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BBQ GAF - Smokin' Your Meat, USA Style

zbarron

Member
Quick question. What sorta temperature should I be clocking in to burn off the coating on the grills? Upper 200 heading toward 300?

I haven't worked with an offset before but this is from Amazingribs
Seasoning a new grill or smoker
When you get a new grill or smoker, in the cooking chamber there is often dust, grease, oil, metal shavings, or cardboard dust from the manufacturing and shipping process. The goal of seasoning a new grill is to remove all traces of contaminants, seal the pores, and bake the paint.
Begin by wiping down all surfaces with soap and water and rinse thoroughly. Let it dry and then spray a little vegetable oil on everything inside the cooking chamber. Fire it up, toss in some wood, say eight ounces or so, and get it as hot as you can for about 30 minutes with all the vents open so anything left from the factory or shipping will burn.
This will start coating the sides with carbon and smoke that will cause condensation to drip off when you are cooking. You can then start cooking while the oven is hot, or let it cool and cook later.
http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/calibrating_and_seasoning_your_grill.html

And a smoking forum topic specifically about offsets.
bman - i'm speaking in general terms here, but what i did was sprayed down the inside of the smoking chamber with cooking oil, then lit a chimney of charcoal from a 10-lb bag of briquettes and got it going. i dumped the rest of the bag in the fire box, then when the chimney was hot i dumped them in. i kept the firebox vent half-closed for a couple of hours, then opened it up and let it burn hot for the rest of the time. when i woke up the next day, it seemed seasoned to me.

on mine, the paint on the firbox blistered - according to the old hands here, this is pretty much to be expected with smokers in my price range (a brinkmann SnP) and recommended wiping the blistered spots down with cooking oil. i did this and on my next smoke it cured right in.
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/75402/how-do-i-season-a-new-offset-smoker
 
Ah guess I'm kinda on the right track anyway then. Was basically gonna get a nice hot fire running and let it burn itself away and clean it tomorrow. Wasn't aware of the possible bubbling though so I'll bear in mind the vegetable oil trick.
 
When I got my Lang offset a few months ago. I let it burn off around 275-300 range. I spray the in/outside and dried it off with a towel. A few hours later, I pretty much followed this video on seasoning, Seasoning a Lang offset. I did let it season for a few hours.

Thanks! Think I did a decent job of it but it's hopefully taken care of now. Gave it a nice wash down first and seasoned it nicely when dry. Burned around 300 for a couple hours but I dozed off and woke up with it at 250 by the third hour so figured I'd just let it burn itself out overnight from there. Pretty confident in controlling the temps already since I did a lot of it with airflow and a poker so didn't really rely on refuelling much since it was just briquettes. Hopefully can hold them even easier when refuelling more often with wood.

Just curious when actually cooking is oiling the grill itself necessary or will the fats take care of that itself? Figure the latter but thought I'd best check than screw up the first cook. Gonna see if I can get logs locally tomorrow rather than order so with any luck will get my first taste soon.
 
Another pork butt smoked
7fGCaMQl.jpg


2wwM59ql.jpg


A friend gave me some of this to go with it,damn tasty sauce
carolina-gold-bottle.png
 
Thanks! Think I did a decent job of it but it's hopefully taken care of now. Gave it a nice wash down first and seasoned it nicely when dry. Burned around 300 for a couple hours but I dozed off and woke up with it at 250 by the third hour so figured I'd just let it burn itself out overnight from there. Pretty confident in controlling the temps already since I did a lot of it with airflow and a poker so didn't really rely on refuelling much since it was just briquettes. Hopefully can hold them even easier when refuelling more often with wood.

Just curious when actually cooking is oiling the grill itself necessary or will the fats take care of that itself? Figure the latter but thought I'd best check than screw up the first cook. Gonna see if I can get logs locally tomorrow rather than order so with any luck will get my first taste soon.

The outside, I'll re-oil about every 4th smoke. The inside, I won't be re-seasoning unless putting new parts in. As you use it more, the carbon will build up and that'll help the heat. The cooking racks, mine are stainless steel and haven't put anymore oil since the seasoning. Before and after use, I'll use a wire brush on the cooking racks and then steam clean the inside.

