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HootTheOwl posted:I have a question about pellets. Pure speculation on my part: The maze also needs really dry pellets to stay lit well. In Austin, it was humid enough that over weeks/months, an open bag of pellets would get harder and harder to keep lit. I had way better luck turning the smoker on to 225 for like an hour first to heat them up and dry them out.
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Aug 7, 2022 04:45
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| # ? May 14, 2024 19:32 |
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Wooooooooooooooo! What a day! Apparently the “holy trinity” of bbq is brisket, ribs and sausage.  I always thought it was brisket, ribs, and pulled pork… so that’s what I decided to smoke today!Smoked everything over Cowboy lump, pecan and cherry chunks at 225ish. Pork butt was the biggest so I started it last night. Woke up this morning and started spritzing every couple of hours. When it hit the stall at about 175 degrees, I foil-boated it. I let it go until it hit about 200 degrees and butter soft. First time smoking brisket, so I tried just doing a flat instead of a whole packer. It came out excellent considering its smaller size. I put it in the smoker this morning. At 185 degrees, when the fat cap was feeling nice and soft I wrapped it in butcher paper to finish. I pulled it off when it hit 200 degrees. Was juicy and delicious! Very excited to try a full packer at some point! Was worried about my ribs drying out cooking at 225, so I decided to 3-2-1 them for a change. They were definitely moist and tender, but slightly too tender. I’m really nitpicking on this one. My measure of success for ribs is extremely narrow, and wasn’t too far off the mark.    
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Aug 8, 2022 00:13
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That’s some good lookin meat partner
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Aug 8, 2022 01:37
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Kaddish posted:I have both the maze and the tube - I find the tube stays lit a little better than the maze. I have a tube and that thing is tits for cold-smoking. It's like the soup can I used before but better.
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Aug 8, 2022 21:40
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I've had to relight the maze three times now  E: how do you all do it? I filled the maze and set it on the bottom rack of the smoker I turned on the smoker I waited about half an hour for it to dry out. I used the torch to burn it until it caught fire and then kept going for a solid minute. It's burning, it's smoking. I close the door, but not seal it shut I come back ten minutes later, and its smoldering I add food I come back an hour later to check on it, no smoke. Light it again Blow out the flame ten minutes later Two hours later I check up on it, no smoke. I relight it again, letting it burn and smoke Twenty minutes later I come back, no smoke E2 now I've pulled the loader out half way and lit it again HootTheOwl fucked around with this message at 00:01 on Aug 9, 2022 |
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Aug 8, 2022 22:01
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HootTheOwl posted:I've had to relight the maze three times now Do you have some airflow into the smoker, like at least a crack/ajar smoker smoke tube? What brand pellets? The cheap ones typically are both less dry out of the bag, and will have bark inclusions which don't burn as well. How full is the maze to the top? Even if you only fill halfway through the maze, you want the pellets to be nearly overflowing so you get a big solid chunk of ember. General tip: I like to actually leave like an inch of empty space at the beginning of the maze, so that I can light the top and that whole side, instead of just the top. Where do you live? If it's somewhere super humid, you will legit want to get an airtight container, and potentially bake them in the smoker at a high temp for a while first before cooling and storing.
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Aug 9, 2022 00:22
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Electric igniters work pretty well for lighting wood pellets and chips in lieu of a propane torch in my experience. If you don't have any lighter gel to put along the length of the wood to keep it burning, maybe try laying strips of paper throughout to act like a fuse? I haven't tried that myself but at least in a tube filled with chips I would think it would work, although it might burn up quicker than you want.
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Aug 9, 2022 01:54
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For what it’s worth, I also had issues with even the tube staying lit in a MES. Those things don’t have a lot of airflow. Maybe take the chip tray all the way out since you’re not using it anyway.
