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Re: What's in your smoker?
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You'll be fine, WSM's are pretty easy to use. If MACS can crank out good bbq with one, anyone can. Virtual bullet has some step-by-step recipes w/ vent positions and all here: http://virtualweberbullet.com/cook.html If you aren't familiar with the "Minion method" of lighting and fueling, it has some significant advantages over the methods presented in the book that comes with the WSM: http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/fireup2.html |
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It depends on what you want from the thermometer.
If you want remote temps, then the Maverick ET372 w/ dual probes (one for the meat, one for the cooking chamber, aka "the pit") seems to be a popular choice. If you are thinking about getting an automatic draft controller for the WSM, both the Stoker Controller and the DigiQ units have multiple thermometers built in, as they need to monitor both pit temp and meat temp to be able to control the blower properly. Some units have remote reading capability via ethernet / wireless network. If your lid gauge is calibrated, and once you get to know your smoker, you can do a lot with just a digital pen thermometer. The Thermopens are excellent, but pricey. :2 |
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That was some wind. I noticed my dog is sleeping on my smoker cover this morning. Didn't want to disturb
him to fuss at him. WASTED another weekend. Sure wish Ribs would go on sale. There have been 2 "SALES" this year already, both of them were surely some kind of joke. |
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First brisket ever. Pics as soon as I host them out on fotobucket.
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Mine also came with a temp guide, which is stuck to the side of my fridge. This is the one I got: http://www.amazon.com/Maverick-Wirel...averick+et+732 |
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I've never done ribs for a group, because frankly, they're too expensive for me. 12 people = 6 full racks. On average, the regular price (at least around these parts) is just a hair south of $15/rack. Sometimes they have them on sale for 1.99/lb, but they are definitely not baby back ribs. They label them "Pork loin back ribs" and are considerably larger bone with less meat. I try to keep my smoker around 225-250, I use natural lump coal, and - at least with pork - prefer apple wood chunks (not soaked). I shoot for a thin blue smoke out of the stack, as that seems to impart just enough smoke flavor to please everyone. But I use a different smoker than the WSM. I use a horizontal barrel style smoker/grill combo. Currently in the market for another one though. That's what I've found works great for my tastes. I know you didn't ask for my amateur advice, and I am by NO means an expert; just a guy who likes to cook slabs of animal flesh on the weekends with family, friends, and cigars. And let's not forget the beer :tu |
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I just read on the vitual bullet that ribs can be one of the hardest foods to get right, so I may not make such a large scale attempt as a first smoke. Maybe I'll do a couple of bacon explosions as appetizers so I can scatch my itch without ruining dinner. |
Re: What's in your smoker?
Colin, a lot of those guys compete, so "right" to them can have scoring connotations. "Right" to the home cook is much easier. Just look up the "tear test" for ribs, it's really not as hard as some might make it sound. Nothing wrong with spares or St. Louis ribs either, they taste the same, cost less and you get more meat but they take a little bit longer to cook. You might need a rib rack to get a few slabs in the cooker though, since they don't roll up easily like bbrs.
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Picking up a couple of cases of butts tomorrow for little picnic the park this weekend.
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Colin, my ribs improved enormously when I realized they were easy to "over smoke" which created a really dark bark. Go for a clean burn with the thin blue smoke like Peter said. The other tip that really helped me was 3-2-1 for spares. That is 3 hours in the smoker at 225-235, two hours on the smoker but wrapped in foil with a little apple juice added, then one hour with the foil opened back up to reset the bark. Of course you will find you adjust that some according to how you cook, but it is a good rule of thumb.
