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| I know that many of you already know this but I am sure there are some who don't- so most of this is for them BUT there may be some things you don't know,( or thought so ) and just wasn't sure, --so here it goes . |
| Double Barrel Cooker= This design is from the book "Real Barbecue" by Greg Johnson and Vince Staten. The essential function of a top-notch barbecue smoker is to keep the meat comfortably separated from flames and direct heat and yet in the path of the hot air and smoke that give it its flavor. Big Baby does this by burning a hardwood fire in her bottom barrel and using the top barrel to contain the meat and direct the smoke. The top barrel also serves as a big, self-contained drip pan that catches meat juices. And the vents and dampers located all along the air path mean that the fire can be precisely controlled, keeping it from dying or flaring up. Besides two 55-gallon drums, the "trick" to the smoker is in making use of wood-stove kits designed to convert such drums into cheap stoves for heating storage sheds and such. The kits come with a cast-iron door, cast-iron legs on which to mount the smoker, cast-iron supports to connect the bottom drum to the one above it, plus flues to connect the two drums. From a hardware store or wood-stove shop, you toss in some dampers and a couple of neat little smokestacks for each end to let the smoke escape from the top drum. Build the "BIG BARREL COOKER" Before you get started, make sure you have the everything you'll need. The drums you should be able to find for about ten or twenty dollars; the stove kits (It Takes Two) are available at hardware and wood-stove stores or by mail order from Northern Hydraulics, 801 E. Cliff Rd., P.O. Box 1219, Burnsville, ME 55337, for less than forty or fifty dollars. The two twenty-two-by-fifteen-inch grill surfaces can be had at a barbecue supply house for twenty-five dollars or so. Add some bolts, brackets, hinges, smokestacks, fire bricks, paint and such, and you're up to a total expense of about a hundred and fifty dollars, more than the price of a simple covered grill but considerably less than the cost of a top of the line smoker, which, by the way, does a horrible job on a rack of ribs. The Steps Paint the barrels first, then start cutting them with your saber saw. Use a fresh metal-cutting blade (ask the guy at the hardware store or tool rental place for one), and prepare yourself for a annoying noise. Cutting through a hollow drum with a bussing saber saw makes enough racket that you may want to consider earplugs. But persevere, and cut a hole for the fire door at one end of the bottom barrel and matching holes in both barrels for the flues that connect them. Cut the top barrel in half horizontally, setting the top half aside. Then do your drilling and mounting and bolting, referring to the directions in the wood-stove kit whenever appropriate. Basically, you want to mount the bottom barrel on its legs (and we recommend connecting these to a couple of (2x4s)for a sturdier base), and then mount the fire door to it, followed by the connecting supports and the two flues (remember to insert the dampers before you bolt on the top barrel). Then you add the top barrel, bolting together the supports and flues between the two. At this point, lay the top half of the top barrel in place and mark holes for the hinges and handles. After the lid is in place, you can drill holes and bolt in place a small chain to keep the lid from falling over backwards. About now you can use the saber saw one last time to cut holes in either end of the bottom half of the top barrel and mount the two smokestacks (again, don't forget those dampers). Drill a hole for your thermometer (an inexpensive dial-type candy thermometer works fine, and even includes a clip that will hold it in place). Line the bottom of the bottom barrel with fire bricks, which keep it from burning through. Then drill and mount the brackets that support the grill surfaces, slap those in place, and call one of those fellows who delivers wood. You're ready to barbecue! It's BEST to operate this smoker over a NON-FLAMMABLE FLOOR, from something as basic as packed dirt or concrete. The Babe sits low to the ground, and her firebox gets more than a extra hot, so she will send any grass in the area to Heaven almost immediately. For a neater look, you could put down gravel and even border the area with bricks. Place to get the parts Parts for the Big Baby are available from Vogelzang International Corp. In Holland, MI. To Make it - ABOUT " 12 hours and $275.00 to construct the smoker". |
