Smoking Meat Questions and Discussion

[RealisticCy]

Have never had the cajones to try smoking a turkey. We host T-giving every year, would like to try it sometime but will have to try a test run at some point prior to the holiday. How long you think it would take for a 20-22lb bird at 225?

Smoking some back ribs tomorrow.

I've done several.......wet brine is a must, Alton Browns is well known but the Pioneer Woman has a good one online.

Butter under the skin, some simple rub on the outside.

I start around 180 and kick it up every hour.....250, 300, and 350 for the last hour to crisp up and brown the skin. Takes about 4 hours total to hit 165 internal temp. That's for a whole bird, no stuffing.....you could also spatchcock or do turkey breasts only.

 

[ISUAgronomist]

I wasn't even considering that (but it's a good idea and I'll have to try it); I was just thinking to save bigger, unsliced chunks to reheat before slicing so it doesn't dry out when reheating.

I like your idea too. The sliced and frozen does come back out moist and smells just like it came out of the smoker. Obviously you lose the bark texture but I'm not concerned about that most times.

I have one prepped to go on tomorrow. Was super fatty so now I have 5# of tallow to grind into deer meat this winter....if there's any deer to shoot.

 

[Gonzo]

I've done several.......wet brine is a must, Alton Browns is well known but the Pioneer Woman has a good one online.

Butter under the skin, some simple rub on the outside.

I start around 180 and kick it up every hour.....250, 300, and 350 for the last hour to crisp up and brown the skin. Takes about 4 hours total to hit 165 internal temp. That's for a whole bird, no stuffing.....you could also spatchcock or do turkey breasts only.

So a wet brined bird going into a smoker can get a crispy skin? I wouldn't have thought. I've used Alton and Pioneer Woman wet brine for T-giving turkey, which I oven roast. But probably 3 years ago I switched to a dry brine, just salt over all of it and set open in the fridge overnight. The dry brine has had better results for us IMO. BUT, I haven't mastered a crispy skin by roasting either.

 

[Frog]

Got one of these for father's day:

https://www.ninjakitchen.com/products/ninja-woodfire-pro-connect-xl-outdoor-grill-smoker-zidOG66UPG1

Did some burgers on it Sunday, looking forward to trying out the smoking feature on it with a small pork butt or something like that. Pretty sweet setup overall.

Let us know what you think please. My wife thinks we need to downsize to the the Ninja XL and only bring gas grill and smoker out for parties.
I have a 40" Masterbuilt electric smoker but mostly only use one rack now since empty nesters and it is a pain to clean for that.

 

[ISUAgronomist]

Have another brisket on today. After checking the digital temp probe 1000 times during the stall last time, I decided to add a Thermoworks Signals to the setup so I can sit inside and track temps. So far the app is working well.

 

[Jer]

I love the Signals, but you really should have gone with the orange one

 

[ISUAgronomist]

I love the Signals, but you really should have gone with the orange one

That sounds a little tu longhorn for my likings. Also snagged it on sale for $170.

 

[cycloner29]

So a wet brined bird going into a smoker can get a crispy skin? I wouldn't have thought. I've used Alton and Pioneer Woman wet brine for T-giving turkey, which I oven roast. But probably 3 years ago I switched to a dry brine, just salt over all of it and set open in the fridge overnight. The dry brine has had better results for us IMO. BUT, I haven't mastered a crispy skin by roasting either.

Baste it with butter!!

 

[JHUNSY]

Did some ribs and poppers yesterday while I wrapped up some woodworking projects. It was a hot ass day to do it all but the end results were worth it.

 

[BillBrasky4Cy]

So a wet brined bird going into a smoker can get a crispy skin? I wouldn't have thought. I've used Alton and Pioneer Woman wet brine for T-giving turkey, which I oven roast. But probably 3 years ago I switched to a dry brine, just salt over all of it and set open in the fridge overnight. The dry brine has had better results for us IMO. BUT, I haven't mastered a crispy skin by roasting either.

