Converting smoker to propane?

[mbokie5]

I have a Grillpro smoker:

It's made for wood and briquets. I've used it once. Could not get it to rise to temperature. It stayed around 165 to 185, but is supposed to heat around 225.

I'm thinking of converting it to propane. I'm thinking a Greenlee punch would accomodate the fittings and the conversion would be simple.

I have to admit the meat, pork belly and braising ribs, tasted completely smoky but had no flavor at all. I suspect the lack of flavor was due to inexperience. But not so with the heat. Maybe the thermometer is faulty. I smoked it for about 14 hours, which is more time than I think it should take.

I had some smoked meat from an identical propane smoker and it was superb.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Jags]

Hmmm....being a smoker guy myself, I think I would double check your thermo, AND the way you are running the unit. There is no reason that running hard wood charcoal or even the briquettes, that you can't reach the 225F mark. Sounds like maybe you are not closing the air controls down enough (allowing too much "cool" air through), or not allowing the charcoal to come to temp FIRST, or another biggie that beginners do is slap a full water pan, right next to the heat source. That sucks tons of heat away.

My smoker is probably 3 times the size of yours, and I have NO problem getting temps up to 350F (if I wanted to). Oh, mine is a home built, with both gas and charcoal options.

Now if you really feel the NEED to change over to gas, that can be done as well, but keep this in mind - If you want to go to real low temps (lets say for cheese or something), gas will be almost impossible to regulate that low.

Edit: oh, and the flavor profile being "flat" is probably not the smokers fault. Rubs and marinades are your friend.

 

[Highbeam]

I have a very similar BBQ with the water pan and a solid pan for the charcoal. I could not get it up to temp and neither could my father when he bought the same smoker. What I did was to build a basket out of expanded steel mesh and elevate it off of the floor by about 3 inches. The purpose was to allow air to feed the charcoal and provide complete combustion.

It worked great and the temps now easily run up to BBQ range. The side vents seem to add more cooling air and bring down the temp when you might think that those side vents are to feed air to the fire and make more heat, it works backwards. I leave the original charcoal pan in the BBQ to catch ash falling through the basket.

Ribs in 1.5 hours, whole chickens in 3 hours, and big roasts take most of the day. I add no more wood for smoke flavor since the charcoal makes plenty of smoke flavor for most people. Oh and I use kingsford charcoal and not the hardwood stuff. Preignited in a full chimney outside the smoker.

 

[mbokie5]

Jags, flavor is not the smoker's fault, I know it's my fault. I know nothing but what I've read and that is not too much.

The smoker did make it taste very smokey and I love that taste and smell.

Not coming to temp first may have been my problem. I'll try it at least once more before I commit to a changeover. Thinking back, I likely screwed up the heat.

I can scrounge up something to give it a try. Maybe some more pork belly. Any suggestions for that as to a rub or marinade?

Highbeam, I like what you said, very informative.

Do you have any pics? I'm not wrapping my mind around your description well enough to try it.

But it sounds great and like something I should try first.

Thanks for the tips guys.

 

[mbokie5]

BTW, I did use Kingsford briquets. But I have some Mexican hardwood in there as well. Can't remember what it is. I used apple chips for flavor soaked for 30 minutes.

 

[JeffRey30747]

I use a modified "ECB" (El Cheapo Brinkman) smoker and one of the main modifications was to trash the OEM charcoal pan and put it over an $8 charcoal grill from Wal-Mart that gives a little bit of air control. It may be worth evaluating something similar in your setup as HB suggests.
For a rub, I use a variation of the recipe found here.
http://bbq.about.com/od/rubrecipes/r/blb31010c.htm
My variation cuts the paprika back to one part and adds a part of garlic powder.

 

[mbokie5]

Great link JeffRey. There was also a video on how to brine a turkey. Something I may need if I ever bag one of those wiley birds.

The garlic idea is good. I prefer garlic on most meat.

So you simply put the alternate heat source underneath the smoker and remove the factory heat pan?

