Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread
Tonight's meal.........pork cutlets.
Tonight's meal.........pork cutlets.
Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread
- Thread starter bakerboy
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- May 23, 2015
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Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread
Yes, it is easy to screw up and I have screwed it up badly at times....I think there's as much advice on how to cook brisket as there is on how to be successfully married....and none of it is really all that good.
Here are my thoughts on it (brisket, not marriage) and you can pick and choose what you think will work.
1. I'm not a huge fan of whole briskets, i.e., brisket is composed of "the flat" (the larger thinner part) and "the point" (a smaller and thicker triangular piece). The flat and point are connected to one another through a layer of mediating fat. If you buy a whole brisket it is a giant gob of meat and fat and you need to trim it to get off a good portion of the fat as it is essentially useless and will just start an oven fire. Since you have to trim so much of it anyway, I say buy the piece you want and let someone else do the work. Marbling of the meat is desirable.
2. That said, I prefer the flat. The flat is a thinner piece of meat, usually left with a layer of fat on one side (trimmed down to about 1/8" or so) and is fairly uniform in thickness. I take the flat and I wail on it with my OXO pin tenderizer....I put so many tiny holes in it, you can practically use it as strainer. That to me, this is a piece of meat ready for the grille.
3. Seasoning - this is where I think simple is better. I've gone as light as nothing more than a little bit of course salt and ground pepper. However, Mr Stubbs beef rub is a pretty good mix too. I would just say this - keep it light and simple or else you'll get too many competing flavors.
4. Fat up or fat down??? This is where you'll get grille heads who will literally come to blows and start a riot if you choose incorrectly. To me, it all depends; to others, their family honor and dignity rest upon it. I almost always do fat down BUT that's because I have a ceramic baffle in The Egg (called the plate setter) that produces indirect heat AND I use a spritz of juice to keep the meat moist. If you don't do it that way, then I think you have to do it fat side up.
5. Temperature - LOOOOOOOOOOOW AND SLOOOOOOOOOOOW. You can not, I repeat, CAN NOT cook brisket fast. If you do, you will essentially create a bullet-proof insert for a Kevlar vest. 220F to 240F MAX! And, for good measure, you really want indirect heat. If your smoker can maintain 220F consistently, then that's what you want. In order to do that with the juice-spritz method, I let my smoker ride at 235F so when I open it up to spritz, the temp doesn't usually fall below 220F.
6. Time - As long as it darn well pleases! Consider yourself as "staff" to the brisket - it commands you, not the other way around. If you do not have a day to dedicate to sitting by your smoker and reading poetry to your brisket, then don't even bother. You may vacuum the pool and skim leaves but only if you remain in sight of the smoker. If your wife is the jealous type, you may want to send her to her mother's house for the day.
7. Internal temperature - brisket is done when it hits 195F to 200F, no more in my opinion.
8. Method - I like the partial Texas crutch method. In this method you start the brisket out in the smoker all by itself with a internal temperature probe. You cook it this way from room temp all the way up to 165F-170F (it takes a loooong time to get to 165F as you will plateau several times during the cooking). Every 10 degrees or 30mins (which ever happens sooner), you open the smoker (quickly, no fawning) and you spray the surface of the beef with apple juice from a spray bottle. Three or four quick spritzes is all it needs to wet the meat. Then close the lid. Some people will substitute different mixtures of juices for apple juice, like cider vinegar & oil or simple mixes like sugar and water (I read where one person used coconut water???)....I like apple juice because it has maleic acid in it which will help to degrade the proteins in the meat and lots of natural sugar. When the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165F, here comes the crutch!
9. The Crutch - Using two large pieces of thick aluminum foil, pull the meat out of the smoker and wrap it up tight. Leave as few air pockets as possible. I've seen people go to the extreme and use a layer of high temperature plastic wrap first that almost acts like a shrink wrap and then foil. Foil is fine in my opinion as long as you can get the air space out and make sure there are no leaks near the temperature probe. The purpose of the foil is to keep the moisture in and not let it escape. You also don't want the meat to sit in a pool of liquid which is why you want the wrap, or crutch, as close to the surface as possible. Once wrapped up, put the meat back into the smoker to finish it. People at this point will often take the wrap to an oven in the house and finish it there as there is really no point to the smoker - all the smoke flavor you're going to get is in the meat by now, once wrapped, there's no smoke getting to it.
