Who's smoking meat this weekend?

passedpawn said:

Add wood for smoking during the first hour, especially when the meat is cold. I usually add a handful of chunks right when I add the meat, and a handful after 30 minutes ish. I don't think wood after that is useful. I use large chunks, no need for the little chips, and no need for soaking in water.

I pull between 200 and 205. Lower than that and it won't pull off the shoulder blade the way you want. So temp is good.

Takes me, in my WSM, about 10 hours. I smoke between 225 and 250.

I know you didn't ask, but...

Pork's cheap. I usually do 4 boston butts (bone in). Tangy sauce added, then I portion it all in Foodsaver bags. Freeze.

I shred in the mixer with the dough hook. So much easier than forks.

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Good to know. Thanks! I bought a boat load of chips cuz that's what I thought I needed/thought would fit in the feeder tube on the mes. Maybe I'll go to Walmart tomorrow and look for some chunks I was thinking 70% apple 30% hickory. Sound good?

Yellowirenut said:

I did not get the WiFi one.... I found it to be a great smoker with excellent taste. I myself do not like the HEAVY smoke flavors and if you are looking for those you would need to supplement the smoke with more. Also the people who say you can not get a smoke ring from a pellet smoker are full of it and have no first hand experience. Both the heat and the smoke come from pellets... Pellets are made 100% from wood.

I did a lot of shopping before settling on this brand. From customer service to the quality. It is all top notch.

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Thanks or the reply. It's definitely top of my list right now. I use pellets sometimes in my propane smoker when I run out of chips and haven't had an issue getting a smoke ring. I am much like you, don't care for over smoked meats. Sound like this right up my alley.

ericbw said:

So your final internal temp is pretty low? How do we all feel about not cooking it to at least 150?

I guess as long as you cook it before eating?

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No different than store bought bacon, I always cook that. So, yes I cook it before eating.

kev211 said:

Good to know. Thanks! I bought a boat load of chips cuz that's what I thought I needed/thought would fit in the feeder tube on the mes. Maybe I'll go to Walmart tomorrow and look for some chunks I was thinking 70% apple 30% hickory. Sound good?

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You need chips for the MES. The chunks won't fit in the feeder tube or tray. I think @passedpawn has a WSM, which is a little different.

blizzard said:

You need chips for the MES. The chunks won't fit in the feeder tube or tray. I think @passedpawn has a WSM, which is a little different.

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Ok good! I knew I had done my research correctly haha

passedpawn said:

I shred in the mixer with the dough hook. So much easier than forks.

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An electric hand mixer does an awesome job too!

kev211 said:

Ok good! I knew I had done my research correctly haha

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Yes, and in manual too. I have mes30 or whatever, no window. Excellent choice i think. I add chips every hour until finished pretty much. Hickory and cherry. Use it in all kinds of freezing 10 degree days too. People give me food they say they smoked and i cant taste it. I wonder if i am doing it wrong. Dont know. I think the smoke running straight up through the food is key
Full vent and have never moved it. Come to think of it, in 20 degree weather might be good to go smaller. I cant wait to see what you come up with!!

Going to start a big batch of pork shoulder tonight for consumption at dinner tomorrow (and for vacuum sealing the excess for future use). I'll be testing out this "stand mixer shredding" trick you guys are all talking about...

I've got some baby back ribs going on a new pellet smoker. I've been eyeing one of these grills for weeks, finally pulled the trigger on a camp chef model. For Easter I'll do a brisket. My mouth is already watering... View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1492198050.431256.jpg

It is a weekend of beer and meat!

Today: Pilsner starting at 9 a.m. Done at 3 p.m. Two steaks (a nice ribeye and a NY strip) on the 22" Weber kettle I bought earlier in the week. Turned out fantastic.

Saturday: Pit Barrel Cooker. 1 Brisket (I trimmed it this afternoon). 1 rack of beef ribs. 2 smoked sausage links.

Sunday. Pit Barrel Cooker. 10 lb. ham. Smoked Mac & Cheese.

No pics of the steaks, but they were perfect.

Maybe some pics of the rest, hopefully.

Mesquite fire in the BGE

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1492289713.312610.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1492289728.200522.jpg. A little ham action on the smoker and some salt also.View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1492299709.575883.jpg

Hickory smoked Conocuh sausage with roasted asparagus and foil-packed potatoes (purple, red, and white). poor picture, but man was it good

two chickens split at breast. and salt sugar brined. should be a delicious easter.


