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Nosthula posted:Can't wait to here the results. Sorry to hear about the brisket, I've been wanting to do a brisket again for a while but I always end up doing a pork shoulder when I want to do long cooks. I think I would be heartbroken if I lost a brisket like that. I bought a Brinkmann electric smoker recently and the first thing I tried was a brisket. I love brisket, being from Texas, but they just don't have it at bbq joints here in Mississippi. Big mistake. It was cooked, and had decent flavor and a decent smoke ring, but it was tougher than the bottom of my boots. I did a turkey last weekend and it turned out great. Going to try a pork shoulder from my local butcher this weekend, probably following this and probably wrapping in foil when I get to 150 per this, which seems to be a very well written article about 'the stall', something I have definitely noticed in my very limited smoking career. edit: my smoker didn't come with an ambient thermometer. Do you guys have any recommendations? I have a digital probe thermometer, but I want something to tell me what the temp of the smoker is. PuTTY riot fucked around with this message at 22:50 on Mar 1, 2012 |
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Mar 1, 2012 22:45
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Nosthula posted:Pork shoulder is way more forgiving than doing a brisket. Honestly as long as you don't mind long cooks its probably one of the easier pieces of meat to smoke. Yeah, the brisket was a bad choice. The turkey I did last weekend turned out really good. These thermos are out of my budget right now (I paid like $60 or so for the smoker itself), so I'm probably going to get an oven thermometer like Mach420 is talking about. If I drop some money into a thermometer I want it to be able to do the graphing and stuff that has been posted in this thread.
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Mar 2, 2012 00:02
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PainBreak posted:I use this: This is the thermometer I want I just really wish there was a way I could log to a CSV or similar. I'm not electronically inclined enough to build something with a breadboard, but there has to be something I could use. From what I can tell thermoworks is the gold-standard, but I can't seem to find anything reasonably priced that'll do what I want. $50 for their IR thermometer isn't that bad though.
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Mar 28, 2012 23:40
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Amazingribs.com is an invaluable resource. I particularly like his advice that a good digital thermometer is the most important tool you can have.
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Apr 13, 2012 08:01
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ObesePriest posted:Anyone smoking anything this weekend? I just put on a few trouts! I was going to try ribs for the first time yesterday, but it was extremely windy so I held off. I might try tonight, not sure, don't get off work till 6 so it'll be a late dinner for sure if I do. If not I guess I should throw the rack in the chest freezer (best craigslist purchase I've ever made).
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Apr 16, 2012 22:45
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Phummus posted:You'll want a chimney style starter. They look like a giant coffee can with a handle. can you use a probe thermometer to measure ambient temp? For some reason I'm not sold on the maverick, but would jump on something like this edit: I did a brisket first, then a turkey, then a butt. Wish I did the butt first in hindsight, the first brisket I did was awful, probably because I couldn't not look at the meat every 30 minutes. On that note, don't open the smoker unless you have to, you're just making the food take longer. PuTTY riot fucked around with this message at 22:32 on Apr 18, 2012 |
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Apr 18, 2012 22:29
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Jo3sh posted:Cool, thanks for the input. I will look into those two brands and see what grabs me. A friend had an electric Brinkmann and he said it burned out elements on a pretty aggressive schedule; obviously, the cheap smokers are built to a different standard, but how has element life been for you and your BIL? I've had a ECB electric for a few months now, knowing that I am a BBQ heathen and also wanting an easy intro into smoking. I have to say, I really really like it. I wish it was better insulated and that I could control the element, but it does a great job of staying at 225, and I managed to knock over the water bowl while halfway through a brisket (I was trying to pull it out to wrap it in foil, and it was sticking to the side of the smoker). I managed to burn my wrists from the huge steam plume, and probably killed all the heat in there, but the electric element still works fine. Definitely throw out the lava rocks that came with it though, they are crap. Also, the instructions say to put the lava rocks under the element, put them on top of the element so you don't have to worry about wood touching the element.
