Smoking Meat Questions and Discussion

[cycloner29]

Whats everyone using for rubs? I am really starting to like the simple texas style salt and pepper on everything. Smoked some chicken hind quarters with just salt and pepper this week and they were really good. Might make that my go to, then finish with different glazes if I want more BBQ flavor.

I make my own rub. I don’t think I’ve made the recipe more than once. I never put salt it as I will usually do a salt brine on on ribs, pork loin, and pork butt the night before. I have my 50/50 SP combo I use for brisket and chicken.

I do add coffee grounds to my rub and my baked bean recipe. I also will add some smoked paprika to my rub along with turbinado sugar instead of brown or dark brown sugar.

 

[Gonzo]

Whats everyone using for rubs? I am really starting to like the simple texas style salt and pepper on everything. Smoked some chicken hind quarters with just salt and pepper this week and they were really good. Might make that my go to, then finish with different glazes if I want more BBQ flavor.

For smoking beef I only ever use kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

For smoking pork and chicken thighs I use something similar to a KC rub:
1C brown sugar
1/2C paprika
2Tbsp pepper
2Tbsp chili powder
2Tbsp onion powder
2Tbsp garlic powder
2Tbsp coffee grounds
1Tbsp kosher salt
2tsp cayenne

I use this same rub for wings. I'll get the wings very dry, apply the rub, get them on the smoker at 200ish for two hours, pull them off and sauce them (mixture of SBR bbq sauce, Frank's, melted butter, brown sugar), then put them back on the smoker for 30-40 minutes under higher heat.

I'll also do chicken thighs and drumsticks where I sear them over direct heat to crisp up the skin then move off direct heat and hit them with higher indirect heat/smoke, when I don't have time for a full smoke. When I do this I'll season with just salt and lemon pepper before searing, then later in the smoke baste them with italian/greek dressing.

 

[zarnold56]

Did a brisket this past weekend with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and a touch of brown sugar and it was awesome.

Also just watched a video on YouTube last night how most Texas restaurants use more than just salt and black pepper even though that’s what they say they use

Don't they add Lawrys to it. I watch a lot of smoking videos on youtube and like 5 channels had the same video about the "secret ingredient" within a week of each other.

 

[zarnold56]

For smoking beef I only ever use kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

For smoking pork and chicken thighs I use something similar to a KC rub:
1C brown sugar
1/2C paprika
2Tbsp pepper
2Tbsp chili powder
2Tbsp onion powder
2Tbsp garlic powder
2Tbsp coffee grounds
1Tbsp kosher salt
2tsp cayenne

I use this same rub for wings. I'll get the wings very dry, apply the rub, get them on the smoker at 200ish for two hours, pull them off and sauce them (mixture of SBR bbq sauce, Frank's, melted butter, brown sugar), then put them back on the smoker for 30-40 minutes under higher heat.

I'll also do chicken thighs and drumsticks where I sear them over direct heat to crisp up the skin then move off direct heat and hit them with higher indirect heat/smoke, when I don't have time for a full smoke. When I do this I'll season with just salt and lemon pepper before searing, then later in the smoke baste them with italian/greek dressing.

For wings, How to BBQ right has a great video where they marinate the wings overnight in a mix of franks, italian dressing, and worcestershire sauce. Then the cover in rub before and right at the end of the cook. I've done that a lot and love the way they come out. Wings in general are hard to screw up on the smoker, almost always taste great

 

[clone4life82]

Don't they add Lawrys to it. I watch a lot of smoking videos on youtube and like 5 channels had the same video about the "secret ingredient" within a week of each other.

Yeah I think that’s pretty much it

 

[Boxerdaddy]

GMG Daniel Boone with Wifi. Brisket, cure pork loin (Canadian Bacon) and pulled pork. Just did two briskets for the ULM a couple of weeks ago. Started at 2 pm on Friday, pulled off at 4:45 am. Server mode lets you keep track of temps even when you are gone. Love that option.

View attachment 67237 View attachment 67238 View attachment 67239

Ummm...I'm still fairly new at smoking and didn't realize I could make my own Canadian Bacon. I may cry. Thank you @cycloner29 !!!

 

[Boxerdaddy]

If this has already been posted I apologize, but you can cook an awesome steak in a smoker too. I have for most of my adult life feared cooking steak because it's never been how I want it and I feel like I ruin it. Not anymore!!!

Thick cut Ribeyes from Costco is what I have been using, but I want to use our local butcher shop going forward

1. Let it get to room temperature. - Most important step. Don't skip this, then follow steps laid out in this link. So easy and sooooo good. (I use a Daniel Boone GMG, I think they call it "Ledge" now. I have used both Meater probes and the wired ones that came with the grill, both work great)

https://www.jerkyholic.com/smoked-steak/#recipe

Instructions
​

• Pre-heat smoker to 180°F.
• Season steaks with salt and pepper on all sides.
• Place steak directly on smoker and smoke for 20 minutes at 180°F. After 20 minutes, remove from the smoker and put on plate. Tent with aluminum foil.
• Place grill grates on smoker and increase temperature to 450°F. Once heated, place steak on grill grates and cook until desired internal temperature, test with thermometer.
  
