New guy here ...

Tim Lee

New member
Hey ... this is my first post. I've been an amateur smoking enthusiast for several years, with most of my experience coming with offset smokers. My friends like me because when I fire up my smoker, it's usually for the purpose of feeding 30-40 of 'em. In the interest of full disclosure, I'm an employee at Bubba's Barrels, where many of you probably got your drums. Since my old offset is falling apart, I talked to BB owner Carl about getting a Big Poppa Kit as something to tide me over until I got a better offset built.

This weekend, I got the kit and a slightly dinged up stainless drum. I had Heath, who works in the shop, pre-drill it for me since he's done a lot of them (and pretty much has it down to a science). After studying the directions a bit on Friday night, I got up Saturday and put the thing together. It was very simple and took little time at all. After a brief test fire, I got the itch to start cooking. It was a nice day here in Knoxville, sunny and moderate temp-wise.

I'd spent a little time perusing this site the night before, so I had some pretty good ideas on how I wanted to go about using the drum smoker (thanks, y'all).

I didn't have a lot of time to spend, so I cooked a couple large slabs of salmon. Using Kingsford Competition Briquets and some bits of apple wood, the fish cooked up quickly and turned out really well. I pre-seasoned them with black pepper and Tabasco salt. I took one of the pieces to a party last night, and it was the hit of the food table. My wife, who loves smoked salmon, pronounced the "best ever."

Knowing I had limited daylight today (but another perfect day for being in the backyard), I tried a large rack of spare ribs and a small hunk of brisket (2.5 pounds). I cooked the ribs using the 2-2-1 method I usually go with, and did the little brisket much the same way (put smoke on it for 2-3 hours and then wrapped it for another couple hours). I used the same briquets, along with a couple sticks of hickory.

The results are in, and everything turned out great. The ribs are melt-in-your-mouth good. I used a slightly sweeter rub (no sauce) and added apple juice when I wrapped them. Perfect consistency from end to end. And the brisket is to die for. Perfect smoke ring, seasoned with just salt and pepper, and just as tender as can be without falling apart.

So there, I'm a convert. I love this smoker and the way it performs. As a part-time musician, I also appreciate the fact that it was designed by the folks at Ernie Ball, a company whose products I've used since I was a teenager (and that was a long time ago).

Trust me, I'm not so concerned about getting that offset built so quickly. As soon as I figure out the whole posting pics thing, I'll share some photos of the smoker (the stainless looks great, nothing "ugly" about this drum smoker) and the results. Pardon the drool.

Bring on the holidays, I'm ready to feed the masses.

Thanks for having me on board.
 

Chili Head

New member
Welcome aboard Tim!
Yep i got my drum from bubba too and i wish i had him drill my holes. Those suckers are a pain!

Sounds like you wont be getting that offset any time soon!



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