Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

Turned out excellent. No doubt the best one I've ever smoked. So tender but doesn't fall apart and plenty juicy. Better with no sauce on it. You can taste all the subtle flavours. The beef, salt and pepper plus plenty of mild pecan and cherry smoke.

 

It's been a slow summer of not smoking much for me. Did a few smokes earlier in the year but July and August were pretty much nothing. I'm thinking I might do some coming into the cooler fall, can add some cheese's into the mix.

 

Same here. Too dang hot and humid. Looking forward to doing some brisket and pulled pork maybe next month.

 

I'll probably do a shoulder so I can freeze a bunch for Columbus day weekend. I make a big pot of red sauce - one of my traditions. Last year it was like sunny 80 degrees it was a push. But yeah I don't usually do a pork shoulder in it but I might give it a whirl.

 

Did some ribs and pork belly burnt ends yesterday... Those burnt ends straight meat candy!!!







Was getting some really weird temp ranges in the smoker on my 4 month old Thermoworks X4, so after my cook I cranked up the smoker and placed them all on the same rack next to each other... Yup, guess we’ll see how good the thermoworks customer service and warranty is!

 

Did you switch the probes around to see if the problem followed the probe or was in the unit itself? ...first customer service question I would think, after "did you turn it off and back on again..."

 

Yup tried that. Luckily it was just the probe and not the X4. Sent them an email and pic last night, customer service sent me a new probe 1st class this AM! Pretty happy with their customer service, but still a little ticked that one of the probes only lasted a handful of cooks. Wiped down after each use, never submerged, and put away exactly as they were shipped. Apparently very common for thermoworks, hence the much shorter 6 month warranty on their pro probes.

 

Lost a probe after maybe 20 uses. Same as you, never submerged, wiped down, etc. For the cost, I wasn't too happy either.

 

Ribs!

 

There was a request for Thai chicken again so I've got 3 packs of thighs marinating. Instead of cooking them on the grill, I'm going to toss them in a hot smoker because I'm almost out of propane.

 

Finally taking the slow n sear for a test drive with this on point rubbed tri tip

 

Pork Belly Pulled Pork Tacos with, Spicy Black Beans, Black Pepper Cheddar Cheese, Iceberg Lettuce, Red Cabbage, and Sweet Thai Chili Ranch Sauce.

 

Thai chicken is done!





TONS of leftovers this time and there's a delightful burn from the sauce on it.

 

Had some heat left so I threw on some sausages

 

What's Thai chicken marinate consist of?

 

The recipe is from an episode of America's Test Kitchen.

Meat:
4 Cornish game hens (I used boneless chicken thighs instead)
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves and stems, chopped coarse
12 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground white pepper
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup fish sauce

Pulse cilantro leaves and stems, garlic, sugar, pepper, coriander, and salt in food processor until finely chopped then stir in fish sauce. Completely coat chicken, let marinade for 6 to 24 hours.

Sauce:
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon minced Thai chiles (I usually end up using a serrano instead)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt

Bring vinegar to boil then add sugar and stir to dissolve. Reduce heat and simmer until vinegar mixture is slightly thickened. Once it completely cools, stir in chiles, garlic, and salt.

Cook the chicken, let it rest, slice into 1/4" slices, place over a bed of rice then spoon some of the sauce over it.

It's probably about the best thing I make.

 

Birthday shenanigans. I start having drinks when the first person wishes me hbd - a tradition I decided was necessary when I was 21? This will be my last year of that.

I picked up 4 choice briskets at $1.67/lb the other day and ended up trimming almost 5 lbs of fat. Some of the pieces were almost an inch thick. I’m no conspiracy theorist, but aside from a loss leader as a way to lure customers at the store level (Black Friday electronics, etc.), I’m convinced beef producers are selling fattier briskets to pump total dollars moved to pad their margin. This one passed the bend test but has almost no marbling, it looks like a good candidate for green chile enchiladas or queso.

 

Happy birthday, sir! Getting ready to throw on a chuck roast, myself.

 

Brisket in Hawaii 4.68 lb. Used to be 3.09 lb . Going wait awhile before I smoke another one .
Enjoy you BD.

 

$6.99/lb here for decent brisket. That's why I usually go for chuck roast.