  Always cook to temperature and not time. However, It should take about 6-9 minutes a side for medium.
• 
  
• When steak reaches desired temperature, remove from smoker and allow to rest 10 minutes before slicing.

 

[tm3308]

That juice is ******* gold. It’s why I feel like I can’t use paper today. I might use one in paper and one in foil to directly see and finally decide which I like better

Depending on how many racks your smoker has, you can use paper and put a foil pan below to catch the drippings if you don't want to lose any of it. But even paper will trap quite a bit of it. Only so much will get absorbed into the paper, and it won't leak if you wrap it well enough.

 

[tm3308]

Whats everyone using for rubs? I am really starting to like the simple texas style salt and pepper on everything. Smoked some chicken hind quarters with just salt and pepper this week and they were really good. Might make that my go to, then finish with different glazes if I want more BBQ flavor.

I play around quite a bit, and it depends on the cut of meat I'm cooking. I've done just straight salt and pepper with spare ribs before and those were damn good (honestly, that's just a good way to test your cooking method; if you can make it taste great with just salt and pepper, you're cooking them very well). Sometimes I'll make my own rubs (I've got a KC rub and a Memphis rub that I like quite a bit for ribs). And I've got a ton of rubs that I've bought from competition pit masters Heath Riles, Malcom Reed and now Matt Pittman (Meat Church), who I just bought a ton of stuff from and can't wait to try it.

Some of my favorite food/rub combos:
Steak: Killer Hogs steak rub and Heath Riles pecan rub
Pork butt: Old Southern BBQ rib rub (Famous Dave Anderson's latest venture)
Pork ribs: Old Southern or Killer Hogs hot BBQ rub and Heath Riles honey or apple rubs
Brisket: Killer Hogs TX rub and Heath Riles beef rub
Wings: I actually use wet rubs quite a bit, including a killer lemon pepper rub (https://www.dixiechikcooks.com/smoked-lemon-pepper-wings/) and a tequila lime marinade (https://www.macheesmo.com/tequila-lime-chicken-wings/#recipe-1), the remnants of which you can use to make a finishing glaze
Rotisserie chicken: Heath Riles everyday rub (SPG)
Baked potato: Heath Riles everyday rub and garlic butter rub (I use either olive oil or bacon grease as a binder, then stick a probe in the potato and cook at 350 until it hits 210 internal)
Vegetables: Heath Riles simple citrus and everyday rubs

I've got tons of cookbooks in my garage that I use a lot, too, but if I'm just winging it, those are some of my go-to options.

 

[JCity]

That juice is ******* gold. It’s why I feel like I can’t use paper today. I might use one in paper and one in foil to directly see and finally decide which I like better

I think you'll find the difference is really minimal

 

[Jer]

Anybody do country style beef ribs on a smoker? More of a cold weather food but that's the one thing we'd eat that I haven't done on the smoker.

Side note - made a couple bbq meatloafs on the smoker for the 2nd time in 3 weeks and it was even more amazing. Decided to pull at 150 and put on the grill for the last 10 to get some slight char. Between the thick smoke ring and nice crust, it was maybe my favorite meal in the past year.

 

[Gonzo]

Anybody do country style beef ribs on a smoker? More of a cold weather food but that's the one thing we'd eat that I haven't done on the smoker.

Side note - made a couple bbq meatloafs on the smoker for the 2nd time in 3 weeks and it was even more amazing. Decided to pull at 150 and put on the grill for the last 10 to get some slight char. Between the thick smoke ring and nice crust, it was maybe my favorite meal in the past year.

Haven't but I'm going to now. Love country style ribs.

 

[clone4life82]

Anybody do country style beef ribs on a smoker? More of a cold weather food but that's the one thing we'd eat that I haven't done on the smoker.

Side note - made a couple bbq meatloafs on the smoker for the 2nd time in 3 weeks and it was even more amazing. Decided to pull at 150 and put on the grill for the last 10 to get some slight char. Between the thick smoke ring and nice crust, it was maybe my favorite meal in the past year.

I’m looking forward to giving meatloaf a try. You follow the meat church recipe (or something similar?)?

 

[Gonzo]

I’m looking forward to giving meatloaf a try. You follow the meat church recipe (or something similar?)?

Me too.

 

[ScottyP]

Anybody do country style beef ribs on a smoker? More of a cold weather food but that's the one thing we'd eat that I haven't done on the smoker.