10. When it reaches 195F, pull the wrapped brisket out of the smoker and leave it foil covered for 45mins to an hour to finish off. If you open it too soon, all of the moisture in the meat will evaporate away and it will get very dry. Some people even leave it longer to let it get to room temperature before opening it up as they will serve it with hot mop sauce or BBQ sauce.
Easy-peasy lemon-squeezy, amiright....
Yes, it is easy to screw up and I have screwed it up badly at times....I think there's as much advice on how to cook brisket as there is on how to be successfully married....and none of it is really all that good.
Here are my thoughts on it (brisket, not marriage) and you can pick and choose what you think will work.
1. I'm not a huge fan of whole briskets, i.e., brisket is composed of "the flat" (the larger thinner part) and "the point" (a smaller and thicker triangular piece). The flat and point are connected to one another through a layer of mediating fat. If you buy a whole brisket it is a giant gob of meat and fat and you need to trim it to get off a good portion of the fat as it is essentially useless and will just start an oven fire. Since you have to trim so much of it anyway, I say buy the piece you want and let someone else do the work. Marbling of the meat is desirable.
2. That said, I prefer the flat. The flat is a thinner piece of meat, usually left with a layer of fat on one side (trimmed down to about 1/8" or so) and is fairly uniform in thickness. I take the flat and I wail on it with my OXO pin tenderizer....I put so many tiny holes in it, you can practically use it as strainer. That to me, this is a piece of meat ready for the grille.
3. Seasoning - this is where I think simple is better. I've gone as light as nothing more than a little bit of course salt and ground pepper. However, Mr Stubbs beef rub is a pretty good mix too. I would just say this - keep it light and simple or else you'll get too many competing flavors.
4. Fat up or fat down??? This is where you'll get grille heads who will literally come to blows and start a riot if you choose incorrectly. To me, it all depends; to others, their family honor and dignity rest upon it. I almost always do fat down BUT that's because I have a ceramic baffle in The Egg (called the plate setter) that produces indirect heat AND I use a spritz of juice to keep the meat moist. If you don't do it that way, then I think you have to do it fat side up.
5. Temperature - LOOOOOOOOOOOW AND SLOOOOOOOOOOOW. You can not, I repeat, CAN NOT cook brisket fast. If you do, you will essentially create a bullet-proof insert for a Kevlar vest. 220F to 240F MAX! And, for good measure, you really want indirect heat. If your smoker can maintain 220F consistently, then that's what you want. In order to do that with the juice-spritz method, I let my smoker ride at 235F so when I open it up to spritz, the temp doesn't usually fall below 220F.
6. Time - As long as it darn well pleases! Consider yourself as "staff" to the brisket - it commands you, not the other way around. If you do not have a day to dedicate to sitting by your smoker and reading poetry to your brisket, then don't even bother. You may vacuum the pool and skim leaves but only if you remain in sight of the smoker. If your wife is the jealous type, you may want to send her to her mother's house for the day.
7. Internal temperature - brisket is done when it hits 195F to 200F, no more in my opinion.
8. Method - I like the partial Texas crutch method. In this method you start the brisket out in the smoker all by itself with a internal temperature probe. You cook it this way from room temp all the way up to 165F-170F (it takes a loooong time to get to 165F as you will plateau several times during the cooking). Every 10 degrees or 30mins (which ever happens sooner), you open the smoker (quickly, no fawning) and you spray the surface of the beef with apple juice from a spray bottle. Three or four quick spritzes is all it needs to wet the meat. Then close the lid. Some people will substitute different mixtures of juices for apple juice, like cider vinegar & oil or simple mixes like sugar and water (I read where one person used coconut water???)....I like apple juice because it has maleic acid in it which will help to degrade the proteins in the meat and lots of natural sugar. When the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165F, here comes the crutch!
