What's in your smoker?

[jonumberone]

A couple of picnic's and a fatty.

http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab234/jonumberone/232C0570-3402-455D-BEC9-5A01FAE7868D-2045-000001D11A24AE36_zpsa00a9a66.jpg

http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab234/jonumberone/318E6098-A510-4C51-A20C-BBF8F3A70417-2045-000001D0F40EA5FD_zps4d2e7eb8.jpg

I also did a turkey but I can't find the finished pics I know I took. :confused:

[kydsid]

Bacon! :dr

[kydsid]

Okay bbq gods of CA I need some advice. I'm wanting to smoke two maybe three turkey breasts for dinner and sliced into lunch meat. Gimme some ideas on wood, brining, injecting etc.

[tupacboy]

fyi... costo has the vision smoker on sale at some locations for $399.... damn good price....

[T.G]

Okay bbq gods of CA I need some advice. I'm wanting to smoke two maybe three turkey breasts for dinner and sliced into lunch meat. Gimme some ideas on wood, brining, injecting etc.

I'd skip the brine it just leads to rubbery skin. I'd inject them with the juice from a can of jalepenos in escabeche, throw some spicy rub on and cook indirect at medium temp with mesquite and oak.:2

[T.G]

Oh, and for a finishing sauce, mix fresh lime juice, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, rasberry or apricot jam, sriracha sauce, some of the rub in a saucepan, bring to boil, reduce to simmer for 5 min or so. Paint that on the turkey in the last 5-10 of cooking. Don't turn your back on it though this stuff will burn fast.

That's today's turkey breast thoughts.

[OLS]

I'd skip the brine it just leads to rubbery skin.
SMOKING BIRDS leads to rubbery skin, my bro-hamster, lol. Might as well brine it.....By the way, that recipe of
liquids you throw together got me salivating, and I didn't even read what you put it on.

[OLS]

A couple of picnic's and a fatty.

5HI+ DOM, you gave a foner.....I do love me a good bacon weave.

[T.G]

SMOKING BIRDS leads to rubbery skin, my bro-hamster, lol. Might as well brine it.....By the way, that recipe of
liquids you throw together got me salivating, and I didn't even read what you put it on.


You're right, I should have been more clear about when I wrote "indirect" what I meant was "grilled, indirect".

Thanks for the thoughts on the sauce, yeah, it works on many things.

[OLS]

Rubbery skin is the one and only thing I hate about smoked chicken. I think the skin is
important, it protects the meat and also keeps the total smoked flavor from ever being
overwhelming, it creates such a delicate flavor that it is almost ethereal. But I have
finally just stopped the half measures...now if I can't char/crisp the skin before I pull
the meat, I just don't do it. But when you take the time to do both, wow, what a great
result. As for strictly turkey breasts, man, I don't know, can you even GET IT with skin
on it? Maybe you can wrap it in cheesecloth. I bet turkey breast on the smoker is great.
I am not a fan of wings or those giant, tendonny, spikey legs, either.

[kydsid]

As for strictly turkey breasts, man, I don't know, can you even GET IT with skinon it?

My butcher always has whole bone in turkey breasts, with skin. They run about $3 a pound and average 3-5lbs.

[kydsid]

Well I spoke too soon. My butcher ran out of turkey breast during 4th of July. :(

So pork and beef ribs going on instead.

[OLS]

man I am considering thawing SOMETHING tonight. I got a lot done over the past few days, and I am
thinking I need some kind of food for work next week anyway. All I have is BBRs and Chicken.

[OLS]

I went for it....rack of spares on for a NIGHT smoke. Went on a lil after 7 pm. Gonna wait for halfway,
then go out with a beer and a smoke to 'watch it'. And now, back to the Wendy's Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger thread
to stare at the photo.

[mk05]

Dom, I need a pic of that bacon weave roast cut.

This is probably my favorite thread.

[Mark C]

Since the Government insisted I take the day off Friday (and every other Friday through Sep, thanks Congress...) I fired up my smoker for the first time in a year to make some ribs. The first, and only, time I tried ribs they weren't all that great. I think my temp was too high and they cooked too fast. This weekend I nailed it, one guest said she's been dreaming about my ribs - two days later! Now I'm hooked, but I like variety and need ideas.

Anyone have a favorite cookbook for smokers?

[OLS]

The gubmint had every opprtunity to fix the issues that led to that sequester, they
just lacked the balls that a leader needs...well, unless he is a leader of THIS country,
in which case, who needs balls, just a finger to point.

I cooked some unfurloughed ribs Saturday night, got a LATE start rather than my usual
crack of dawn smoke. Smoked from 6:45 pm to about 9:00....perfect job I thought.
I used some of the rubs that I got from being a well-known smoker at work. Our major
chemical supplier gives us one of thir tote bags full of famous Memphis sauces and rubs.
Luckily, me bringing ribs to work all the time developed for me a reputation that led to
them just dumping all that stuff on me. This week I used the World-Famous Rendezvous
rub (http://www.hogsfly.com/). Almost as good as the stuff I mix myself.

Ready to go to the pit

http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/b611/CameraTestsPage/ribsJuly2013rendevous_zps1d30abd4.jpg (http://s1294.photobucket.com/user/CameraTestsPage/media/ribsJuly2013rendevous_zps1d30abd4.jpg.html)

Ready to EAT.

http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/b611/CameraTestsPage/ribsJuly2013_zpsbc9a839e.jpg (http://s1294.photobucket.com/user/CameraTestsPage/media/ribsJuly2013_zpsbc9a839e.jpg.html)

Just left em dry, which is the way I have always preferred. Since I found Sweeet baby Ray's, I have tended to
serve em wet. But after nuclear scalding myself on 300 degree sauce one day, I add it as a dipping sauce cold, now.

[RHNewfie]

I had to retest the seal on my SFB so hoping to try it out next week. Having some brisket delivered from MI on Saturday!

[Steve]

just left em dry, which is the way i have always preferred. Since i found sweeet baby ray's, i have tended to
serve em wet. But after nuclear scalding myself on 300 degree sauce one day, i add it as a dipping sauce cold, now.

ouch!

[kydsid]

Posting just cause I can't stands to see Joes bacon weave every time I open this thread and hoping for a new page. That damn bacon makes me hungry and drooly every time I see it.

[El Fumador]

Brine's are great for birds, It's just the amount of salt and the amount of time they tell you. I always use half the salt of any recipe and 3 hours or so, but using a good brine helps from the meat oxziding and drying out.

[OLS]

I had to retest the seal on my SFB so hoping to try it out next week. Having some brisket delivered from MI on Saturday!

Jeff, I find the actual seal on something sealed as well the job you did on
YOUR unit to be OVER-rated. A perfect seal sure won't HURT, but I think
you will be fine with what you have now. GET SMOKING! My long form
grill/smoker leaks like a sieve and still cranks out great Q.

[jjirons69]

My first turkey. A 20 pounder I smoked on vacation. I let it brine for 24 hours in 1/2 cup salt per gallon of water brine. Ended up needing 4 gallons of water to cover it. Let it brine in a cooler with ice. I rubbed it down with my bird rub then smoked her at 250-275F for about 5 hours until the breast read 180F and the joints were all loose. It was so juicy and tasted great! The leg was a meal in itself. My wife made a large bowl of turkey salad with a breast and a thigh. It was awesome, too. I'll definitely do it again when I've got a crowd big enough to handle it.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t178/jjirons69/P1050959_zpsfef6e31b.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t178/jjirons69/P1050961_zps476f8c12.jpg

[OLS]

MAN, I need to go to Kroeeger to get some ribs.....baby backs and beef backs are on sale
this week, by the time you scan you card, they are half price. I was paying about 5-6 bucks a rack
for beef back ribs and about 6-7 for BBRs. I have 8 racks in the freezer and think, now that they all FIT,
I should go back and get some to cook up fresh tomorrow night. What a great idea, although I may go
to Hot Springs and see my favorite girl band (http://www.midtownviolets.com/) play and shoot some more pics. I'd like to slather THEM with sauce.

[OLS]

Said and done.........

http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/b611/CameraTestsPage/babybackribs1_zps0744781a.jpg (http://s1294.photobucket.com/user/CameraTestsPage/media/babybackribs1_zps0744781a.jpg.html)

http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/b611/CameraTestsPage/babybackribs2_zpsab2fd879.jpg (http://s1294.photobucket.com/user/CameraTestsPage/media/babybackribs2_zpsab2fd879.jpg.html)

I have room for three more racks of these in the freezer, and I am tempted to get em, at an average of
$6.50 a rack, but sometimes I think you can get too ahead of yourself and end up with a freezer full of meat
and then somehow your freezer blows up. But I guess I will do it anyway. I have 5 racks of beef ribs and
two more BBRs for now. Man, I am thinking hard about stocking up. These were SOoooo good.

[jonumberone]

5 Pounds of pork belly about to hit the smoker.

http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab234/jonumberone/1CE47555-FC80-4C07-BD10-2A4037D4AE3F-11058-00000CA92BDC3036_zps42467ab4.jpg

http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab234/jonumberone/32FA9EDD-BBAF-42D5-9F4B-57F97C5B1B7C-11058-00000CA934500CBC_zps29a29674.jpg

[OLS]

So you are gonna smoke it without any kind of pre-cure? That's what I always wanted to try,
since when I cure it, it is too salty to eat after....granted I never tried the slab, can't find em.
I use the butter stick sized pieces they sell in the oriental grocery, they use it to make a REALLY
fatty looking dish where it looks basically boiled. I know its MUCH more complicated than that.
Maybe that belly was cured then washed, who knows.....Dom knows.

[jonumberone]

Not cured.
I salted the rind overnight, seasoned it early this am, and put onto the smoker.
All my other attempts at pork belly have been done in an Asian style.
Typically cubed and served with some sort of hoisin or soy based dipping sauce.
I always cooked it at a higher temp too.
This time I'm trying to prepare them more like I would my ribs.
Smoking at 200* for 1.5 hours per pound is the plan, though I'll start checking for doneness around the 6 hour mark.

[mk05]

Mmmmm Pork belly...tasty but dangerous

[OLS]

THAT MUST BE WHERE i......where I got my idea to look more into that online, asian style.
'they' say its freaking delicious, but it looks like just plain old fat.....I like it rendered out in a fryng pan, lol.
Good luck, I will be waiting for the results.....I found a bunch of chicken parts at kroeger today,
3 chickens cut up, minus the breasts....its a bonanza of good eats, especially if the breast is not your
cut. I like a fried breast and that's about it. When it comes to smoking, gimme legs, thighs and wings.
Froze the thighs and bought another reduced pack of a dozen wings, plus a pork butt. The chicken turned
out to be not even CLOSE to smelling off, so I got it half off for basically a date code. This is gonna make for
some excellent photos!

OH, the issue WAS, I went to the Kroeger in my home area, and the sale pork and beef ribs were NOT
onsale. I was very confused. So maybe tomorrow after I hit the zoo for a photo safari, I will go to
the store close to my work and grab a few more racks of each. Half price is too good to pass up, period.

[pnoon]

Just tossed on a rack of St. Louis ribs.
Rubbed down with Sweet Rub.

Marinated chicken breasts going on later.

Time for a beer.

[OLS]

I am almost done. The big Butt is on the smoker, needs to be foiled. But MAN, what
Chicken!
Not MUCH worried about the chicken juice dripping onto the pork, hell, its bad either way, lol.
The butt has SO MANY more hours to cook, those chiken juice gremlins are gonna be long dead.

