the beer can chix

Hello Steven and congrats. on the great recipes in all your books !,

I have cooked many, many recipes from your books: Carolina pulled pork along with the slaw is a real keeper, Oaxaca ribs, Memphis spares, Sweet Pork chops, Banana Ketchup (the best), PR Pig powder, Memphis rubs, lemon pepper, the incredible fish cure spice and much more.

Now that the Supreme Court has relaxed certain laws, I cooked a Beer Can chicken !...it turned out very good, with the breast a tad dry. I used a Bell&Evans chix.. I find them much less bloated\watery from processing and feed supplements, and usually can use less time on heat than a regular supermarket variety.

Question please: Since I live in a condo, I do the cooking and faux smoking (a metal box) on a gas grill (coals would be a bit too much worry on the patio) with direct and indirect heat. The bottom line is I want more smoke flavor in my efforts. Would an electric, round type smoker (with several levels), using wood chips give a good smoke flavor ? The heat would be regulated and I could add wood pieces in a controlled manner- the gas grill arrangement works fair but lacks good smoke flavor.

Still learning to keep it hot, clean and lubricated !

Bill
for the Bros

I have a Birnkman smoker (about $25 at the big stores) and a Meca electric smoker. The heat is at the bottom, a pan of water above it, then the grates. The wet wood is thrown on the charcoal and for the elecrtic you need larger chunks to lean against the electric coils.
This is low temperature prolonged cooking and nothing beats it for flavor. You can probably make this with a garbage can.
The problem I have had with the electric is the temperature will often drop for no apparent reason. I keep an oven thermometer in my kettle and I don't want the temp below 180 degrees for safety reasons. I guess the sensor that turns it on and off isn't to reliable. It has been a problem with two different thermostat units.
The trouble with the charcoal is the amount of attention you have to give it, adding charcoal at regular intervals, and the difficulty keeping the temperature in the range you want it without big swings.
Both require adding the wood chips regularly.
So this process requires a lot of attention for the 6 to 8 hours you are cooking but if you have the time it is absolutely worth it.

In response to brubros' question about electric grills, due to the fact he lives in a condo. Many condos and apartment complexes prohibit gas or charcoal grills, and I have recently seen several people in various sites state that most places will allow electric grills. While I have not had much experience with electrics, I understand they do a decent job of smoking, with a smoker box and wood chips. Best of luck.

I have an electric smoker. It was inexpensive at walmart. I plan to get a better one eventually, but this one does the job(just takes a bit longer.)

three words:

big green egg

Welcome to the board Spitfire!

preciate it. Hope to learn alot, meet folks and expand my bbq knowledge.