Who's smoking meat this weekend?

[WNKbrew]

What does one do with 50lbs of bacon? Retail?

I trade some to friends who make/farm honey, jam, eggs, butter, etc. Give it to family and friends who revel in it's salty goodness. Wife and I keep some for ourselves.
Typically do 3 smokes, ~150lbs, every winter. Our families and friends don't buy bacon.
They also get most of the 200+ lbs of Italian and Polish sausage, bratwurst, etc, that we make annually, usually 4 'stuffs' a year, depending on demand.

 

[WNKbrew]

I’ve always been of the opinion that one can never have enough bacon.

I still am.

We've been known to have a 'bacon emergency'

 

[treacheroustexan]

Tried burnt ends from a chuck roast on my pit boss. Turned out awesome. Also built a custom folding front shelf for it!

 

[WNKbrew]

Tried burnt ends from a chuck roast on my pit boss. Turned out awesome. Also built a custom folding front shelf for it!
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great use of a stair tread? there's smoked malt, has anyone tried smoked hops for a brew?

 

[treacheroustexan]

great use of a stair tread? there's smoked malt, has anyone tried smoked hops for a brew?

I see you found my Reddit. Haha.

 

[WNKbrew]

I see you found my Reddit. Haha.

no, I just recognized a stair tread. 35yrs in the trades.

 

[treacheroustexan]

no, I just recognized a stair tread. 35yrs in the trades.

Weird haha. Yeah it’s a $9 pine stair tread from Home Depot. I posted this picture on Reddit and everyone commented saying the exact same things you just said haha, asking about smoked hops and stair treads. I thought you were just mocking those comments haha.

 

[WNKbrew]

Weird haha. Yeah it’s a $9 pine stair tread from Home Depot. I posted this picture on Reddit and everyone commented saying the exact same things you just said haha, asking about smoked hops and stair treads. I thought you were just mocking those comments haha.

$9 and some time makes a fine grill shelf. Factory shelf is what, $100?

 

[OG-wan Kenobi]

Tried burnt ends from a chuck roast on my pit boss. Turned out awesome. Also built a custom folding front shelf for it!
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I dig that front shelf with the hop decal on your Austin XL

 

[Brew_Dude41]

What does one do with 50lbs of bacon? Retail?

Personally, I fear the day when 50 lbs of bacon might not last us a month. Before long I will have 4 teenagers in the house, 3 of them boys...

2 things that I am not looking forward to in 10 years: the grocery bill to feed those guys, and the odors that we be coming from them/their room.

 

[Knightshade]

Personally, I fear the day when 50 lbs of bacon might not last us a month. Before long I will have 4 teenagers in the house, 3 of them boys...

2 things that I am not looking forward to in 10 years: the grocery bill to feed those guys, and the odors that we be coming from them/their room.

I have used this phrase quite often over the past 6 years...and still going.

"I feel like I have to fight for food in my own house..."

My 21 y/o isn't in the house anymore, but I've still got 2 very athletically active teenagers in the house. I'm really active myself, so I'm constantly eating throughout the day.

and yeah dude...funk. Having two of them share a room....oi....

but back on topic..I had a go at smoking some chuck roast last weekend for the first time. Turned out pretty well. Honestly think the best thing has been utilizing this in leftover dishes.

 

[AzOr]

I have used this phrase quite often over the past 6 years...and still going.

"I feel like I have to fight for food in my own house..."

My 21 y/o isn't in the house anymore, but I've still got 2 very athletically active teenagers in the house. I'm really active myself, so I'm constantly eating throughout the day.

and yeah dude...funk. Having two of them share a room....oi....

but back on topic..I had a go at smoking some chuck roast last weekend for the first time. Turned out pretty well. Honestly think the best thing has been utilizing this in leftover dishes.

View attachment 716025

agreed. Leftover chuckie and brisket make killer leftovers. I really like using them in chili as well.

 

[WNKbrew]

I have used this phrase quite often over the past 6 years...and still going.

"I feel like I have to fight for food in my own house..."

My 21 y/o isn't in the house anymore, but I've still got 2 very athletically active teenagers in the house. I'm really active myself, so I'm constantly eating throughout the day.

and yeah dude...funk. Having two of them share a room....oi....

but back on topic..I had a go at smoking some chuck roast last weekend for the first time. Turned out pretty well. Honestly think the best thing has been utilizing this in leftover dishes.

View attachment 716025

I'm so glad those days are behind me, you could get stabbed in the hand with a fork just reaching for the last hot dog. That chuck looks awesome.

 

[OG-wan Kenobi]

Personally, I fear the day when 50 lbs of bacon might not last us a month. Before long I will have 4 teenagers in the house, 3 of them boys...

2 things that I am not looking forward to in 10 years: the grocery bill to feed those guys, and the odors that we be coming from them/their room.

I spend over $2,000 a month feeding me my wife and 2 boys - Good luck

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Personally, I fear the day when 50 lbs of bacon might not last us a month. Before long I will have 4 teenagers in the house, 3 of them boys...

