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BBQ GAF - Smokin' Your Meat, USA Style

*snip*

Had to tie up butt 2 because it was falling apart on me and I wanted it to cook more evenly.

Man, these just fell apart. Probably a little too much for my liking. I like to pull them into thumb sized chunks.

Mixed the juices and fat back into the meat and then bagged them for tomorrow

Sweet mother of god. you have a gift.

Welp, just pulled my beef ribs out of the smoker.... Not a total disaster like last time but I think I might have gone a bit much on the heat and not enough on the smoking wood...

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Going for some more ribs and some BBQ beans this time. Oh and some Brats ima throw on later. Two racks have Meatheads Memphis rub on em,that ginger and rosemary in i has me kinda nervous. I also got one of those rib racks now,curious to see how it performs.

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zbarron

Member
If you lived here I would say yes. I wish I knew more like-minded people in the area.
Yeah I hear that.
Couple way to get in - if you know anybody that has a tax exempt ID or join the KCBS ($35) or St. Louis BBQ Society ($25). Both offer one day passes to RD. Basically full membership since you can use it whenever you want. If you join either one just show your confirmation email when you go in if you do it right away and you don't have your card yet. They tend to be pretty laid back. You'll almost always find better meat prices there than anywhere else. Well worth it given the meat choices and everything else they carry.
Thanks for the info. I'll take a look at those BBQ societies.
Butt 1
Butt 2

Looking good.
Sweet mother of god. you have a gift.

Welp, just pulled my beef ribs out of the smoker.... Not a total disaster like last time but I think I might have gone a bit much on the heat and not enough on the smoking wood...

What makes you say? Were they tough? If they're anything like brisket they could just be finicky.
Going for some more ribs and some BBQ beans this time. Oh and some Brats ima throw on later. Two racks have Meatheads Memphis rub on em,that ginger and rosemary in i has me kinda nervous. I also got one of those rib racks now,curious to see how it performs.
Are the ribs touching or is there space between?

Brats are nice because they're tasty and don't take long.
 
Are the ribs touching or is there space between?

Brats are nice because they're tasty and don't take long.

They are individually spaced its this one https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GU6A8T0/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Anyone have some sweet brisket rubs? And by sweet I mean literally sweet, not "awesome" sweet :)

Im trying out this Meatheads Memphis rub its mostly sugar and supposedly really good http://amazingribs.com/recipes/rubs_pastes_marinades_and_brines/meatheads_memphis_dust.html
 

zbarron

Member
No actually they fell off the bone and were quite tender, although the bark was tiny teeny bit tough and I just can't get those nice smoke rings.
I like a nice tough crust for some things, especially ribs. It's like a little bit of bonus jerky.

The smoke ring is purely cosmetic. If it tasted good, it was good.
 

Lenardo

Banned
Family had the labor day party a week late due to weather, got asked to bring ribs...

cooked for 4 hrs total @235 with the basic BBQ guru controlling the temp. - 2.5hr in rib rack 1hr in foil, 10 minutes "finish" face down-sauce on bottom only, 20 minute final finish with sauce on top.

one of the 3 racks after 2.5 hrs- prior to foil wrap with honey, melted butter & more of the rub
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the 3 Racks with my BBQ sauce (a Bacon Molasses bourbon sauce)-just after sauce application (20 minutes in the closed grill to finish/set)
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That sauce on the ribs looks so tasty. I can never get it like that.

Walmart has a great sale on my current favorite charcoal.
http://slickdeals.net/f/9106579-royal-oaks-ridge-charcoal-briquets-12lb-twin-packs-25lb-for-5-00-walmart
Slickdeals lists it at $5 per twin pack, but my local Walmart is selling them for $3 per twin pack. I got 7 packs (14 bags.)

Jump on this people.

Review

Edit:Boo. 6 of the 7 got cancelled.

You know, I use wood charcoal but I've noticed a lot of competition smoking teams use this brand.

Is there a reason?
 

zbarron

Member
You know, I use wood charcoal but I've noticed a lot of competition smoking teams use this brand.

Is there a reason?

By wood do you mean lump? Briquettes are more consistent in size and temperature so it makes for a more consistent smoke. Also according to TheSweetHome they burn hotter than Kingsford (but not as hot as Stubb's or Kingsford Competiton) and burn for longer than the other three. That makes them well suited for smoking, and they're pretty easy to find and a good price.

