Hi from the Midlands

[Eric]

Hi all

I'm based in chesterfield and have been wanting to try low and slow BBQ cooking for a while now, since I learned about the mighty UDS. Unfortunately the garden already has my gas grill in it and there wasn't a lot of enthusiasm when I explained the UDS. I learned about flower pot smokers the other day though and I reckon it's a good possibility

I've not seen much talk of the flower pot smokers on here, are there any general opinions on them, are they a good place to start? What sort of thing would be good to test first time out? Also, can you use one in British winter? What kind of weather in particular precludes the use of a snooker like that?

Cheers all

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[Toby]

Welcome to the forum, you can smoke in / within anything that has a lid and i have seen some pretty big flower pots so no reason not to have a play!

[robgunby]

Hi Eric! I'm from just up the road in Sheffield (the NORTH lad, the NORTH!). If you fancy meeting up to have a chat about getting started I'd be happy to join you for a jar of ale.

I love Toby's (bang on) observance that you can smoke in anything with a lid. It's true!

[robgunby]

Oh, and I've got a cook on right now in my heavily frost encrusted garden, so yeah, you can smoke in the winter!

[Eric]

Hi all, thanks for the welcome !

Toby, that's good news, I went and bought a pair of large flower pots yesterday for 17 quid a piece, from a quick measure in the shop they should fit a 16.5" grate nicely in the top. I'll have to look, but given the depth of the pots, there might even be room to put in a heat spreader/water pan level in the future. I'll take some photos of the build.

Robgunby, good to know there is some local BBQ action going on , once I'm up and running it might be good to meet up for a beer. What have you got cooking at the moment? What are you cooking on?

Cheers

[robgunby]

Currently cooking three pork shoulders (minus hock and spare rib) on a home made ugly drum smoker.



Pulled the first two to cook about 2pm, shredded them and soaked in sauce, they are cooling before packing and freezing for a party I'm catering for in a couple of weeks, the other one is dinner and many many leftovers

Started on a lidded bbq (RIP), moved on to an ECB which is now my small cold smoking chamber. Also have two kettles and a large open grill, but the latter plus the smaller kettle are getting given away to make more room for moving around the yard now I am 50 stone heavier than when I started bbqing.

[robgunby]

PS the UDS is about a thousand times easier to cook on than anything else I've used - unless you are able to fork out on a pricey smoker like a ProQ or Weber, my advice is to convert the wife. This is easily done with a bbq feast. "Look wife, bbq ftw!". Wifey will agree.

[Eric]

That's some fine looking BBQ you've got going on there! You have have quite the BBQ arsenal by the sound of it even after thinning it out.

I think I shot myself in the foot by introducing the idea as ugly rather than the 'beautiful drum smoker'. I'll work up to it by winning her over with the food from the more aesthetically pleasing flower pots.

[ConorD]

You have to post the finished pictures from those bad boys Rob

[robgunby]

Thanks both

Those are a just a few hours off cooked. With all best intentions I never get pics of the finished article because it goes straight into foil, then gets pulled and eaten before I can get a camera out. I can post a picture of an empty plate if you like....

Eric, the trick is to convince wifey with food, then use saving money as a second hook. Once she tastes proper bbq, she will see you need a cooker. When she sees the price of a WSM vs a UDS, she will crumble.

You could also say she can paint it pretty colours (radiator paint works apparently). It will soon be blackened and covered with crap, but she doesn't need to know that!

If you need any adviceon the flower pot build, give us a shout!