Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Some nice tips here.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Haha, if you've got a few days to read the whole thread.....

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Picked up 2 butts and a brisket at Sam's Club today. I will be using an actual thermometer fo show this time. Planned to fire up tonight, but it's just going to be too cold/rainy for me to do it overnight, so I think I'll be firing it Sunday night.

I picked up a Weber's Kansas City rub at Sam's as well to give it a shot and will use a rub recipe I found on the virtualweber site on the brisket.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I cooked up a rack of babys and a half-rack of dino bones last night, wanted to give my man Bill86 some ribs.
Once the Daiquiri machine kicked my ass, though, I was NOT a good chef and I think I over-smoked em.
All I know is they were pink to the freaking bone, lol. Bill will have to say if they were good or not. All I know is
I ALMOST forgot to snap em again, I cut the rack in two pieces and thought CRAP, I forgot the pics.
It also may comfort many of you to know that the dino bones are NOT as burnt as they look. This carmelized
fat looks like black coal but it's a light trick. I also added a blurry pic in true color to show how freaking pink
these ribs were, CLEAR to the bone. Amazing. But again, I think i threw a few too many pecan branches
on the coals before I went into he house and forgot about the pit....a LIL too smoky for my picky tastes.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I came to this thread just so say not only were they good but damn if you couldn't literally eat every piece of meat on the bones. I cleaned those off as soon as I got home.

Not to mention these were meaty as hell. Definitely a full meal out of those. mmmmmmmmm ribs :dr :dr

MUCH thanks Brad!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Gonna be breakin' in my smoker tomorrow with 2 Tri Tips (weighing in at 3lbs and 3.5 lbs each). This will be a first for me so keep your fingers crossed:D

Looks good from this side Brad:tu

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

My meat monger is kind enough to dispose of them before I start smoking them. ;)

Looking good! :dr

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Looks great Brad. Photos are fine.

How long did you soak those ribs in potassium nitrate to get that lovely color? ;)

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I'm quite the smoking noob, but I didn't realize there's such a thing as too much smoke. I could certainly see if you had a particularly strong smoke that it might overpower the food though compared to what I've come to hear about a "lighter" smoke like you might get out of apple or oak I guess.

The first time I set up my WSM, I put down a thin layer of charcoal, put down a few pieces of wood, another thin layer, few more pieces, and put a top layer of charcoal filled by a few more pieces. I then put my chimney of charcoal over the top and then just let the smoking begin as the Minion method got to them.

I feel this way it's getting smoke through the entire process, but it's not a really high ratio of wood/charcoal by any means.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Hahah, Adam, I just dump em out of the bag, wash em, shake rub on em and cook em.

Thanks, Bill, I thought I would just let em go yesterday, i was worried when I left that
the ribs would be in danger in a car(temps), but it never got over 40-sumpin yesterday,
so I think i just blew that off...plus they were smoked, so they were not gonna go bad.

Duane, I call too much smoke when they smell like doofus ribs, where you can tell people
have the desire to create great food but just drown the ribs in smoke, thick, chokey, white
wood smoke. I like to use a thin vapor of pure, blue smoke coming out of the
chimney. It makes a difference in the aroma of the cold meat. When you get the hang
of your machine and figure out the ins and outs, the do's and don'ts, you will begin to taste
the difference. You will have good cooks and bad cooks, just like everybody does.
A good way to describe too much smoke, when it smells like a house fire and not food.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

My 'machine' lol is just a long BBQ grill, so I have more access to the coals and smoke as time goes along.
It's also a curse, because I never get the same results twice, but I am a tinkerer and I don't begrudge
a little maintenance. It hurts on overnight cooks, so i can't do that, maybe I could come up with a way,
but haven't yet. I build a fire, let it go to coals, cover with lump charcoal, and when that is almost ashed over,
I lay on either wood chunks or plain old tree branches. I get a lot of branch fall under my Pecan trees, so I do
one or the other based on availablility. If there is not too much draft in the cooker, the branches resist igniting
and give up the perfect amount of smoke. But like I said, some days it comes out perfect and some days I smell
that housefire smell and know I screwed up something, lol.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I just fired up the chimney a few minutes ago in preparation for my first overnight smoke. All I can say is where have you been all my life chimney. Just think of all the countless time fluid and cussing it took to get the fire started the old way.

