Memorial Weekend

[Triple Creek Reaper]

With taps playing in the back ground for the start of the Indy 500, I wanted to share the 1st pic which I took Saturday morning. Some of you guys from Tampa may recognize it, as I believe it started over there a few years ago. The story surrounding this display started last year with a local Boy Scout who lost his father in Afghanistan just prior to his trip out west to go mountain climbing with his troop. When he got back he heard/seen the Tampa tribute and decided to make it his Eagle Scout project to raise the money necessary to honor his Father and all troops lost in battle who came from Oviedo, FL. It took him no time as the entire community rallied to his side to help and now it has become an annual tradition. I have to say, I was moved seeing it for the 1st time.

To all you vets, thank you for your service....

On a lighter note, and the reason I posted this here is I wanted to see what everyone has on the menu this weekend. Got an early Fathers Day gift just in time for the weekend cookout. Had a chance to put it together Friday evening and make some modifications to get it sealed up tight. Got back from the beach yesterday in time to get it properly seasoned for today's bar-be-cue. To make sure it gets initiated properly, I am throwing everybody in the pool. Brisket, Chicken, Ribs and Boston Butt.

[Iluv2hunt]

That's a neat setup. Never seen a smoker built like that..Me and my bud spent the weekend at camp. Fished Saturday and worked on feeders that the wind and hogs had pushed over. He is a Vietnam vet, so I cooked him a big porter house last night(which he put ketchup on ). Sat around last night and he told me a bunch of old war stories. Makes me kinda wish I had gone in the military, but on the same side I am glad I didn't..

Grilled burgers just now that the wife picked up. They were horrible. By the time the grease burned out of them they were smaller than the bun...

[Bossman]

Hey 3 creek how did the first cooking turn out? Looked like it had a good start and my bets are that it was a hit with all...

[Triple Creek Reaper]

That's a neat setup. Never seen a smoker built like that...

My little brinkman vertical finally rusted through on the top. It was cheap but I got 3 years out of it and I was making some real good que with it. I had been looking for an offset smoker the last week at Lowes, Home Depot, Bass Pro, Craigslist etc and decided on this unit from Bass Pro. It seems you either have to spend $250 or $1250 and I wasn't spending north of $1k, even for a custom unit. Even at the $250 range I found all kinds of issues with most everything out there. I decided right away I did not want a horizontal offset so lucked out when I found this vertical offset. I still had to seal up the connection between the firebox and smoke chamber and the firebox itself as it was shipped in 2 pieces. When I was seasoning it I found out the firebox door and the smoke chamber door need some help. Did a little research and most everyone out there is using either VTR or nomax tape? to fix the door situation. I do think once I get the door issues resolved, this will turn out to be a great smoker. I was so limited with my old unit both in size and quantity. This one still has the water bowl at the bottom if you want to use it and included hooks in the top so you can hang link sausage, ribs...perhaps a whole venison quarter or 2.

[Triple Creek Reaper]

Hey 3 creek how did the first cooking turn out? Looked like it had a good start and my bets are that it was a hit with all...

Bossmam, the que turned out great. One of the best smoke rings I have ever produced in the pork and brisket. Everything was running about an hour/lb with temps moving between 200 and 250 the entire time. With the leaking issues I mentioned above, it was hard to hold it steady for more than 2 hours at a time. I was cooking roughly 20 lbs of meat and I ran through 20 lbs of charcoal and 12 lbs of oak and hickory chunks. That seems way too much for me. I don't usually use charcoal but they had a deal at Home Depot went I went through there. I am going to start using lump and regular oak logs moving forward as I bought this to be a true stick burner.

[Iluv2hunt]

The nomex tape is the same stuff they use on the Komado style cookers (big green egg, etc) for door gaskets

You are right, the horizontal offset smokers (other than custom built ones) suck. You have to cram all the meat on one end to avoid the inferno next to the fire box