Smoking Meat Questions and Discussion
- Thread starter Statefan515ISU
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All things equal, I find cooking fat up actually results in maybe 40-50% more moisture in the final meat. I don’t think it penetrates, but the constant basting of the outside provides a bit of a protective barrier. Causes a longer stall, but so damn worth it and the butcher paper offsets a lot.
I have an enamel one. It's perfectly safe for a smoker or pellet grill as long as you're not exceeding the temperature range the manufacturer recommends, but don't ever put one over direct heat; it'll damage the enamel. As someone else mentioned, enamel on a smoker/pellet grill is harder to clean than plain cast iron, but that's a purely cosmetic issue. It'll perform the same whether you work to get it spotless or don't care about the effect that the smoke has on the appearance. I've made a few batches of smoked beans using mine and it's worked just fine.
That is a myth, most of that fat will just run off. The best strategy is fat between the meat and the heat, and don't flip, IMO.
This dude is pretty good. I'm not a fanatic about wrapping like he is, but everything else is spot on IMO.
His videos are good. For guys like me that still use an offset charcoal/wood smoker he has a really good one on how to season your smoker which I have started doing now to protect my smoker as I already had 1 firebox rust out on me so trying to do this once in awhile to help protect it more. He has some really good reviews too on various products he's tried out.
Pulled pork I pulled of my new smoker on Sunday. Did 2 7 lb shoulders
Maybe the best I've ever had. Think I just got lucky.
Maybe the best I've ever had. Think I just got lucky.
I am no purist but this it works for me. Lather shoulder with yellow mustard. Generously season with favorite rub. Smoke to stall. Wrap in foil. Cook at 300 until internal temp reaches 200-205 F. Cool, retaining all the juices. Pull. Incorporate back in the juices. Enjoy. Incorporating the juices back in isn't critical but it keeps meet nice and juicy which is particularly nice if you have left overs to reheat.
The reason I say I may have got lucky this time is many of the variables were different from last shoulder smoked. New pellet grill, new wood blend (maple & cherry), different rub (thought I had Meatheads Dust Rub Blend left, didn't. Had some Famous Dave Rib Rub that I used with additional paprika.) and smoked at 275 instead of usual 225.
Maybe the smoker goods were looking down upon me that day. Nah, just got lucky. It was a delicious lucky though.
If you find a system that works for you and is delicious, go with it. I like the look of the pan on the left especially, nice ring and I'm not one for completely shredding the pork, I like some larger chunks like what you have going on there. Looks amazing.
I try to keep my temp steady throughout the cook, though I'll crank it up to push through the stall if I'm running late. I go 250-260 and wrap with butcher paper once I'm happy with the bark, then take it off and rest it in a cooler for at least an hour, though usually longer. I also inject my butts with 50/50 apple juice and bourbon just before putting it on the smoker. My best results have come with a hickory/apple blend of wood chunks.
It’s taken a few years and numerous attempts but I’ve finally got my brisket dialed in. The burnt ends were dynamite, the guests almost cleaned them up before I could take a pic.
I am a person who really does NOT like meatloaf (probably cuz I don't particularly care for ketchup). I follow a pit master on YouTube & he links his recipes to his website (I included the video below). I have a LOT of hamburger and ground pork sausage & I decided to make this guy's smoked meatloaf (a no-ketchup recipe). It was FANTASTIC!! The only variance from his recipe is that I did not have any specialty worcestershire sauce. I used plain old BBQ sauce as a substitute. I ended up loving this more than any pork fatty or smoked sausage I have done.
Did a 50/50 kosher salt black pepper rub/dry brine. I trimmed the brisket and separated the point and flat and applied the rub the night before. Smoked it fat side down at 225 and wrapped it when it hit 160-165. If you roll fat side down don’t over trim the flat, that’s one of the secrets I figured out. I cut the point into burnt ends and put those back on for about a hour and a half.
Did a wedding rehearsal last night. Citrus brined porkloin, brisket, and Dutch’s baked beans. Got a ton of rave reviews!! The beans were the big hit. Had people from Texas here for the wedding and they said they were some of the best beans they ever had. Had a bottle of Jimmy’s BBQ Pit sauce (Battle’s Sauce) in an unmarked bottle and told people to use it on the pork. Bottle didn’t last but 15 minutes. Two thirteen pound briskets and two eighth pound pork loins.