Going on tonight is 2 butts on the bottom rack and a brisket on the top. Butts are about 7-1/2 lbs each and the brisket is 6-1/2 lbs. Both are trimmed and all rubbed up. :tu

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

WOW, all of that from a gas grill?

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Pic of the brisket-beginning weight was 6.9 lbs, trimmed to about 6.5 lbs.
Total cooking time: 10.5 hours
Temp: 190.4

Now resting in the cooler waiting for the 2 butts (both are at ~ 175 degrees 10.5 hours into the cook. Not pulling until they hit at least 200 this time.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Mark,

Awesome, just awesome! :tu

It was no problem on the help, it was fun figuring out how to mod that one.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Starting to lose patience with the 2 butts on the smoker. I just hit the 13 hour mark and they're still not quite 190 yet. Decided to throw on another chimney worth of hot charcoal as my temps seemed to be struggling just a bit. This should give me enough to get over the hump I reckon.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Mark, that Tri-Tip looks GREAT!!. Good job Dude.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Duane, be patient w/ the Butts. 14-16 hours is not uncommon at all for doing 2 butts at one time.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Another boring fatty series from the BABOTL Birthday Herf on 4/16/2011:


http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/7...16apr20111.jpg

mild Italian sausage, a commercial/restaurant pizza sauce I can't remember the name of, a few types of cheese, pepperoni, beef salami, kalamata olives, mushrooms, green onions, bacon, roasted garlic, sweet pickled peppers (the canned peppers pictured were not used), marinaded artichoke hearts, basil, rosemary, marjoram, oregano, red pepper flakes.


http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/2...16apr20112.jpg

On the smoker late Friday night. Oak (60-70%) and cherry (40-30%) wood smoke.

http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/820...16apr20114.jpg

After reheating at Eric's house.

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/4...16apr20115.jpg
http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/663...16apr20116.jpg

10 minutes and they were all gone, nothing but a tray of fatty juice, three or four requests for recipes / cooking instructions, and two marriage proposals (unfortunately the latter were from Clay and Mario).

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I amaze myself....here is the brisket sliced after a 2 hour hold in the cooler.

It was excellent!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

:tpd:

Yeah, 1.5 to 2 hrs per lb is not uncommon.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Looks good. :tu

What did you use for smoke wood?

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Hickory and mesquite...haven't ventured into the "fruity" woods yet.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Dumb question I have about the brisket-

I've read about slicing the flat from the point, but from the pics and such, I can't tell that my brisket had both. It was just under 7 lbs at Sams Club, so I'm not sure if they only sell one part of the brisket or I just can't tell where they are. Thanks.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Butts are in the cooler to rest for a couple of hours as temps seemed to finally hit the 200 mark. Tested with the fork and it was shredding on the smoker. In the house, I went to pick it up with both hands and it fell into pieces.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Here's the pulled butt.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

The only ones i have seen at Sam's is the Flat part of the brisket, the last one i did was the point and flat, but i had a super hard time finding it whole, had to order it thru WinnDixie, wasnt by choice, went to every butcher in down and no one had a whole brisket, i was pissed wasted a whole saturday, finally ordered from WD, but it was actually pretty nice cut of beef if i say so, but i am still a noob...

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I bought a brisket on Saturday at Sams, and they did have whole packers (with the flat and the point) and packs with just the flat. I think the smallest whole brisket I saw where I shopped was about 12 pounds.

The whole packers were $1.88/pound and the flats were more - close to $4/pound if I remember - so the price may tell you if you got just the flat or a whole brisket.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

12 hours in the traeger....pulled pork.

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g2...n/photo-28.jpg

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Looks yummy! What was the before weight?

