awesome!

I don't cook, and I don't grill or smoke. I eat out. There are a lot of BBQ places here in Dallas and I've eaten at a number of them. However, my go to place near home is just a Dickie's. Their brisket is pretty good (more done than some places, which is how I like it), but their ribs are super! They just fall off the bone and are very meaty. There are other places in town with higher ratings, but they are not nearby and always packed. I'm not a connoissseur, so I'm happy with my choice.

flashguy

Dickie's?!?! Git a rope!

You guys are killing me. I haven't smoked anything since I got "The VID" back in November. My taste still is trashed & only about %50. I refuse to fire it up until I can actually taste the food.

Killing me!!! Looks so good!!!

I've got a electric smoker I've been pretty happy with for a starter rig. Super easy. Add chips and throw the probe in the meat. Can check Smoker temp & meat temp from my phone.

quote:

Originally posted by lastmanstanding:
Dickie's?!?! Git a rope!

For my taste it's better than Spring Creek Barbecue, which is what everyone else in this area seems to like. (Undercooked meat and puffy rolls)

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:
I don't cook, and I don't grill or smoke. I eat out. There are a lot of BBQ places here in Dallas and I've eaten at a number of them. However, my go to place near home is just a Dickie's. Their brisket is pretty good (more done than some places, which is how I like it), but their ribs are super! They just fall off the bone and are very meaty. There are other places in town with higher ratings, but they are not nearby and always packed. I'm not a connoissseur, so I'm happy with my choice.

flashguy

They literally steam the meat. It's the saddest excuse for brisket.

quote:

Originally posted by TexasScrub:
I live about 20 minutes from here. You'll never convince me there is anything better.
[FLASH_VIDEO]<iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/98R0jJW2sHQ" width="560"></iframe>[/FLASH_VIDEO]

You couldn't convince most people there is anything better.

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:

quote:

Originally posted by lastmanstanding:
Dickie's?!?! Git a rope!

For my taste it's better than Spring Creek Barbecue, which is what everyone else in this area seems to like. (Undercooked meat and puffy rolls)

flashguy

Spring Creek is crappy - saying it is better than Spring Creek is no compliment.

quote:

Yoder 480s

Dickies tried to make it in FL, didn't turn out for them, had it a few times, pretty average, but when you smoke at home, commercial q isn't always up to snuff.

That Yoder looks interesting, there is a dealer here so I'll have to check them out. My thought is to upgrade the Traeger, it's older, no super duper sofa enabled controller on it, just flip the switch and set the temp...

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:

quote:

Originally posted by lastmanstanding:
Dickie's?!?! Git a rope!

For my taste it's better than Spring Creek Barbecue, which is what everyone else in this area seems to like. (Undercooked meat and puffy rolls)

flashguy

Spring Creek is crappy - saying it is better than Spring Creek is no compliment.

We who don't cook do what we can with what is locally available. Yes, I know there is a little hole in the wall downtown that is reputed to have great BBQ, but I won't go down there on a bet--I've been downtown only twice in the last decade. And I'm not going to drive 50 miles just to eat BBQ someplace.

flashguy

Frayedends,

I cook my chicken wings the same way, with the volcano on the Weber. Basically turns the weber into an air fryer.

Do you coat them in cornstarch? I toss mine in cornstarch mixed with seasonings of the day. Makes them really crispy.

They tried putting a Dickey's BBQ here in So. Az. I tried it ONLY ONCE.....not good!! They lasted about a year or less, and pulled up stakes. We all have different tastes in BBQ. Eat what you like.

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:
I Their brisket is pretty good (more done than some places, which is how I like it),

flashguy

If you're eating underdone brisket run away from that place. Brisket is usually slow cooked to 195-200 internal temperature. A well done steak for example is cooked to 155 - 165 internal temp. When in the area, I like Sonny Bryan's on Lovers Lane or the original on Inwood. As a bonus, the Lovers Lane shop is just down the street from Chip's Old Fashioned Hamburger which is very reasonably priced for a really good, fried in the grease burger.

quote:

Originally posted by NavyGuy:

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:
I Their brisket is pretty good (more done than some places, which is how I like it),

flashguy

If you're eating underdone brisket run away from that place. Brisket is usually slow cooked to 195-200 internal temperature. A well done steak for example is cooked to 155 - 165 internal temp. When in the area, I like Sonny Bryan's on Lovers Lane or the original on Inwood. As a bonus, the Lovers Lane shop is just down the street from Chip's Old Fashioned Hamburger which is very reasonably priced for a really good, fried in the grease burger.

True - all brisket is well done, but the smoke ring part will be pink. That isn't rare beef, though.

quote:

Originally posted by bigeinkcmo:
Wish me luck, got my Yoder smoker assembled and the initial start-up done to get the factory nastiness off. Have a ~3lb chicken brining that I'm going to try to smoke later today. Thinking I'll just spatchcock it. From reading online, sounds like 225 at about 45-60 mins/lb is good temp and appx timeframe. Most of the rubs are pretty straightforward for me but I don't normally use brown sugar in my dry rubs. Seems like with smoking it's more common to dry rub with brown sugar in the rub?

Any pro tips on making my first smoked chicken a good one are appreciated!

If you cook chicken that low your skin will be rubbery. The fat won’t render before the meat is done. Brining helps. Most people do chicken hot and fast at like 325. That being said I’m experimenting doing low and slow and basically overcooking the chicken. I cooked one to 205 degrees. The dark meat held up fine. The white was a bit dry and it was a shreddable texture. The skin was bite through and awesome. I did not brine it. I want to try a brine bird using this method.

Congrats! I got mine home today, barely fit in my Jeep JKU. I'll need help tomorrow getting to the deck.

Did you season the smoker after burn in? Yoder says to use PAM, or any oil with a high burn point. Get the grill to 350 then shut it off. When it get to 200 degrees you are supposed to coat everything inside and out, then heat it up again to burn it in....wipe off the excess on the outside.

I found that on the Yoder Forum. I'll try to find it for you.

Here it is. Lots of great info on the forum.

https://community.yodersmokers...soning+smoker#p11387

The easy way:

- Get the smoker off the pallet
- Put everything in place in the cooker
- Load the hopper with pellets
- Plug it in and start it up at the default 350 degrees
- Let it run for a minimum of 1 hour
- Once completely cooled, wipe down the top and bottom of all the grates (make sure that they are completely dry when done)
- clean out all the ash in the burn grate, firebox and bottom of the cooker
- Using a spray can of canola oil, spray the top of the diffuser plate, and everything above it with a thick coat of oil (I do the chamber walls and the lid, but be careful to not create a mess, this is optional and does not need to be done, IF, food is immediately and continually cooked to achieve the same results)
- Unplug the power cord
- Wait 30 seconds
- Plug the power cord back in and start the cooker at the default 350 degrees
- Let it run for a minimum of 1 hour
- Start your new life with your new obsession

Looking forward to your food pictures!

quote:

Originally posted by bigeinkcmo:

Any pro tips on making my first smoked chicken a good one are appreciated!

One thing that I have found(for my taste) when smoking poultry, is to use a milder wood like cherry, alder, etc., and stay away from Hickory(my main wood otherwise) and mesquite. They leave too strong of a smoke taste on chicken to me. I slow smoke a lot of Cornish Game Hens every year.

That sounds like a good plan. Enough time on low to get some good smoke flavor. Then crisp it up. Excellent