Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

but sounds good...

 

Jeff’s rub from smoking meats.com

Thanks. I want to see your asses when they are done!!

 

I'm staring at a Weber 22" kettle and wondering how it would behave in +2*F...

 

Can anyone offer tips on keeping the a-maze-n consistently smoking?

Using my Masterbuilt XL I managed to get pretty good smoke out of the a-maze-n the first time I used it, cold-smoking some cheese without the burner lit. I've tried hot-smoking with it a number of times since and either it doesn't stay lit or the smoke is really weak. Nothing close to the ~5 hours per row or whatever it's supposed to be.

I follow the instructions and light it with a propane torch and let it burn for a full 10 minutes before blowing out the flame. I've dried the pellets in the oven for an hour at 350 beforehand, I've moved the a-maze-n to different locations inside the smoker including near the top vent (thinking it needed oxygen to keep burning).

I've tossed a handful of the pellets into the tray in the smoker and they burn and put off decent smoke, so they're not (entirely) the cause. Planning to smoke my first pork shoulder tomorrow and don't want to have to open the door every hour to add chips/pellets.

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Edit: continuing to test with it this morning. Seems to smoke well until the Masterbuilt starts coming up to temp, then the smoke weakens/disappears. Tried shielding it from "heat turbulence" as described in the manual by building a heat shield beneath/beside with foil, but saw the same results.

 

Why do you guys trim fat off peices of meat before smoking?

 

Only 2 hours in, but damn it's looks good enough to eat!

 

When you put your rub or sauce on thick fat that people won’t eat, then it’s wasted and doesn’t favor the meat.

 

Gotta try That .I love my roast pork but don't care too much roasting (smoking ) a butt . Don't care to much for dark meat.
Damn it came out nice and juicy.

 

I have no experience with the pellet maze, I use the dust model with excellent results, both hot and cold smoking. Where are you running your damper? I leave mine wide open, maybe try partially opening the factory chip delivery chute to help it breath better?

 

This is why I like this place . Lots of creative recipes and ways of smoking ,grilling . Also like different ways people cook there vegis and stuff. Like that Rib eye done like that.

 

Picked up brisket for Christmas and ended up trimming almost 10lbs of fat . Almost $30 worth.

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Sams only ad 3 left so didn't have much choice.

 

Think of it this way, if Sams trimmed the brisket or any other store, The brisket would be a lot more expensive.

 

In my maaaaaaaany years of smoking meat, especially brisket, I don’t think I’ve ever trimmed that much off. Wow that is a lot, and a waste of money. Sorry bud that sucks

 

Mahalos I gotta try out da Adoboloco Brand. Never heard of em but just looked em up. Sounds ono...

 

Wow that’s plenty. I could imagine how much brisket in da 808 cost. Too bad there was only 3 u could choose from. Up here in da mainland there’s plenty so I do a bend test before buying them. If it’s hard too bend that means too much fat and deckle is too thick and plenty trimming...

 

. Looking forward to it!!

What does the smoke look like? You only want a thin blue smoke coming out of the exhaust.

On my loin, it was fat and blue skin. With the lion, it’s not on the smoker long enough to render it, so it has to go. I leave all fat on my butts, and leave a 1/4” on a brisket.

This as well.

It was juicy. Thanks!

 

That gave me a good laugh.

(I don't know most of those words, either )

 

If it isn't fat that you are going to eat (either because it will melt away or will be too big of a chunk to eat), then you may as well remove it. Rub can't penetrate it and the fat on the outside doesn't melt and get in to the meat to make it any juicier. The only outside fat that I leave on big hunks is enough to act as a heat shield of sorts, whenever necessary.

Unless I'm just being lazy .

 

Just fine for grilling, smoking is a bit trickier but it is the wind that sucks the heat out. The shrimp I grilled the other night did at -9* with no problems on the Jumbo Joe with no wind. And smoked the sliced ribeye on the WSM without the silicone jacket. Except I couldn't feel my face after a few minutes LOL.

The high today and tomorrow is -7 here so thinking chili and or beef stew in the kitchen. Just don't have it in me to go back outside to grill or smoke after shoveling this morning with -32 windchill and -15 air temp for an hour and a half. Feels more like hibernation season right now

 

Just finished setting up my Christmas gift. Seasoned. Got the roast inside with a steak rub. The thin blue smoke with apple wood. Hope it comes out good.