Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

Too bad you aren't here in Bellingham. There have been two different Performers floating around craigslist and FB marketplace for $100 for a couple of weeks now.

 

Smoked some ribs and cobbler

 

Personally, that’s my favorite Weber. When I worked at Ace people lookin to buy grils would always pass over them thinking they we’re paying $300 for a charcoal grill......some people just don’t understand

 

I already have to sell my copper kettle to avoid having to sleep on the patio with them.

 

Got a lot of fish if you need some. LOL
Did you get your freezer fixed

 

My dudes......they lived up to the hype



They came out just a hair to done for me, but honestly couldn’t tell the difference. Meat butter indeed



Paired with rosmary/garlic/brown butter basted potatoes and some garlic/olive oil broccoli

What a way to start the weekend!

 

Yessir. Was a water level sensor trip. Didn't know it was there. All good now and I know to watch for it

Looks amazing!

 

Looks good from here!!

 

First burn on the 26". Those ribeyes look tiny!

My timing was a little off, so I didn't quite get the sear I wanted, but they were damn tasty!





A few observations:

1. Inch for inch, the fuel consumption is great, but compared to a 22", this is one thirsty SOB!
2. The fact that the bolts for the lid holder are above the cooking grates is a real screw up. Depending on where the grate is put, the bolts can prevent you from using the little hinged sides.
3. The extra surface area is freaking AWESOME and makes me not care about #1 and #2. Wonderful investment that'll get tons of use. Love it - warts and all.

 

Prepped some ribs! Forgot to take a pic of them w/ the mustard and rub before i put them in the fridge.

Im going to cook the parts i cut off and use them in the crockpot at some point

I'll post the results tomorrow!

 

Since many of you have much more BBQ experience than me, I have to share our CG Day lunch experience today and ask what you guys think.

I brought pulled pork, after having not slept all night because my damn remote thermometer wouldn’t work from my bedroom to the Traeger. It was the same as I always make: Fantastic and slathered in Pitfaced. Everybody raved about it, as always.

Then, the boss brought some baked beans from a local BBQ joint. To me, it was like biting into a splintered piece of charred wood. I strongly suspect it was because of a liberal application of liquid smoke because this particular establishment runs out of a trailer that’s dressed up as a fancy ‘food truck.’ And it just kinda tasted way overdone.

It got me to wondering if my pork butt didn’t have enough flavor from the smoke itself, even though I can taste a drastic difference between the crappy Traeger pellets that I used for this same cook before and the Cabela’s brand that I’ve been using lately.

So what do you think? Did they cheat? Do I have enough smoky flavor in my meat? Is there something that I’m not considering?

 

You're likely not wrong in your assessment. Beans take on smoke easily, so too much time uncovered can make the taste overwhelming. Additionally, if the wood wasn't burning clean, then the flavor would be very bitter from the cresote. That would be the white or gray billowing smoke. Lastly, and more to your point, it wouldn't be out of the question for them to have used something like Liquid Smoke and have gotten carried away.

My guess is that they finish in the smoke, but hastily prepared for the end, so they have that nasty, bitter, billowing white smoke, making the beans taste funky.

 

Genius pro-tip right there.

Thanks.


I agree on the 26" Webers....I really would like one, but I think my next grill money may go towards a Weber gas grill. I'll put a griddle in there and use it for breakfast cooks and whatever else. Pretty much got all my other smoker/grill needs covered already. That 26" would be really nice, though......

 

Doing a reverse sear my favorite way. One of the few times I use lump, and make sure there is no charcoal dust on it. And skip the grate.

We have a grocery store in town that sells smoked meats and beans in the deli, surprisingly they do a pretty decent job. They even sell burnt ends which are decent. I made the mistake of getting their hickory house smoked beans one time. They were just like you said and I could hardly choke them down. I think @bvbull200 hit the nail on the head.

With a griddle on the Weber gasser it works best with the sear station for more even heat distribution. And yes it works great!



The grillgrates are also worth it IMO. And with a Genesis of course they already have pre cut ones fit and ready to go.



Have some salmon thawing in the fridge right now time to do a repeat of this. On my way back from shooting sporting clays this morning going to stop and grab some fresh corn from a roadside corn truck to replace the pineapple spears though. And now I want a capsteak too so might as well take the cooler and stop at Costco. You all are an expensive bunch to hang around! But so worth it

 

Nice assessment and yes, It likes charcoal... But so worth it.

In for pics! The skirt that is trimmed off (making own st. Louis style) is always a chef snack for me

I hear ya. First few cooks on the pooper I was surprised at the subtle flavor produced from a really clean fire the whole time. Not a bad thing, just different. I've come to appreciate it. Had someone at work bring in a brisket and he wanted critisism. Asked if he smoked umwrapped whole time and had white smoke. Yup. Thick smoke profile, like way too overwhelming. But it was pecan so not as bad as if it'd been mesquite.

And as discussed, they probably did go for a splash of liquid smoke for enhancement and got carried away. That stuff is strooong.

 

With regards to your meat, you said everyone raved about it. So why change anything? If you like it, and other people like it, I’d say keep on doing the same thing.

Personally, I don’t like a heavy smoke profile, that’s why I generally use fruit wood, with some hickory and oak here and there. I normally have smoke rolling for 3-4 hours on my long cooks and that’s it. Plenty for what I like.

 

I had these waiting to be cooked tomorrow, but our fridge crapped out, so they got moved up a day. St. Louis cut spares with some Meat Massage .

Cooking over oak wood - I'm still giving that stuff a shot - and at around 275*.

 

Did you get my fridge/freezer curse?! My B!

 

$50 performer in San Antonio

 

.

Do it