I just always trim, rinse, dry, put a little oil around the outside, use a little salt if none in the rub, then apply the rub. I used to put my rubs on the night before and still do, but I've also just started the coals and done all the prep while they're getting going. Really, the results have always been about the same. Ive noticed more difference in the quality of the meat than in my differences of prep.
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BBQ GAF - Smokin' Your Meat, USA Style
- Thread starter POWERSPHERE
- Start date
LocknessMobster
Member
Picked up one of these badboys for the time being
And getting one of these in a couple weeks!
Lets do this BBQ gaf.
Smoking a whole bird today. Will try to soak it in a quick brine first. My WSM has problems going above 300F but I'll try my best.
edit: heaven help me I'm going to use this method (without a water bowl) and hope I don't set my smoker on fire.
http://virtualweberbullet.com/chicken4.html
edit: heaven help me I'm going to use this method (without a water bowl) and hope I don't set my smoker on fire.
http://virtualweberbullet.com/chicken4.html
Since you plan on smoking in it your most valuable tools are these:
Weber Charcoal Chimney This will light your charcoal quickly and easily without ruining the taste by adding lighter fluid.
Grill Brush This will keep your grates from getting nasty. Use this at the start of your cook, after the grill is preheated but before you put the food on.
Wireless Thermometer 1 or 2. The first one is cheap, uses bluetooth to display on your phone, and graphs your temperature so you can see how your actions effect the temperature. I find this very helpful for learning. The second has two probes so one can go in the food in addition to the one you put on your grate level for smoker temperature. It also has a range that is twice as long if you plan on being farther from your grill.
For your first smoke I can't recommend a pork butt highly enough. They are the most forgiving and they are cheap and tasty.
I also recommend you use the Snake/Fuse Method (scroll until you see "For long cooks.") Eventually you might want to upgrade to the Slow 'N Sear like I did but you can still get good results without it.
Don't use the lid thermometer since it'll give a very different reading then at grate level. If you insist on using it for the first cook to see if you enjoy the hobby before you drop another $40-$60 know it'll read higher so I'd shoot for 300*F on it. It's usually between 25*F and 75*F higher than grate level so this would hopefully put you between 225*F and 275*F depending on where the lid thermometer is compared to what part of the fuse is currently lit. The nice thing about pork butt is it can take a wide variety of temperatures and still turn out tasty. It's why it's great for a beginner before you have lots of practice maintaining temperatures where you want them.
Are you going to use the kettle to make BBQ? Quite a few people here do that. Look like some nice pickups.
LocknessMobster
Member
Thanks for the advice! I did pickup a Webber charcoal chimney and I grabbed the second thermometer you posted a few months ago after someone here posted a deal on them...I think maybe it was you! I think there is a bit of a learning curve with it at first right? I still gotta get a grill brush and a digital thermometer too. Starting off with a pork butt sounds like a good idea,Ill go that route. Ultimately brisket is my fav and something Ive been dying to smoke but they seem like they require alot of work to get down perfectly,Ill admit Im a bit intimidated!
Thanks and yes I plan on BBQ'ing,smoking,grilling on it. The Webber Genesis gas grill will be used for quick meal grilling and for my wife to grill on mostly. But I most prefer the flavor from charcoal.
Yeah I posted that deal. Glad you jumped on it. There is definitely a learning curve with BBQing. Doing a dry run with the thermometer in place and the fuse method but no food would definitely be a good idea. It'll teach you how adjusting the vents will effect your termperature without risking food. The grill brush is pretty much a necessity but what did you want another digital thermometer for? If you're talking about instant read ones they're handy but not necessary for smoking large chunks of meat. You'll get the internal with your second probe and that will pretty much tell you when your food is done.
I just did a brisket 2 weeks ago. I was intimidated as well. It wasn't as hard as I imagined but I definitely would recommend you get more experience under your belt first. They're not hard in the sense that they take a special technique and tons of tries to get it right. To me it seems they're more unforgiving. With a pork butt if you take it off a little early or a little late it'll still be decent. If you have your smoker run too hot or too cool (within reason) it'll turn out fine. If your temperature is varying fairly widely it'll still turn out fine. With brisket if you can't keep a solid temperature where you want it and take it off right when it's perfect it won't be nearly as good and possibly even unpalatable.
Do you have any hardwood yet? If not get chunks if you can find them. They work better than chips/
LocknessMobster
Member
Thanks for the heads up on the thermometers,I got two,one for me and one for my best man,hes loving it. And yes i was refering to a digital thermometer mainly to use for burgers,steaks and chicken/breasts. I havent gotten anything besides charcoal so far. Im still researching on the hardwoods/chips,different types of woods and their flavor profiles. So wood chunks are better than chips? Any brands stand out? Ive seen so many types out there.
