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Smoking Food Thread

JDawg said:
The only thing I did to control moisture was spray some apple juice and it turned out great. I don't even think I wrapped it in foil.
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Certainly agree with this. Brisket is so flavorful, you dont need to add anything else. The fat cap will provide all the flavoring you'd ever need.
 
deacfan78 said:
Any suggestions for the next time I try a brisket flat?
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Don't inject with beef broth? :couch:

Brisket just needs a flavorful rub for the bark. The fat marbling takes care of the rest. That said, a flat alone has a lot less fat than the full packer with the point (the fat cap is almost always trimmed off of the flat), so it's far more sensitive to temperature and cook time.
 
RacerDeac said:
Don't inject with beef broth? :couch:

Brisket just needs a flavorful rub for the bark. The fat marbling takes care of the rest. That said, a flat alone has a lot less fat than the full packer with the point (the fat cap is almost always trimmed off of the flat), so it's far more sensitive to temperature and cook time.
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I don't plan on it. Like I said, I followed the instructions on amazingribs.com. They usually have some good recipes and guidelines on there, not this time. I got this flat from Sam's Club and it had a nice thin layer of fat on the bottom. I cooked it fat side down. Next time I will just rub and mop/spray with apple juice or something.
 
Its a matter of personal preference, but I always cook mine fat side up. I like for the fat to roll off the meat as opposed to just fall through the grate. Others argue and fight to the death claiming fat side down is better.

I inject my deer shoulders with beef broth, but that's solely because the meat is so lean and has a tendency to dry out very easily.
 
tsywake said:
Its a matter of personal preference, but I always cook mine fat side up. I like for the fat to roll off the meat as opposed to just fall through the grate. Others argue and fight to the death claiming fat side down is better.

I inject my deer shoulders with beef broth, but that's solely because the meat is so lean and has a tendency to dry out very easily.
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I went fat side down because I have read the fat acts as a buffer between the heat and the meat to help avoid it drying out. Having said that, my smoker has a water pan that probably does the same thing. Either way, I'm going back to the drawing board on the brisket.
 
Some argue that the fat side down allows the grease to drip directly on the hot place, creating a flavoring sizzle. I've had problems in the past with the fat sticking to the grate, so from early on I went fat side up.
 
deacfan78 said:
I went fat side down because I have read the fat acts as a buffer between the heat and the meat to help avoid it drying out. Having said that, my smoker has a water pan that probably does the same thing. Either way, I'm going back to the drawing board on the brisket.
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Yeah, I'd agree if you were trying to slow cook over direct heat, but on a smoker that uses indirect/convection heat, I'd go fat side up and let gravity do it's thing.
 
The brisket also cooked quicker than I thought. I took it to 200 degrees like a pork butt and was anticipating 12 hours or so, but we started it around 5 AM and it was done by 1:00. Now thinking back, even though it was 6 or 7 lbs, it was long and flat unlike a pork butt so that is probably why it cooked quicker.
 
A friend is "apprenticing" with me this spring. Need to pick something quick-ish (3-5 hours) to do on Sunday for lunch. Any thoughts?
 
Smoke from 12/24/13:

Adam Lang Perry + additional spices:
2013_12_23_18_28_55.jpg


2013_12_23_18_32_05.jpg


Setup (circa 6:15am):
2013_12_24_06_49_08.jpg


11 hrs of smoking at 240F with 2.5 hr rest period:
2013_12_24_19_32_36.jpg
 
deacfan78 said:
The brisket also cooked quicker than I thought. I took it to 200 degrees like a pork butt and was anticipating 12 hours or so, but we started it around 5 AM and it was done by 1:00. Now thinking back, even though it was 6 or 7 lbs, it was long and flat unlike a pork butt so that is probably why it cooked quicker.
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Yeah, flats cook quick. A full packer (much larger than a pork butt) is where you get into the 12+ hour range on brisket. Brisket isn't nearly as forgiving as pork though, so it takes more work to get right.
 
Changing it up today. I typically do beer can chickens and quarter them to serve, but picked up a case of leg quarters to try. They've been on about 45 min, and I'm liking them so far. Much easier to work with, and should cut the cooking time down considerably.
 
tsywake said:
Changing it up today. I typically do beer can chickens and quarter them to serve, but picked up a case of leg quarters to try. They've been on about 45 min, and I'm liking them so far. Much easier to work with, and should cut the cooking time down considerably.
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I still do whole chickens fairly often (usual don't bother with the can) but I've gotten to where I use quarters more often. Much easier/quicker, and I like dark meat on the smoker better anyway. Also, I've been experimenting with an Alabama style mayo based sauce for smoked chicken. I didn't like it at first using the basic ingredients, but I've doctored it up with a little more kick and now it's about the only sauce I make when I do poultry. Anyone else tried that sauce? It'd be sacrilege for pork or beef but I like it on chicken...
 
The chickens are restless.

7aru3emy.jpg


I've never tried the white sauce but a friend is supposed to be getting me a recipe to try. Mind sharing yours with the improvements?
 
Nice. I use the recipe at amazing ribs as a start. It's basic. I do about 2 c mayo anf just under 1 c cider vinegar. Then mix in about a tbs of black pepper, cayenne pep, garlic powder, salt. You'll have to play around to taste. I probly go heavier on black pepper and lighter on other stuff. Big thing is I start light on vinegar and work up so I don't have a runny mess. Also you have to let it sit in fridge overnite to get flavor. Otherwise it just tastes like mayo. I'm still experimenting but that's the jist. My whole fam prefers it to bbq sauce for chicken now.
 
Smoking season is in full swing. Doing some Boston Butts and white meat chicken quarters for an event this weekend. Hopefully the white meat quarters will turn out as good as the dark meat quarters. If so, beer can chicken may be retired for just special occasions.
 
Turd Ferguson said:
Nice. I use the recipe at amazing ribs as a start. It's basic. I do about 2 c mayo anf just under 1 c cider vinegar. Then mix in about a tbs of black pepper, cayenne pep, garlic powder, salt. You'll have to play around to taste. I probly go heavier on black pepper and lighter on other stuff. Big thing is I start light on vinegar and work up so I don't have a runny mess. Also you have to let it sit in fridge overnite to get flavor. Otherwise it just tastes like mayo. I'm still experimenting but that's the jist. My whole fam prefers it to bbq sauce for chicken now.
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I made this as well, with a slight modification. Very tasty on chicken and pork I thought. I even used it on a hamburger.
 
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