clearcoats, and all Decals Added.



Weight: 3500#
Dims: 18 feet long by 2 feet wide

How do you test and compare rubs? It gets pretty expensive trying rubs on ribs and brisket not to mention time consuming. Also you rarely are able to compare several rubs at the same time. Scouring the Internet provided no real clue how to accomplish this.

As you know the flavor of the rub out of the container will taste different than the resulting flavor after combining with the meat juices and the smoke. The task was to find a method allowing me to test several rubs at the same time that was both inexpensive and produced viable results. Here is what I have developed and seems to work fine:

BULLDOG METHOD: The two meats I focused on was brisket and pork. I ordered chili grind brisket and unflavored pork and made patties. I will apply the various rub samples and mark with a "flag" and BBQ rather than grill. This generally takes less than an hour. Based upon discussions with several judges the flavor I am looking for is a hint of sweet and hint of heat and good aftertaste. With followup on brisket and pork (ribs and pork shoulder)the results appear to be consistent both with patties and full meat samples.

(By the way for chicken I like a simple salt flavor with hint of celery and moderate heat due to the nature of chicken)

This is not "exact" but are relatively accurate with choosing a good rub

Hope this will be of value to those who don't already have a winning rub.
-------------
Note this is also a good way to compare BBQ sauces. You prepare several patties with one rub then at the end apply various sauces. One thing many BBQers neglect to remember is the sauce and the rub need to "marry" the flavors. A good rub and a good sauce do not always result in great BBQ taste
-------------
I am interested in finding out what method you use to select your rubs and sauces

Alan

I was given permission to post this by a reader who authored it in response to a question on tuning plates for a Texas off-set pit.

This is the most comprehensive explanation on the subject I have seen and Alan’s engineering back round lends credence to its validity and value. Thanks Alan, great stuff.



____________________________________________________________
Rick
Not sure if this is of any value to you. A fellow on PNWBA asked about tuning plates and this was my response. I could be off base on my discussion as it never received any comments...Alan

=============== PART I =====================================
Let me suggest the following BEFORE adding tuning plates:
(1) Run the pit a couple of times both empty and with a meat load and have about 4 remote thermometers to measure the temperature variations. "IF" you have a temperature distribution issue you now have a starting point.

(2)Contact the manufacturer (assuming it came from a pit builder) for guidance

(3) "If" there is a significant hot spot issue you may try using an aluminum foil pan with water at the firebox end before investing in plate material

(4) You never mentioned the size of the pit. Smaller rigs such as 20" x 48" might be able to use manufactured diffusion plates.

(5) If you end up going to plates with variable spacing you may eventually want to get a front and back angle iron spot welded in the rig so you can bolt the plates in place once you find the right spacing

TWO THINGS TO REMEMBER:
(1) While checking out various arrangements make sure to use the remote thermometers so you can compare results

(2) Note that most offset rigs take about an hour to settle down to uniform inside temperature

Here are examples of those available "pre-manufactured plates":

http://www.lipsmakinsmokers.com/products.asp

www.horizonbbqsmokersstore.com/servlet/Categories

Remember every rig is slightly different and what works for one may not work on yours.

You might try searching for "BBQ DIFFUSION PLATES" or "BBQ CONVECTION PLATES" or "BBQ SMOKER TUNING PLATES" for more information

A good example of "TUNING PLATES" is:
http://www.bbquepits.com/images/ACCESSORIES/TUNING_PLATES.htm
================ PART 2 ====================================
I do want to point out that achieving a uniform internal BBQ rig temperature is a rather complex issue and is primarily a function of the original design. The BTU input from the fire box and the flow to the outlet point and how quickly (or slowly) the smoke /heat flows through the BBQ rig plays a major role in heat distribution.

An issue not often discussed it the affect of radiant heating from diffusion plates. Especially in smaller diameter BBQ rigs where the diffusion plate will set less than about 4 inches below the lower grate you could be subject to radiant cooking occurring from the close proximity of the hot plate to the meat. This has been linked to actually resulting in the meat to become dry.

What I am hinting at is that diffusion plates may not the solution to poor BBQ rig designs. You can always shoot from the hip and maybe luck upon an arrangement that works for you. Or better still you can buy a BBQ rig which the designer has gone through the pains of building better heat distribution into his product.

Here is another site which provides some useful discussion on the topic

http://forum.texasbbqrub.com/showthread.php?t=39450

Remember that "heat flow" will also be a function of the amount of meat in the BBQ, so when you get it "balanced" the heating properties can change with how full the rig is packed with meat.

An alternative approach is to utilize a water pan on the grate near the firebox end. It serves two purposes:
(1) Cools the incoming heat/smoke
(2) Provides moisture which has better coefficient of heat transfer and helps maintain a better uniform cooking temperature.