I just got a really good instant read thermometer you can find at the top of the page. If you have the money though you won't find any better than the Thermopen Mk 4.
I grabbed 16lbs of Kingsford Cherry Wood Chunks a month or two back and it's a giant bag that should easily last the entire season for me. My only complaint with it is several of the pieces are on the smaller side. I'd just go with whatever chunks you can find locally at a good price. I like cherry and apple since they're versatile and go with pretty much everything. None of the smoking wood they sell are bad choices. It's about pairing and finding what flavor you enjoy. That said it's low on the list of important things that effect flavor. Your rub, technique and temperature will make more of a difference as long as you don't oversmoke your food.
Eye for an Eye
Member
What makes you think she wants a gas grill?? I balk at the idea of a gas grill. All it is it taking my stove outside and cooking on it. (Of course her personal preference wins).
I've been grilling on a weber kettle for over a year now. My bf doesn't get to go anywhere near them when I'm grilling. Even in the kitchen he's relegated to about 2 or 3 pans he's allowed to use and the toaster oven.
Last night I smoked some beef ribs. They probably could've used another hour and maybe a sauce on top. They were cooked, but it didn't seem like the fat rendered out properly. Or maybe I let them sit too long in foil before eating. I also made 6lbs of chorizo burgers. There were a few left overs but no one had a problem taking one home to go.
I know this isn't a grill problem, but you all have solutions for everything. So everyone loves a good watermelon. I picked up a huge one for $6 at the farmers market. Where the heck do you cut it without having juices go all over the place? I use aluminum cookie sheets from the dollar store, but they're too easy to cut through or bend the sides. My regular cookie sheets are coated, so not a good idea for cutting on. I just don't have a lot to spend.
LocknessMobster
Member
Again thanks for the leads. Gonna pick up a pork butt and some wood this week. If all goes well my first smoke will be weds or thurs!
Pork shoulders (one for me, one for a coworker) and a packer brisket on at 9AM. I'm going to try to wrap them both at six hours because the past couple have taken too long. Made some mustard sauce from this recipe. I doubled the recipe, dropped the honey and added an additional tsp of worcestershire and hot sauce, which I might still tweak further after it has stewed. Plan to make some slaw and hush puppies, later.
The thickness on the brisket is pretty consistent, so I should get a pretty good flat.
The thickness on the brisket is pretty consistent, so I should get a pretty good flat.
Applesauce
Boom! Bitch-slapped!
Weber Genesis grills are the shit and worth every penny. I'd love to have one if I had space, they make cooking for a crowd a lot easier than a charcoal grill. My ideal backyard set up would include a kettle grill, a kettle grill dedicated to cooking pizzas, a gas grill, and my stick burner. I would be in heaven
LocknessMobster
Member
She loves the convenience plain and simple,as do I sometimes
. I always wonder why some people hate on gas grills so much.Looking forward to results.
That sounds aweome if not a little excessive.
I use one and I'm a hater on them to an extent. The main complaints are: They don't get as hot as charcoal, they don't seal well so you can't smoke on them well, they're expensive, they break easier due to having more parts, you can get the same flavor indoors, and they're harder to clean.She loves the convenience plain and simple,as do I sometimes
All that said they're still handy to keep on hand. The reasons I like them are: During a hot summer day it's nice not heating up the kitchen, it's nice not having to worry about smoking out your house if you don't have good ventilation, it's fun cooking outside, it's faster than charcoal, it's less messy than charcoal, I like the side burner mine has, they're easier to control temperature, and they often have more space to cook on.
I see them more as an outdoor gas range/oven like Eye for an Eye said, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Also no pans to wash is an appealing prospect when scraping grates is much easier.
LocknessMobster
Member
Good points all around,although Id argue against the you can get the same flavor indoors part.
http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/thermodynamics_of_cooking.html
With the lid open you're working mostly with conduction just like you would with a cast iron grill pan. With the lid down you're also getting convection all around like if you cooked on a preheated grill pan in the oven. Propane is odorless and tasteless when burned and doesn't give any added flavor like charcoal or wood.
You'll get some smoke from fat drippings but you'd also get them from the fat drippings landing on the grill pan.
Here's a good video on the subject.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxJCsXPxWeM
Made some Bavarian style German potato salad to go with the chicken.
Finished plate with home made garlic dill pickles.
