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Smoking Food Thread

Semi-Tough Deac said:
Smoked a turkey for the first time this week with overall success. I used a simple salt/sugar brine, but am thinking of using a different more complex brine mixture next week, one with bay leaves, peppercorns, etc. Anyone have an opinion on whether there is a noticeable difference in flavor with different brines?
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RacerDeac said:
Yeah, I wouldn't expect much/any noticeable flavor from spices. Sugar (in whatever form) and salt are the two flavors that impart well in brines, I assume because they are water soluble. The others are best left for topical application IMO (i.e. rubbed under the skin, etc).
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What racer and the others have said. Brine is all about moisture, not flavor. Rub that bird down, under the skin to maximize flavor. The rubs cant penetrate the skin, so once you remove (eat) the skin, you lose all of your rub flavor.

Our preferred method is to mix the rub into some melted butter and rub down the meat under the skin. Others have a lot of success removing the skin, rubbing it down, then reapplying the skin, tacking it down with toothpicks. Also known as the Buffalo Bill method. Im not a huge fan of it, mostly because I dont think your presentation is as good.
 
Actually, you can apply a compound butter between the meat and skin without removing the skin. Quality butter with thyme, tarragon, a little coriander powder, some garlic, and black pepper. Mix it a few days in advance so it comes together then bring it to room temp.

Get someone with small hands to carefully work the butter under the skin. You can massage it in place from the outside edge towards larger, middle sections. Skin stays intact, no toothpicks required. And it always help to give a finished bird a few minutes under a broiler to crisp the skin. Take care to watch, of course.

eta: I re-read your post. I think this is what you're talking about.
 
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Incidentally, if you like making boiled peanuts during the summer (or anytime of year), you can save the brine once you're done. I've found that boiled peanut brine makes great brine for turkey, chicken, and BBQ pork. Especially if you're frying it.
 
94Deac said:
eta: I re-read your post. I think this is what you're talking about.
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Yeah, but I was pretty vague about it. Mostly explaining the Buffalo Bill technique and commenting how I didn't prefer that method.

I will say this, as long as it tastes good and you arent in a competition, who cares what it looks like. Some of my best smokes looked like a hot mess but were incredibly tasty.

My dentist gives everyone a smoked turkey breast for thanksgiving, and I picked it up this afternoon. Not bad for free but you can taste the port-a-pit.
 
tsywake said:
What racer and the others have said. Brine is all about moisture, not flavor. Rub that bird down, under the skin to maximize flavor. The rubs cant penetrate the skin, so once you remove (eat) the skin, you lose all of your rub flavor.

Our preferred method is to mix the rub into some melted butter and rub down the meat under the skin. Others have a lot of success removing the skin, rubbing it down, then reapplying the skin, tacking it down with toothpicks. Also known as the Buffalo Bill method. Im not a huge fan of it, mostly because I dont think your presentation is as good.
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"It puts the lotion on the skin, or it gets the hose again."
 
06deacon said:
I'm smoking a bone in turkey breast this weekend for a friends thanksgiving. Unfortunately I accidentally got a butterball-style pre brined turkey instead of non treated so I won't be able to brine like I normally would. Hoping it'll still turn out as good.
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The smoked turkey was phenomenal. As a bonus, I boiled down the trimmed carcass to make stock and used that to make turkey soup tonight which picked up some of that smoke flavor. Oh hell yeah.
 
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You might want to stroll through Cookshack's products. I've gone through a lot of smokers and have three now. My Cookshack puts them all to bed. This are as close to set-it-and-forget-it as you can get. Cleaning is minimal and the construction (made in Oklahoma) is outstanding. They're pricey but are more than worth it. No pellets- just solid wood, chips, or dust.

http://www.cookshack.com/store/Smokers_2
 
Thanks, very interesting. My only initial reservation is the top temp in the Cookshack is 300, whereas the Camp Chef is 400+. Not that those temps would be needed for smoking but they'd add some flexibility for bbq options. Then again, love the size of the smokette elite. Little worried that I don't have a covered area in my backyard for it though since it sounds like rain would be a problem.

Looks like the price difference would be around $250. Pretty torn, like them both. Thanks for the info - any more thoughts much appreciated.
 
I'm clueless when it comes to owning a pellet, but it seems like it would somewhat limit your ability to using flavoring woods. Does the smoker have access to the burn area where you can add some chunks to the fire? If not, my vote is for the one 94Deac posted. Sure you can buy different flavored pellets, but its just not the same.