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Aug 9, 2022 02:24
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Doom Rooster posted:Do you have some airflow into the smoker, like at least a crack/ajar smoker smoke tube? I tried pulling the loader half out, but generally I left it how it normally sits. Kingsford blend. I've kept them in a box in the garage. Here's a picture of how I filled it:  Today was pretty humid, it rained all morning and then after I thought it stopped the was some periods of mist. In the end I just added some chips for the last two hours and it came out like this:  I waited until 190, and the meat itself was good enough.
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Aug 9, 2022 03:03
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Doing my first whole packer brisket this weekend for some visiting family. Looking for a little variety. Slice the flat and chop the point?
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Aug 18, 2022 19:37
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Bloodfart McCoy posted:Doing my first whole packer brisket this weekend for some visiting family. Depends on what you and your family like. I vastly prefer point, so I’d slice the point, chop the flat and any egregiously fatty parts together. Chopped point is practically mush, chopped flat has texture while being able to add fat to it. If your family is a lean brisket crowd though, do what ya gotta do.
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Aug 18, 2022 19:48
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Doom Rooster posted:Depends on what you and your family like. I vastly prefer point, so I’d slice the point, chop the flat and any egregiously fatty parts together. My thoughts exactly. The point is like texture heaven. It shines as a slice in my mind.
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Aug 18, 2022 19:51
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Doom Rooster posted:so I’d slice the point, chop the flat and any egregiously fatty parts together. This. Chop the flat, mix in some fat and thinly coat it in sauce for good chopped brisket.
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Aug 18, 2022 20:09
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Well, I’m glad I asked. I’ll figure out which will be best for slicing and chopping when it’s ready to serve and go from there.
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Aug 18, 2022 20:25
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Alternatively. Serve the flat to everyone. Make burnt ends with the point and hoard it all to yourself.
sterster fucked around with this message at 21:31 on Aug 18, 2022 |
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Aug 18, 2022 21:28
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Is there a specific technique to chopping the flat of a brisket? Or just slice and then go the other way?
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Aug 18, 2022 21:51
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Zarin posted:Is there a specific technique to chopping the flat of a brisket? Or just slice and then go the other way? I cut separate the flat and point and then forget which way the grain goes and hope for the best.
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Aug 19, 2022 04:14
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sinburger posted:I cut separate the flat and point and then forget which way the grain goes and hope for the best. always cut at a 45 angle.
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Aug 19, 2022 12:50
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Sleep tight, brisket. The WSM will keep you warm tonight. I’ll see you in the morning 
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Aug 20, 2022 04:30
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Anyone have any experience doing boneless skinless chicken breast in the smoker? We grabbed a pack of 'em this week and I'm feeling adventurous. I figure I'll try what I do for thighs: • Cold smoke for 30 mins • Hot smoke until an internal temp target (TBD; need to look this up) • Dunk in sauce and smoke for another 30 minutes/until sauce is sticky But I figure my internal temp targets are going to be much lower, so I'll do my hot smoke at a lower temp; even so, it'll probably be a shorter amount of time. Is this even workable? Or am I going to regret whatever outcome I get because it's BSCB?
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Aug 20, 2022 05:16
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I have smoked for years and have no idea what hot smoke and cold smoke is. I think you may be overthinking it. For breast’s I typically go as hot as mine can go for however long it takes. On a BGE like 400 for 20-30 mins. I get more out of chicken by brining it before hand too.
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Aug 20, 2022 13:20
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Bob A Feet posted:I have smoked for years and have no idea what hot smoke and cold smoke is. I think you may be overthinking it. For breast’s I typically go as hot as mine can go for however long it takes. On a BGE like 400 for 20-30 mins. I get more out of chicken by brining it before hand too. Yeah, after I posted that I went poking around YouTube and it seems like a brine is the way to go here. I keep reading that smoke sticks better to cold items. I'm using an electric smoker with a pellet tube, so by "cold smoke" I just mean "have the pellet tube going without the heat". I just set a timer to run it for 30 minutes like that, then go back and turn on the heat. I was thinking a lower heat, like 200-ish, since that's how I've done thighs in the past. Maybe that doesn't work for breast though?