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Apr 23, 2012 21:47
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Niagalack posted:Hello savvy smoker's , I just bought a BBQ ( Napoleon p450rbnss-9 to be precise ). Now I am wondering if it's possible to smoke a brisket? I also bought a tray that I can put charcoal in it but I have never cooked with charcoal so far.. Any tips or recommendation is appreciated. Am I dumb for even thinking of trying? I wanted to buy a smoker but my budget went into the BBQ and now the family council ( WIFE ) will not approve one. I'd really recommend a pork shoulder, turkey, ribs, or anything before you try a brisket. I did a brisket as my first smoke and it turned out extremely tough and I really regretted trying brisket first. A pork shoulder is probably the easiest and most forgiving thing to start with. I have since done another brisket that turned out much better, but I'd still recommend a pork shoulder first. And a digital thermometer, either a leave in, instant, or preferably both, a digital probe thermo was the best smoking/bbq investment I've made. The other piece of advice I wish I was given earlier is to just leave the drat thing alone, there's no reason to open the lid and look at the meat every hour.
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Apr 25, 2012 21:39
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AxeBreaker posted:Pork butts take a looong time though, that's the only issue. True, but if you're doing a whole 11-12 lb packer brisket, you're going to run into the same issue. I guess you could use a flat though. Smoking isn't hard, but I don't know if I'd dive in head first like that-- but as long as you're not feeding a dinner party or something, you should be good.
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Apr 25, 2012 21:52
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Niagalack posted:This may sound stupid but how do you follow your meat temperature if you don't check it every now and then ? I bought this guy on a whim from walmart and it works great, just insert the probe and use the wire to put the electronics outside of the smoker: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Backyard-Grill-Wireless-Thermometer/19525225 Wireless is nice, but it's one more thing that can break, and I get to use twice as many batteries. There are tons of brands but the most often recommended one is the maverick, which has the added benefit of an ambient thermometer to measure the cooking temperature instead of just the internal meat temp.
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Apr 26, 2012 04:02
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MalleusDei posted:Where do you guys get wood chips locally? I'm inspired to smoke something... PuTTY riot fucked around with this message at 22:13 on Apr 27, 2012 |
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Apr 27, 2012 21:55
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Also, I found an offset charcoal char broil smoker on craigslist for $50 instead of $150 new, think I am going to jump on that so that I'm not limited to my brinkmann electric.
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Apr 27, 2012 22:15
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pork never goes bad posted:Is $75 for a Brinkmann offset and cover a decent price? Apparently it's 1,238 square inches and around $180 new if that helps you guys determine whether it'd be worth looking at. I've made the Alton Brown flower pot smokers a few times, and want to step up to something a little more permanent this time around. The flipside is that the patio at my apartment complex is shared - I don't want a fancy thing.
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Apr 28, 2012 04:04
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I really like this recipe/guide for pork butts. I followed it pretty closely and was really happy with the result. http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/porknography/perfect_pulled_pork.html Here's his rub: http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/rubs_pastes_marinades_and_brines/meatheads_memphis_dust.html
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Apr 29, 2012 01:10
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CuddleChunks posted:Ewww that would be nasty. Thanks for the warning. I think I need to get a bigger bag of chips before I start and change them out once an hour or every couple hours. I wasn't too fussed about it this time around and there were plenty of times on the grill where not much smoke was being produced. Just remember that the smoke typically is only absorbed during the first few hours of the smoke and that you definitely can oversmoke something-- I'm not talking about creosote though that's a concern too. quote:5) Smoke. For charcoal or gas cookers, add 4 ounces of wood at this time. On a gas grill, put the wood as close to the flame as possible. On a charcoal grill, put it right on the hot coals. Resist the temptation to add more wood. Nothing will ruin a meal faster and waste money better than oversmoked meat. You can always add more the next time you cook, but you cannot take it away if you oversmoke. http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/porknography/best_BBQ_ribs_ever.html Love to see some pictures in this thread. I'm cooking fajitas on the grill this week but I'm not sure when I'll get a chance to smoke something again, my fiance is kind of a picky eater and isn't really big on ribs. I wish I could find raw sausage, instead of stuff that was already smoked at the factory. I may just get a sausage stuffer and make my own.