Regardless of what you cook on, good cue can be made on anything. Just perfect the technique and enjoy the ride.
 
Thanks tsy - I'm leaning towards 94's recommendation. And your posts on this thread are ridiculously great by the way. Very inspiring. My main goal is to pick something that not only can produce great results but also gets a lot of use because it's simple and works for people who don't have a day to kill (at least not very often) smoking stuff.

Thanks!

Oh, 94 - one question. Do you have the Sokette Elite or a bigger one? One video I saw had a timer and a setting where it would reduce the temp to 140 and hold there once the meat thermometer hit your requested temp. Is that only in the pricier models?
 
Nevermind - answered it for myself. Merry Christmas ordered a Smokette Elite.

Thanks for the feedback!
 
I have the Elite. And mine only goes to 250 which is perfect. Never needed more. One great thing is that because it's a heating element without flame, you no longer need to use drip pans for moisture. And as far as being outside, I bought a Suncast storage shed/cabinet and built a simple wood table to slide in and sit the Cookshack on. Something like this: https://www.suncast.com/sheds-storage/22-cubic-ft-vertical-shed.html? You do need to vent it but that's easy enough with a 4-inch vent pipe and a cap.



Lots of ideas in the Cookshack forums: http://forum.cookshack.com/eve/forums?a=search&reqWords=suncast&use_forum_scope=on&forum_scope=7091028883

Definitely register for the forums. Great tips and advice.

You're going to be impressed with how solid the Cookshack is. It's heavy but it's double-walled stainless with glass-spun insulation inside. Even at 250, the outside is cool. And they have lots of accessories for whatever you like to cook. I haven't found a need for some and I'm able to do whole turkeys, 5 racks ribs, cold-smoked salmon, and whole briskets. The only maintenance it really requires is wiping the thermometer wiped clean (it's on the back wall), emptying the ashes from the heat box so they don't corrode the heating element (important), and just wiping down the cabinet periodically with water. I'll never own another smoker.
 
Thanks, that's a hell of a set up. For now I've got some room under my deck landing that's covered so going to put it there and see how it works out, might snag a cover for it when it's not in use. Just hope it gets here before Christmas...
 
Well that kinda sucks. Got the Smokette Elite today, set it up, started the break-in smoke - and it looks like the temp monitor doesn't work. Smoke is pouring out and if I drop the meat probe it runs up towards 200 then says "HIGH" which I'm assuming means it's at least 200 in the smoker, but the oven temp readout just sits around 80. Been over 90 minutes since it started. Re-checked the wires for the control unit - there's really only one way they can even plug in so pretty sure that's not the problem.

Guess I'll be calling tech support tomorrow :-(
 
DCDeac said:
Well that kinda sucks. Got the Smokette Elite today, set it up, started the break-in smoke - and it looks like the temp monitor doesn't work. Smoke is pouring out and if I drop the meat probe it runs up towards 200 then says "HIGH" which I'm assuming means it's at least 200 in the smoker, but the oven temp readout just sits around 80. Been over 90 minutes since it started. Re-checked the wires for the control unit - there's really only one way they can even plug in so pretty sure that's not the problem.

Guess I'll be calling tech support tomorrow :-(
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I've heard they've had occasional issues with the newer temp monitors. I have the previous version which is non-electronic. I will say their customer service has always been phenomenal. I think one of the caster wheels on mine has missing bearings- they FedEx'd one the next day. Post back on how it turns out. FWIW, I've never used a temp probe in BBQ/smoking. Strictly hours and heat.
 
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94Deac said:
I've heard they've had occasional issues with the newer temp monitors. I have the previous version which is non-electronic. I will say their customer service has always been phenomenal. I think one of the caster wheels on mine has missing bearings- they FedEx'd one the next day. Post back on how it turns out. FWIW, I've never used a temp probe in BBQ/smoking. Strictly hours and heat.
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Wow, interesting. One of the best meals I've ever had was a smoked tenderloin that was a perfect medium rare so I'm hoping to copy it some day - but it'd definitely require a temp probe. And actually if it was the temp probe that wasn't working it'd be fine, I have a remote one. But the oven temp is a little more important obviously.

I bet they'll hook me up, my only worry is that the controller itself seemed fine and I'm afraid it's the actual wiring of the probe in the smoker. The temp it showed matched the temp of the outside of the smoker pretty closely, wondering if the cable that runs inside the smoker to the probe inside the box is cut/broken somewhere.
 
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