Sliding the pan closer or further from the firebox end can fine tune the temperature gradient. The negative thing is you lose grate cooking space

From what I understand a 25 degree variation (or less) is pretty good control

=================================

When watching BBQ competitions either on TV or visiting local events I have seen increased usage of ELECTRIC KNIVES. My experience with these is limited to 25 years ago. Back then the cuts were fairly jagged I would be interested in finding out if the electic knife has advanced in its performance and justify a second look for competitions?

Alan

PEACH WOOD TRIAL 4/02/10
By Brad Chaney
Well although its spring time today was one of the worst days for bbq. That did not tame my excitement for the new peach wood you got. All this talk got the best of my curiosity so I couldn’t wait to get home and try it out. I had the bag of wood sitting next to me inside the cab of my truck, and the sweet aroma of the wood was tickling my nose hairs. My mouth started to water as my mind raced thinking of the flavor profiles I was about to experience. After a drive that seemed to take forever, I made it home and lit the charcoal in my 18” weber grill. I got the temp up to the proper smoking temp.



So to start off with I figured I would make some of those delicious hot wings you made for me at your house. Started off with 7 chicken wings, no salt, no pepper, nothing. I just wanted to get as much flavor as possible from the wood.



I broke off a piece of the wood which was about 4 inches long with the thickest part being about a ½ inch thick and weighed .15lbs. This piece actually smoked for 31 minutes. The aroma was very subtle, but had a very sweet, slightly fruity smell to it. It drove me crazy as I just wanted to smell more and more, that’s the smoke eater in me. The smell reminded me of the days in Chaddsford PA with my Grandpa hanging out playing golf on his property surrounded by peach trees.





After the first piece finished off I added a few more small pieces over the next 35 minutes which was a total of another .12 lbs of wood. So all together I used .27 lbs of peach wood and got this in return.



What a great golden color, temp in the joints was about 135⁰ so I took them off and finished in the oven at 375⁰ until the temp in the joints reached 195⁰. Made a little hot sauce to coat them with by using butter, hot sauce, and some honey, and served it up with my favorite blue cheese dressing.



The flavor was a very light fruity taste with a lot of sweetness to it. I tasted one wing without any sauce and it was almost too sweet for me, after I added the heat it really transformed it into something else. What a delicious treat it was. I left most of the blue cheese there because I couldn’t stop smacking my lips. I couldn’t wait to try it out on some ribs!
I picked up just a single package of baby backs, and made sure not to get the juiced up ones that say extra moist and tender. Don’t know what else they are putting in that stuff but I don’t want it! The meat was seasoned well with some of David Klose’s famous pork rib and butt rub. I added some more coals to keep the temp right around 230⁰. The ribs weighed in at 2.87lbs and went on at 1:25pm put the wood on at 1:30. The wood was a bigger chunk and weighed a little over .2lbs and burned for 55 minutes. I added a few more small pieces of bark after that burned off until I wrapped the ribs at 3:55pm.







Double wrapped the ribs with nothing added to them, and let cook for about 55 minutes. Pulled them off and took them inside for a taste test. Temp inside the meat was from 200 to 195 in some spots.




I wanted to try some just dry so I cut off some of the end pieces and dived right in. Again, the aroma was spectacular, and the taste went right along with it. Again the fruity taste was very subtle for my pallet and the sweetness was definitely there. I wanted just a little spice and some sauce so I lightly coated what I had left with some of my favorite apricot sauce that I doctored up a little to add some heat. This made all the difference in the world to me. I had the smell, the fruit, the sweetness, and then just a little heat at the end. Perfect. Definitely one of the better ribs I have made.





After breaking off the pieces of wood I thought for sure that by the dryness of it it wouldn’t last very long at all. I figured it would burn up really fast, but pleasantly this was not the case. The density of the wood helped it burn a little slower than expected. I enjoyed the aroma of the smoke very much, however it was a lot more subtle than I expected. If I were to do this again I would prefer to use more of the wood and get a little more of the flavor profile into my meat. I can’t wait to use this on something bigger, like a pork butt, or even a whole hog. That would definitely increase the flavor profile for someone like me who doesn’t have much experience in this field yet. Rick I thank you for the opportunity to test this for you, and the opportunity to train my taste buds to pick up some of the more subtle flavors that really seem to enhance the natural flavor of the meat, especially the pork.

I have an email I would like to share from Greg who made a drum smoker over the weekend. We chatted for literally a few minutes before he went to work on his project.

I have had lots...and I mean lots of interest on the "Ugly Drum". In fact my most read article pertains to drum cooking...See Top News on the left hand side of the home page.