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Aug 20, 2022 17:34
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Throwing on a rack of ribs today. I don't know why I don't do these more often, they're seriously the easiest thing to smoke (wings are a close 2nd but they require a lot more prep before they go on, whereas these rib vacuum bags I just drain, rinse, dry, rub, slap it on there).
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Aug 20, 2022 17:44
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Going to be doing a bunch chicken today, on the fence on whether I grill them over charcoal, or smoke them around 375 (it'll be around the same time to cook regardless) . It's all skin on stuff so going to dry brine with salt and sugar beforehand.
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Aug 20, 2022 18:21
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Zarin posted:Anyone have any experience doing boneless skinless chicken breast in the smoker? We grabbed a pack of 'em this week and I'm feeling adventurous. It’s BSCB so it’s going to be what it is, but smoking actually does a decent job of preserving some moisture if you watch temp. I wouldn’t bother smoking just BSCB, but I’ll often throw a couple BSCB on around whatever main thing I’m smoking - smoked chicken breast thinly sliced makes for good sandwiches, or cube it for chicken salad. (Fresh sausage also does well as this sort of “throw it in the spare space” filler cook.)
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Aug 20, 2022 19:55
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Bob A Feet posted:I have smoked for years and have no idea what hot smoke and cold smoke is. I think you may be overthinking it. For breast’s I typically go as hot as mine can go for however long it takes. On a BGE like 400 for 20-30 mins. I get more out of chicken by brining it before hand too. Gonna try it your way tomorrow. The way I did it, the smoke flavor was way too strong. Did half brined/half unbrined and the brined were definitely juicier. Also I took Sweet Baby Ray's and mixed it with some ACV like Mad Scientist BBQ does and it . . . wasn't that good this time. Not sure if the lower temp I was running at didn't evap enough ACV or what but the resulting sauce was too heavy in vinegar. To be honest, I'm really not sure what the ACV brings to the table so tomorrow for the ones I throw some sauce on, I'll just go with straight Sweet Baby Ray's and see what happens.
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Aug 21, 2022 04:27
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Okay… first attempt at a full packer brisket. Went pretty well. I dropped the ball on the carving though. That’s a hosed up place in your cook to make mistakes . Practice makes better! Trimmed this 17 pounder up to be nice and aerodynamic. Used yellow mustard/Franks Red Hot as a binder. For a rub I just used 50/50 black pepper and Lawry’s Seasoned salt. Hit the WSM at 10pm last night using the minion method with Cowboy Lump, two chunks of pecan, and two chunks of cherry. Kept the temp between 225-245 most of the night and cook. Temp got up to 260 once or twice but no big deal. Woke up at 6am this morning and checked the bark for doneness. Needed more time. Probed for temp and the flat was more than a little further ahead than the point, so I put a little foil blanket over the flat to shield it a bit and keep from drying out. This is also when I put a little tin of the fat trimmings on the smoker too in an attempt to render out some beef tallow for later. Bark was set and the fat was nicely rendered at about 10am. Could push my finger into the fat and it felt like jello. Meat probed at 185 degrees. I poured on about half of the rendered tallow onto the brisket and wrapped it in butcher paper to finish the cook. Back on the smoker until it probed like butter. For temps, the point was 200 degrees and flat was 205. Took off the smoker at 12:30pm and let it rest at room temp until internal temp came down to about 180 degrees. At 1pm, I set my toaster oven to “warm” and put the wrapped brisket in there to finish resting. Internal temp came down and held at 155. Pulled brisket out at about 6pm and let it sit again at room temp for another 15 minutes. Was probably about 145 when I finally opened it up and cut it. Juicy and tender as gently caress. Didn’t need the remaining tallow. Some pieces were slightly too tender and fell apart for the bend test. Others held up fine. Lost my direction on the meat grain and messed up some good slices, which were moved to the chop pile. Ended up mostly cutting the middle of the brisket for slices from both flat and point. The rest ended up being combined and chopped. Whatever, that’s my wife’s favorite way to have it anyway. Was extremely delicious overall and my guests really liked it. Very excited to see how my briskets progress and get better over the years! Nice to finally get the first whole packer under my belt after smoking meat for five years.    