9. The Crutch - Using two large pieces of thick aluminum foil, pull the meat out of the smoker and wrap it up tight. Leave as few air pockets as possible. I've seen people go to the extreme and use a layer of high temperature plastic wrap first that almost acts like a shrink wrap and then foil. Foil is fine in my opinion as long as you can get the air space out and make sure there are no leaks near the temperature probe. The purpose of the foil is to keep the moisture in and not let it escape. You also don't want the meat to sit in a pool of liquid which is why you want the wrap, or crutch, as close to the surface as possible. Once wrapped up, put the meat back into the smoker to finish it. People at this point will often take the wrap to an oven in the house and finish it there as there is really no point to the smoker - all the smoke flavor you're going to get is in the meat by now, once wrapped, there's no smoke getting to it.
10. When it reaches 195F, pull the wrapped brisket out of the smoker and leave it foil covered for 45mins to an hour to finish off. If you open it too soon, all of the moisture in the meat will evaporate away and it will get very dry. Some people even leave it longer to let it get to room temperature before opening it up as they will serve it with hot mop sauce or BBQ sauce.
Easy-peasy lemon-squeezy, amiright....
Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread
Thank you for the detailed instructions. I have an Aubor for my keg, and it does a great job of maintaining temps for low and slow. When I did my pork butt yesterday temperature was between 225 and 250 the entire 11 hours. I actually opened the vent a tad to approach 250 once Internal temp reached 195 so I could get it to the 200 mark I was looking for a tag quicker. I'm going to give a brisket a run soon. Thanks again for the detailed directions.
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Thank you for the detailed instructions. I have an Aubor for my keg, and it does a great job of maintaining temps for low and slow. When I did my pork butt yesterday temperature was between 225 and 250 the entire 11 hours. I actually opened the vent a tad to approach 250 once Internal temp reached 195 so I could get it to the 200 mark I was looking for a tag quicker. I'm going to give a brisket a run soon. Thanks again for the detailed directions.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread
I'm almost embarrassed to show you this, but I made some mac & cheese and added some pulled pork...... pardon the presentation, this was a spur of the moment deal.......I already called the ER, they're expecting me in the morning.......
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I'm almost embarrassed to show you this, but I made some mac & cheese and added some pulled pork...... pardon the presentation, this was a spur of the moment deal.......I already called the ER, they're expecting me in the morning.......
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread
Nice! When we smoke a pork butt we put it in anything and everything we eat for days! Pork butt is a lot fattier and more forgiving than brisket on cranking up the heat a bit, it can take 275-300 no problem, especially at the end.
I don't do all that extra brisket stuff Matt does. No baste, no foil wrapped while cooking.
I usually do whole briskets because they take longer. Like 12, 14, 16 hours. So, you can let it cook overnight instead of all day. I'd allow 16 or 18 hours cook time your first time or two until you see how briskets cook on you rig. Start them at 8p or so and start checking at 8a or 10a. By checking I mean looking at temp. Once temp gets to 190 you can start checking with a fork if you want, 195 is usually better but all brisket does not act the same. If it isn't tender at 195 let it go some more, some briskets want up to 203 or 205 max.
Trim the fat to 1/4" and cook with fat down, at 225 and never open the smoker. Pull it usually at 195, wrap it in foil and a towel and put it in a cooler or the oven (off) for 1 to 3 or 4 hours and then get to it. Start several hours earlier than you think the finish time will be that you want to eat, you can hold it a long time. My smoker is a little hotter on the left side where my fan blows and I start the fire on that side. I put the point on the left and the flat toward the cooler side. If your smoker tends to run on the dry soide then a pan with some water under the meat will help. Mine has a ceramic plate under the grill keeps direct heat off the meat and sizzles up the fat. And ceramic smokers tend to retain moisture better.
Seasoning
My most common is
Salt only several hours ahead and back to the fridge
Then when it's time to cook
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Chili powder, not a lot
Smoked paprika
Salt
Pepper
I always smoke brisket with pecan these days, and most beef
I love Stubbs beef rub on all beef, even hamburgers, except for brisket
Nice! When we smoke a pork butt we put it in anything and everything we eat for days! Pork butt is a lot fattier and more forgiving than brisket on cranking up the heat a bit, it can take 275-300 no problem, especially at the end.
I don't do all that extra brisket stuff Matt does. No baste, no foil wrapped while cooking.
