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nwin posted:Lump charcoal recommendations? Royal Oak is great and available at like RD and LowesDepot. RockWood is excellent but hard to find out East, Fogo is easy to order if you’re feeling lazy but $$$
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Nov 13, 2021 21:59
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Zarin posted:Trying to find not-Traeger pellets locally is difficult as hell, it turns out. Lowes in the SW suburbs have pit boss pellets 40lb/$16
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Nov 13, 2021 22:12
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Orvin posted:My local Ace is reporting a few varieties of Weber pellets available for pickup today on the Ace website. So you might try looking up some of your local Ace’s online to see what they may have in stock. But it was mostly Traeger stuff. Thank you! It looks like there's one that's about 20 minutes away that might even have CookinPellets (can't tell 100% from the website) but they seem to have a better selection of pellets than my local Ace (which is almost 100% Traeger). If I'm able to get out before they close at 6pm, I may make the drive. I will say that my Weber chips that I got from my local Ace have been fantastic. I'm still trying to dial in how to "read" my MES-130b, but it seems like "fewer chips, more frequently, for the first 4-5 hours" is the play. I have to say that I now truly understand the value of an autoloader. Maybe when I get out of the Apartment Life in the next few years . . . Orvin posted:That does look pretty good. I will probably order one of those. Bonus that extra probes are on a 35% off sale, so I can get an extra meat probe for slightly less. Since it looks like the base smoke comes with one meat and one grill temp probe. I figure a second meat probe is a good idea for a second meat or a backup. I ended up going with the slightly cheaper ThermoPro TP20 - and I've only used it for a couple weeks so I'm not a reliable source by any means - but it's been pretty great: https://www.amazon.com/ThermoPro-Wireless-Digital-Cooking-Thermometer/dp/B01GE77QT0 Amazon hosed up and ended up sending me two of them (delivered the first one to the wrong address; we could tell because the image from the delivery email was most assuredly NOT our apartment building, so Amazon corrected it by sending us another - but apparently some good samaritan dropped the original off a week later) and I have to say that being able to monitor pit temp and the temp on multiple meats is a pretty big win here.
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Nov 13, 2021 22:17
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Dog Faced JoJo posted:Lowes in the SW suburbs have pit boss pellets 40lb/$16 The video I was watching suggested that Traeger and Pit Boss were on the same tier  I do realize that this is a "me" problem for not doing my homework ahead of time and just ordering online. I'll correct that tonight, but I was really hoping to cold smoke today/tomorrow with the pellet tube so I could vac seal and fridge some cheese in time for appetizers on Thanksgiving. . . . which, I ALSO didn't realize I wanted to do until my Thanksgiving plans changed earlier this week. 
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Nov 13, 2021 22:20
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nwin posted:Lump charcoal recommendations? Fogo
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Nov 13, 2021 23:59
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Zarin posted:Trying to find not-Traeger pellets locally is difficult as hell, it turns out. The Dick’s Sporting Goods by me stocks Lumberjack pellets.
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Nov 14, 2021 00:08
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rockcity posted:The Dick’s Sporting Goods by me stocks Lumberjack pellets. Hell yeah; seems there is a Dick's about 15 mins away, so maybe I'll check them out. The website claims they only have the "Competition Blend" in stock, but it sounds like Traeger has almost zero flavor overall so it should at least hold me over for the interim.
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Nov 14, 2021 00:16
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The ThermoWorks Smoke is awesome and CookinPellets are available on Amazon.
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Nov 14, 2021 02:06
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I buy the Amazon pellets. If you're hard up to smoke tonight though I'd guess anything will do and I wouldn't worry about the pellets not having enough flavor. You'll do fine.
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Nov 14, 2021 03:15
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Zarin posted:Hell yeah; seems there is a Dick's about 15 mins away, so maybe I'll check them out. Yeah, I think that’s all they stock in store, but that’s a good blend and their price is pretty good too.
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Nov 14, 2021 04:46
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nwin posted:Lump charcoal recommendations? I recommend trying B&B briquettes or char logs, they're a nice middle ground between the Kingsford and going all the way to lump. They're bigger and less ashy than the Kingsford, and more consistently sized and easier to measure out than the lump.
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Nov 14, 2021 05:21
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spent too much on a brisket. turned out great  
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Nov 14, 2021 06:57
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Hed posted:Royal Oak is great and available at like RD and LowesDepot. RockWood is excellent but hard to find out East, Fogo is easy to order if you’re feeling lazy but $$$ Are the small pieces in royal oak fairly common? I was expecting actual lumps, but I got mainly chips and a few lumps. I filled up the WSM 18.5” with 4 chunks of cherry wood and the rest royal oak. At 40 degrees outside overnight, temp maintained 235 for 9 hours before running out of fuel. I’ve refilled it and it’s going strong. 
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Nov 14, 2021 15:31
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I typically get mostly big chunks, but there are more little pebbles in RO than those other two brands in my experience. If the whole bag was carbon kibble then that seems out of the ordinary.
