Preparing and Using Your Hondo Jr. Smoker
Before cooking with your Hondo Jr. Smoker, the following steps should be closely followed to both cure
the finish and season the interior steel. Failure to properly follow these steps may damage the finish and/or impart metallic flavors to your first foods.
1.Brush all interior surfaces including grills and grates with vegetable cooking oil.
2.Build a small fire on the fire grate, being sure not to lay coals against the walls.
3.Close door. (Position butterfly damper and smokestack damper approximately at one quarter open.) This burn should be sustained for at least two hours, the longer the better. Then, begin increasing temperature by opening the butterfly damper and smokestack damper
Rust can appear on the inside of your smoker. Maintaining a light coat of vegetable oil on interior surfaces will aid in the protection of your unit. Exterior surfaces of smoker may need occasional touch up. We recommend the use of a commercially available black high temperature spray paint. NEVER PAINT THE INTERIOR OF THE UNIT !
GRILLING
Wood is recommended, however charcoal or a combination of both may be used as the fuel source for grilling, with the fuel source placed and ignited on the fire grate. Do not build too large of a fire. We recommend starting a fire with no more than 2 pounds of charcoal (approximately 20 briquettes). After allowing the fire to burn down, place the cooking grates
in the smoker. Failure to read and follow instructions for lighting charcoal may result in serious personal injury and/or property damage.
SMOKING AND SLOW COOKING
If using the Hondo Jr. as a smoker or slow cooker, remove the cooking grill from the firebox and
build your fire on top of the fire grate in the firebox. Either charcoal or wood may be used, but wood is the recommended fuel for it’s rate of burn and the flavor it imparts to the food being cooked. Most seasoned hardwoods are good for smoking such as hickory, mesquite, pecan, oak, and many other fruit woods. The firebox will accommodate most split fireplace size logs (16”). Bark should be avoided or burned off first as it contains a high acid content and imparts an acrid flavor.
After allowing the fire to burn down, close the doors and control the temperature and smoke with the dampers located on the firebox and atop the smokestack. Smoke is contained within the chambers, which will reduce burn while imparting more smoke flavor. Do not operate the Smoker with temperatures exceeding 450 degrees in the smoker chamber. Place the food in the smoker chamber and monitor the temperature. Cooking and smoking are taking place using indirect heat. There is no need to worry about a grease fire
Grilling with Wood Chips/Wood Chunks
For a more robust smoke flavor while using charcoal briquettes or lump charcoal, try adding wood chips or several wood chunks to the fire. Wood chunks are available in a variety of natural flavors, and can be used alone or in addition to charcoal. As a general rule, any hardwood that bears a fruit or nut is suitable for cooking. However, different woods have very different tastes. Experiment with different woods to determine your personal favorite, and always use
Our Recommendations: | USDA Recommended |
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Internal Cooking Temperatures | |||
Chicken - Alder, Apple, Hickory, Mesquite, Sassafras | |||
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Beef - Hickory, Mesquite, Oak, Grapevines | Ground Meat |
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Beef, Pork, Veal, Lamb | 160°F | ||
Pork - Fruitwoods, Hickory, Oak, Sassafras | Turkey, Chicken | 165°F | |
Lamb - Fruitwoods, Mesquite | Fresh Beef, Veal, Lamb |
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Veal - Fruitwoods, Grapevines |
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Medium Rare | 145°F | ||
Seafood - Alder, Mesquite, Sassafras, Grapevines | Medium | 160°F | |
Vegetables – Mesquite | Well Done | 170°F | |
| Poultry |
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| Chicken & Turkey, whole | 165°F | |
| Poultry Parts | 165°F | |
| Duck & Goose | 165°F | |
| Fresh Pork |
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| Medium | 160°F | |
| Well Done | 170°F | |
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