Smoking Meat Questions and Discussion

[cycloner29]

If you’re using pellets designed for smoking/grilling I’m not even sure how they could tell. The heating/wood burner pellets on the other hand, I can see them causing problems. I think that’s maybe the reason, the chance somebody might get them confused.

Great marketing ploy by Traeger to do this. I assume the warranty is only for a year on Traeger items.

Told my buddy about my price and he floored. He has a Traeger and his dealer told him it would void the warranty if he used another brand. Wow!!

 

[NickTheGreat]

Traditionalists might say that you're ruining your bark with this method but it should serve you well for your first. I finish anything that I wrap in the oven as well.

I've finished some brisket and corned beef in the oven and it's never quite as good. I know the smoke shouldn't matter past 160,but it isn't the same.

In all fairness I don't know a lot about oven smoking and may not be doing it right.

 

[MLawrence]

I've finished some brisket and corned beef in the oven and it's never quite as good. I know the smoke shouldn't matter past 160,but it isn't the same.

In all fairness I don't know a lot about oven smoking and may not be doing it right.

I think it depends if you are wrapping and what you are wrapping with.

 

[isudoc03]

I've bought the Big Green Egg coal for years. Can't get it now, so I got this same thing. A friend of mine said it's pretty good. I agree it's $$$$

I've used the Jealous Devil for the past year in my BGE. I have like it the best of any charcoal I've used. I think it cooks well and lasts longer.

 

[cstrunk]

I just got 320 lbs of LJ Competition Blend Pellets $13/bag. Pays to go in with people and buy a pallet or two.

My God, that is a lot of pellets. Unless you have some very nice airtight storage containers I'd be worried about humidity damage.

I'm good with buying 40 lb bags of Pit Boss pellets from Lowe's for $15/bag - one at a time.

 

[discydisc]

I'm going to smoke my first brisket on May 1st, little nervous .

The plan is to start to thaw 6-4 days out, then trim the fat and season the night before. Smoke it at 225 or 250 until the internal temp gets to 160. Finish it in the oven with a covered roster pan, with a 1/2 inch of beef broth in the bottom of pan, at 250 until the brisket temp comes up to 200-205.

Open to suggestions but the idea of leaving it in the smoker covered in foil for the finish seems like a waste of pellets?? If its covered in foil and broth how much smokier can it get?

If you're running on a pellet smoker I would recommend starting your smoke at a lower temp (I usually do a couple hours or so at 190 then slowly bring the temperature up, you'll have a better chance at developing a decent bark IMO (though if you're planning on putting this into a pan with broth it might be a waste...). Also, I'd look at getting a prime brisket if you can. You should be able to special order them at any decent grocery store. Don't be in a hurry and plan on at least an hour rest once it gets done.

...this all assumes you're doing a full brisket, not just a flat.

Only slice the brisket against the grain and as people are ready for it to retain as much moisture as possible. It freezes pretty well, especially as an addition to chili or mac-n-cheese.

 

[Clonedogg]

If you're running on a pellet smoker I would recommend starting your smoke at a lower temp (I usually do a couple hours or so at 190 then slowly bring the temperature up, you'll have a better chance at developing a decent bark IMO (though if you're planning on putting this into a pan with broth it might be a waste...). Also, I'd look at getting a prime brisket if you can. You should be able to special order them at any decent grocery store. Don't be in a hurry and plan on at least an hour rest once it gets done.

...this all assumes you're doing a full brisket, not just a flat.

Only slice the brisket against the grain and as people are ready for it to retain as much moisture as possible. It freezes pretty well, especially as an addition to chili or mac-n-cheese.

I don't know what the difference is between those briskets you've described, we got the brisket when we split a cow with 2 other families, so a third of a cow. Anyway its about half the size of my torso.

 

[discydisc]

I don't know what the difference is between those briskets you've described, we got the brisket when we split a cow with 2 other families, so a third of a cow. Anyway its about half the size of my torso.

Sounds like you have a full brisket then:

 

[cycloner29]

My God, that is a lot of pellets. Unless you have some very nice airtight storage containers I'd be worried about humidity damage.

I'm good with buying 40 lb bags of Pit Boss pellets from Lowe's for $15/bag - one at a time.

I'll usually have around 120 lbs on hand. I go through quite a few pellets. I store them in my garage and have not had any problems with humidity. I did have a bag of LJ maple pellets that the pellets must have been 3"-4" and hard as a rock last year (had to buy the competition blend by separate flavors as I couldn't get a bag of competition. They actually locked up my auger last fall. I ended up having to break the whole bag up so they would feed right. That was a pain in the a## to do.

 

[BACyclone]

I'm going to smoke my first brisket on May 1st, little nervous .

The plan is to start to thaw 6-4 days out, then trim the fat and season the night before. Smoke it at 225 or 250 until the internal temp gets to 160. Finish it in the oven with a covered roster pan, with a 1/2 inch of beef broth in the bottom of pan, at 250 until the brisket temp comes up to 200-205.