Stubb's is another good brand, but harder to find, pricier, and I've gotten some bad bags that have really soured me on them. Still the good bags were about as good as Royal Oak.
 
By wood do you mean lump? Briquettes are more consistent in size and temperature so it makes for a more consistent smoke. Also according to TheSweetHome they burn hotter than Kingsford (but not as hot as Stubb's or Kingsford Competiton) and burn for longer than the other three. That makes them well suited for smoking, and they're pretty easy to find and a good price.

Stubb's is another good brand, but harder to find, pricier, and I've gotten some bad bags that have really soured me on them. Still the good bags were about as good as Royal Oak.

I guess lump would be it, cool man, royal oaks hence forth!!

Look at me ma, I'm learnding!!
 

zbarron

Member
I guess lump would be it, cool man, royal oaks hence forth!!

Look at me ma, I'm learnding!!

Just call me Super Nintendo Chalmers.

It's also called hardwood charcoal but lump seems to be the more popular term. I just bought my first bag of it last week. The stuff is great for grilling but I prefer briquettes for BBQ and am too cheap to buy lump regularly for grilling.
 

captive

Joe Six-Pack: posting for the common man
I guess lump would be it, cool man, royal oaks hence forth!!

Look at me ma, I'm learnding!!

the type of smoker you are using should help decide what charcoal you use. If you have a komodo style smoker you should never use briquettes, for instance.
 
the type of smoker you are using should help decide what charcoal you use. If you have a komodo style smoker you should never use briquettes, for instance.

I have a "bullet" smoker, its a WSM 14.5" - I actually got it on the recommendations from this thread.

For the bolded however, why is that?
 

zbarron

Member
I'm smoking my other rack of St. Louis. I'm giving it 8 hours since that's what the last one took. I also have a small 3lb CAB chuck roast that I'm thinking of throwing on. Anyone here smoke a small one like that? I'm curious if there will be enough time for a bark to form.

Edit:Update. I put them both on and am hoping for the best. The ribs are closer to the charcoal and are natrurally thinner so I'm expecting them to finish first.

It seems Weber/iDevices updated their app. Old on the left, new on the right:
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I think it looks better. Also I'm finally able to get it to play Funkytown when my food is ready. Best alarm ever.
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Edit 2: Ribs are (over)done.
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They might be in fall off the bone territory. We'll see.

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The chuck is on a bed of diced onions and sweet yellow peppers we got from the Amish auction, with garlic, a touch of jalapeno, some chicken broth, soy sauce, and a stout that a friend homebrewed. Now that it's smoked to 165 I'm going to braise it until it pulls effortlessly.

Final edit:Nearly 11 hours since I started the PSB is done/
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It tastes great and got a beautiful smoke ring. I'm going to serve it tomorrow for dinner.

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Bonus shot. Big ass smoke ring on ribs. Everyone liked them this tender.
 

kIdMuScLe

Member
So I just got myself a used WeBer kettle grill for $20! First grill too lol. Is not the premium version though

So what's a good way to set it up for smoking ? Thanks
 

Chris R

Member
So I just got myself a used WeBer kettle grill for $20! First grill too lol. Is not the premium version though

So what's a good way to set it up for smoking ? Thanks

Look up the "Snake Method"

Used it for the first time this Summer, I'm a convert now.
 

Chris R

Member
Lol just saw it... looks easy enough haha

It's great. Wish I would have known about it from the start.

Your first attempt might take a little bit of effort to dial in the correct vent openings, but when you know what you need to do it works so damn well and I'm not out checking on it every 20 minutes like I was before.
 

zbarron

Member
Lol just saw it... looks easy enough haha
It's not hard. A bit of a pain having to set it up but it takes all of 2 minutes for many hours worth of low and slow. It's exclusively what I used before I got the Slow N Sear which I'd wholeheartedly recommend. More importantly than that though, what kind of thermometer(s) do you plan on using?
Your first attempt might take a little bit of effort to dial in the correct vent openings, but when you know what you need to do it works so damn well and I'm not out checking on it every 20 minutes like I was before.
This is true. I'd recommend a test run with no food to get a feel for it before you risk meat.
 
Hey Guys,

So my buddy has a Maple farm but it turns out there are a few species of Maple tree on the farm, for smoking purposes do I want to use sugar maple wood or will any type of maple wood do. for reference he has sugar maple and red maple
 

zbarron

Member
Hey Guys,

So my buddy has a Maple farm but it turns out there are a few species of Maple tree on the farm, for smoking purposes do I want to use sugar maple wood or will any type of maple wood do. for reference he has sugar maple and red maple

From looking it up I am seeing that you can cook with both. Sugar Maple seems to be more popular though.
 
