Smoking Meat Questions and Discussion

Gonzo

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Results from my first go. Don’t judge my cutting, I’m still learning lol. Ended up separating the flat from the point after so that’s why there’s no bark on a few of those strips.

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That's impressive for any attempt, much less a first. Nice work.
 
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ScottyP

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For Saturday I didn't want to try to manage a long cook, and knew I had at least one Iowa chop in the freezer, so I went with an old standby favorite. If you've never smoked some Iowa chops, definitely try this one out. It easy and quick since you only smoke to 145 IT max. Unfortunately I only had the one Iowa chop so I had to pull out 2 standard chops to feed the fam.

I left the smoker on 'smoke' the whole time (about 180), which was a bit too long of a cook for the thin chops. They looked great but were a little bit dry. The Iowa chop was still juicy and fantastic.

Going from 130 to 144 IT took way too long on the low setting. Next time when I've got them on for ~2 hours I'll bump up the heat and just get them finished so they don't dry out.


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I smoke mine around 180 for about an hour, then crank up the heat until they reach around 145. My family loves these and they are easy. We have them at least once every two weeks.
 

JHUNSY

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That's impressive for any attempt, much less a first. Nice work.
Did it on a Weber kettle so I had to monitor/adjust the temps throughout the night but it wasn’t as overwhelming as I thought it would be once I got it going.

Def found it helpful to kind of write out a general game plan step by step before I started.
 

gj524

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I have been following this thread for awhile as I've been wanting to get into smoking. I have experience using a gas grill and a charcoal walkabout for grilling but not long cooks.

I just upgraded to a weber kettle and am planning to do some baby back ribs this weekend. Any recommendations on best set up on the kettle?

I have a master-touch (not premium) so it came with char-baskets, but I haven't used them before.
 

Cyclones_R_GR8

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I have been following this thread for awhile as I've been wanting to get into smoking. I have experience using a gas grill and a charcoal walkabout for grilling but not long cooks.

I just upgraded to a weber kettle and am planning to do some baby back ribs this weekend. Any recommendations on best set up on the kettle?

I have a master-touch (not premium) so it came with char-baskets, but I haven't used them before.
When I do ribs on my Weber I fill both baskets with unlit charcoal. Then I put a water pan in between the baskets. Then I put 14-16 briquets in the starter and get them going. Put half of the lit briquets on top of each basket of unlit. Throw some chunks of wood on there as well. Close the lid until it gets up to temperature then put my 2 racks of ribs in the middle and close the lid and watch my temps and make adjustments as needed.
 
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BACyclone

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I have been following this thread for awhile as I've been wanting to get into smoking. I have experience using a gas grill and a charcoal walkabout for grilling but not long cooks.

I just upgraded to a weber kettle and am planning to do some baby back ribs this weekend. Any recommendations on best set up on the kettle?

I have a master-touch (not premium) so it came with char-baskets, but I haven't used them before.

If you don't already have a wireless thermometer, get one with at least two channels and have one of the probes be an ambient (smoker) temp probe. The other will be a meat probe, which you don't really need for ribs. But with an old-school kettle you will probably want to have a way to monitor the temp inside the smoker without opening it, so you can keep your temp in the general desired range of 200-250.

I've had the ThermoPro TP20 for a couple years now, and it's a solid but affordable unit -- and it comes with a spring-clip to let you use a meat probe as an ambient probe.

Thermoworks is a higher end brand, but I wouldn't go there until you develop your own style and feel the need to invest in something better.
 
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BigTurk

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I have been following this thread for awhile as I've been wanting to get into smoking. I have experience using a gas grill and a charcoal walkabout for grilling but not long cooks.

I just upgraded to a weber kettle and am planning to do some baby back ribs this weekend. Any recommendations on best set up on the kettle?

I have a master-touch (not premium) so it came with char-baskets, but I haven't used them before.


I have this insert - https://www.smokenator.com/.

My Weber doesn't have the baskets (I bought the cheaper original. Silver model I think it was) so the smokenator is a good option. You can get good results with a Weber but my experience is it is a bit touchy to hold the temp. Be sure you move it somewhere out of the wind (my father-in-law got a refrigerator box and put that over his to help keep it out of the wind). Just accept that it won't hold a temp like a Smokey Mountain.

As others stated, buy a thermometer, and be sure you clean out all the ash before each use.
 
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gj524

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When I do ribs on my Weber I fill both baskets with unlit charcoal. Then I put a water pan in between the baskets. Then I put 14-16 briquets in the starter and get them going. Put half of the lit briquets on top of each basket of unlit. Throw some chunks of wood on there as well. Close the lid until it gets up to temperature then put my 2 racks of ribs in the middle and close the lid and watch my temps and make adjustments as needed.
How much burn time do you typically get out of that setup?
 

JM4CY

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What are your guys go to recipes/methods for pork loin? I feel like I need to step up my game with this cut.
 

Isualum13

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What are your guys go to recipes/methods for pork loin? I feel like I need to step up my game with this cut.
Dont over cook it. Pork loin is quite lean and easy to dry out. Not a great cut for smoking. Season it well and cook it to 145 internal temp. Also pork loin dipped in applesauce is delicious.
 

JM4CY

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Smoke at 250 for about an hour and a half and then cranked them up to 450 until the skin got crispy.

This is the seasoning I used and while they definitely had some heat, the seasoning was great. I picked it up from Hawgeyes. Did some with no sauce, some Buffalo andsome garlic parm.

About How long at 450?
 

AgronAlum

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About How long at 450?

Not long. I think it was less than 2 hours total from when I initially put them on until the time I pulled them. So maybe 10-15 minutes? Those were right before kick of the Iowa game so my timing is a wee bit blurry. Wings are forgiving. I think I pulled them around 180-185.
 
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