Practice cook on the Smokehouse vertical

[mattdean1003]

Did my initial burn in, seasoning and cleanup yesterday so now it's time to see how she cooks! Got a good deal on a 2 lb chuck roast the other day, yes small but will do the job, and prob gonna toss on some leg quarters later. Chuck is seasoned with Stonemill Essentials steak seasoning which I think is like a TJ Maxx / Burlington outlet store type of seasoning, I think we got it at the latter, but it's still very good, and wasn't one of their items made of gold. I need to put a shim under the caster on the rear right, as I can see from the pic it is sitting a tad uneven, but that's a heavy smoker to maneuver. Holds heat like a champ and there are no leaks except for the very top of the cook chamber. Oh the fun I am going to have with this cooker. I'm saving the big initial cook for my dad, stepmother and wife. As good as she has been to me, stepmother just doesn't do justice. They are amazing people and all had a part in making this smoker happen for me.
I also tried to scrape out that "baked on" ash that I was freaking out about last night, and I think it's just pretty much "seasoned" itself to the firebox lol

Pr0n time!









Will post updates throughout the cook!

 

[KevinJ]

op2:

 

[rus_bro]

Thanks for sharing. Keep us updated, im really considering picking one of these up.

rb

 

[qnbiker]

That little guy looks lonely in there.

 

[mattdean1003]

So far so good, gonna snap a pic of the roast when I wrap it up in a bit. Holds temp like a champ. Ash does build up on the fire grate but a little knocking the fire around solves that problem. I just burned a whole firewood split in there, and while it was a tad smokier than I'd have liked, it was GOOD smoke, but not clear, and it burned it very well. I can't wait to load it up with some stuff.

 

[mattdean1003]

Pic of the chuckie before I wrapped it up. Wrapped it in some butter and beef stock, never tried both, but last chuckie came out a little dry and tough so I figured I'd introduce some moisture and let it do it's thing.

Just an observation, I did end up flipping it over, what you see in the pic is the bottom of the roast, hence the "grill marks", I believe I was letting all the heat right up out the smokestacks and not giving it a chance to circulate and make bark. The top of the roast was incredibly moist and juicy, way more so than my offset. I LOVE this cooker. Anyone and everyone that is on the edge of pulling the trigger, PULL IT. You WILL not regret it! More pics to follow of the chicken quarters, and I tossed on some taters in foil.

 

[KevinJ]

It was dry and tough because it was under cooked.

 

[SmittyJonz]

Oh Ya.! Let's see a Brisket and a couple racks of St Louis Spares......

 

[WilliamD]

Way to Go on that new Cooker!!!!! I hope it gives you many years of service!!!!

 

[mattdean1003]

Cook was a success. No idea what temp I was cooking at, I just kinda went by ear and feel. Chicken was great, chuckie was great! No hot spots, the water pan I put on the bottom rack did very well, and while the roast didn't slice, it did just absolutely fall apart. I am very, very happy with my trial cook.

 

[SmittyJonz]

Time for Brisket n Ribs.! Mine is only 20" wide -4" narrower.