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You made a jive turkey?

Pretty much, and almost did the same with brisket.

Turns out my propane burner has been throwing some serious yellow flame at higher temps, making everything char-tastic. Smoke flavor is great, but when the meat just tastes like gas...no thanks.

Gotta figure out how to modify the burner so it's not doing that anymore.
 
The brisket and ribs turned out great but the tongue was weird.
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I had some beef center back ribs pulled them out at 170 chewey and they just aren't very good.... any thoughts are these just crappy ribs I cook them longer and they seem a little better should I just cook them more they have a lot of chewy s*** in them
 
I had some beef center back ribs pulled them out at 170 chewey and they just aren't very good.... any thoughts are these just crappy ribs I cook them longer and they seem a little better should I just cook them more they have a lot of chewy s*** in them


You have to cook them a lot longer to break down some collagen and make them tender and delicious.
 
Pretty much, and almost did the same with brisket.

Turns out my propane burner has been throwing some serious yellow flame at higher temps, making everything char-tastic. Smoke flavor is great, but when the meat just tastes like gas...no thanks.

Gotta figure out how to modify the burner so it's not doing that anymore.

I know everyone has been on the edge of their seats waiting to hear the riveting conclusion to this...

I did 2 minutes of research and found that spiders like to build tiny nests in the venturi tube, which restricted the air flow, which causes yellow flame.

All I had to do was remove the tube and run a pipe cleaner up there, which brought back a nice compact little web. Hooked it back up and it started burning beautifully. Currently in the middle of the stall for a pork butt and couldn't be happier.
 
I know everyone has been on the edge of their seats waiting to hear the riveting conclusion to this...

I did 2 minutes of research and found that spiders like to build tiny nests in the venturi tube, which restricted the air flow, which causes yellow flame.

All I had to do was remove the tube and run a pipe cleaner up there, which brought back a nice compact little web. Hooked it back up and it started burning beautifully. Currently in the middle of the stall for a pork butt and couldn't be happier.

I'm happy for you! little bugs like that got in my pop up camper furnace outlet
 
Here is picture of those ribs I think I didn't cook them enough so I just finished them off and definitely a bunch of fat melted off them they don't have a lot of meat I think that they're the cheap type of beef ribs just brown sugar and salt rubbed

Baby back (pork back loin) are fairly lean and tasty. That's why they are so much more expensive than other cuts.

I haven't done beef ribs in a long time, but I remember thinking they weren't as good as the pork.
 
Got stuck with cooking ButterBall Boneless Turkey Breasts (ugh, would rather cook a real bird) for a big Thanksgiving party. Did a test run today, sous vided them, and then moved to the grill to finish. Not much you can do to impart good flavor to boneless, artificially raised, salt water (and god knows what else) injected meat, but turned out OK considering.
 
Curtis have you tried an overnight brine in a solution with aromatics, fruits etc? This has been a game changer for my smoked poultry, and also pork chops.
Best damn turkey I have ever had I made last year with the apple cider brine and smoked. I'll be doing the recipe again this year.
 
I have 20 pounds of Boston Butt to brine over the week, and smoke sometime this weekend.

Molasses brines are the best for this...

:)
 
Baby back (pork back loin) are fairly lean and tasty. That's why they are so much more expensive than other cuts.

I haven't done beef ribs in a long time, but I remember thinking they weren't as good as the pork.

I like beef ribs as well as pork ribs, but they are a little more finicky when it comes to flavour, IMHO. Pork can handle some sizzle & burnt, whereas beef ribs don't want to be burnt, nor do they like and "burnt" flavours, so flareups are to be totally avoided.
 
I have 20 pounds of Boston Butt to brine over the week, and smoke sometime this weekend.

Molasses brines are the best for this...

:)

I've never brined a pork shoulder. I brine to add moisture to meat like chicken, but pork is so phatty, doesn't seem to need it. I like a thick rub of mostly chili powder just to make the bark spicy.
 
Curtis have you tried an overnight brine in a solution with aromatics, fruits etc? This has been a game changer for my smoked poultry, and also pork chops.
Best damn turkey I have ever had I made last year with the apple cider brine and smoked. I'll be doing the recipe again this year.

Sounds good, but given that this damn thing is already pumped full of junk, not sure how well it would penetrate. Maybe better on a real bird?
 
Thanksgiving bird is in the brine and smoker will be fired up at noon tomorrow. Favorite day of the year is only a few hours away!
 
Curtis - I think you're right. If the meat has been injected with salt water solution at the production line it won't take up much, if any of the flavor from the brine. That's pretty much the standard deal with the stand alone breast packages. Really sucks.

That said, I routinely do a brine very similar to what you describe EHV and agree with you 100% - the apple brine does wonders for white meat of any kind. I use apple juice, soy sauce, olive oil, salt, sugar, rosemary, thyme, black pepper, tarragon, and juniper berries in my brine. Soak for an hour per pound and smoke with hickory, oak, and apple (also for an hour per pound). What do you use in your brine?
 
I've brined pre injected birds with great results. Natural birds are hard to come by around here so I must use what's available.
This particular brine for the turkey is apple cider, sliced oranges, kosher salt, brown sugar, Rosemary, crushed garlic, black peppercorns, and bay leaves.
 
Quick question about how you guys brine: I have ratios for salt, sugar, & water in the brine, so that part is pretty standard. What quantities of herbs and spices are you using?
 
I use about 2 tsp of each herb per gallon of liquid. Truth be told I'm more of a pinch of this and pinch of that cook so I don't necessarily measure all ingredients. We have a rosemary plant and I just put in whatever looks right.
 

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