Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

Last batch I did with a bottom round roast I had the butcher shop slice 1/4" thick (against the grain) at $6/# and a 3# package of clearance (getting old) top sirloin steak that I sliced against the grain. The steak was marked down to $4/#.

 

Cut round into bite sized and make beef stew. Rib steak as in ribeye? Sear hot and fast to medium rare, or look up reverse sear steak.

 

Thank you sir!

 

Happy Birthday bud!

 

Rib steak as in I don’t know... it doesn’t look like ribeye but who knows what any of this looks like. Not happy that my friend requires us to use this butcher whenever we buy a cow from them.

 

Happy Birthday @grdgz97 !!!!

 

My electric one i was playing with this weekend. Seemed like closing the vents didnt help wood keep smoking so instead i just turned the temp dial as needed. Itd wander a bit because of the thermistor doing its thing of controlling temps but worked out well that way.

Different application but figured id share

 

Happy Birthday @grdgz97 hope it is a good one for you!

Those came out great! I do have an Automatic Temperature Controller (ATC) but that is for my Weber Smoky Mountain.

Hats off to you smoking on a 18" JJ, holy chit you done good. Smoking is hard to do on a 18" kettle. I smoke often on my 22" kettles I have 3 of them, normally using the snake method I can't imagine trying it on a 18" kettle. I think we both should get 26" kettles, the best of both worlds

As already mentioned you want to leave your top vents open and throttle with your bottom vent. And wait long enough for temperatures to adjust, it will take awhile. I am a wild man LOL and normally run my top vent on the kettles about 3/4 open. That works best for me, but starting wild open is always a good place to start. And leave it.

Looks like you have the file handle mod on the top vent. You really need it on the bottom vent the most. It is a bitch to get at to open and close, so that is where I put my file handle to adjust the vent. Because that is the only vent I adjust.



Again, you really did a great job smoking on that Jumbo Joe!

No IME the water is not needed. I even run my WSM dry with no water.

I use top round for jerky, most round steaks are top round. However I do know some packing plants that cut both top and bottom round together as a steak, I'm not a fan. They are really large steaks and for what ever reason when they do that they cut them thin- double ugh. Top round is leaner and better for jerky IMO. Bottom round I leave as a roast or for stew meat, it is tougher and likes a long slow cook.

A true rib steak is a bone in ribeye steak. But sounds like this butcher may have his own ideas...

 

Deer meat is free and perfectly suited for jerky We usually keep that big round muscle in the hindquarters (top round I guess lol) for jerky slices

 

“Rib steak” is most likely ribeye
R there bones in it?
Pics?

 

I will take a picture of the round steak I cook tonight and pretty much just described it.

 

Next time I cook one I will take a picture

 

yeah if its ribsteak should be good. aka ribeye. If you have a meat slicer get it sliced thin and make some philly cheesesteaks. the round steak is better suited for cubesteak or jerky etc like we said in some previous posts.

 

Hell ya! Skewered with peppers and onions in between the meat.



Cooked low and slow directly over coals. The fat dripping gives the smoke flavor no need to even add wood chunks.



Damn it now I made myself hungry. Time to go see what is in the fridge and decide if I need to go to the grocery store. Got a package from Amazon delivered today with a few things... But one of the items will not get here until tomorrow.

 

That also looks good! wrap that in a fresh tortilla and some rice/beans/hotsauce....bam!

 

Thank you fellas!

 

That looks tasty!!

 

Ask the butcher what it is.

 

Been reading about those Steak Cook off Association competitions for awhile. And looking at how people do them, quite a few different methods. I have no desire to compete but thought might learn a thing or 2. So I cherry picked a couple of ideas and blended them with what I already do\have.

Today my order from Amazon came for

$8 Head Country Premium Marinade | Gourmet, Vegetarian, Gluten Free Marinade With No MSG | All-Purpose Marinade Sauce Great For Grilling Beef, Poultry, Wild Game & Vegetables | 20 Ounce, Pack of 1

Head Country Bar-B-Q Sauce\Marinade.

Poured enough on the surface that there was a little runoff. Then sprinkled

$23 Butcher BBQ Phosphate TR-Tenderize for Hot and Fast Cooking | World Championship Winning Formula | Gluten Free | MSG free | Brisket Injection | Meat Tenderizer Powder So You Know How To BBQ Right

Butcher BBQ Phosphate Natural Tr-Tenderize on it. And let the steak sit out on the counter for around an hour to come up to room temp like I always do.

Used the kettle with lifted grate but throttled it down pretty far and let the coals cool down. Sprinkled apple wood chips along the edge of the grill grates, just past where the coals are so they will smoke and not burn. I used the 18" Jumbo Joe grates they actually work better for something like this. And smoked it until IT came up to ~118°

The marinade helped the meat take smoke well.



Then pulled the steak and put a floor fan I have out on the deck next to the grill pointed down at the coals. Opened all the vents wide. Only took a few minutes for the flames to get the GG extremely hot.



Then wrapped and sealed in foil when I pulled it after searing. But also sprinkled some Montreal Steak Seasoning on both sides before wrapping. Let it rest for around 7 minutes.



I didn't cut the cap (Spinalis dorsi) off, it separated on its own when I transferred it from the foil to the plate. For a $9.99 lb. choice cut of ribeye it was more like a $20 lb. prime ribeye, or better. And one of the best steaks I have ever eaten. Always room for improvement and will work on it. But damn that was great!