How to use Bubba?

[ISUTroutBum]

Hi All,

I've got a new 6 rack BDS (smoked sausages w/it once so far) and a few super noob questions related to the use of the Bubba Pucks. I've tried to read as many threads as I can before asking, but I'm sure I'm repeating questions that have been asked 100's of times before. If I have, I apologize. That said, here goes:

1) From what I've seen it looks like the pucks go every other one (wood, puck, wood, puck, wood, etc.). Is that correct? Can you vary it, or would you ever need to (say like wood, puck, puck, wood)?

2) Second, and related to the latter part of the #1, I've read a number of times in other posts that the briquettes offer a much cleaner or more pure smoke than stick burning or charcoal and chips (I noticed this on my first and only smoke on the DS w/the sausages -pretty smoky, even w/the vent open 3/4). If that is the case, do the pucks help eliminate oversmoking? For example, historically if I were smoking a butt it was done on a weber charcoal grill w/soaked chips wrapped in foil, and I put the 'thin blue smoke' to it until the internal temp hits 165 and then I foil it (ending the 'smoking'). I'm guessing w/the DS I don't want to be putting the smoke to it the entire time until 165, as this would lead to oversmoking, and therefore the pucks are necessary? Is that correct, or am I totally off base?

3) Finally, and this probably the dumbest question - do you just let the pucks pile up in the water pan until you change the water during the smoke?

Again, I apologize if these questions have all been asked before and I just wasted your time!  ::) Thanks in advance for all of your help!!

Best,
Trout

[Gizmo]

1. The Bubba Pucks go onto the top of the stack of wood.  The purpose is to be able to push the last wood onto the burner.  Say you were doing 1 hour of smoke.  3 wood pucks would go down followed by 2 or 3 Bubbas.  2 will get the last wood onto the burner.  3 will put one bubba on the burner.  The reason is the advance mechanism is 2 puck spaces in back of the burner plate.  In order to get the 3rd bubba pucks to advance you will have to add 20 minutes to the total wood burning time. 

2. Most folks will only go up to 4 hours of smoke.  I have only seen a few that go to 5 hours on heavy types of meat.  For instance, beef jerky is good with 1 hour or so of smoke.  Ribs can go 2 hours to 4 hours.  Pork butts and Beef Brisket go 4 hours. 

3. Basically yes, let the pucks pile up.  You will be good up to 4 hours.  After 4 hours, you should change out the water even if you are not going to use any more wood.  The bowl water should be changed out every 4 hours if possible to keep the fat build up from getting too high and causing possible fire problems.

[ISUTroutBum]

Thanks a lot Gizmo! Very, very helpful!

Best,
Trout

[Caneyscud]

Trout,

After about 4 or 5 hours of smoking with the pucks, there is not much of an increase in "smokiness" - so just save on the pucks.  I like a lot of smoke, so sometimes, I will in the last hour add a little more salt to the meat and do the last hour with smoke.  I can't say for sure it makes a difference in smokiness, but it make me feel like I'm accomplishing something by doing so! ;D

[ISUTroutBum]

Thanks Caney. I was worried, because of some of the other posts I've read, that it might be really easy to oversmoke. I like a big smoke ring, good smoky flavor, but I don't want to taste creosote. I know keeping the vent open would most likely stop that, but I figured I'd better check.

Thanks for the input and help!

Best,
Trout

[OU812]

Trout

You wont get a smoke ring due to the fact there is no combustion.

[ISUTroutBum]

Thanks OU812 - I didn't know that. I would have been looking at the meat going, "What the heck!?!"

Best,
Trout

[KyNola]

Trout,
You won't miss that smoke ring one dang bit once you bite into the food coming out of your Bradley! :)

KyNola

[Caneyscud]

But should you want one, one should be possible a couple of ways, the easiest would be to rub on some Morton's TenderQuik.  Never done it, never felt the need, so wouldn't know how much etc.....  The ring is a chemical reaction of the meat's myoglobin with differing oxides of oxygen - NO2 being the predominate.  As it results from a chemical reaction, there is probably a difference in taste, but danged if I can tell any difference!

[ISUTroutBum]

I did this bone-in loin yesterday afternoon on my little 18.5" weber grill. I didn't use the BDS because of the questions I've been asking in this thread. I just wasn't sure. Gotta pretty nice ring around it though (yeah, yeah . . . pocket full of posie . . .  :)).



Thanks again for all of the help folks!! This thread has really cleared up a lot of false ideas I had floating around in my pea-sized brain.

Best,
Trout

[OU812]

The ring looks good.


oh ya so does the loin.

[KyNola]

Trout,
Man that loin looks good! :o

Nice going!  Looks like we can learn a thing or two from you.

KyNola

[ISUTroutBum]

Thanks folks.

KyNola - I seriously doubt that!! Trout = piker!

Best,
Trout

[seemore]

good job trout ...ring I didnt see a ring