I have found I usually go a little more than three hours before I foil. I get them to the color I want which is usually more like 3.5 hours. The last hour I check them frequently to get them right where I want them tenderness wise. It is usually more like 30 minutes or so. For babybacks the times are shorter. I still do about three hours for the first segment, but start checking them after about 1.5 hours in the foil. Once they are a little more tender than I want them I take them out of the smoker, open the foil, and let them rest a bit to firm up the bark. The meat firms up as well. |
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And thanks to everyone for the wisdom. There is obviously a lot of knowledge here - I appreciate how willingly it is shared. |
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I like what Peter and Brent said about over-smoking. If you taste your ribs and they taste like they have been
in a house fire, you know you failed the over-smoke test. Thin, blue smoke is the only way to go. |
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Smoker is lit, meat is getting rubbed, cigars and bourbon standing by...
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Sounds like the way to spend the weekend. |
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http://oldchurchbbq.com/sharedpictur...cnic%20BBQ.jpg 16 butts and a mess of beans to get things started... |
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I knew I smelled something heavenly Steve!!! A guy has an 84 for sale in G'ville, but I am still looking for a 60.
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Just pulled 3 pork butts off the smoker. doing 3 more tomorrow. Got a big tailgate party on Tuesday.
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16 butts wrapped and resting Saturday night...
http://oldchurchbbq.com/sharedpictur...0BBQ%20002.jpg All that was left Sunday afternoon http://oldchurchbbq.com/sharedpictur...0BBQ%20003.jpg |
Re: What's in your smoker?
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Normally I would never cut the ribs apart before cooking nor leave the membrane on the back (inside), but these came that way and I wasn't going to pass up organic grass feed & finished beef ribs from Eel River Ranch for $1.50/lb.
Used it as an opportunity to test a few different glazes, had some interesting results. A mix of apricot jam, sriracha sauce, apple cider vinegar and a dash of oyster sauce seemed to be the winner with the plum/cherry/oak smoke. http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/attach...1&d=1365432571 http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/attach...1&d=1365432571 http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/attach...1&d=1365432571 |
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My mouth waters when I look at this thread:dr
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Pics will be up tonight of the results. All in all it was still delicious thanks for the ideas on how to make it. |
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Haha, Adam, it looks like you bought those Piggly Wiggly beef ribs I used to get, where they flanken cut all
the meat off for another product, leave you with giant shiners, and they charge you a crazy per pound rate for basically bones....and still have the nerve to call it 'beef ribs'. I had to stop buying them. They used to be in the reduced rack all the time, but again, heavy bones were not something I was interested in buying after I was told not to give the guard dog any more bones. I even got tired of the flavor. |
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I hear you Brad, normally I won't buy beef ribs that have the meat cut off the top and/or meat gouged out from between the bones. These came as two butchers paper wrapped packs in the frozen markdown bin. I could feel through the paper to tell that they were already separated, which was no big deal, but because they were already frozen, I couldn't tell they were all shiners. Oh well, at $1.50/lb for these which normally go for close to $4/lb, it wasn't a bad deal, but certainly not a great deal when I compare it to the cuts I typically get from the university at their processing facility (corn finished, not-free range, non-organic beef though).
I was actually thinking about throwing the bones in the pressure cooker for stock, but decided against it, figuring that all the smoke would be extracted too, so I'd end up with 4-5 quarts of briquette flavored stock. |
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Sweet looking smoke ring, Adam!
You're an animal, Steve! |
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Don't get me wrong Adam, I ate em til I just couldn't get up for it anymore, some $200 worth over a year
or two. But in the end it was the gall of them taking all the meat, selling it to someone else, and then trying to sell me the leftovers as beef ribs that made me mad. If it didn't have a good reduced for quick sale price on it, I would never have gotten caught up in it. Add to that the fact that they are only good hot off the grill, and it was an easy habit to break. Re-heated they are really lame. Or certainly not worth serving to friends as an example of your smoking skill. I could eat them re-heated MYSELF, but found them a bad idea to share. I won't lie, though....looking at the pics again today, my mouth DID water. |
Re: What's in your smoker?
