Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread

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Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread

Hey JN. Ironically, my wife has been experimenting with the packaged corned beef in the pressure cooker. I've been pleased with the results with the exception that we found the vegetables too greasy when using the braising liquid. Admittedly, she did not remove the top layer of fat before adding the veggies.

On a related note, a rerun of Alton Brown's Good Eats was on the other night and he was using saltpeter as a preservative in his recipe. Not sure if that episode is available online somewhere but it might be worth a look.


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Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread

Uncle Flappy said:
Hey JN. Ironically, my wife has been experimenting with the packaged corned beef in the pressure cooker. I've been pleased with the results with the exception that we found the vegetables too greasy when using the braising liquid. Admittedly, she did not remove the top layer of fat before adding the veggies.

On a related note, a rerun of Alton Brown's Good Eats was on the other night and he was using saltpeter as a preservative in his recipe. Not sure if that episode is available online somewhere but it might be worth a look.


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Thanks for tip on the braising liquid. One recipe I saw said to take the liquid and use a separation funnel to draw off the grease. I think that's a good idea and I will do that.

Saltpeter is potassium nitrate. Aside from gunpowder, it was often used in curing but it does not get much use these days. The reason being is that the results are not as consistent. It is the nitrite anion (NO2-)that is what inhibits the growth of C. botulinum. And, while nitrates can convert into nitrites (through the action of other beneficial bacteria), the process is slow. In fact, for slow cured / dry cured meats (salami, etc), Prague Powder #2 is used and it is a mixture of sodium nitrite, sodium nitrate and salt. The nitrite gives you the fast antimicrobial action and then the nitrates convert slowly over time to nitrites which continues the process while the 100lbs genoa salami is hanging in the store window curing.

Also, nitrates are what health experts worry about because nitrates can react in the human gut to form nitrosamines which are a class of organonitrate compounds that are known carcinogens. Nitrites do not form nitrosamines as readily and are safer in that aspect. Suffice it to say though you are still safe to eat salami as the nitrate concentration should be quite low as the meat dries and cures.

And Danny will be happy because bacon typically uses nitrites and so it is ok to consume.....


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Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread

And Danny will be happy because bacon typically uses nitrites and so it is ok to consume.....
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Agreed! I have done many controlled laboratory studies on bacon and it always passes with flying pigs!
 
Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread

Corned Beef, The Finale!

So here's the end result -

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The brisket was brined for 10 days (see post #265 for details) and then cooked in a pressure cooker. I also cooked fingerling potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and cabbage. All of it was done in the pressure cooker using the reserves liquid from when the corned beef was cooked (basically water and Kitchen Bouquet browning liquid with onions and garlic).

A couple of notes -

1. I liked the taste but it was definitely on the salty side. So either cut down on the salt in the brine or brine for fewer days.

2. Parsnips don't cook well in a pressure cooker.

3. Along with my usual spicy brown mustard, I also tried putting some Dickinson's Hot & Sweet Pepper & Onion relish on the beef...it tasted really good.

All in all, it was a good meal.


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Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread

Looks good, your hard work paid off! Today I might have to go find a green beer to drink! Happy St Patty's day!


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Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread

Lykly said:
Looks good, your hard work paid off! Today I might have to go find a green beer to drink! Happy St Patty's day!


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Thanks. It was an interesting project. My Prague Powder is arriving today and I bought 3lbs of flank steak at Costco. My plan is to cut it up into 1/4" strips, do a long marinade and then dry it in my air drying oven to make beef jerky. I think I'll do one half as a sweet & salty jerky and the other half as a spicy jerky.


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Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread

Interesting. You have one of those counter top, multi trayed air dryer things? We eat a fair amount of beef jerky but it seems like too much work to make it.
 
Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread

pooldv said:
Interesting. You have one of those counter top, multi trayed air dryer things? We eat a fair amount of beef jerky but it seems like too much work to make it.
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L'Equipe 528 6 Tray Food Dehydrator, 500-watt https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005JCZO4G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_F2.YybBWRF679

That's the one I have. It's awesome. I do dried fruit in it, fruit leather, dried veggies (tomatoes mostly) and oatmeal bark.