2 things that I am not looking forward to in 10 years: the grocery bill to feed those guys, and the odors that we be coming from them/their room.

I always tell the story that when I was a teenager, it was a regular occurrence for me to come home after school (having eaten breakfast and lunch already) to make myself two boxes of Kraft mac and cheese as a "snack", and then eat a full dinner that evening.

 

[treacheroustexan]

Not sure if I ever posted this. A little tri tip smoked on my pit boss, Mac n cheese and mashed potatoes. Overcooked the tri tip a bit but still great. With a glass of bourbon.

 

[Staestc]

Not sure if I ever posted this. A little tri tip smoked on my pit boss, Mac n cheese and mashed potatoes. Overcooked the tri tip a bit but still great. With a glass of bourbon. View attachment 716732

Lovely, and two starches puts it over the top! I have not yet cooked a tri tip but seeing that I need to give it a try!

 

[AzOr]

Tri tip is great. It cooks fast so keep an eye on it and a good thermometer inside it.
I also like to pull it from the fridge and let it rest for an hour or so before putting it on the smoker. You can sear before or after smoking it, just be mindful of the temps. I usually pull it at 125f and then sear for a minute or two then let it rest.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Yeah, I don't "smoke" tri tip... I might throw some hardwood in with the charcoal to give actual smoke flavor, but it's not "low and slow" smoking.

For me, tri tip is seared on the hot side of the grill and then moved indirect as soon as I've achieved the sear level I want. Pulled at an IT of about 125 and wrapped in foil to rest and come the rest of the way up to temp through residual cooking. I used to do reverse sear, but I find I can better control both the sear and the doneness by searing first and then moving indirect.

 

[treacheroustexan]

Yeah I guess I shouldn’t have used the word smoked. Just a habit. I don’t remember what temp I cooked at but I cooked indirect and reverse seared. I wish I would have seared first because I let it go just a little too long and seared it too late causing it be overdone. Still turned out tasty though.

 

[jrgtr42]

|PLanning on something for that game thing happenning this weekend. |Probably a Boston butt, but we'll see what they have when I go in, probably tomorrow.

 

[Dgallo]

Very long day, nearly 17 hrs on the smoker and 2 hours of rest. First picture right before wrapping it

 

[DBhomebrew]

Very long day, nearly 17 hrs on the smoker

After years of stressful evenings and late dinners on smoke day, I've started to just accept that pork shoulders aren't meant to be eaten straight off the smoker (although I admit they sure are tastier that way).

Now, the smoker gets loaded with ribs for tonight and a shoulder for the rest of the week.

To the inevitable 5 o'clock "When's the meat going to be ready?", I can reply "Whenever your vegetables are."

 

[OG-wan Kenobi]

Very long day, nearly 17 hrs on the smoker and 2 hours of rest. First picture right before wrapping it View attachment 717712View attachment 717709

I thought you put the Traeger away for the year?

Glad to see I was not the only one out in the snow, although I did smash burgers on the kamado I did not do a 17 hour cook

 

[Dgallo]

I thought you put the Traeger away for the year?

Glad to see I was not the only one out in the snow, although I did smash burgers on the kamado I did not do a 17 hour cook

That was the Plan but my in laws and wife requested, so I just ran an extension cord and put it out in the driveway. Yeah I will not be doing big shoulders anymore. That was a marathon and I respect those who do that often

 

[mullet6577]

Did 2 racks of spare ribs and some wings on the Pit Boss for the game, didn't take any pics.

 

[Brew_Dude41]

@Dgallo, how much fuel did you use and what were the temps you were fighting?

I used the tube on the propane grill for wings fighting teens - 20's yesterday, no way could have done a full shoulder on my upright pellet unless I wrapped that bad boy up with every moving blanket I owned (and having spent way too many summers in the back of a moving van-that's alot of blankets). Even then i am not sure if I have enough pellets to fight that battle.

Jealous....

 

[Dgallo]

@Dgallo, how much fuel did you use and what were the temps you were fighting?

I used the tube on the propane grill for wings fighting teens - 20's yesterday, no way could have done a full shoulder on my upright pellet unless I wrapped that bad boy up with every moving blanket I owned (and having spent way too many summers in the back of a moving van-that's alot of blankets). Even then i am not sure if I have enough pellets to fight that battle.

Jealous....

It was mid 20s here. I think I easily ran through 25 lbs of pellets. Maybe a touch more

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

IMHO hot and fast is the way to go on pork butt. Run 350-375 and you'll be done in 8 hours. I've never noticed any appreciable difference in the final product.

And it's nice to load the smoker in the morning instead of losing sleep all night worrying about it.

 

[Dgallo]

IMHO hot and fast is the way to go on pork butt. Run 350-375 and you'll be done in 8 hours. I've never noticed any appreciable difference in the final product.

And it's nice to load the smoker in the morning instead of losing sleep all night worrying about it.

If there isn’t a huge difference I’d def be interested in it. Do you have to mop/sprits it more often with the higher heat?

