Using a smoker… plus grilling and cooking

[Nottso]

Trying beef ribs for the first time today. Look and smell great so far, so crossed fingers they'll be good.

 

Someone mentioned above (may even have been you) about finding different processes as opposed to different recipes. I have a beef ribs process that is as foolproof as it gets. I get no credit as I did not invent this process. I got it from a guy that had been pitmaster in a joint that specialized in beef ribs. He openly shared it with all and was fine with others sharing... as it should be.

 

I do not have it in this computer. I'll have to dig around online and find it again or type it out manually. It's very simple and seriously foolproof. It's the only way I'll even do beef ribs anymore.

[CheezWizHed]

One of the most difficult things to master is temperature control, as someone mentioned above. I'm about to make that a whole lot easier for you. Your exhaust should always be wide open. You control the heat via the intakes

 

This depends on your equipment of course. On my Weber kettle, my intake is a large Y shaped slot with the door on one large lever. Making small adjustments is very hard. The outlet is the typical small Weber three-hole circle. But either way, certainly adjust only one and by small amounts. At the end of the day its about adjusting airflow. Most smokers work best as you suggest (especially the side-box variety), but others don't.

[Thurston Fluff]

I got it from a guy that had been pitmaster in a joint that specialized in beef ribs. He openly shared it with all and was fine with others sharing... as it should be.

 

Once again I totally agree. I never understood the secret recipe thing. It's food, share and enjoy.

[FVBrewerFan]

One of the most difficult things to master is temperature control, as someone mentioned above. I'm about to make that a whole lot easier for you. Your exhaust should always be wide open. You control the heat via the intakes

 

This depends on your equipment of course. On my Weber kettle, my intake is a large Y shaped slot with the door on one large lever. Making small adjustments is very hard. The outlet is the typical small Weber three-hole circle. But either way, certainly adjust only one and by small amounts. At the end of the day its about adjusting airflow. Most smokers work best as you suggest (especially the side-box variety), but others don't.

 

Yes, it does really depend on equipment. I have a Primo ceramic, and temp control is never an issue. Stick smokers, kettles, drums, they all work differently.

[Nottso]

Here's the beef ribs process I mentioned above. Again, I get no credit for this as it was shared by a guy that manned the pits in a smokehouse whose specialty was beef ribs. Good BBQ doesn't have to be complicated. I'm perfectly willing to follow complex processes when they're warranted, but if I can get great results in a much simpler fashion, that's all the better.

 

Bear in mind, beef ribs are fatty and tough by nature. Following this process allows nearly all of the fat to render and ensures the meat to become moist & tender. You must follow all the steps but thankfully there are only a few.

 

Simple, Foolproof, Smoked Beef Ribs:

 

Prep time: Very little

Cook time: 6 hours

Smoker Temp: 220 - 230 degrees

Wood: Hickory

If your smoker has a water pan, use it with water or the fruit juice of your choosing. If using fruit juice, it needs to be 100% juice.

 

1. Apply a THIN layer of yellow mustard or olive oil to every surface of the ribs. This helps the rub stick to the meat and stay stuck to the meat.

 

2. Apply a heavy coat of your favorite rub and smoke them for 4 hours with the membrane on*.

 

3. At the 4 hour mark remove the membrane, cut the ribs apart, give them a good covering of your favorite sauce, place them in a covered foil pan, and put them back in the smoker at the same temperature. During this phase, a LOT more fat is rendered and the closed environment of the covered pan allows the ribs to "steam," which tenderizes the meat to the point of falling off the bone.

 

4. Remove the ribs from the smoker, sauce them again, and serve.

 

It really is just that simple and your beef ribs will be fall off the bone tender every time. You may wish to experiment with different rubs, different sauces, different wood, and/or different fruit juices to find the flavor profile you like best.

 

* My only deviation from this process is that I remove the membrane first thing, unless it's too stubborn to remove. If it is too stubborn to remove at the beginning, it will be much easier to remove after spending 4 hours in the smoker. The aforementioned smokehouse removed the membrane at the 4 hour mark because it was simpler and they did hundreds of racks per month. I prefer beef short ribs over beef spare ribs as the beef short ribs seem to have substantially more meat on the bone.

[GAME05]

I just finished two pork roasts. The 10-hour point was the first time I checked temperature and they were at about 175. Little too warm.

 

Anyway, what purpose does tenting serve?

[CheezWizHed]

Tenting serves to remind me that I really like my camper.

