Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Sorry I did not post last night, that looks GGGGGGGGGRRrrrreattTT! Sure beats Frosted Flakes in the morning.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Plus, frosted flakes tend to fall through the grates and tar up really quickly.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

They have boneless Chuck on sale at Winn Dixie this week, so I am planning on doing one on Saturday.

I prefer the 7 bone chucks, but a sale is a sale and the taste is almost as good. I'll also be using a new rub; Plowboy's Bovine Bold.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I picked up a couple of corned beef brisket flats on sale to give pastrami a try after the snow melts and I can find my smoker.

Never tried it before, but I love the stuff.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Pastrami made from commercially packed corned beef isn't bad and definitely a lot less work/time than making it yourself from a raw brisket flat. I don't know what recipe you might be planning on using, but if it's this one unless you really love salt, I would recommend a much longer soaking time. I think I doubled or tripled the soak time and I still thought it was very salty (which in turn was what prompted me to make it from scratch, so I could better control the seasonings).

Good luck, let us know how it turns out for you. :tu

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

UHh, I could have gone all of 2011 without being reminded that there are NO Winn Dixies near me.
Man I miss WD. When I went to Birmingham to work the World of Wheels show I passed by a few
of em. Sometimes a store is just a store...until they take it away from you.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

They also have T-Bone for $5.99 and Porterhouse for $6.99 this week too. :r:sl

However, I have never smoked a T-Bone before. Is it possible?

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

If you can find wrappers big enough, you can. :r:r:r

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Ba da bump

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

That was my first thought. :r

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I smoked some steak one time, ruined it for me. I DO like a Porterhouse now and again, though. I am done
with the true T-bone steak. I am done with strips. I am done, almost, with Ribeyes. Seems the only time
I eat steak anymore is when I cut up a whole tenderloin or, ironically, when I am cutting up chuck for the
dehydrator, I will fry up a nice piece of chuck steak and groove on it. I love the flavor. Talk about opposite
ends of the spectrum.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

You're really going to hate me now....

They also are running a deal on chuck eye steaks ;s

I love Rib Eye (Delmonico). However, I tend to get Porterhouse's for the family. I eat the strip side and they get the fillet, as a Porterhouse is just a T-Bone with a larger fillet. So I kill 2 birds with one steak.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Picked up some nice Butt cut steaks tonight at Kroooeger, for some reason, the intense marbling attracted me,
when it's probably not necessary in a pork steak. They had BBRs on sale for 2.97 a lb, and I got so mad yester-
day, I spent lunch going down there and they were marked at 5.99/lb. I fussed at the meat manager, with the store
manager standing right there, and he told me they would scan properly at the register. I told him, "Do you think
I am an idiot? Do you think I do not know how the scanner works on meat items like this?" I put the meat
back in the case and told him it needed to be fixed. Today I went in there and again, it was all at the old price.
So in CASE I am the bigger idiot, I scanned one and sure enough, $17.99. I was pi$$ed! So I grabbed the store manager
who ironically was standing there again, and I walked him back to the case, bit@hing all the way. He said that he
had no memory of my statements the day before, and I said, 'right, because if you did and it was still wrong, you'd
be negligent, of course you're gonna say that." "This meat is at the wrong price even after I threw a fit, and now
I have wasted two lunch hours in a row on this BS. I'd like it fixed now, while I am standing here". So he called the
meat manager and I went in the back and watched him fix 40 racks of ribs. Then after all that, I started to
walk out, and he said "Wait, aren't you gonna buy some ribs?" And I said, "No, I am out of lunch hour now,
and I am not sure I am ever coming back. This is not just BS, it's a serious lack of ethics on behalf of
the whole chain and an insult to my intelligence. I was lied to twice in two days, besides.

Hell I have a freezer full of slabs, and a better Kroooeger store down the street.

OH, I am smoking 40 wings....and in the morning, 2 slabs of BBRs. And yes, pics tonight.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

You are my hero. :tu

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Brad, you're posts always bring a smile to my face after reading them. Keep up the good work. :tu

Mmm, smoked wings.

I might be smoking some fresh Michigan lake trout this weekend. Depends on how much it costs at the market tomorrow. Did some whitefish last week. Turned out great, especially the two filets I hit with some cayenne.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I've never had good luck with maple syrup. At least it doesn't really add any maple flavor that I can taste.

When you do the paprika, sugar, cayenne and cumin, is that in the cure or do you rub it on before putting in the smoker?

