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cornface posted:If you have a lower grate you aren't using, sticking a small foil pan or tin foil boat on it works great for catching the drippings to use for sauces or putting back in the meat. If I'm doing ribs I put a pan of beans under them. I do the same thing on my weber smokey mountain. Even if I have both grates in use, I have a small cut-down foil pan that fits in the water pan since I think I've used water maybe one time. Rib beans are the best, but brisket beans are pretty good too. I usually just start with Bush's baked beans, but add in bacon, meat drippings, some of the rub from the meat and a few other things. Usually those are the first things gone at whatever event I bring them to. PainBreak posted:I've never really understood this. I get wanting "bark" on a brisket, but for pulled pork? It ends up just being the inedible parts that you have to throw out. Why would you purposefully want to dry out the meat? Inedible? You have to be doing something wrong then. When I shred a pork shoulder I just mix the bark in with everything else.
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Apr 28, 2013 00:17
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edit: double post.
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Apr 28, 2013 00:18
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PainBreak posted:I've never really understood this. I get wanting "bark" on a brisket, but for pulled pork? It ends up just being the inedible parts that you have to throw out. Why would you purposefully want to dry out the meat? I've typed up a few different replies to this post but each time I erase it because I feel like I'm being trolled.
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Apr 28, 2013 03:38
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the worst part about bark is having to make myself stop picking it off and eating it
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Apr 28, 2013 05:33
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Scott Bakula posted:If I smoke beef before I use it for chili what temperature should I be aiming for and what wood is best? What wood should I use? It would likely be inch thick cuts of meat It's going to cook in the chili pot anyway, so I just smoke mine for an hour or so at 200, just enough to brown the outside and impart some smokiness. Then I sear the chunks in a crazy hot cast iron pan before putting them into the pot. Sorry I'm no good at "what kind of wood" advice. I almost always use a combo of apple and mesquite unless I'm doing tritip; then I use oak. I should really branch out more.
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Apr 28, 2013 07:40
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Smoking a brisket on my new smoker today, and had a flair up. Using applewood and it burned a bit of it, I assume no problem in just slicing it off once its out of the smoker? Would it be more prudent to but a layer of foil down next time? I am pretty new at smoking so been reading and planning for a while.
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Apr 28, 2013 17:19
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Flaggy posted:Smoking a brisket on my new smoker today, and had a flair up. Using applewood and it burned a bit of it, I assume no problem in just slicing it off once its out of the smoker? Would it be more prudent to but a layer of foil down next time? I am pretty new at smoking so been reading and planning for a while. What kind of smoker are you using that a "flare up" toasted your brisket that bad?
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Apr 29, 2013 00:36
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Astronaut Jones posted:What kind of smoker are you using that a "flare up" toasted your brisket that bad? It actually all turned out ok, just carved it all up and it was nice and juicy and tender.
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Apr 29, 2013 00:39
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If you have a flare up, then your temp is far too high. Also, applewood doesn't complement brisket well, imo. Use mesquite or oak. Hickory if you're one of the crazy Carolina types. Cherry/Apple if you're not going for a BBQ type of thing, and want to put a new twist on brisket, ans maybe have some crazy fennel based rub.
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Apr 29, 2013 03:25
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Chef De Cuisinart posted:If you have a flare up, then your temp is far too high. High heat briskets are great. Also a flare up doesn't necessarily mean the smoker temperature was too high. It could just be from opening the door and letting a blast of wind hit the charcoal. I've had a lot better luck putting the wood down first and covering it with charcoal rather than trying to bury it after the fact. It keeps this from happening and also cuts down on the thick white smoke while its starting up. It also sounds like it was a new smoker, so it might just not have gunk built up to seal the leaks.
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Apr 29, 2013 03:43
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cornface posted:High heat briskets are great. This is pretty much what it was, I opened up the door to put more charcoal in and it flared up. Next time I will try mesquite as per the suggestion of Chef de, would it be a huge thing to mix the mesquite and oak? Or do you typically want to stick to one wood? I am new to smoking so apologies if these are stupid questions.
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Apr 29, 2013 12:54
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Flaggy posted:This is pretty much what it was, I opened up the door to put more charcoal in and it flared up. Next time I will try mesquite as per the suggestion of Chef de, would it be a huge thing to mix the mesquite and oak? Or do you typically want to stick to one wood? I am new to smoking so apologies if these are stupid questions. I mix wood all the time. Apple and oak, cherry and pecan, etc.
