Who's smoking meat this weekend?

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Paramecium said:
Ya, wrap it when it hits the stall or you will be there all week. Seriously though, trim it to about 1/4" of fat and put the fat side down and when it stalls out pull it and wrap it with a little beef broth in the foil and throw it back on. If you have a syringe inject it with beef broth, not low sodium either, the real stuff. Cook it to about 200-205 and let it rest in the oven for a couple of hours at 170 when it is done.

Cook temp on brisket doesn't seem to be set in stone, I do mine around 275 just to get them done sometime this century. 275, wrap to push through the stall and then rest in the stove you will be styling, inject and you'll be the man.

Also don't slice it until your ready to eat and look up the proper way to cut it, Cut against the grain and you'll have some juicy tender goodness that everyone will love. Makes for great sandwiches.
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Smoking meat is more art than science. Do it with just a good old fashioned wood fire, a whole unadulterated brisket and patience. It takes a good 12-18 hours, but it is oh, so worth it.
 
Melana said:
Cut the trim into cubes, simmer with onion, garlic, chiles, etc. (cumin), until tender. Throw 'em back on a hot grill (or hot oven), and when the outside is crispy
pull the meat like bbq for some great carnitas to wrap in a tortilla.
Click to expand...
 
Paramecium said:
Ya, wrap it when it hits the stall or you will be there all week. Seriously though, trim it to about 1/4" of fat and put the fat side down and when it stalls out pull it and wrap it with a little beef broth in the foil and throw it back on. If you have a syringe inject it with beef broth, not low sodium either, the real stuff. Cook it to about 200-205 and let it rest in the oven for a couple of hours at 170 when it is done.

Cook temp on brisket doesn't seem to be set in stone, I do mine around 275 just to get them done sometime this century. 275, wrap to push through the stall and then rest in the stove you will be styling, inject and you'll be the man.

Also don't slice it until your ready to eat and look up the proper way to cut it, Cut against the grain and you'll have some juicy tender goodness that everyone will love. Makes for great sandwiches.
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Great. Thanks for the tips.

That is almost exactly the procedure I was thinking (minus the injection) after looking around online.

Depending on size of course, what cook times have you experienced with this method?
 
PsiNyde said:
Smoking meat is more art than science. Do it with just a good old fashioned wood fire, a whole unadulterated brisket and patience. It takes a good 12-18 hours, but it is oh, so worth it.
Click to expand...

I agree there is an art to it but he was asking for tips. He is using a modified Weber kettle so an all wood fire is not going to work for him, I said 275 because I imagine keeping the temp controlled on his first time with a new setup that is a modified kettle will probably be difficult. Also a whole brisket would probably be a tight fit depending on how big a brisket you got. Even if you could get a whole brisket on there you would want to trim the fat, some of them have such a thick fat cap it's ridiculous, trim it to 1/8 to 1/4" and you'll be good to go.
 
PJoyce85 said:
Great. Thanks for the tips.

That is almost exactly the procedure I was thinking (minus the injection) after looking around online.

Depending on size of course, what cook times have you experienced with this method?
Click to expand...

Well Sunday I did a half brisket, it was the point and flat end of the brisket and weighed 6 lbs. I cooked at 275, wrapped at about 160 and cooked to 203. It took about 6 hours then I held it at 170 in the oven still wrapped for a couple hours until dinner time.

Also get the best quality meat you can find, Prime is what I buy, with brisket it's fairly cheap. Prime from a quality butcher here is $4-$5 a lb.

Brisket can take a long time, it can be a stubborn piece of meat so just plan ahead and if it finishes early, hold it in the oven like I said and it will be great.
 
passedpawn said:
I also did a pork butt this weekend, but I didn't have the energy to pull it when it came off at midnight Friday. So, I wrapped in foil and put in fridge, then Sunday heated in oven to 200 and it fell right apart. Then mixed in a bit of sauce, parceled out into foodsaver vacuum bags and back into the freezer.
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chef273b said:
God, in a commercial setting the health dept would be up yer a** for doing that. But I do such at home all the time.
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Sorry fellas, late to the game and trying to catch up.......

