Truth!Quote:
Originally Posted by crays
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Truth!Quote:
Originally Posted by crays
18lb prime brisket from costco. Ended up around 14lbs after trimming.
https://i.imgur.com/0NKUmbF.jpg
Went onto the smoker at 2:30am. After 8 hours on the smoker (still had another 4 hours to go)
https://i.imgur.com/dUkk6Ow.jpg
That looks amazing. I think I can even smell it. Those Prime briskets at Costco have been some of the best I've ever made. Enjoy! [Beer]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gman
There's more bang for the buck at Food Service Warehouse / Shamrock.
Another pic of some of the slices:
https://i.imgur.com/dbZVzqZ.jpg
I like the shamrock pork butts, but the shamrock briskets I've gotten have never been as nice as the costco ones... Costco ones are prime for not much more $$$.Quote:
Originally Posted by Great-Kazoo
Time to buy new smoker. Cheapie Masterbuilt did good job for 3yrs. Going to upgrade to pellet style, just have not decided on make/model.
Price first
Features next
Digital
Probe
Reliability
Post em up.
I went from a MES30 that served me well for years to a GMG David Bowie WiFi model and love it. I've had some hiccups but the customer service has been fantastic through them.
Look at the Cabelas branded smokers, they are usually made by Camp Chef...keep an eye on the bargain cave.
I'll stick with my Pit Barrel Cooker tho
I put an 8lb pork shoulder on this morning. It's been cooking for about 3 hours so far, got a few more to go. It's being smoked with oak since that is all I have right now. This is the biggest pice of meat I have smoked off our pig so far. I took the other two pigs to the butcher yesterday, so in a week or two I should have around 500-600 pounds of pork to play with.
I'm excited this thread still lives even though I don't get on here that much.
Last weekend did 1 rack of baby back and 1 rack of St Louis style ribs.
This weekend doing two chickens and watching the rain.
What don't you like about the Masterbuilt anymore? I used mine with a pellet tube and can't see spending the money on a Treager or anything like that.Quote:
Originally Posted by buffalobo
I would consider a good propane, natural gas one if something looked really great.
I have the propane Masterbuilt. It has done well for three years but burn area/chamber is corroding away. Want to upgrade in size and features also switch to electric. Always a hassle having to protect against wind trying to blow flame and heat away.
Got a surprise on the front porch a couple weeks ago from my dad. A full smoker setup!! Bradley electric smoker (4 racks), box of hickory bisquettes, Redi-Chek remote thermometer, a Thermapen (which is amazingly fast and accurate). Never had a smoker before this one. So far smoked a turkey breast and ribs which turned out great. Today smoking a brisket.
Attachment 74886
For those looking for a new smoker, I still am totally satisfied with the GMG Daniel Boone. Much better build quality than the Traeger and better temp control.
See the next post for an update.
Coming up on three years with the smoker. Still happy with it. I did find out that there is some maintenance and winterizing that needs to be done. Some moisture/snow got blown into the auger tube this winter. That turned the pellets into cement. Cycle smoker up this season, auger ain't moving, breaks shear pin. Easy(ish) fix. Second problem was combustion fan was full of half burned pellets. Fan not moving. GMG has excellent customer service! Will be doing a winterizing ritual this year.
Short story long, I was about two weeks late on the first smoke of the season.
Here are the results.
Hour six on the pork butt and the poppers go in. 225˚ all day.
http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL59.../413903373.jpg
Two hours on the poppers and eleven hours on the butt.
http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL59.../413903376.jpg
After an hour in foil. The shoulder blade fell out.
http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL59.../413903377.jpg
Threw a chicken on later (4hrs @225˚). NOM!
http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL59.../413903378.jpg
A little diversion from the meat.
Do y'all read BBQ books? I'm a sucker for cookbooks, especially if they are the vintage that has "how to cook squirrel" or "how to cook a calf head" or "cooking possum".
Here are some fav. BBQ books. Not sure why they are sideways. Picturetrail, I guess.