Spent the later bits of time smoking a great cigar, I THINK courtesy of NEENS. Illusione 888.

http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/b611/CameraTestsPage/BBQSatJUL27start_zpsaf202175.jpg (http://s1294.photobucket.com/user/CameraTestsPage/media/BBQSatJUL27start_zpsaf202175.jpg.html)

http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/b611/CameraTestsPage/BBQSatJUL27_zps592eed5b.jpg (http://s1294.photobucket.com/user/CameraTestsPage/media/BBQSatJUL27_zps592eed5b.jpg.html)

Finishing the chicken...MUST crisp the skin for maximum deliciousity. We already discussed rubber skin
on this forum last week, lol

http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/b611/CameraTestsPage/BBQSatJUL27ab_zps79385832.jpg (http://s1294.photobucket.com/user/CameraTestsPage/media/BBQSatJUL27ab_zps79385832.jpg.html)

http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/b611/CameraTestsPage/BBQSatJUL27abc_zps3b111d48.jpg (http://s1294.photobucket.com/user/CameraTestsPage/media/BBQSatJUL27abc_zps3b111d48.jpg.html)

http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/b611/CameraTestsPage/Illusione888end_zps8236724f.jpg (http://s1294.photobucket.com/user/CameraTestsPage/media/Illusione888end_zps8236724f.jpg.html)

[mk05]

this is porm

[Robulous78]

you guys know how to make a man hate his diet... :dr

[jonumberone]

I forgot to take finished pics, but based on the feedback from Bigash and Blak Smyth, and the fact that there were zero leftovers, the pork belly was a hit.
Salting the rind was a bad idea.
Or maybe covering the salted rind with seasoning was the bad idea?
Either way, the rind didn't crisp up the way I intended, and was way too salty for my taste.
Once removed though, the excess salt went with it, and the rest was good eatin'!

[OLS]

My mistake, I thought your experiment was for bacon. That was why I thought it needed a cure.
If you were just smoking it to eat, ehh, I could see why you cooked it rather than smoked it really low.
Finished my butt finally, pulled it and froze it for my trip to the NC mountains this month.
All in all it was a super-smoker, buster-a55er weekend. Ton of yard work, even tore a playhouse down,
without Graham Parker's help.

[OLS]

The butt after foiling and crisping for another hour

http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/b611/CameraTestsPage/bostonbuttEndofJuly_zps6d021e03.jpg (http://s1294.photobucket.com/user/CameraTestsPage/media/bostonbuttEndofJuly_zps6d021e03.jpg.html)

[Mikes]

Got a 15# packer brisket
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k215/AustinRider/image_zpsbaba88ce.jpg (http://s89.photobucket.com/user/AustinRider/media/image_zpsbaba88ce.jpg.html)

And a rack of St Louie ribs....
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k215/AustinRider/image_zpsffa0386e.jpg (http://s89.photobucket.com/user/AustinRider/media/image_zpsffa0386e.jpg.html)

All trimmed up and rubbed down with some black and white ready to go. Figure a 2:30am start time for the brisket and 12:00pm start time for the ribs. All should be rested and ready to slice around 4 or 5pm Tuesday. Will try and take some smoker pix but its gonna be awful dark lmao. Been awhile since I sparked up the smoker but after my Franklin's BBQ trip I feel obligated to show myself I can still kick ass and take names on my smokemaster smoker! 30$ for the brisket and another 10$ for the ribs....no lines...and 10 kegs on tap = I win lol.

Probably throw some fresh gulf shrimp and beef fajitas on the firebox coals for dinner tonight since the post oak will already be burning :)

Happy meatgasam Monday!

Mikes

[OLS]

I hope people line up to grab that last bite....

[Mikes]

That butt looks like it is ready amigo! Yum

[357]

this is porm

Yep. :dr

[OLS]

beef ribs to test out the new 50mm f/2

http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/b611/CameraTestsPage/beefribsjuly2x_zps866f5a74.jpg (http://s1294.photobucket.com/user/CameraTestsPage/media/beefribsjuly2x_zps866f5a74.jpg.html)

AND THEN WITH SAUCE

http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/b611/CameraTestsPage/beefribsjuly3x_zpsa8ad1585.jpg (http://s1294.photobucket.com/user/CameraTestsPage/media/beefribsjuly3x_zpsa8ad1585.jpg.html)

[pektel]

Nice shot, Brad. the sauced pic is drool worthy.

I can NEVER find beef ribs around here with any damn MEAT on them. Except the little short ribs, but those are always cut so damn small.

I was watching a program on food network the other day, and saw a restaurant that served that served MASSIVE short ribs. The Flinstones came to mind. I may have to find a source for those.

[pektel]

Ah, looks like the cut i am seeking is english cut short ribs. Looks like i'll be calling the local butcher shop soon.

[OLS]

Yeah, they tend to cut off a massive slab of meat off the top to create little planks of
beef rib meat, then sell the ribs to suckers like me. These were very meaty, but only
between the bones, you can see the rack is shiner city. But that intercostal meat was
shonuff good.

[T.G]

From the herf at Ratter's house on Saturday.

Sorry for the shitty photos.

[RHNewfie]

Brisket!

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t292/rhnewfie/Brisket/IMG_3444.jpg (http://s163.photobucket.com/user/rhnewfie/media/Brisket/IMG_3444.jpg.html)

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t292/rhnewfie/Brisket/IMG_3446.jpg (http://s163.photobucket.com/user/rhnewfie/media/Brisket/IMG_3446.jpg.html)

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t292/rhnewfie/Brisket/IMG_3449.jpg (http://s163.photobucket.com/user/rhnewfie/media/Brisket/IMG_3449.jpg.html)

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t292/rhnewfie/Brisket/IMG_3450.jpg (http://s163.photobucket.com/user/rhnewfie/media/Brisket/IMG_3450.jpg.html)

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t292/rhnewfie/Brisket/IMG_3451.jpg (http://s163.photobucket.com/user/rhnewfie/media/Brisket/IMG_3451.jpg.html)

[Steve]

Looking awesome Jeff!

:dr:dr

[357]

Had smoked brisket the other day a friend made. Once smoked he took it to a butcher and had it sliced super thin then he grilled it. Slight char on the edges with that smoke flavor made it taste what I imagine beef bacon would taste like.

[mahtofire14]

Killer smoke ring!

[Drphilwv]

That's nice technique on the brisket for sure. What's the bulk of the rub that you used for the crust on the top? Granulated garlic?

[RHNewfie]

Rub was a simple salt, pepper, granulated onion powder, granulated garlic powder. I just measured by eye but probably equal parts salt and pepper then decently heavy on the garlic and onion.

I think the key thing was foiling it for a couple of hours and then resting it in a cooler for 2 hours with the space in the cooler filled with blankets.

[jjirons69]

Did you sleep with the blankets that night? Ahhhh....

[Ender]

Gonna try my first brisket of the year on Saturday. It's kind of small but it came from a local farm raised cow so hopefully it should be good.

[MarkinAZ]

From the herf at Ratter's house on Saturday.

Sorry for the shitty photos.

You should be;) Looks tasty Adam!

Brisket!
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t292/rhnewfie/Brisket/IMG_3450.jpg (http://s163.photobucket.com/user/rhnewfie/media/Brisket/IMG_3450.jpg.html)

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t292/rhnewfie/Brisket/IMG_3451.jpg (http://s163.photobucket.com/user/rhnewfie/media/Brisket/IMG_3451.jpg.html)

Great looking Brisket Jeff!


A friend of ours dropped a Jenny-O turkey on us recently, so what's a person to do? Smoke that puppy!!!

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg271/markinca1953/IMG_0003_zpsbc0eefef.jpg

[MarkinAZ]

The Jenny-O didn't turn out too bad at all this evening:

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg271/markinca1953/003_zps61b7b355.jpg

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg271/markinca1953/007_zps2edece83.jpg

...:dr

[Mattso3000]

Damn, that looks good Mark.

[MarkinAZ]

Damn, that looks good Mark.

Thank you Matt. It was a great little midnight snack. A couple of slices of turkey, bbq sauce on the side, and a bottle of Lagunitas Little Sumpin Sumpin Ale to wash it all down:dr

[mk05]

great work guys. love the pictures

[hammondc]

Brisket. Actually doing the hot n fast method instead of low n slow. Gotta say...I am converted. It is outstanding. The only negative is you don't get quite as pretty a smoke ring. I have some morons tender quick on the way to help with that next time. Burnt ends on finishing up now.

[kydsid]

Smoke rings are overated, least that was what I said when I lived in Laredo and couldn't get one to save my life. Long as it tastes good that is what matters.

[RHNewfie]

Great looking turkey Mark!

[hammondc]

Smoke rings are overated, least that was what I said when I lived in Laredo and couldn't get one to save my life. Long as it tastes good that is what matters.

YUP.

[tupacboy]

just inherited 20 lbs of bluefin tuna... eating half sashimi... can i smoke the other half?

[pnoon]

just inherited 20 lbs of bluefin tuna... eating half sashimi... can i smoke the other half?

Absolutely! I just did some smoked bluefin tuna yesterday.
I will post the recipe when I get home from work.

[tupacboy]

sweet!

[Chainsaw13]

just inherited 20 lbs of bluefin tuna... eating half sashimi... can i smoke the other half?

Someone left you tuna in their will? :D Lucky bastard.

[OLS]

bet the lawyer's office stank like a55.

[tupacboy]

Someone left you tuna in their will? :D Lucky bastard.

hahahaha neighbor down the street got 3 of them from a friend and couldn't possibly eat them all... so he gave me one

[pnoon]

just inherited 20 lbs of bluefin tuna... eating half sashimi... can i smoke the other half?

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=63121

[Scottw]

Just put 4 racks of baby back on for a 6 to 7 hour smoke. Now time to pick a cigar.

http://i737.photobucket.com/albums/xx17/scottw76/food/1e275a8dad069c4374eacbf71888f875.jpg

[pnoon]

Just put on a London Broil.
A little EVOO and some homemade dry rub.
Should take ~2 hours @ 225

[MarkinAZ]

just inherited 20 lbs of bluefin tuna... eating half sashimi... can i smoke the other half?[/quote]

Yes you can you lucky sob:dr Taste great too!!!

[quote=Scottw;1876734]Just put 4 racks of baby back on for a 6 to 7 hour smoke.

Great pre-cook pix Scott. How did they turn out???

Just put on a London Broil.
A little EVOO and some homemade dry rub.
Should take ~2 hours @ 225

This looks good Peter. When I was a kid, that is all that mom cooked for dad and myself for dinner. Usually had green beans, broccoli, or brussel sprouts on the side:dr

[Porch Dweller]

Just put on a London Broil.
A little EVOO and some homemade dry rub.
Should take ~2 hours @ 225

Sounds tasty. I've never tried smoking a London Broil. Thanks for the idea... :)

[mahtofire14]

Didn't have 4 racks, but just one for the future mrs. and me. Used pecan tonight and turned out really nice.

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii91/drscholl14/null_zps225bb4fd.jpg?t=1377491050

[Chainsaw13]

Wow Pete, those looks awesome. :dr

How long did you have them on the smoke? I'm still fighting ribs to get the right amount of smoke, but not too much color. Still losing that battle as they come out a lot darker.

[Steve]

Wow Pete, those looks awesome. :dr

How long did you have them on the smoke? I'm still fighting ribs to get the right amount of smoke, but not too much color. Still losing that battle as they come out a lot darker.

What type of wood are you smoking with Bob? Woods like cherry can turn your product dark. It gives a great flavor, but must be used sparingly so that you get the subtle flavors without the darkness.

[Chainsaw13]

What type of wood are you smoking with Bob? Woods like cherry can turn your product dark. It gives a great flavor, but must be used sparingly so that you get the subtle flavors without the darkness.

Usually apple, oak and sometimes maple. I'll keep that in mind about the cherry as I do have it and will use it on occassion.

[mahtofire14]

Wow Pete, those looks awesome. :dr

How long did you have them on the smoke? I'm still fighting ribs to get the right amount of smoke, but not too much color. Still losing that battle as they come out a lot darker.

These are baby backs so I only had them on smoke for a 3 hours and then put them in foil with butter and brown sugar for another hour. I also use a barrel grill to smoke, in case that makes a difference.

