Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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.

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?

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.

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.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

http://oldchurchbbq.com/sharedpictur...ig%20Roast.jpg

:hy

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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....

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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/7430/1...5af7bd69_z.jpg
IMG_20130929_163222 by kydsid, on Flickr


Sunday smoker fun! :D

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

and tomorrow's dinner

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3698/1...080b5eac_n.jpg
IMG_20130929_191246 by kydsid, on Flickr

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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/v1...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/v1...0930131312.jpg

Here's the external thermometer reading pre-meat.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...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

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Elk heart pastrami before going into the smoker.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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/v1...1013131347.jpg

About 2-3 hours in, long before they were foiled.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...1013132135.jpg

Largest one after a rest. Notice that bone separation
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...1014130828.jpg

Smaller two after resting.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...1014130846.jpg

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

All three pulled and equally divided. One for my family, one for my sister's family.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...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

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Nicely done.


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

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

: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.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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)

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Thanks Peter!!!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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/t...ps76af9e18.jpg

BIL and dad

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps6f4c8cde.jpg

Finished hog

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps743e4c73.jpg

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

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps9d2052f7.jpg

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

: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!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Very nice and congratulations, Jamie. :tu

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Congrats Jamie, great pics and story.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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/v1...1019131227.jpg

The bigger one we actually paid for
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...019131227a.jpg

The smaller one we got free with purchase of the other
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...1019131228.jpg

The opposite side with fat caps showing
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...019131228a.jpg

All trimmed up, possibly not in the same order
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...1019131319.jpg

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Two destined for the bottom rack all rubbed up
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...1019131343.jpg

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

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...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/v1...020130445a.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/v1...1020131248.jpg

Pulled
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...020131257a.jpg

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

2nd to last removed
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...1020131305.jpg

Same one, just opened up
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...1020131306.jpg

A little more
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...1020131307.jpg

And pulled,
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...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.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Serious bark, Mike. Great job!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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?

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Also, what IT did you shoot for?

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

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

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.