So who's grilling Thanksgiving dinner? As long as the weather holds up, I want to smoke a ham on the grill while I bake a turkey. I've grilled many chickens now, but I don't trust myself with a rather large bird and I don't think I'm ready to change the flavor of Thanksgiving dinner.
 

ColdPizza

Banned
So who's grilling Thanksgiving dinner? As long as the weather holds up, I want to smoke a ham on the grill while I bake a turkey. I've grilled many chickens now, but I don't trust myself with a rather large bird and I don't think I'm ready to change the flavor of Thanksgiving dinner.

Could always do a small bird on the smoker/grill and have a medium size insurance turkey in the oven. Leftovers aren't the issue!
 

ColdPizza

Banned
Smoke a turducken....Has it been done? Can it be done?

I wouldn't, unless the chicken, duck, and stuffing are already cooked...

I live in a tortured world of loving crispy poultry skin and smoked meat. There's really no middle ground. You either get pristine smoked meat and shoe leather for skin or a crispy skin with flavorless flesh unless you own all of the equipment to smoke then flash fry.
 

Greenymac

Member
So who's grilling Thanksgiving dinner? As long as the weather holds up, I want to smoke a ham on the grill while I bake a turkey. I've grilled many chickens now, but I don't trust myself with a rather large bird and I don't think I'm ready to change the flavor of Thanksgiving dinner.

Im smoking a young turkey on Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Dont be nervous, smoke that bird! I actually feel like the turkey is easier to smoke, as I don't have to be as OCD on the temp control as say a brisket. Ive never been crazy about an oven roasted turkey. We usually fry the turkey or smoke it now.
 

ColdPizza

Banned
Im smoking a young turkey on Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Dont be nervous, smoke that bird! I actually feel like the turkey is easier to smoke, as I don't have to be as OCD on the temp control as say a brisket. Ive never been crazy about an ovem roasted turkey. We usually fry the turkey or smoke it now.

Even easier if you brine it. Just keep a digital thermometer in the deepest part of the flesh and it'll come out moist.
 
I wouldn't, unless the chicken, duck, and stuffing are already cooked...

I live in a tortured world of loving crispy poultry skin and smoked meat. There's really no middle ground. You either get pristine smoked meat and shoe leather for skin or a crispy skin with flavorless flesh unless you own all of the equipment to smoke then flash fry.

True speak.
 

Greenymac

Member
Even easier if you brine it. Just keep a digital thermometer in the deepest part of the flesh and it'll come out moist.

Ive gotten to the point that the thermometer isn't really needed for me until right atb3 hours in. If Im smoking a butt or brisket, Im so OCD about keeping the temp about 225, but with the turkey, if the temp rises to 275 or 300 for a few minutes Im ok with that.
 

ColdPizza

Banned
Ive gotten to the point that the thermometer isn't really needed for me until right atb3 hours in. If Im smoking a butt or brisket, Im so OCD about keeping the temp about 225, but with the turkey, if the temp rises to 275 or 300 for a few minutes Im ok with that.

Brisket I'm OCD...butt is fatty enough for me that it's forgiving. Poultry is pretty easy too, easier if you brine it.
 

Greenymac

Member
Brisket I'm OCD...butt is fatty enough for me that it's forgiving. Poultry is pretty easy too, easier if you brine it.

What do you do for brine? I dont usually brine it but when I do, its just simple salt and water. Matter of fact, just took out the turkey to thaw. Will season it and inject with cajun butter tomorrow and let it relax until Wednesday morning.
 

Pickman

Member
Hey guys I live in an apartment with a strict no gas/charcoal grill rule. Thinking of getting an electric smoker. Any recommendations in the sub-250 range?
 

captive

Joe Six-Pack: posting for the common man
I wouldn't, unless the chicken, duck, and stuffing are already cooked...

I live in a tortured world of loving crispy poultry skin and smoked meat. There's really no middle ground. You either get pristine smoked meat and shoe leather for skin or a crispy skin with flavorless flesh unless you own all of the equipment to smoke then flash fry.

wholeheartedly disagree. I do poultry on my egg at about 295. Perfect skin with tender juicy smokey flavored meat.
 
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