I usually do whole briskets because they take longer. Like 12, 14, 16 hours. So, you can let it cook overnight instead of all day. I'd allow 16 or 18 hours cook time your first time or two until you see how briskets cook on you rig. Start them at 8p or so and start checking at 8a or 10a. By checking I mean looking at temp. Once temp gets to 190 you can start checking with a fork if you want, 195 is usually better but all brisket does not act the same. If it isn't tender at 195 let it go some more, some briskets want up to 203 or 205 max.
Trim the fat to 1/4" and cook with fat down, at 225 and never open the smoker. Pull it usually at 195, wrap it in foil and a towel and put it in a cooler or the oven (off) for 1 to 3 or 4 hours and then get to it. Start several hours earlier than you think the finish time will be that you want to eat, you can hold it a long time. My smoker is a little hotter on the left side where my fan blows and I start the fire on that side. I put the point on the left and the flat toward the cooler side. If your smoker tends to run on the dry soide then a pan with some water under the meat will help. Mine has a ceramic plate under the grill keeps direct heat off the meat and sizzles up the fat. And ceramic smokers tend to retain moisture better.
Seasoning
My most common is
Salt only several hours ahead and back to the fridge
Then when it's time to cook
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Chili powder, not a lot
Smoked paprika
Salt
Pepper
I always smoke brisket with pecan these days, and most beef
I love Stubbs beef rub on all beef, even hamburgers, except for brisket
- Oct 18, 2009
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Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread
Sunday dinner, rosemary roasted fingerling potatoes, scallops with wine cream sauce and steak with bluecheese herbed butter.
- - - Updated - - -
Good job
Sunday dinner, rosemary roasted fingerling potatoes, scallops with wine cream sauce and steak with bluecheese herbed butter.
- - - Updated - - -
Good job
- May 23, 2015
- 24,514
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread
If you're going to do a whole brisket, then follow Danny's approach. I don't do whole briskets but, if I did, I would do it as described by Danny.
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If you're going to do a whole brisket, then follow Danny's approach. I don't do whole briskets but, if I did, I would do it as described by Danny.
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Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread
Thanks guys, I feel more confident to try it.....I need to get a plate setter, from what I understand the BGE plate setter will also fit my keg. I do have a heat deflector in there, but it's not made out of ceramic.
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Thanks guys, I feel more confident to try it.....I need to get a plate setter, from what I understand the BGE plate setter will also fit my keg. I do have a heat deflector in there, but it's not made out of ceramic.
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Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread
I love scallops, one of my favorite foods! Looks perfect!
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Sunday dinner, rosemary roasted fingerling potatoes, scallops with wine cream sauce and steak with bluecheese herbed butter.
- - - Updated - - -
Good job
I love scallops, one of my favorite foods! Looks perfect!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
- May 23, 2015
- 24,514
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread
What you truly need is one of these -
Smokers Spitts
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What you truly need is one of these -
Smokers Spitts
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Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread
I don't know, it is hard to beat a ceramic smoker. Although that looks cool!
But, if you need a bigger smoker ...
The Worlds Largest BBQ Smoker Is for Sale in Brenham
I don't know, it is hard to beat a ceramic smoker. Although that looks cool!
But, if you need a bigger smoker ...
The Worlds Largest BBQ Smoker Is for Sale in Brenham
Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread
OK I have a question. I have the diffuser that came with my big steel keg. I will attach a picture so you can see what it is like. My question is, since it lacks the thermal capacity of a ceramic plate, do you think this does an adequate job? It definitely will deflect the heat, I'm just wondering if it will let the heat radiate through too easily. I think the idea behind this is you can add some water, but I have found I don't need to, I very seldom get anything dry out of the keg. Rather than going in buying a plate setter, I'm wondering if I could just add some ceramic bricks and accomplish the same thing?
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OK I have a question. I have the diffuser that came with my big steel keg. I will attach a picture so you can see what it is like. My question is, since it lacks the thermal capacity of a ceramic plate, do you think this does an adequate job? It definitely will deflect the heat, I'm just wondering if it will let the heat radiate through too easily. I think the idea behind this is you can add some water, but I have found I don't need to, I very seldom get anything dry out of the keg. Rather than going in buying a plate setter, I'm wondering if I could just add some ceramic bricks and accomplish the same thing?
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- May 23, 2015
- 24,514
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread
I'd try it with your diffuser. If it doesn't work, you'll know it! Then, if you try again, you can go buy the plate setter.
