Who's smoking meat this weekend?

[OG-wan Kenobi]

I can't believe it either. Cheap roasts smoke up nicely. Low and slow does them good. But some are really lean, so dont over cook them. Your color looks good, 145?

pulled at 134 settled at 141, it was dirt cheap $24

 

[S-Met]

pulled at 134 settled at 141, it was dirt cheap $24

Looks like a bottom round or ball-tip.
I also like to smoke eye of round. I'll thin slice it for dips and sandwich lunch meat.

 

[OG-wan Kenobi]

Looks like a bottom round or ball-tip.
I also like to smoke eye of round. I'll thin slice it for dips and sandwich lunch meat.

It was a whole sirloin tip, I got it at Sams club I figured it would be worth a gamble at that price. I like the idea of a eye round for a sandwich

 

[jerbrew]

Got into smoking about a year ago forgot this thread existed. Anyway, plan on smoking a leg of lamb this weekend with some cherry wood. Second leg I've done and I'm excited. the first one was definitely worth the squeeze.

I used this rub from Meathead's book (I mean, when people call you Meathead I think you'd know a thing or two about meat) but I am open to any suggestions. I like to change things up.

 

[Snark_Wolf_Brewing]

4.5 hours into a low and slow on a pork butt. Waiting for an internal temperature of 160ish before I pull it off the smoker, wrap in foil, and put it back on the grates to finish out at 190. Then it's a half hour rest before tearing back the foil and pulling the pork for some sandwiches.

 

[Snark_Wolf_Brewing]

It's time to pull this bad boy for some sandwiches!

 

[NGD]

Our neighbors love us...

View attachment 692077

Not long ago I had my neighbor running around with FD on the phone while yelling up my driveway If everyone was okay. I had started the GMG smoker a few minutes earlier.

Bacon, cheese burgers tonight at 300. No pics due to other meal prep

 

[jrgtr42]

I got a pack of St Louis Spareribs going on tomorrow.
My usual supplier is BJs, they apparantly went from 2 racks in a pack to 3.
I;m probably going to cook up a rack and a half or so, I'll vacuum seal the rest and play freezer tetris to stuff the rest in there for the next time.
I usually prefer smoking pork over cherry wood mixed with hickory, but when I just went down to prep (primary heat is charcoal briquets - another story there...) I realized I only have apple wood.
Gonna have to restock the chunks. Besides the ribs I'm going to have a brisket in a couple weeks going down.

 

[DBhomebrew]

10lbs of fresh pork belly going into the curing brine today. It'll soak in the coldest part of the fridge while the family goes camping for the weekend. Next Tuesday I'll smoke it, Wednesday slice it. Mmm, bacon.

 

[Buck*49]

I got a pack of St Louis Spareribs going on tomorrow.
My usual supplier is BJs, they apparantly went from 2 racks in a pack to 3.
I;m probably going to cook up a rack and a half or so, I'll vacuum seal the rest and play freezer tetris to stuff the rest in there for the next time.
I usually prefer smoking pork over cherry wood mixed with hickory, but when I just went down to prep (primary heat is charcoal briquets - another story there...) I realized I only have apple wood.
Gonna have to restock the chunks. Besides the ribs I'm going to have a brisket in a couple weeks going down.

I have good luck with about 50/50 apple/oak

 

[jrgtr42]

I have good luck with about 50/50 apple/oak

I havn't tried oak, but I like hickory as a fairly neutral smoke, supplemented by others.
Really happy with the batch I had - I used 2 different rubs, one with Northwoods fire seasoning from Penzey's Spices, the other with coffee/garlic rub from Trader Joes. That one I also sprayed down with cherry juice periodically through the smoke - the other stayed mostly dry.

ETA: yeah, that's some eggplant and hungarian wax peppers on with the ribs on the second pic. Planning on some eggplant dip with those.

 

[TheDudeLebowski]

I havn't tried oak, but I like hickory as a fairly neutral smoke, supplemented by others.
Really happy with the batch I had - I used 2 different rubs, one with Northwoods fire seasoning from Penzey's Spices, the other with coffee/garlic rub from Trader Joes. That one I also sprayed down with cherry juice periodically through the smoke - the other stayed mostly dry.

ETA: yeah, that's some eggplant and hungarian wax peppers on with the ribs on the second pic. Planning on some eggplant dip with those.

Have you ever visited Penzeys spices in Arlington? Actually do your bank account a favor and don't visit Penzeys in Arlington. I spent a ton of money last year before Xmas when for some reason there was a shortage of vanilla. That, cinnamon and a ton of Indian spices

EDIT: was gonna say the solo spices are great. Their rubs and mixes r so so. My fav rub is slat and pepper but then u mentioned TJ's. I like their coffee rub.

 

[jrgtr42]

Have you ever visited Penzeys spices in Arlington? Actually do your bank account a favor and don't visit Penzeys in Arlington. I spent a ton of money last year before Xmas when for some reason there was a shortage of vanilla. That, cinnamon and a ton of Indian spices

EDIT: was gonna say the solo spices are great. Their rubs and mixes r so so. I was gonna say my fav rub is slat and pepper but then u mentioned TJ's. I like their coffee rub.

