The Smoking Thread
- Thread starter caudio51
- Start date
Broadway Joe
Formerly Havana Joe
I'm with you there! I'd end up burning down the house!
How did i just now find this thread?!?!
Tips. Geesh. Let's see. This is like opening pandoras box...
Patience is key. Good barbeque takes time.
Buy a good digital thermometer. You can only tell meats like pork shoulder and especially beef brisket are truly done by the internal temperature.
In both cases, the internal temp needs to be high enough to turn that fatty tissue into gelatin. That's what holds the muscle tissue together when raw and it's also what makes it fall apart when fully cooked.
Again, in both cases, the internal temps will steadily rise to semowheres between 155 F and 165F. It will then plateau and stay at that internal temp for a few hours. This is wehre the patience comes in. your meat will start to develop that dark crust, or bark, and really start to look like it's done. The smell will be driving you crazy and you'll be dying to rip into it. But patience. You need that internal temp to get on the rise again. Once it gets over the 165F plateau, it start to break down that fat and turn it into gelatin.
For pork shoulder, i cook at approx 225F for as long as it takes to get the internal temp to 190F. For beef brisket i take it to about 200F. For brisket, once the internal temp is reached, i wrap it in foil and put it in a cooler for about 2 hours. It'll stay warm in there like that for about 4 hours. This help the meat to rest and it really help continue the fat break-down process.
Dry Rubs: Find ones you like and put them on up to 24 hours in advance. Wrap the meat in plastic wrap and refrigerate over nite. There is a noticeable difference between meat that has had the rub on for extended periods of time and meat that has just been rubbed and then put int he smoker. it's almost like a marinade...the longer it's on, the more flavor it soaks up.
I could go on and on.
If you've got ?s about particulars like ribs, turkey, etc. let me know. I've got ways i like to do them both and nearly everyone admits it's the best they've ever had. of course, i always feed them a case of beer first, so i could be giving them shoe leather and theyd say it's the best.
i'm entering a competition this summer, so we'll see how good i really am.
Tips. Geesh. Let's see. This is like opening pandoras box...
Patience is key. Good barbeque takes time.
Buy a good digital thermometer. You can only tell meats like pork shoulder and especially beef brisket are truly done by the internal temperature.
In both cases, the internal temp needs to be high enough to turn that fatty tissue into gelatin. That's what holds the muscle tissue together when raw and it's also what makes it fall apart when fully cooked.
Again, in both cases, the internal temps will steadily rise to semowheres between 155 F and 165F. It will then plateau and stay at that internal temp for a few hours. This is wehre the patience comes in. your meat will start to develop that dark crust, or bark, and really start to look like it's done. The smell will be driving you crazy and you'll be dying to rip into it. But patience. You need that internal temp to get on the rise again. Once it gets over the 165F plateau, it start to break down that fat and turn it into gelatin.
For pork shoulder, i cook at approx 225F for as long as it takes to get the internal temp to 190F. For beef brisket i take it to about 200F. For brisket, once the internal temp is reached, i wrap it in foil and put it in a cooler for about 2 hours. It'll stay warm in there like that for about 4 hours. This help the meat to rest and it really help continue the fat break-down process.
Dry Rubs: Find ones you like and put them on up to 24 hours in advance. Wrap the meat in plastic wrap and refrigerate over nite. There is a noticeable difference between meat that has had the rub on for extended periods of time and meat that has just been rubbed and then put int he smoker. it's almost like a marinade...the longer it's on, the more flavor it soaks up.
I could go on and on.
If you've got ?s about particulars like ribs, turkey, etc. let me know. I've got ways i like to do them both and nearly everyone admits it's the best they've ever had. of course, i always feed them a case of beer first, so i could be giving them shoe leather and theyd say it's the best.
i'm entering a competition this summer, so we'll see how good i really am.
trying something new tonight...jerk chicken.
The jerk chicken isnt' new. it's a tried and tru recipe from scratch that i got from a local spot in jamiaca last time i was there. but i usually cook it in the oven and then finish it on the grill.
This time i'm gonna crank up the smoker to about 300F and cook it for bout and hour and then finish it on the grill to crispin up the skin.
It's been good previously, but it's missing that wood fire flavor you get in jamaica. See, most of the places cook it in an old 55 gallon barrel that's been converted into a grill. they use wood for fire and it's out of this world. cooked perfect everytime
We'll see how it turns out.
Makin rice and peas too. love that stuff. rice with kidney beans, cocnut milk, fresh thyme, and some other seasons along with a whole, uncut habanero to add jsut a touch of underlying spice. The cocnut milk adds a lovely sweetness to counter the slight spice from the habanero.
To drinnk you ask...check the recipe here http://www.botl.org/community/forums/showthread.php?t=20064
:thumbsup:
The jerk chicken isnt' new. it's a tried and tru recipe from scratch that i got from a local spot in jamiaca last time i was there. but i usually cook it in the oven and then finish it on the grill.
This time i'm gonna crank up the smoker to about 300F and cook it for bout and hour and then finish it on the grill to crispin up the skin.
It's been good previously, but it's missing that wood fire flavor you get in jamaica. See, most of the places cook it in an old 55 gallon barrel that's been converted into a grill. they use wood for fire and it's out of this world. cooked perfect everytime
We'll see how it turns out.
