Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

Out of curiosity… why?

 

I like to cook them faster and hotter than what I usually run my smoker at. Plus they're pretty lean so less forgiving. IMO of course.

 

That’s fair. We’re actually the opposite. Neither of us could get into the “steak style”, especially for the cost it’s risen to. Too tough for us.

If I buy them, I do them like a full brisket, albeit not nearly as forgiving. You have to watch it like a hawk, but the results are unbeatable (they’d better be at $12 or so /lb.)

I could say the same for Picanha, though. It’s a sirloin, plain and simple. I smoke and reverse sear the whole lump. Sliced ultra thin like sandwich meat and it’s great, but I wouldn’t pay extra for sirloins cut how it’s traditionally done.

 

Follow up, what do you smoke at? I run 215.

 

Considering it's the first thing I smoked and it tasted good, I'd say it's pretty easy lol. Ran it at 225 for 3 or so hours and 450 for 4 minutes on each side. I ignored the grill thermometer and just focused on the internal temp thermometer.

 

They're $3.99/lb untrimmed here right now which is great!

Probably about the same. My thermometer shows 225-250 but it's a little off on the high side.

They are easy, I just prefer hot and fast for them. I only smoke brisket, pork butts, ribs, and side dishes. Burgers, steaks, tri tips, flank, etc. goes over charcoal in the Weber.

 

Weber respect

 

Choice brisket is going for $3.99 here
I havent seen tritip or any other fancy cut. Beef tongue is $5.99lb

 

When the heck did tongue get so expensive?!?! I had some lengua tacos the other day that were amazing!

 

Its been expensive! Theres a local place has some decent ones. I havent been to it in a while though

 

Long time listener...1st time caller. Have a question about smoking chicken thighs. First few times I made them, I did them at 225 for a couple hours and they always seem to come out a little tough. Was wondering what others have done to get them tender/juicy.

I am doing 2 racks of ribs tomorrow and will have room to fit about 6 thighs in with them, but don't want to screw them up again.

 

Honestly, I skip the smoker and do them over charcoal to avoid the rubber chicken texture that can happen. And yes, I'm lazy too!

 

As said above, I do thighs hot and not so fast. I crank it up to about 400-500 for 45 minutes to an hour and they turn out crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside

 

Cheap and dirty hot smoker. We used this in the restaurant and I use at home. Ive done rabbit and duck legs, scallops, and tomatoes. Two hotel pans, a couple of metal ring moulds (I wrap in foil to make clean up easier) a small rack and chips on some foil)

Dampen the chips and place on a few layers of foil at one end of the hotel pan, put the rack atop the rings at the opposite end as the chips. place the second hotel pan inverted on the first hotel pan to create a chamber. Add cans to the top for weight to help seal. Fire up the stove top burner under the chips to high.

Enough heat will be generated to get the chips smouldering. It takes a bit of practice to judge heat/time/cooking levels for different ingredients. The duck and rabbit legs I have later confit'd and the scallops I have later seared, so smoking was mostly for flavour. The tomatoes I used in smoked tomato soup so I wanted them cooked a bit to make separating seeds and skin in a moulli mill a bit easier.

 

Good day for some pellet grilled, reverse sear steaks.

 

First time doing a spatchcock chicken and some queso for superbowl Sunday few weeks back. That queso was something man.

 

And what about the chicken?

 

I’ve done about a half dozen turkeys this exact same way and I see many similarities. I typically like white meat, but the dark chicken took the win.

6 hour brine with kosher salt bath. Stuffed unsalted butter under the skin. Traeger pork and poultry rub. Smoked at 225F for 3 hours. Using a small cast iron skillet, I smoke butter and apply every hour over the chicken. After 3 hours, I bring the temp up to 300F for a bit to get a good crust. Approximately 3.5 hours to get to internal temp of 165F.

 

Spatchcocking is the only way to go in my opinion!

 

Sounds like some backbreaking work to me...