So chef273b, please tell us why the health dept would frown on this in a commercial setting? Is it the time spent in the temperature 'danger zone?'

Or that it was cycled hot->cold ->hot -> freeze?

Just trying to learn,
Thanks!
 
Labor Day, did 3 racks of baby backs for the first time in my electric dorm fridge type smoker (a hand-me-down from a brew buddy who got a new one).

Sprayed with canola oil and rubbed em the night before. 2 hours of hickory smoke @ 225, 1.5 hours wrapped in foil @ 250, finished on the grill. While smoking or grilling, I sprayed with 1/2 beer, 1/2 apple cider vinegar about every 30-40 min.

Perfect doneness and nice flavor. No sauce necessary. I'll do them just like that next time, but may cut the cider vinegar to 1/3, beer 2/3 in the spray.
 
PJoyce85 said:
Does Monday count?

I'll be making my first brisket on my recently completed extension for my kettle with Oakridge Black-ops Brisket rub.

Any tips?
Click to expand...
I really like this extension...did you make it yourself? If so, how?

Here's a smokey joe I turned into a mini WSM. I've also got an 18" kettle I was thinking of modding.

Pernil2_zpsc24c03db.jpg
 
Paramecium said:
Well Sunday I did a half brisket, it was the point and flat end of the brisket and weighed 6 lbs. I cooked at 275, wrapped at about 160 and cooked to 203. It took about 6 hours then I held it at 170 in the oven still wrapped for a couple hours until dinner time.

Also get the best quality meat you can find, Prime is what I buy, with brisket it's fairly cheap. Prime from a quality butcher here is $4-$5 a lb.

Brisket can take a long time, it can be a stubborn piece of meat so just plan ahead and if it finishes early, hold it in the oven like I said and it will be great.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the help. This isn't my first time smoking but it is my first brisket and first time using the extension. I have an IQ110 that I use and it works fairly well so temp problems aren't so much an issue.

I don't know why, but meat here in Germany is very expensive. We always get our smoking meat from a butcher and it has always been very nice meat. Sometimes within 2 days of the slaughter.

I think the brisket will be around 7 lbs or so. They always seem to get huge pieces of meat so we will see how it is when I pick it up on Friday.

NivekD said:
I really like this extension...did you make it yourself? If so, how?

Here's a smokey joe I turned into a mini WSM. I've also got an 18" kettle I was thinking of modding.
Click to expand...

Thanks. A friend of mine built an extension for his kettle and had about 1/3 of a 55 gallon drum left over that he gave me. The 55 gallon drums fit the 22 inch kettle almost perfectly. Drilled the holes for the screws to hold the 2 cooking grates, added some handles and painted it with some grill paint. I hope it works out alright. It will definitely be better that putting coals on one side and the meat on the other.
 
JeepDiver said:
If you had the point and the flat you had a whole brisket. Though at 6 lbs I'm guessing you had a flat
Click to expand...

It was cut in half by the butcher, he cut off the end of the flat just into the point. So it was missing the end of the flat and an inch or so of point. I was going to buy a whole but he had cut the end off for someone else and I didn't need a whole brisket as it was only for 4 people.
 
Marquez said:
Sorry fellas, late to the game and trying to catch up.......

So chef273b, please tell us why the health dept would frown on this in a commercial setting? Is it the time spent in the temperature 'danger zone?'

Or that it was cycled hot->cold ->hot -> freeze?

Just trying to learn,
Thanks!
Click to expand...

Officially, you want to drop the temp on cooling food below 41º in 4 hrs. Same concept as cooling wort to pitch temp asap. Don't want to give the bugs time to grow.
A pork butt wrapped in foil likely won't cool quick enough. Unwrapped, less of an issue.
I'd be leary of the foil in the fridge technique. Your mileage may vary.
 
Paramecium said:
I agree there is an art to it but he was asking for tips. He is using a modified Weber kettle so an all wood fire is not going to work for him, I said 275 because I imagine keeping the temp controlled on his first time with a new setup that is a modified kettle will probably be difficult. Also a whole brisket would probably be a tight fit depending on how big a brisket you got. Even if you could get a whole brisket on there you would want to trim the fat, some of them have such a thick fat cap it's ridiculous, trim it to 1/8 to 1/4" and you'll be good to go.
Click to expand...

