Who's smoking meat this weekend?

[Super64]

Details, Details! Care to share your Brine/Rub recipes? Any sauce afterwards?

15 wings, tip removed and cut at the joint between the drumette and the flapper so 30 parts in total.

Marinate/Brine:
1 cup of Water
2T salt
1T honey
1T Hot Sauce or a spicey vinegar based sauce
Ground black pepper.
Put in small pot, bring to simmer to melt the honey.
Take off the heat and dump in another cup of ice cubes (or more) to bring the temp down.

Wings
Place wings in a 1 gallon plastic bag (or 2) and pour in chilled/cold brine.
Squeeze out all the air and seal.
Set in fridge for 2-3 hours.
Rotate/flip every hour or so.

2 hours before smoking
Open bag and pour out as much brine as possible
Fill bag half way with water, move the wings around and dump the water out.
Rinse at least 2 times, maybe 3. (cold water)

Place 2 layers of paper towels on a baking sheet, lay rinsed wings on paper, then another 2 layers on top.
Press down to absorb as much water off the skin a possible.
Allow to air dry as much as possible.

1 hour before smoking
Foil sheet pan or baking sheet,
Place wings on tray skin side down sprinkle LIGHTLY with rub

45 minutes before smoking
Flip wings to skin side up, sprinkle lightly again

30 minutes before smoking
I take my racks out and put them on a folded bathroom towel
Fire up the smoker to 200-220, throw in some chips (I use Cherry)
Put at least 2 cups of liquid (I use apple juice/water) in the water pan.
Set time for 2 hours and 30 minutes

15 minutes before smoking
Sprinkle the skin side of the wings with rub again

5 minutes before smoking
Place the wings skin side up on the smoker racks.

1 minute before smoking
Pop the smoker open, step back until the smoke clears and slide each rack into place.

Smoke 1 to 2 hours.

Set over to 400 degrees
A foiled sheet tray with a rack works best, otherwise use a foiled tray
Put wings on tray/rack skin side up and into hot oven.
Somewhere around the 20 minute mark, things will have either crisped up, or will be close.
My last set went for about 30 minutes, pull them and serve.

Notes:
I have not brined them overnight, but I'm guessing it wouldn't hurt.
After rinsing leave the wings out at room temp, mine never go back to the fridge
I take my smoker racks in the house place on a towel and pull the wings off.
My rub has lots of sugar in it, so I had some smoke at the 30 minute hot over mark, but no burning.
Wings in the back of the smoker may be a darker, richer color than the ones in the front, but they're all good.

My sauce is Pete's Wing Sauce mixed with some melted butter, otherwise it's straight up

Rub is brown sugar, white sugar, Kosher salt, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper

These were instructions to a friend last weekend.

 

[Oldskewl]

^^Thank you for the recipe/techniques. I will give it a shot here in the next few weeks. I never tried brining my wings before.

 

[dstar26t]

Set in fridge for 2-3 hours.

Have you tried longer, i.e., 24-48 hours?

 

[Super64]

Hi dstar26,

No I haven't, my assumption was that it wouldn't hurt, but I read your post about 48 hours and I'm interested in trying.

I find the brine pulls in the moisture which I think helps most during the final crisping at 400 degrees.

My MES does give me the nice bark that your cooker does, so I have to take the extra step.

But I will definitely give it a try.

Thanks!

 

[dstar26t]

I find the brine pulls in the moisture which I think helps most during the final crisping at 400 degrees.!

I agree...I put them over direct coals or wood fire (depending on the cooker) at the end to crisp up the skin and brining helps keep the meat moist. It's a great technique. Just have to watch the amount of sugar in the rub to prevent blackening. Putting sugar in the brine like you do (honey) works but can take time to get into the meat.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

A couple of butts. 8# ea.

Rubbed with sriracha and John Henry's Texas Pig rub.

I tossed them in the freezer while the smoker came up to temp so they'd take the smoke better.

They're at 165 IT now, so they'll probably be just right at dinnertime...

View attachment 1454269650886.jpg

View attachment 1454269665595.jpg

 

[Jim_Holmes]

did (canadian bacon ) today morton tender quick and brown sugar in the fridge now for the 24hr wait then slice and try

 

[dstar26t]

How about some cure brined, tied, rubbed, smoked and sliced lunch meat?




Or some cracklins...

 

[czmkid]

Smoked some meat this weekend. How could you not when it's 83 out! Small 15# prime packer brisket and 3 racks of baby backs. Used pecan logs. 12 hours later after 3 family's ate this is what was left


All trimmed up...


Leftovers....


Sent from my iPad

 

[DrunkleJon]

Now THAT is meat porn

 

[passedpawn]

Post blizzard ribs, for football game. Just dry rub no foil.

I also busted out the smoker while shoveling on Sunday.

Man, those Weber Smokey Mountains you guys have look good. Mine looks like a WWII relic. I'm smoking beef jerky on mine tomorrow.

 

[weirdboy]

Man, those Weber Smokey Mountains you guys have look good. Mine looks like a WWII relic. I'm smoking beef jerky on mine tomorrow.

