Slow Smoking Meat: I'm a Microbiologist, Dumbass.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Goons with Spoons > Slow Smoking Meat: I'm a Microbiologist, Dumbass.

Random Hero: Jun 4, 2004; I could sure go for a Miller High Life...

Inovius posted:

I'm making a trip down there at the end of April specifically to hit Franklin (and then a few other's as well). Can't wait to just gorge and try everything!

IMO, LA BBQ is the 2nd best in Austin. Their moist is very close to Franklin's and the line is a little more manageable. I work just down the street from it and the line is usually ~1hr and they have a free keg going most days. LA BBQ's sausage is definitely better as well.

# ? Feb 23, 2016 17:50

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# ? May 30, 2024 01:09

Inovius: Apr 7, 2010

Random Hero posted:

IMO, LA BBQ is the 2nd best in Austin. Their moist is very close to Franklin's and the line is a little more manageable. I work just down the street from it and the line is usually ~1hr and they have a free keg going most days. LA BBQ's sausage is definitely better as well.

That's another stop I have planned along with Killens in Houston (and his Steakhouse) among how every many others I find.

# ? Feb 23, 2016 22:51

Gegil: Jun 22, 2012; Smoke'em if you Got'em

Inovius posted:

I'm making a trip down there at the end of April specifically to hit Franklin (and then a few other's as well). Can't wait to just gorge and try everything!

You should also consider a trip to Louie Mueller in Taylor.

# ? Feb 23, 2016 23:37

MrUnderbridge: Jun 25, 2011

And since you're making a tour of it, Elgin hot sausage. From Elgin.

# ? Feb 23, 2016 23:54

atothesquiz: Aug 31, 2004

I'm headed to Austin for a bachelor party in April and some plan on hitting up Franklin BBQ but we're not sure if we want to invest the time when there are other things to do.

Zaepho posted:

Turkey: The real standout here was the Turkey. Never have I had turkey this moist especially not smoked. Seasoning complemented but didn't overpower the bird.

I just watched the turkey episode of BBQ with Franklin, does he really put a quarter pound of butter on each ~3 pound turkey breast? Then dip each slide in a pool of glorious butter? If so, i need to try this next time I pull out the smoker.

# ? Feb 24, 2016 00:46

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

atothesquiz posted:

I'm headed to Austin for a bachelor party in April and some plan on hitting up Franklin BBQ but we're not sure if we want to invest the time when there are other things to do.

It's the perfect bachelor party day activity. You sit around outside bullshitting and telling stories with your friends for 4 hours, drinking a shitload of beer starting at 8am.

Ugh, the ribs... I had forgotten about the ribs. They may not actually the most "technically perfect, to style" ribs I have ever had, but drat if they are not actually the best tasting I have ever had.

# ? Feb 24, 2016 04:37

sellouts: Apr 23, 2003

Gegil posted:

You should also consider a trip to Louie Mueller in Taylor.

You should do this.

atothesquiz posted:

I'm headed to Austin for a bachelor party in April and some plan on hitting up Franklin BBQ but we're not sure if we want to invest the time when there are other things to do.

Why anyone would want to do this during a bachelor part when you've got Austin and 6th street is beyond me.

Plan ahead and do the pickup thing.

# ? Feb 24, 2016 06:16

Cartouche: Jan 4, 2011

Zaepho posted:

Trip Report: Franklin BBQ, Austin, TX (put this on your bucket list)

There be Meat Mountain! Approach it at yer own peril!

Headed out to Austin for my friend's 40th birthday. Goal: Beer and BBQ. We found lots of both but top of the list was to hit Franklin BBQ, survive the live and walk (or waddle) away stuffed with meaty goodness.

Op Success! We walked away happy, stuffed and with BBQ to take home.

Turkey: The real standout here was the Turkey. Never have I had turkey this moist especially not smoked. Seasoning complemented but didn't overpower the bird.
Sausage: Meh. It's good but not a huge standout. Wouldn't bother ordering it again.
Pulled Pork: Flavorful and juicy. Wasn't drowned in sauce like many others. I would say it was slightly overdone (not mushy by any means) and could have had just a little more "tooth" to it.
Ribs: oddly little color on the outside, but they were foil wrapped so they may have been foiled the majority of the time. Flavor was very good and it didn't fall off the bone. Apparently Aaron's been doing this a while and doesn't bother to cater to the backyard rib masters and their disintegrating ribs.
Brisket: We got lean because some jackass (lucky bastard) further ahead in the line ordered 25 pounds of moist and they ran out about 45 minutes before we hit the counter. The lean was as moist as most places moist. Very flavorful, again the rub complemented but didn't overpower the meat itself. The slices pulled apart and had a very narrow but extremely dark smoke ring.

