Take & Bake pizza cooked on a Camp Chef Pellet Smoker

I still struggle with whether the Camp Chef SmokePro is a smoker or a grill, but today what I do know for sure is that it makes a fine pizza oven.

Actually, at these temps there is very little smoke, but we'll get enough of the smoke taste to make it worth the while.

We started with two Papa Murphy's Take & Bake pizzas, which were purchased a day in advance. Personally, I like a little bit of a yeasty taste and on the day that they make them they just don't have quite enough "funk" for my taste. By popular demand of the grandkids, we purchased one large cheese and one large pepperoni pizza.  These are 14" pizzas that can feed 3 people each. The "Family" size pizza is 16", and while I was tempted to go along with the "IF some is good. more is better" crowd I opted for the oxymoronic smaller "large".

From there several things conspired against me: It was cool and windy, I forgot to preheat the MASSIVE "pizza stone" and I didn't pull the pizzas out of the fridge soon enough.

Because of the cold air and the high winds, I whipped out my Harbor Freight fiberglass welding blanket: Chicago Welding, Item # 67833. It is amazing that it was touching a grill that was boarding on 400 degrees and yet it was only warm to the touch as I removed it each time. That is until the one time that I grabbed it by one of the steel grommets. Perhaps one day that moment will make it into a blooper reel!

An EPIC Fail and a Win, but enough talk, let's smoke a pizza!

Just a few more minutes! Breasts have been moved to the left side (hotter) and are actually looking good.

#SmokedChicken #Aristogrub #KillerHogsBBQRub #CampChefSmokePro Another Aristogrub Pic via Instagram http://bit.ly/2dzVymR

Back on the smoker with chicken thighs and boneless skinless breasts.

BTW, who was the genius who decided to remove the skin from what is well-known to be the driest part? #CampChefSmokePro #KillerHogsBBQRub #Aristogrub #SmokedChicken Another Aristogrub Pic via Instagram http://bit.ly/2dnNG9G

How has owning a CampChef pellet smoker changed my life?

Well, for starters I am now buying dry rub in 5lbs bags! @killer_hogs_bbq rocks! #CampChefSmokePro #KillerHogsBBQRub #Aristogrub Another Aristogrub Pic via Instagram http://bit.ly/2dIxwee

Smoking our first batch of Saint Louis Style Spare Ribs on the Camp Chef SmokePro

In the last month we’ve cooked lots of chicken on the SmokePro DLX Pellet Grill & Smoker, but because of my schedule we haven’t had time for any long-smoke meals until today. We smoked three Saint Louis Style slabs of spare ribs using our own version of the venerable 3-2-1 method, meaning they spent three hours exposed to smoke at 225 degrees, followed by two hours wrapped in foil as 225 degrees, followed by 1 hour back out of the foil to finish and to set the glaze. 

Now, because my dad didn’t raise a fool, after the first three hours on the smoker and once we wrapped them in foil there was no reason to continue burning expensive pellets, so we moved the the ribs to a 225 degree oven for the two hour portion of the cook. Some think this is eating but since those people were’t invited to the cook-out we ignored them. 

One plan that I had that went awry was I was going to take those two hours to smoke the extra chicken thighs and wings that we marinated last night, but I got called away so they got cooked later that evening.

All that’s left to explain is how we prepped the ribs:

We removed the membrane from the back of the ribs and slathered them with a thin film of yellow mustard. I’ll never get used to this but it really works to hold on the the spices and rub and you don’t taste it after they are done. Next we added some garlic salt and fresh ground black pepper followed by a generous layer of "Killer Hogs” classic “BBQ Rub” found here https://h2qshop.com I purchased one shaker of this stuff and we’ve put it on everything! My next order will be for a 5lbs bag that we’ll separate into Mason jars.

After the 3 hours on the smoker we wrapped them in foil and added Parkay squeeze margarine and brown sugar. We were going to add some honey but forgot. 

After the two hour sauna in the foil we transferred the ribs back to the smoker and made a glaze by adding the drippings from the foil wraps with about 1/2C of Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey Barbecue Sauce.  We basted the ribs twice with this mixture and after a total of one hour back on the smoker at 225 degrees we were rewarded with some of the best ribs I’ve ever had.

What would I do differently next time? I think I need to look into a rib rack that will allow us to hold a few more racks. Not only to increase the capacity, but to keep the ribs from hanging over the edge and getting too hot on the edges.

Tonight's Aristogrub is Smoked Chicken from my Camp Chef Pellet Grill

Another Aristogrub Pic via Instagram http://bit.ly/2a97oqz

Time to remove the brisket from the heat, but that doens't mean it's done.

