Thanksgiving day spirit

For my Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner with the In-laws I was told that 'Were having a bbq and your bringing the meat'! I was fine with that. So being Thanksgiving a Turkey was pretty much a pre-requisite. As traditional as I am I'd never fire up the smoker without some Pork to go on, so the smoker was a crowded house. Here's the turkey front and center and the pork is being bashful hiding in the back.


I used my tested dry rub on the Pork as usual, no need in fixin something that is'nt broken. But for the Turkey I concoted an injectible marinade hoping to keep the bird from doing it's usual impersonation of the 'Sahara Desert'. Also shortly after the glamour shot you see was taken the bacon strips went on to provide some good fatty juices. The injector was basically Apple Cider Vinegar with a good amount of spices like mustard,celery seed, cayenne, molasses etc...


Also I've been working on air-flow regulation. This is a pic of the new and improved coal chute. Fire Bricks are used to dampen down the opening and that 3-holer is also a fire brick. By really limiting the air intake I've gained much more control of the temperature and amount of charcoal and wood that the smoker consumes. Initially I was worried that there would not be enough air but I was pretty much dead wrong. By the way the birck to the right with the re-bar in it is my coal pusher which I use to push the hot coals into a neat pile.


Here's a shot of the finished Pork, just look at that smoke ring. The Turkey got away before I could get a pic of it. Next time perhaps. It turned out fantastic, Juicy and Flavorful with that distinct smoke flavor. I've had regular Turkey and Fried Turkey but nothing really compares to Smoked Turkey. The in-laws quickly snapped up all the left over turkey and left the pulled pork for me, now that's good turkey! Also the cornbread never really got off the ground. I just did'nt have the time to get it all baked and then in the bird. Sooner or Later there will be cornbread stuffing cooked on the pot smoker.

Construction of the Pot Smoker

Since this blog is about BBQ and unusual cooking methods then I feel I should share how I made my 'Pot Smoker' or 'Flower Pot Smoker'. Basically one of my friends, Arthur, had mentioned to me that he'd heard of someone trying to make their own 'Big Green Egg' out of terracota pots. The idea was intriuging so I did some scouting of the local hardware stores and after pricing and sizing a few pots I felt I could come up with a workable design. The initial sketches came out a bit more Tandoor oven than green egg but I felt that was alright.

The design evolved from the nature of the pot itself, and how big of a hole I could make.


In a move of complete serendipity a replacement grill I bought for a 22.5'' Weber fit perfectly.

You have to have a good foundation. This one mode of old concrete pavers.


CMU for the foundation wall, and a few long pieces of flagstone for a nice lintel over the shoot.

Here we are with a good amount of the brick and flagstone base, which has since been upgraded with random sample brick from our material library at work. I hope nobody was using them! Also I've added some thin gauge sheet metal over the fire shoot to keep the smoke from seeping out of the flagstone.

Ok BBQ'n I know, blogging I'm getting the handle of. The pics sideways but you get the idea, this was my 'topping out' with the second chamber where the grilling happens. I think this is one of the things that makes this smoker unique from an offset barrel smoker, the lower chamber holds all the fire where the upper chamber really captures all the heat and smoke evenly through the meat. And the Terracotta holds the heat very well, and if you soak the walls of the pot before hand it acts like one giant water pan. There's no flipping meat around to be on the hot side. Although only one 18'' rack of ribs fits on at a time.

There it is, a thing of beauty if you like homemade smokers made of junk and flower pots. Another act from god was that the top to my 18 1/2'' Weber just fits on perfect and with the addition of a 10$ temp gauge I'm set.

Well the proof is in the pudding, or in this case the pulled pork! So far I believe there might be 2 new 'pot smokers' in the works. Hopefully they can improve upon the design some. My next posting will be about what I'm cooking tommorrow, a 8lb Turkey and a 10lb Pork Shoulder for an early Thanksgiving feast. I plan to even smoke the cornbread stuffing in the cavity.

Introductory Post

This blog is dedicated to the art of barbequing large quantities of meat. Particularly if cooked on homemade grills or smokers made of random building waste or gardening items.

Below are pictures of the infamous 'Flower Pot Smoker'. It's a smoker I built in the backyard using 2-18'' Terracotta Flower Pots, a lot of old brick I found in the yard, a few CMU's, and a replacement grill for a 22 1/2'' Weber Patio Grill. In the next post I will chronicle the construction and provide photos.




So far I've smoked 2 Boston Butts, One Picnic Shoulder, One Whole Chicken, lots of Sauages, and a couple Split Duck breasts. I've been pleased with it's performance every time.