We ordered about 10 pounds total, and they dropped extra on everything due to the whole No Moist "debacle". For those who care to hit this place up yourselves. Go early, the line starts around 0600 on Saturdays (the second guy in line showed up at 0615 this weekend). We showed up at about 9 (we might have been drinking the previous night) and there were a few hundred people ahead of us. The only thing they ran out of by the time we hit the counter to order was the Beef Ribs and the Moist brisket. The entire time we were in line, staff was trolling the line talking to people, letting them know what was up and when they would eat. Once you were on the property, they were even selling beer/cider/sodas. Shortly after we lined up, we were told 1445 to 1500 would be what time we were eating. We set down at the table at 1450. These guys know their poo poo and everyone that was told they would get food, got food. Several groups were warned "You can stay in line, but you're probably not going to get anything, and if you do it'll probably be sausage". They all elected to bow out.

Aside from the Turkey, the line management was the biggest surprise of all. if you at all get the opportunity, it's worth it to deal with the wait if for nothing else but the experience.

Been reading the manifesto. Definitely on the bucket list.

# ? Feb 24, 2016 14:55

Zaepho: Oct 31, 2013

Inovius posted:

That's another stop I have planned along with Killens in Houston (and his Steakhouse) among how every many others I find.

In Houston (Well, a little north of Houston aka Spring) hit up Corkscrew BBQ. They're one of the (if not the) best in Houston IMO. They diverge from true Central Texas style slightly by not only using Salt and Pepper but they still true to not overwhelming the flavor of the meat itself. They are an 1100 till till they run out type of place but the line isn't as bad as Franklin's.

# ? Feb 24, 2016 16:13

Secret Spoon: Mar 22, 2009

Zaepho posted:

In Houston (Well, a little north of Houston aka Spring) hit up Corkscrew BBQ. They're one of the (if not the) best in Houston IMO. They diverge from true Central Texas style slightly by not only using Salt and Pepper but they still true to not overwhelming the flavor of the meat itself. They are an 1100 till till they run out type of place but the line isn't as bad as Franklin's.

Corkscrew used to be basicly in my backyard. Can confirm that it is legit good.

# ? Feb 24, 2016 23:02

lilbeefer: Oct 4, 2004

I have cooked 2 briskets in my life, both on a charcoal weber kettler in the last 6 months. Both times I used the snake method (1 or 2 rows of briquettes laid in a semi circle around the drip tray and "lit" from one end like a fuse, hickory chunks on top). Both times the meat ended up being very flavorsome but unfortunately I have not been able to start early enough in the day and both ended up being way undercooked as a result. My buddy and I ,who are keen to work this poo poo out, ended up suffering acute bbq anxiety both times. lovely overpriced meat thermometers are certainly an issue.

Smoking is not that common here but it's pretty fun. Are there any goon reccomended techniques to smoking fat short ribs for bbq noobs? I prefer dry rub to wet... is short fib a bit technical for noobs?

(I know kettles are not really ideal smokers but i cant justify getting a new cooking implement at the moment

)

lilbeefer fucked around with this message at 16:40 on Feb 28, 2016

# ? Feb 28, 2016 16:31

Swedish Metal: Jun 17, 2003; The only one that can do what I do is me. Lot of people had to die for me to be me. You wanna be me?

Is it hard to determine the outcome of this photo?

# ? Feb 28, 2016 21:11

I. M. Gei: Jun 26, 2005; CHIEFS

BITCH

I need to smoke me a pork butt.

# ? Feb 28, 2016 21:27

Sniep: Mar 28, 2004; All I needed was that fatty blunt...

King of Breakfast

Dr. Gitmo Moneyson posted:

I need to smoke me a pork butt.

I did one last night, gonna be lunch here in a couple!

Obligatory meat pics:

'Bout middle of cooking after 4-5 hours

Almost there

Done

# ? Feb 29, 2016 18:34

DiggityDoink: Dec 9, 2007

I'm in the middle of loving around with learning how to bake bread too right now and the idea that proofing bread takes place around the same temperature as a cold smoke has me thinking. Is there any thing like a smoked bread?

Im becoming a smoke fiend who will try to put anything and everything in the box.

DiggityDoink fucked around with this message at 08:26 on Mar 2, 2016

# ? Mar 2, 2016 08:23

suuma: Apr 2, 2009

I had the same "CAN I SMOKE IT????" reaction when I bought my first actual smoker, too. :chef:

A quick google turned up this, but it looks like they smoke the flour itself before baking rather than the actual bread. I feel like smoking a loaf of bread for any appreciable amount of time would make the smoke flavor pretty overwhelming.