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

If there isn’t a huge difference I’d def be interested in it. Do you have to mop/sprits it more often with the higher heat?

No, just let it ride. I don't have the patience to mop or spritz lol...

I don't even wrap it, because at 350-375 there's really no stall. BTW I'm on a kamado--I don't know if it's different on other smokers.

The texture of the bark isn't quite identical, but the surface area to internal volume of a pork butt is much less than something like ribs or even brisket, and if you're pulling it anyway you'll get little chunks of bark rather than what you get with a sliced hunk of smoked meat.

Give it a shot. I think you'll find that the final product is just as amazing as usual, but with a lot less effort.

 

[OG-wan Kenobi]

It's a cheap enough piece of meat to play around with that's for sure I usually grab them for about $1 a lb


I would think with the shorter cook it may be possible less drippings escape the meat and maybe wrapping is not necessary ......... may try this with 2 butts and do a side by side

 

[bleme]

IMHO hot and fast is the way to go on pork butt. Run 350-375 and you'll be done in 8 hours. I've never noticed any appreciable difference in the final product.

And it's nice to load the smoker in the morning instead of losing sleep all night worrying about it.

I'm interested in this also. I have an electric cabinet smoker and I think I'd have to pull the water pan to get up to 350F.

I've noticed that some meats, like whole turkey, get to temp a lot faster than the online recipes suggest and I've decided that the water pan is the only reasonable explanation. I think the humid air must transfer the heat more efficiently.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

It's a cheap enough piece of meat to play around with that's for sure I usually grab them for about $1 a lb

I would think with the shorter cook it may be possible less drippings escape the meat and maybe wrapping is not necessary ......... may try this with 2 butts and do a side by side

I think a lot of people wrap at the stall to avoid the stall... The stall is caused by evaporative cooling, and at a smoker temp of 225 or 250 that step can take a LONG time. At 350-375 you power through the stall before you would even have noticed it happen.

I'm interested in this also. I have an electric cabinet smoker and I think I'd have to pull the water pan to get up to 350F.

I've noticed that some meats, like whole turkey, get to temp a lot faster than the online recipes suggest and I've decided that the water pan is the only reasonable explanation. I think the humid air must transfer the heat more efficiently.

One thing to avoid pulling the water pan is to fill it with sand. That way you keep the heat indirect, but remove the humidity.

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For both of you, note that you should avoid rubs that are very sugar-dominant if you're going at those temps. Sugar can burn at 350-375. Obviously that's not ideal.

 

[Staestc]

It was mid 20s here. I think I easily ran through 25 lbs of pellets. Maybe a touch more

Yeah, cold days, big meat, long cooks start to get pretty damn expensive when you realize the cost of pellets!

I did these filets on my Camp Chef the other night for dinner. 250 till internal temp around 122, then seared on the propane seer grill attachment for maybe a minute and a half or so per side. That is what I plan to try with a tri tip soon.

 

[OG-wan Kenobi]

I think a lot of people wrap at the stall to avoid the stall... The stall is caused by evaporative cooling, and at a smoker temp of 225 or 250 that step can take a LONG time. At 350-375 you power through the stall before you would even have noticed it happen.

Yea I know that's the popular reason people wrap, I have however noticed when I wrap the meat is moister but at the same time when you dont wrap the bark is much better


The last few butts I did I only used Bad Byrons Butt Rub and they have been fine, I may even get more as it's just so simple and I am not usually trying to blow anyones mind with a butt they are just good cheap versatile eating

 

[WNKbrew]

I think a lot of people wrap at the stall to avoid the stall... The stall is caused by evaporative cooling, and at a smoker temp of 225 or 250 that step can take a LONG time. At 350-375 you power through the stall before you would even have noticed it happen.



One thing to avoid pulling the water pan is to fill it with sand. That way you keep the heat indirect, but remove the humidity.

----------------------

For both of you, note that you should avoid rubs that are very sugar-dominant if you're going at those temps. Sugar can burn at 350-375. Obviously that's not ideal.

I use a variant of this. Smoke at 225f until 150-155IT. Then wrap, put in 350f oven to power through stall, then unwrap, back into 225f smoker to "rebark" until 202IT. IMHO this does a few things. Saves time and pellets, a short wrap (too long a wrap turns meat mushy), keeps meat juicy, and a great bark. IME saves 2-3 hours and a lot of pellets.
Definitely going to try a straight 350f smoke. Can't see why it won't work., esp for butts.

 

[AzOr]

These are all great ideas!
when I do a higher temp smoke in my pellet grill, often I’ll add a bit more smoke by using a smoke tube. Anything over 300ish and I don’t get a lot of smoke flavor.

 

[WNKbrew]

These are all great ideas!
when I do a higher temp smoke in my pellet grill, often I’ll add a bit more smoke by using a smoke tube. Anything over 300ish and I don’t get a lot of smoke flavor.

I nearly always use a smoke tube in my pellet smoker

 

[Dgallo]

I nearly always use a smoke tube in my pellet smoker

Even when low?