Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

Thank you. I would never have guessed that much garlic. I have just discovered it as a spice, and am still rather apprehensive with it. Don't want to have to put off "fun adult times" because I smell like I owe Dracula money...

 

I have the next model up .... the MES 230/G. I LOVE it and use it just about every weekend....youtube BBQ / smoking videos help along with the knowledge of this forum.

 

it depends on the size of the prime rib roast this one was 7.5 pounds and we like it a little more on the garlic side......

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...icks-techniques.229517/page-518#post-15191396
Scroll to Post #10346
Thanks @bvbull200

 

Absolutely! Good to know that post is still providing some value .

 

First, that shirt is fantastic.

Congrats on the new smoker! Have fun with the new hobby. Don't forget to share plenty of pics along the way .

 

I think your extra saltiness came from that little bit right there. The fine grain sea salt is going to be much finer than even finely ground pepper, so when you measure by volume, there is a much higher ratio of salt to pepper than you are probably looking for.

Get a shaker of Kirkland Signature coarse ground pepper and get a box of Morton's kosher salt. Try something like 5 parts pepper and 4 parts salt, then give it a whirl. The salt level will be way down compared to your last run, but will have a nice savory flavor to it. You can obviously adjust from there as needed.

 

Got home last night and went straight to my mail for this!

 

I did that for the one i cooked on christmas eve, pretty much followed the amazing ribs article exactly and it was outstanding. I had some really meaty ribs after trimming it so instead of gravy i just smoked them with the roast and then let them run another couple hours on the smoker, they were awesome too. Wish i had some pictures, all i have is from after I trimmed and before I dry brined...

 

You know, that’s a good point, but I really didn’t think it would be possible to go overboard with salt. Proved myself wrong there, eh?

Any advice on where to start for how much salt and pepper to use based on the amount of meat?

I actually have both of those too, but as mentioned above, I really didn’t think using the other ones would be a problem. It’s putting salt and pepper on meat...how hard could it be? Lol

I’ll take your advice on the next brisket...I have one or two more in the freezer from the last Costco run.


Next up, I have to do some jerky or wings. Wifey got me a smoke shelf for the Traeger for Christmas, tripling the amount of surface area I have to work with for thin foods. At least I’ve got those figured out!

 

How do I get one of these 700c grills for $250. Thanks

 

Mine already has the bone removed and is tied up. IE, there is no bone.

However there is a pretty substantial fat cap atop it, which I am going to trim off to resemble yours. Which means I need to undo their nice tie job and learn to tie it myself...

 

Again, no expert here- but I've recently found out in my reading that there is a difference in how much salt you want to use if using kosher salt vs table salt. I have utterly no idea why there is a difference, however- like you, I figured as long as we were talking about edible salt (sodium chloride), salt is salt.

Guessing it may come down to surface area or size of the granules, as relates to how they dissolve in the presence of surface moisture. But that is just a completely RESWAG, so don't go quoting me.

And that being said- I'm off to figure out just what in the world "kosher salt" is. I always thought it was just regular salt made in a plant blessed by a Rabbi. Betting I'm wrong.....

EDIT: The Google says the following: "The primary ingredient to both, not surprisingly, is sodium chloride. ... The most striking difference between Kosher salt and regular salt is just the grain size. If you look at table salt under a microscope, you'll see that table salt has been milled such that many of the salt crystals look like little cubes."

and more info here: https://startcooking.com/what-is-kosher-salt-and-why-all-the-hype (basically as above)

 

Did a rib roast for the family on Christmas. 7lb on the wsm with hickory. Non of them like medium rare, so I had to leave it on a bit longer. Got a new thermo pro thermometer to monitor the smoker temp and meat temp that helped a lot!

 

That poor, poor steer... it died twice!

(only pulling your chain. I'm a Medium Rare person myself, as is my wife and son. I already told them this roast is going for the low side of MR, and if they want, I will have a cast iron skillet ready to sear their slice into a ribeye steak. But yours still looks great even though it's a touch overdone for my preference)

 

@burntkat @Kremtok I use 1/2 tsp of kosher salt per pound of meat. Ever since I figured that out my bbq has been perfect. I generally pair it with equal amounts of course black pepper and granulated garlic.

 

Rural King carries them, was just there a few mins ago at my local one drooling over one of the grills lol. Believe it was on sale for $260

 

and an extract from the article I quoted in my last reply:
(snip)
Measuring

If you’d like to use it instead of table salt, keep in mind that (because of the larger grains) measuring kosher salt is a little less precise than measuring table salt. Also, you should note that it takes more of it to reach the same level of saltiness, since the crystals are bigger. Usually, people use a ratio of 1.5:1 or 2:1 for kosher salt to table salt. This can differ between brands, so be sure to check the side of the box!
(/snip)

I think this is your problem. You used a fine grain sea salt (basically just a non-iodized table salt). It is both finer grain (thus dissolving more readily) and more "potent" due to that fact. If you'd used kosher I think you might have been just fine. Maybe even with a coarse grind of sea salt as well.

-shrugs- make sense?

 

Looks like I was headed the right way in my logic, even though it's only from reading other folks' experience thus far. Where greenEFSI has the actual experience and method that is working for him.

and if you want the expert opinion- meathead, at https://amazingribs.com/tested-reci...ng-prime-rib-tenderloin-and-other-beef-roasts says to dry brine with "1/2 teaspoon kosher salt per pound of trimmed meat". Granted that is for a roast as opposed to brisket- can't be that different, can it?