Went out today and got 10 more hickory wood bundles. Going to smoke a rib roast & a potato on Sunday, maybe add a pork belly if I remember.
 
Another pork butt smoked
7fGCaMQl.jpg

2wwM59ql.jpg

I made a pork butt over the weekend as well. It turned out pretty damn good, and there was one tiny serving of left overs. I have a leg of lamb that I want to get out there on the grill. But I'm like the only person that likes lamb. If I wasn't so lazy about finding a new photo hosting site and adding an app to my phone, I'd upload the pictures of it. but for now .... usingimiginationbecausenopic.gif
 
Got my first smoke on the go right now! Nothing to extravagant, bit limited on money so figured I'd do some burgers and try a rack of ribs when I've got a bit more cash. Sitting pretty well on the temperature so far! Fire door slider could do with a washer since it keeps coming a bit loose but eh, what can I complain about for such a low price.

Happy to say that looking outside right now I can see a thin blue smoke creeping past the window too. I get the feeling my first try is going to prove pretty successful.

Edit: They were delicious. Didn't expect much flavor to transfer due to it only being about 60-90 minutes on the grill but they really picked up that bacon-like taste from the hickory. Can't wait to try a nice big cut of meat on there sometime now.
 

snacknuts

we all knew her
I have two 4 lb. pork shoulders out smoking right now for a dinner this evening. I just found out that several people aren't going to make it, so I am going to have a shitload of leftovers. Does anyone know if it is possible to take already-smoked pork and make sausages out of it? I already have the grinder.
 

mcfrank

Member
I have two 4 lb. pork shoulders out smoking right now for a dinner this evening. I just found out that several people aren't going to make it, so I am going to have a shitload of leftovers. Does anyone know if it is possible to take already-smoked pork and make sausages out of it? I already have the grinder.

I don't think it would hold. But pulled pork freezes well. Just do that.
 

Applesauce

Boom! Bitch-slapped!
I have an 8lb shoulder on right now and all we are having tonight are a couple of sandwiches. The rest is getting sealed and frozen for things like pizza, tacos, and fried mac n' cheese balls. The possibilities are endless when it comes to bbq pulled pork, definitely do not ruin it by running it through a grinder!
 
I have an 8lb shoulder on right now and all we are having tonight are a couple of sandwiches. The rest is getting sealed and frozen for things like pizza, tacos, and fried mac n' cheese balls. The possibilities are endless when it comes to bbq pulled pork, definitely do not ruin it by running it through a grinder!

Hey there, planning to smoke a 7lb one tomorrow. But just maybe 1lb is reserved for dinner. I want to vacuum seal the rest and freeze it in 3-4 portions.

So, here's my question: How should I proceed?

- cut the pulled pork in 3-4 big pieces and freeze those?
- pull the piggy and then freeze it - before applying BBQ sauce?
- pull the piggy and then freeze it - after applying BBQ sauce?

Option A seems to be a bit tricky, as the pulled pork is very instable and will most likely fall to pieces anyhow..
 

Applesauce

Boom! Bitch-slapped!
Hey there, planning to smoke a 7lb one tomorrow. But just maybe 1lb is reserved for dinner. I want to vacuum seal the rest and freeze it in 3-4 portions.

So, here's my question: How should I proceed?

- cut the pulled pork in 3-4 big pieces and freeze those?
- pull the piggy and then freeze it - before applying BBQ sauce?
- pull the piggy and then freeze it - after applying BBQ sauce?

Option A seems to be a bit tricky, as the pulled pork is very instable and will most likely fall to pieces anyhow..

Shred the whole thing and freeze without adding any sauce. A little bit of fat drippings are fine though. Reheat the meat inside the bag by letting it sit in simmering water for a few minutes, it keeps the pork juicy and flavorful. Then you can add whatever you'd like.
 
Shred the whole thing and freeze without adding any sauce. A little bit of fat drippings are fine though. Reheat the meat inside the bag by letting it sit in simmering water for a few minutes, it keeps the pork juicy and flavorful. Then you can add whatever you'd like.

thx for the advise!
 
