Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

Great input, thanks all. So to do it economically I figure you have to buy big stuff, bulk... If there's just two of you, I guess that means you're eating leftover brisket or pork butt for a week?

 

I eventually plan to get a vacuum sealer to freeze the extra meat. Lots of people use these. Drop the bags into hot water to reheat and it's as good as the day you made it.

 

So freezing already cooked meat is ok, no harm?

 

Brine!

 

Definitely a hobby for me.

I do it all the time. It stays fresh much longer than if just wrapped. My freezer is full of deer, catfish and paddlefish. I couldn't enjoy them out of season as easily without a vac sealer. I just sealed and froze 5 lbs of smoked brisket, and as long as I eat it in the next year or so, it'll be like fresh smoked. When I smoke turkey breast for Tgiving, I do it a couple days in advance. I vac seal it but don't freeze it, so when I get to my host's home I just pop it in a pot of water on the stove. No oven space occupied and it's always the hit of the meal.

 

lots of bbq restaurants do it. meat takes so long to cook that it would be very difficult to project how much to have for a day without running out of something. it's not like you can go throw more meat on after the lunch rush and have it ready for dinner.

 

So I finally got a vac sealer about a month ago.

Question for those with vac sealer: Do you guys bag and vac seal the meat as soon as you start slicing? Do you seal after eating? Or do you slice, put the meat in the fridge then seal after it cools down a little?

 

How can one make something and not eat some of it as you are cutting it?

I usually seal once it's cut, then I let it cool down some before throwing it in the freezer. I don't do it so much for the meat itself but to not introduce a temp shock the the freezer itself.

 

I think the problem I had last time was since the brisket was so moist and juicy , when I tried to vacuum seal it after slicing, the juices moved towards the sealing line.

 

you can get smaller cuts or have a few people over for BBQ.

I think it would be ok for a couple months maybe more.

Id let the food cool down then seal it up.

 

i personally wouldn't slice the meat prior to freezing. i'd slice off all that i want to eat for the first day's meal, then leave the rest unsliced. i don't bbq a lot of sliced meats, but it stands to reason that this would hold the juices in better. for pork and chicken, i'd probably pull it before i froze it.

 

How the hell did I miss this thread? Some past throw downs

 

Looks good. I wanna smoke some beef next.

 

Looks amazing lol
What's the deal with those chicken legs ;how'd u get them to look like that?

 

I think its called "Frenching" kinda like what they do with lamb chops.

 

I don't know about what y'all are into in AZ but here in WV we do more than "French" our sheep

Also: 1.5 inch thick home grown pork chops last night

 

You are correct. On the other side of the world they call it just that. Here in Merca! We call it lollipop. It's an excellent way to make and hammer down some legs. Give it a try. Only do a 1/2 dozen the first time. Prep can get brutal.

 

I hit the "Seal" button when the juices start to flow. Foodsaver brand

 

Honestly, I pull it all (pork) or slice it all (beef) and eat a couple meals out of it. In a couple days when I'm tired of it, I'll vac seal the rest. Maybe it's not the best way to do it, but we're the only ones eating it so I'm not concerned about the best way to present it.

Even if I'm doing a smoke as a gift, I'll pull or slice it all. Same with Tgiving turkey. After a rest to where it's not too hot, I'll go ahead and slice up the breast and then into the vac sealer. It's always a brined bird, so it's always way more juicy than the overcooked white meat of a traditional Tgiving turkey. Usually both are served, and the brined smoked breast is always more flavorful and moist.

 

My girlfriend got all of this for cat sitting for a friend.