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Those fatty's are always nice looking that you post Adam, and I'm sure they taste even better. I noticed the kalamata olives and couldn't help think about a Greek fatty. Possibly with goats cheese, grape leaves, etc.

Oh, don't be turning your back on Mario;)


That brisket and pork look delicious Duane!

Jeff, it looks :dr

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Thanks Mark. Come on up for a herf sometime brother and try a slice or two for yourself.

The greek one sounds interesting, I need to think about what else could go into it, it could work. I don't think I've ever tried chèvre in a fatty before.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Jeff, Duane, nice looking pork there.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

This past saturday the wife had a pork tenderloin on the grill (the whole tenderloin ... 12in long?) and coated it in her typical BBQ/pork rub. It was delicious!!! I've never had pork tenderloin that tender before. The fat was like a butter sauce ... sooooo good!
Wishing I'd taken a picture now. :(

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Had 2 racks of babybacks and a rack of spare ribs on the smoker Sunday during my BBQ/Herf @ my house. After they were done, I raised the heat and grilled some burgers and brats.
Was a good Sunday!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Took some thick cut bacon and smoked it with apple wood. I am now in a bacon induced coma:)

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

4 pound brisket rubbed and ready to go.

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...e/IMG_0030.jpg

On the grill.

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...e/IMG_0031.jpg

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

2 hours in

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...e/IMG_0032.jpg

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Looking good. Can't wait to see how it turns out! :tu

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Just tossed on a rack of Denver ribs (lamb)

http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/1...s201104221.jpg

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

What is in that rub?

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

gonna guess mustard and rosemary, black pepper, and hmmmm....... yep, do tell. And post pics later. Dig me some lamb.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

That lamb looks nice!!! What internal temp do you cook it too?
I had never cooked lamb before so I bought one from a local farmer and had it processed. Now I'm a big fan!!!! Cooks kind of like beef to me but has a nice hint of that wild game "liver" flavor. My youngest (6 yr old daughter) loves the chops cooked on the grill.
I havent tried to smoke any of it yet but I want to smoke the shanks soon!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

It is a wet rub, but there is no prepared mustard in it.

Basic ingredients:
9-12 cloves of fresh garlic
2-3 teaspoons fresh rosemary (for dried, I would say 1-1.5 teaspoon should do it.)
about 1 teaspoon each of:
dried oregano
dried thyme
kosher salt
whole black peppercorns
Throw all this in a mini-food processor/chopper, add a splash of olive oil and process. You're looking for a paste like consistancy, so add a bit more olive oil as necessary.

That's kind of the base I use, from there I usually wing it and will add ingredients for whatever mood I'm in. In this case, the one you are seeing had about 2-3 teaspoons of whole cayenne peppers chopped up and added to it, along with maybe 1/2 a teaspoon brown mustard seed and some ground cumin.

I've done some with paprika, tamarind paste, ginger (cut the rosemary and garlic a bit add small amount of sesame oil) and other spices, it just depends on what I'm feeling like.

Dump it on, let it rest a few hours if possible (with all that garlic, it's strong, so overnight max - otherwise it might be too much).

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Temp? No idea. :sh There's not enough meat in any one spot to get a good thermo reading, I go by time, looks and how it tears when I tug on it. For the way these ribs are trimmed, I'm looking probably about 4 hours cook time running at the low 200-220 range. Again, based on the trimming, these will pull back about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch on the bones. Like pork, they will tear slightly rough, with some resistance and not quite come clean from the bone.

It actually was Luke (tuxpuff) who turned me on to smoking lamb breasts aka denver ribs (the lower cut of the ribcage) about a year ago.

I'm not sure about lamb shanks on the smoker, I'm thinking they are too lean and might dry out. Not every cut of meat works on a smoker. Personally, I'd go with a leg of lamb instead, marinade it and then smoke it. :2

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Yep, I just had a little. :dr

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I picked up 2 more butts and a package of spare ribs at Sam's that I'm going to fire up tomorrow. :tu