I got one more question for BBQ GAF. Now that I've had my first run with it despite giving most of it a nice thorough clean upon second inspection some small patches of a light brown coating had developed on a few bits like the grills and any bad seals. Is this just a by product of the smoke I'm guessing? Given areas another go over to try clean some of it off anyway. It's stubborn but not impossible to get off. Just thought I should check in see if it's a sign I've missed something out or messed something up.
 

zbarron

Member
I got one more question for BBQ GAF. Now that I've had my first run with it despite giving most of it a nice thorough clean upon second inspection some small patches of a light brown coating had developed on a few bits like the grills and any bad seals. Is this just a by product of the smoke I'm guessing? Given areas another go over to try clean some of it off anyway. It's stubborn but not impossible to get off. Just thought I should check in see if it's a sign I've missed something out or messed something up.
Most likely a byproduct of the smoke and grease. Think of it like seasoning on cast iron cookware.
 

captive

Joe Six-Pack: posting for the common man
thx for the advise!
pro-tip shred it in a pyrex or otherwise self contained tub, the juices will sit in the bottom of the pan, giving you instant flavor anytime you warm it up or you can take some meat out and sprinkle the juices on it.

I got one more question for BBQ GAF. Now that I've had my first run with it despite giving most of it a nice thorough clean upon second inspection some small patches of a light brown coating had developed on a few bits like the grills and any bad seals. Is this just a by product of the smoke I'm guessing? Given areas another go over to try clean some of it off anyway. It's stubborn but not impossible to get off. Just thought I should check in see if it's a sign I've missed something out or messed something up.
this is smoke "seasoning" your grates. Your grates should pretty much never rust out as long as you smoke things on occasion.

No pics for a few days. Someone rectify this pls.

bout to put this bad boy on. Been a long time since i smoked something.
 

captive

Joe Six-Pack: posting for the common man
roughly 4 hours in

roughly 9 or so hours in.

took it off after the second pic, popped it in the oven at 225 and had the oven turn off after an hour, and left it over night.

Tried to pull the bone out, wouldnt come up easily so turned the oven back on at 225, gonna pull it in a few minutes whenever the bone can come out easily.
 

captive

Joe Six-Pack: posting for the common man
was hoping someone else would post something but fuck it, 3 posts in a row.

here's what it looked like after pulling. My favorite is to sprinkle the rest of the injection (apple juice, Worcestershire, salt, sugar) on this and more rub.


and here is lunch today.
My favorite thing about pork butt and brisket is how versatile they are. Tacos, quesadillas, sandwiches, baked potatoes, or eat it just straight.
 

zbarron

Member
Looks tasty. I haven't BBQ'd in a while. Got a ton of meat on a sale and can't justify buying more until I use what I have.

I've never injected, spritzed, or mopped any of my BBQ. I've compared my BBQ to the local places and fairs and mine is always at least as good, but I wonder if mine could be better if I did any of those things.
 
Flats can be tricky. What temp did you take it off at? What temp did you cook at? How long did you rest it after cooking?

Cooked between 220-235ish,wrapped in foil and cooked for a few hours through the stall,pulled it at 200 degrees and let it rest for 2 hours in my cooler. Sprayed it with a mix of apple juice and apple cider vinegar about every hour after the initial 3 hrs. I dunno what else I could of done really,I know briskets are trial n error. Next time going for a point to try.
 

JVIDICAN

Member
Have any of you tried the 5hour high heat brisket method? I did I back in Father's day after realizing that the brisket I had cooked for 12 hours the previous night wasn't going to be enough to feed everyone. Suprisingly The 5 hour one actually turned out being the better of the two..😅
 

zbarron

Member
Cooked between 220-235ish,wrapped in foil and cooked for a few hours through the stall,pulled it at 200 degrees and let it rest for 2 hours in my cooler. Sprayed it with a mix of apple juice and apple cider vinegar about every hour after the initial 3 hrs. I dunno what else I could of done really,I know briskets are trial n error. Next time going for a point to try.

Weird. That sounds like a great game plan. My only thoughts are maybe you were just expecting a flat to be a juicy as a point, or maybe the flat you got just wasn't very good. Was it Prime? Choice? CAB? It sucks since they're expensive but some are just duds.
 