Excellent point. My bad. What I was referring to was injections, etc.

If you are limited on space, I would suggest cutting some off the flat end rather than the point; it's leaner and can be done in a crock pot or oven. The fat is the most important part, as it's what keeps everything nice and juicy.

It must be done over indirect heat. Go to HD or whatever and get wood chunks. You can start a charcoal fire around the edges, but once it's gray, only use wood chunks. This will a) keep the fire hot, b) give you temp control since you're using small pieces, and c) give you that true smoke flavor and aroma.

Always keep as much fat as you can. This keeps it from drying out, which is exactly what smoking will do - dehydrate.

Always put fat side up. As the connective tissue breaks down at 225°, the fat will slowly melt and permeate down through the meat and become trapped inside the crusted base.
 
Making remmy's smoked meatballs, abt (sweet peppers subed) and using left over meatball stuff for burgers today. Hail Freakin' State!
 
BadDeacon said:
Making remmy's smoked meatballs, abt (sweet peppers subed) and using left over meatball stuff for burgers today. Hail Freakin' State!
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Oh, man. Let me know how they turn out!!!
 
Just put a pork butt on the WSM so we can have sandwiches after the game tomorrow. (Gonna foil it and hold it in the oven for a bit.) Go Pack Go!!
 
I have just started smoking meat and I love it! I built a Ugly Drum Smoker and I have to say that the roaster chickens I did last week were "the best I EVER made" I'm hoping to do 2 more tomorrow and looking to do a brisket soon.
 
New to the forum but already getting set up for the weekend. Planning on a pot roast, brisket, and a pork butt. Not sure yet, and will depend on time available. As always adding about 3 or 4 fatties. I'm new to the forum here and I don't want to insult anyone since I don't know the bbq level here but if you don't know what a fatty is PM me. It will change your life and religion. Maybe a Roggenbier and PSD4 on the side while I'm at it :)

Happy cooking!
 
Going to be testing a new competition technique for BBQ chicken. We will smoke the chicken thighs then braise them in a covered pan to make the skin bite through. We will be using meat glue (Transglutaminase) for the first time. We will remove the skin, trim the thighs and then re-glue the skin back on the thighs. It's going to be interesting.
 
Sawdustguy said:
Going to be testing a new competition technique for BBQ chicken. We will smoke the chicken thighs then braise them in a covered pan to make the skin bite through. We will be using meat glue (Transglutaminase) for the first time. We will remove the skin, trim the thighs and then re-glue the skin back on the thighs. It's going to be interesting.
Click to expand...

Meat glue just sounds gross. I used to judge BBQ contest and I always wondered how some of the cooks got such crispy skin from smoked chicken, now I know that I may have ate "meat glue" lol
 
Sawdustguy said:
Going to be testing a new competition technique for BBQ chicken. We will smoke the chicken thighs then braise them in a covered pan to make the skin bite through. We will be using meat glue (Transglutaminase) for the first time. We will remove the skin, trim the thighs and then re-glue the skin back on the thighs. It's going to be interesting.
Click to expand...

Holy cow you're back! I thought maybe you died. Still brewing?
 
pickles said:
Holy cow you're back! I thought maybe you died. Still brewing?
Click to expand...

No, not dead yet. Only the good die young! I recently found out I am diabetic so my brewing days are over. It sucks to be me. No booze, no bread, no pasta...blah blah blah. Only 16 Carbs a day. I still cook BBQ competitively but really have to limit the Que I eat.
 
Sawdustguy said:
No, not dead yet. Only the good die young! I recently found out I am diabetic so my brewing days are over. It sucks to be me. No booze, no bread, no pasta...blah blah blah. Only 16 Carbs a day. I still cook BBQ competitively but really have to limit the Que I eat.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear that SDGuy. Have been living with it for about twenty years and it can be very bad. The older I get the more serious I get about taking the meds, eating better and exercise (well maybe not the last one LOL). Anyway it is a very nasty disease and it is very inconsistent. What I can get away with you may not be able to. Everything in moderation. I used to take a standard piece of bread and slice it in half the thickness way so I could still eat a sandwich. Here recently I have found that the outer fresh leaves of iceberg lettuce makes a satisfying alternative to bread.