To: "Rick Naug"

I made the drum on Saturday. With a pretty paint job and a nice shelf.. Paint on the outside and sprayed the inside with Pam.

I drilled a small hole for the meat thermometer so it could sit on the shelf.

I mounted the temp gauge with a electric conduit jam nut on the inside.

With two of the three holes covered and one chimney of Kingsford unlit and 1/2 on fire the drum went to 252 and sat there like a rock, a small chunk of Alder for smoke

A pork bone in butt on at 10:00 and with not checking once it hit 185 at 2:00 off came the butt ,wrap with film and in to the dry cooler

Opened up one more hole and on with a 1/2 fryer ( size large ) temp to 350

Chicken done in 50 minutes

The bone pulled out of the Pork and the meat pulled with some effort . I will keep in in a little longer next time

NEXT TIME :

cut back on the charcoal . I wasted more than 1/2 by the looks of things. And I will not need to baby sit the drum


I had the rack at 7 inches below the top and the thermometer 1 inch below that . @ 250 there I checked with a second probe @ the top in the same hole as the meat probe 1/2 inch from the top and it was 285 degrees.
Did not check to see if both thermometers against each other

Drum $15, Paint $15, bolts, lid handle, shelf brackets $10.
I had the grill and the thermometers
Beer ,my buddy brought that



See ya

St. Paddy’s day is comin’ up and that means just one thing…chili! Casi's Puget Pod is putting on their annual “Red and Green Chili Cook-Off” at Freight House Square in Tacoma on Sat. March 20th, starting at noon.

I am thrilled to have been selected as one of the judges at this years contest and am anxiously waiting the chance to sample some of THE best chili in these parts.

…So if you have never had the pleasure to see some of the best chili cooks in the area here is your chance. See ya there!

Our northern frontier is being valiantly defended by an old school “Barbecuist” (think of John Wayne in “The Shootist”), named Greg. I have known this particular “guardian of the flame” since the ‘90s…back when Weber Bullets were the “cutting edge” in BBQ. In fact, he was an early inspiration for my outdoor kitchen.

Since his move from Renton to Idaho, some years back, the distance has not kept us from sharing recipes, stories and with the advent of DSL in northern Idaho…emails.

His interests mirror mine, as far as food goes…heavy on the meat and potatoes, and light on the “fu fu” food. This is not to say Greg doesn’t experiment. On the contrary, his “man cave” has quite an array of cooking apparatus, complete with a stick burner out back…of which he is very accomplished, by the way.

His friends and neighbors can count on him for authentic “low and slow” whenever the need arises. A few years back, he invited us to his home in Sand Point, to do a BBQ class. I don’t know if he wanted to spread the word about “low and slow” or take some of the pressure off of him when it came to cooking BBQ for the Idaho masses. That traveling BBQ road show proved to be one of the highlights of my BBQ career.

I have had a great time at all of our classes, but somehow this one stands an inch or so above the rest. And apparently Greg has outdone himself again…he has acquired, as far as I know, the only one of these in existence. Once I was aware he had this in his possession, I felt I had a responsibility to my readers to share this discovery. So…you saw it first here!

In an email, Greg told me one of the perks of having a wife working for a dentist, is that his dental work is greatly discounted. So when it came time for a crown, he did not miss the opportunity to give a salute to his love of BBQ. You would have to be a true BBQ Pit Boss to have one of these, and I can’t think of anyone who deserves this “BBQ Crown” more than Greg….

Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal. ~Old Irish proverb

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. -- Psalm 34:18

Rest in Peace Ruth Peach…

Rick
Your comment about focusing on good BBQ vs competitions in LITTLE BOXES got me thinking about competitions in general. It appears to me that 10 years ago there was more of a friendly atmosphere at the BBQ events. Additionally there was a balance of "lite BBQs" with the traditional full BBQs (2 day event). Not sure if this is the reason but it sure appears that the big prize monies changed all that. Besides the atmosphere being less friendly it sure looked like more and more teams were sponsored by large entities or at minimal the teams were writeoffs for their own catering companies. You folks know the circuit better than I do and have better insight. What percentage of the teams competing today in the PNW are not sponsored? Also notice the light BBQs went from about 4-5 a year to only one? For me operating as a one man team an average cost of $500 per local event sure does limit the participation. I am not complaining but posting an observation. I think that BBQ competitions may be going the way of race car events...for the well sponsored teams. Give me the old time dirt tracks, a cooler of long necks, and a good group of friends

I have had my share of successes and it was not the money as much as the pride of getting the call. I BBQ now for my friends and family but each one is if I was competing including the display. The smile on their faces and the "great BBQ" comments are all the "trophies" I need today

Rick, I really do appreciate your website and you sharing great BBQ information...I believe I am all the better for camping out on your site.

Alan
Woodinville