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Haha, NO YOUR'S do. I am reading this first sentence, picturing you out with your waders on and your fly rod and your creel,
smoking a La Gloria Cubana MdONo1, enjoying the good life, catching your supper.


And then you say, depends on how much it is at the store, LOLOLOLOLOL:r

OK, here are the wings in progress and in the pan. Smoked for two hours and then finished
over hot coals to make them palatable. I love crispy skin. At the top of the last pic, you
can see those delicious beef ribs, cut across the grain. delicious, but then you tend to get
a lot of that bone chipping that is not a good surprise. Only cooked half the wings, cause my
beer bud said he was not coming.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Cayenne pepper fixes EVERTHING that''s wrong with fish. Something about that totally clean
slate that fish is on the inside. It's got a flavor, and it's round, yet kind of blank. C.P. just
WAKES it up so brightly. Makes any lemon used also POP.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Oh believe me. I"d love to be out doing that exact thing. But sometimes you have to go with the flow. There's a new vendor at Detroit's Eastern Market that is selling fish caught in the Great Lakes. She's just getting going and has a limited selection. But as the seasons open, she'll be getting more. Can't wait for fresh yellow perch.

Those wings look f*&kin good. Now you got me wanting to make some.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Great story Brad and great looking food too.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Another day of slaving produced this deallie-o. the other dozen or so wings, 2 racks of backs and
8 burgers. Wings and ribs were smoked for 2.5 hours, the ribs were then foiled and the wings
taken over a high heat to sizzle em up. NOTHING is less palatable than smoked chicken skin.
So I just BBQ them after they are done and they are freaking fantastic.

As seen in one of the pics, i am firing up the holy grail of cheap smokes, a 98 Punch Corona.
MMMmmmm, good!!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Nice looking stuff there Brad.

Only thing in my smoker right now is rain water :(

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Well, that settles it. I have a small chicken thawing that I wasn't sure how to prepare. It's going on the grill.

Those pics are awesome Brad. Especially the ones of the wings with the wisps of smoke.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Man I tell you, I am a dry rib kind of cat, and I was torn today. Do I smoke em up dry and sear em good in their own fat,
or slather em with sauce and leave em. To me, this Sweet Baby Ray's is so good I just can't bear to caramelize it. It would
get all gummed up and wasted on the grill grates. So I just left em sauced and cooked to a T. I guess I just didn't want to
lose half of the sauce to the grill grate. Sauce like that really should get caramelized, though...I just couldn't do it.
Next time.

I like the idea of a chicken done like that, Chainsaw, are you going to smoke it first or just plain grill it?? I have NEVER tasted
chicken so delicious, but it takes some time to smoke it first. And even then, only the skin REALLY gets smoked. You get a
little smoke in the meat, but not too much.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Well, had to go with plan B. No propane and the store's not open to refill. So into a hot oven they go. I'll sauce them up and crank on the broiler.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Great lookin' grub there Brad.

I smoked up (2) 7 lb. Pork Shoulders in one of the nastiest storms ever, over the weekend. Pouring rain and 30-50 mph wind. Came out great though. I will post pics later.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I rubbed these guys down last Sat morning. They went in the smoker Sat evening around 4pm @ 210*. They were done just before Church on Sunday at 9am w/ an I.T of 203*. F.T.C. for a couple of hours while at Church and they pulled perfectly. 1 was turned into BBQ Pulled and the other will be used for Carnitas. :dr Sorry, no pics after pulling.;s


After the Rub of Love.


http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a1...D720/ry%3D480/



Just before F.T.C.


http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a1...D720/ry%3D480/

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

:tu

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Hubba Freaking hubba. I am pulling my pork, now.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

gotta agree! :noon

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

:dr

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

rib recipe question... i've been to places where the ribs aren't sticky at all but still juicy... how do they do it?

