Thread: Orion Cooker

Originally Posted by dfergie

After thoughts... I had the smoke taste in my mouth most of the night after cooking so I think next time I will put about half the amount of hickory or mesquite chips in...

I find it's hard to oversmoke with hickory, but easy with mesquite, IME.

I smoked 3 boston butts (2pm to 8:30am) a couple of weeks ago and thought I was going to overdo it with the hickory but I found the smoke slightly lacking, I wish I'd have added mesquite with the hickory (a lot), maple, & apple.

Your smoker looks good, and since you're cooking with what appears to be a similar device to mine I'll link you to the virtual weber bullet for some more recipes to try!


Cooking Topics - The Virtual Weber Bullet

The Virtual Weber Bullet - For the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker enthusiast

Thanks for the links all of the chips do not burn, so I just add a few everytime I cook with good results and I mix Hickory with Mesquite... will have to go out back on my land and find some "fresh" mesquite... I tried a brisket the other day and it was tough, so I will use my old smoker for those, next thing new I want to try in it is fish...

Originally Posted by dfergie

Thanks for the links all of the chips do not burn, so I just add a few everytime I cook with good results and I mix Hickory with Mesquite... will have to go out back on my land and find some "fresh" mesquite... I tried a brisket the other day and it was tough, so I will use my old smoker for those, next thing new I want to try in it is fish...

Fish is very good smoked. Everytime I see this thread, I get hungry

salmon is incredible...

I've been wanting to try a brisket for a long time - have planned on doing one for the last couple of weekends but didn't get around to it. I'll do one soon.

Another cut I want to try soon is the beef tenderloin & tri-tip.

charcoal & smoking is addictive, isn't it LOL. Anyone need some full propane tanks?? I have 3 of 'em at the side of the house.

OT - one thing I've found that helps light the coals is Pam cooking spray on paper towels or paper grocery bags, it burns forever & starts reliably without having to use lighter fluid.

The thing I am loving about the Orion cooker, with my Brinkman smoker It takes at least 5.5 hours and constantly checking fire and keeping it going (like a campfire) the Orion, you light the coals and from the instant you light them (unless windy) the cooking times in the instructions are right on the money... the longest cook I had was a little over 1.5 hours... and usually the coals are good for another cook, these guys knew their stuff I have cooked fish on the grill, cooked them in foil with a strip of bacon etc... gonna have to get my brother away from his granddaughters softball tournaments long enough to go fishing and see how Catfish tastes smoked.

Did a Beer can chicken and eating now... good had to cut the top 1 1/2 " off of the can to get under the rack, put a quarter of a stick of I can't believe its not butter along with a little garlic and onion in the can...

Based on dfergie's excellent review and recommendation, I just picked up an Orion Cooker at Home Depot tonight, for $129. Its a surprise anniversary gift for my wife (our 15th is tomorrow). She loves to smoke meat (and I love to eat it!), but she rarely does, because it takes so long.

I am excited to get this thing up and running and cooking this weekend!

I ate a late lunch am thinking of cooking a chicken and a pork roast here in a minute

Finally got to cook last night, it had rained yesterday but I thought the coals were dry... not... started at 7:15 checked at 9pm then finally pulled at 9:30pm... First time cooking a cut up chicken along with a pork roast. I only used a handful of hickory chips so not much smoke flavor for the chicken but it came out really good, saving pork roast to reheat tonight.
Rub used: Garlic and Onion powder mixed with seasoning salt and Black Pepper. Brushed BBQ sauce on before the cook...