[Chainsaw13]

These are baby backs so I only had them on smoke for a 3 hours and then put them in foil with butter and brown sugar for another hour. I also use a barrel grill to smoke, in case that makes a difference.

Thanks. Do you know what type of wood you were using? I usually do 2-3 hours of smoke before foil wrapping myself. But for me, they are way too dark. Like Steve mentioned, might be the type of wood I"m using. Maybe this weekend I'll do another run and try a different wood.

[Steve]

Bob, another question, what type of smoker are you using? Does it have a vent/flue, and if so, are you closing the damper to control the temperature?

I always leave the damper on my flue fully open to avoid issues with creosote, but i image if the damper was closed and the food was getting "oversmoked" it could darken the meat. I could be off base, never really thought about it like that.

Just a thought that popped into my sleep deprived brain...

[kydsid]

Over smoked? No such thing, sacrilage! Hearsay! Burn him at the steak!

[Steve]

:D

[Drphilwv]

I think oversmoked would mean too much resin/smoke on the meat. I have a klose smoker and at times when I smoke with 100% hardwood I sometimes use too much fruit wood or cherry and it gets a hair bitter. Oak seems to be the best I have locally. Mix in a touch of hickory and its gangster.

[mahtofire14]

Thanks. Do you know what type of wood you were using? I usually do 2-3 hours of smoke before foil wrapping myself. But for me, they are way too dark. Like Steve mentioned, might be the type of wood I"m using. Maybe this weekend I'll do another run and try a different wood.

I use pecan. As others, I leave my smoke stack open on my barrel to make sure that I don't "trap" stale smoke in the barrel. Also I've noticed that when using hickory it can have a bitter taste when smoked to much. This is why I like to use pecan, apple, or even cherry.

[bresdogsr]

Did a couple of beer can chickens Sunday. Very good!

[T.G]

Thanks. Do you know what type of wood you were using? I usually do 2-3 hours of smoke before foil wrapping myself. But for me, they are way too dark. Like Steve mentioned, might be the type of wood I"m using. Maybe this weekend I'll do another run and try a different wood.

What type of bbq are you using? I know you've mentioned it, but I can't remember.

After adding the smoke wood, how soon are you putting the meat on? What color is the stack exhaust and how much of it do you see?

Depending on the type of smoker and how it's fueled / set up for smoke, 2-3 hours could be a LOT.

Also, how do they taste? Bitter? Overpowering? Astringent?

[Chainsaw13]

What type of bbq are you using? I know you've mentioned it, but I can't remember.

After adding the smoke wood, how soon are you putting the meat on? What color is the stack exhaust and how much of it do you see?

Depending on the type of smoker and how it's fueled / set up for smoke, 2-3 hours could be a LOT.

Also, how do they taste? Bitter? Overpowering? Astringent?

I have the Bradley electric smoker, uses the little wood pucks. I'll get the thing up to temp, without any smoke, usually about an hours time. Then I'll put the meat on, add the wood pucks and let er rip. The Bradley doesn't really burn the wood, it more smoulders it, so I never get a smoke ring. Kinda like the old "Little Chief" style smokers, just automated. The meat's never bitter or astringent, but then I usually never go more than 2-2.5 hours of actual smoke. I run the exhaust about 1/4-1/3 open and it's a nice white smoke coming out of it. It's the type you normally see on Weber kettle grills, so not a stack.

I used to used a regular offset stick burner, with pretty much the same results. On that, I'd get the smoke rolling before putting the meat on, but would only do about 2-2.5 hours of smoke, then wrap the meat for the remainder of the cook.

[T.G]

The white smoke is giving you the dark surface color. It's an incomplete burn and depositing on your food. If it were a conventional stick or briquette burner, all you would need to do is get the fire hotter (let the coals burn over a bit more), let the wood burn off a bit more, use dryer wood or stop soaking the wood in water. Unfortunately, I'm not familiar enough with the Bradley to know if there is any way you can apply any of that. Sorry I can't be of more help. Ultimately you want thinner blue smoke, not billowing clouds of white.

[Chainsaw13]

Thanks Andy. It's not that the food tastes bad, just darker in color than I'd like.

[Steve]

I would agree with Andy. My smoke is usually a very light blue, almost transparent. I wonder if your heating element or the thermostat could be a little off.

[kydsid]

Ya usually whit smoke is a no no. Never having had a pellet smoker I don't know.

We need Peter in here. I think he has a pellet smoker and he has the look of a good BBQer. :)

[pnoon]

Ya usually whit smoke is a no no. Never having had a pellet smoker I don't know.

We need Peter in here. I think he has a pellet smoker and he has the look of a good BBQer. :)

You rang? :)

All the smoke I get from my pellet smoker is white as far as I can tell. I agree that the billowy voluminous white smoke is not what you want. Steady, less dense smoke is ideal. I suppose my pellet smoker is giving off a "light blue almost transparent" smoke but I really don't know. What I do know is I like my results. (I try not to over-analyse this stuff.)

[Steve]

You rang? :)

All the smoke I get from my pellet smoker is white as far as I can tell. I agree that the billowy voluminous white smoke is not what you want. Steady, less dense smoke is ideal. I suppose my pellet smoker is giving off a "light blue almost transparent" smoke but I really don't know. What I do know is I like my results. (I try not to over-analyse this stuff.)

A wise man...:chr

Light blue, almost transparent
http://oldchurchbbq.com/sharedpictures/2012-05-209_RPDS%20Cub%20Scout%20End%20of%20the%20Year%20B BQ%20and%20Party/2012-05-209_RPDS%20Cub%20Scout%20End%20of%20the%20Year%20B BQ%20and%20Party%20001sm.jpg

[T.G]

You rang? :)

All the smoke I get from my pellet smoker is white as far as I can tell. I agree that the billowy voluminous white smoke is not what you want. Steady, less dense smoke is ideal. I suppose my pellet smoker is giving off a "light blue almost transparent" smoke but I really don't know. What I do know is I like my results. (I try not to over-analyse this stuff.)


White (bad) on left, good blue on right. Depending on the angle of the light, blue can look whiteish.

http://i570.photobucket.com/albums/ss141/hance_patrick/smokegoodvsevil.jpg

(Not my photo)

[Chainsaw13]

I'll have to pay more attention next time I fire it up. I do have it housed in my garage, with kitchen vent hood over it to exhaust the smoke. The lighting is bad in there, so I'm actually guessing at the smoke color.

Yesterday while at Cabelas, they had the basic Traeger for $499. The Lil Tex was $799. Only differences i could see were the digital controller and the paint. Maybe a someone can chime in if there's others. I almost sprung for the $499 version, because in the bargain cave they had the Traeger digital controllers on closeout for $69.

[pnoon]

I'll have to pay more attention next time I fire it up. I do have it housed in my garage, with kitchen vent hood over it to exhaust the smoke. The lighting is bad in there, so I'm actually guessing at the smoke color.

Yesterday while at Cabelas, they had the basic Traeger for $499. The Lil Tex was $799. Only differences i could see were the digital controller and the paint. Maybe a someone can chime in if there's others. I almost sprung for the $499 version, because in the bargain cave they had the Traeger digital controllers on closeout for $69.

I believe MSRP for the Traegers are:
Junior $399
Lil Texas $699
Lil Texas Elite $799
Texas $999

I think they now make a Junior Elite. I don't know the MSRP
All Elite means is that they have the digital temp controller vs. the low/med/high. The Texas has the digital temp controler standard.

I bought my Texas at Costco for $799.

Whether you buy and install yourself or you buy it pre-installed (Elite), get the digital controller. :2

[Chainsaw13]

If I only had the money. The basic one Cabelas had was on sale, but even then, their prices always tend to be high. If/when I do get one, I'll try the Costco route and make sure to have the digital controller. I built a PID controller for my Bradley. Best thing I ever did for that.

[RHNewfie]

Got a brisket ready for tomorrow!

[Ender]

Darn Jeff. I want some. Just had some at a friends house that was not so good. Had to smile and say "mmmm"". I brought some smoked baked beans that were fantastic. They were a hit. Gave some to my neighbor who requested some today to bring to a party he was going to.

[Ender]

Yes, I'm well aware that everyone could have given me the same obligatory "mmmm". But darnit they WERE good.

[pektel]

One of my long time best friends (since sixth grade, iirc) is coming to town next weekend to stay at his parents place for his birthday. His dad has been bugging me for quite some time to cook something for them (he sees a lot of my food pictures on Facebook).

Might just do a standard pork butt the day before. Bring it over the next day.

Or do a pork loin day of on their weber kettle. Jamaican jerk marinade i think.

I'm always scared when its not my grill/smoker though. Haven't used a kettle in a good while.

[Chainsaw13]

Did a hot and fast brisket on my old side burner this past weekend. It's my friends now, out at his cottage. I didn't bring my digital thermometer, which would've really helped. The original temp gauge is pretty well shot. We did end up getting a meat thermo at least to know when it was done. The burnt ends were fantastic, the flat was a bit dry. Still all in all, not a bad effort.

[Ender]

Bob, I was just explaining hot and fast to a friend. He thought I was crazy. I think I might try it this weekend. Any tips?

[mk05]

Restaurant Depot had Yellowfin Tuna on sale for $5.60 a pound for a 6+lbs log. I had to do it. Crusted it with sesame seeds and did it proper.

Also bagged me a 17lb boston butt and am currently slow cooking with my dry rub. I'll load the pic tomorrow!

[Chainsaw13]

Bob, I was just explaining hot and fast to a friend. He thought I was crazy. I think I might try it this weekend. Any tips?

The one crucial step I missed was wrapping the brisket in foil when the IT hit 160F. We did it around 182, but then we didn't have the thermometer until about 5 mins before we took the temp.

[MarkinAZ]

Got a couple of Tri Tips on the Weber at this time. They'll be taking a Mesquite bath shortly:dr
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg271/markinca1953/IMG_0004_zps9ffad690.jpg

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg271/markinca1953/IMG_0003_zpsfaf75412.jpg

Hope everyone is enjoying their Saturday:noon

[MarkinAZ]

...and the results:

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg271/markinca1953/IMG_0001_zpsfac6dee9.jpg

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg271/markinca1953/IMG_0002_zpsebed724c.jpg

And its time to dig into some smoked Tri Tip and steamed broccoli:dr
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg271/markinca1953/IMG_0003_zps3124f981.jpg

[Stevez]

Damn Mark that looks great. Gotta try some of that. I don't find tri-tip too much around these parts.

[mosesbotbol]

[B][COLOR=darkred]http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg271/markinca1953/IMG_0004_zps9ffad690.jpg

I like your idea for separating the charcoal for offset smoking. Readers take notice for an inexpensive smoker idea for their Weber.

I put on two St. Louis racks and a 3.5 lb brisket this morning at 6:30 AM. Hopefully it'll be ready for kick off of the Pats game at 1:00

[MarkinAZ]

Damn Mark that looks great. Gotta try some of that. I don't find tri-tip too much around these parts.

Thanks Steve. In checking Google for meat markets back in your neck of the woods, there appear to be at least 10 that I observed there. You may just have to walk in to one of the more reputable shops to ask the butcher for a good Tri Tip cut. 3 or 4 lbs is a good size.

You might want to check out the meat dept in a local Costco, Sams Club, or Krogers too. If you don't see what you're looking for, ask the butcher:tu

I like your idea for separating the charcoal for offset smoking. Readers take notice for an inexpensive smoker idea for their Weber.

Thanks for the comment Moses, but "full credit" goes to a good brother here on the forum named Adam (T.G). You can check out the photo's of his grill here, posts 21 through 40 (more or less):

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=21946&page=2 (http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=21946&page=2)

I really enjoyed seeing how he had his grill set-up and it really made a whole lot of sense. I simply tightened things up a bit to seal off heat from coming around from the sides.