The bible.
http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL59.../413903372.jpg
Close second.
http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL59.../413903374.jpg
Just got this one and looks interesting.
http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL59.../413903375.jpg
I've got Smoke & Spice. I'll have to dig through to see what others.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ah Pook
Same here on vintage. I used to have a pretty decent collection of older American Chinese food cookbooks that were fun, but a basement flood took those out. I did just pick up a mid-late fifties Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook at an estate sale. Some pretty amusing tips and tricks in that one.
My GF and I will be house sitting her parents house this weekend and I ask her dad to leave his Trager out. Can anyone recommend a simple, fool proof recipe for a first time (literally never touched one) user? Chicken, beef, pork, not really particular.
Boston Butt/Pork Shoulder. Rinse off and pat dry. Slather in the cheapest yellow mustard you can find. Don't worry, the flavor will cook off so you just need it for the rub to stick. Apply a hearty coat of Famous Dave's Dry rub to entire thing. Smoke at 225deg for about 4 hours using an applewood or blend/mix pellet. I like Cookin' Pellets brand because they have great reviews and can be found both locally (Wood Shed on Harmony & I25) as well as online for cheap from time to time. Insert food probe and cook to an internal temp of 200deg. You can wrap tightly in foil if you want at about 165deg to help through the stall but this isn't 100% necessary. Let rest for at least an hour in foil with smoker off or on the counter. Cook times vary greatly so it's best to aim for early than late. You can rest a shoulder in the foil wrapped in a bath towel in a cooler for 3hrs+ if need be. Now tear it up and eat plain or with your favorite sauce. Should be tender, juicy and delicious. I can get into all kinds of specifics and make this even more complex but that process should yield you some of the best pulled pork you've ever had.Quote:
Originally Posted by SouthPaw
Quote:
Originally Posted by SouthPaw
pork ribs. 3-2-1 method 3 hrs smoke 2 wrapped in foil 1 opened up with sauce of choice. When wrapped in foil using a liquid such as apple juice helps. Depending on size of rib rack. 4 tbsp of juice seems to have the best results for my stuff.
The wood shed is harmony & 25.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jer
It's his first time using a smoker. doing anything other than simple items for a novice is IMO not suggested. While a pork butt/shoulder sounds simple, for the uninformed it can become a horror show. One has to get away from normal (Oven) cook times / per pound and know time-temp, stall etc.
I suggested ribs which is fairly fool proof. The only thing easier (first time ) would be sausage. 2 hrs low smoke, kick temp to 225 till sausage/brats hit 160 (TOPS) The ribs are a no brainer. The brats, pork shoulder, brisket all require a meat thermometer knowing (again) stall and rest times.
Plus ...a rib rack or few pounds of brats is way cheaper to go with IF they don't come out right. Than a 5+ pork shoulder
That's what I am worried about is ruining a good piece of meat. GF likes ribs, I personally don't care for them too much but I do want to try smoking since I will be there all weekend. I do have some Georgia Boys BBQ sauce at the house that would pair nicely with them.
I've done the 3-2-1 on pork loin ribs with both apple juice and Dr. Pepper during the '2' stage. They both worked well.
Pork shoulder is a no-brainer and I've had great luck with brats even without a thermometer. Pretty cool when the 'pink' is on the outside. Not so much the other way around.
Whole chickens are also pretty easy, aka beer butt chicken.
Cut broccoli length wise, par boil, oil and toss on the smoker.
Asparagus, oil and salt.
Chocolate chip cookies. Even cheap premade doughs taste good coming off the smoker.
King Soopers has pork ribs buy one get one lesser value free.
Okay, my secret recipe for the easiest smokin' ribs that please everyone that tries them. Got this off the Traeger website and have done it multiple times with great success each time. I don't use any seasoning and I use Green Mountain Grill's Premium Gold Blend pellets on a Smoke Pro Pellet Grill. Only thing you have to do is check the pellet compartment and make sure the pellets are feeding right. I will be using this again over the Memorial Week-end.