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Nov 14, 2021 16:04
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Zarin posted:The video I was watching suggested that Traeger and Pit Boss were on the same tier Do you have a link you could share? I've been using the pit boss competition blend for a couple of years and really like the flavor it gives. I sometimes get the lumberjack fruit tree pellets when they're on sale when I'm looking for something a little more subtle, so they might work well for cheese.
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Nov 14, 2021 16:08
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nwin posted:Lump charcoal recommendations? I really liked the weber briquettes but apparently they have been discontinued. Kingsford blue bag briquettes aren't awful, they are uniform so if you want to do cooks or smokes with specific amounts of coals, like cast iron kettle cooking, then they are good for repeatability. Kingsford pro or hardwood briquettes are better if you can find them. Lump works fine, mostly, but briquettes are better in a slow'n'sear just because it's much more predictable.
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Nov 14, 2021 18:26
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Wtf My pork shoulder went to 197 and now dropped to 194…smoker temp is 245. It’s been wrapped in butcher paper since around 150-160. 
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Nov 14, 2021 18:45
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Dog Faced JoJo posted:Do you have a link you could share? I've been using the pit boss competition blend for a couple of years and really like the flavor it gives. I sometimes get the lumberjack fruit tree pellets when they're on sale when I'm looking for something a little more subtle, so they might work well for cheese. Sure! I can't say for sure that he's right, of course, since I don't have enough experience with any of this yet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXXiOa_gIFM I've found his how-to videos to be pretty useful, and the comments mostly seem to agree with him (for whatever that's worth).
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Nov 14, 2021 18:52
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Zarin posted:Sure! I can't say for sure that he's right, of course, since I don't have enough experience with any of this yet: Thanks, this definitely gave me some stuff to think about. Pit-boss pellets have worked well for me for flavor and I've had one auger jam in 2 years; according to pit-boss they don't use and additives or glues (https://pitboss-grills.com/products/pit-boss-40-lb-competition-blend-hardwood-pellets). Their fruit tree blends didn't work that well for me, and the mesquite was way too overbearing. In any event, I love having this kind of info available. I think especially for pellet grills a lot of the variance we can introduce is from the pellets themselves, so it is nice to have other people looking at the quality of the fuel.
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Nov 14, 2021 19:30
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Zarin posted:Sure! I can't say for sure that he's right, of course, since I don't have enough experience with any of this yet: I want to try making this dude’s pastrami beef ribs at some point. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM2UC8ahIQU Solkanar512 fucked around with this message at 19:40 on Nov 14, 2021 |
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Nov 14, 2021 19:30
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Zarin posted:Sure! I can't say for sure that he's right, of course, since I don't have enough experience with any of this yet: I watched another video where a guy blind compared 6 brands with pork chops and Traeger I think was 5th place. Lumberjack and Bear Mountain ended up being the top two. I stocked up on Bear Mountain because Fleet Farm had a deal for two 20lb bags for $16.
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Nov 14, 2021 21:33
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Dog Faced JoJo posted:Thanks, this definitely gave me some stuff to think about. Pit-boss pellets have worked well for me for flavor and I've had one auger jam in 2 years; according to pit-boss they don't use and additives or glues (https://pitboss-grills.com/products/pit-boss-40-lb-competition-blend-hardwood-pellets). Their fruit tree blends didn't work that well for me, and the mesquite was way too overbearing. Good info, thanks! I'm probably overthinking things so there's that. Like others kinda said in earlier in the thread, figuring out whatever works for you and then replicating it is probably the way to go. I just loaded up my first set of Lumberjack Competition pellets into a tube this evening to smoke some cheese; we'll see how it turns out. And I have a variety pack coming from CookinPellets.com so we'll have to see how that turns out as well. I haven't found any info on this yet - is there a temp that is TOO cold for cold smoking? I think I'll probably be fine - it's about 35 out, but inside the smoker its reading 62, so I'm probably fine. But later in the winter if it's 35 inside the smoker, is that too cold? Or as long as smoke is being generated, everything is gonna work out fine?
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Nov 15, 2021 00:28
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Zarin posted:I haven't found any info on this yet - is there a temp that is TOO cold for cold smoking? I think I'll probably be fine - it's about 35 out, but inside the smoker its reading 62, so I'm probably fine. But later in the winter if it's 35 inside the smoker, is that too cold? Or as long as smoke is being generated, everything is gonna work out fine? Welp, nevermind; not sure this is ever going to matter. It's 36F outside and with no heat (outside of the little pellet tube) the inside of the smoker keeps creeping up to 80F. I've been trying different things in order to keep the temp down, but I'm not sure I'm going to win this battle. I've put a bowl of ice in there now to try and moderate the temp, but I'm not sure if it's going to be enough. 
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Nov 15, 2021 02:39
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Crack the lid a touch?