[T.G]

Thanks for the comment Moses, but "full credit" goes to a good brother here on the forum named Adam (T.G). You can check out the photo's of his grill here, posts 21 through 40 (more or less):

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=21946&page=2 (http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=21946&page=2)

I really enjoyed seeing how he had his grill set-up and it really made a whole lot of sense. I simply tightened things up a bit to seal off heat from coming around from the sides.


Thank you Mark, but, I can't take credit for originating the idea, it was suggested to me by a friend who had seen it done elsewhere. All I did was pass it along by using it.

[T.G]

Damn Mark that looks great. Gotta try some of that. I don't find tri-tip too much around these parts.

At only 2 tri-tip per animal, most tri-tip in the US does end up out on the West coast because we love it out here, as you can see, Mark just ate an entire cow yesterday... :D.

It sometimes goes by other names in different parts of the country. You can try "bottom sirloin butt" or "triangle roast". It's possible that there are even more names so you could even try taking this document in which explains the cut
http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/meatcharts_photos/tritip.pdf

[MarkinAZ]

At only 2 tri-tip per animal, most tri-tip in the US does end up out on the West coast because we love it out here, as you can see, Mark just ate an entire cow yesterday... :D

:r...and such an effing pig I am too:D

[Ender]

Just did a little 2 1/2 pound brisket that I smoked hot and fast. At 165 I wrapped in foil with some Founders Breakfast stout layered inside. Brought it to a perfect 200 and now it's sleeping for a while in the cooler.

[Chainsaw13]

Just did a little 2 1/2 pound brisket that I smoked hot and fast. At 165 I wrapped in foil with some Founders Breakfast stout layered inside. Brought it to a perfect 200 and now it's sleeping for a while in the cooler.

Let us know how it turned out.

[Mr B]

Love the Tri-Tips Mark. I did one over the weekend too.

[Ender]

The brisket turned out great. I'm having an issues uploading the pic from my phone.

[Chainsaw13]

The brisket turned out great. I'm having an issues uploading the pic from my phone.

That's cool. Next time I'll make sure to have my thermometer with me so we don't overcook the flat end.

[MarkinAZ]

Love the Tri-Tips Mark. I did one over the weekend too.

Nice...:tu

[Mr B]

Nice...:tu

I'm gonna have to start doing (2) like you did. With a family of 5, there are no left overs any more when I do a single Tip.
Nothing better than a Tri-Tip and Cheddar sandwich the next day. :dr

[T.G]

From last Thursday...
18 lbs of pork shoulder for the brewery release party of chinook wet-hopped XPL "Resinator" on Friday. Plus 3 quarts of bbq sauce and 6 lbs of Primanti Bros inspired coleslaw.

[mahtofire14]

Man TG, those shoulders look fantastic!

[jjirons69]

6 lb shoulder rubbed down. 5 hours at 275F. Get in my belly!

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t178/jjirons69/Picture003_zps3a2f79d1.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t178/jjirons69/Picture006_zps0e200894.jpg

[MarkinAZ]

From last Thursday...
18 lbs of pork shoulder for the brewery release party of chinook wet-hopped XPL "Resinator" on Friday.

6 lb shoulder rubbed down. 5 hours at 275F. Get in my belly!

That is some great looking BBQ Adam and Jamie:dr:dr

[357]

I FINALLY finished my UDS build. I worked off of these plans: http://mancavemeals.net/the-uds/ but I made a few changes as I went.

After watching this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUQbGTSXhdk I liked the gloss paint and exchanged the flat for gloss. Both sources provided good insight into the build process.

Front:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/0914132258.jpg

Side/Back:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/0914132258a.jpg

Top Rack:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/0914132259.jpg

Bottom Rack:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/0914132259a.jpg

Charcoal basket with tabletop grill for an ash pan:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/0914132300.jpg

[357]

My "handle" design:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/0914132300a.jpg

Here's the thermometer I mounted between the two racks. It's adjustable so I boil tested and adjusted it slightly. I know I need to rely on internal temps when smoking meat but I wanted something that would at least give me a ballpark.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/0914132304.jpg

What I read for setting up a dual rack was that the bottom rack needs to be 24" above the bottom of the charcoal basket. I think this is close enough.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/0914132303.jpg


I did about a 10 lb basket of charcoal with a few chunks of hickory mixed in for my seasoning burn. I left both valves all the way open. After about 30 minutes temps stabilized just above 300 degrees. I checked on it a few times over the next 2-3 hours before I went to bed and it stayed at the same temp. When I woke up in the morning (7 hours later, 10 hours total) there was no more smoke flowing out of the vent but the temp was still 175. Not bad given the air temp on my deck was around 45 degrees.

Now I can't wait to buy some meat. I'm thinking a pork shoulder will by my first attempt. This is my first smoker and will by my first attempt. Any/all advice welcome. Plus, I'll need a rub recipie or two.

[357]

I cannibalized the lid, bottom rack, all three wood handles/spacers, and top ring from an old 22.5" Weber kettle grill knock-off I received as a wedding gift, in 2001. It served me well but has been replaced. So it was fair game. The top ring allows the lid to fit without having to stretch out the lid, which would undoubtedly chip more of the enamel off. You can't really see the inner ring in the pics but it's there. You CAN tell in the top pics that the lid doesn't fit over the barrel. BTW, pics were taken before the seasoning burn.

[Steve]

Nice!

[forgop]

I'm going to take my first stab at bacon-2 pork bellies and 2 jowls in the brine today. Can't wait to see the finished product, so it's going to be a hard 3 weeks.

[stearns]

nice Mike! what time is dinner? :dr

[forgop]

And I just bought 2 of these 18" cold smokers:

http://www.amazenproducts.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=AMNTS

[T.G]

Nicely done, Steve.

How did that coal based blasting abrasive work out?

Steven Raichlen has a great rub formula that is excellent on it's own and is easy to tweak to your liking.

Raichlen's Rub - An All-Purpose Barbecue Rub (Especially Good On Pork)
printer-ready version (http://www.bbqu.net/recipes/108_1.html)
Makes 1 cup

1/4 cup coarse salt (sea or kosher)
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup sweet paprika
3 tablespoons black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic flakes
1 tablespoon onion flakes
1/2 to1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds

From: http://www.bbqu.net/season1/108_4.html


A few comments/notes from me:
- I recommend kosher salt (Diamond Crystal), as it's "less salty" per volume versus sea salt. You can always add salt at service time, you can never take it away.
- I use granulated (the stuff with the texture of sand not the fine powder) rather than flakes for the garlic and onion, seems to form a better, albeit 2-dimensional, bark.
- To prevent clumping, dry the brown sugar by spreading it out on a sheet pan (cookie sheet) and put it in the oven at the lowest temp setting with the door cracked. Takes about 20 minutes, stir it once or twice. Let it cool, break up any lumps and add to rub.
- You can easily customize the flavor of this base rub by going up or down on the garlic, cayenne, onion, salt or adding things like ground cumin, thyme, rosemary, mace, oregano, marjoram, ground bay leaf, dry worcestershire powder, etc. With the exception of cumin, go easy though (like 1/8 to 1/4 tsp per cup of rub) as they really come through. I grind the leaf spices in either a whirly blade coffee grinder or a mortar, depends on how much I'm adding.
- If you're not afraid of it and have it around, a 1/2TBS of MSG (Accent) or 1TBS of dry soy sauce powder per cup of rub will boost it up quite a bit.

Buy a big shoulder and coat the heck out of it, you're going to shred it, so having a thick layer of rub on a piece of meat that's 8" thick isn't a big deal. Save a little bit of rub too, sprinkle it in when you shred and toss the pork.

And, don't worry, pork shoulders / boston butts are very forgiving. About 1.5 hours per lb at 225-250F, look for an internal temp of 180-185, pull it off, wrap in foil let it sit for an hour or two wrapped in towels or in a empty ice chest. Throw it in a bowl and shred it. If it's too dry, toss a stick of butter in along with some water.

[T.G]

Here's a few good sauces to start with. I've made all of them and all are excellent.

-------------
Miss Piggy Mustard Sauce

1 cup Mustard
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Cider vinegar
1/4 cup Brown sugar, light
2 tablespoons Chili powder
1 teaspoon Pepper
1 teaspoon White pepper
1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon Hot sauce
1 teaspoon Soy sauce, dark
2 tablespoons Butter

Combine all ingredients except soy sauce and butter. Add the vinegar last. Add to your desired thickness.
Simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and add butter and soy sauce.

http://tvwbb.com/archive/index.php/t-20030.html
-------------

-------------
Lexington Dip, The Classic Hill Country North Carolina Barbecue Sauce

1 cup distilled vinegar (do not use cider vinegar)
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup apple juice
1 teaspoon hot sauce
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

Method
1) Whisk together all the ingredients and let them sit for at least three hours to allow the flavors to meld. Overnight is better. A week is best. The locals mop it on the meat with a basting brush once every hour while cooking. If you do mop, a good silicon brush is best. It holds lots of fluid and is easy to clean. A lot of places still string mops, but I think these are to hard to clean and potential sources of food poisoning. 2) Before serving, take the remaining mop and boil it to sterilize it. With a clean brush, to prevent contamination by a brush used on uncooked meat, mop the meat one last time. Serve the sauce in a cruet on the side so your guests can drizzle on more if they wish. Leftovers will keep for months in the refrigerator.

http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/BBQ_sauces/lexington_dip.html
------------------

------------------
KC / DR. Pepper Sauce
Originally by Steven Raichlen (BBQ-University, BBQ Bible, etc)
modified by Steve Petrone.

6 oz Dr. Pepper
2 c Ketchup
1/4 c worchestershire sauce
1/2 c vinegar
1/4 c brown sugar
2 T molasses
2 T yellow mustard
1 T Hot sauce
1 T Rub
1 t liquid smoke (reduced from the orig.)
1 t fresh black pepper
1 T lemon juice
1 clove garlic minced
1/3 c chopped onion
1 optional chopped jalapeno

Simmer 30 minutes. Run thru the blender so the sauce will not clog in squirt bottles.


http://tvwbb.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1980069052/m/7280069313
--------------



Couple of comments:
-On the Mrs. Piggy sauce, don't go running out to buy dark soy sauce, just use whatever you have, it'll be fine. I have no idea if it was written for yellow (French's, Plochmans, etc) I've always used "deli mustard" and it's worked out great. Dijon would probably be blech.

-Lexington dip/sauce - you can use beer, soda, even bourbon in place of the apple juice to fit your tastes. I don't recommend a really hoppy beer though, they just get bitter.

-Obviously, jalapenos can be replaced with habenero if you like the flavor and heat.

[T.G]

Nicely done, Steve.


Mike.

Accidentally moved the screen down to the next post when reading the name.

;s

[OLS]

Argh, too busy to smoke. Will try Sunday. I did catch smoked sausage on sale today, pfft, $4 a pack ain't no sale.
But in being distracted by meat, I went and found a bunch of reduced flatiron steaks half off, so I put half a dozen
of those in the freezer with the sausage. Scared to thaw any ribs with so much to do. maybe I can run a few
racks FRIDAY night? Hmm.....weather coming through, though.

[357]

Mike.

Accidentally moved the screen down to the next post when reading the name.

;s

The coal slag worked well. The shortcoming was the blaster and my lack of a proper hood. I ended up with slag in my eyes when doing the bottom 1/3 of the inside of the barrel. But, it worked in the end and I got the job done. Thanks for the recipies, I will put them to use.

My sister donated two chuck roasts for me to break in my smoker. Her in-laws raise beef cattle in northern Wisconsin. Everything I've eaten from there has been fantastic quality. They have large bones in each one. I originally wanted to do a pork shoulder but cash is tight and these were free. I'm working off recommendations I found here http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/107734/twin-chuckies-with-my-new-amnps-pellets as there isn't a ton of info on "chuckies". I washed each in cold water, paper towel dried, rubbed in worchestire sauce, and seasoned with some stuff I had on hand. I read to stay away from sugary rubs with beef. So, I just sprinkled on a store bought BBQ rub, a little pepper, and another store bought seasoning containing roasted garlic & bell pepper flakes. I also read most store bought seasonings are high in salt, both listed it high, so I didn't add any more on my own.

