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Name:   Tall Cotton - Email Member
Subject:   Do you give food gifts for Christmas?
Date:   12/13/2012 3:39:08 PM

In the past I have given cards redeemable for a smoked butt, brisket or chicken. Unfortunately very few were ever used. This year I am giving my direct reports at work a smoked butt, pulled, vacuum packed, and ready to go. What and/or how do you share your cooking skills with your friends and relatives during the Christmas season?




Name:   roswellric - Email Member
Subject:   Do you give food gifts for Christmas?
Date:   12/13/2012 10:33:05 PM

Yes. This year we went to the DeKalb Farmer's Market for things that you can't find anywhere else. Cheap spices let you get lots of unusual things like Garam Masala and Zatar not to mention all the ususal stuff. Spanish olives, Romesco sauce, packaged soups and the like. We bundled a variety of stuff and sent it to our kids and family. We also included preserves that we made during the year.



Name:   h_hob - Email Member
Subject:   Do you give food gifts for Christmas?
Date:   12/14/2012 6:37:52 PM


Roswellric,

You mean you didn't order some hatch peppers to send them.  I would have thought with the screen name you would have sent them decent peppers.



Name:   Mack - Email Member
Subject:   Cotton>>>
Date:   12/14/2012 7:18:13 PM

If you do not get some very positive feedback from your effort this year with the butts, consider doing the exact same thing next year for your local homeless mission, and see how it is appreciated. The pork will last about 10 minutes!! And lots of smiles of appreciation. Go watch it when it is served,, it will hurt some, but watch anyway.

On another topic,, Cotton. You burn a LOT of meat on your smoker, apparently. Still the electric MasterBuilt??
I am shopping again, from a propane vertical smoker, where the flame blows out in the wind or the heat gets too high too quickly. Questions, questions???

1. Has the MB Smoker you have proved reliable, after the earlier failures??
2. What is the max temp you can sustain on it? I ask because of crust/bark issues with low heat and no actual fire.
3. Butts/Ribs/Brisket   equals grease drippings big time. How hard is it to clean the MB??
4. What is the trick for creating smoke from wood chips in the MB? Size? Soak? What?



Name:   roswellric - Email Member
Subject:   Do you give food gifts for Christmas?
Date:   12/15/2012 1:46:53 PM

Never tried them. Any good? The canned El Paso chilies are not so good.



Name:   h_hob - Email Member
Subject:   Do you give food gifts for Christmas?
Date:   12/15/2012 6:27:46 PM


Hatch Chilis are grown in Hatch, NM.  The make the best chili rellonos going.  Hot enough to know they are there with cheese stuffed in them yet they aren't something you would eat to prove your manhood.  I haven't looked for them canned in stores.  We have a friend that sends them to us fresh and we do our own fresh and dry what are left to use for spices in pizza and other sauces.



Name:   Tall Cotton - Email Member
Subject:   [Message deleted by author]
Date:   12/15/2012 9:22:05 PM (updated 12/15/2012 10:12:53 PM)




Name:   Tall Cotton - Email Member
Subject:   Cotton>>>
Date:   12/15/2012 10:21:03 PM

Mack,
I am very happy with the MB. I am considering getting another one. I really wish I had kept up with all that had been smoked on it. In just the last month I've done 5 or 6 butts, 5 turkeys, two briskets and a prime rib.Right now I have eight butts, a brisket and two turkeys to deliver Wednesday.

It will hold 265-275ish pretty well. For cleanup I line everything, floor drip pan and the water/drip pan with foil. When I;m done I just pull it out and toss it.Grease actually can run out a drain in the back and there is a small tray to catch it. I use small wood chips soaked about an hour before burning and replace them about three times in an 8 hour smoke. For Christmas I'm getting a cold smoke generator that replaces the chip tray loader and can be used to smoke cheese, bacon, fish, etc at temps below 120. It can also be used as a smoke source for hot smoking. It says it will hold 6 hours of chips or chunks.

I don't think you will be disappointed if you get one. Sam's has the best deal I've seen at $299 for the 40" model. The new ones have a remote meat probe.

Our local shelter benefits from good Q at least 3 times a year. The next time will be next Friday, and yes it is hard to watch knowing how appreciative they are. Merry Christmas to you and yours!



Name:   Mack - Email Member
Subject:   Cotton>>>
Date:   12/16/2012 7:28:32 PM

Thank you for the reply. And, a very Merry Christmas to you and yours up there in Tennessee.



Name:   Mack - Email Member
Subject:   Cotton>>>
Date:   12/23/2012 7:46:21 PM

One more question about the MB. From all I have read about electric smokers ( a lot, and most of it not very positive, must be SmokoPuristo's), you cannot get a "crust/bark" on the surface of the meat like a charcoal or gas smoker. But the pictures I see show a reasonable amount of crusting on the exterior.
Any comment??



Name:   Tall Cotton - Email Member
Subject:   Bark
Date:   12/24/2012 8:17:48 PM

Mack, It's not like a charcoal smoker, but it is adequate for what I like. I thought about taking pictures of the last batch, but just didn't. On a scale of 1-10 I'd give it an 8. I got the cold smoker kit for my b'day yesterday and hooked it up today. On my first attempt at cheese the hickory was very strong in 30 minutes, although the temp never got over 72. I may need to drop to a less strong wood. Salmon is on schedule for tomorrow.




Name:   Mack - Email Member
Subject:   Bark
Date:   12/25/2012 5:39:23 PM

TC, Santa did not leave me any toys under the tree this year, so,,,,,, I think I might try the Electric Smoker. I don't think the glass door is practical, so I am looking at the 2nd Generation 30" w/o a glass door. Looks and reads like MB has beefed up the metal gauge, changed burner design and added insulation and raised the price.
Might need a deck expansion for grill growth, but what the heck.
Also read a review of the MB that suggested that you can get a lot more "Bark" by substituting half pieces of charcoal in the wood chip chute.



Name:   Tall Cotton - Email Member
Subject:   Bark
Date:   12/26/2012 10:19:13 AM

The door is not practical, but the extra space comes in handy whan smoking more stuff. I've learned that if I fire it up I fill it up. The extra food can be vacuum packed and frozen for those times when you need something quick. Look at the space between racks on the 30 vs the 40. A medium size turkey barely fits in the space with one rack removed on the 40. A big butt (yes mine is, especially after this week) is pretty close with all the racks in. The charcoal trick just might darken the bark. Thanks!



Name:   Tall Cotton - Email Member
Subject:   Mack
Date:   1/5/2013 7:14:26 PM

Mack, I stopped by our local Sam's today and noticed they had a MB 40" smoker on clearance for $169. Now I have a new one on the deck waiting to be used :-) Did you ever pull the trigger on one?



Name:   Mack - Email Member
Subject:   Mack
Date:   1/6/2013 7:27:06 PM

Not yet, but if that price is for the new generation MBS, it is really good. I'll look at my Sam's tomorrow.



Name:   Mack - Email Member
Subject:   Mack
Date:   1/7/2013 6:56:05 PM

BANG!



Name:   Tall Cotton - Email Member
Subject:   Mack
Date:   1/8/2013 9:51:05 AM

I'll call MB for my commission check :-) Hope you enjoy it as much as I have this last one. My only suggestion is to make sure it stays dry.








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