How to MacGyver a broken electric smoker!

I knew a month ago that my smoker was broken but being the Frugal Guru that I am (read: cheap) I couldn't throw it away! Using my culinary MacGyver skills I decided I could still use it to smoke the chicken I was doing for this July 4th weekend.

WOW! My smoker has faded over the years! I wonder if that is from a combination of heat and sun? 

 I realized that I could easily make this usable as a charcoal smoker. The bottom of my smoker has a round electric element with lava rocks. Otherwise there was plenty of room and a metal bowl as a base. I had my wife get a bag of Match Light Charcoal when she was at the store.
I read the directions (because it has been awhile) and piled my charcoal up on the lava rocks like an upside down cone and lit them. Later I spread the coals out and waited for the fire to die down. About ten minutes. Just like the directions said. Funny thing about directions, sometimes they work. I threw a couple handfuls of wood chips on top...time to get started.

You've probably heard, "I don't like using charcoal because I can taste the fuel on my food!". This is because of two things:
1. Not following directions and let the fire die out. And/Or...
2. Using entirely too much lighter fluid and not letting it burn off.

I kind of miss that "old school" smell of cooking with charcoal and wood. Once we started having kids I couldn't give up smoking or grilling so I went for convenience.

• Gas Grill - cooking from start to finish without wasting any time.
• Electric Smoker - set it, and forget it.

The thing about charcoal and wood, it's time consuming manipulating the nuances of fire and air to get the right temperature long term. We (my wife and I) both work and we have small kids...So, "NO!" to the days of finagling smokers and grills with "master techniques". But the smell was nostalgic if only for this weekend!

Wings & Breasts!

You can use a smoker as a grill to smoke meats like chicken wings, chicken breasts, thighs, burgers, hot-dogs...without going"low and slow". Low & Slow is for other cuts of meats like pork butt, ribs, brisket, and larger pieces/cuts of meat. -- Burgers, chicken wings, chicken breasts & thighs, stuff like that can be cooked at high temp over the coals with a handful of wood chips thrown in, it picks up plenty of the smoke flavor and they are done from 30 to 60 minutes start to finish.

My personal favorite is smoked wings, flash fried and buffalo sauced! (butter & hot sauce mixture, add garlic)

My "trick" worked out great for the weekend. Look, I know, I KNOW, that you have some experiences and stories like that yourself! Share them with us in the comments! Please, we would love to hear them!

PS. In my early college days we did this to a Gas Grill as well. We added an additional grate (read: food cooling rack) to help keep the charcoal in place where the gas burners used to be.

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Injected & Smoked!

 Backup to Thanksgiving 2011...I usually don't follow traditional foods for Holidays but this year family was coming over and they were all bringing a few dishes to round out the meal and I would do a flavorful Turkey with a little twist.

So, I decided to simmer up some chicken broth with a few more herbs and spices that I liked (and some onion and garlic). Then I strained all the pieces out which I later rubbed into the skin of the Turkey.  I chilled the liquid then went in search of my meat injector.

Two Turkey's For the Price of One!

Using the liquid I created I pierced the skin and went into the muscle and continually forced the liquid into the turkey at several points in muscles all over the Turkey with my big commercial needle for meat.

Cooking it overnight in my smoker (standard $59 to $69 electric smoker sold at department stores everywhere) with apple wood chips.  Ranging in heat about 200F to 220F thru-out the night for about 10 hours.  The turkey's weight was about 16 pounds before cooking.

That's it.  I took it out and let it rest...later carving it for dinner.  Oh man was it moist delicious!  I have a house full of guests AND guys at work who got to eat the leftovers that can be my witnesses!

Breakfast at Cracker Barrel!

TX Smokehouse BBQ...in San Jose, CA?

I have tasted some BBQ here & there, of this and that...and it really just seems people want to cook meat any old kind of way and put some BBQ sauce on it, then call it BBQ.

At the Texas Smokehouse BBQ, it tasted like a real BBQ, which means the meat is cooked a certain way (at least to me, and I am from the South) and it's got to have an element of smoke or outdoor grill to it!

Here there is no valet parking, servers/waiters, reserved seating, or pretentiousness.

Nope, 2 parking spaces, 3 tables, and a fan outside to keep the 'smoke' from filling up the main restaurant area through the screen door.  Just the type 'Hole-n-Wall' place I love to check out.

Being in California this Texas BBQ place reminds me of back home...in Alabama.  So until I make it back home to visit in 'Sweet Home Alabama' I'll be stopping by to order, or call ahead to pick up my BBQ from here & any of the 'Down Home' style sides (that is, unless I am having/cooking my own BBQ).

You order you pay at the register, they are polite, and you WAIT if someone calls in order...they can only do so many things at once.  AND YES you are going to smell like smoke/a smoker if you are there for a while eating or waiting for your food.

Here is all the information and a copy of the menu: Texas Smokehouse BBQ

Comment and/or write about your favorite BBQ place, or let me know of another good one in the San Jose area.  I'll go check it out!

Thanks to Rudy R. for the photo!