 

[Czech]

It's a smoker, not a bbq! I've never needed to get above 200 degrees, the trick is low and slow. If you want finished product in 1-2 hours, toss it on a bbq or in the oven. Our meat shop walk in runs at 185 for 14 hours, that's a smoker.

 

[mbokie5]

It's a smoker, not a bbq! I've never needed to get above 200 degrees, the trick is low and slow. If you want finished product in 1-2 hours, toss it on a bbq or in the oven. Our meat shop walk in runs at 185 for 14 hours, that's a smoker.

Granted. But this one is small and the manual says to get it to 200 to 225.

It also says 8 hours should be long enough for this smoker.

But your advice sounds pretty good and like you know what you're doing.

Thanks!

 

[Jags]

Jeffrey's link is a very good starting point. Of course - google is your friend. More than you will ever be able to read.

A couple of tricks that I will share: for smaller cuts of pork, such as ribs, chops, or tenderloins (not loins), get rid of the water pan. Instead, use a spray bottle with apple juice, and apply on the half hour mark. Once the mop or sauce application starts, the spray bottle can be omitted. I almost always shoot to achieve a light smoke color coming from my stack. Too heavy and the results will be bitter, if its NOT smoking, neither is your meat.

And unless the smoked fair used to fly, I rarely will use a temp at or above 225F. Just my own rule of thumb.

Have fun, experiment, ask questions. The title "pit master" does not come with the purchase of a smoker. Only time and practice will bring you to that point. Watch out though, it can become addicting.

Mmmm...visions of a pulled pork samich with coleslaw and a good crisp pickle is running through my head.

 

[Jags]

It's a smoker, not a bbq!

And that my friend is the facts. Its like comparing a pickup truck to a semi. It ain't the same game.

 

[firefighterjake]

. . ..
Mmmm...visions of a pulled pork samich with coleslaw and a good crisp pickle is running through my head.

You had me salivating at the mention of "rubs and marinades" in your first post . . . most folks up here in New Yankee Land do not know how to smoke or do a real BBQ (most folks -- not all -- idea of BBQ is to throw some boiled chicken or pre-formed frozen hamburger patties on a propane grill.)

 

[Highbeam]

Now now, the only difference between a smoker and a BBQ is the temperature. Then there is the grill which is for steaks and runs hot. Running at 225 is a BBQ, 140 and other very low temps qualify as a smoker since it will take forever to get to the temps you need. Ugh, there's a chart somewhere and also there are regional names for things like a face cord or rick!

Smoker, then BBQ, then grill.

Let me dig up some pictures of my BBQ which some will certainly call a smoker. Bah, they're at home on another computer, but I took a flat piece of expanded steel mesh, bent up the corners to make a square basket with 3" tall sides, bent and welded some legs out of rebar that hold it 3" off the floor, and then fill it with coals.

 

[Jags]

Well Highbeam, we can even go a little further and add in more:

Cold smoke (think cheese - under 125F)
Medium temp smoke (think jerky - under 180F)
Hot smoke (think ribs, butt - under 225F)
BBQ (think chicken - over 225F)
Grill (think 1-1/4" bone in rib eye with sauteed shrooms and onions. - over 450F)

Man I'm hungry.

 

[JeffRey30747]

relic,
The smoker I have is a "bullet" smoker. It is an open ended cylinder with the fire at the bottom and dome lid on top. Yours is a little different and might require a different approach on the air/fire/heat issue but would adhere to the same basic principle. You need to be able to control the heat to keep the temperature where you want it. I bought the Brinkmann as a test to see if I wanted to invest enough time and effort into building a bigger, better smoker. So far, I love it and the results I get but I still learn things every time I cook. Now, I just need to find the time for that next step. BTW, hickory tree tops that everyone else leaves behind because of their small size make great smoke flavoring wood. Anything that I find is cut to size with long handled anvil loppers and goes into my stash.
I use the rub on pork butts and baby back ribs. I used a brine recipe from that same about.com site last Thanksgiving to brine and smoke the store bought turkey. It was the best turkey I've ever had. I stayed up half the night cooking and napping but the results were worth the effort. A Polder remote meat thermometer really made a difference in being able to tell when the bird was done.
Best of luck to you,
Jeff

 

[Skier76]

I've got an "ECB" electric (El Cheapo Brinkman) and it works like a champ. I'm not sure I could get that thing up to 225 on a hot day in August. I use a wireless thermometer and put that in what I'm cooking. I find that'll tell you when it's done. I've actually just started using that as a "guide". The last few times, I just put the bird on at 9AM and took it off around 3PM.