The skin...even tho I achieved way better heat, still wasn't there. I think the brine just screws with crispy skin. I can't win. Then again, the meat turned out amazing. So I'm torn. Will have to try this method again without brining.
Chicken was smoked with cherry wood. One half was brushed with Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce.
Finished plate with home made garlic dill pickles.
The skin...even tho I achieved way better heat, still wasn't there. I think the brine just screws with crispy skin. I can't win. Then again, the meat turned out amazing. So I'm torn. Will have to try this method again without brining.
Chicken was smoked with cherry wood. One half was brushed with Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce.
Eye for an Eye
Member
Can I come over for dinner too??? I have a whole chicken in the freezer. I need to try that. Right now I mainly do thighs and party wings.
I use cast iron all the time inside and outside on my grill for veggies. I do wish I had a gas for cooking up sides that can't go directly on the grill, that way I can control the heat and let it saute without paying attention to it. Or maybe one of those outdoor griddles.
Not Spaceghost
Spaceghost
It's not the most flattering picture but these came out delicious!!!
Pork ribs on which I used salt, black pepper and mesquite for the dry rub.
Left em on low in the BBQ for like 2 hours and in the last 10 minutes slathered on some home made spicy BBQ sauce.
They were fucking incredible.
That looks great. Did you use that BBQ marinade? I've never been good at getting bite through skin. I usually cook my chicken with bone and skin removed. I'd rather do my knife work in the kitchen then at the table.
Mind sharing your sauce recipe? It looks divine.
Didn't use that marinade this time. Just did a kosher salt and sugar brine. Even after rinsing thoroughly with cold water the skin still seemed pretty salty.
Captain Tuttle
Member
Looks amazingMade some Bavarian style German potato salad to go with the chicken.
Finished plate with home made garlic dill pickles.
The skin...even tho I achieved way better heat, still wasn't there. I think the brine just screws with crispy skin. I can't win. Then again, the meat turned out amazing. So I'm torn. Will have to try this method again without brining.
Chicken was smoked with cherry wood. One half was brushed with Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce.
Care to pass on the recipe for the potato salad?
This looks like my kind of potato salad.
Not Spaceghost
Spaceghost
Sure I don't really have measurements lol I just kind of eye ball stuff. It's nothing special really, i just make sure it is really tangy and creamy.
I use some ketchup but not heinz, whatever the tangiest you can find is (I use trader joe's organic ketchup) this is the base so the amount you use is gonna dictate how much of everything else you throw in but I normally do 1.25 cups.
Then you slam in like 1 cup of dark brown sugar, .25 cups of molasses and apple cider vinegar, a big spoon of worcestershire sauce with some ground mustard seeds mixed in it, a teaspoon or two of smoked paprika, garlic powder and cayenne pepper (depending on your taste really) and finally a teaspoon of sea salt and one of black pepper.
You gotta mix water in there too proportional to the amount of ketchup you used, so like if you used 1.25 cups use .25 cups of water .
Then you just take the big mix and stir it and heat it till you cant see the granules of sugar and then it's done.
Probably not the most helpful thing but that's what I make for slathering on to ribs lol.
Hey guys need to get a good meat thermometer for grillin/smoking.
Was thinking iGrill2 but then I came across this thing...looks pretty sweet.
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/...on&utm_content=moreinfo&utm_campaign=moreinfo
Any thoughts on this thing?
Was thinking iGrill2 but then I came across this thing...looks pretty sweet.
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/...on&utm_content=moreinfo&utm_campaign=moreinfo
Any thoughts on this thing?
Not sure since it's sort of still not out...I have concerns about durability etc before I would jump on that.
so I'm gonna smoke a full brisket this weekend, any words of wisdom?
I'm gonna get some of that pink butcher paper but it won't be here in time for this smoke so I'm either gonna foil it or just let it go. it'll be smoking overnight so I'm not necessarily worried about how long it takes.
I usually dry brine everything I smoke, is that worthwhile here?
any rub advice? I was honestly just gonna salt and pepper it and let it go. or just pepper if I dry brine.
thanks yall
I'm gonna get some of that pink butcher paper but it won't be here in time for this smoke so I'm either gonna foil it or just let it go. it'll be smoking overnight so I'm not necessarily worried about how long it takes.
I usually dry brine everything I smoke, is that worthwhile here?
any rub advice? I was honestly just gonna salt and pepper it and let it go. or just pepper if I dry brine.
thanks yall
What type of smoker?
Avenger54321
Member
So I'm going to have a family BBQ for the Sept 4, and I like to change things up a bit. I was searching up good marinade for chicken breast and found one:
1 cup of Brown Sugar
1 cup of Oil
1/2 cup of Vinegar
1/2 cup of Soy Sauce
Haven't tried it yet, but does anyone else have any good ones they recommend?