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Nov 15, 2021 03:11
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sterster posted:Crack the lid a touch? It's a minifridge-looking one, so no lid to crack. I did let it spend a few minutes with the door open to bring the temp of EVERYTHING on the inside down, and that seemed to buy me some time. I probably got about 4 hours of good smoking in. Vac-sealed the cheese; I'll have to see how it turns out as an appetizer on Thanksgiving. (It does NOT taste good right now, but from the sounds of it that's pretty normal)
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Nov 15, 2021 05:14
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Orvin posted:That does look pretty good. I will probably order one of those. Bonus that extra probes are on a 35% off sale, so I can get an extra meat probe for slightly less. Since it looks like the base smoke comes with one meat and one grill temp probe. I figure a second meat probe is a good idea for a second meat or a backup. If you haven't already ordered one, ThermoWorks has a two-day sale going for 30% off the Smoke.
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Nov 16, 2021 17:20
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replacement MB 40 arrived. lets hope this one works when plugged in.
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Nov 16, 2021 17:22
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So far, I've smoked: • Boston Butt • Spare Ribs • Cheese My wife wants to try some smoked veggies this weekend. I think we're going to do pulled pork for Thanksgiving (not my first choice heh, but it's what my dad wanted) . . . So for this weekend, I'm not sure what to go with. I guess brisket is also popular, but I'm under the impression that it's pretty difficult to get right. What else is pretty easy/produces excellent results for the beginner?
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Nov 16, 2021 19:57
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Zarin posted:So far, I've smoked: Brisket isn't that hard to cook, but you really need to start it the day before because it takes a long rear end time. Your can rest a brisket in a cooler for a couple hours, or wrapped in butcher paper in your oven on a keep warm setting for longer. I've started my briskets around 7 or 8 am, pulled them around 12-2 am the next day, then rested in an oven for 12 or more hours depending on whether I'm serving up lunch or dinner.
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Nov 16, 2021 21:46
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Zarin posted:What else is pretty easy/produces excellent results for the beginner? I'd suggest Tom turkey legs. It only takes some curing math so you don't kill everyone. But other than that a couple hours smoke time and bam. Delicious turkey legs reminiscent of Renaissance festival or your local state fair. Hardest part is finding them. Good recipe on amazing ribs.com search Disney turkey legs.
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Nov 16, 2021 21:48
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For shorter smokes (< 2 hours) I also like to do sausages (like brats or hot italian) and chicken thighs. I make large batches of either and turn leftovers into appetizers (sausage / cheese / crackers) or chicken soup.
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Nov 16, 2021 22:08
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Smoke them beans
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Nov 16, 2021 22:12
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toplitzin posted:replacement MB 40 arrived. lets hope this one works when plugged in. It lives! Meats this weekend!
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Nov 16, 2021 23:26
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I smoked quartered redskin potatoes a week ago and they were goddamn delicious.
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Nov 17, 2021 00:29
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Interesting! Did you broil them to crisp the skins at all, or were they OK as-is? Seems like the kind of thing that would make a killer potato salad.
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Nov 17, 2021 00:40
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Subjunctive posted:Interesting! Did you broil them to crisp the skins at all, or were they OK as-is? Seems like the kind of thing that would make a killer potato salad. It was in my pellet smoker. I had them at 200 for an hour then bumped it to 375 for 30 minutes. Crisped up nice. Might be fun to try it at like 225 the whole way and go the potato salad route.
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Nov 17, 2021 04:33
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Zarin posted:So far, I've smoked: Chicken for sure. Spatchcock a small one or do thighs. Short and hot so you get crispy skin too. Pork belly is really easy too and amazing. I think I'm going to do some belly I have in the freezer and then wings again.
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Nov 17, 2021 15:15
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Zarin posted:I'm still trying to dial in how to "read" my MES-130b, but it seems like "fewer chips, more frequently, for the first 4-5 hours" is the play. I have to say that I now truly understand the value of an autoloader. Maybe when I get out of the Apartment Life in the next few years . . . Get yourself a AMAZEN tube/maze and don't use the MES chip thing at all. One tube/maze will last your whole cook.
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Nov 17, 2021 18:06
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I got a full packer brisket from Costco ($80...) and will be smoking it for Thanksgiving. I am thinking of starting it about 6pm Wed night. We are leaving at 2pm so that gives me about 20 hours. And I can always cooler it if it gets done early. I am not sure how many pounds it is and can't look as I am at work. Wife said they wanted me to smoke a turkey again but I could do brisket if I wanted... They are also doing a small deep fried turkey so brisket it is! Besides I need the leftovers for some Chili!
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Nov 17, 2021 18:13
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For my MES, I put in as many woodchips as I can in the beginning, then if I'm feeling spicy I'll put in some more ~2 hours into the cook. That's about it. I make sure not to preheat before I put anything in. Works great for me, minimal babysitting.
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Nov 17, 2021 18:37
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