Here they are, one wrapped in celo the other about to be. They're in the fridge now and will be put in the smoker at 240. I loaded my UDS basket up with normal Kingsford blue with chunks of apple (trimmed & cut from my own trees) and a little hickory.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/0921132235.jpg

The OP of the thread I linked foiled both when IT reached 165 or so, then added:
4 ounces of Apple Juice.
1 ounce of Ken's Teriyaki Marinade.
2 ounces of BBQ sauce.

I'll be doing something similar and draining this at the end for an Au Jus. I plan on removing them when IT reaches around 205-210, resting, then pulling.

Any idea which of the many chuck roasts I have? Since they are not store bought, I don't know. They weren't labeled other than chuck roast. The only one I've read about with bones is called the "7 bone roast". :sh

[T.G]

Thanks for the info on the coal slag abrasive.

I can't tell which specific cut of chuck you have, but in my experience they all cook about the same. I cook them exactly like I would a pork butt or shoulder, as it's the same muscle group.

I've never had a problem with sugar in the rubs on chuck or any beef cut for that matter. When I've been in a pinch and had to use store bought, I'll cut about 1:1 with granulated garlic & paprika to keep the salt in check.

[kydsid]

Not smoked but in the smoker, so to speak. Home made pizza. Sad thing is that I figured we didn't need a pizza peel because a friend said and edge less cookie sheet works too. Well that's all and good, unless you are a clutz. So this is the last picture of my first home pizza, right before it went into the grass. Thankfully there was dough for two pizzas and the second one tasted great.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2880/9885919754_6111422aeb_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kydsid/9885919754/)
IMG_20130922_181059 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kydsid/9885919754/) by kydsid (http://www.flickr.com/people/kydsid/), on Flickr

[357]

I put them in at 8:35 AM then left for church. Took this picture right before I wrapped them in foil (about 12:30 PM).
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/0922131221.jpg

Here's the larger of the two after a long rest in the cooler. Took them off around 4:00 PM. Rested until after 7:00 PM.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/0922131932.jpg

And the smaller, post rest.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/0922131943.jpg

Larger one pulled with "Au Jus" bottom right in the bowl
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/0922132005.jpg

Closer look
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/0922132005a.jpg

[357]

Smaller one pulled, closeup.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/0922131959.jpg

Overall I am very happy with my first try. Great smoke flavor, both were tender and juicy. The Au Jus was good but I had problems with my bottom foil ripping and letting a lot of it get away. Might need some aluminum bread pans for the next chuck roast attempt. The rub wasn't as good as I hoped. Given I was improvising with storebought stuff due to lack of basics needed to make my own, I guess it could have been much worse. I rubbed them with Worshteshire then used these two along with some pepper:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/0921132215.jpg

Thanks for your help guys. I'll post more info/pics when I get another chance to put the UDS to work.

[T.G]

Nicely done Mike. Would have been ecstatic had my first attempt come out that well.

[Smokin Gator]

Killer looking chuckies Mike. They are a staple on my smoker and I use the meat for all kind of secondary dishes. Congrats on the UDS build as well. I don't use mine too much any more, but there is something unique and wonderful about that fat dripping down on those coals!!

One suggestions... and this is one of those that can start a war... Drop the Kingsford and find an "All Natural" charcoal. There are a lot of good ones out there, but they can be a pain to acquire. I have been using Stubbs for the last 4-5 years and like it. Lowes carries it down here. Not sure about other areas.

You will find you have way less ash (fact), the aroma while cooking is much more pleasing (opinion), and the finished product tastes better (opinion).

[T.G]

If you go with Gator's advice on the charcoal and find yourself looking at lump charcoal, here's a reasonable reference:
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lump.htm

While some of the stuff on the site is a bit dated, the bad charcoals haven't gotten any better.

[MarkinAZ]

I put them in at 8:35 AM then left for church. Took this picture right before I wrapped them in foil (about 12:30 PM).
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/0922131221.jpg


Great looking meat:dr

In regards to the hardwoods, I've recently been using Trader Joe's 100% Natural Hardwood Briquettes with no issues. I can say the briquettes provide a consistent and long burn time:2

Thanks for the lump charcoal website Adam. Handy reference!

[T.G]

In regards to the hardwoods, I've recently been using Trader Joe's 100% Natural Hardwood Briquettes with no issues. I can say the briquettes provide a consistent and long burn time:2

Thanks for the lump charcoal website Adam. Handy reference!

I'm probably going to switch over to the TJ hardwood briquettes since I've been kind of disappointed with KF blue of late. I bought a pallet of the "new" stuff at the last sale and after going through about half of it (roughly 240 lbs so far), I've pretty much confirmed that my burn rates are way up, so something changed again. Not sure if they changed the formula or not, but the new smaller briquette size means you're getting more briquettes per volume and that means more burning surface area, and being smaller, they don't last as long. Royal PITA having to reload and clear ash more often now. One of the things that kept me with KF Blue was the lower burn temps, but now, since I'm ending up with more surface area burning, my temps are higher, back in the ranges I saw with Rancher years ago, since I'm going to be stuck with higher temps one way or the other I see no point in continuing to use something that has to be replenished more often.

Anyone want a good deal on 280# of KF Blue? Local pickup only... free apple wood ('cuz I hate it) with every purchase... lol

[LasciviousXXX]

I was *this* close to getting a new Traeger at Costco this weekend. They had a slamming deal on the full size Texas. $799 got you the smoker, a free cover, 2 free racks, 2 free cookbooks, and 2 free bags of pellets. I almost pulled the trigger. They are there until next Sunday so I have a few days to decide. I probably shouldn't look in this thread too often :D

[pnoon]

I was *this* close to getting a new Traeger at Costco this weekend. They had a slamming deal on the full size Texas. $799 got you the smoker, a free cover, 2 free racks, 2 free cookbooks, and 2 free bags of pellets. I almost pulled the trigger. They are there until next Sunday so I have a few days to decide. I probably shouldn't look in this thread too often :D

That IS a smokin' (;)) deal.

[LasciviousXXX]

I see what you did there Peter :tu

[jjirons69]

Great looking smoker, Mike! Fun, ain't it!?!?

[357]

Nicely done Mike. Would have been ecstatic had my first attempt come out that well.

Thanks. There's quite a bit leftover. The Au Jus came out great too. My only problem with it was a foil failure that cause 75% of it to spill before I could capture it.

Killer looking chuckies Mike. They are a staple on my smoker and I use the meat for all kind of secondary dishes. Congrats on the UDS build as well. I don't use mine too much any more, but there is something unique and wonderful about that fat dripping down on those coals!!

One suggestions... and this is one of those that can start a war... Drop the Kingsford and find an "All Natural" charcoal. There are a lot of good ones out there, but they can be a pain to acquire. I have been using Stubbs for the last 4-5 years and like it. Lowes carries it down here. Not sure about other areas.

You will find you have way less ash (fact), the aroma while cooking is much more pleasing (opinion), and the finished product tastes better (opinion).

Thanks for the compliments. I will be getting lump charcoal next time. I stocked up on the KB when they had the Memorial Day sale. I'm too cheap to ditch it, so I'll have to burn through the 120lbs or so I have left. Since you regularly do chuckies, do you have a different rub for them or do you use the same one you'd use for pork?

If you go with Gator's advice on the charcoal and find yourself looking at lump charcoal, here's a reasonable reference:
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lump.htm

While some of the stuff on the site is a bit dated, the bad charcoals haven't gotten any better.

Funny you posted that link. I found the same one on SMF (SmokingMeatForum) and I have it bookmarked for when my KB runs out. Thanks, I appreciate it.

Great looking smoker, Mike! Fun, ain't it!?!?

Heck yea it's fun. :wo I'm already trying to figure out what I can smoke next. The weather gets cold fast here and I want to get some smoking done before it's 20 degrees during daylight hours.

[Smokin Gator]

Thanks for the compliments. I will be getting lump charcoal next time. I stocked up on the KB when they had the Memorial Day sale. I'm too cheap to ditch it, so I'll have to burn through the 120lbs or so I have left. Since you regularly do chuckies, do you have a different rub for them or do you use the same one you'd use for pork?

I use a different rub for beef than pork. My pork rub has way to much paprika in it for beef IMO. My favorite commercially available beef rub is Plowboy's Bovine Bold. Sometimes I use that and sometimes I just use Spicy Montreal Steak Seasoning.

I know I wasn't very clear on the charcoal, but I was talking about briquettes. I can't remember if I have ever used lump in my UDS. Either way is an upgrade from the K in my book:sh

[Steve]

FWIW, all I use (when using charcoal) is lump. I use it to start the Lang, as well as in my ECB and the New Braunfels for cooking.

[Steve]

http://oldchurchbbq.com/sharedpictures/Misc6/BYOB%20Pig%20Roast.jpg

:hy

[OLS]

I have gone the briquet route after being a staunch lumper for years. I like the benefits of lump, but I do not
really care much about any of the supposed bad points of briques. If I had a real smoker I might care more,
but none of my cooks are maintenance free. Most I can get to myself is 1 hour and 45 minutes....but oh
what minutes do I make out of them....

[Old Sailor]

Mike, nice looking smoker!
Here's a beef recipe I use

Pot Roast


• Combine pre-packaged brown gravy mix, Ranch dressing mix, and Italian seasoning mix.
• Place the roast in a disposable foil pan, sprinkle both sides with the seasoning mix ( 1/2 of each pkg.), then add 1 cup of beef broth or water.
• Cook uncovered at 240-260°F for two hours, then cover with foil and cook another 5-6 hours until fork tender.
• Add vegetables during the last two hours of cooking.( I add them at the beginning)
• Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

[357]

Thanks Dave. My mother-in-law (along with my wife and the rest of her family) is from Texas and LOVES brisket. So, after trying the chuckie, she wants me to try smoking a brisket. The plan is to try and have it ready for lunch after church tomorrow. May end up being ready earlier since I have a wedding to go to tonight. If so, we'll just have to reheat it. We'll see.

[pnoon]

Thanks Dave. My mother-in-law (along with my wife and the rest of her family) is from Texas and LOVES brisket. So, after trying the chuckie, she wants me to try smoking a brisket. The plan is to try and have it ready for lunch after church tomorrow. May end up being ready earlier since I have a wedding to go to tonight. If so, we'll just have to reheat it. We'll see.

I've done a full packer brisket at 200. Took 12-14 hours. Wrapped in foil and put in a cooler for another 2-3 hours.

Lots of leeway.

[kydsid]

IMO brisket should be smoked between 250-300 degrees. And at the stall I always push thru it by opening my smoker up to 350 or thereabouts. Then I wrap and rest for 3-5 hours. My 12 pounder packers go on around midnight and come off around 8 or 9 and then are rested right on time for lunch after church.

[kydsid]

Smoking in the rain today. Baby backs and Turkey breast. Egg is doin awesome in the rain.

[kydsid]

Turkey is done. And since the smoker was already running I figured heck lets do a beef and sausage fatty too!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7430/10008310404_415af7bd69_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kydsid/10008310404/)
IMG_20130929_163222 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kydsid/10008310404/) by kydsid (http://www.flickr.com/people/kydsid/), on Flickr


Sunday smoker fun! :D

[kydsid]

and tomorrow's dinner

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3698/10011159623_13080b5eac_n.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kydsid/10011159623/)
IMG_20130929_191246 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kydsid/10011159623/) by kydsid (http://www.flickr.com/people/kydsid/), on Flickr

[357]

Thanks Peter and Jason for the thoughts on the brisket. Unfortunately I didn't see them until just now. Nice looking turkey and fatty there Jason. I've been pretty busy and I haven't been online since my last post. I followed a similar approach I read on SMF to how I handled the chuckies. However, I wanted to slice, not pull the meat at the end.

