Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

Not dis-sen your grill. But yes, gotta let it come up to temp. Try some 12x12 Grill Grates. I think they were $35 plus shipping. Will fit 4 burgers or 2 big steaks. You will like them, coz they work.

 

That's purdy looking right there

No dis taken I knew I was impatient... Well, the wife was . But I still need me some grates.

 

I broke in the electric smoker today. I marinated the ribs in Pitface overnight.
Smoked with Apple and Pecan chips.
At 165 Tented them with brown sugar, apple juice, chipotlie powder and butter.
At 185 back to just the grill. Pulled at 201. I also made a sweet and spicy sauce I brushed
on at 185. NAILED IT! The best ribs I have ever smoked. My wife loved them as well.
Pitfaced only on top, Sweet and spicy on bottom.

 

I can’t wait for a real backyard mater. Mines doing well and I have several green ones, still going to be awhile before it’s BLT time!!

 

I'd like to try smoking a butt for pulled pork (my first time) on my Weber 26' using the snake method. Can you guys share your favorite rub recipe for this?

 

Personally I’m not all into the elaborate rubs, and I don’t care for anything sweet on meat. My go to on almost anything I smoke is equal parts red, white and black pepper and garlic salt.

 

It depends...pork or chicken is good with sweet. Steak for me is minimal stuff.

 

@Misplaced Nebraskan You cooking today?

 

You could just go strait up salt and cracked pepper. This is my basic recipe that I found in a book ten years ago and have been tweaking ever since. I will add things or subtract depending on who I'm fixing things for, but this is the basic recipe. You may need to double it. If the brown sugar or sea salt clumps you can put it on a cookie sheet in the oven at the lowest setting for a few minutes to dry it out.

1/4 cup (ish) brown sugar
1 Tbls (ish) sweet paprika
1 Tbls (ish) smoked paprika
1 Tbls (ish) kosher or sea salt
1 Tbls (ish) crack pepper
2 tsp (ish) garlic powder
2 tsp (ish) onion powder
2 tsp (ish) celery salt
2 tsp (ish) dry mustard
1 tsp (ish) chilly powder
1/2 tsp (ish) cayenne pepper

 

Headed to a friend's for some burgers and dogs. But I'll be getting a brisket on the way home for tomorrow though

 

All you ever need is salt and pepper on anything you bbq. Add things That suit your flavor profile. For me paprika is there just for color. You can add garlic powder etc etc but for me I can hardly taste any of it for the various homemade rubs I’ve used.

The most important thing is consistent temps the whole cook and a good clean smoke! Foiling the butt in garlic cloves and other things I heard help with flavor, but for me salt, pepper and wood is all you need.

 

I also enjoy sweet pork - especially on ribs. Sugar does introduce the potential to burn if you have temp spikes over 300 deg though.

 

Handy info for planning a Q party...

https://www.foodnetwork.com/grilling/summer-parties/articles/barbecue-party-calculator

 

Thanks! I happen to have everything listed here already, so that makes it easy. I have real Hungarian smoked paprika, both hot and sweet, for when I made Hungarian goulash.

 

Same here. Been using Meathead's Memphis Dust for at least a decade now and see no need to change it. Except for sugar and Atkins don't go so well together.

3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup American paprika
1/4 cup garlic powder
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons ground ginger powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 teaspoons rosemary powder

Used to just salt and pepper steaks forever but now they get a coat of Montreal Steak Seasoning. Only something like 5 or 6 dollars at Costco for a huge container.

And even switching to using

$16 McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Chicken Seasoning, 23 oz

Montreal Chicken Seasoning for chicken lately.

In a year or 2 may change up the steak and chicken seasoning. But don't see changing the Memphis Dust for pork. Tried others but always come back to it.

 

This is my go to on pork: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_4_6?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=squeal+rub&sprefix=squeal%2Caps%2C208&crid=37L5ORY64Q133
Supposedly good on chicken too, I need to find out.
I've used Squeal for years now, and it never disappoints. If you try it, post results.
Edit: You can probably find it local, cheaper that Amazon. But not the 28oz. Amazon is cheaper.

 

Made a simple Fire basket for the smoker. Cost about $5 from Home Depot. Gonna cook up some burgers in a min to test it out. I also picked up ~70 lbs of pork butt yesterday!

 

If that’s galvanized, be careful. I know if you weld anything galvanized you shouldn’t breathe the smoke off it!

 

Smoking a pork buttin my 22” today using the snake method.

I’m trying to figure out how to smoke on a kettle so I can do a turkey and practice pork is cheap!

I much prefer my WSM but it’s too small for anything over 8# or so.

Hour zero


Hour five

 

Zinc oxide is a very nasty gas. Not sure if charcoal will burn hot enough to release any, but I would not risk it, “if” that is indeed zinc (galvanized) coated.