What are you Smoking/Grilling/BBQ'ing this weekend?

[BigRedChief]

What are you up to this weekend?

I finally gave up on my smoker and decided to get a new smoker. I went with a bigger model but less tech. Yes, its a cheater electric smoker. My 3rd one. I need more space to cook, I don't need help getting my smoke and temp right.

I've also never used injection for flavor except for pork butt or other big cuts of meat. I decided to give it a try. I developed my own injection. Basically like the other recipes you have out on the internet but I'm putting the rub in the injection and using sirracchi.

Full results not in yet but my son and I think its the best sausage we have ever had.

No sauce. Marinated the meat overnight. Injected the meat. Slow cooked the ribs and chicken. Baste it with a combo of butter and apple juice. Using a combination of Apple, Mesquite, Cherry and Hickory wood.

[cooper barrett]

Originally Posted by srvy

this


and this


Will work great for making oak charcoal and save ya burning out your prised smoker.

I just start the fire in the HD fire basket place on top of my Weber chimney (hacked) and carry it to the smoker with welding gloves and a pair of mammoth channel locks. The shovel will come in handy when listening to fishing stories though.

[srvy]

Originally Posted by cooper barrett

I just start the fire in the HD fire basket place on top of my Weber chimney (hacked) and carry it to the smoker with welding gloves and a pair of mammoth channel locks. The shovel will come in handy when listening to fishing stories though.

Ive met guys at competitions that actually make their own charcoal with this method. But mostly I dont burn out my smoker and it dbls as a way to get rid of branches that drop into yard without the fireman jumping your ass for illegal burning in the city limits.

[Stewie]

Originally Posted by cooper barrett

My experiance with the 3 traegers I have owned is that I would never give those dickwads $2K of my money ever again. I bought one and they replaced it twice!

It looks nice but wifi and LCD screen.??? really? Not my cup of tea at $2K...

I just bought a Charlbroil XLglass windowed electric for when I am a lazy asswipe and it does a dammed good job. I used one that was one size smaller (Neighbors) for a few smokes before buying mine.

I am very happy with it and if I need capacity, I will just buy another one and I will still have $1500. leftover for bourbon and beers! At $259 shipped it was a bargain.

Yep. We have two members on our BBQ team that went the Traeger route. Those smokers are long gone (way too many performance issues) and probably part of a steel I-Beam somewhere.

[Nickhead]

working on getting a storage cabinet used for truck deliveries to convert into a smoker. its about 4ft wide, 3 feet deep and five feet tall. will have to replace the doors as they were dented in, and will have to make an external firebox (or maybe due to its size i try to make it like an electric smoker, unsure yet)....

until then, this weekend i am going to throw a duck and a chicken on the smoker (whole) and may even get some rump to slice for jerky too. cherry and hickory wood

[cooper barrett]

Originally Posted by srvy

Ive met guys at competitions that actually make their own charcoal with this method. But mostly I dont burn out my smoker and it dbls as a way to get rid of branches that drop into yard without the fireman jumping your ass for illegal burning in the city limits.

The shovel is for ex lovers?

[In58men]

Originally Posted by cooper barrett

Looks mighty fine. Was it your first smoke? Nice spatchcock job too!!!

My suggestions are:

Throw out the hickory (Bitter) and use cherry, mulberry, or apple instead. I prefer cherry for chicken

Lay a piece of foil (not wrap) over the top when the edges start to turn that nasty brownish black color as that is a nasty flavor. taking the smoke wood off towards the end does the same thing.

Did you use a water bath? Anything in it? Type of smoker?

I used a few big chunks of hickory and 1 smaller chunk of hickory. I did a 24 brine and did not cover any part of the chicken with foil. I used a Weber Smokey Mountain smoker

[cooper barrett]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

I didn't say burnt at 165. I said dry and chalky breast. And straight up at 165 it won't be dry, at 170 with carryover it would be. It's better at 160.

Sous vide at 140 is even better!

Once again a chicken does not carry over at a higher temp if cooked at 225. It will raise 5 degrees if you grill or roast it above 350. I go by the joints looseness and if the juice at the thighs runs clear. I also pull and rest after cooking to 160 and I have never killed anyone yet.

Relative got sick from undercooked turkey at someone else's hands and they want to see me using the thermo or they won't eat...160 is always clear and loose due to slow cooking.

Explain why slow cooking to a temp less than 25 below safe lever works when you're Sous Vide (cooking in a baggie)? Are you grilling/ frying it to get it to safe temp?

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by cooper barrett

Once again a chicken does not carry over at a higher temp if cooked at 225. It will raise 5 degrees if you grill or roast it above 350. I go by the joints looseness and if the juice at the thighs runs clear. I also pull and rest after cooking to 160 and I have never killed anyone yet.



Relative got sick from undercooked turkey at someone else's hands and they want to see me using the thermo or they won't eat...160 is always clear and loose due to slow cooking.



Explain why slow cooking to a temp less than 25 below safe lever works when you're Sous Vide (cooking in a baggie)? Are you grilling/ frying it to get it to safe temp?