After 13 hours we hit 198 degrees in the thickest part so the cooking is done, but now it's into a cooler to rest for two hours. #CampChef  #PelletGrill  #Aristogrub  #SmokedBrisket
Another Aristogrub Pic via Instagram http://bit.ly/2aj8yk9

Time for the "Texas Crutch".

After 4 1/2 hours the brisket has absorbed about all the smoke that it's going to so it is time to transfer it into some aluminum foil, or what competitive smokers call "The Texas Crutch".  From hear we will continue to cook it at 225-250 degrees for another 9 hours or so until a thermometer in the thickest part indicates that we are at 200 degrees. #CampChef #PelletGrill #Aristogrub #SmokedBrisket Another Aristogrub Pic via Instagram http://bit.ly/29Wmjzz

Finally getting around to smoking a brisket.

It's going to be a long night. #CampChef #PelletGrill Future #Aristogrub Another Aristogrub Pic via Instagram http://bit.ly/29WTYw8

Heading into the kitchen to shred these thighs.

Making pulled BBQ chicken sandwiches. #Aristogrub Another Aristogrub Pic via Instagram http://bit.ly/2aj1sbp

Fortunately the grandkids don't like dark cookies.

Another Aristogrub Pic via Instagram http://bit.ly/29DlrzB
Papa Murphys. #Aristogrub #CampChef #PelletGrill #SmokedChocolateChipCookies #🍪

Back my popular demand: Smoked Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Another Aristogrub Pic via Instagram http://bit.ly/29zwJWf
This time the cookie dough was from the take and bake pizza place, Papa Murphys. #Aristogrub #CampChef #PelletGrill #SmokedChocolateChipCookies

Each bird being reduced to parts.

The few bites I've accidentally dropped into my face-hole were quite good. #Aristogrub #CampChef #PelletGrill #TurkeyCannon Another Aristogrub Pic via Instagram http://bit.ly/29Pnu82

Side by side our two birds are taking a rest.

Another Aristogrub Pic via Instagram http://bit.ly/29PnfKl
#Aristogrub #CampChef #PelletGrill #TurkeyCannon

Testing the Camp Chef "Turkey Cannon" in a Aristogrub Cook-off!

I'm still sceptical if this "Turkey Cannon" is worth using, so I decided on conducting a little cook-off with two identical chickes; one on the Turkey Connon filled with apple juice and pepper cornes and the other just on the pellet grill.  Bother are rubbed with "The BBQ Rub" from Killer Hogs.  #Aristogrub Cook-off. #CampChef #PelletGrillAnother Aristogrub Pic via Instagram http://bit.ly/29TdtoB

The first "REAL" Aristogrub video has been added to the new Aristogrub Youtube Channel

The other day I dropped by our local Field & Stream store to see their selection of BBQing gear and while there I noticed that they had something I wanted to see: The Camp Chef "Turkey Cannon". They had two different packages of the product, with the new ones priced at $30 and what looked like older packaging sale priced at $14.97. For whatever reason I didn't purchase one on the spot.  Oh, that's not totally true. Even at only $15 I wasn't sure that I needed one!Later that night I searched Youtube to see if anyone had posted a video of it in use, and while I found a couple that seemed to be from Camp Chef, I didn't see many of them being used by a "civilian". The video below does a good job explaining why you might use one and the bottom video is my video discussing the deal that I found when I returned to Field & Stream.

It looks like Amazon has this one for a little more than $20 with Prime:http://amzn.to/29LeL6P

One hour in so it is time to flip and rotate the wings. Camp Chef SmokePro DLX Pellet Grill.

One hour in so it is time to flip and rotate the wings. Looking and smelling good! Camp Chef SmokePro DLX Pellet Grill. #Aristogrub Another Aristogrub Pic via Instagram http://bit.ly/29jBd6t

The first test of the Camp Chef SmokePro DLX Pellet Grill continues with chicken wings

Next up: Smoked Chicken Wings. Camp Chef SmokePro DLX Pellet Grill. #Aristogrub Another Aristogrub Pic via Instagram http://bit.ly/29hiGXb

Apple wood smoked Bacon helps with the Camp Chef SmokePro DLX break in.

The apple wood smoked Bacon came out great, but more importantly the grill is well on its way to being broken in. Camp Chef SmokePro DLX PelletGrill. #Aristogrub Another Aristogrub Pic via Instagram http://bit.ly/29fFc6p

Time to smoke the Bacon!

Time to smoke the Bacon! This is as much for seasoning of the grill as it is for eatin'. Camp Chef SmokePro DLX Pellet Grill. #Aristogrub Another Aristogrub Pic via Instagram http://bit.ly/29Fybax