 

Its supposed to allow the juices to draw back into the meat, but not everyone believes it: http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/mythbusting_resting_meat.html

 

Tonight, I smoked two racks of pork spareribs. Dry brined, rib rub, 6 hours on the grill. Half had homemade peach BBQ sauce and half with Sweet Baby Ray's (my favorite commerial sauce). The peach ribs were gone and the sweet baby ray's were barely touched.

[GAME05]

Trying out my new ThermoPro today. Gives a temperature for both the grill and the food, and does so remotely. It's really helped to keep the temperature with the charcoal basically constant.

 

Got up at 5:00 and started it all, to then discover that both roasts I'm doing only take about five hours to finish.

[GAME05]

Well, first attempt at homemade pastrami. I brined it for about five days, and the recipe said to brine it another day in plain water to get the salt out. I figured I usually liked things salty, so I didn't bother with that step. I just finished cooking it today and it's.....extremely salty. It also doesn't seem that pink, but I haven't cut into the deep center of it yet. AmazingRibs said to cook to 150 (which seemed really high) and then steam it. To help get some salt out I'll be simmering it in some water for a couple hours.

 

Otherwise, the beef and turkey came out well. I don't know what it is, but my beef has always come out overcooked, despite pulling it at the right time. Since I pulled these two roasts early, they're a beautiful medium rare.

 

One beef roast became sesame beef. The other ?. And now I'm dethawing some store-bought pie crusts to make turkey pot pies with.

[RobDeer 45]

Nottso - you mentioned the blue smoke. How do you get to that point? Is it by letting the wood chunks burn down some? I think that is my biggest problem, I've become gun shy with my use of wood (trying to use less and less) because I had a few pieces of meat come out bitter. I hate when the meat doesn't come out the way I want. You put all that time in and then it's not what you want. I need help getting back up on that horse!

[FVBrewerFan]

I don't know what it is, but my beef has always come out overcooked, despite pulling it at the right time.

 

Do you use Texas Crutch for the beef? I don't use this for any other meat, but I do use it for beef.

 

Nottso - you mentioned the blue smoke. How do you get to that point? Is it by letting the wood chunks burn down some?

 

I know you asked Nottso, but I'll give my two cents. Yea, you probably need to let the wood chunks burn off the moisture a little longer. Every cook is different, sometimes that seems to happen almost immediately, and sometimes it takes a while.

 

I would also add that white smoke isn't always bad. Go by smell. If it smells off or bitter, that's how it will taste. I've had cooks before where there was white smoke that smelled good, so I put the meat on. Eventually turned that thin blue, but still tasted great. Let your nose be your guide!

[CheezWizHed]

Overcooked beef:

- Overcooked on the outside or all around?

- If outside, you are probably too high of temp or too close to the coals. Texas crutch (tin foil) can help too after a couple hours in the smoke. Also, going past 2 hours in the smoke can also lead to bitter taste.

- If overcooked all around, you might need a new thermometer.

[GAME05]

I put the pastrami on a rolling boil for a couple hours and it was still extremely salty, so I chucked it and will try again another time.

 

The beef I'd done previously was just overdone but good on the outside, so I think I just need to be more mindful of pulling it out on time and assume about 10 degrees more during the rest than 5.

[BillScottCanRake]

I have only done pastrami once, but I used this method:

 

http://virtualweberbullet.com/pastrami.html

 

Other than not using a Weber as my smoker, I followed this method pretty closely since I'd never made pastrami before. The only real change I made was I only smoked the meat for about 2 1/2 hours (that's how long my wood chunks lasted)- after that, I just applied heat.

 

It turned out very well in my opinion, excellent flavor, nice color, and good texture. I'm the only one in my house who likes pastrami, so I didn't get any other opinions but I liked it. I didn't have a good slicer at the time, so my pastrami was a bit too thick for my liking.

 

Since most of the time is put into the cure and it only smokes for between 4 and 5 hours, it's a nice alternative to smoking a whole packer cut brisket. I think it is something I'll try again this fall before it gets too cold outside.

[CheezWizHed]

...before it gets too cold outside.

 

Its NEVER too cold to grill or smoke.

[RobDeer 45]

Anyone doing a turkey on the smoker this year? I think I'm going to give it a try. Anyone have any tips or suggestions? Hoping it turns out good!

[FVBrewerFan]

Anyone doing a turkey on the smoker this year? I think I'm going to give it a try. Anyone have any tips or suggestions? Hoping it turns out good!

