outside temperature

[bergie]

i want to buy a bradley smoker but winter is fast approaching and i live in wisconsin... my question is can you still smoke everything on cold winter days as easily or if at all, as you can on summer days? i want to do beef brisket, ribs and jerky and dont want to wait until after winter to use it. i've never used any kind of smoker befor. thanks steve!

[Bassman]

Don't know how cold it gets there in Wisconsin but here in NE pa I have smoked outside in the winter when it was 20 degrees outside. Best thing to do is keep it out of the wind, allow extra time to come up to temp.I had no problems getting to 220F.

<i><font color="blue"><b>Jack</i></font id="blue"></b>

[Cold Smoke]

Bergie,  I'm in Manitoba (kinda like Siberia) [:)]and I used my BS all last winter- no problem. Like Bassman says- keep out of wind and don't open the door and you should be good to go. Good luck!

Cold Smoke

[nsxbill]

I don't get the kind of temps that the guys on the list in the far north get, but don't anticipate any problems here in the El Dorado Foothills in California.  We get down to freezing throughout the winter, and I will be smoking every week under a covered porch...  I also roast my own coffee outside, and never have a problem with the roaster either.

Smoke on brother... You will become addicted to good taste!

Bill

[BigSmoker]

Bill,
I would love to hear more about roasting your own coffee
Sounds great.  I do love a cup of Joe in the morning.

Jeff
www.bbqshopping.com
Some say BBQ is in your blood, if thats true my blood must be BBQ sauce.

[nsxbill]

&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt; Man look at all those stars!


I use a Hottop roaster from China.  A link is here:  http://sweetmarias.com/prod.hottop.shtml

I have been roasting a couple of years now, and just can't stand coffee that isn't fresh.  I order a Coke when we go out to breakfast because I just can't handle restaurant coffee.

I started with a Zach and Dani's...it just didn't cut it.  I then bought an Alpenrost: http://sweetmarias.com/prod.swissmar-alpenrost.shtml but it just didn't cut it.

I buy green beans which will store for a couple of years from: http://baldmountaincoffee.com/.  They have the best price.

Want to visit a list with a bunch of fanatics: http://coffeegeek.com/.

For brewing I use a Bodum French Press at work, and at home I have a Miele Coffee System in the Master bedroom http://www.miele.com/usa/cva/cva.html, but Like to use my Rancilio Silvia espresso machine.  I have two of the Rancilio grinders one set for wife to use in the regular coffee pot, and one for the espresso machine.  I am "hot rodding" the espresso machine when the warranty is over.  I am putting a P.I.D. programmable heat controller to control the boiler temperature to make the perfect cuppa joe.

Despite my Cardiogist and Dietician's request to lay off the caffeine, I have enjoyed a triple shot almost every morning for years.  I can go to sleep after a triple shot...doesn't give me a buzz anymore.  I roast my beans 3 times a week outside...it is really smoky.   It only takes 25 minutes, and you then let the coffee sit for about 4-6 hours to really "bloom."    The Hottop does 250 gms of coffee per roast.  I have a drum roaster for the Weber gas barbeque, but haven't tried it yet.  It will do 2 lbs of beans at a time. http://www.buzzroasters.com/.  Sometime in December I am going to get a gastric bypass.  Will switch over to roasting decaf beans then.  

Am I interested in talking coffee, you bet.  I love it more than my Bradley.  It is quite an art.  The advantage of the Hottop is that it is quiet and you can hear the beans roasting.  I dump to cool about half way into the second crack (the beans pop like popcorn, and after the first crack they start to carmelize in the bean.  The trick for me is to roast dark, but not burn the beans.  I just let them sit.  No wrapping in saran or a towel.  I do use jars with one-way gas valves, as the roasted coffee emits gases after it is roasted.

The green beans run anywhere from $2 - $20 a pound (Jamaican Blue Mountain).  The Jamaican is not worth it.  I mix a blend for my espresso machine of 2 parts Josuma Malabar Gold, 2 parts Colombian (or Sumatran), 1 part Costa Rican and 1 part Guatemalan.  Makes for a nice cup of espresso or Cappuccino!

For regular coffee, I like the Panama Hartman Estate beans.  I usually buy 10-15 lbs at a time to save a little money.

Yes, you can easily become a fanatic like me.  

Bill

[BigSmoker]

Bill,
Thanks for the links.  My wife is the main coffee head in our house so it looks like I'll be diving in and roasting coffee beans before to long.  Just wondering did you do a triple shot before starting that last post[:D][:D][:D]?

Jeff
www.bbqshopping.com
Some say BBQ is in your blood, if thats true my blood must be BBQ sauce.

[nsxbill]

Jeff,

I have retired twice, once from military and then from the state.   I still like working as an RN.  My schedule usually has me up at 3:30 a.m.  I turn on the espresso machine, and go out in the hot tub for about 20 minutes to get the kinks out of these old bones.  Between the time for a shower, a quick breakfast and my rush out the door by 5:00a.m.,  I have an Americano with three shots of espresso.  Gets me that kick start I need!

Roasting your own is addictive!  Brace yourself, because it will completely change your perspective on coffee!  You too will become a coffee-head.

Bill  

[Chez Bubba]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by nsxbill</i>
<br />We get down to freezing throughout the winter...<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">Hell, that's shorts weather![:D] I shovel my drive, I shovel my sidewalk. I shovel a path on the deck to my Weber & the table for the Bradley. When the urge hits, you gotta smoke, you can't be concerned with weather.

Bill, I hate coffee but am curious...have you ever tried using the Bradley on the beans? Maybe not to roast them, but cold smoke 'em a couple hours & then roast? Interesting flavor? I don't know, like I said, I don't care for coffee, just an idea.

Kirk

http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?

[nsxbill]

Kirk,

The roaster gets the beans up to about 400 degrees or more (I am guessing).  It is so hot they pop like popcorn.  Then you wait until you hear the second crack.  The outer part of the becomes chaff.  That is probably when the flavor would be.  I don't know if I would like smoked coffee, but might try it for the hell of it.[:D]

Bill