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Apr 30, 2012 16:35
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Lava rocks might be a better choice than sand if you are trying to add mass to keep temps stable. I'd be super paranoid about sand getting on my meat. The water pan in my brinkmann electric works fine for me, though I have found boiling a huge pot then pouring it in really cuts the amount of time needed to get the smoker up to temp.
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May 2, 2012 22:59
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Scott Bakula posted:Living in England the weather has been utter poo poo for nearly a month now. A chance to do a proper slow smoke haven't really been possible since getting the smoker. What do people recommend for the first attempt? Pork shoulder is my current thought
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May 11, 2012 00:06
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If I'm not mistaken you need to let them dry out-- for around 6 months in a dry place.
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May 22, 2012 20:13
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GroovinPickle posted:Lowe's is doing their $9.99 for 40# of Kingsford this weekend. I think Home Depot does something similar on Memorial Day weekend. Time to stock up again.
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May 24, 2012 22:30
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Here's my haul from last time. 
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May 25, 2012 02:50
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Now, when you're in walmart or home depot or the grocery store and you see what they normally price charcoal at (especially kingsford), your head will explode.
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May 25, 2012 03:13
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LTBS posted:I don't know how many of you people live near a Kroger grocery store, but they currently have their shoulder on sale for $0.99/lb. I picked up two yesterday and I'm probably going to pick up another 2 today. I'm doing two of them not smoked (one as a puerto rican recipe and the other as carnitas) and doing normal smoking with the other two. I checked this out and this is for picnics, not butts. Has anyone smoked a picnic before, and is it as good as a proper butt? If so, I might get a couple of these for the chest freezer.
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May 26, 2012 03:44
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I think spraying the butt every hour, especially early in the cook, causes the cooking time to increase, which may be why you were stuck in a plateau at 150 for so long. The amazingribs.com guy suggests not spraying butts but instead adding some apple juice or similar when you foil it. this link should help you out a lot.
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May 31, 2012 21:52
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We got my dad a bge for fathers day and now I'm all kinds of jealous.
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Jun 17, 2012 20:32
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coyo7e posted:Found this fella on craigslist for I bought one of these new from Home Depot. It works pretty well for me. Put lava rocks (buy a new bag the ones that it comes with are crap) on top of the electric element if you haven't already. oh and don't use an extension cord. SweetJuicyTaco posted:I was able to score a 18.5" Weber smoky mountain off of craigslist for $50 this past week. I cooked up some spare ribs yesterday as my first smoke, they came out tasty but not perfect. I want to try brisket next, I'm in Texas where brisket is how BBQ is judged. I'm excited about the prospects. Make sure you have a digital probe thermometer, and read/follow this link: http://amazingribs.com/recipes/beef/texas_brisket.html The poster above me that said brisket is difficult is totally right-- my first brisket tasted awful but the second one I did was tons better. Make sure you start early.
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Jun 19, 2012 00:22
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, works like a charm. 
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coyo7e posted:??? Why not? Not even a heavy duty one? Some people have used dryer extension cords or something, but a) fire hazard and b) element doesn't get as hot apparently, at least that's what they say.
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Jun 20, 2012 21:04
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Anyone have a smokenator 1000? I have heard good things but haven't used one yet. I'm probably getting a 22" weber kettle soon and may buy a smokenator for it.
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Jun 20, 2012 22:16
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GigaFool posted:network-ready thermometer I really want one of these too, like really bad.
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Jun 21, 2012 03:34
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Is a select packer brisket from the grocery store/walmart/sams worth buying if its reasonably cheap or do yall always pony up for choice/local or better? There's a huge price gap between the two...
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Jun 23, 2012 19:57
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McSpankWich posted:Alright question 2. Can you over brine a pork shoulder? We had put it in yesterday at 6pm to be cooked today at 8am, but my friend got sick and we're going to postpone for 24 hours. Can we just leave it in the brine? If I take it out and don't smoke it immediately will it form a pellicle type thing like fish does? Is that good? Good link regarding brine: http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/rubs_pastes_marinades_and_brines/zen_of_brines.html
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Jun 27, 2012 17:15
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I'm kind of sitting in the same holding pattern at this point to see what happens with the pi. I can follow a guide but I won't be able to figure it out on my own.
