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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 :)
 
I'm gonna have to try the carnitas! I just grabbed an 18" weber Smokey mountain. Hopefully I can find some time to get it cleaned and re-seasoned this weekend. But with mothers day being the same day as the wife's bday this year, and a soccer game here in a minute, I probably won't be able to cook anything yet. I have a 7lb pork shoulder-butt in the freezer though!
 
MikeUSMC said:
MAIDEN COOK! :party:

Well, I think I'm a lot closer to figuring this new rig out than I was for the seasoning burn. Pretty sure I was right about that thick, billowing white smoke issue too. Starting out with 2 layers of charcoal in the firebox results in too much ash buildup, and it won't fall down into the ash pan, choking off the fire. This time, I started with a full chimney of hot charcoal (as a bed), and started throwing splits on top of that. Seemed to work out great!

Anybody who's followed this thread knows that I've made Malcom Reed's pulled pork carñitas recipe more than a handful of times :) This might've been the first meal I made on my whiskey barrel too. So damn good!

Started with a 10lb bone-in Boston Butt, seasoned it, then threw it in a 2.5 gallon bag with onions, oranges, limes, garlic, and a can of chipotles in adobo sauce. Topped off with orange juice to marinate overnight in the fridge
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Took it out the next morning, hit it with some "A.P." seasoning (salt, pepper, granulated garlic), BBQ rub, ground cumin, Ancho powder, and ground cinnamon
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And, we're off! Tried staying as close as I could to 275*F. Rajun Gardener, you were right about the temp swings, man. I was letting it get down to 250ish, then add a few splits, and it'd get close to 300* then settle back down. Thanks for the tip very much! :cheers:
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Look at the color on that! And look at that delicious fat, sizzling away! Mmmmm.....
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About 5 hours in, and I put it in a pan with the braising liquid (50/50 OJ/tomato juice) and some more citrus and onion and garlic. Covered in foil to braise
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Few hours later, internal temp to 198*. Smelling good in the 'hood! :party:
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Pulled
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:cheers:
I’m there [emoji16][emoji106]
Man that looks great [emoji106]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
MikeUSMC said:
.... :cheers: So, are you gonna make it up to Mohegan Sun again this year for the BBQ fest?...
 
 It appears so lol. I'll pm ya.
 
Well, I was stressed out of my God damned mind, but I made it out of Memorial Day weekend alive! :party:

My wife turned 40 a couple of weeks ago, so I threw her a huge birthday party. Biggest party I've ever hosted, by far, and I've definitely never cooked for that many people before! 120 people (including kids) came , and a lot of people helped me out IMMENSELY with bringing side dishes, and helping clean as the party was going on. I can't thank them enough for that, especially since I was running on fumes by the end of the night, haha. Fired up the big smoker at 9pm Saturday, threw the briskets on at 10pm, and the pork on at 3am. Slept from 3:30-5am..... in an Adirondack chair, next to the smoker, so I wouldn't wake my wife up that early, haha. Guests came at 2pm on Sunday

Couple of random pics of the yard setup:
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This is the corner of the yard that I was chained to all day, hahaha. Coincidentally, I was set up right next to all the kegs ‍♂️
IMG_8503.JPG


Ok, now the pics you guys all care about
I ended up making:
-150 bacon wrapped stuffed jalapeños (on the whiskey barrel)
-3 briskets
-4 pork shoulders
-3 whole chickens
-16 racks of St. Louis style ribs
-smoked baked beans
-smoked mac and cheese w/ bacon and panko crumbs
-grilled boneless chicken (marinaded in Italian dressing)
-grilled burgers, hot dogs, etc.

Plus, guests brought more side dishes and desserts than I could count
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Not even exaggerating a little bit..... this was easily THE best brisket I've ever had in my entire life
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Dude....
It.
Melted.
In.
Your.
Mouth.