And done smokn in second pic. Finished off on high to finish.

How weird is it that the BGEs sweat? I'm doing a "clean burn" and the lid is leaking liquid.

Seasoned the new MES this morning. Currently smoking 4 lbs of pork butt with a homemade rub. Just sprayed it down with Apple juice and whiskey. Hickory and apple wood 50-50 all day

View attachment 1492393318437.jpg

HoppyDaze said:

How weird is it that the BGEs sweat? I'm doing a "clean burn" and the lid is leaking liquid.

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Through to the outside as in it's leaking through the glaze?

jammin said:

Through to the outside as in it's leaking through the glaze?

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Mine will do that too when I'm doing a super hot cleaning burn.

Are your BGEs kept out in the rain? I know the glaze has cracked a bit on mine and if it was in the elements, I assume some water would soak in. As it is, kept under cover, I have never seen it sweat.

First ever solo smoke... Unreal. So stoked on how it turned out

View attachment 1492401056710.jpg

passedpawn said:

Add wood for smoking during the first hour, especially when the meat is cold. I usually add a handful of chunks right when I add the meat, and a handful after 30 minutes ish. I don't think wood after that is useful. I use large chunks, no need for the little chips, and no need for soaking in water.

I pull between 200 and 205. Lower than that and it won't pull off the shoulder blade the way you want. So temp is good.

Takes me, in my WSM, about 10 hours. I smoke between 225 and 250.

I know you didn't ask, but...

Pork's cheap. I usually do 4 boston butts (bone in). Tangy sauce added, then I portion it all in Foodsaver bags. Freeze.

I shred in the mixer with the dough hook. So much easier than forks.

Click to expand...

I always did by hand, but **** dough hook work on kitchen aid? And gotta love my wsm.

kev211 said:

Ok good! I knew I had done my research correctly haha

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If you can get cherry, try it. Apple is overrated compared to cherry. Chicken turkey fish and pork all work well with cherry. Briskets needs something more harsh.

oylerck said:

If you can get cherry, try it. Apple is overrated compared to cherry. Chicken turkey fish and pork all work well with cherry. Briskets needs something more harsh.

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I got cherry. ordered it on Amazon. Did my first smoke tonight with Apple and hickory. Turned out great? Will prob try cherry next

jammin said:

Through to the outside as in it's leaking through the glaze?

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Yes. It was crazy. Only on the lid though. It had a thick layer soot on the inside... being ceramic it makes sense. Looked into it and it's pretty common. Used grill, previous owner probably never did a burn clean... and it's Oregon

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1492412301.028362.jpg

passedpawn said:

Add wood for smoking during the first hour, especially when the meat is cold. I usually add a handful of chunks right when I add the meat, and a handful after 30 minutes ish. I don't think wood after that is useful. I use large chunks, no need for the little chips, and no need for soaking in water.

I pull between 200 and 205. Lower than that and it won't pull off the shoulder blade the way you want. So temp is good.

Takes me, in my WSM, about 10 hours. I smoke between 225 and 250.

Click to expand...

I usually run 250 at the grate on my WSM and will sometimes run 275-300 if I'm running short on time or to move things along. Dome temp seems to be almost 50 degrees lower. I use a DigiQ and running 3 or 4 butts at a time in most cases, adding additional briquettes about 3/4 of the way through, this will take me about 14 hours... as much as 16, to get to 200 internal temp. I tend to pull around 195-200 and then wrap in foil and rest in a cooler till serving time. For pork butts I always start out with a full water pan as well as a large cordierite pizza stone covering the water pan.

passedpawn said:

Pork's cheap. I usually do 4 boston butts (bone in). Tangy sauce added, then I portion it all in Foodsaver bags. Freeze.

Click to expand...

This.

passedpawn said:

I shred in the mixer with the dough hook. So much easier than forks.

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Got a free pair of shredder's from a friend that work real nice. Made quick work or aforementioned 50 lbs of pork.

Smoked 2 briskets for Easter Sunday and managed to time things perfectly, which is a first. Briskets are hard to time right. They were on the lean side so I ended up foiling for the last hour or 2, but they turned out fantastic and the crust was still in perfect shape, so it was great. Simple Texas 50/50 S&P rub. Wife's Polish family LOOOOVED the polish sausage I threw on the smoker, too. After pulling the briskets to rest, I threw on a whole pile of regular and a special garlic Easter sausage we get locally with some fresh chunks of wood and smoked @275. Combined with the homemade kraut from the freezer, it was outstanding. Was too hectic, so no pics.