Yes. We have spice cabinet by Penzeys. Some of the blends are really good - the Northwoods Fire, the Justice, Sandwich Sprinkle, and a few others. Some of them aren't to my taste.
I use salt & pepper rub on brisket, but I like I bit more on ribs. Pork shoulder just gets a brine, then on the smoker as it is.
I use that coffee rub from TJs all the time - it's great on salmon on the grill, chicken and I like it a lot on smoked ribs. The cherry juice spray goes really well with it.

 

[TheDudeLebowski]

Yes. We have spice cabinet by Penzeys. Some of the blends are really good - the Northwoods Fire, the Justice, Sandwich Sprinkle, and a few others. Some of them aren't to my taste.
I use that coffee rub from TJs all the time - it's great on salmon on the grill, chicken and I like it a lot on smoked ribs. The cherry juice spray goes really well with it.

I've been thinking of sous vid'ing my own vanilla extract. The beans at the store were juicy and not dried out. I'm guessing it could make a good extract

 

[Staestc]

After corning for 7 days, desalinating for a day, resting with rub on for a day and a half, finally smoked my pastrami Saturday!

 

[DBhomebrew]

I've been thinking of sous vid'ing my own vanilla extract. The beans at the store were juicy and not dried out. I'm guessing it could make a good extract

Vanilla beans come in grades, 'A, or gourmet' being 'juicier' than 'B, extraction'. Grade B, while drier, have more concentrated flavor and are less expensive.

I crosscut the grade B beans into 1/2" pieces and let 'em soak in decent bourbon or vodka for a month. Give them a shake whenever I remember to do so. One pint will usually last us the autumn/holiday season. Another pint will last the rest of the year.

After corning for 7 days, desalinating for a day, resting with rub on for a day and a half, finally smoked my pastrami Saturday!
View attachment 696242View attachment 696243View attachment 696242View attachment 696243

That looks absolutely delicious.

 

[applescrap]

I roll Kamado Joe, so I'm familiar with the grill. You're right that temp settings are basically nonexistent.

I do wonder if it was the size of the ribs. I get mine from Costco and usually search for the heaviest 3-pack I can find. Each slab is therefore >3 lbs.

That may be meatier than a typical grocery store slab.

I agree, man some slabs have the whole loin on them! I love those thick slabs. My friend once told me he cooked ribs for everyone and he said he cooked them at 225 for almost 3 hours. I was like jeesh, were they done? He said they were great. I cook mine at 275 for 5 hours or so. Found this link from last batch iirc.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/whos-smoking-meat-this-weekend.213643/post-8822374

 

[applescrap]

View attachment 688368
Was given more jalapeños than I could use. Made Poppers from the biggest and threw the rest in the smoker as an experiment. Smoking made them super sweet and gave them a jelly texture. Very yum!

Passed pawn once smoked peppers until dry. Then he crumbled them into a habanero smoked pepper flake or something. Sounded amazing. Those look good and ready for about anything. I make a green hot sauce with jalapenos if you ever get a bunch more. Its emerill leg. Recipe. Just jalapenos with onion and a little garlic. It goes on everything. Bet it would be killer with smoked jalopenos.

 

[bleme]

I crosscut the grade B beans into 1/2" pieces and let 'em soak in decent bourbon or vodka for a month. Give them a shake whenever I remember to do so. One pint will usually last us the autumn/holiday season. Another pint will last the rest of the year.

How many beans per pint?

 

[DBhomebrew]

How many beans per pint?

I shoot for an ounce of beans per ounce of fluid. Somewhere around 16-20 beans.

 

[Kelly184741]

After corning for 7 days, desalinating for a day, resting with rub on for a day and a half, finally smoked my pastrami Saturday!
View attachment 696242View attachment 696243View attachment 696242View attachment 696243

Wow...that looks outstanding!

 

[Dgallo]

Ribssss! And Tree House - Curiosity 100

 

[Staestc]

Wow...that looks outstanding!

Thanks! I love doing pastrami. The results are consistently amazing! I follow the science and mostly follow the techniques for Pastrami Almost as Good as Katz on AmazingRibs.com.

 

[Staestc]

Ribssss! And Tree House - Curiosity 100View attachment 696287

Ribs are looking awesome!

 

[DBhomebrew]

The results are consistently amazing! I follow the science and mostly follow the techniques for Pastrami Almost as Good as Katz on AmazingRibs.com.

Amazingribs.com completely overhauled my outdoor cooking about ten years ago. Pretty much everything off my grill or smoker is done to their recipes and techniques. Consistently amazing, indeed.

Their equipment reviews are really excellent too. They really help you figure out which features are worth paying extra for, and those that aren't.

My bacon is theirs, too. A fresh batch going on the smoke now.

Edited to add pic of 10lbs of fresh bacon and a homebrewed Rye Brown Ale.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Amazingribs.com completely overhauled my outdoor cooking about ten years ago. Pretty much everything off my grill or smoker is done to their recipes and techniques. Consistently amazing, indeed.