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1300987372

Here's what i'm working on right now, been about 3 hours. only 5 more to go.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

ribs are served "Wet" or "Dry", the sticky you described being the wet. When ribs are properly cooked, i.e.
like Brad does it, :D, they are tender no matter what the exterior looks like. Granted, there can be some
tough bark on the outside, depending on the grain of the meat and the length of the strands, but underneath
it should be super tender, due to the low and slow method of cooking them. And whether it is dry and
crystally and oily (dry-rub), or sticky and shiny wet (sauce), that outer layer of meat is the same.
But to call it tough is likely a bad choice of words on my part. The BBQ sauce making it wet doesn't make
it tender, that's all in the cooking no matter what's on the outer layer.
----------
Recipes??/ We ain't got no stinkin' Recipes! I take a rack of ribs, peel the back membrane off with the aid
of a dry paper towel, shake on my 'rub' mixture, and place all my coals on the right-hand third of my grill
and the ribs on the left 2/3s and cook em at 225 with smoke for 2 hours and then another hour and a half
with just low 225 degree heat and they are done. I just throw a few thick bits of oak or pecan on top of
the coals and close the lid. That makes smoke and eventually turns into coals, after about an hour I
replace the wood chunks then let it go on for the rest of the time like that, providing I hold my heat
properly. And what I have found funny is I was ALWAYS a dry rub guy, I can dip it in sauce later if I want.
But since I got some of that Sweet Baby Rays, I am all wet now. Same enjoyment.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Lookin Good Earl!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

ah-drewl-ah !

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

6.5 hours in the smoker.......................getting closer!!:dr

http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1301001311
http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1301001412

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Nice lookin' bark Earl.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Just pulled the Butt off the smoker, once it has had time to rest I will post more pictures.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Probably dry rub. Not bbq sauce. If commercial joints, unless they have a pit, it's probable they "bake" the ribs in an electric smoker, maybe even start them enclosed in foil first, then expose to smoke after they are mostly done. That's a method used more than might be expected, especially when you get ribs from multiple cuisine regional and national chains.

I'm not saying that is bad, or produces poor food. I have tried it myself at home, and know for a fact that you can get perfectly tender, moist ribs with full smoke flavor, when the ribs actually spend only the last 30 minutes or so on the smoker! The ribs I cooked this way probably actually turned out twice as juicy as the ones I smoke on the cooker for hours!

You can look up the "Good Eats" episode where Alton Brown uses this method on ribs to get ideas. Not being anti-smoker, just presenting some alternatives. And, since these are smoked for 30-45 minutes at the end, they are still (kinda) smoker food!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Done, going into the crock pot till the morning.

http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/...-17-28_771.jpg

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Oh it is so on. I got the grill fever last weekend, smoking meat on Friday night
and Sunday afternoon. I guess in Memphis it just got nicer sooner, and for sure,
we were about the only region of the country that didn't really get it's a$$ kicked
this winter. We had 10 days of bitter cold and ice and snow, and other than that
it has just been cool and nice. Most other parts of the country got no less than
3 major storms with long lasting effects on the ground. But for lunch today I am
going to hit all the stores trolling for some good reduced meat, and I know either
pork butts or spares will be onsale at one of em. I just like being outside with a
beer and a cigar and watching the blue smoke rise.

Come to think of it, I basically smoked all winter. I remember one day there was
3 inches of snow on the ground, and I was smoking baby backs, haha.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Might have to fire up my smoker on Sunday. I could go for some pulled pork.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Calling for rain tonight and tomorrow here. I might have to hit Piggly Wiggly Sat night.
In a related story, we are losing our Piggly Wiggly, now going to be some kind of Cost
Plus 10% store. Kissing character goodbye, one icon at a time. What I see is the
economy has shoplifting so high, stores with traditionally low margins just can't survive.
It killed almost every major store and a whole mall on the side of town I work on over
the last ten years.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I heard it was because some meddlesome do-gooder pointed out that they were overcharging on the ribs last week and made them re-tag thousands of dollars worth of merchandise. Had they gotten those extra illicit profits, they might still be around. :sad

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Das wass der Kroegers.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Oops.

:r:r:r

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

i ACTUALL...CRAP....I actually am quite popular at P.W. :) I made a 2 meat commercials for them about 4 years ago,
used the camera crane and everything. I have told this story before, I went to the store on a Friday early
afternoon and picked up $250-350 worth of meat and a couple bags of charcoal, some taco kits, spaghetti,
sauce, BBQ sauce, just a ton of stuff and walked out without paying a dime. Spent the weekend cooking out
and the next week editing and eating leftovers. They came out looking nice, I should post em up. I think
the only record of it I can still access is a VHS I made for my landlady whose grandson was in it eating a burger.
Everytime I go to the meat department, somebody yells, the TV man!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Nice.

"The TV Man!"

lol.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I'm glad I got the smoker out yesterday, I woke up this morning and everything was covered in about 3 inches of snow. This pork will make for a good "keep me warm" meal later today.