Smoked my first brisket,just a flat I got from Costco. Turned out alright,flavor is there but it's not as moist as I'd like. Gonna turn the rest into burnt ends and make some brisket chili.

https://imgur.com/rbTgmOh

Didn't know that Costco sold only the flats, I buy my packer cuts there. Was it prime beef? I know Sam's has the flats only and not primed, so I inject those with beef broth or Guinness. Did you do a water pan too?
 
Suggestions for pinning the heat probe down? Noticed it said in the manual not to pinch the cables so not really sure what the best solution to that is. Gonna fire it up again tomorrow I think if the weather holds out. No big cuts still though. Will hopefully have something to be proud of posting next month.
 
Weird. That sounds like a great game plan. My only thoughts are maybe you were just expecting a flat to be a juicy as a point, or maybe the flat you got just wasn't very good. Was it Prime? Choice? CAB? It sucks since they're expensive but some are just duds.

Here is the weird part,I did half salt n pepper and half with this rub I bought. Last night I cut from the rub side and it was mildly tough,tonight when I got home I sliced up some pieces from the salt n pepper side and they were actually more tender! So I don't know if it was the other rub or the fact that it sat in the fridge but only salt n pepper from now on,it actually tasted better than the rub.

Didn't know that Costco sold only the flats, I buy my packer cuts there. Was it prime beef? I know Sam's has the flats only and not primed, so I inject those with beef broth or Guinness. Did you do a water pan too?


Yep they had points and flats separate in the deli like area. Not sure of the certification of meat.i used the water pan of my slow n sear and kept it full. I think I'll try injection if I ever go flat or packer,and yum Guinness sounds great,will try that!
 

captive

Joe Six-Pack: posting for the common man
Have any of you tried the 5hour high heat brisket method? I did I back in Father's day after realizing that the brisket I had cooked for 12 hours the previous night wasn't going to be enough to feed everyone. Suprisingly The 5 hour one actually turned out being the better of the two..😅
Not five hour method specifically. But i can get a brisket to 205 internal in about 6 hours. 4 hours of smoke. Put in foil with beef broth raise pit temp. Only problem is you still need to let it rest for a couple hours.

But I did this for a friend's Christmas party one year my friend asked me to smoke one and he smoked two pork butts, my brisket was pretty much gone and he had a ton of leftover pork. Of course this is Texas which is brisket country
 

captive

Joe Six-Pack: posting for the common man
Smoked my first brisket,just a flat I got from Costco. Turned out alright,flavor is there but it's not as moist as I'd like. Gonna turn the rest into burnt ends and make some brisket chili.

https://imgur.com/rbTgmOh
Don't bother with flats. Might as well get a trip tip or something. For proper brisket you need thr point. The point has a lot more fat in it which protects the flat.
 

Applesauce

Boom! Bitch-slapped!

Saw this on FB this morning and thankfully everyone is okay. They will definitely be back

Don't bother with flats. Might as well get a trip tip or something. For proper brisket you need thr point. The point has a lot more fat in it which protects the flat.

Flats are great for making pastrami if you can find them at a decent price.
 

captive

Joe Six-Pack: posting for the common man
Saw this on FB this morning and thankfully everyone is okay. They will definitely be back



Flats are great for making pastrami if you can find them at a decent price.
Right but that's an entirely different process right? Or am I thinking of corned beef?

For bbq use a whole packer, trim it and smoke it.
 

Applesauce

Boom! Bitch-slapped!
Right but that's an entirely different process right? Or am I thinking of corned beef?

For bbq use a whole packer, trim it and smoke it.

Pastrami is supposed to get smoked, corned beef is steamed or braised. At least from my understanding. They both go through a lengthy curing process though

I won't mess with flats unless they go on sale which is rare, and they make excellent Pastrami
 
Tried mesquite wood instead of hickory today. Think I prefer a bit to be honest, bit lighter but also has a bit of a twist to it. Wish I knew any other brits who use a smoker though as I'd be interested in trying some of our native woods if any are actually gonna provide a good flavor but I don't really know where to start with that.

It was incredibly satisfying today though being the only guy round here who uses anything but a plain gas BBQ. Decided to pop over to the pub across the road for a very quick pint when I got it stable and everyone wanted to come back to mine to help eat it all since they were smelling it the whole time apparently.

