Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

If you're sending out prizes ... I'm always looking to try new things! Hahaha!

 

Ya me too. I’d like to try those cleavers lol.

 

Looks good however, I honestly believe you’ll like it even better if you cook/smoke at a higher temp and a shorter cook time. I’m a 325*-350* kind of guy on chicken. The skin will become more crispy and “bite through”. Just my observations, YMMV.

 

Hot dogs a la Mexican style....

 

This may be the best thing I've read today

But alas... no rub... Hat and a Tumbler iirc

IN AF!

 

I smoked a chicken (around 240/250) and it came out really good. I brushed a little butter in the skin a few times and it came out crispy. This isn't a pic of it finished but part way through.

 

BBQ cheese bread! My dad and I make that all the time! We put some sauce down, then cheese though. So good!

 

Damn it here I am trying to ease off the carbs again and now you are pimping cheese bread! Got to try this. Next thing you know I will be throwing corn on the grill too....

This weeks photography challenge is Fire. There are more than a few on here that should be able to get an entry in Cell phone pictures have won more than once, just saying.

 

I’ve been doing lower carbs and then on the weekend eat what I want to a point. Been starting to do some good for me.

I keep telling my wife I’m in shape, I mean round is a shape right?

 

Never knew this existed.

 

So.... Anyone ever thought about putting an oven light inside a vertical smoker?
#jackdanielsthoughts

 

Would probabky get covered with smoke pretty quick, then you’d have to clean it every time.

 

My new Pit Boss has a window I clean after every smoke anyway.

 

I like 300-350 or higher just so I can eat it faster. The skin is crispier at higher temp imo.

The whole point of making a spatchcock chicken vs leaving whole is so that you can cook it faster becuase it is laying flat and more meat is being exposed. 4hrs for a chicken is a long time. Just my opinion though. If someone is bbqn I’m down to eat

 

I had an afternoon to use so the 4 hours didn't bother me none. The skin was crispiest I've even taken off the smoker on anything. I'd totally do it again. Maybe I'll crank up the temp just to see the difference.

Everything I do is an experiment so I'm ok with learning something new.. that's the thing I like about food in general... No one can tell me what to do! Haha!

 

I call it Dickeydo disease. my belly sticks out more than my dickey do!!

 

Totally forgot to post this. 1st place out of 18 teams, I'd say the ribs were good but I was too toasted by the end to really know.

 

Practicing for the SCA steak cook-off on Friday. For all of the medium-rare lovers (I'm one, too!), keep in mind that the 'perfect' doneness for this comp is medium. Chart for reference.

Starting specimen:


Trimmed up:



I spread a little worcestershire on it, then rubbed with a special little concoction :



In to the smoker to begin the reverse sear:



No pictures of the sear. I was being very particular about documenting the timing. I seared with a piece of expanded metal over my chimney starter. Coals were as far from the grate as I could get them - I let them burn for a while to get the grate nice and hot. The marks were decent, but not what it looks like we'll need for the competition. More on that later.

At any rate, this is the result:



Pretty solid medium to me:



Here is the scoring chart, just for reference:




As for the grill marks, that's apparently a big part of presentation. Everyone uses GrillGrate grates. I think the key to those is that they prevent flare ups, so the meat that isn't on the grates is protected from any direct heat, keeping that part of the steak lighter/uncharred, thus giving higher contrast to the parts charred on the grates. Not my style of steak - give me char all over - but it's what they want! With that, I went ahead and ordered a set of GrillGrate grates . Should be here middle of the week so I can get a couple test sears on them.

I've eaten two ribeyes today and am practicing a brisket, tomorrow. BBQ practice is the best kind of practice

 

Good job!