Here's the 8lb brisket before it went into the Not-So-U, DS.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/0928131624.jpg
This is the bottom. It had a thick fat cap that I did NOT trim prior to smoking. Per instructions I read, I put the fat cap on top when I put it into the smoker. I rubbed it in worshteshire first, then a rub I made using these ingredients (which I had on hand)

1/4 cup cumin
1/2 cup of pepper
1/2 cup of koser salt
1/2 cup of granulated garlic
1/2 cup of onion powder
1/2 cup of paparika
1/2 cup of chili powder
1/2 cup of brown sugar

However, I didn't have a half-gallon storage container for all that so I used 2 tablespoons for the 1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon for the 1/4 cup. It made more than enough for the brisket.


I did NOT get any pics before slicing or after. Unfortunately all I could do was take a picture of the leftovers I brought to work for lunch today.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/0930131312.jpg

Here's the external thermometer reading pre-meat.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/0928131628.jpg


The Story:
I had my cousins wedding to attend Saturday. I had to leave at 5:00 PM to get there on time. Since I was not going to be home for this cook, I had to rely on my MIL to tend to things while I was gone. My plan was to put the brisket on at 225 and cook to an IT of 170, then put it into an aluminum pan, add sauce (apple juice, BBQ sauce, worshteshire mix), put back into smoker, cook to IT of 200, then rest in cooler until I got home. The goal was sliceable meat but almost tender enough to pull. However, the only aluminum pans I had on hand weren't big enough. So I had to cut the brisket in two. I did so with the grain, from top to bottom in the first pic. I put the two halves on the smoker at 4:45 PM. I told the MIL to check the IT temp in 3 hours. I explained the plan and I premade the sauce. She checked the IT at 7:45 PM and it was at 170 already. So, she followed my instructions. I didn't get home until after 3:00 AM so I left the meat in the cooler until morning. At 8:00 AM I checked and the meat was still warm. I poured off the sauce into a bowl and wrapped the meat back up. The bowl went into the freezer so I could skim the fat off of it. When it was time to eat I wanted to warm the two halves back up. But, when handling them the meat under the fat cap felt a little tough. My concern was that perhaps the MIL did not measure the temp correctly, perhaps just getting the thermometer into the fat cap and not the meat. So, I put a little of the sauce with some apple juice into the aluminum pans, covered the meat, and popped it into the oven. I figured warming them and keeping them moist might help them tenderize a bit if it was undercooked (not raw, just tough). I kept them in the over for about 2 hours, when the IT reached about 190. I pulled them out, sliced, and dumped the temp sauce as it was full of rendered fat. The bulk I had kept aside was warmed and poured into a gravy boat. Overall it was very tender, tasty, and a big hit with the whole family. My 20 month old son at 5 slices himself. When slicing I took most of the fat cap off only to realize how much bark/flavor I was losing in the process. My in-laws then told me the like more fat on. Oh well. Not sure if I should have trimmed more and left some on or should repeat and not slice it off next time.

Side note: I forgot to have my MIL close the vents when she pulled the meat off the smoker. I also forgot to check when I got home. So, when I woke up and saw it smoking I checked the temp. Still rock solid at 225. It had been15.5 hours (4:45 PM through 8:15 AM) and was still holding temp perfect. In fact, later Sunday afternoon when I put the smoker away, the charcoal basket still had about 1/4 of its fuel left. Also, my Maverick ET732 is en route. It's an early Christmas present from my mom. :tu

[357]

I forgot to mention the total smoke time was only 4.5 hours. After putting the meat into trays, it only took another 1.5 hours for the IT temp to read 200. Again, not sure my MIL's method of measuring was accurate, but after reheating the way I did both halves were very tender. It came out great. I was worried with that short cook time it would be like shoe leather. I'm guessing the two smaller peices cooked faster than it would have if left whole.

[ucla695]

I'm probably going to switch over to the TJ hardwood briquettes since I've been kind of disappointed with KF blue of late. I bought a pallet of the "new" stuff at the last sale and after going through about half of it (roughly 240 lbs so far), I've pretty much confirmed that my burn rates are way up, so something changed again. Not sure if they changed the formula or not, but the new smaller briquette size means you're getting more briquettes per volume and that means more burning surface area, and being smaller, they don't last as long. Royal PITA having to reload and clear ash more often now. One of the things that kept me with KF Blue was the lower burn temps, but now, since I'm ending up with more surface area burning, my temps are higher, back in the ranges I saw with Rancher years ago, since I'm going to be stuck with higher temps one way or the other I see no point in continuing to use something that has to be replenished more often.

Anyone want a good deal on 280# of KF Blue? Local pickup only... free apple wood ('cuz I hate it) with every purchase... lol

I stopped using KBB at the beginning of summer, right after I tried a bag of Trader Joe's briqs. Now, it's my go to. I've been stocking up. I think it's a little harder to get it going and a little more brittle, but definitely has lower ash and longer burn times. I haven't touched my bags of KBB (from last years sales) since.

[fxpose]

I'll help myself to the remaining bags of your KBB's the next time I'm over at The Pool. :)

[357]

I just got 3 more chuck roasts from my sister. She liked how they came out last time. The deal works like this: I smoke them and we split the end result 50/50. Works for me, plus I get to try out my new Maverick ET-732! :wo

I'll post as many pics as I can. This mission launch is scheduled for Sunday afternoon with completion sometime Sunday evening.

[Chainsaw13]

Elk heart pastrami before going into the smoker.

[357]

Looks goood but, we need more pictures Bob. :tu

My latest effort I started yesterday around 5:00 PM...

My sister donated 3 more chuckies. This time I split it 50/50 and used aluminum pans rather than foil to make sure I didn't lose any of the "Smoky Au Jus" as the recipie called it. Plus, I got to test out my new Maverick ET-732, an early Christmas present from my mom.

All three rubbed in worshteshire and a basic rub I last used on the brisket.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/1013131347.jpg

About 2-3 hours in, long before they were foiled.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/1013132135.jpg

Largest one after a rest. Notice that bone separation
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/1014130828.jpg

Smaller two after resting.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/1014130846.jpg

[357]

All three pulled and equally divided. One for my family, one for my sister's family.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/1014130915.jpg

I popped them into the aluminum pans at IT of about 165, added au jus, and covered. Kept them in until IT of 205. Last, I poured off the au jus and rested them in a cooler, covered in towels. Au jus went into a bowl into the freezer. This morning I popped the fat cap off the au jus and divided it into two. About to warm it up for dinner now. :dr

[T.G]

Nicely done.


BTW, how badly did it hurt when you dropped the knife on your foot? ;)

[Chainsaw13]

I'll post more pics of the pastrami tomorrow. Plan is to steam it, then slice for a sandwich. It smells amazing.

[357]

Nicely done.


BTW, how badly did it hurt when you dropped the knife on your foot? ;)

:r Actually, that was from the au jus. As I was carrying one of the pans into the house it sloshed out and landed on my foot. Obviously it was boiling hot and a portion was rendered fat. Nothing like hot grease burns. I'll be alright, it was worth the sacrifice. The family all enjoyed this BBQ beef for dinner tonight.

[T.G]

:r Actually, that was from the au jus. As I was carrying one of the pans into the house it sloshed out and landed on my foot. Obviously it was boiling hot and a portion was rendered fat. Nothing like hot grease burns. I'll be alright, it was worth the sacrifice. The family all enjoyed this BBQ beef for dinner tonight.


That's awesome Mike, even better than a dropped knife story.

Plan on a long recovery time though. The burns on my hands from Brad's Chicken ala Moskovskaya a year and a half ago are just starting to become less visible. (totally worth it though)

[357]

That's awesome Mike, even better than a dropped knife story.

Plan on a long recovery time though. The burns on my hands from Brad's Chicken ala Moskovskaya a year and a half ago are just starting to become less visible. (totally worth it though)

It's funny you say that. I layed my left forearm on my UDS barrel while wire-wheeling the paint off the outside. I layed it on a hot spot and felt a burn. There was so much dirt/paint dust on my arm I didn't see a mark so I continued. Later when showering the hot water hit it and I jumped. Once cleaned up I had a nice size burn. It didn't really blister and healed completly but it's still reddish months later. The top of my left foot seems to be following that course so far; no blistering but it's red and tender.

[357]

Found the local Foodland grocery store had a buy-1 get-1 free sale on Boston Butt pork shoulder. It didn't say a price which made it confusing. They had "family packs" which appear to have two cuts in each listed for $2.99/lb. There was some confusion as to whether this was the discounted (two in a pack for the total price listed) or if I bought one family pack for $2.99/lb and got another free. My wife convinced them of the latter. Only setback was one package was 14.5 lbs and the other 12.5 lbs. I had hoped for two of the same, or closer to the same size. Anyway, we payed for the larger and got the smaller free. So, I have 27 lbs of pork shoulder to smoke, and I paid about $43. :ss

[Chainsaw13]

Nicely done Mike. You should turn at least one of those butt's into sausage.

[357]

Nicely done Mike. You should turn at least one of those butt's into sausage.

Never made sausage. I don't have the equipment, but I do like the idea. I'm already thinking about the best way to use my UDS or my grill for cold smoking. I really like the idea of cold-smoking jerky, bacon, cheese, and sausage. It is cold smoked right, sausage I mean? I've seen some different options including http://www.amazenproducts.com/ and some homemade rigs using a tin can full of wood chips & a soldering gun.

[357]

I fogot to say thanks Bob; so Thank you! I knew their original claim that $2.99/lb was the net result of this sale wasn't some great bargain. I did the math and I ended up paying $1.59/lb. I think that's a good deal. I think I might start the smoke tonight. Not sure yet. I don't plan on brining them, just rub and smoke. No foil until they go into the cooler to rest. That's the plan anyway. I'm need to figure out if I can fit all 4 onto my top rack or if I need to put two on the bottom. Given the time it'll take to complete I know if I split them up, I'll likely need to rotate them so they cook evenly. Heck, I'm not even 100% positive there are 4. I haven't opened them up to know for sure yet.

[Chainsaw13]

You can cold smoke sausage, but you'd still need to fully cook it, unless of course you're making a dry cured sausage. Then you'd need a setup for hanging/curing those. I was thinking more of just a fresh sausage, like brats or italian sausage.

[pnoon]

Never made sausage. I don't have the equipment, but I do like the idea.

Not a huge investment, really.

You absolutely need a device to grind the meat. Attachment for a KitchenAid runs $69-$79. A stand-alone electric meat grinder can run $89-$149. Most electric grinders come with the horns for stuffing into casing. I prefer another appliance that is a hand crank and very easy to use but those run around $150. With the hand crank, you have more control over the speed.

I don't cold-smoke sausage but frequently cook my home made links on my Traeger. Sometimes on high heat. Sometimes low and slow.

[pnoon]

You can cold smoke sausage, but you'd still need to fully cook it, unless of course you're making a dry cured sausage. Then you'd need a setup for hanging/curing those. I was thinking more of just a fresh sausage, like brats or italian sausage.

Home made brats and Italian sausage are da bomb. Plus you know you are not getting any knees, knuckles, lips, ears, bone etc.
My wife's favorite is chicken with sun-dried tomato sausage.

www.thespicysausage.com is an excellent website.

[Chainsaw13]

Home made brats and Italian sausage are da bomb. Plus you know you are not getting any knees, knuckles, lips, ears, bone etc.
My wife's favorite is chicken with sun-dried tomato sausage.

www.thespicysausage.com is an excellent website.

Yea, so true. Plus you can fine tune the recipe to your own liking, adding more of one spice or less of another. One trick is to make 1/2 or 1lb batches. Weigh the meat out, then weigh out your spices to get the percentages of each. That way you don't end up with 5+lbs of something you might not end up liking. You can then wrap the finished sausage in plastic wrap, the size of a normal link, poach to cook, then finish on the grill or sauteed in a pan (remove the plastic wrap of course).

