Smoking Meat Questions and Discussion
- Thread starter Statefan515ISU
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I've done uncovered before, but for me it definitely adds a significant amount of time to the cook. And then I am afraid I get an increased risk of losing moisture. But the bark is certainly incredible.
When I wrap in paper around the stall temp, it kind of gets the best of both worlds. Cook is faster, still end up with decent bark. And to add to the bark, I started unwrap the butt and baste with a little bbq or other marinade sauce/rub about 30min-1hr before I was ready to pull it, turn the temp up 25 degrees, and that really helps what bark you already have firm up plus adds a bit more at the end.
I get mine from a farmer friend who has a cattle lot.
To restate what is said here more plainly, what is highly underrated in this process is the quality of the locker. The locker my farmer takes beef to now is about a 90-minute drive from my house (Edgewood Locker). That place is ELITE at cutting meat, so it's every bit worth the drive to pick up my beef.
One season there was a 'miscommunication' (he said, he said) about making locker reservations and they missed their spot at Edgewood, so the meat ended up at a much smaller, local locker. Maybe 20 minutes from my house. I was much less happy. The same local locker does our pork (different farmer) and it's fine, although I do wish that farmer would haul the hogs to Edgewood too. Pork really doesn't matter much. But with beef, if you care about the quality of steaks you get, it's pretty important to get a high quality locker.
My recommendation would be to ask around your friend group and pick a local locker first who comes highly recommended, then call that locker up and see if you can at least get your name on whatever size you want. Sometimes a locker will simply source 1/4s and 1/2s for open purchase. Ask them questions about where they get those cattle for purchase. And if you want to know specifically where that beef is coming from, you might inquire who they know might have cattle for sale for your freezer, if they have any recommendations.
Friend of mine is a butcher. Says the requests for quarter/half of beef is super high right now headed into winter. Due to beef prices and people realizing it's not going back down. Told me I could get a quarter for somewhere in the neighborhood of $700.
I have issues breaking the stall when I use butcher paper. Pork butts usually take an additional 4-5 hours when I use butcher paper compared to foil.
I put a pan underneath my shoulders with apple juice in it. The drippings mixed with the apple juice is my seceret ingredient, especially if I'm reheating in a crockpot. I always let the juice cool in the fridge and skim the fat off the top. Mix some that liquid gold in and get yourself ready for the parade your guests are gonna throw you.
The processor is Weaver Meat Afton, Iowa. Brand new facility couple years ago, up to date & they know what they’re doing. Also a good new locker in Lamoni right on the interstate. My son took a steer there recently said they are where all his buddies go.
Yep, me too. Have never thought about repurposing drippings into the pork, will definitely try that next time.
I typically start with smaller amounts and add to taste. If you put too much in and can be a bit strong. I always have a container of that stuff in the freezer on reserve.
Same problem. I like the outcome better, but I've found that the amount of time it takes off of the cook is negligible compared to foil.
Define clean. I scrub off the grates after every cook/smoke. I use a paint scraper after 5 or so smokes on the inside when things start getting thick. With my type of smoker, which is an odd design, I don't really get any grease.
Creosote buildup=acrid tasting meat. Periodically scraping creosote buildup is good practice, but how often that needs to be done is completely dependent on what you are burning. When in doubt, scrape it out. Shop vac is your friend here.
I do the same scraping and have gotten the grease management down pretty well with the disposable pans. Those have made cleanup pretty slick. Just wasn't sure how far people would take the cleaning, and obviously don't want to lose the seasoning.
You should try the foil pan method for the last one as well. It would be pretty interesting to see the comparisons.