Question for you guys - I'm doing back ribs tomorrow for my first cook. I obviously can't time it exactly because I haven't done them before on the WSM. I'd probably rather they be done earlier and kept warm than later and everyone else kept hungry. So what do you recommend if they are finished an hour before I want to serve them? Stick them in the oven at 180? Something else?
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But again, I've never cooked ribs for a large group. "Eating time" when I cook ribs is whenever they get done :) |
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I did 16 7.5lb butts this past saturday for a picnic sunday after church. When they were at temperature saturday night (about 11:30pm) i pulled them off the smoker, wrapped them in two layers of foil, and stuck them in one of my large coolers with some towels. Sunday morning around 8:30 when I started pulling them to serve, my assistant was still doing the hot-hands two-step thru 3 pairs of disposable gloves (I gues to be fair, I really should invest in another pair of nice, insulated gloves like I use for my helper... ;s) http://oldchurchbbq.com/sharedpictur...0BBQ%20002.jpg BTW, if you are cooking them ~225*, I would probably figure on about 5 hours to cook. At least that's what mine average out to. |
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Thank you, Steve. I appreciate the advice and the time quote. I'm shooting for 225, so that's great to know.
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If you are using a WSM, you shouldn't have too much trouble. THose things keep temp pretty well as long as you pay attention.
A lot of guys get pretty anal about keeping exactly 225* (and now doubt these guys turn out awesome product), but I usually don't get that worked up about it. With a shorter cook like ribs it may make more of a difference, but most of the time I am cooking for 12-18 hours on average. I think it pretty much averages out as long as you don't let the temp dip too far. You definately do not want to loose time trying to get the smoker back up to temp. Of course I have been cooking on my Lang for a LONG time and know what her mood is on any given day. After you have cooked on your WSM for a few times you will have a better feeling for how long various items are going to cook and how much fuel you will need. For example, this past weekend, I used half a bag of lump (5lbs. maybe) and 2 or 3 logs to get her fired and warmed up, then maybe another 15 or so quarter sticks of blackjack oak for the entire cook. Once she's up to temperature, she just cruises along. Enjoy the ride, and especially the eating! |
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15.5 lbs of boneless Boston Butt from Costco. Brining solution - salt, cracked black pepper, and mined garlic for 12 hours. Rubbed with homemade pork rub. Smoked at 235-255F for 9 hours on Saturday. Beautiful deep smoke ring and absolutely perfect flavor! My entire family has been enjoying them since supper last night. Still have enough to freeze for later. Probably the best butts I ever smoked!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps0ff0d418.jpg http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps4fa15ff0.jpg http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...psfcced5db.jpg |
Re: What's in your smoker?
Looks awesome Jamie!
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Awesome pics Jamie! Great Job, looks tasty
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Nice! :tu
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Well guys, I pulled off the ribs on Saturday for the most part. I did 6 racks, 2-2-1 ish, had the smoker holding pretty steady around 225. I would say 3 of the racks came out perfect - great flavor and texture. The other three had good flavor, but were not as tender and some of the larger pieces of meat actually were a little dried out. I don't know how to explain them being not as tender (which I think means they needed to cook longer) and also drier except for maybe the placement within the WSM and the idea that maybe I should have used more apple juice for the larger racks when I wrapped them. I'll have to do some experimenting and figure it out. It will be fun "work". I really did enjoy the whole process.
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Were the ribs all the same size Colin?
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I've attached a pic of them before going into the foil, but I don't think you can tell very much from it. |
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Has anyone tried using tobacco when smoking meat? I'm thinking of trying it for a BBQ event (BizzareBQ) I'll be going to in June. The idea if the event is to be creative with your dishes. I found a link to a chef who did tobacco smoked ribs with a Guinness sauce, but no recipe. I might have to do some test runs.
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Accidentally burned the nub of a cigar once. Didn't really do anything noticeable, but it was a rather small quantity of tobacco, maybe not enough to be noticed. Honestly never felt the need to try it again with a larger cigar and see. |
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