Makin rice and peas too. love that stuff. rice with kidney beans, cocnut milk, fresh thyme, and some other seasons along with a whole, uncut habanero to add jsut a touch of underlying spice. The cocnut milk adds a lovely sweetness to counter the slight spice from the habanero.
To drinnk you ask...check the recipe here http://www.botl.org/community/forums/showthread.php?t=20064
:thumbsup:
First off, the jerk chicken as shown above turned out GREAT! I won't be doing it any other way now. It truely tasted authentic like the stuff i got from the guy who was chopping up the chickens with a big ol spleaf hangin out the corner of his mouth.
Anyhow, here's some more tips for Hendy, as he seams to be taking the smoking thing quite serious.
RIBS:
I much rpefer spare ribs over baby backs. for one, the meat is more consistent throughout. You don't get one end with a bunch of meat and the other where their is little meat on the bone. Secondly, they take the flavor much better. Thirdly, if you buy an untrimmed pork spare rib, you get to "butcher" it yourself, whcih is always fun. i put on a white apron and feel like a real butcher.
As for various methods, your local butcher telling you to cook it in wine in the oven then smoke for 2 hours probably does taste good, but that wine will give it a much more refined, fancy even, flavor. True smoked bbq isn't going to have that flavor. Go to any rib competition and the only way they get flavor is thruogh rubs, woods and sauces. Cooking em in the oven first is a quick, easy way to make them tender, kinda like boiling first or pressure cooking. Put simply, it ain't real bbq. Effective for producing fall-off-the-bone ribs, but not authentic bbq. I'm way big on being authentic, hence my quest to make competition style ribs.
For butchering the spare ribs, just do an internet search and you'll find step by step process with photos. Dont' forget to peel off that membrane from the underside of the ribs. THis helps them absorb flavor. You can't peel that thing off on baby backs...it hold the bones in and blocks out flavor.
Oh, and the spare ribs are like 1.99/lb versus 3.99/lb on a good day. It's a no brainer for me...taste better and they're cheaper. did i mention they are bigger?!?!
Anyhow, here's some more tips for Hendy, as he seams to be taking the smoking thing quite serious.
RIBS:
I much rpefer spare ribs over baby backs. for one, the meat is more consistent throughout. You don't get one end with a bunch of meat and the other where their is little meat on the bone. Secondly, they take the flavor much better. Thirdly, if you buy an untrimmed pork spare rib, you get to "butcher" it yourself, whcih is always fun. i put on a white apron and feel like a real butcher.
As for various methods, your local butcher telling you to cook it in wine in the oven then smoke for 2 hours probably does taste good, but that wine will give it a much more refined, fancy even, flavor. True smoked bbq isn't going to have that flavor. Go to any rib competition and the only way they get flavor is thruogh rubs, woods and sauces. Cooking em in the oven first is a quick, easy way to make them tender, kinda like boiling first or pressure cooking. Put simply, it ain't real bbq. Effective for producing fall-off-the-bone ribs, but not authentic bbq. I'm way big on being authentic, hence my quest to make competition style ribs.
For butchering the spare ribs, just do an internet search and you'll find step by step process with photos. Dont' forget to peel off that membrane from the underside of the ribs. THis helps them absorb flavor. You can't peel that thing off on baby backs...it hold the bones in and blocks out flavor.
Oh, and the spare ribs are like 1.99/lb versus 3.99/lb on a good day. It's a no brainer for me...taste better and they're cheaper. did i mention they are bigger?!?!
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I learned a new dry rub recipe about a week ago. it's called 8/3/1 +1
8 parts brown sugar
3 parts chili powder
1 part salt
+1 part of whatever esle you wanna put in. For example, i would use +1 part garlic powder, +1 part thyme, +1 part cumin, +1 part black pepper, + 1 part crushed bay leaf, +1/2 part celery seed
Obviously it's a sugar base, the what i like is that it gives you a base and then you can build the flavors how you want to.
I've not tried any of it yet, so i can't comment, but i think i'll mess around with it this evening. I'll be sure to give some reports.
8 parts brown sugar
3 parts chili powder
1 part salt
+1 part of whatever esle you wanna put in. For example, i would use +1 part garlic powder, +1 part thyme, +1 part cumin, +1 part black pepper, + 1 part crushed bay leaf, +1/2 part celery seed
Obviously it's a sugar base, the what i like is that it gives you a base and then you can build the flavors how you want to.
I've not tried any of it yet, so i can't comment, but i think i'll mess around with it this evening. I'll be sure to give some reports.
Mitch
BOM 2/09-Keeper BOTtLe
All I can say is slow, slow, slow. Some grocery store meat has lots of salt added, especialy chicken. Try to find kosher meat or fresh game (mmmmm Backstrap), it's better with less or no salt. I don't add any salt with smoked meat until it's done, helps keep it juicy and tender.
This thread brings back memories of camping as a kid in the foothills of the rockies with my mostly farm boy and hillbilly scout troop. They had some skills,
This thread brings back memories of camping as a kid in the foothills of the rockies with my mostly farm boy and hillbilly scout troop. They had some skills,