I've been trying for years to perfect the perfect barbeque. And, when I mention "barbeque", I mean the real-deal-- the low and slow smoking of, well, anything.
I couldn't bring myself to spend the hundreds of dollars ($200-$1000) for a commercially made smoker, so I made my own, "Kodiak Northwest" style, for those familiar with the phrase. My first smoker was absolutely fantastic, believe it or not. It consisted of 2 large terracotta pots, one hot plate, one steel pot (small), and one traditional barbequer grill. Simply turning one pot upside down and on top of the other pot (which was upright) provided the "oven", whereas the hot plate and steel pot provided the smoke (once wood was placed in it and the hot plate turned on, of course).
But, I later got a stroke of genius when visiting the Idaho Falls Army Surplus Store. I came across a large, unused diesel tank, Army green, sitting in the aisle like an angelic gargoyle. My mind envisioned the tank, which already was separated into 3 sections, assembled with three doors, a smoke stack out the top, a couple of lifting handles, a little black paint, a little help from dad, and a thermometer. The result-- "The Black Pig":
The burner consists of a large "Louisiana" style pot burner with its stand hooked up to a propane tank.
The Black Pig has served me well the past couple of years, creating smoky goodness on a consistent basis.
So, off and on, I've been doing a trial-and-error method for finding the best BBQ recipe. Chicken is/was a total failure. Fish dried out way too fast. Pork is a work in progress. However, beef has been fantastic! Brisket, rump roasts, chuck roast... it is nearly impossible to screw up.
Last weekend, we bought a Costco brisket with as much fat on it as possible. I lovingly rubbed it with my secret spices and cooked it at a modest 230F for 5 hours in a bath of hickory and mesquite smoke. It was also mopped every 15 minutes with another one of my secret sauces.
The result-- a smoky heaven.
