48” Octagon RF - First Build

[towtruck]

Nice!

[Dirtytires]

Good luck on the maiden cook!

[Big T]

[dacolson]

Going meat shopping tomorrow. My butcher shop even has a drive up window for social distancing! I love him so much.

[McBroom]

Going meat shopping tomorrow. My butcher shop even has a drive up window for social distancing! I love him so much.

Thats awesome a drivethru butcher shop and a badass smoker. Love it [emoji3]
Don't forget the Qview!!

Claud McBroom

[dacolson]

I got you, Claud. QPorn is on the way.

[Dirtytires]

A full case of ribs is a bit heavy to pass thu a car window......good luck!

[dacolson]

Just toss it in the truck bed!

[dacolson]

Meat prep has begun. Salmon filets are packed in brown sugar and salt. Been in the fridge since 10AM. Get washed tomorrow AM, then air dried before they hit the smoker for an hour. Pork butts come out of the fridge in an hour to get salted. Brisket comes out to play at 3AM. Ribs get skinned and seasoned at 10AM. Wings go on at 3:30 depending on how the butts and brisket are coming along.

[dacolson]

Here's a sneak peek:

[Dirtytires]

Wow....for a first smoke on a new smoker you sure are pulling out all the stops!

[dacolson]

Too excited to go easy

[McBroom]

Too excited to go easy

Damn sure lookin good.
How many in the crew ya feedin? I'm on my way over. Gotta sample it before the guests get to it. Ya know QC
Lol.

Claud McBroom

[dacolson]

After all was said and done, I cooked a brisket, 2 butts, 2 smoked salmon and a pork loin for King’s Hawaiian sammies. Saved the wings and ribs for next weekend. We fed 22 folks. None left except a secret stash I’m hiding in one of the fridges. I smoke meat regularly on my green egg and love it. Much easier to hold temp. After today however, there is no doubt in my mind - zero - that a stick burner produces a superior product. Really happy with the results. I did have some challenges. My wood supplier promised seasoned oak. 2 years old. When I pulled up to pick up yesterday, the wood was coming right off the log splitter. Damp to the touch. So bummed, but not deterred. After getting a good fire started on the right side of the fire box, I rotated new wood onto the top of the fire box to heat up, then moved splits to the left side of the inside of the firebox to final dry, before going into the fire. It took longer than I hope to get thin blue smoke but if I kept the pit temp at 230/235 on a close tend, it worked out. Not much sleep but worth it. Here’s pics of the pork and brisket. Salmon didn’t make it to the photo shoot.

[dacolson]

P.S. I’m freaking exhausted. And covered in grease. Killing the end of a bottle of Angel’s Envy Rum Finished Rye. I’ll be asleep in 15 mins.

[towtruck]

Looks like you had a good burn! Congrats.

[dacolson]

Great day. Feeling very fortunate to have great family, friends and neighbors. And to be able to have the time and resources to enjoy a great hobby like this. Hope everyone is well, healthy and happy right now.
Man this rye is fantastic.
Been a great build. Hope you liked it as much as I did. Thank you to everyone who chimed in or PM’d me with thoughts. Great community. Great folks.
Cheers all.

[Big T]

Heck yeah bro!! It looks like an awesome first cook!

[dacolson]

Thanks Big T. Great place to learn/share. Appreciate it.

[Pete Mazz]

Nice !

[Dirtytires]

Glad it all turned out. Agree that a stick burner is more work but definitely worth it.

Enjoy your nap but remember to clean out the firebox ash when you get up. Nothing rusts a firebox faster than ash left in the box.

[dacolson]

Glad it all turned out. Agree that a stick burner is more work but definitely worth it.

Enjoy your nap but remember to clean out the firebox ash when you get up. Nothing rusts a firebox faster than ash left in the box.

Good reminder. The ash pan was full! So was the RF plate. Smelled so good thought that I wanted to fire it up again.

[Dirtytires]

Yes, you need to scrape the grease off the baffle plate as well. I run a wire brush on my racks then pull them out and clean up all the grease with a 6” wide metal scraper blade then quick wipe down with a paper towel.

[dacolson]

Yes, you need to scrape the grease off the baffle plate as well. I run a wire brush on my racks then pull them out and clean up all the grease with a 6” wide metal scraper blade then quick wipe down with a paper towel.

Thx DT. The second smoke went super smooth. Chicken and ribs.



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[Dirtytires]

Anytime....another trick is to mist the racks/interior with water while the pit is still hot. Makes clean up a ton easier.