# ? Mar 2, 2016 15:37

Cartouche: Jan 4, 2011

Are you folks cranking up the temp at the end to get the bark that burnt?

# ? Mar 2, 2016 18:56

OBAMNA PHONE: Aug 7, 2002

I've had bread that was baked in a dutch oven on a big green egg. I dont think smoking wood was added but charcoal itself adds just a hint of smokiness.

It was fantastic, and I should try doing it.

# ? Mar 2, 2016 18:58

vulturesrow: Sep 25, 2011; _{Always gotta pay it forward.}

Cartouche posted:

Are you folks cranking up the temp at the end to get the bark that burnt?

No mine looks like that after a standard cook.

# ? Mar 2, 2016 22:13

Cartouche: Jan 4, 2011

vulturesrow posted:

No mine looks like that after a standard cook.

Mine do not even come close to that at 225.

# ? Mar 9, 2016 22:04

unknown: Nov 16, 2002; Ain't got no stinking title yet!

Try using more brown sugar in your rub. I find the "bark" is more like caramelization of the sugars.

# ? Mar 9, 2016 22:45

Dang It Bhabhi!: May 27, 2004; ASK ME ABOUT
BEING
ESCULA GRIND'S
#1 SIMP

unknown posted:

Try using more brown sugar in your rub. I find the "bark" is more like caramelization of the sugars.

Yep. Ol' Maillard strikes again!

# ? Mar 10, 2016 12:15

Dang It Bhabhi!: May 27, 2004; ASK ME ABOUT
BEING
ESCULA GRIND'S
#1 SIMP

Try using some Meathead's Memphis Dust. Also, a 4-3-2-1 rub (4 tbl salt, 3 tbl sugar, 2 tbl paprika, 1 tbl cayenne) is about as simple and effective as it gets.

# ? Mar 10, 2016 12:21

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

I don't use any sugar in my rubs and I get an excellent black bark at 225�F.

# ? Mar 10, 2016 12:27

Dang It Bhabhi!: May 27, 2004; ASK ME ABOUT
BEING
ESCULA GRIND'S
#1 SIMP

tonedef131 posted:

I don't use any sugar in my rubs and I get an excellent black bark at 225�F.

Yes there's the particles from the burnt material that sticks to the meat.

# ? Mar 10, 2016 14:36

tonedef131: Sep 3, 2003

fyodor posted:

Yes there's the particles from the burnt material that sticks to the meat.

Not sure what you're saying here, but my point was you don't need to add sugar to your meat for maillard reactions to occur.

# ? Mar 10, 2016 14:42

THE MACHO MAN: Nov 15, 2007; ...Carey...

draw me like one of your French Canadian girls

Spring is here, and I need to fix my smoker. I'm pretty sure I blew the heating element on my masterbuilt "40. Anyone have any experience in fixing this? Is it a DIY thing, or do I have to ship it out?

# ? Mar 10, 2016 16:48

lilbeefer: Oct 4, 2004

Getting a bit sick of the weber kettle for smoking.

I know it's cheap but would this be an improvement?

https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/charma..._zoahoCV2Dw_wcB

Or is $99 AUD too cheap to get into something slightly more specialised?

# ? Mar 10, 2016 17:01

Flaggy: Jul 6, 2007; Grandpa Cthulu needs his napping chair; Grimey Drawer

fickle poofterist posted:

Getting a bit sick of the weber kettle for smoking.

I know it's cheap but would this be an improvement?

https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/charma..._zoahoCV2Dw_wcB

Or is $99 AUD too cheap to get into something slightly more specialised?

I had one of these and it was terrible. Just absolutely awful, I took it back and bought a better one. But, to be fair that just my experience.

# ? Mar 10, 2016 18:17

El Jebus: Jun 18, 2008; This avatar is paid for by "Avatars for improving Lowtax's spine by any means that doesn't result in him becoming brain dead by putting his brain into a cyborg body and/or putting him in a exosuit due to fears of the suit being hacked and crushing him during a cyberpunk future timeline" Foundation

My local costcos have Kingsford competition briquettes on sale, $4 off with a limit of 3. So about $15 for two 16lb bags or whatever they are. Might check your local store if you want in.

# ? Mar 13, 2016 19:45

lilbeefer: Oct 4, 2004

Flaggy posted:

I had one of these and it was terrible. Just absolutely awful, I took it back and bought a better one. But, to be fair that just my experience.

Oh god

Completely coincidentally, another friend bought one for me and my housemate as a housewarming.

Here its is looking guilty and forlorn.

What made it so terrible? Is it tinniness? Is it hard to regulate heat and smoke? It will have to do, I need to at least have the decency of using it a few times as we have been going nuts with indirect heating and smoking on the weber recently hence the gift.

