Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

imho, if you are drying out pork butts, something is more wrong than your water pan. there is so much fat/collagen in those things that you'd have to burn it to dry it out.

 

Both cooked in WSM with no water in pan. Just foil. No drying issue here

 

Picked up a few books today

 

Going to try making buck board bacon for the first time. Got my Prague pink salt cure, kosher salt, black pepper, brown sugar and maple syrup on the butt and in the refer for 10 days. I'll cold smoke it with apple and hickory after the cure and see what I end up with, hopefully not trichinosis.


I'd like to hear others experience with BBB. Lessons learned, what you would change, etc...

 

Polymerhead I believe does this, maybe he'll chime in soon.

 

Thanks, I'll look forward to @Polymerhead has to say

 

Yeaaaaah buddy. I really like buckboard bacon. Measure your pink salt really well. Honestly I use Morton Tender Quick because 2 lbs costs about $4 and it's not as hard to measure because the nitrates/nitrites are already diluted in salt & sugar. But you'll be ok. I'd skip the maple syrup, because I don't like it. I prefer brown sugar for the sweet. Flip your shoulder every day, and don't cure it directly in that metal bowl. Put it in a gallon ziplock first.

Here's the last skillet of my last batch. I followed it up with 9 lbs of Canadian bacon, and I like buckboard more, I think.



Slice it thin!

 

Thanks! I already have it in maple syrup and a zip lock bag (2nd pick). I plan on cold smoking it for 6 hours or so once it's done curing. I've read that with the pink salt you can do that because if the higher levels of nitrates/nitrites, whereas the tender quick and other similar formulas use much less. Some termed those as "flavor cures"... So I'll fill the smoker with tubs of ice to keep it cool and use my smoke tube in the mailbox method.

 

Found a cool effecient yet painful way to core out jalepenos. Painful because it peppersprays everyone in the house and clears out any congestion you may have.

Gonna smoke these beauties for a BBQ today. Powdered the bacon with the Oakridge BBQ secret weapon rub. Shouldn't come out awesome

 

I use a tomato/strawberry core remover tool works like a champ!

 

I always see one at the store and never remember to buy one until I'm covered in pepper seeds. I'll have to try it out

 

Well, up against 7 other teams, time to let my meat speak for itself.

 

Did a little trial run/snack before people show up.

I out due myself sometimes. Soooo good.

 

Also, make sure you soak it after you are done curing. 1/2hr in cold water. Change the water out and then another 1/2hr.

 

Gonna try, first time, a brisket flat tomorrow on my WSM 18.5, using the recipe below. Not soaking the hickory and using chunks, not chips. Total of 6 or so chunks in first couple hours, none after.

Should I put water in the pan or not?

Should I ever wrap?

Fat cap up, untrimmed?

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/oklahoma-joes-smoked-brisket-flat-recipe.html

 

Fat cap down in a vertical smoker setup. Gives you better bark and protects the meat from flare ups or heat spikes. I give it 5 minutes before someone chimes in with the opposite, lol. Everyone does it differently.

 

Yep, part of the plan...

 

Down, huh? Hmm. I know you know what you're doing, so...

 

Got my new heat deflector and added the front shelf to the inside of my Daniel boone. Can't wait to cook tomorrow!

 

I agree. Fat cap down on all meat. Physics prevent the larger fat molecules from penetrating the more dense meat after the fat melts.