If any of you WSM users out there are curious, this pizza stone fits perfectly right on top of the water pan. Can use in place of water in some instances where you need some additional thermal mass and don't want the added moisture

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IACNGB0/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

oylerck said:

If you can get cherry, try it. Apple is overrated compared to cherry. Chicken turkey fish and pork all work well with cherry. Briskets needs something more harsh.

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Pecan is great as well. I usually do a pecan/fruitwood blend on poultry and pork.

Horseflesh said:

Are your BGEs kept out in the rain? I know the glaze has cracked a bit on mine and if it was in the elements, I assume some water would soak in. As it is, kept under cover, I have never seen it sweat.

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That's it. The ceramic isnt sealed and due to expansion/contraction if you look closely it's got tons if tiny cracks, it looks like a spiderweb. So it'll absorb a little moisture especially if uncovered, which sweats out when you cook. It gets worse if you go for a period of time without using it, and it gets brown and gross looking if the inside is especially greasy from low n slow cooks. But it isnt anything to worry about and is common, just cook it out.

Randar said:

I usually run 250 at the grate on my WSM and will sometimes run 275-300 if I'm running short on time or to move things along. Dome temp seems to be almost 50 degrees lower. I use a DigiQ and running 3 or 4 butts at a time in most cases, adding additional briquettes about 3/4 of the way through, this will take me about 14 hours... as much as 16, to get to 200 internal temp. I tend to pull around 195-200 and then wrap in foil and rest in a cooler till serving time. For pork butts I always start out with a full water pan as well as a large cordierite pizza stone covering the water pan.


This.

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I also use an Auber smoker controller, so am getting grate temperature. I don't use water in the pan (or any other heat ballast).

Also, I see your claws below. I have a pair of "bear claws" that I got off amazon. They work OK, but still the mixer is better for me.

HoppyDaze said:

Yes. It was crazy. Only on the lid though. It had a thick layer soot on the inside... being ceramic it makes sense. Looked into it and it's pretty common. Used grill, previous owner probably never did a burn clean... and it's Oregon

View attachment 396926

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So what's the solution? Live with it? or do multiple attempts of a burn clean trying to purge it?

It wasn't doing it anymore at the end. I think it's all out now.

Randar said:

Pecan is great as well. I usually do a pecan/fruitwood blend on poultry and pork.

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I'm not a huge fan, but I'll use it over hickory. Hickory just makes everything taste like bacon. Which is good for bacon.

Randar said:

Pecan is great as well. I usually do a pecan/fruitwood blend on poultry and pork.

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Pecan is ok for light smoke on poultry or fish for me and that's pretty much the only times I'll use it, works great for nova lox btw and so does oak. I like cherry for pork ribs, oak hickory mix for pretty much any kind of beef, and apple hickory mix for pork butt. Mesquite is also good for poultry, especially turkey.

She cleaned up real nice

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1492566613.660875.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1492566638.555525.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1492566655.583364.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1492566677.728785.jpg

Daisy wheel needs a scrubbing and season but it's like a new smoker.

^hory chit, Hoppy! Had to laugh at the attempt to clean the interior though haha. I can just see you going "uhhh, this is good enough"

Ham rubbed with cinnamon, brown sugar, mustard, ginger, and cumin. Neelys rub, with hickory and cherry of course. The idea of oak and apple is still intriguing to me.

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Took it out after 3hr20min at 275. Tired and only adding flavor anyways. 128 degrees and beautifully juicy and amazing might try closer to 130 if serving. Could wring it, because its so juicy though. Damn cummin, its the newest spice of the group, so it is standing out again. Still good.

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Gonna smoke my first ribs this weekend. Got 2 giant racks from costco (depending on how they fit I may have to cut them down). Was planning on doing a 3-2-1 cook on them. I may do more 3-1.5-1.5 to try and get more bark on them. Probably gonna put some HB hefe in the foil with them along with a touch of honey. Was thinking of doing 90% hickory with a pinch of mesquite unless anyone has better options? Currently I have apple, cherry, hickory and mesquite, but I can always run and grab different wood. Ive read that its hard to get thermo readings on ribs so I was probably just gonna go sans-thermo and go by the bend test. Since Im a newb and these are my first ribs, does this plan sound good? Im open to any and all suggestions