By the way I am aware the garage floor is filthy. The door has been open for years (decades) and I just inherited it.

# ? Mar 14, 2016 12:19

HolyDukeNukem: Sep 10, 2008

fickle poofterist posted:

Oh god

Completely coincidentally, another friend bought one for me and my housemate as a housewarming.

Here its is looking guilty and forlorn.

What made it so terrible? Is it tinniness? Is it hard to regulate heat and smoke? It will have to do, I need to at least have the decency of using it a few times as we have been going nuts with indirect heating and smoking on the weber recently hence the gift.

By the way I am aware the garage floor is filthy. The door has been open for years (decades) and I just inherited it.

The brinkmann isn't a bad smoker per se. It just needs to get modded to make it have good consistent smokes like a WSM or BGE. Here is a site that lists the mods:
http://www.smoking-meat.com/modify-brinkmann-ecb-smoker

Like I said, from what I've heard, they are cheap but they don't hold temps well until they've been modded.

# ? Mar 14, 2016 14:03

lilbeefer: Oct 4, 2004

Thanks, I would never have found that because I would have been looking for info on this which is a Charmate. Im going to give it a few runs stock before i start modding it, just to get comfortable with the idea. I am going to do some trout fillets this weekend which I assume wont need as long smoking or as high a temp as a pork shoulder or brisket etc...

Eventually I would live to get a BGE but this will do while I am learning. Thanks again.

# ? Mar 14, 2016 15:23

Tenzarin: Jul 24, 2007; .; Taco Defender

The feeling to take another crack at brisket is coming at me. Gonna cleanse the smoker with fire to prep it tonight.

Been reading about separating the point and flat before cooking, think I'm gonna try that.

# ? Mar 18, 2016 20:29

Vulture Culture: Jul 14, 2003; I was never enjoying it. I only eat it for the nutrients.

Tenzarin posted:

Been reading about separating the point and flat before cooking, think I'm gonna try that.

The popular method seems to be to put the point on a rack directly above the flat and let the flat catch the nice drippings. Let us know how it turns out!

# ? Mar 18, 2016 21:35

Dang It Bhabhi!: May 27, 2004; ASK ME ABOUT
BEING
ESCULA GRIND'S
#1 SIMP

Tenzarin posted:

The feeling to take another crack at brisket is coming at me. Gonna cleanse the smoker with fire to prep it tonight.

Been reading about separating the point and flat before cooking, think I'm gonna try that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaMgt1Altys

# ? Mar 18, 2016 22:56

Paper With Lines: Aug 21, 2013; The snozzberries taste like snozzberries!

Tenzarin posted:

The feeling to take another crack at brisket is coming at me. Gonna cleanse the smoker with fire to prep it tonight.

Been reading about separating the point and flat before cooking, think I'm gonna try that.

This makes me wonder, does anyone have a "clean the grill/smoker at the start of the season" walkthrough?

# ? Mar 19, 2016 05:53

Tenzarin: Jul 24, 2007; .; Taco Defender

Paper With Lines posted:

This makes me wonder, does anyone have a "clean the grill/smoker at the start of the season" walkthrough?

I smoke on a WSM, so I just load it up and open the vents and it turns over the thermometer. Kills the poo poo out of mold.

On the Weber/grill, if the grate looks like poo poo, I throw it in a trash bag and go over to Lowes and buy a new one for $20.

If you want a better answer, http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/grill_and_smoker_cleaning_and_maintenance.html.

Tenzarin fucked around with this message at 08:33 on Mar 19, 2016

# ? Mar 19, 2016 08:16

Paper With Lines: Aug 21, 2013; The snozzberries taste like snozzberries!

Tenzarin posted:

I smoke on a WSM, so I just load it up and open the vents and it turns over the thermometer. Kills the poo poo out of mold.

On the Weber/grill, if the grate looks like poo poo, I throw it in a trash bag and go over to Lowes and buy a new one for $20.

If you want a better answer, http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/grill_and_smoker_cleaning_and_maintenance.html.

This is great! I apologize for not just checking AR.

Thanks.

# ? Mar 19, 2016 08:55

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# ? May 30, 2024 01:09

Tenzarin: Jul 24, 2007; .; Taco Defender

Vulture Culture posted:

The popular method seems to be to put the point on a rack directly above the flat and let the flat catch the nice drippings. Let us know how it turns out!

Came out ok, the flat really shrunk thinly. The burnt ends came out good.

Think next time, ill try out just really trimming down the whole brisket and keep it in one piece in till I remove the flat.

# ? Mar 20, 2016 01:37

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