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Aug 21, 2022 05:31
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One tip I've heard from a buddy who used to compete is to take a slice of the brisket before it goes on the smoker. It's easier to see the grain (and thus slice against it) while the meat is still raw, so that first cut helps line up every subsequent cut after it's done.
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Aug 21, 2022 06:19
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I always do my grocery shopping on Sunday morning so I can buy meat at 50% off. Which means I can waste a serloin and skirt steak on an experiment this weekend.   God speed, little meats. (The skirt steak should be ready by lunch and I plan to cut up the serloin for lunch during the week)
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Aug 21, 2022 16:46
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My ribs worked out great. I've totally mastered my control of the coals and the temperature at this point. I also thought to cut it in half this time so it's easier to handle and they fit over one drip pan.  I still do the standard 3-2-1 because I take the 2nd phase as an opportunity for more flavor with the liquid I add. This was done with apple wood for 3 hours, then a mix of cranberry juice and bbq sauce for 2 hrs in the foil pouch, then 1 hour sauced under mesquite smoke. The result was the most delicious rack of ribs I've ever had.
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Aug 21, 2022 17:01
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Fuuuck Smoking a pork butt and it starts pouring rain. Internal is 150ish so into the oven. It's now beautiful and sunny outside.
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Aug 21, 2022 21:18
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Why would you stop it in rain?
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Aug 21, 2022 21:26
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It was a downpour. I'd been holding 250ish no sweat and the internal temps dropped to 130. I was planning on finishing in the oven anyway so pulling it at 150 vs 160 meh.
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Aug 21, 2022 22:00
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It still worked. Came out good too.   Save some for later.  But tacos now. 
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Aug 22, 2022 02:03
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Picked up 20lb of pork butt and 3 racks of ribs to kick off the college football season on Saturday. Still won't be able to compete with our new neighbors down the block who showed up with a 15 foot trailered smoker last month. Dude does smoking competitions on the weekends, and doesn't know that he's my new best friend yet.
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Aug 25, 2022 20:44
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This weekend I'll be smoking an unusually shaped brisket and curious if anyone has had experience. It's ~15 lbs, usual thickness, about 20" long but only about 8" wide. I'm mostly curious if it's likely to cook faster or if there's any additional risk of drying out?
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Aug 26, 2022 15:03
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lifts cats over head posted:This weekend I'll be smoking an unusually shaped brisket and curious if anyone has had experience. It's ~15 lbs, usual thickness, about 20" long but only about 8" wide. I'm mostly curious if it's likely to cook faster or if there's any additional risk of drying out? Long brisket is Looooooooooong… I would just keep a close eye on it and give it a little spritz if you see any dry spots.
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Aug 27, 2022 03:38
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Coming along, should be ready for a half time lunch.  
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Aug 27, 2022 16:08
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Beef back ribs were on special this week, I'm engaging in a smoker face off today. In one corner is me with my pellet grill:  And in the other, is also me, but with a COS:  I'll update later with results.
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Aug 31, 2022 22:44
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| # ? May 14, 2024 19:32 |
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All done! Cooked the ribs around 270 for 3 hours on each smoker. Pellet grill:  Offset:  Then wrapped in butcher paper with some tallow for another hour:  Finished product, offset cooked on the left :  Both were pretty drat good, however the offset was more tender and had more smoke flavor. All in all I'd go for the offset when cooking, but if I didn't have time to tend the fire the pellet grill with a smoker tube would do nicely.
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Sep 1, 2022 05:52
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