| "Do Not pour Hazardous Products Down the Drain, Toilet, or Storm Drains, Ground !!!!!". Drain cleaner= pour boiling water down the drain a couple of times a week as a preventative. Plunger followed by 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup vinegar and 4 cups boiling water. Silver Polish= soak silver in water with baking soda, salt, and small piece of aluminum foil Copper cleaner= vinegar & salt Furniture polish= mineral oil with lemon juice Powder cleaners= baking soda, non-bleach powders Window cleaners= vinegar & water, dry with newspapers Chlorine bleach= baking soda and water Mothballs = cedar chips and newspapers Mildew remover= 1 to 1 vinegar & salt Air freshener= simmer cinnamon and cloves in water (Garden Products) Garden & houseplant insecticide= one capful dish soap per 1 gal. water and spray on plants Snail and slug killer= hair clippings or stale beer in a dish. Throw-away snails. Ant control= red chili powder, paprika, or dried peppermint at point of entry Fertilizer= compost, peat moss, blood and fish meal |

| Hard Brown sugar= Put it in a air tight closed jar with a slice of orange to soften it. |
| White Rings on furniture= Caused by wet glass-cup. Equal amounts of white vinegar and olive oil in a bowl and rub with the grain of wood,and apply a coat of wax -polish. |
| Window Cleaner= 1 pint Rubbing Alcohol 3 Tablespoons Liquid Detergent 2 Tablespoons Ammonia 3 drops of Blue Food Coloring Add enough Water to make 1 Gallon. |
| Mushrooms-Slimy= Don't store them in plastic .Keep them in brown paper bag, they keep longer |
| Wall Colors= Light colored walls -furnishings -curtains and rugs reflect light and reduce the amount of artificial light needed in a room |
| Chamois Shirt= if it is Stiff, soak it in warm water with a spoonful of Olive oil added. |
| White Socks= boil them in water with a couple slices of lemon |
| Toilets= pour 1/2 cup bleach in toilet bowl and let it stand for for 10 minutes. Scrub with brush and flush OR/ try Flat Coca Cola by pouring it in bowl and let stand for about 2 hours, then scrub and flush |
| Heel Marks= Heel marks on floors can be rubbed off with cosmetic cold cream.The floor shine will not be hurt. |
| Wood Paneling cleaner= 2oz. of white vinegar, to 1 oz. of olive oil,with 1qt. of warm water. Apply with soft cloth and dry with another cloth. |
| Upgrading meats= Buy less expensive cuts of meat and marinate them in vinegar and oil for 2 hours before cooking. |
| Shower Doors= Lemon oil will remove water spots on metal frames of shower doors. Also works on bathroom tiles,and ceramic tiles. |
| Chrome Faucets= use rubbing alcohol to shine them. |
| Rust stains in bathrooms= Use a paste of borax mixed with lemon juice |
| Shoe and Boot Stains= Ugly salt and water stains on leather shoes can be removed by applying white vinegar directly to the stained area only. Then shoes should be polished. |
| Pre-treat Stains:::::: If you can not do it immediately, before you put the article of clothing in the laundry. One of the easiest and cheapest ways is to just mix a bit of dye-free laundry detergent designed to get out stains in a spray bottle with water. (Use dye free detergent because sometimes the dyes in the detergent can stain your clothes worse than the stain that's already there.) Then just spray the stain until it is soaked and throw it in the dirty laundry pile. Pretreated stains should be allowed to set for five minutes before washing, to make sure that the detergent has time to break apart the stain. Works for most stains, but some stains need a little extra attention, so here's what you can do for those: 1.Mustard,Fruit-- Soak these stains in vinegar (a spray bottle filled with vinegar works good: 2.Perspiration-- Sponge with a weak solution of white vinegar and water OR/ sponge with lemon juice OR/ dissolve 2 aspirins and soak the area. 3.Coffee, Tea, Chocolate, Gravy-- Sponge the stain with Cold water (NOT hot water)Then add 2 Tbsp. of Borax to 2 cups of warm water and sponge stain. Rinse well and wash. 4. Blood and Grass-- Pour hydrogen peroxide on stains and rinse or use an oxygenating stain remover OR/==Cover the area with Meat Tenderizer. Apply warm water to make a paste and let sit 20 -25 minutes, them sponge with cool water. 5.Ink-- Pour rubbing alcohol on stain and blot with a rag or paper towel: 6. Wine-- Rub salt into stain. |
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| The information given here is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace or supersede medical advice. Those individuals with a medical problem need to seek medical attention when necessary. Do not use the herbs or remedies posted on this list without the aid or supervision of a well-trained and clinically knowledgeable herbalist. |
| Washing word work with ease ( painted walls- washable kind-, woodwrk and venetian blinds by using a mixture of : 1 c. ammonia 1/2 c. vinegar 1/4 c. baking soda w with 1 gallon warm water. Wipe wall or etc with the solution and rinse with clear water. The solution will not dull the painted finish or leave streaks. |
| Removing Stains from china- Equal mixture ( same amount) of salt and white vinegar will clean coffee and tea stains from china. |
| Smoked filled rooms during and by placing a small bowl of white vinegar in the room after a party. |
| Cooking odors- Boil 1 -Tbsp. of white vinegar mixed with 1 c. water helps eliminated odors. |