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Apr 29, 2013 13:51
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Flaggy posted:This is pretty much what it was, I opened up the door to put more charcoal in and it flared up. Next time I will try mesquite as per the suggestion of Chef de, would it be a huge thing to mix the mesquite and oak? Or do you typically want to stick to one wood? I am new to smoking so apologies if these are stupid questions. Feel free to experiment and figure out what you like. There's not really a "wrong" answer to most questions about how to do things. Some woods impart a stronger or more bitter flavor than others. Hickory, pecan, and mesquite are all fairly potent. A lot of people will mix stronger flavored woods with sweeter ones, so you see a lot of hickory and apple for pork, for example. While you are still figuring things out it is probably better to err on the side of not enough smoke, but you'll get the hang of how much wood to use to get the flavor you like fairly quickly. It might help to jot down some notes about things like rub used, amount/type of wood, temperature, and how the final result was while you are getting up to speed. Depending on where you live, it can be hard to find chunks or logs of certain types of wood, but if you can find bags of chips you can make a pouch out of foil, fill it with chips, and then use a fork to poke some holes in it. Get most of the air out of it so the chips smoulder rather than burn. Most of the fattier cuts are fairly hard to mess up and can be cooked at a range of temperatures without ill effect as long as you know when to pull them. Watch out for rubs that are heavy on sugar if you're cooking above 250 or so, or it can burn.
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Apr 29, 2013 16:00
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Hickory is the only acceptable wood for pork. 
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Apr 30, 2013 02:51
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Stringent posted:Hickory is the only acceptable wood for pork. That's a funny way to spell apple.
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Apr 30, 2013 03:45
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PhotoKirk posted:That's a funny way to spell apple. Pecan + apple is my favorite pork combo.
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Apr 30, 2013 03:50
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I don't know why you all seem to spell mesquite wrong.
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Apr 30, 2013 03:55
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None of you can seem to spell Alder correctly.
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Apr 30, 2013 14:00
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I think I a ready to buy my first smoker. I was thinking about getting a WSM as it seems simple but modable later if I want to mess with it. I am not sure if I want the 18" or 22" one. What, other then size, are the differences? I would also like some suggestions on a simple thermometer to start with. I guess the reading I have done says that the thermometer that comes with it is kinda crap?
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Apr 30, 2013 23:58
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bunnielab posted:I think I a ready to buy my first smoker. I was thinking about getting a WSM as it seems simple but modable later if I want to mess with it. Unless you see yourself making huge quantities of meat regularly, I would get the smaller one. You can fit two full briskets or four pork shoulders on the 18", and you'll use less charcoal. I've had a full ring stay lit for 14 hours with minimal tending. Longer than that and you might need to start tossing some more through the hatch. The only downside is that you are probably going to have to either roll, rack, or cut your ribs in half and put small foil strips on the edges of the grate for briskets because you have to wedge it between the handles and the outer edge gets hot. Not really a big deal. The Maverick dual probe wireless thermometers are worth the money, in my opinion. You can get up early to get the smoker started and then take a nap knowing that it will start beeping if the temperature gets too high or the fire goes out for some reason.
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May 1, 2013 00:14
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bunnielab posted:I think I a ready to buy my first smoker. I was thinking about getting a WSM as it seems simple but modable later if I want to mess with it. Get the 22" and then a smaller charcoal ring for when you dont have it totally loaded up.
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May 1, 2013 00:40
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Buy more pit than you think you will need. Inevitably, you will wish for a bigger pit after your first cook.
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May 1, 2013 02:43
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Yeah, I had thought that the bigger one might be better, but my landlord keeps talking about building an actual smokehouse this fall and that should cover any of my large scale smoking needs. So the WSM is a good unit to start with? I have heard they are annoying to add coals too, is there any truth to that?
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May 2, 2013 01:38
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bunnielab posted:Yeah, I had thought that the bigger one might be better, but my landlord keeps talking about building an actual smokehouse this fall and that should cover any of my large scale smoking needs. People complained about the water pan being too small in the old models, so they made it bigger. Unfortunately it is round on the bottom and hangs down to right above the charcoal ring. You sort of have to toss new charcoal in with tongs. That being said, it chugs along for a long time on one ring as long as you pack it tight and only start with 10-20 lit. Just kick the legs every few hours to knock the ash off. The only thing I've had to add charcoal for has been larger butts, towards the end.
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May 2, 2013 03:50
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cornface posted:People complained about the water pan being too small in the old models, so they made it bigger. Unfortunately it is round on the bottom and hangs down to right above the charcoal ring. You sort of have to toss new charcoal in with tongs. It's 6 of one and a half dozen of the other. If the water bowl were smaller, you'd have to add more mid-cook and that's hard to do without spilling water on the coals and making ash and poo poo fly everywhere. I'd rather have a larger water bowl because, like you said, the only time you have to add charcoal is on large butts or briskets. In regards to the lid thermometer on the WSM, I've found the last few paragraph here were pretty useful and accurate. http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/measuretemp.html "" posted:Temperature Differential Between Lid And Grate
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May 2, 2013 06:56
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I'm going to be smoking some pastrami and bacon this weekend so might as well smoke something to eat immediately as well. The only problem is I'm going to be the only person eating. What should I go for?