 

[smokinj]

It's a smoker, not a bbq! I've never needed to get above 200 degrees, the trick is low and slow. If you want finished product in 1-2 hours, toss it on a bbq or in the oven. Our meat shop walk in runs at 185 for 14 hours, that's a smoker.

Granted. But this one is small and the manual says to get it to 200 to 225.

It also says 8 hours should be long enough for this smoker.

But your advice sounds pretty good and like you know what you're doing.

Thanks!

180-225 is perfect it should be harder to keep the heat in the low range and tells me your not getting enough air flow from the bottom. Another thing dont use the water pan and it will make the temps. come up on that unit! (offset fire box and no water is the way to go imo much less fuel)

 

[woodsman23]

Or you could switch it over to LP gas would not take to much. Look up BBQ grill parts online and you will find what you need.

 

[mbokie5]

Wow! You guys have been great, Thanks so much.

Now I have about 3 things I think I could do correctly with my level of skill (none) and experience (next to none).

I want to try the rubs, marinades and brine on different meats, bringing the temp to working temp properly and the remote thermometer.

Where can I get one of those thermometers?

 

[Skier76]

Any kitchen supply place should have em'...or maybe a Bed Bath and Beyond store. You may even be able to find one at Wal-Mart. I think we got ours at Amazon.com. But that was a number of years ago and they were just coming out.

 

[mbokie5]

Ok, thanks. I'll get over to wally world and check it out.

 

[mbokie5]

It's a smoker, not a bbq! I've never needed to get above 200 degrees, the trick is low and slow. If you want finished product in 1-2 hours, toss it on a bbq or in the oven. Our meat shop walk in runs at 185 for 14 hours, that's a smoker.

Granted. But this one is small and the manual says to get it to 200 to 225.

It also says 8 hours should be long enough for this smoker.

But your advice sounds pretty good and like you know what you're doing.

Thanks!

180-225 is perfect it should be harder to keep the heat in the low range and tells me your not getting enough air flow from the bottom. Another thing dont use the water pan and it will make the temps. come up on that unit! (offset fire box and no water is the way to go imo much less fuel)

Not sure what you mean by an offset firebox.

 

[Jags]

Not sure what you mean by an offset firebox.

An offset firebox is a box located remotely from the smoking chamber. Mostly off to one side or the other of the smoker. It allows the smoke to be generated while being able to dissipate some of the heat, before it goes to the chamber with all the yummy meat in it. Allows for smoke AND low temps. Also, you don't have to open the door of the smoke chamber, just the door for the fuel/smoke source.

 

[mbokie5]

Not sure what you mean by an offset firebox.

An offset firebox is a box located remotely from the smoking chamber. Mostly off to one side or the other of the smoker. It allows the smoke to be generated while being able to dissipate some of the heat, before it goes to the chamber with all the yummy meat in it. Allows for smoke AND low temps. Also, you don't have to open the door of the smoke chamber, just the door for the fuel/smoke source.

I think I'm lost. There's only one door.

So do you mean have a firebox external to the smoker and open up the vents?

 

[Jags]

Not sure what you mean by an offset firebox.

An offset firebox is a box located remotely from the smoking chamber. Mostly off to one side or the other of the smoker. It allows the smoke to be generated while being able to dissipate some of the heat, before it goes to the chamber with all the yummy meat in it. Allows for smoke AND low temps. Also, you don't have to open the door of the smoke chamber, just the door for the fuel/smoke source.

I think I'm lost. There's only one door.

So do you mean have a firebox external to the smoker and open up the vents?

Don't let that conversation confuse you. Your smoker does not have an offset firebox (although it could be rigged up). Some do, some don't. My above babble, was simply an explanation of what the box actually is. And yes, it would be an external box to the smoke chamber.