Who's smoking meat this weekend?

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Smoked two turkey breasts and a ham for T-Day.


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I have 18 lbs of pork butt on the smoker. Should be ready, if my 20 hour smoke habit continues, by about 7 pm tomorrow. Hopefully I can get a couple fatties on as well a little before the party starts. I have a keg of apfelwein, one of cream ale, and one of oatmeal cream stout all sitting in the keezer, and even a case of butt light for those that are lame, so hopefully I do not have to dip into my bottled beers in the fridge. All I have to do is make sides tomorrow and finish cleaning house and i got a party.
 
First time smoking a turkey on the WSM and it turned out amazing. I brined it the night before too. The leftovers only last a few days. The only hard part was finding a bird that wasn't pre-injected. I ended up picking one up at Whole Foods.

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Smoking 4 pork butts that I dry rubbed. 2 briskets that I rubbed with mustard and sit for 2 days then use coffee dry rub on them. The pork butts will be pulled pork using the drippings to make the sauce instead of BBQ sauce, total 70lb. meat. Celebrating my youngest Sons dream since he was 5 yrs old to join the Marines.......
 
Just got a turkey in the brine for to hit the smoker in two days..not sure if it will come out too salty so I have another bird going in the brine later tonight..
 
I know this isn't smoking, but looking for some input. I have a 2.5 pound pork shoulder. Marinated over night. I'm thinking of cooking it in a cast iron pot at 300 for an hour and a half, then turning it down to 250 for a while longer (until it's coming apart).

How long do you cook shoulder per pound? It's small, so there's less margin for error.
 
You'll likely need some liquid in the pot when you go to low and slow. When you add a lot of moisture/liquid the timing isn't as much of an issue when getting the meat to slicing/pulling temp (around 160F for slicing, 190F or higher for pulling apart).

My wife does a pretty good crock pot boston butt for about 5-8 hours until the internal temp hits around 190F. Cover in water, add a few onions, garlic, and whatever spices you want. Set it on high and from there it's a set and forget dinner.
 
I know this isn't smoking, but looking for some input. I have a 2.5 pound pork shoulder. Marinated over night. I'm thinking of cooking it in a cast iron pot at 300 for an hour and a half, then turning it down to 250 for a while longer (until it's coming apart).

How long do you cook shoulder per pound? It's small, so there's less margin for error.

I cook mine till the internal temp is at 190. Then I wrap it in foil and place in a cooler packed with towels to rest for an hour or so then pull it apart with two forks..comes out nice and moist..melts in your mouth...I also usr a finishing sauce to help cut the grease a little..its equal parts of vinegar and brown sugar with a generous helping of my double secret probation rub..then I just use the finishing sauce as the base for my bbq sauce.
 
I have the best results cooking my butts to 195-205. If you are crock pot style doing it and including a liquid I would put something in the bottom to keep the meat from being in a puddle of liquid (soggy boiled pork is not pulled pork in my opinon). With pulled pork I go more off of temp than time. A good thermometer is your friend if you want tender pulled pork.
 
Fyi if tour using a smoker like me...after the internal temp hits about 155 give or take , the meat will stop absorbing your smoke as the fat starts to render. So once you get that warm back off the smoke or you end up with alot of creosote on your bark..and another tip I got from Pig on Beale in memphis was use pecan and apple for killer memphis style bbq...good luck and enjoy!
 
Thanks for the replies. I was about to put the pork in the pan this morning, and our friends cancelled for tonight. So it will go in the freezer for another time. Bummer!

But I will heed the advice to add liquid to the pot, and then take it over 180 degrees. I am hoping for something that's a cross between sliced and shredded. Chunks.
 
I also find that a liberal rub down with frenches yellow mustard before your rub is great for bark and helps hold the rub
 
ok, been looking around and can't find anything like this...not sure where else to post. I have a Signstek digital with 2 K type probe connections. Last time I smoked, I discovered that the probes don't have a high temp 'casing' around them. They became.....a bit...uh, smoked. :cross: LOL. Probably because it's some sort of soft plastic to start with..... :D
What I would like is a K type probe that has the metal probe 'cable' as it were. The ones I've seen I think are stainless steel, but they don't have the proper K type connector. Now, maybe this is just because I don't have the knowledge/experience of dealing with this type of thing (small electronics) to know if I can take one that has the spade connections and cut those off and connect it to the K connector. You might as well be trying to teach an infant quantum physics.
I like to use this thermometer because I can put one probe in the meat to constantly monitor the internal temp, and one probe in the smoker to monitor the air temp of the smoker to know when to adjust. I have searched all over, and the ones that LOOK like they might work don't say whether or not they are high temp.
Anyone use anything like this, or have any ideas? I do also use it for brewing sometimes, but usually I have a different thermometers I use for that.
I don't like the Thermapen......not because it doesn't work, or anything like that, it's only because I like the simple fact I can set my probes, and close the lid and I don't have to open the lid again
Any help/ideas always appreciated.
 