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Jun 28, 2012 02:39
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how long do you guys let cryo ribs sit in the fridge? I got some 'previously frozen' last Tuesday I think, for the 4th, and didn't have a chance to cook them, though I thawed them. If I wanted to smoke them on Saturday should I throw them in the chest freezer or let them sit in the fridge?
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Jul 9, 2012 15:22
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Niagalack posted:I cold smoked delicious salmon! It was tasty. It's way too hot this time of year to do that around here. I am ready for it to cool off so I can give it a try.
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Aug 2, 2012 06:11
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Mach420 posted:They also make smoker blankets to keep the heat in if you can't get the temp quite high enough. However, I think that with enough active charcoal and some sort of windbreak, it wouldn't be a problem at all. Just be prepared to use more charcoal than usual.
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Aug 5, 2012 08:16
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I want a WSM. I have a vertical propane smoker. Is the 18.5" ok or should I seek out a 22"? I mainly do briskets, butts and turkeys. The WSM is a better bang/buck than an offset, right? Part of me wants an offset, but it seems like there's a huge quality difference between anything <$500 and the real expensive stuff.
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Nov 4, 2016 15:50
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HolyDukeNukem posted:Though you could do what Aaron Franklin does and just find an empty propane tank and make one yourself. I live an hour south of Memphis. The end-game is a propane tank on a trailer, purchased cheap from some competition-types who quit. Something big enough to do a whole hog on. Just to say I did it. But yeah, I have no welding skills or tools. Good to know the 18.5 will work. Leaning towards the 22.5 though after looking at this. Funny you mention Franklin-- started watching his PBS show 2 days ago after my brother suggested it and finished all of them last night.
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Nov 4, 2016 16:06
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IT BURNS posted:What's the recommendation for an ambient in-grill thermometer? I have an instant read digital thermometer, but alas it doesn't have an adapter. I have a maverick et-73. It's pretty good. Not sure if the more expensive one is worth the price jump. Bought a 22" WSM. today. It'll be here Monday. I'm unreasonably excited. I have 2 turkeys. I will probably do one on Thursday in my propane smoker and one on the WSM. Doing a first cook on thanksgiving with no backup seems like a bad idea.
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Nov 17, 2016 04:33
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Y'all ever freeze cryo briskets? I have a chest freezer and nearest Sam's is an hour away. Brisket here (north MS) that isn't select is north of $4.50 a pound. Sams has it for 2.48/lb (plus 10% not-member fee). I was thinking about picking up 3 or 4 briskets while I'm up in Memphis in a couple of weeks.
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Nov 17, 2016 20:43
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Did a 12 hour smoke on my 22" wsm. Did a full ring of charcoal and put like 20 lit coals spread around top. I had to add charcoal again at hour 10 or so and then all of that charcoal (maybe 10-20 more briquettes) was finished. The butt was at 197 or so and jiggly and buttery smooth when I stuck it with a probe thermometer so I just called it a day. Temps hovered around 275, a little warmer than I wanted but it slowly crept down. Should smoke be coming out of the sides of the lid or just out of the top vent? Is that about what I should expect out of a full ring of charcoal? If I closed the vents more to get it down to 225ish would it have gone longer? If I do a big ol brisket I might need more than 12 hours. Just add more if I need it?
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Nov 21, 2016 04:41
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Struggling trying to figure out when I'll start my brisket to have it ready for dinner around 6:00. I like the overnight cook but that's probably too far in advance. Should I bite the bullet and get up at 4am-ish and throw it on? I don't have it yet, but I requested the butcher order one around 13-14 lbs. I believe it'll be the biggest brisket I've cooked. First brisket on my 22" WSM. Will a full ring minion method get me all the way through this cook? do y'all ad lit or unlit charcoal?
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Dec 22, 2016 20:30
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