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May 2, 2013 15:16
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Had both my parents and my fiancee's over for dinner a couple weekends ago, and we smoked a couple chickens. We used my future in-laws' vertical charcoal smoker. I'm not sure what brand it was. It worked beautifully. Unfortunately I have no photos. That successful smoking and this thread has convinced me to get seriously into it. We put a Weber Smokey Mountain on our wedding registry, but I might just buy one if I can't wait to see if someone bought us one at the end of June. I already do charcuterie (mostly various salumi) in my basement and I'm wondering if I can use the Weber to cold-smoke salami and bacon and etc?
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May 2, 2013 16:26
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Martello posted:I already do charcuterie (mostly various salumi) in my basement and I'm wondering if I can use the Weber to cold-smoke salami and bacon and etc? I found this page a while ago when I had the same question. I haven't tried it, and it looks like a hassle. Cold Smoker Conversion.
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May 2, 2013 16:30
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cornface posted:I found this page a while ago when I had the same question. I haven't tried it, and it looks like a hassle. Does look like a lot of work. I might still do it though, maybe during the summer when I have a little more free time.
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May 2, 2013 23:58
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That method for cold smoking is overkill. Just get something like the ProQ or A-MAZE-N cold smoker and some dust, put the WSM somewhere cool and you are set. http://www.macsbbq.com/cold-smokers/product/proq-cold-smoke-generator http://www.amazenproducts.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=AMNPS5X8 I've used the ProQ version for a couple years now, it works perfectly.
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May 3, 2013 09:27
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Scott Bakula posted:I'm going to be smoking some pastrami and bacon this weekend so might as well smoke something to eat immediately as well. The only problem is I'm going to be the only person eating. What should I go for? I'm actually a huge fan of smoked chicken wings. Marinate them overnight and put a spicy rub on them. Finish them up on gas grill or right over the coals if you can to crisp them up a bit.
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May 3, 2013 21:30
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I ended up going for a pork shoulder. For some reason I've just not been able to get the temperature past 200F. I think probably because its really windy and the wind is quite cold. I plan on sticking the shoulder in the oven for 3-4 hours to make sure its totally cooked so I can eat it at a reasonable time.
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May 4, 2013 14:48
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Scott Bakula posted:I ended up going for a pork shoulder. For some reason I've just not been able to get the temperature past 200F. I think probably because its really windy and the wind is quite cold. I plan on sticking the shoulder in the oven for 3-4 hours to make sure its totally cooked so I can eat it at a reasonable time. With pork shoulders that you plan on shredding, you should use your "done" temperature as a rough guideline to start probing it, rather than as a set in stone sign to pull it. They can vary quite a bit. A probe should slide into it with about the same resistance you'd get from probing a stick of room temperature butter. I only mention this because I looked at your posts and you had one come out tough.
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May 4, 2013 16:04
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Scott Bakula posted:I ended up going for a pork shoulder. For some reason I've just not been able to get the temperature past 200F. I think probably because its really windy and the wind is quite cold. I plan on sticking the shoulder in the oven for 3-4 hours to make sure its totally cooked so I can eat it at a reasonable time. What smoker is this? What charcoal are you using and how are you lighting it? Usually people new to smoking have a problem keeping temps low. A grill not heating up is usually an easy problem to fix unless its electric. Also what is a reasonable amount of time? Pork shoulder is one of those that can benefit from smoking an "unreasonable" amount of time.
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May 4, 2013 17:28
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Reasonable is just eating it today. I think the charcoal I was using just isn't very good. I can't see why else it wasn't producing as much heat as I was expecting. The pastrami I made is absolutely amazing though
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May 4, 2013 17:51
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Yeah, I usually do my shoulders 12+ hrs if they're 10lb or more bone in. So eating today is kinda relative to when you want to get up and start it. But you should be able to get that smoker hot enough. I would recommend lump charcoal over briquettes if you are having problems. They seem to produce less ash and the heat and burn is very consistent. I like royal oak from Walmart
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May 4, 2013 21:41
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I'm in England so smoking in general isn't very common. Ended up with around 4 hours at 200F on the smoker and then 4 hours in the oven at 150C so I could eat it today. The pastrami though was something else. The stuff available in the supermarket just doesn't compare in the slighest. Its a bigger difference than making my own bacon.
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May 4, 2013 22:20
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Does anybody have tips for making beef jerky in a smoker? I've got a electric bullet that I've smoked ribs and pork shoulder in, and attempted brisket. I've got a couple of jerky marinades in some cookbooks that I wanted to try out. Any specific things to do other than let them marinade for a while and make sure to slice the beef with the grain?
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May 5, 2013 00:49
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Pikey posted:Does anybody have tips for making beef jerky in a smoker? I've got a electric bullet that I've smoked ribs and pork shoulder in, and attempted brisket. I've got a couple of jerky marinades in some cookbooks that I wanted to try out. Any specific things to do other than let them marinade for a while and make sure to slice the beef with the grain? Yes, put it in a dehydrator.
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May 5, 2013 03:44
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Astronaut Jones posted:Yes, put it in a dehydrator. This. Smoking is not dehydrating like you need for jerky. Google Good Eats Jerky if you want to know how to make your own. I tried it that way and its great albeit a weird process.
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May 5, 2013 04:47
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