Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

Reminds me of the story of the old bull and the young bull stand on a hilltop looking over a herd of cows grazing.

I do enough rushing around in my professional life. Sometimes it's nice to kick back and take the long way around. I'll stick to low and slow.

 

225* was my golden target forever also, with target of 180* for jerky which it still is for jerky. But a few years ago read an article by Harry Soo who has won more awards and first places than most people smoking and he is using Weber Smoky Mountains. He has been playing around and also competing with pit barrel cookers for awhile now in part due to the flavor profile which inspired me to add the stacker to my WSM to turn it into a barrel cooker without the water pan. Have always smoked with a dry pan so it was the natural progression for me. Doing it with the WSM as a base allows me to overcome the shortcomings of the barrel cooker like cleaning and adding fuel mid cook if needed. Plus 3 racks if I want and I can use still use the ATC for temp. control.

But what really hit me was that he, and many others, were cooking hot and fast with the same results as low and slow. Hot and fast being 290-325. When you walk outside to check on the smoker and it is so cold it feels like you got bitch slapped in the face then someone kicks you in the nuts the fewer times you walk out the better. Count me in for less time spent smoking if I can get the same results as 225 at higher temps.

I'm up to 275* for many things, still learning. But so far have not seen a downside to it. As long as my guests, sons and I like it and can't tell the difference in the end I'm all for it. And have a habit of trying new things and try to not stay in a rut. Being consistent and reproducible is good, but over time gets to the point where it is boring to me. Eventually I think OK whats next, and how to make it even better. Less work isn't a bad thing either.

Doesn't hurt that at my age I am the really old bull trying to stay out of the glue factory. And just don't give a fuck what anyone else thinks, I'll do whatever works. And am willing to experiment.

 

I don't know how much less work I could do when smoking a brisket on the BGE. My active time might be 15 to 20 minutes. This would include everything from unpacking the brisket to carving. The rest of the 18+ hours the BGE is doing the heavy lifting.

 

that looks fantastic!

 

Thank you very much for taking the time to write out a detailed reply. From what you say, the hardest part will be keeping the temperature correct, as that's a bit warmer than most refrigerators. It's also a good thing I asked so early, as it looks like this will take a bit of time.

Thanks again!

 

Home fridge should be below 40*F so they end up working quite well for a curing chamber.

 

I just got Grillgrates a few days ago. Only had cheeseburgers so far, but they were grate ! My GMG at 500* really won't make grill marks, but it will now.

 

I switch back and forth from low and slow to hot and fast. Just depends on how I feel that day. And honestly, I can’t tell the difference.

I do about 350 degrees for my hot and fast

It’s like my wife asking me to do doggy or missionary. Same results at the end , just a matter of time

 

A couple of books for the end table are in order when your dealing with curing salts for things like corned beef and bacon IMO.



A friend of mine that is a 2 star Admiral gifted me the Meathead book. You can find most of Goldwyn's stuff on line at Amazing Ribs.

They both have active websites and both have wet cure recipes for corned beef.

Ruhlman

Meathead

Should take about 5-7 days to cure with a wet cure. Meathead does have a curing salt calculator on his website which I also use. When ever I do a cure I compare between the 2 and also check with the manufacture to see what is their recommended dosage. And use the lowest of the 3.

Understanding curing salts and accurate measurements are critical IMO.

Have wanted to do corned beef for a long time but never do. I look at the size of a brisket and think no way I would ever eat it even though I love corned beef and cabbage. But can look at a 12 pound pork belly and think damn that bacon will be gone in a couple weeks when I'm done, go figure.

Don't have to use brisket though I am considering trying Short Rib Pastrami at some point.

 

lmao

 

Not gonna lie... I'd eat either. Of the briskets that is


Also, thought of you yesterday at home Depot. Saw a red Weber 22 for $149. Not the best deal, but far from the worst. Couldn't convince the wife to let me get it.

 

The nice thing about Mortons Tender quick is it is 2% nitrate and 98% salt. It is used at a rate of 1 tbls per pound of whole muscle meat. At such a low nitrate dosage it is hard to over do it.

Pink salt #1 is 6.25% nitrate and 93.75 salt but being over multiple stronger then TQ it really should be weighed out on a very accurate scale. One tsp of #1 cure is enough for 5 lbs of meat whereas it would take 5 tbls of TQ for the same nitrate ppm to occur.

If you use TQ you don't have to add as much or any salt. Using #1 you will have to add some salt.

Cure to meat ratio's are constant there you are targeting 156 ppm per pound of meat to ward off botulism.

 

I found Franklin's book quite informative too - very good reference material.

 

yea the new red kettles have lots of issues, partly because they were made in China. Lots of paint issues.
Glad I waited for a used 26" instead.

But yea try to get them $5.03 Weber charcoal bags. Regular price $19, on sale for $17 most stores but they have gone on clearance for $5.03. That is, if you like the weber charcoal

 

I've just been using KBB and royal oak lump. Haven't tried the Weber but want to try it. If I see or hear of a sale, I'll jump on it for sure.

 

$1.96 a lb for choice/angus beef brisket at Wally World. Sure why not

 

WUT?! First- Pink salt #1 has zero nitrate. Nada. Zilch. It is Sodium Nitrite that is at 6.25%. And Tender Quick is actually .5% nitrite and .5% nitrate. And a whole bunch of salt. I can control the saltiness of the finished product better with #1 cure.

More importantly I do not want to add any sodium nitrate if I don't need to. And I am all for better living through chemistry. However safely. When PackCon posted this a little while back:

I abstained from commenting, although was tempted to. Now may be the time. Nitrosamines actually only come from nitrates. As sodium nitrate breaks down into sodium nitrite it produces nitrosamines as a by product. Sodium nitrite such as #1 curing salt has no nitrosamines byproducts it is already sodium nitrite. At one time it was believed that sodium nitrites could produce nitrosamines but that is no longer the case. But could change again tomorrow LOL. And he is correct there is some evidence that nitrosamines may not be the best thing for you. Pretty sure that you would have to consume what would be considered "acute" dosages in a clinical trial to prove it though.

So I use #1 curing salt to eliminate sodium nitrate that I feel is not needed in my diet or anyone else that eats my food. And I also have better control of the saltiness of the finished product. But that is my opinion and choice to do so. Personal preference just like the type of smoker we use.

Recently started recording and watching his shows, his book may be on the next to get list.

Man I took the Ithaca Shotgun reference books by Walt Snyder off the stack so I wouldn't offend P-Gun. But left the Strang NSDTR book there for a reason. You do own it, right? It is THE Toller classic reference book.

 

Why would you think a book on Ithaca firearms would offend me? They make nice tomato stakes.

I did eff up and type nitrate when it should have been nitrite.

 

No but I have one called "Tollers: A Breed Apart" by one of those ladies - soft cover but worth owning.

I found my Franklin book at a local thrift store...Still looking for others.

 

Figured as much. History. And tradition, what I grew up with. You do realize that Ithaca is who first introduced Perazzi to the US with the TM1? Just like it is the cook not the cooker it is the Indian not the arrow. My tomato stakes are purty and I shoot them well at both feathers and clays.









I like my Italian guns too, but do not own a Perazzi, and they also get some love and get to come out and play.





I like my tomato stakes and they seem to like me.