Back on topic. I did two medium Butts last night and they turned out great. I will eat bread with these as I'm pulling the Butts. I'll just cram more meat on and only eat one sandwich taking small bites and savoring ever bit before swallowing.

My mother in law could not eat pork it would jack her sugar level. Fortunately it does'nt mine.
 
First brisket for me (third smoke overall), starting late tonight to serve to guests arriving at 4PM tomorrow.

I have to say, having sent my wife to Costco to buy this hunk of cow, I was a bit intimidated when it came time to trim it!

Much like brewing, it didn't take long for me to craft my own rub recipe for this:

3 tbsp coarse ground black pepper
2 tbsp coarse Kosher salt
1 tbsp turbinado sugar
1 tbsp Hungarian paprika
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tsp ancho chile
1 tsp chipotle chile

Wish me luck, fellas! I think I just fell off the deep end!
 
bwarbiany said:
First brisket for me (third smoke overall), starting late tonight to serve to guests arriving at 4PM tomorrow.

I have to say, having sent my wife to Costco to buy this hunk of cow, I was a bit intimidated when it came time to trim it!

Much like brewing, it didn't take long for me to craft my own rub recipe for this:

3 tbsp coarse ground black pepper
2 tbsp coarse Kosher salt
1 tbsp turbinado sugar
1 tbsp Hungarian paprika
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tsp ancho chile
1 tsp chipotle chile

Wish me luck, fellas! I think I just fell off the deep end!
Click to expand...

That rub looks great. I like to smear cheap yellow mustard all over the meat first, then apply the rub. That way, the rub sticks really well. Don't worry, you will not taste the mustard when it's done.

Good luck with your overnight. I will probably do an overnight tomorrow - pulled pork I think.
 
bwarbiany said:
First brisket for me (third smoke overall), starting late tonight to serve to guests arriving at 4PM tomorrow.

I have to say, having sent my wife to Costco to buy this hunk of cow, I was a bit intimidated when it came time to trim it!

Much like brewing, it didn't take long for me to craft my own rub recipe for this:

3 tbsp coarse ground black pepper
2 tbsp coarse Kosher salt
1 tbsp turbinado sugar
1 tbsp Hungarian paprika
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tsp ancho chile
1 tsp chipotle chile

Wish me luck, fellas! I think I just fell off the deep end!
Click to expand...

Nice! Our rub is very similar.
 
passedpawn said:
That rub looks great. I like to smear cheap yellow mustard all over the meat first, then apply the rub. That way, the rub sticks really well. Don't worry, you will not taste the mustard when it's done.
Click to expand...

I went the oil route instead of mustard for this one. I was thinking of just going traditional and doing S+P rub, in which case I'd probably have used mustard. But think some of the spices in this rub aren't soluble in mustard (and are oil-soluble), so I chose oil.
 
For a brisket rub I use sea salt and black pepper. I spray it with beer throughout the smoke.
For pork I add garlic salt, paprika, and dry mustard then mop with cider and vinegar.
 
Got a pork shoulder and a rack of baby backs going right now.

In other news my wife won't let me refer to it as a "pork butt" any longer. I guess it grossed her out how I kept talking about smoking pork butt all day.
 
Just made a small batch of buckboard bacon following the links here.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/122684/making-buckboard-bacon-part-1
and
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/122984/making-buckboard-bacon-part-2-final-pics


I used an old Weber Charcoal Kettle as a smoker, and placed my smoking tube on the bottom after igniting some cherrywood pellets. I followed the ignition instructions as on the pages above.

Notice the wisps of smoke, the density of the smoke after peeking under the lid, smoking into the night, and my treasure this morning.

BTW, I have no idea why the images are flipped.


They are now wrapped and in the cooler for mellowing.

photo 1.jpg


photo 3.jpg


photo 4.jpg


photo 6.jpg


photo 7.jpg
 
Smoked pork butts.

Now it's time to make nachos with it. :D

image-3481176005.jpg
 

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