Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

Mateo74 · Jan 19, 2018

I think you will be fine, Let us know how it is.

wilcam47 · Jan 19, 2018

Kremtok said: ↑

I just think that I overtrimmed it and that there’s no way it can be tender meat. I guess it’s hard to tell with the bark on the outside, but the internal temp was just over 200 when I pulled it and put it in the cooler. I warmed the cooler with hot water from the bath tub, too, because dummy me left the cooler in the garage last night. The unheated garage. In Alaska. In January.

Anyhow, so long as it doesn’t get cold before around 1100, we’ll have food for lunch. Worst case scenario is that I do this all over again in a few weeks. What I really need to learn is how to trim the meat properly. Anyone feel like visiting Homer and barbecueing every day for a week or two?
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I think you will be ok.

Cold Iron · Jan 19, 2018

Kremtok said: ↑

What I really need to learn is how to trim the meat properly. Anyone feel like visiting Homer and barbecueing every day for a week or two?
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If the Salmon are running I might be easily talked into it

But I agree think you will be fine.

Kremtok · Jan 19, 2018

Thanks for the reassurances, folks. I’ll be sure to share the results.

Cold Iron said: ↑

If the Salmon are running I might be easily talked into it

But I agree think you will be fine.
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Early July is prime time for reds...we slayed them last year. Up here its not fishing, its catching.

Kanyon71 · Jan 19, 2018

Kremtok said: ↑

I just think that I overtrimmed it and that there’s no way it can be tender meat. I guess it’s hard to tell with the bark on the outside, but the internal temp was just over 200 when I pulled it and put it in the cooler. I warmed the cooler with hot water from the bath tub, too, because dummy me left the cooler in the garage last night. The unheated garage. In Alaska. In January.

Anyhow, so long as it doesn’t get cold before around 1100, we’ll have food for lunch. Worst case scenario is that I do this all over again in a few weeks. What I really need to learn is how to trim the meat properly. Anyone feel like visiting Homer and barbecueing every day for a week or two?
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Ya I think you will be good to go. I'm sure you're friends at work won't mind it again in a few days let alone a few weeks.

I would love to visit Alaska at some point, was supposed to do a job there many years ago for the company I worked for but it got cancelled. Was sort of bummed.

12thmanhawkfan · Jan 19, 2018

I'm thinking about smoking a chuck roast this weekend. I've never done one before. Aside from covering it in Pitfaced rub, what do I need to look for? What temp do I pull it off at and how long should I let it rest? I heard it's better to practice on the cheaper chuck roasts before spending the money on a brisket. Thanks in advance!

la0d0g · Jan 19, 2018

Kanyon71 said: ↑

wrap it and toss it in a nice cooler and let it sit for hours
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Shitty coolers work too!

Kanyon71 · Jan 19, 2018

la0d0g said: ↑

Shitty coolers work too!
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Very true, not sure I want to use my old ratty one that smells like fish and I can't get that smell out of though.

la0d0g · Jan 19, 2018

Kanyon71 said: ↑

Very true, not sure I want to use my old ratty one that smells like fish and I can't get that smell out of though.
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Haha, totally. The old one I use smells like pork because, well, BBQ!

hemitruk · Jan 19, 2018

Kremtok said: ↑

I just think that I overtrimmed it and that there’s no way it can be tender meat. I guess it’s hard to tell with the bark on the outside, but the internal temp was just over 200 when I pulled it and put it in the cooler. I warmed the cooler with hot water from the bath tub, too, because dummy me left the cooler in the garage last night. The unheated garage. In Alaska. In January.

Anyhow, so long as it doesn’t get cold before around 1100, we’ll have food for lunch. Worst case scenario is that I do this all over again in a few weeks. What I really need to learn is how to trim the meat properly. Anyone feel like visiting Homer and barbecueing every day for a week or two?
Click to expand...

i do mine about 300 and have never really probe for tenderness . I just wrap at 160 pull at 200 and leave in cooler minimum 4 hours . Never had a problem .
Your should come out good.I also save all the juice from wrap pour in bowl and put in freezer till can pull off fat from top . i pour juice over brisket to help keep it moist .Wont get cold by lunch .for me after 4 hours brisket is still hot so no need to worry about it being cold . Your coworkers going to have one good lunch

Cold Iron · Jan 19, 2018

12thmanhawkfan said: ↑

I'm thinking about smoking a chuck roast this weekend. I've never done one before. Aside from covering it in Pitfaced rub, what do I need to look for? What temp do I pull it off at and how long should I let it rest? I heard it's better to practice on the cheaper chuck roasts before spending the money on a brisket. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

I do it pretty much just like a brisket. @bvbull200 has some pretty good instructions for doing a brisket that will work for a chuckie here I normally go to 203-205° on a chuck roast.