I've got my eye on a new grinder, LEM .25hp, on Amazon. My KA attachment has about had it and I want to step up to something with a bit more oomph.

[357]

I borrowed a grinder from Steve (Fissure) to process my first deer, and it worked pretty well. The next year I had a butcher grind it for me and add some pork fat. Anyway, I did borrow my mom's KA and grinder attachment once to grind a pork shoulder. It worked but did lack power. I used it to make the sausage for a fatty. I had to stop and clean stringy stuff from the plates every so often which slowed the process down a bit. My wife now has a KA, a step larger than my mom's. Not sure if it'll fare better or if it'll even accept the same attachment. If so, that might be worth a shot. Where do you get casing from a butcher or do you strictly use cello to form until cooking?

BTW, thanks for helping bring a n00b like me up to speed. Any rub recommendations for my pork? This will be my first attempt with swine. So far I've done 5 chuck roasts and a brisket, which think was only a flat. Obviously, I'm still learning. Any IT (for pulled pork), and/or minimum rest recommendations? If I start them tonight they could be ready for dinner tomorrow depending on how quick/slow they go.

Thanks again guys.

[pnoon]

I borrowed a grinder from Steve (Fissure) to process my first deer, and it worked pretty well. The next year I had a butcher grind it for me and add some pork fat. Anyway, I did borrow my mom's KA and grinder attachment once to grind a pork shoulder. It worked but did lack power. I used it to make the sausage for a fatty. I had to stop and clean stringy stuff from the plates every so often which slowed the process down a bit. My wife now has a KA, a step larger than my mom's. Not sure if it'll fare better or if it'll even accept the same attachment. If so, that might be worth a shot. Where do you get casing from a butcher or do you strictly use cello to form until cooking?

BTW, thanks for helping bring a n00b like me up to speed. Any rub recommendations for my pork? This will be my first attempt with swine. So far I've done 5 chuck roasts and a brisket, which think was only a flat. Obviously, I'm still learning. Any IT (for pulled pork), and/or minimum rest recommendations? If I start them tonight they could be ready for dinner tomorrow depending on how quick/slow they go.

Thanks again guys.

I've used two online vendors for casing. But a local butcher would work, too.
Here is one http://www.makincasing.com/x/home.php
I can't remember the other but both are good quality. I'll try an remember to check the other when I get home and post here.

I have a "sweet rub" for pork that I like on smoked butt/shoulder. I'll post that one up, too

[357]

Thanks Peter!!!

[T.G]

Pork butt, chuck roast, same thing, different animal. If you like the pulled/shredded results from the chuck that you bbq'd, then just apply the same technique to the pork butt.

Apple juice, Dr. Pepper and Coke (never use the diet stuff with sodas) all make good braising sauces.

I personally think the combo of oak, cherry and hickory for smoke wood on pork is awesome. Some people like apple or peach. Or even just straight hickory, which I personally find too overpowering, but to each their own.

Here's a nice starter base for a rub - originally by Steve Raichlen.
Basic BBQ RUB

1/4 c sugar
1/4 c sweet paprika
3 T black pepper
4 T coarse salt
2 t garlic powder
2 t onion powder
2 t celery seeds
1 t cayenne
1/2 t oregano
1/2 t thyme


The type of sugar is up to you. If you use dark brown sugar, dry it by spreading it out on a sheet pan and sticking it in a 150 oven (you'll probably have to leave the door cracked open for this) for 30-45 minutes, stir once or twice.

You can take that base and wing it all kinds of directions, add more cayenne power and some chili powders for heat or things like ground cumin or even ground mace for spice, more garlic, powdered worschestere, even a dash of MSG if you're not afraid of it.

[jjirons69]

Our yearly Kingstree BBQ contest. 57 cookers starting Friday evening and results announced at noon on Saturday. Whole hog. We cooked two and placed 5th and 8th. Once all was said and done, came home with $500 (enough to pay for the entry), 35 lbs of BBQ, and a small trophy.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t178/jjirons69/Kingstree%202013/P1050986_zps76af9e18.jpg

BIL and dad

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t178/jjirons69/Kingstree%202013/P1050989_zps6f4c8cde.jpg

Finished hog

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t178/jjirons69/Kingstree%202013/P1050991_zps743e4c73.jpg

BIL, family friend, and me in the goofy bucket hat

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t178/jjirons69/Kingstree%202013/P1050996_zps9d2052f7.jpg

[Steve]

:dr:dr:dr:dr Looks awesome Jamie, congrats!

I would love to have one of those pig cookers to go with my Lang! Now that it is getting cooler, I am hoping to fire the Ol' Girl up. I'm sure she is feeling neglected. Now that Holly has started her treatments, I thing a nice Pig Pickin' Party with a lot of friends may be in order to keep her spirits up!

[T.G]

Very nice and congratulations, Jamie. :tu

[357]

Congrats Jamie, great pics and story.

[357]

My most recent deal onto the smoker. While I do want to make sausage, I opted not to this time. I wanted a few good meals and lunches I could have ready to go. This is my first attempt at smoking pork. I did not brine, and I did not foil while on the smoker. I really wanted good bark. I think it worked. However, if brining helps with moisture, I might consider that in the future. One was a bit dry.

Twin Family packs of "Boston Butt"
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/1019131227.jpg

The bigger one we actually paid for
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/1019131227a.jpg

The smaller one we got free with purchase of the other
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/1019131228.jpg

The opposite side with fat caps showing
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/1019131228a.jpg

All trimmed up, possibly not in the same order
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/1019131319.jpg

[357]

Two destined for the bottom rack all rubbed up
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/1019131343.jpg

Two destined and sitting on the top rack before it went into my not so U-DS.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/1019131344.jpg

They went in at 1:45PM Saturday. I rotated them top to bottom once and kept the ET-732 probes on the bottom rack and in the smallest cut on that rack. I wasn't really sure of the best method given the lack of 5 total probes. So I figured this was the best option.

One of the bottom two ready to come off
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/1020130445a.jpg

I believe the removal from smoker times were Sunday 1:30 AM, 3:00 AM, 5:15 AM, and 7:00 AM. All were wrapped when removed in foil, then towels, and put into the same cooler.

Largest one, removed last
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/1020131248.jpg

Pulled
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/1020131257a.jpg

[357]

2nd to last removed
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/1020131305.jpg

Same one, just opened up
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/1020131306.jpg

A little more
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/1020131307.jpg

And pulled,
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/1020131318.jpg

The one pulled last was a bit dry but we mixed it with the others that were plenty juicy. If it was the only one I did, then sauce would be mandatory. Flavor is fantastic. The first meal I ate, I sauced with one of my favorite commercial brands and it was good. The next time I went sauce free and it tasted even better. The sauce hides the amazing flavor of that bark. I need to find/develop a "finishing sauce" that is thinner and not so overpowering.

[jjirons69]

Serious bark, Mike. Great job!

[Chainsaw13]

Mike, next time with the pork, leave all the fat on.

[357]

Thanks Jamie.

Bob, you think that's why the one was dry? My only concern was that the fat would separate and take the bark with it once I was ready to shred/pull. I tried to leave some on, but not much. BTW, do yo prefer fat cap up or down?

[Chainsaw13]

I leave the fat cap on, and up in the smoker. Helps baste the pork as it renders. Yes, you will loose some bark, if you remove it before pulling. Kinda surprised even without the fat cap, the pork was dry as there's usually plenty of intramuscular fat in a typical butt. Could be you got one with a bit less than normal.

[Chainsaw13]

Also, what IT did you shoot for?

BTW, the results look really good. Nicely done sir!

[357]

Also, what IT did you shoot for?

BTW, the results look really good. Nicely done sir!

I pulled when IT reached 200 on each one. Since I only had one meat probe, I had to move it around aiming for lower rack smaller cuts and working toward larger cuts and top rack assuming they would cook slower. I rotated them and moved the probes accordingly.

The one wasn't real dry, just a bit. Very edible, but better with sauce because of it. Once I mixed it (drier meat) in with the rest, you couldn't tell.

[Chainsaw13]

That's always an issue for me too when cooking multiple pieces of different sizes.

[Smokin Gator]

I'd hit that!!! Good job brother:tu

2nd to last removed
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/1020131305.jpg

Same one, just opened up
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/1020131306.jpg

A little more
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/1020131307.jpg

And pulled,
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/357magnum/BBQ/1020131318.jpg

The one pulled last was a bit dry but we mixed it with the others that were plenty juicy. If it was the only one I did, then sauce would be mandatory. Flavor is fantastic. The first meal I ate, I sauced with one of my favorite commercial brands and it was good. The next time I went sauce free and it tasted even better. The sauce hides the amazing flavor of that bark. I need to find/develop a "finishing sauce" that is thinner and not so overpowering.

[pnoon]

I've used two online vendors for casing. But a local butcher would work, too.
Here is one http://www.makincasing.com/x/home.php
I can't remember the other but both are good quality. I'll try an remember to check the other when I get home and post here.

I have a "sweet rub" for pork that I like on smoked butt/shoulder. I'll post that one up, too

Here is the other vendor I've bought casing from.
http://www.meatprocessingproducts.com/

I still need to get that rub recipe posted for you

[Steve]

I leave the fat cap on, and up in the smoker. Helps baste the pork as it renders. Yes, you will loose some bark, if you remove it before pulling. Kinda surprised even without the fat cap, the pork was dry as there's usually plenty of intramuscular fat in a typical butt. Could be you got one with a bit less than normal.

This.

I trim the fat to be somewhat constant butt to butt. I also will rotate butts if some of them are smaller or larger than the rest.

[357]

Thanks guys. Bob/Steve, I will go fat cap up and mostly if not completely left in tact next time. I appreciate the advice.

Thanks for the kudos Brent. It means something coming from someone serious about their BBQ, like yourself.

Peter, I will check out that link. Plus, I'm probably not going to smoke any meat in the immediate future so no hurry. I'm still eating pulled pork for lunch everyday. Supposed to have some friends over for dinner tomorrow and use it for the meal. We should still have lots left over ever after that. ;dr

Although, I get paid tomorrow and the buy one get one sale runs through 10/27. Need to check back in and see if they have more, just in case.

[Chainsaw13]

Mike, another source for sausage making stuff is Butcher & Packer. Lucky for us, they're located on 14 Mile east of John R.

[357]

Mike, another source for sausage making stuff is Butcher & Packer. Lucky for us, they're located on 14 Mile east of John R.

That's only a mile from where I work. Definitely like to check it out.

[kydsid]

This.

I trim the fat to be somewhat constant butt to butt. I also will rotate butts if some of them are smaller or larger than the rest.

I used to rotate butts too, then I got married. Your wife must me really forgiving. :r

[pnoon]

I have a "sweet rub" for pork that I like on smoked butt/shoulder. I'll post that one up, too

Here it is.

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=63808

[357]

Thanks Peter. I'll put it to good use.

[mahtofire14]

Pork shoulder going on the smoke. Rubbed with pepper, garlic salt, and brown sugar. Injected with apple juice, salt, sugar and worcestershire.

https://scontent-b-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/996033_761883334471_1473978340_n.jpg

[357]

Pete, we're going to need some update pics. :tu

[MarkinAZ]

I'm expecting to see some good smoked turkey photo's here today:banger Gotta get the fire prepped and going...

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone...

[EricF]

I'll post mine once it's done! :dr

[MarkinAZ]

I'll post mine once it's done! :dr

Turkey in the Weber @1125AM/PST and temp holding fairly steady @ 250*. Using Mesquite wood for the beginning smoke:

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg271/markinca1953/IMG_0002_zps05c42ed4.jpg

[T.G]

From yesterday, 18 lbs of pulled pork for a party at the brewery. Also some fire roasted salsa since the other pork photos didn't come out and I was way too busy to take pictures of the smoked brats.