That might be the only downside, the amount of people always asking for an invite to the next one XD
 

phanphare

Banned
That's crazy about Franklin's.

As for pastrami. I make my pastrami with corned beef as a shortcut. Corn beef is just cooked cured beef. Pastrami is raw cured beef (though ideally less salty) rubbed then smoked and optionally finished steamed.

This is the recipe I use
http://amazingribs.com/recipes/beef/close_to_katzs_home_made_pastrami.html

yeah I use that recipe as well. I've only done it with the pre packaged corned beef so far but it turned out really well. there's definitely a ceiling for how good it'll turn out if you go the pre packaged route though.

I will be doing a start to finish pastrami coming up though, hopefully I remember to take pics lol
 

mcfrank

Member
Tried mesquite wood instead of hickory today. Think I prefer a bit to be honest, bit lighter but also has a bit of a twist to it. Wish I knew any other brits who use a smoker though as I'd be interested in trying some of our native woods if any are actually gonna provide a good flavor but I don't really know where to start with that.

It was incredibly satisfying today though being the only guy round here who uses anything but a plain gas BBQ. Decided to pop over to the pub across the road for a very quick pint when I got it stable and everyone wanted to come back to mine to help eat it all since they were smelling it the whole time apparently.

That might be the only downside, the amount of people always asking for an invite to the next one XD


I like mesquite too. Smoking 2 brisket flats, a pork butt, and 2 racks of ribs tonight, but using hickory since I got 40 lbs on clearance at Home Depot for 3 dollars 😳
 

thespot84

Member

Pretty sure my brisket is what did it. I was in Austin for a bachelor party and we called a month ahead and ordered a shit ton of meat for that day. I woke up to a message saying Franklin's burned down, thought it was a joke.

La Barbecue was still open, so we got our fix.
 
I like mesquite too. Smoking 2 brisket flats, a pork butt, and 2 racks of ribs tonight, but using hickory since I got 40 lbs on clearance at Home Depot for 3 dollars 😳
That's pretty sweet.

I need to find a new hosting site and get an app to start uploading my photos again. I'm too lazy. But I've got a tri tip on tonight
 

mcfrank

Member
Started my smoke for the evening only to discover that since Weber bought iGrill the new app doesn't support the original iGrill model. This is incredibly frustrating as I have come to rely on bluetooth temperature monitoring so I can sleep while smoking.
 
Started my smoke for the evening only to discover that since Weber bought iGrill the new app doesn't support the original iGrill model. This is incredibly frustrating as I have come to rely on bluetooth temperature monitoring so I can sleep while smoking.

I take it you didn't have much of a problem??

I've done all my smokes without a thermometer. I did recently get one for the lid and screwed into the daisy vent. I check it about an hour into it to make sure the coals are lighting like they should and let it go. I did have one smoke go bad because the stupid sprinklers came on and took out my flame in the middle of the night.
 
I like mesquite too. Smoking 2 brisket flats, a pork butt, and 2 racks of ribs tonight, but using hickory since I got 40 lbs on clearance at Home Depot for 3 dollars 😳

So jelly. I have to pay around $8 a kilo since it's all import over here. To be honest I'm thinking of trying to find a local-ish competition or something eventually so I can get to chat with some experienced UK cooks who might know if other woods are worth trying. Looking around it seems many that are closer to local can be used but it's knowing what will work with what and in which way.

In the meantime though, I'm fine with the premium since the results are well worth it.
 

mcfrank

Member
pvNITwj.jpg


Ended up being the best brisket I have ever made (probably my 15th). Maybe I don't need my fancy Bluetooth thermometers.
 

captive

Joe Six-Pack: posting for the common man
pvNITwj.jpg


Ended up being the best brisket I have ever made (probably my 15th). Maybe I don't need my fancy Bluetooth thermometers.
im on a 4k screen and these are huge. But your brisket looks great.

I've got my ribs started in the Traeger. This recipe works well for me: 3-2-1 Ribs. Does anyone have a good recipe for corn in a smoker?

not a recipe per say but we always wrap them in foil with butter and Tony Chacheries(cajun spice for the uninitiated) all over it. Depending on temp they take about 30-45 minutes.
 
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