I like to make chuckie burnt ends out of them:

Cold Iron said: ↑

Always have to put on "enough" It depends IMO. Waiting on my order for the rub too, but didn't put in until recently.

I like smoked chuck roast and often make them into chuckie burnt ends. Because you can never have enough bark. I do 2 and put a pan of veggies under them. If your doing potatoes you want to par boil them or nuke them for a bit first.

And that amount of rub gave some pretty decent bark

When they have a couple of hours left I cube them and then put a bunch more rub on them in a foil pan. After about an hour back on the smoker as the additional bark starts to form I then add sauce.

Normally would have gone another hour or so to caramelize them more but it was getting late. But still taste great. As do the veggies. The veggie pan will be full of liquid fat from the meat above it and you need to drain them. Or not LOL.

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It will stall just like a butt and give yourself at least 10 - 12 hours. If you have a WSM then highly recommend using the bottom tray to cook and smoke some carrots, onions and celery in a pan to catch the drippings for the first 4 or 5 hours. Then skimming some juice for Au Jus, take out some carrots as a side then you can make some awesome gravy out of the rest and serve with the roast. Damn it now I'm hungry again.

12thmanhawkfan · Jan 19, 2018

Cold Iron said: ↑

I do it pretty much just like a brisket. @bvbull200 has some pretty good instructions for doing a brisket that will work for a chuckie here I normally go to 203-205° on a chuck roast.

I like to make chuckie burnt ends out of them:

It will stall just like a butt and give yourself at least 10 - 12 hours. If you have a WSM then highly recommend using the bottom tray to cook and smoke some carrots, onions and celery in a pan to catch the drippings for the first 4 or 5 hours. Then skimming some juice for Au Jus, take out some carrots as a side then you can make some awesome gravy out of the rest and serve with the roast. Damn it now I'm hungry again.
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Than you sir! Now the debate of if I should turn them into burnt ends or not... These are tough decisions!

Ackrite · Jan 19, 2018

Kremtok said: ↑

I just think that I overtrimmed it and that there’s no way it can be tender meat. I guess it’s hard to tell with the bark on the outside, but the internal temp was just over 200 when I pulled it and put it in the cooler. I warmed the cooler with hot water from the bath tub, too, because dummy me left the cooler in the garage last night. The unheated garage. In Alaska. In January.

Anyhow, so long as it doesn’t get cold before around 1100, we’ll have food for lunch. Worst case scenario is that I do this all over again in a few weeks. What I really need to learn is how to trim the meat properly. Anyone feel like visiting Homer and barbecueing every day for a week or two?
Click to expand...

I over-trim intentionally and have good results. I also do not wrap and let it ride through the stall. As others said, you should be fine.

Kremtok · Jan 19, 2018

In short, my brisket was a disaster.

It was incredibly tough, but like leather not like tough meat. There was no moisture at all. The thin end of the flat was nearly too hard to cut with my 8” chef’s knife. Mostly it was over cooked, but I think that overtrimming played a role, as well, because the fat would have protected the meat from drying out to the point of turning too hard to cut. This time, people ate all of it. I think they were being polite, but my opinion is that while the flavor was good - especially the rub - eating dry, tough meat is a poor way to live no matter what else it may be.

Oh well. Like I said, I guess I’ll just have to do it again in a few weeks. Next time I’ll start the cook at the same time, but run it at 225 instead of 275. Hopefully that will be good enough for my inadequate 5-hour period of sleep.

Misplaced Nebraskan · Jan 19, 2018

Kremtok said: ↑

In short, my brisket was a disaster.