I just did a test-smoke of a rack of baby back ribs in my Oster smoker roaster oven. 225* for 3 hours. TOO long. The meat literally fell off the bones. Next time I'm gonna try 200* for 3 hours and see how that goes.

THAT being said, the meat was delicious once sauced and served with coleslaw and roasted butternut squash!
 
Buckboard Bacon

I used Shooter's recipe.

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cure first

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then the herbs and spices

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I removed it from the cure after 10 daze, rinsed it off, and sliced a cpl pieces for a test fry. Not too salty so into the smoker once the weather breaks.

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Finished just in time to congratulate Alabama as the SEC Champions. Here it is 160*F internal smoked with pecan. I'll let it cool till tomorrow and enjoy it through the holidaze on Charcuterie platters. SWMBO mentioned something about Eggs Benedict, too!

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I've got a 12 pound turkey to smoke this weekend. Having a small Xmas party and the bird is defrosting now, will be seasoned soon. Stuff that baby with onions and smoke using some either cherry or apple, maybe plum wood
 
I have to brine and smoke four or five 10-12 lb turkeyes for my wifes staff..shes the boss and they love my smoked goodies...
 
Going to get started on another 13 lbs pork belly for bacon. I think I'm going to with a traditional with peppercorn style and do one slab with a heavy garlic and bay leaves. Also going to try to smoke this for an extended period with lower heat to really hit the smoke flavor this time. 150 internal temp came pretty quick at 225. I also got antsy and didn't allow adequate time for a good pellicle to form.
Does anybody rub them down again with brown sugar or maple syrup prior to smoking? I watched chop and brew where he did so and the color was ridiculous when pulled from the smoker. I didn't rub with anything prior to smoking the first time and while it tasted amazing, I think there may be something to gain with that little extra on the outside.
 
I got a busy weekend ahead.. getting prepared for a christmas party..gonna brine and smoke two turkeyes and do another 12 lbs of pulled pork...plus I have a pliney the elder clone to brew.
Gonna be busy at backyard smoke and mash haus this weekend..I bet the neighbors call the cops thinking im cooking meth..mwahaha
 
Snack sticks are in the Cook Shack smoker! Slow process, hope they are as tasty as the last ones I did. Will know in another 3 or so hours.
 
Made 4 different types of bacon today. Each has a slight twist on itself from every other slab. I decided to use brown sugar on all of the slabs. Garage fridge smells great.
 
I'm wanting to start smoking chicken breast for lunch meat. Any tips?
Inject or brine with your favorite flavors. Cook for internal temperature not time, and go easy on the smoke, since poultry soaks up the smoke. Mesquite goes well with chicken, but can be very overbearing if excessive.
 
With poultry definitely a fruit wood or something mild. Poultry absorbs smoke like a sponge. When I do a chicken it's at 350 and seems to cook quicker than in the oven. Finish at a higher temp to crisp the skin as it will end up mahogany colored and rubbery otherwise
 
I brine the snot out of my birds..I use a 3 gallon Ziploc bag..a gallon of apple juice and enough salt to float and egg..plus whatever 11 different fresh herbs and spices..push the ziploc bag down in a sink full of water to remove all the air and set it in the garage for 24 hrs..my garage stays in the mid 40s now this time of year
 
I do a kosher salt dry brine for a couple hours ahead, just enough to keep the juices in, can't even taste a hint of it. Comes out incredibly moist. Apple wood chips. Last time was around, what 240-250, 3 hours. Nothin but a boneyard left. Got two more on today, gonna keep it a bit lower, no more than 225, see how that works. Both a bit of dry rub. One has lemon pepper, other one paprika, garlic, onion, chili powders.
 
Used Kutas' Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing (which is remarkably close to a '70's Missouri Conservationist magazine recipe). However, I was out of soy sauce so I used this recipe to make a substitute.

Today is also the smoke day for some bacon I've had curing. I'll be using Pecan and hangin the bacon and jerky from the Expandable Smoking Rack.

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I used 3 lbs of thinly sliced top round.

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This should take all day.
 
It's gonna be a balmy 45 tomorrow, (not that even colder temperatures would stop me) and the local grocery store had some kind of pork-stravaganza where all kinds of pork was on sale, so I'm going to smoke a couple racks of baby backs. It's been far too long.
 
I just smoked a half pound of steelhead salmon with maple for a hot salmon dip...in the oven now

Also in the smoker, 2 fryer chickens over a mix of cherry and hickory...pics in an hour or so
 
Mmmm smoked salmon!
Going to be smoking my bacon tomorrow over some hickory. Going to let it sit an extra day as some area still feel a tad soft.
 
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