I haven't done jerky yet so this will be new. I've had fresh jerky from friends and it is way better and cheaper than packaged stuff.


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Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread

A friend of mine built a solar powered version like this - Best-Ever Solar Food Dehydrator Plans - DIY - MOTHER EARTH NEWS

I saw it in action and it's amazing how well it works. On a hot & dry day here in AZ, he can dry a dozen trays of food in just over a day. It even works in the winter because it's fairly well insulated and the solar collector picks up a lot of heat from the sun. When you put your hand near the exhaust vent at the top, it feels like a hair dryer running on low speed. I'm not nearly as handy as he is so I opted for the lazy-man's route - Amazon Prime!
 

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Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread

Kind of boring but I got a craving for ribs

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Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread

Made a tri-tip this past Sunday:




Also made a market packaged corned beef and cabbage in the crockpot w/ a bottle of guiness, some fresh garlic and the "seasoning" packet:

Going in at 9am:



This was later that evening after slicing it up and putting it back in:




Then, the final product:

 
Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread

I also starting making home made beef jerky when the wifey got me an electric smoker for xmas, I've been testing a couple different cuts of beef and ingredients. This particular version was "teriyaki" jerky using a london broil:













I let it marinade for anywhere from 12-18 hours, then rack it up and place in the smoker around 130° - 140° for 4 hours, flip and then another 3-4 more hours:








 
Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread

Looks delish!!!

I love tri-tip. We have a guy in our area that does a mobile tri-tip grille. It's a huge landscape trainer he modified with a giant steel grate on a chain pulley lift. The rack can easily hold 40-50 tri-tips and he loads the trailer up with locally sourced mesquite logs. He lights it up and spends the whole morning barbecuing the tri-tips. You can smell the BBQ from a mile away. He sells tri-tip sandwiches and whole cooked tri-tip. It's awesome to watch him work as he checks and flips the tri-tips with a single steel poker. He has two assistants - his wife runs the sales booth and his son keeps the fire stoked and burning. Half of his proceeds go towards charities.

I ALWAYS buy two tri-tips when he rolls into my local farmers market.


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Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread

I'm going to cut up my flank steak tonight for jerky and let it marinate for a few days (I plan on using some curing salts I have to extend the marinade time and keep the color right). I'll post how it goes.


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Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread

I smoked a 4 lb meatloaf and made a batch of Brussels, bacon, sausage and apples. Yum! No pics, my ankle hurts. Wah!
 
Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread

OK kids, here goes my try at jerky. So here are the two recipes I used -

Original Jerky recipe - Original Jerky | Jerkyholic

Brown Sugar Jerky - Brown Sugar Jerky | Jerkyholic

Here's two bags, about 1-1/2 lbs each, of sliced flank steak -

IMG_4532.jpg

I'll leave those to marinate in the fridge for a good 36 hours and then put them in my kitchen dryer....hopefully in a few days I'll have some yummy jerky treats to share with you guys.....hahaha, well, I'll share the pictures at least.....
 
Re: Official 2017 BBQ, Smoking, Grilling, Baking and Beer thread

Jerky Results

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Top plate is the sweat jerky, bottom plate is original. The meat marinated for three days and then took about 9 hours to dry.

Thoughts -

1. Both types taste really good and are not nearly as salty as the store bought stuff. Flavor is excellent.

2. The sweet jerky is not what I would call "sweet" it's more of a very mild flavor. I think next time I would add more sugar and possible some molasses to give it a stronger sweet flavor.

3. The original jerky recipe is really nicely flavored with a little peppery kick to it. More pepper could be added if desired.

4. Next time I think I'll use top round roast instead of flank steak. Top round is a lot leaner and the fat marbling in the flank steak makes the jerky a bit "greasier". There are also slivers of fat that have to come out or be eaten because fat is really bad for jerky - it will go rancid if left too long.

All in all, I have a TON of jerky and it was not at all expensive to make even if you don't own a kitchen dryer. If you're someone that likes jerky for snacking on, then it's definitely more cost effective to make it yourself.

Definitely use the Prague Powder #1 when making it - no worries about bacteria and it protects the color and flavor of the jerky. It's really a very small amount of nitrites and you probably eat more nitrites in a few sticks of celery than you do in that entire jerky pile.


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