1 cup of Brown Sugar
1 cup of Oil
1/2 cup of Vinegar
1/2 cup of Soy Sauce
Haven't tried it yet, but does anyone else have any good ones they recommend?
22.5" weber kettle with a slow n sear
My only advice is to have the fat cap pointing in the direction of where you think your heat source is going to make its main contact with the brisket.
For example,on my WSM I would put the fat cap down because the heat is coming directly up from below...but in an offset smoker the heat would be most likely rolling over the top so you'd want the fat cap up.
The makers of the Slow 'N Sear actually have a guide for it. I'd use it.
http://www.abcbarbecue.com/#!brisket/c1yab
I followed it except wrapping it at 168*F which is earlier than the guide suggests because this was my first time and I didn't want to risk drying it out. Also I was just doing a flat. Not to mention by doing so I had it ready by dinner time.
I did fat cap up last time and it worked out perfectly. It protected it and basted it keeping the outside from drying out.
I suspect for a smoke and sear you'd want the fat cap up anyway, assuming your brisket is on the opposite side of the coals, the heat is rolling over the top.
Contrary to popular belief, the fat doesn't really penetrate the inside of the muscle to distribute the fat, the muscle tissues can't possibly expand big enough for that to occur.
Agreed.
I'm aware. While it won't go in it will coat the outside which insulates it from a more direct heat and creates a barrier of oil that water cannot pass through, If it did neither of these things we wouldn't want any fat on the outside.
Damnit, need help with keeping rodents out of my gas grill. I pulled the cover off Saturday to grill some steaks for dinner, been about 2-3 weeks since I last used it for ribs and burgers. The grill is connected to the house to the natural gas line, so fired it up and opened it to have a mouse that started building a nest in there jump out.
Typically I empty out the grease trap, scrub down the grates after each session and once a month do a deep cleaning. I cleaned it out yesterday spraying it down and cleaning out any food residue left in there, but other than cleaning the damn thing all the time after each time using it, what can I do to keep these critters out? I have moth balls in the bottom and cover it which I thought would be enough, but apparently that's not working.
Looking for some pointers here.
Typically I empty out the grease trap, scrub down the grates after each session and once a month do a deep cleaning. I cleaned it out yesterday spraying it down and cleaning out any food residue left in there, but other than cleaning the damn thing all the time after each time using it, what can I do to keep these critters out? I have moth balls in the bottom and cover it which I thought would be enough, but apparently that's not working.
Looking for some pointers here.
I actually use the fat cap as a heat shield for brisket. For pork butts I take it all off because of the internal fat. Any moisture I need I get in the form of a fairly large water bowl in the WSM.
For anyone looking for one the Lavatools Javelin Thermometer I got a week ago is on a lightning deal. It's $18.
LocknessMobster
Member
All sold out for the $18 ones :/
This one is currently $13...not sure how good it is, ratings seem okay
Will be even cheaper on a lightning deal tonight at 7:25pm
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0188XZBMC/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Will be even cheaper on a lightning deal tonight at 7:25pm
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0188XZBMC/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Damn that was fast. The sale started at 1:19. I was able to get credit for the price difference even though they only price match non lightning deals normally.
I've never heard of that one before but the reviews seem good and at that price it's probably worth whatever risk it poses.
Applesauce
Boom! Bitch-slapped!
Kroger had small brisket flats on sale for $2.22/lb so I got the biggest one and it is now sitting in a corned beef brine for pastrami
Eye for an Eye
Member
Well ColdPizza's chicken made me hungry, so I made my own last night.
I had good internal temps on the breast and thighs. I loved it. I cut it into four sections and everyone got a quarter of it. Best $5 meal I had in a long time, and even better than those rotisseries they sell at the grocery store.
I had good internal temps on the breast and thighs. I loved it. I cut it into four sections and everyone got a quarter of it. Best $5 meal I had in a long time, and even better than those rotisseries they sell at the grocery store.
oh man, so the brisket turned out amazing. first packer brisket that I've done and the first overnight smoke I've done. everything went really well, I smoked consistently between 235 and 245 for 17 hours. wrapped the brisket in foil when it got to about 175 internal. took it up to 199 internal and then let it rest for about 3 hours. for the rub I just did half kosher salt half black pepper. I actually found a guy near me who has a bunch of seasoned wood so I smoked it with some oak that he had. it just went really well, no hiccups or anything and everything tasted phenomenal. the flat slices passed the pull test perfectly and the point slices were so juicy.
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