Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

Thanks! We have some neighbors coming over before we head out to a concert this weekend. Might give it a try and make them the test rats lol.

 

Don't own one.

 

We do a bunch of different ones. One of my favorites is a breakfast fatty.

1 to 1.25lb breakfast sausage
Scrambled eggs (I usually put about 6 eggs in)
Ground breakfast sausage
Crumbled Bacon
Diced Ham
Shard Cheddar Cheese
Cooked Hash Rounds or Tater Tots (I've been using cheesy tots)
Salt, Pepper
Bacon Weave

I overstuff mine most of the time so they tend to be super fat. I usually roll the sausage out in a 1 gallon ziplock bag, slice the bag open and transfer to saran wrap already laid out and oversized. Put all stuffing in and then roll the bottom layer around the ingredients and then close the saran up and make it nice and tight. Into the frigde or freezer for a while to tighten up and solidify while I make the weave on another big sheet of saran wrap. Once that's done I take the meat chub out of the saran wrap, get the weave nice looking around it and then roll it's saran wrap up nice and tight to draw it all together. I leave in the fridge an hour or two and then onto the smoker for 2 to 2.5 hours at about 250 degrees until the stuffing is 160 inside. I usually either eat it straight up or serve it with some sausage gravy and some hot sauce.

I've also done bacon cheeseburger, chicken codon blue (ground chicken for the outside), philly cheese steak, pizza fatty, I know we have tried a bunch of others but I'm drawing a blank right now.

 

Part of the reason for vertical is the juice run down and baste all the meat while it's cooking.

 

I think I found the problem.

 

I'm in the camp that chalks any gain from that up to the placebo effect. It isn't like the meat can reabsorb any of those juices. Unless I'm supposed to be ordering my kebabs with meat from the bottom third of the doner. Or is that too baste-y and I should stick to the middle third?!?!

I put the bit about reintroducing juices to maybe get the glaze started on the freshly exposed bit, but I'd just use it for au jus.

 

You never baste meat when you're cooking it? As the meat cooks the juices run down the meat thus helping to keep the meat moist. I'm not talking so much of flavor but of stopping the outside layers from drying out.

 

Shouldn’t you also get somewhat of that effect going horizontal? I would think that as the meat rotates the juices have less of an opportunity to drip off. I’ve done my Al Pastor in the kettle with a basket on one side. Then when the outer edges are done, I lay a Lodge steel pan (looks like a flat bottom wok) in the grill and slice right there in the kettle. Turn the rotisserie back on and come back for more later.

 

Dunno, I can't argue with the yummy food I get from the Kebab shops though.

 

*Major disclaimer here: This is based off of my experience and what I understand about the science of cooking. If someone has a method that works for them, the sustained success of their method is more important than any technical information and I would never try to talk someone out of doing something that they are comfortable with.*

No, I don't baste anymore! I spritzed the last few briskets I did for the first time in a long while. I was more interested in the potential effect on the smoke ring. Seemed pretty negligible from my mostly anecdotal experiment, so I'll go back to not worrying about it. I'll glaze things like ribs, PBBEs, chicken, and other stuff, but that is to set a final layer of flavor on the outside. I could see basting oven baked turkeys, maybe, to keep the skin from cooking too quickly and/or scorching. I'm struggling to see the payoff on a doner kebab.

"Moist" meat is meat that has retained water that remains bound to proteins inside the meat, rendered intramuscular fat, connective tissues that have broken down, collagen that has formed a gelatinous substance, etc. Basting meat doesn't contribute to any of those. The liquid can't be "reabsorbed" in to the meat and it isn't "sealing" any areas that the internal moisture would escape to.

I don't see the vertical spit doing much more to baste the meat, though, frankly. The expelled juices on the bottom of the doner go straight off the meat. I'd also imagine there is a point of diminishing returns that hits really quickly, so it isn't like stuff from the top joins forces with juices from the middle to make a mega-baste at the bottom, either. Let it expel juices while it cooks horizontally, whatever is on top while it is turning can dribble down the edges, and call it good. Being able to swing it in to the vertical position would be for ease of slicing/serving. I think you'd get way more mileage out of the juices by capturing and making an au jus than by basting. My cheap two cents, anyways .

A couple of articles to serve as food for thought:

https://amazingribs.com/more-techni...nce/mythbusting-basting-mopping-and-spritzing

https://amazingribs.com/more-techni...ce-juiciness-why-resting-and-holding-meat-are

 

I did the same exact thing although with beef. Hmm common theme with me, beef LOL. I used an old Pyrex casserole dish under the meat that is pretty much dedicated to the kettles. The forks on the roti spit got in the way when I went to slice it though. Did you just work your way around them? I was using an expensive Japanese knife so was too worried about the blade hitting the steel forks for me. Ended up with mainly large chunks unevenly cooked. I do have an inexpensive slicing knife around here and thinking back maybe that is what I should be using.

My forks on the spit are 4 prong and was thinking about getting a spare set and cutting them down to 2 prongs and lining them up in line. But only got past the thinking part of it. Now I am thinking again... You seem to have that effect on me Rick

 

You’re possibly right but I don’t baste any meat that’s not being roasted at higher temps and it’s more for the effect of not drying out the outside layers of the meat. I never questioned it when I was taught some of my methods when I was being trained for a commercial kitchen. I learned quick do what I was told and life would be easier.

I don’t put au jus on my shawarma or gyro so I’m good with whatever method gets me food.

 

Far and away the most important part of it all!

 

Looks like the Australians have it figured out. Replace the forks with stainless steel disks to hold the meat and use an electric knife to cut it.







Can't find any roti end disks in the US but shouldn't be too difficult to do. In fact could just cut the forks off and leave the bases on. That should work.

 

Missed this, but kind of my thoughts, too.

 

Amazon honored the coupon glitch and Got my free thermopro today. Not much. But it’s free. Can’t complain.

 

Yes, I worked around the prongs to some extent. Being that the pork was already sliced fairly thin and it was going in tacos, burritos (maybe some eggs for breakfast) I wasn't too concerned with appearance. No damascus cutlery was harmed in the process. Might have to do it again for Cinco de Mayo.

 

Got mine today also.

 

All I know is some of the best damn tacos come from trompo. So if it works for them it works for me.

 

How do you keep the eggs from just running off the edge of the sausage layer after you crack them on top?