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MikeUSMC: "Bury Me in Smoke"

Ok, I started with a Jim Beam barrel on Craigslist for $100



Sanded it down with a wire wheel on an angle grinder on the bands.
80 grit, then 120 grit, then 150 grit sandpaper "flapper" wheel on the oak
Cleaned it up nice


5/8" self tapping stainless screws (predrilled pilot holes) in every stave to hold the bands up, and to stop the barrel from falling apart when I cut the top off. This took FOREVER


Off comes the top, out comes the loose char. Smelled like smoky bourbony awesomeness


Little 14" Weber "Smokey Joe" for the bottom. I drilled a ton more holes in this for better airflow, and altered the legs a little so it would sit lower




Access door to refill water pan/charcoal




Four 3/4" threaded pipe air vents w/ caps to control the airflow. High-temp, food grade caulk in each stave joint



Somewhere along the way, after all the hardware was on (holes drilled), I was ready for paint. I love the textured look of this stuff. (Spray paint) "Forged Hammered Antique Pewter"



A coat of stain, and BOOM!

'MERICA. :cheers:









Boss, let me know if you want me to delete any of the double posted pics. I'm not looking to get in trouble here :)
 
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shhhhhh you can only talk about food on SB Sunday
 
midwestchilehead said:
Hey Mike, were you the one that sent me the "Hell Hath No Fury" sauce? I finally opened the bottle, and love the smoky heat. It has only been open about a week and is almost gone!
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Yup, that was from me, John ;) Glad you're enjoying it, bud! I still have a little bit of that sauce left in my fridge. That one is a SCORCHER!!! One of the hottest sauces I've ever made. Judy's 7 Pot Lava are no freakin' joke :flamethrower:

Actually, that was the very first label I ever made!

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Rajun Gardener said:
You better check that temp again, 12 hours and only 150 doesn't seem right.
 
It looks killer!!!
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I'm telling you, man, I must've checked it 20 times and the probes weren't lying ;) I wish I took a side profile pic of that brisket because, at its "tallest" point, it had to be close to 6" tall :shocked:

16 hours in (at noon), it was still only at 165*, so I wrapped it in foil w/ some apple juice. At 3pm (19 hours), it's was only at 172*. I wanted it to "rest" for at least an hour, in a cooler, wrapped in blankets/towels, and I had guests coming over at 4:30. Long story short, at 3:30pm, I ended up throwing it in the oven at 400* (covered) to finish it. I didn't want to, but I wanted it done before kickoff so I could relax and watch the game.

I kinda rushed this thing, although I didn't really want to. I ended up taking the point off the flat, for burnt ends, BEFORE I wrapped it to rest in the cooler. In hindsight, that was probably a mistake, because some spots ended up a little dry. The majority of it was nice and juicy though, and the burnt ends were off the hook :party:

Finally pulled it out of the oven when the internal temp hit 192*
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Cut the point off the flat and wrapped the flat
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Cubed up the point
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Tossed the cubes in sauce and threw them back on the smoker, while the flat was resting. These came out freakin' slammin. Literally melted in your mouth
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You can see where the top 1/2-3/4" dried out a bit, but it was still really tasty. Thankfully, it wasn't dry all the way through the slices. The fat cap on the bottom prevented it from drying all the way out
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The juicy parts were really juicy though
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Drunken sammies, on ciabatta rolls with Meathead's slaw :)
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Also made a few dozen wings, 2lbs of buffalo chicken meatballs, and a few pounds of shrimp cocktail
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Thanks for looking, everybody!
:cheers:
 
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Made a couple of tasty racks of ribs last night with some of Rajun Gardener's Rib Rub :party:
One rack with the "mild" rub, for my kids. The other with the spicy rub, with 7 Pot Primo flakes in it. Man, that sheeeeyit was good! Nice kick to it, but definitely not overpowering. Awesome balance of savory and heat! My boys loved the milder rub too

I think it's safe to say that you can stop "fine tuning" this rub recipe, RG ;) It's fantastic the way it is right now.
Thanks again, brother! PPATB :cheers:
 
Same thread, same cooks still here, but Pookie was kind enough to change the title of this thread for me :party: Thanks, Boss! :cheers:

Let's get right to it..... Mike got a new toy today ;)

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My little BBQ sidekick approves :rofl:
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If this freakin rain ever stops, I plan on cleaning it out and seasoning it this week, then cooking in it this Friday. Gotta get a few "practice" cooks in because "Mrs. USMC" is turning 40 in a couple of weeks, so I'm throwing her a huge party at our house, Memorial Day weekend, and we're expecting over 100 people! :shocked:

More to follow, but my phone's breaking my balls right now
:cheers:
 

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