Check out that smoke ring!
IMG_8500.JPG


Thanks for watching! Cheers!
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:cheers:
 
MikeUSMC said:
Well, I was stressed out of my God damned mind, but I made it out of Memorial Day weekend alive! :party:

My wife turned 40 a couple of weeks ago, so I threw her a huge birthday party. Biggest party I've ever hosted, by far, and I've definitely never cooked for that many people before! 120 people (including kids) came , and a lot of people helped me out IMMENSELY with bringing side dishes, and helping clean as the party was going on. I can't thank them enough for that, especially since I was running on fumes by the end of the night, haha. Fired up the big smoker at 9pm Saturday, threw the briskets on at 10pm, and the pork on at 3am. Slept from 3:30-5am..... in an Adirondack chair, next to the smoker, so I wouldn't wake my wife up that early, haha. Guests came at 2pm on Sunday

Couple of random pics of the yard setup:
attachicon.gif
IMG_8502.JPG
attachicon.gif
IMG_8511.JPG

This is the corner of the yard that I was chained to all day, hahaha. Coincidentally, I was set up right next to all the kegs ‍♂️
attachicon.gif
IMG_8503.JPG

Ok, now the pics you guys all care about
I ended up making:
-150 bacon wrapped stuffed jalapeños (on the whiskey barrel)
-3 briskets
-4 pork shoulders
-3 whole chickens
-16 racks of St. Louis style ribs
-smoked baked beans
-smoked mac and cheese w/ bacon and panko crumbs
-grilled boneless chicken (marinaded in Italian dressing)
-grilled burgers, hot dogs, etc.

Plus, guests brought more side dishes and desserts than I could count
attachicon.gif
IMG_8486.JPG
attachicon.gif
IMG_8488.JPG
attachicon.gif
IMG_8492.JPG
attachicon.gif
IMG_8493.JPG
attachicon.gif
IMG_8494.JPG
attachicon.gif
IMG_8495.JPG
attachicon.gif
IMG_8519.JPG
attachicon.gif
IMG_8522.JPG

Not even exaggerating a little bit..... this was easily THE best brisket I've ever had in my entire life
attachicon.gif
IMG_8496.JPG
attachicon.gif
IMG_8497.JPG
attachicon.gif
IMG_8498.JPG
attachicon.gif
IMG_8499.JPG

Dude....
It.
Melted.
In.
Your.
Mouth.

Check out that smoke ring!
attachicon.gif
IMG_8500.JPG

Thanks for watching! Cheers!
attachicon.gif
IMG_8489.JPG
:cheers:
awesome party and awesome food and all i can say is i want all the burnt ends!!!!! the bark on the meat looks amazing. that celebration is a memory that you and your wife will have for the rest of your lives. congrats on throwing that big of a cookout!!! :cheers:  :cheers:  :cheers:
 
Dang, Mike that’s one hell of a shindig [emoji106]. Food looks great [emoji106]. Good food, good people, good weather, it don’t get any better than that [emoji106]. My birthday is in January:hint, hint. [emoji16]JK


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NICE job Mike! You should be proud of yourself and I'm sure your wife feels honored. Tents, bounce house...shoot, even his and hers porta-potties! Awesome!
 
Now, I'd be happy to turn 40 for ya any time - you pick the day. :party:
 
The Hot Pepper said:
Was there a Porta-John cuz no way 150 peeps using my facilities... after that food........ :lol:
Haha, yeah dude! It was an absolute necessity, especially since everyone in my neighborhood (myself included) has septic systems (no city sewer). No way I was gonna chance this party turning out like the wedding rehearsal scene in "Meet The Parents"

Rajun Gardener said:
It took all this time to recover? :rofl:  :rofl:
Sure did, man! :rofl: A bunch of my Marine buddies came up and stayed with us for the weekend again. Great times! Party was on Sunday so everyone could "recover" on Monday, but we ended up turning the knob back up to 11 on Monday too :) Monday morning mimosas quickly turned into screwdrivers, which quickly turned into shots and beers, haha :party: Next thing we knew, it was 10pm on Monday ‍♂️ Nuff said? I'm sure you understand how easily that can happen ;)

Thanks again for the compliments, everybody! :cheers:
 
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