Baby Back Ribs Quick
Difficulty 3/5
Prep time 15 min
Cook time 3 hrs
Serves 2 - 4
Hardwood Hickory
Bill Gaston’s winning Meat Madness submission does not disappoint. His simple pork baby back ribs have 4 ingredients: ribs, cracked pepper, kosher salt, & hickory hardwood. This recipe is more than a title—it’s a challenge, eating these BBQ ribs just tastes right.
Ingredients
2-3 racks Baby Back Ribs
as needed Cracked Black Pepper
as needed Kosher Salt
Preparation
Peel membrane from backside of the ribs. Lightly season with cracked black pepper and Kosher salt.
When ready to cook, start your Traeger on Smoke with the lid open until the fire is established (4-5 minutes). Set the temperature to 225°F and preheat, lid closed (10-15 minutes).
Cook at 225°F, meaty side up for two hours, then flip the ribs to meaty side down and cook for one more hour. Enjoy!
Good catch on the Mulberry/Harmony correction. I had Co-op (I get my fertilizer there & it was time to make a run) on the mind as I was typing that I think. Corrected to avoid confusion.Quote:
Originally Posted by Great-Kazoo
I guess easy is relative as my first ever smoke on an MES30 was a Boston Butt. My very first one was made using the guidelines I just posted & rivaled the best pulled pork I've had at restaurants. Since then I've added a lot more details, steps, tweaks & even a finishing sauce which has produced the best pulled pork I've ever eaten. Not to brag but a lot of work has gone into that & I've got the notes to prove it as I document my smokes & critique as I go in an effort to perfect it.
That being said, ribs are certainly much faster. If you have the lead time pulled pork isn't hard at all & IMO is one of the hardest things to screw up if you follow the steps I listed & don't try to get fancy. In most cases it will require an overnight smoke though so from a time standpoint ribs win every time. They can be screwed up but following the 3-2-1 method is almost a sure fire way to get it right every time.
This is the other consideration for a first smoke. Boston Butts at King Soopers will set you back about $2/lb depending on sales & what not. You can buy enough meat to feed the whole family twice for about $20 give or take.Quote:
Originally Posted by SouthPaw
Just a heads up, Walmart, Home Depot and Lowes all have kingsford charcoal on sale. Home Depot and Lowes have 2x18 pound bags for $9.88, Walmart has 2x15 pound bags for somewhere around $8.
Juicy lucy (cheese stuffed) burgers today and pork butt tomorrow
I think it has to do with life experience and being able to identify the finer things in life.[Coffee]Quote:
Originally Posted by brutal
The Polish sausages just came out, the baby backs went in an hour ago. Mac n cheese and beans will go in about an hour from now.
Mesquite and hickory smoke.
What time is dinner?Quote:
Originally Posted by BPTactical
[Coffee]
The aroma wafting over to here forced me to compete with 2 racks of ribs. Enjoy my friend [Beer]Quote:
Originally Posted by BPTactical
crappy phone pic of a 5 lb rib roast. Little over done for me, but still good.
Attachment 74955
Mmmm. Rib roast. Even if it's over cooked a bit, they still end up being moist and edible.
Dodging rain right now...should get the ribs on the Pit Barrel Cooker here in a few....and then wife's Mac n cheese will go on at the end
Did a few racks of baby backs using the 3-2-1. Smoke was mesquite. For the "1" we used bourbon and resealed the foil. Mrs BG made up a bunch of sides...but when we unwrapped and tasted the ribs we both just stood at the kitchen counter and pulled the meat off the ribs until we were stuffed. Only side we touched was the fried okra cuz we could eat that with fingers. Good stuff. And very few dishes that way!
We bought a smoker when we got here so we do something most every weekend. Did a brisket this last weekend. Good thing is our neighbors have no issue with our smoker. I have heard of some having problems over here. If they would just give some every now and then to them they will not complain. [Beer]