Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

^^^^

 

Bison meatloaf, smoked at the same time as the shrimp. 2 hrs uncovered.



And a 5 lb shoulder also smoked at the same time. This is six hours in, put into the meatloaf pan and headed into the oven for another four to six hours until the meat hits 200 or so. Will be great for lunches this week.

 

It rained like heck here in SA yesterday. I smoked my first Prime packer it was about 13 lbs. and I must say it was delicious!! I was worried because the pit dipped down to @ 175 for about 30 min or so but here was the outcome. Bark was perfect!!

 

Looks good Bro! I have been wrapping in BP for a while and I like the results. I wrap when the Bark and color is what I want, then wrap until probe tender!

 

4 minute eggs cooled and pealed, Sage pork sausage, Salt and pepper bread crumbs, smoked over cherry wood @ 325 for 30 minutes. I did another batch and wrapped all of them in a bacon basket weave and they turned out even better...

 

WHY did i just find this thread. Im looking into building a smoker and not sure what i want yet other than the fact that i was a side fire box and i want to smoke with wood

 

Looks like I will be firing up the little smoker again today! I had to buy a dozen eggs yesterday and only used one for the smoked meatballs stuffed with mozzarella cheese I made last night. Thanks for sharing!

 

Not smoking but grilled ribeyes

 

I have never used a thermometer before, but I took the plunge and ordered

Maverick ET-733 Long Range Wireless Dual Probe BBQ Smoker Meat Thermometer Set

http://www.amazon.com/Maverick-ET-733-Wireless-Smoker-Thermometer/dp/B00FOCR4UI

Any 10-12lb Packard brisket advice ?
From what I have gathered...let it reach 180 then wrap in BP for an hour?
I have seen from 170-190...so I figure 180 is probably good.

Trufunk - looks good as always..what is that Ribeye topped with?

 

Mother in laws Salsa....regarding the therm I can't say I have a thermopen but I just use it to check the tenderness. For c
Poultry id say definitely use the therm to check temps. That said I usually smoke my briskets naked until I get the color, bark I want then wrap to probe tender.

 

Don't focus on temp so much in they end. Foil that bastard once it hits the stall. Around the 160 mark. Get some beef broth and pour in a 1/4 cup, foil tightly. Set probe for 190 and bump the cooker up to 275. Once it starts beeping then start check for tenderness. It takes some time to learn this. It's all feel. You want to check in the flat not the point. When checking for tenderness with a probe, you want that probe to basically fall threw the flat. if its still tight, Wait 45min then check again. If you are not sure, you should be pretty safe around the 200 mark. Take out of foil and set your dripping to the side. Re-wrap in clean foil,wrap a towel around that and set in empty cooler for a good hour. Once you unwrap to slice. Take all your dripping and re heat to a low simmer. After Slicing your flat,use your dripping to base over your slices. Have fun

 

I smoked a picnic cut the other day... I didn't have the stall I was hoping for . Got done WAYYYY too soon!

still tasted good though.

 

I had a catered BBQ meal last week. The beef was chuck roast, not brisket. It was great! I think I'm going to smoke some chuck roasts tomorrow and turn some into burnt ends. We'll see how it goes!

 

I did two pieces in the smoker this weekend. On the left is a ~3lb chuck roast and on the right is a ~5lb bone in pork butt. The first pic is when I put them on the and second picture is from 2 hours into the smoke. I let them both take smoke for 7 hours and then moved them to the oven, wrapped in foil, to bump the temperature up to 200. Once they hit 200 degrees I wrapped them in towels and put them in the cooler to rest for 2 hours. Both turned out super tender. Sliced the chuck roast and pulled the pork. Nom nom!

 

Looks great la0d0g. That pork butt is an interesting shape!

Here's this weekend's results. 2 3lb slabs of babybacks and a 5.5 lbs chicken. Both turned out great, especially the ribs. May very well have been the best I've ever done - perfect tenderness (tear away at the bite mark, but not overdone and falling off the bone), and the taste was out of this world. The chicken was excellent also.

 

Nice BBQ guys! I'm gona have to read back through this when I have time. Thought I would add my recipe for dry smoked salmon/steelhead that I already had written up for a friend. This was pieced together from an Alaskan Salmon Guide, and from an article on smoking fish written by a seafood quality specialist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks:

Smoked Salmon / Steelhead​

Dry Brine - 4 parts dark brown sugar, 1 part non-iodized canning/pickling salt. Apply generously so that the fish is completely coated and has a thick crust all around it. Refrigerate 12 – 24hrs.

* Avoid rock salt, sea salt, and iodized salt because these contain impurities and additives that can cause bitterness and off flavors. Curing salts should also be avoided since they contain nitrites.


Drying – Lightly rinse the brine off of the fillets. Place fillets on a rack with a small table fan blowing over them on low for 30mins – 2hrs, until a shiny glaze (pellicle) forms on the fish. This should be done at room temperature just prior to smoking.

* Drying accomplishes two things. It allows the salt to penetrate and to become evenly distributed throughout the flesh of the fish (equilibration). Secondly, the surface of the fish dries to form a “pellicle” or tough shiny coat. The pellicle seals in moisture and makes the appearance of the finished product much better.


Smoker Temp - Smoke at low heat, 150-175 tops. Do not let smoker get too hot. If the fish cooks quickly it will not turn out right. Do not get your heat up to 200. It will cook, barely get any smoke flavor, and will taste like you grilled it for 10 minutes. Not what you are going for when you smoke fish. You want the fish to absorb smoke and go through the process. If it gets too hot it will cook quickly and then you may as well take it out because it will not absorb any more smoke flavor.

* Fish that is smoked too quickly and at 200-250, will taste like a baked filet with liquid smoke poured on.



Target Internal Fish Temp - 160 degrees for 30 minutes within 6 – 8 hrs.
* Wait at least 5 hours minimum before bringing the internal temp up to 160.


Storage - After the fish has been smoked, allow it to cool to room temperature (this will prevent condensation) and then do one of the following:

• Wrap and refrigerate below 38°F until consumed. Use a good plastic wrap and/or aluminum foil. Smoked product can last as long as 14 days in the refrigerator. * I prefer storing in a brown paper bag, which helps wick the moisture away, and replace the paper bag every few days.

• Wrap and freeze. Use a good freezer wrap and aluminum foil to protect the product, or vacuum seal. Properly protected smoked salmon will last for 2 to 3 months.

 

Thanks! The skinny side had the fat layer on it so it was kind of propped up on end. The other sides had much more surface area but I always like the fat on top. It does look funny though.

 

Very nice Matt. I love smoking chuck roast.

 

Thanks, it was my first time doing a chuck roast and I was surprised how easy to get it to temp and how tender it was. I'll definitely be doing it more often!

 

Had to taste test in the oven tonight before I throw them in the smoker in the morning. 2hrs of smoking, 20 minutes of 350.