It was incredibly tough, but like leather not like tough meat. There was no moisture at all. The thin end of the flat was nearly too hard to cut with my 8” chef’s knife. Mostly it was over cooked, but I think that overtrimming played a role, as well, because the fat would have protected the meat from drying out to the point of turning too hard to cut. This time, people ate all of it. I think they were being polite, but my opinion is that while the flavor was good - especially the rub - eating dry, tough meat is a poor way to live no matter what else it may be.

Oh well. Like I said, I guess I’ll just have to do it again in a few weeks. Next time I’ll start the cook at the same time, but run it at 225 instead of 275. Hopefully that will be good enough for my inadequate 5-hour period of sleep.
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A trial and error brisket is still brisket. Have had this happen more than once. If it happens, just pull it and mix in some beef broth or sauce and serve on buns. My recovery anyway.

horstuff · Jan 19, 2018

Kremtok said: ↑

In short, my brisket was a disaster.

It was incredibly tough, but like leather not like tough meat. There was no moisture at all. The thin end of the flat was nearly too hard to cut with my 8” chef’s knife. Mostly it was over cooked, but I think that overtrimming played a role, as well, because the fat would have protected the meat from drying out to the point of turning too hard to cut. This time, people ate all of it. I think they were being polite, but my opinion is that while the flavor was good - especially the rub - eating dry, tough meat is a poor way to live no matter what else it may be.

Oh well. Like I said, I guess I’ll just have to do it again in a few weeks. Next time I’ll start the cook at the same time, but run it at 225 instead of 275. Hopefully that will be good enough for my inadequate 5-hour period of sleep.
Click to expand...

Wow. I really thought given your description of how it went down that you'd be fine. Interested to hear the brisket pros input on this.

wilcam47 · Jan 19, 2018

Kremtok said: ↑

In short, my brisket was a disaster.

It was incredibly tough, but like leather not like tough meat. There was no moisture at all. The thin end of the flat was nearly too hard to cut with my 8” chef’s knife. Mostly it was over cooked, but I think that overtrimming played a role, as well, because the fat would have protected the meat from drying out to the point of turning too hard to cut. This time, people ate all of it. I think they were being polite, but my opinion is that while the flavor was good - especially the rub - eating dry, tough meat is a poor way to live no matter what else it may be.

Oh well. Like I said, I guess I’ll just have to do it again in a few weeks. Next time I’ll start the cook at the same time, but run it at 225 instead of 275. Hopefully that will be good enough for my inadequate 5-hour period of sleep.
Click to expand...

does the traeger have a hot section or is it supposed to be even heating? The outside temp may be a problem. It may have been a lot hotter over the source than what it was set at. If it was trying to compensate it would be too hot, which would make sense it cooked too quick.

anonemoose · Jan 19, 2018

Make sure you guys smoke that salmon REAL good.....
https://www.10news.com/news/more-reports-of-worms-in-salmon-at-san-diego-area-costco-stores
http://abc7.com/health/5-foot-tapeworm-wiggles-out-of-sushi-lover/2967374/

Kremtok · Jan 19, 2018

wilcam47 said: ↑

does the traeger have a hot section or is it supposed to be even heating? The outside temp may be a problem. It may have been a lot hotter over the source than what it was set at. If it was trying to compensate it would be too hot, which would make sense it cooked too quick.
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There’s a metal tray underneath the grates and if you get on the outside edges of that where there’s an air gap between the tray and the grill, those are hot spots. Of course, the brisket was square in the center over the tray, so I don’t think that was it.

However, I have heard tell that because of the forced air flow through the Traeger, it might be kind of like a convection oven, but I haven’t seen that told through cooking pork butts and ribs. All of my cooking times on those seem to be on par with what folks with other types of smoker use, as well.

I really do think that I just screwed this one up.

wilcam47 · Jan 19, 2018

Kremtok said: ↑

There’s a metal tray underneath the grates and if you get on the outside edges of that where there’s an air gap between the tray and the grill, those are hot spots. Of course, the brisket was square in the center over the tray, so I don’t think that was it.

However, I have heard tell that because of the forced air flow through the Traeger, it might be kind of like a convection oven, but I haven’t seen that told through cooking pork butts and ribs. All of my cooking times on those seem to be on par with what folks with other types of smoker use, as well.

I really do think that I just screwed this one up.
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where did you measure the temp at?

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