Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

Butcherin time !!!!! This steer's 2yrs were spent chillin with the milk cow in bovine luxury lol

Chickens gonna be sacrificed next month, the hog the month after that

 

Hosting a spring BBQ this Saturday (sorta Preakness themed - Derby was at someone else's and the Belmont will be at anothers). I've got 6 racks of ribs, 13# packer brisket and 3 1/2+ lbs of wine/spice marinated chicken breast. Expecting approx 18 people... Think there'll be enough meat?

 

thats prob good for your party size...just need to have plenty of fix'ns

 

might get couple more racks of ribs, and make sure you have plenty of fixing like @wilcam47 said. When you slice the brisket make sure you do plenty of sliced, and do some diced for sammitches or to put on baked potatoes hell you might even throw a 5lb pork shoulder in there too....That would be a reeeeal nice variety of foods and the ability to mix n match preps

 

Plan is to make chicken skewers, ribs (some hot, some mild, dry and sauced), sliced brisket and chopped brisket (for sliders). I'm also going to do burnt ends for the first time. We had 2 cancel so the numbers are getting more manageable...

Fixings and other stuff: Corn on the cob. Plain butter and I'll mix up some chilli oil butter. Baked beans, potato salad, green salad, chips, salsa/guac.

The GF is using green, yellow and black veggies to make black eyed susan looking things. Black eyed susans are apparently the official flower (and colors) of the Preakness. She is very much into the whole theme. Me, not so much, so I'm in charge of smoking and she is the other stuff. She did a good job for the Kentucky Derby. She used radishes, zucchini, strawberrys and other things to make roses (the derby flower):

 

+1 to the GF. Those are sweet!

 

When it's your anniversary but the car needs a timing chain replaced! FTW!

 

What cut is that?

 

I wanna smoke this weekend but can't decide what meat I wanna do. I have a pork ribeye roast in the freezer, anything else I would have to go buy.

HELP ME !

 

depends how many people are going to come over...I think pork shoulder is better...make a pulled pork sammich

 

Some ribeyes from the grocery store.

 

Pork belly!

 

Well I bought a #9 pork butt since it was on sale for $9!!!! Couldn't beat the price.

Never done a pork butt. Any suggestions for prepping it? I've got apple, peach, cherry, maple, hickory chips to choose from. Im using a masterbuilt electric smoker.

Plan on using an OakRidge BBQ rub with mustard.

Brine?
Inject?
Mop/Spritz?

 

DINNER!

 

Cook that thing at 250* till it hits 190* internal temp and it will be amazing no matter what you put on it lol

 

Yeah everything I'm reading says rub it down, put it in, dont open the door till it reaches temp. Seems pretty hard to fuck up.

 

I coat mine in mustard and rub. Smoke it with apple wood until 195 degrees. Let rest in a cooler for two hours. Pull. That is all and its always awesome.

 

rookie question here, why let it rest in a cooler? My grandfather used to smoke prime rib and then wrap in foil and rest in a cooler. He said it was key to getting the meat to the perfect medium rare. I'm pretty sure I dont want anything under well done for pork lol

 

Fruit woods FTW.

Mopping isn't usually necessary with a pork butt but it depends on how much moisture your smoker holds in. I try to avoid a mop to get a good bark but I keep a water pan in the smoker.

50/50 Apple juice and apple cider vinegar with some of the rub mixed in makes a good mop/spritz.

This. Low and slow to break down the collagen. Pork butt is more forgiving than a brisket but needs the same low/slow cook to come out really good.