Anything can be pasteurized given time and a temp over 130. FDA gives you temps based on instantaneous kill of the bad things. But given enough time, 130 will kill it. So hold chicken at 130 for an hour (not sure about that time on that temp on that protein, just using that example), and it's safe. Not necessarily any good (rare/med-rare chicken has an unpleasant texture), but chicken at 140-145 is the moistest, tenderest breast meat you've ever had.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Some good reading, if that's your bag. Go to the Food Safety section.

http://www.douglasbaldwin.com/sous-v...l#YTFoodSafety

[cooper barrett]

Originally Posted by Inmem58

I used a few big chunks of hickory and 1 smaller chunk of hickory. I did a 24 brine and did not cover any part of the chicken with foil. I used a Weber Smokey Mountain smoker

Did you use charcoal for heat?

Yes a nice brine always helps any meat you are smoking, I add ghost peppers to my cooked beef and pork brine! Did you heat your brine? Add aromatics?
I have brined large roasts for 24 hours but never a chicken. I go overnight on almost everything but 15lb slabs of meat or turkeys

I just suggested to lay foil over the chicken or kill the wood in the fire once you get the desired color you like. That dark stuff tastes bad or can add a funky twang to the taste of the meat.

Really, Hickory is a bitter wood and apple, cherry and other fruit woods are far less bitter or simply taste better after a long hard smoke. I really think you should try them. I use hickory but only 1 chunk to 4 chunks fruitwood

[cooper barrett]

I was just doing some reading up on that (food lab and http://www.amazingfoodmadeeasy.com/p...f_value=bottom) and that science is why I pull chicken off smoker at lower temps but I am not going to tell others to do it.

Food that has been smoked, braised, or Sous-vide prepared will last in the fridge for a long time too because of the time/ temp element.

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

Some good reading, if that's your bag. Go to the Food Safety section.

http://www.douglasbaldwin.com/sous-v...l#YTFoodSafety

[cooper barrett]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

Some good reading, if that's your bag. Go to the Food Safety section.

http://www.douglasbaldwin.com/sous-v...l#YTFoodSafety

Great link, Thank you!
You would think that someone who has a certificate (management level) in food safety should know this stuff but thats not what they teach...

Thanks for the enlightenment.

[GloryDayz]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

Not biting on your trolling.

By the time it rests, it'll have gained another 5-10 degrees. Pull it at 155-160 and you'll be golden.

Thanks for the advice.

[philfree]

Originally Posted by cooper barrett

Is that the smoker DO DA model (Witchita)?

Did you get any goodies with it.

You do know you need to season it before cooking on it. Right?

Your going to love it I am sure but there are some things you should know up front
1, Read the warranty
2, Decide who is getting it when you're gone and add their name on the warranty papers (). Might want to update your will while your at it.
3 if you didn't buy a firebox basket have someone make you two of them. On long smokes you will thank me. When refueling you just lift one out, set the other one in, and your off again. I did that on my New Braunfel smoker and loved it

Could you tell me about the air dampening system and how you like it when the time allows?

Oh yeah, It that unit 3/16" or 1/4" steel. At 500lbs I an guessing 1/4".

Yeah it's a Wichita. I had a 16" smoker for the last 15-20 years and wore it out. It was a Brinkman but a heavy steel offset smoker. I paid $100.00 for it at a Price Cutter. Best deal ever. I always wanted a bigger one though and now I have one. The 20" seems "uge". I got the Heat Management Plate but I didn't know about the Fire Basket so I may acquire one later. I've got it seasoned up already and it's ready to go and we'll have some Q on Sunday for the game. I think I'll double up and do Brisket and Ribs. Make some Burnt Ends. Smoke a few fresh Jalapenos maybe. Yeah that's it......

[cooper barrett]

Originally Posted by philfree

Yeah it's a Wichita. I had a 16" smoker for the last 15-20 years and wore it out. It was a Brinkman but a heavy steel offset smoker. I paid $100.00 for it at a Price Cutter. Best deal ever. I always wanted a bigger one though and now I have one. The 20" seems "uge". I got the Heat Management Plate but I didn't know about the Fire Basket so I may acquire one later. I've got it seasoned up already and it's ready to go and we'll have some Q on Sunday for the game. I think I'll double up and do Brisket and Ribs. Make some Burnt Ends. Smoke a few fresh Jalapenos maybe. Yeah that's it......

Where do I pick it up? We can grab it while your gloating about Alex11's 5 TD's and hunts 250 yd rushing.

We will be very quiet?

Things I'll need
2 guys
Tommy lift
truck

Steeler trailer/ mobile home tie downs

ski mask getup or towels




giant set of testicles


I am impressed. 1/4 plate is bad ass stuff for a smoker.

You will want a fire basket or two (Charcoal Basket for Firebox $149.00) but that heat management system? you got will be a game saver IMHO. I would ask for pictures and have one made locally at $150 a pop but they save fireboxes...and if you read the warranty only the cooker body is covered not the firebox.BUY A BASKET!!!