Open to suggestions but the idea of leaving it in the smoker covered in foil for the finish seems like a waste of pellets?? If its covered in foil and broth how much smokier can it get?

I've been forced a couple times to finish a smoke in my oven (fire issue or maybe impatience) but I usually try to avoid. For one...as was said, it just seems different. For two, and more importantly to me, it will make your whole kitchen smell like the inside of the smoker.

I almost always wrap at 160ish as well, but recently started using the butcher paper instead. It is so much superior to foil wrapping. The bark doesn't come out soggy looking and sad. Wrap at 160, and once you get maybe 5deg away from your finish temp you just open up the top to crisp the bark back up once again.

Before you cook, use your knife to cut a small mark against the grain in one corner so you know what direction to slice it. This will be different for the point and flat -- the point you will probably end up with some slices and some chunks.

For cooks where I have time, I almost always start out with temp at 200 for as long as I can stand, then kick it up to 225-250 max for the balance. If I am hustling I start at 225.

For the finish stage -- if you wrap you should have plenty of juice/fat inside to not need to add more juices for the finish.

Below is a pork butt roast where I have done pretty much the same process as above.

 

[CYdTracked]

Would love to get one of these smokers but I think the price tag on one of these is around $3000 I've read which is a tad outside of my budget



So I'm smoking a rack of spare ribs and a 2.5 lb pork roast today and got me thinking, what accessories does everyone have out there they would like to recommend? I need to upgrade my wireless thermometer so I have multiple probes and not just the 1 and would like to find one where you can mount one of the probes inside the smoker so I can keep better tabs on my pit temp. I use a charcoal offset smoker so sometimes I probably let it get cooler than I would like if I don't check the fire as often as I should.

 

[dmclone]

Would love to get one of these smokers but I think the price tag on one of these is around $3000 I've read which is a tad outside of my budget



So I'm smoking a rack of spare ribs and a 2.5 lb pork roast today and got me thinking, what accessories does everyone have out there they would like to recommend? I need to upgrade my wireless thermometer so I have multiple probes and not just the 1 and would like to find one where you can mount one of the probes inside the smoker so I can keep better tabs on my pit temp. I use a charcoal offset smoker so sometimes I probably let it get cooler than I would like if I don't check the fire as often as I should.

My wife bought me an InkBird IBT-4XS and I've been very happy with it.

https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Wireless-Thermometer-Grilling-Rechargeable/dp/B076QDC5VL

 

[BillBrasky4Cy]

Would love to get one of these smokers but I think the price tag on one of these is around $3000 I've read which is a tad outside of my budget



So I'm smoking a rack of spare ribs and a 2.5 lb pork roast today and got me thinking, what accessories does everyone have out there they would like to recommend? I need to upgrade my wireless thermometer so I have multiple probes and not just the 1 and would like to find one where you can mount one of the probes inside the smoker so I can keep better tabs on my pit temp. I use a charcoal offset smoker so sometimes I probably let it get cooler than I would like if I don't check the fire as often as I should.

For anyone using a pellet smoker I highly encourage you to try using a smoke tube. These little beauties solve the problem of pellet smokers not producing enough smoke. They are a game changer.

 

[Acylum]

For anyone using a pellet smoker I highly encourage you to try using a smoke tube. These little beauties solve the problem of pellet smokers not producing enough smoke. They are a game changer.

Great for smoking cheese, cold smoking, etc.

 

[Acylum]

Malcom thinks his rib sandwich is better than McDonalds.

 

[cycloner29]

Great for smoking cheese, cold smoking, etc.

Did pretty well on jerky without it. I am able to manipulate my DB calibration to get the temp below 150. Had this on for 8 hours.

 

[BACyclone]

I've never been left wanting for smoke on my Pit Boss pellet smoker. If I ever got into cold smoking something I'd be all over getting a smoke tube, though.

I just finished a nice pork butt yesterday, and due to timing I didn't get to wrap it at all. Still ended up pulling it at about 12 hours (it wasn't a very big roast) and quite frankly I think it turned out AWESOME.

I injected ahead of time with some Lawry's marinade - a mix of Caribbean Jerk and Steak House flavors. Just because I had those on hand. I will do this again.

 

[Cyclones_R_GR8]

Malcom thinks his rib sandwich is better than McDonalds.

I've never eaten a McRib, but I would eat that.

 

[IcSyUclone]

Have a brisket going for tonight. Has a ways to go but looking good so far. Wanted to chop up the point for burnt ends but I can't cook those until Sunday. Has anyone tried cooking the brisket one day and burnt ends a couple days later? Any advise?

Having trouble posting a picture. It says the file is too large. I'm not sure how to get around that.

 

[BACyclone]

Making burnt ends as far as I know is just cubing up the meat, rolling them around in some sauce and trying to carmelize the sauce on direct heat for a bit. I would think you can do that anytime you want, later.

Once I smoked a small chuck roast and cubed it up into 'burnt ends' and it was OUTSTANDING.