I'd try it with your diffuser. If it doesn't work, you'll know it! Then, if you try again, you can go buy the plate setter.
Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread
LOL.... my wife would kill me. I already have a gas grill, a charcoal grill, a pizza oven and my keg. Believe me, I have thought seriously about buying a dedicated smoker, but in all honesty this Keg does pretty much everything I need it to do. I had a Traeger grill as well, I went ahead and sold that to a friend of mine. If I show up with with another cooker, I could probably go ahead and set up a bed back there too!!
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LOL.... my wife would kill me. I already have a gas grill, a charcoal grill, a pizza oven and my keg. Believe me, I have thought seriously about buying a dedicated smoker, but in all honesty this Keg does pretty much everything I need it to do. I had a Traeger grill as well, I went ahead and sold that to a friend of mine. If I show up with with another cooker, I could probably go ahead and set up a bed back there too!!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
- May 23, 2015
- 24,514
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread
Hmmmm...can I get it without the big rig? Diesel is pretty expensive...
THAT. IS. AWESOME!!!
You could smoke an entire herd of cows in there....
Hmmmm...can I get it without the big rig? Diesel is pretty expensive...
THAT. IS. AWESOME!!!
You could smoke an entire herd of cows in there....
Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread
I think that plate will work. The real goal is to stop direct heat from hitting the meat. I would put some water in it just to increase the chances of success.
Right!!! Mooooo
I think that plate will work. The real goal is to stop direct heat from hitting the meat. I would put some water in it just to increase the chances of success.
Right!!! Mooooo
- May 23, 2015
- 24,514
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread
So these guys followed me home from Costco today -
I'll mess with the ribs this weekend. But what, pray-tell, is Matt doing with another brisket?!?!?
I'm going to get my full-leprechaun on and brine it myself to make corned beef. I have a corning recipe that I've been dying to try out and, honestly speaking, I've never really like store bought corned beef.
I'll post a recipe later. It'll take 3 days (minimum) to brine so this will be a "to be continued" post.....
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So these guys followed me home from Costco today -
I'll mess with the ribs this weekend. But what, pray-tell, is Matt doing with another brisket?!?!?
I'm going to get my full-leprechaun on and brine it myself to make corned beef. I have a corning recipe that I've been dying to try out and, honestly speaking, I've never really like store bought corned beef.
I'll post a recipe later. It'll take 3 days (minimum) to brine so this will be a "to be continued" post.....
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Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread
I have never corned or pastrami'd a beef before.
I'll see your two packs of meat and call.
I have never corned or pastrami'd a beef before.
I'll see your two packs of meat and call.
Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread
Balsamic vinegar and Stubbs beef rub on some flank steak. Grilled hot with pecan wood. Except the wind is blowing 40 mph (literally) and I don't know how my grill will do with that!
Balsamic vinegar and Stubbs beef rub on some flank steak. Grilled hot with pecan wood. Except the wind is blowing 40 mph (literally) and I don't know how my grill will do with that!
Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread
Hey, look what I got today! My TF-100 refills and my new temp probes and fan for my cyberQwifi. I left the lid up on my Primo a couple of weeks or so ago and nuked one of my temp probes, melted my lid gasket and really, really cleaned off my ceramic deflector plates. I have no idea how hot it got, but the whole area smelled "hot" for a week and there was all sorts of ash and syrupy meltiness going on. It was HOT! The many years of grease and fat build up on my deflector plates was vaporized to ash! Oh, and guess what happens when you drop your ceramic plate on concrete. :-D
See that goo? It is like tar and it is permanently fused to the surface. I was able to remove some of the molten hot goo and toss it.
Hey, look what I got today! My TF-100 refills and my new temp probes and fan for my cyberQwifi. I left the lid up on my Primo a couple of weeks or so ago and nuked one of my temp probes, melted my lid gasket and really, really cleaned off my ceramic deflector plates.
I have no idea how hot it got, but the whole area smelled "hot" for a week and there was all sorts of ash and syrupy meltiness going on. It was HOT! The many years of grease and fat build up on my deflector plates was vaporized to ash! Oh, and guess what happens when you drop your ceramic plate on concrete. :-D See that goo? It is like tar and it is permanently fused to the surface. I was able to remove some of the molten hot goo and toss it.