 

1) Spatchcock the bird. (Google if you're curious) I think this makes a difference with turkey (or whole chicken for that matter)

 

2) Brine- Again you look this up, lots of "recipes"

 

3) Inject, depending on your tastes. Sometimes I inject, sometimes I don't. I like Cajun, but most others don't in my family.

 

4) Don't overcook!

 

There's more, but those are the main things off the top of my head.

[brwrsfan]

I've never smoked one, but I've grilled a turkey for the past few years. Always turns out pretty amazing.

 

I agree with the brining, really helps to keep the turkey moist. I have a recipe or two if you're interested. PM me.

[NeedMoreFans]

I smoked on my Weber kettle a few years ago. I have the America's Test Kitchen cookbook (which is a must-have, IMO) and used the recipe from there and it was easily the best turkey I have ever had.

[RobDeer 45]

Thanks everyone! I looked at the spatchcock method but I think I will try to keep it simple the first time??? But I do want to try that next time. Anyone ever have a heritage turkey? Looks like a lot of people are saying that you don't need to brine that one because it has a higher fat content, and the breast isn't as big, so less chance of drying out. I'm still on the fence on doing a brine.

 

Do you refrigerate while brining or just put it in a bucket with ice?

[Thurston Fluff]

...before it gets too cold outside.

 

Its NEVER too cold to grill or smoke.

 

Ditto. I smoke more in the winter than summer. I tend to like colder smokes and it's easier to maintain a lower temperature when it isn't 80 out. I also do some cold smoking when it's real cold out.

[BillScottCanRake]

CheezWizHed said:

...before it gets too cold outside.

 

Its NEVER too cold to grill or smoke.

 

Ditto. I smoke more in the winter than summer. I tend to like colder smokes and it's easier to maintain a lower temperature when it isn't 80 out. I also do some cold smoking when it's real cold out.

 

Of course, you are both correct. It may be cold for me but the meat does just fine. I did a brisket earlier this month and it turned out just fine.

 

As an aside, has anyone ever made bacon? I watch an episode of Good Eats where Alton Brown cold smokes the pork belly because he doesn't want it cook, just cured and smoked. I don't have a cold smoker setup, but I wonder if I could use my normal smoker during the winter and get the same result.

[Thurston Fluff]

It's kind of hard to use most hot smokers for cold smoke. I've had mine down to about 100 degrees but can't maintain that low a temp. Not to mention it's to high a temp anyway. I rigged up an old fridge for cold smoking.

[CheezWizHed]

Last weekend, I decided to make some chicken. This is normally a good indication that I'm burnt out of pork, beef, steak, burgers, and brats and doing chicken for something different.

 

So I followed the instructions here for Simon and Garfunkel Chicken. I was interested because of some new techniques that I hadn't tried before (or not on chicken). Plus, I wanted to see if the S&G rub was as good as he mentioned.

 

The chicken turned out excellent. My daughter took one bite and said, "this is REALLY good dad!" It was really juicy on the inside and nice and brown on the outside. It ended up tasting a lot like rotisserie chicken that I had in beer gardens in Germany (i.e. best chicken ever).

 

The techniques that I was working on were:

- dry brining chicken

- reverse searing the meat (I've done this with steaks and burgers, but not chicken).

- Finding a non-BBQ based chicken coating that interests me on the grill.

 

He recommends that you cook it with the skin ON to get a nice crispy outside. I did half and half (legs with skin ON, thighs with skin OFF). I never did taste one of the legs (kids gobbled those up quickly), but the chicken thighs were excellent even without the skin if you want to save on some calories.

 

I also washed the chicken after dry brining (as suggested), but then dried it off and sprayed it with olive oil prior to the S&G seasoning to help crisp the meat and skin a bit more.

 

Yes, I will be making this again... (said by a guy for whom chicken on the grill is a low priority)

[GAME05]

So I tried my hand at jerky last week and it came out fairly well. Marinated some strips of beef overnight and smoked at about 145 for maybe seven hours. Wanted to get it to 160, but it was sprinkling rain and I just didn't want to dump in so much charcoal to get up to temp. Either way it turned out great.

 

Did a loaf of turkey breast the other day. Made some pot pies with it. The smoky flavor with it made it pretty awesome.

 

I was all ready to stow the smoker away for the winter, but today it was 60 degrees and maybe it'll be warm again this week to keep piddling around with it.