[MarkinAZ]

From yesterday, 18 lbs of pulled pork for a party at the brewery. Also some fire roasted salsa since the other pork photos didn't come out and I was way too busy to take pictures of the smoked brats.

...and if I had one dawa for every excuse in this thread, I'd be fairly well off too;)

Great looking bard on the pork Adam. Hope you all had a good time at the brewry:tu

[MarkinAZ]

Turkey in the Weber @1125AM/PST and temp holding fairly steady @ 250*. Using Mesquite wood for the beginning smoke...

Webers holding nice and steady at a smidge above 225*:dr

[MarkinAZ]

A 4 1/2 hr indirect cook between 225* and 250*. Bird is currently wrapped awaiting side dishes to complete...

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg271/markinca1953/IMG_0001_zpsf0643752.jpg

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg271/markinca1953/IMG_0002_zps437434eb.jpg

[Porch Dweller]

There was only four of us so I did some Turkey legs on the Weber.
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/picture.php?albumid=944&pictureid=8283

[dijit]

A 4 1/2 hr indirect cook between 225* and 250*. Bird is currently wrapped awaiting side dishes to complete...

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg271/markinca1953/IMG_0001_zpsf0643752.jpg

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg271/markinca1953/IMG_0002_zps437434eb.jpg

Dammit Mark I thought I was over my turkey cravings for this weekend! That bird looks damn good!

[timj219]

A 4 1/2 hr indirect cook between 225* and 250*. Bird is currently wrapped awaiting side dishes to complete...

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg271/markinca1953/IMG_0001_zpsf0643752.jpg

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg271/markinca1953/IMG_0002_zps437434eb.jpg
Beautiful looking bird Mark. I used the side firebox for our Thanksgiving bird as I do most years. Trouble maintaining temp this year because we were low 30s and a stiff wind. Fortunately I started at 06:30 so the bird was finished at 13:30. 25 pounds of charcoal plus three apple logs over 7 hours for an 18 pound turkey.

Only problem I have with doing turkey this way is I always end up with skin that's more leathery than crisp. But I can't imagine going back to oven roasting and losing the flavor I get now.

[mahtofire14]

Pete, we're going to need some update pics. :tu

Forgot to post the finished result, and never even saw this post! So here it is. 7 hours, tough time regulating the temp, but with it being about 20 degrees I wasn't surprised. Turned out really good especially with the injected marinade. Also got a really nice smoke ring on it!

https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/p480x480/1450217_761950644581_629728332_n.jpg
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii91/drscholl14/A93AFE7F-DFD7-49F0-973B-2C468C583DE8_zpsazxces53.jpg

[MarkinAZ]

Dammit Mark I thought I was over my turkey cravings for this weekend! That bird looks damn good!

Thanks Michael. Tasted good too! As side dishes, we had sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and gravy made from the turkey drippings:dr

Beautiful looking bird Mark. I used the side firebox for our Thanksgiving bird as I do most years. Trouble maintaining temp this year because we were low 30s and a stiff wind. Fortunately I started at 06:30 so the bird was finished at 13:30. 25 pounds of charcoal plus three apple logs over 7 hours for an 18 pound turkey.

Only problem I have with doing turkey this way is I always end up with skin that's more leathery than crisp. But I can't imagine going back to oven roasting and losing the flavor I get now.

Thanks Tim. That sounds like some challenging weather conditions to do a bird in. It was in the 60*s out this way, overcast with clouds threatening of rain. Fairly easy smoking conditions. I agree with you, pretty had to revert back to the gas oven for this annual meal:D

[Steve]

Looks great Mark!

[EricF]

Forgot to post this the other day. This is the bird from Thanksgiving done with Magic Dust and a few hours on the Traeger! :dr
http://i1027.photobucket.com/albums/y335/Fechter/IMG_20131128_150919_450_zps4b4b3480.jpg (http://s1027.photobucket.com/user/Fechter/media/IMG_20131128_150919_450_zps4b4b3480.jpg.html)

[OLS]

Well, I smoked some pork neckbones last night, I wanted them smoked before I put them in a pot of Pinto beans,
and man, was it devastating. I went out to shoot some photos of a few bands last night, left them on low and
covered for the entire 4-5 hours. Unbelievable....just PERFECT. Extremely bony, which means I suck.
and suck, and suck. Wow, what a flavor.

And then tonight, since I had the fever again, I cut a butt down into 4 big slabs and put it on the smoker.
I am counting on this being a little dry, but as much as I love the idea of a true, slow smoked butt, the
flavor once you get past the bark is SO BORING. I love pork roast, but once its cold, the flavor goes off some.
So this way, MAYBE I get a lot more bark than blah.

yeah, its Me....surprised :D

[T.G]

And then tonight, since I had the fever again, I cut a butt down into 4 big slabs and put it on the smoker.
I am counting on this being a little dry, but as much as I love the idea of a true, slow smoked butt, the
flavor once you get past the bark is SO BORING. I love pork roast, but once its cold, the flavor goes off some.
So this way, MAYBE I get a lot more bark than blah.

yeah, its Me....surprised :D


I agree Brad, once you get past the bark, butt from supermarket pork is pretty boring. Commercial pork has gone the way of the supermarket tomato, bred for size and appearance and in the process, turned flavorless.

I've taken to 24+ hour brining and injecting the heck out of supermarket stuff for this reason. Only time I don't do it is when I buy the heritage breed seed feed pork from one of the local farmers - it doesn't need it since it actually has flavor.

[OLS]

It came out really nice, I was worried it would be bone dry, but the slow cook seemed to simply make for four slabs
of nice, barky, juicy meat. I pulled it and put it in the freezer to take to my mother for my holiday visit.

[bruceolee]

Dammit! Looking at this thread is making me want to get the smoker out again and smoke something for Christmas. I usually pick thanksgiving or christmas but i'm thinking this holiday season needs a twofer. Although it's not really hard to convince me to smoke anything. "geez you all want me to hang out smoking a pork shoulder this year? Well, i guess i will as long as you buy the wood, the pork shoulder, and buy me this list of cigars that i can enjoy while smoking i MIGHT do it" :D They fall for it every time!

[EricF]

Pork! it's what's for dinner!! :dr :dr
http://i1027.photobucket.com/albums/y335/Fechter/IMG_20131229_151823_366_zpsf04a0009.jpg (http://s1027.photobucket.com/user/Fechter/media/IMG_20131229_151823_366_zpsf04a0009.jpg.html)

[Stevez]

It came out really nice, I was worried it would be bone dry, but the slow cook seemed to simply make for four slabs
of nice, barky, juicy meat. I pulled it and put it in the freezer to take to my mother for my holiday visit.

That's a great idea Brad; never thought of it for the reasons you mentioned. Thanks for sharing and will this be your go to method from now on? Thanks.

[OLS]

I think I am going to do this from now on Steve. I know that purists will still do what they do, and maybe they
get better smoke penetration than me, besides. But there is enough fat in a butt to make for great bark no matter
how you cut it up. I had to stop flaying it near the bone, but where I could easily cut it away, I did so. I like it.
It is the one smoked meat I hate to do, simply because the payoff is so weak. Now it is back in contention.

[tupacboy]

any of you guys use halal meat ?

supposedly no hormones etc?

just wondering what some of your experiences are with it...

[kydsid]

I use grass feed beef if making pot roast as it makes a huge difference. I've tried various kinds of other meets including kosher/halal etc and while I noted differences they never where enough to justify the difficulty and cost.

[tupacboy]

"Halal meat should be antibiotic and hormone free, and the practice of draining the animal’s blood may reduce the amount of toxins in the meat. "

guess its not technically grass fed... but does seems better then regular meat...

run the same risk of it all being bs as organic etc... hope the vendor is honest

[thebayratt]

For Christmas, I cold smoked a few blocks of sharp & medium cheddar, longhorn cheddar, pepper jack, Colby jack, Mozzarella, and some proscutio wrapper mozzarella. I few I sold to people who had tried them before, some I gave as gifts and some I took to various Christmas parties.
I made enough money selling some of them to pay for the entire cheese lot. I may start putting orders up on FB for other friends to buy and make myself some cigar and bourbon money~

[tsolomon]

Started off by corning a brisket as a test run for St. Patty's Day, but had some friends over and roasted a couple of ducks instead. Now I have moved on and I'm going to try my hand at making it into pastrami for the Super Bowl. This goes on the Traegar tomorrow morning.

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn73/tjsolomon/6447a2ea-473a-4fc4-80eb-6ff40eb9c012_zps7e2ad976.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/tjsolomon/media/6447a2ea-473a-4fc4-80eb-6ff40eb9c012_zps7e2ad976.jpg.html)

[Fordman4ever]

Howdy fellas. Got the smoker going, got some apple pie moonshine brewing, and I'm about to throw some chicken legs on the grill. time to break out the beer. I love Saturdays. Can't wait til tomorrow to eat/drink all these delicious treats. Well, the chicken legs are for today. I might even try to brave the cold for a cigar, a small one.

https://scontent-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t1/1010415_10153774124850581_1309043131_n.jpg

[kydsid]

Super Bowl Sunday folks! I got some baby racks about to go on the smoker. What about y'all?

[tsolomon]

Smoked the pastrami yesterday and I'm putting the rub together for the wings today. Just pulled the wife's brownies from the oven and will be making salted carmel ice cream to go with them. I'm heading out to see if I can find some beers from Colorado and Washington for a little tasting during the game.

[Fordman4ever]

Got a 7 quart crock pot full of pulled pork. Can't wait til game time.

[kydsid]

Smoking in the rain :D

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7411/12272190726_04e51f4f61_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kydsid/12272190726/)
IMG_20140202_110755 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kydsid/12272190726/) by kydsid (http://www.flickr.com/people/kydsid/), on Flickr

[GTsetGO]

making homemade bacon right now.

9.87 pounds of porkbelly.

1/3 in a 1 set salt cure with cracked black pepper
1/3 is a 1.5 set salt cure with cracked black pepper
1/3 in a maple brown sugar salt cure

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn286/gtsetgo/food/20140126_113335_zpsgoz8kues.jpg

cured them for a week and then started up the smoker about an hour ago. lots of good applewood smoke surrounding the belly.

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn286/gtsetgo/food/20140202_152832_zpsnw4h8lji.jpg

situated on the smoker.

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn286/gtsetgo/food/20140202_151559_zps68fuzhqb.jpg

[kydsid]

That looks awesome. So you're smoking at 190 grate temp?

[GTsetGO]

]http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn286/gtsetgo/food/20140202_164306_zpsdooukeut.jpg

Started at 190 for the initial smoke and then brought it up to 225.


Resting post smoke
Posted via Mobile Device

[tsolomon]

The pastrami turned out really well. Need to tone down the spiciness of the rub and slice it thinner, but it was really tasty.

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn73/tjsolomon/dba793c8-5cea-46de-9252-67748bb83d12_zpsc273125a.jpg (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/tjsolomon/media/dba793c8-5cea-46de-9252-67748bb83d12_zpsc273125a.jpg.html)

[massphatness]

Super Bowl ribs ...

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5529/12293557083_7241a2bb97_z.jpg

[Stevez]

Tom, that pastrami looks fantastic. So do the ribs Vin. Too damn cold here to smoke and too much snow/rain. I have heard of people smoking bacon, but never tried that Rob. Now I have to! Awesome looking. Thanks for sharing; now I'm drooling and dying for some smokalicious pig candy.

[GTsetGO]

Tom, that pastrami looks fantastic. So do the ribs Vin. Too damn cold here to smoke and too much snow/rain. I have heard of people smoking bacon, but never tried that Rob. Now I have to! Awesome looking. Thanks for sharing; now I'm drooling and dying for some smokalicious pig candy.

i will never buy store bought bacon again. this stuff is just too darned good.