Agreed. Mine has had a grayish brown streak that runs down from the handle in the little cover plate since the first time I smoked on it. I cleaned it up after the first smoke, and then it immediately developed the same streak on the next smoke. After that, I decided it was fated to be ugly.

 

[wobrien]

In all fairness, I just got it for Christmas and it lives in the garage when not in use. It's only seen about 5-6 smokes so far

 

[happyappy]

Smoked meatloaf today. One of my favorites off my pellet grill.

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[jafo28]

Man, those Weber Smokey Mountains you guys have look good. Mine looks like a WWII relic. I'm smoking beef jerky on mine tomorrow.

It means I don't get to use it enough.

 

[passedpawn]

In all fairness, I just got it for Christmas and it lives in the garage when not in use. It's only seen about 5-6 smokes so far

It means I don't get to use it enough.

I'll hand it to you guys, I don't think I'd be outside smoking stuff if we had snow like that.

 

[beernbourbon]

Gonna do some chicken thighs, breakfast sausage (both done before turned out excellent) and try some shrimp. Worst case, the shrimp will be cooked, not sure how they'll taste with Apple smoke on em

 

[divrguy]

Just got done smoking a tri-tip. Just took it off the smoker. Deeeelish!
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1454883710.635627.jpg

 

[beernbourbon]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1454884298.307496.jpg

Yum

 

[hllywd]

Maybe a little buckboard😎

 

[weirdboy]

I have never smoked a meatloaf. I keep meaning to. bit I always forget.

 

[DrunkleJon]

Smoked up a butt for Super Bowl. The game was meh, but at least the pulled pork was a hit.

 

[mikeasu]

Smoked up a butt for Super Bowl. The game was meh, but at least the pulled pork was a hit.

Likewise...first time trying the plate setter in the ceramic grill. Worked well, but pulled the pork in an hour or two too early. Needed an earlier start, or less-crazy natives (4 kiddos) - didn't quite fall apart as much as I'm used to.

 

[dstar26t]

Smoked meatloaf is soon on my list for sure. Just waiting for the pork belly to cure so we can wrap the meatloaf.

Made my first Pastrami from a packer brisket...turned out awesome. Homemade sauerkraut, marble rye and thousand island dressing to compliment. Store bought cheese though, womp womp.

Out of the brine


Rubbed


Cooking


Cooked


Bread


Sliced and constructed

 

[DrunkleJon]

Likewise...first time trying the plate setter in the ceramic grill. Worked well, but pulled the pork in an hour or two too early. Needed an earlier start, or less-crazy natives (4 kiddos) - didn't quite fall apart as much as I'm used to.

I have issues. I put my butts on for ~20 hours at 225. I just like the way it turns out. Extra smokey and delicious. A great bark too. yum. I have tried the 8 hour or less smoke at 250/275 and while it was still good it just wasn't the same. Sure it takes a while but low and very slow is the best. And I am lazy. After pulling and shredding I put it in a crock pot on warm until people arrive. No worries about it drying out.

Also, the fall apart part. Test by stabbing with a fork and rotating (or doing that with the bone) rather than temp. I find 203 is usually money when it comes to fall apart tenderness but no two butts is alike.

 

[ctufano]

How do you keep the smoke going? When I run my electric smoker I have to add chips maybe every 90 minutes at 200? Are you up as often as needed to add new chips to your smoker?

 

[DrunkleJon]

How do you keep the smoke going? When I run my electric smoker I have to add chips maybe every 90 minutes at 200? Are you up as often as needed to add new chips to your smoker?

I have a WSM (charcoal). I fill the basket with charcoal and put chunks of wood throughout the charcoal. I have gotten near 20 hours on a hot summer night with manually adjusting the vents(that sucked by the way), and at least 10 or more on a cold winters night with a temperature controller (digi-q). no issues with amount of smoke.

Not to mention, I hear that smoke absorption happens more when the meat is colder and less as it is hotter, but I tend to get up to a good 1/4 inch of ring on a butt with the long smoke where the shorter hotter one didnt seem to get much of one at all for me.

not my picture but pretty much how I do it.

 

[Oldskewl]

That pastrami looks incredible. That is one thing I need to give a shot. Love me a good Reuben.

 

[dstar26t]

That pastrami looks incredible. That is one thing I need to give a shot. Love me a good Reuben.

Thanks! I had a time crunch so it was only in the curing brine for 5 days. Even injecting 10% w/w the nitrite still missed a spot. There was a smaller than dime size area in the middle of the point end of the brisket that didn't see cure. No biggie, just looked weird. Next time I would plan on a 2 week brine.

 

[Super64]

How do you keep the smoke going? When I run my electric smoker I have to add chips maybe every 90 minutes at 200? Are you up as often as needed to add new chips to your smoker?

Hi Ctufano,

I add a small handfull of chips to my Masterbuilt electric smoker about every 40 to 50 minutes at 225 degrees.

In weather like this, they're dry - during the hotter summer months it's a mix of wet & dry.