Their equipment reviews are really excellent too. They really help you figure out which features are worth paying extra for, and those that aren't.

Lots of great information on that site. I worry that too many people [based partly on Meathead's somewhat authoritative writing style] take it as gospel, though.

For example, in the equipment reviews they knock down basically every kamado grill except the Primo as being "incapable of two-zone cooking". Which, with a heat deflector [which is standard on the Kamado Joe and available for nearly every grill] is just flat out untrue. You can absolutely set up two-zone cooking. I do it all the freaking time.

Here is his page on the kamado in general, and you'll see what I mean: Buying Guide To Kamado, Ceramic, Egg Smokers And Grills

He highlights the Primo as being much more capable. But you know what is true about the Primo XL? It's 24" wide. You know what's true about my Big Joe (or the BGE XL)? They're 24" wide. Yet he's going to make the claim that because it *looks* more oval, that somehow it's more capable of doing 2-zone cooking than an equally wide grill of a different shape? Somehow because my grill has MORE space than a Primo, at the very front and back of the grill, it can't do 2-zone?

I took him to task for this years ago, and he just doubles down and says it's not "true" 2-zone cooking while saying the Primo can do it.

So... While I applaud him and his site, and while it also gave me a great education into cooking, it's important to remember that he's not the sole authority.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Gorgeous bacon though!

 

[HoppyDaze]

Lots of great information on that site. I worry that too many people [based partly on Meathead's somewhat authoritative writing style] take it as gospel, though.

For example, in the equipment reviews they knock down basically every kamado grill except the Primo as being "incapable of two-zone cooking". Which, with a heat deflector [which is standard on the Kamado Joe and available for nearly every grill] is just flat out untrue. You can absolutely set up two-zone cooking. I do it all the freaking time.

Here is his page on the kamado in general, and you'll see what I mean: Buying Guide To Kamado, Ceramic, Egg Smokers And Grills

He highlights the Primo as being much more capable. But you know what is true about the Primo XL? It's 24" wide. You know what's true about my Big Joe (or the BGE XL)? They're 24" wide. Yet he's going to make the claim that because it *looks* more oval, that somehow it's more capable of doing 2-zone cooking than an equally wide grill of a different shape? Somehow because my grill has MORE space than a Primo, at the very front and back of the grill, it can't do 2-zone?

I took him to task for this years ago, and he just doubles down and says it's not "true" 2-zone cooking while saying the Primo can do it.

So... While I applaud him and his site, and while it also gave me a great education into cooking, it's important to remember that he's not the sole authority.

Maybe you're being a little too defensive about your baby.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Maybe you're being a little too defensive about your baby.

That's possible.

But it's not the only example.

Another one is his "science of curing meats" example. The Science Of Curing Meats Safely

First, he's talking about the difference between dry curing and wet curing. He advocates wet curing. Which is fine if you're trying to delineate between dry curing being hung on a rack in a temp/humidity-controlled environment. But what most of us do with bacon, i.e. cure with curing salt in either a vacuum sealed foodsaver bag or in a ziplock with the air removed, is actually wet curing. I think he does this deliberately, to basically make people think that every recipe on the internet (which doesn't call for "submerging" in the curing solution) are wrong, and to make him the authority telling you how to do it the "right" way. Yet his recipes only call for 3/4 cup of distilled water for a "wet" cure. In a 3# piece of meat that is 70% water, there's way more than 3/4 cup in that meat, but somehow that makes his a "wet" cure as opposed to what the rest of us do.

Second, he's aggressively talking about how his curing calculator was defined by Dr Greg* and that "other" one on the internet with all the broken links was just terrible. Yet you know what? If you put the same weight of meat, the same final concentration of nitrites, and "0" in for the added water, you get the exact same amount of curing salt needed. Now, that doesn't mean he shouldn't hype his calculator. But he shouldn't denigrate another one if it gives the exact same results his does.

Third, he is VERY adamant about not leaving the meat in a cure more than 25% over the amount of time his calculator calls for... But he's also using a calculator that gives you the amounts needed for equilibrium curing. You know what is true about EQ? Once equilibrium is reached, it won't change. So leaving the meat in the cure longer actually has ZERO ill effects. It won't pick up "more" cure than you put in, and you're measuring what you put in to the tenth of a gram.

Again, I like the site. His recipes and his methods work. But if you really dig into it, you realize that some of the stuff he's speaking so authoritatively about isn't really true. I look at some of his writing style and it turns me off, even if a LOT of what he writes is very useful. As mentioned, it taught me a LOT about cooking when I first started, but I've expanded to the point where I realize where he's letting his bluster get ahead of the science.

* The Dr or Prof Greg stuff is just a standard "appeal to authority" argument tactic. Like he's the only one using science on his site.

 

[LokiM4]

I smoked this pork butt a couple weeks ago, took about 15 hours.

This Sunday is a brisket, need to be up at 4 or so to start it, but by dinner it should be worth it!