This last one I did I just injected it and honestly it was better than the birds I’ve brined. It wasn’t nearly as salty. Just used a creole butter.

 

[ISUAgronomist]

Today's brisket cooked way different than the one last week. Stall was less than 30 minutes. Very quick. Was worried about the quality coming out as one other time that happened and I ended up with a dry, tough one. Not today thankfully. It turned out as good as last weeks.

 

[ISUAgronomist]

Since the brisket was so fast I decided to try a stab at pork loin. Dry rub with a mixture of paprika, kosher salt, coarse black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and sugar. This was a first attempt. Used apple wood for the smoke. Pulled it at 145F, rested 45 minutes, cut and vac sealed for quick meals for the family. I WILL do this one again.

 

[Agclone91]

Since the brisket was so fast I decided to try a stab at pork loin. Dry rub with a mixture of paprika, kosher salt, coarse black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and sugar. This was a first attempt. Used apple wood for the smoke. Pulled it at 145F, rested 45 minutes, cut and vac sealed for quick meals for the family. I WILL do this one again.

Pork loin is one of my favorites because it's a pretty quick smoke since you only go to 145, especially if you cut it in half first. Can have a meal for a pretty large crowd done in 4ish hours vs an entire day for a butt or a brisket.

 

[snowcraig2.0]

Let us know what you think please. My wife thinks we need to downsize to the the Ninja XL and only bring gas grill and smoker out for parties.
I have a 40" Masterbuilt electric smoker but mostly only use one rack now since empty nesters and it is a pain to clean for that.

I haven't smoked anything yet, just grilled and air fryed. it actually air frys like a champ, better than our one we have in the kitchen. it has quite the fan inside of it.

 

[tm3308]

Pork loin is one of my favorites because it's a pretty quick smoke since you only go to 145, especially if you cut it in half first. Can have a meal for a pretty large crowd done in 4ish hours vs an entire day for a butt or a brisket.

Plus, they're dirt cheap. I'll never understand it.

 

[Frog]

I haven't smoked anything yet, just grilled and air fryed. it actually air frys like a champ, better than our one we have in the kitchen. it has quite the fan inside of it.

THANKS. I saw you did burgers and hadn't smoked anything yet so if you do please let us know what you think. In the meantime we took advantage of some offers and bought an XL over the weekend. We bought a cart and cover to fit over everything from Amazon. All will be here next week. I will try some whole catfish I froze for first run to get used to it since so easy to replace if they don't turn out.

 

[mkadl]

I haven't smoked anything yet, just grilled and air fryed. it actually air frys like a champ, better than our one we have in the kitchen. it has quite the fan inside of it.

I use mine all the time. I installed a large deep utility sink in the basement and put a trashbag in the bottom of the sink to clean the racks, waterpan and the likes. This keeps the grease from staining the sink and scrubbing again. The inside of the MB is scraped regularly and washed 3-4 times a year. It depends on fears and preferences. I need to know about the NINjA as a smoker also.

 

[tm3308]

Have another brisket on today. After checking the digital temp probe 1000 times during the stall last time, I decided to add a Thermoworks Signals to the setup so I can sit inside and track temps. So far the app is working well.

I love my Signals, but I wish I had a Smoke unit, instead. Being in an apartment building with my smoker setup in a detached garage, I can't take advantage of the Signals' WiFi capability. It's awesome when I use it for a cookout at a friend's house, though.

 

[cycloner29]

Did a rack of spareribs from frozen to finish in 3.5 hours. Started at 180 for an hour then 260 the rest of the way. Even spritzed with ACV. Every 20 minutes or so.

 

[BillBrasky4Cy]

Pork loin is one of my favorites because it's a pretty quick smoke since you only go to 145, especially if you cut it in half first. Can have a meal for a pretty large crowd done in 4ish hours vs an entire day for a butt or a brisket.

I love doing pork loin on my Weber kettle at tailgates. 3 hours indirect heat and it's perfect. The sandwiches are fantastic.