Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

What brand of pellets are you using?

Food looks really good. I'm going to do some pork tomorrow and make BBQ Pork Nachos with it. Have some friends coming over.

 

I’ve been using the Cabela’s brand pellets, today I used Traeger Hickory and Apple. Going to try some of the “stronger” flavored pellets others have mentioned on this thread next time.

There will be some pork nachos in my near future as well

 

Traeger has “supposedly” stepped up thier game on pellets, however I think Lumberjack is the consensus best ones out there...

 

Try some Lumberjack pellets. And Amazin tube or Smoke Daddy (cheaper, it's what I have) for more smoke. Low and slow for a while, and start with the meat still cold, not room temp.

 

No experience with the pellet tubes, I had bought a dust maze from Todd early on, pretty certain I wouldn’t trade for either pellet maze or tube. That being said, I am “tied” to him for dust. Meh, he’s very fair on pricing and more that a couple times he’s dropped me an extra pound of something different in for no charge.

 

I've been using Traeger pellets for over a year and my conclusion is that they all taste the same: Tasteless.

Recently I switched to Cabela's pellets and they are BY FAR better. I can actually taste not only the smoke, but also the wood!

I remain skeptical on Traeger's claims, but I did hear an unsubstantiated rumor that Cabela's pellets are made by Lumberjack. Since I can't get Lumberjack pellets up here, Cabela's will have to do anyway.

 

Made a trip to Costco today... dammit, we need an extra chest freezer! I want to buy all the meats! I dont have a place for them! Buying a chest freezer real soon!

 

There is this new thing called Amazon, you can get anything, anywhere for less in most cases...

 

That company will never make it.

 

Got the late nod to go ahead and cook for a small skeet shooting tournament for a buddy's church group. My services were originally cancelled since the expected turnout of 60 dropped to about 10. He said he has 15 confirmed and expects a few walkups, so I told him I'd do it for him.

SUPER simple menu.

Two briskets and a lot of pork belly burnt ends.

The pork belly got meat massaged and the briskets took on an injection and about v12.0 of the Pitfaced BBQ savory rub . I keep dialing the salt down little by little.

Some potato salad and beans for sides. The beans will be getting plenty of Meat Massage as well, to go with the beef and pork drippings that'll help flavor them. I'm thinking of dragging a smoker out there to enhance the olfactory experience .

I just got through prepping everything, smoker is primed, and I'm headed to bed. Would you believe it, not a single pic of the prepped meat?!?!? Too tired.

Either way, should be a short cook, all things considered. Everything is already prepped and I'm going to hit them with the hot 'n fast .

 

Smoker was only cleaned, loaded with fuel, and with the chimney ready to go last night. Briskets just went in a little bit ago.



Planning on getting these done and ready to rest within 8 hours.

 

I remember seeing an interview with Jeff Bezos back when all they sold was books and the interviewer said even if they sold all the books they had in stock it still wouldn't cover the value of their stock. Jeff laughed and said yeah isn't that crazy?! It wasn't long after that the tech and stock market crashed hard. They were one of the few that didn't. It is crazy...

Skeet and BBQ, about 2 of my favorite things in the world. Well the skeet World Championship is held in Texas every year, makes sense to me. What time? I could get on I-35 and head straight South. No I can't I-90 is shutdown and gated for more than 300 miles. Inch of snow and ice so far and not going to quit until Sunday night, blizzard today and tomorrow. I should have left yesterday...

Saw baby backs on sale at the grocery store the other day for $6 each and almost picked up a couple of racks but they said this crap was coming. Smoker with the jacket would maintain just fine. It is me that has had enough and wouldn't hold up anymore. Tired of feeling snow and ice being blown into my face.

 

Delivery for lunch?! Be at work all day so looking forward to pics

 

Been too long since I've done a brisket... I'm in the process of packing for a move, so it'll still be a couple weeks, but once I move, I think I'll break in the new place right

 

I'd ultimately love a reverse flow dual door with a side vertical box trailer setup... But I've got a list of smoker wants probably longer than Taco parts wants

 

Invite me to the inaugural cookoff!

 

Pics will definitely be incoming as soon as we get a little more action. I'm going to start prepping the Tacoma for catering mode here shortly.

 

It takes a pretty early serving time for me to cook overnight anymore. Now that I can cook pretty much any cut at a higher temp and get excellent results, I don't have any real incentive to start the night before anymore. For competition, turn-in for brisket is 1:30 p.m., so figure it coming off by 11:30 a.m. at the latest, and I'm kind of forced to do the overnight thing (well, light the smokers shortly after midnight, anyways). That's part of the experience, though.

Otherwise, a 2:30 p.m. pull means just wake up a little early and get it done at the 275-300* range.

You know, I'm not even really a shooter, myself. No problem with it or anything, just nothing I've ever taken up as a hobby/sport. One day, though, perhaps.

I can't even fathom snow and ice right now. We had a little cold snap last weekend (~35*, wet, and windy), but that's nothing compared to your weather. That said, when it gets nice up there, it gets NICE. I don't think we're too far removed from some really beautiful backyard pics .

 

I'm 20 minutes from

 

A little progress. Quite the color for only 4 hours in!


The oak from the spent whiskey barrels smells real nice, too. I've never found a groove with oak, but this might be the ticket.