Side note - made a couple bbq meatloafs on the smoker for the 2nd time in 3 weeks and it was even more amazing. Decided to pull at 150 and put on the grill for the last 10 to get some slight char. Between the thick smoke ring and nice crust, it was maybe my favorite meal in the past year.

I would be interested in a good country style ribs recipe as well. They are cheap but I don't buy them often because I don't know how best to prepare them. (i'll also take some crockpot/instant pot recipes for this as well for during winter).

 

[Gonzo]

I would be interested in a good country style ribs recipe as well. They are cheap but I don't buy them often because I don't know how best to prepare them. (i'll also take some crockpot/instant pot recipes for this as well for during winter).

I make slow cooker country style pork rib street tacos that turn out pretty good. Thinly slice a yellow onion and put them into the bottom of the slow cooker. Baste the ribs in a BBQ/chipotle sauce and put them in on top of the onions, then add 1 cup of chicken broth. Unfortunately I don't really measure most of my baste ingredients, I just wing it and go by taste, but here are best guesses:

2 7oz cans of chipotles in adobo sauce
1 cup SBR bbq sauce
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp lime juice

Again, aside from the cans of chipotle/adobo, those are estimates, go by taste. There's definitely some heat to it, especially on the back end.

I get that mixture together, then in small batches baste the pork ribs and place in slow cooker, making sure none of the actual peppers are stuck to any of the ribs. Then I'll usually drizzle some of the basting sauce over the meat once it's all in there. It would probably make sense to do this hours ahead of time, but I've never thought that far ahead.

Once everything's in the slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 8 hours. When done pull apart the meat, and we'll use soft street taco shells and usually have some kind of chopped salad, cilantro, shredded cheese, diced red onions, diced tomatoes, corn, black beans, basically whatever you want to dress your tacos up with.

 

[JM4CY]

Anybody do country style beef ribs on a smoker? More of a cold weather food but that's the one thing we'd eat that I haven't done on the smoker.

Side note - made a couple bbq meatloafs on the smoker for the 2nd time in 3 weeks and it was even more amazing. Decided to pull at 150 and put on the grill for the last 10 to get some slight char. Between the thick smoke ring and nice crust, it was maybe my favorite meal in the past year.

Yes. They are sneaky good

 

[Gonzo]

Anybody do country style beef ribs on a smoker? More of a cold weather food but that's the one thing we'd eat that I haven't done on the smoker.

Side note - made a couple bbq meatloafs on the smoker for the 2nd time in 3 weeks and it was even more amazing. Decided to pull at 150 and put on the grill for the last 10 to get some slight char. Between the thick smoke ring and nice crust, it was maybe my favorite meal in the past year.

Did you use Meat Church recipe/process?

 

[ScottyP]

If this has already been posted I apologize, but you can cook an awesome steak in a smoker too. I have for most of my adult life feared cooking steak because it's never been how I want it and I feel like I ruin it. Not anymore!!!

Thick cut Ribeyes from Costco is what I have been using, but I want to use our local butcher shop going forward

1. Let it get to room temperature. - Most important step. Don't skip this, then follow steps laid out in this link. So easy and sooooo good. (I use a Daniel Boone GMG, I think they call it "Ledge" now. I have used both Meater probes and the wired ones that came with the grill, both work great)

https://www.jerkyholic.com/smoked-steak/#recipe

Instructions​

​

• Pre-heat smoker to 180°F.
• Season steaks with salt and pepper on all sides.
• Place steak directly on smoker and smoke for 20 minutes at 180°F. After 20 minutes, remove from the smoker and put on plate. Tent with aluminum foil.
• Place grill grates on smoker and increase temperature to 450°F. Once heated, place steak on grill grates and cook until desired internal temperature, test with thermometer.
  
  Always cook to temperature and not time. However, It should take about 6-9 minutes a side for medium.
• 
  
• When steak reaches desired temperature, remove from smoker and allow to rest 10 minutes before slicing.

I've been really pleased with my Grill Grates that I bought so far for my Weber gasser. They provide awesome grill marks and my grill doesn't flare up nearly as much. It gave my the gas grill some new life. My Traeger only gets to about 425 so I like to finish/sear my steaks on my Weber gas after smoking them.

I did some grilled zucchini the other night and brushed on a "sauce" consisting of melted butter, garlic, dijon mustard, thyme and lemon juice. The sauce/basting liquid can be used on about any vegetables. The recipe came from a Sam the Cooking Guy video.

I don't have a Costco membership, but Kosmos Q mentions that you can actually get some pretty good ribeyes at WalMart and use the salt brine technique in the video below.

 

[Jer]

I’m looking forward to giving meatloaf a try. You follow the meat church recipe (or something similar?)?

Ended up being very similar, though I learned of his afterwards. I think the only difference was I put in more garlic, less onion, more BBQ sauce, and a bit more seasoning.