I'd like to smoke some meat this weekend

[clevername]

-no perverts

I just bought a new smoker and I'd like to smoke a brisket and maybe a pork shoulder this weekend. Does anybody have a good recipe for a rub? What about time and temp? I'm usually the guy making sure that the beer doesn't multiply and have never attempted this before. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks

 

[TXHookem]

I'd like to rub some melons this weekend.

 

[hornbri]

This site Has several good sections on smoking and rub.

Also suggest posting the same question here you will be sure to get lots of responses.

 

[Brak]

Barbecue'n

Go to the link on Champion Brisket. Note that it says you can't cook brisket like pork.

I tried a briskey on my new Lyfetyme grill last Saturday and it tasted great. Good luck.

 

[Steel Shank]

If your smoker is new, you will want to season it first. I'd burn as much oak or mesquite as possible before smoking meat. You have the real possibilty of the meat having a funny taste to it when the smoker is new.

You can still drink beer and watch it while you're seasoning it. That's what I did.

 

[horn4life]

First off slam some wood and charcoal in the pit tonight and season it as others have suggested, and probably the instructions that came with the grill say to.



Second- just go buy some Stubbs rub. You can mess with making your own but as a rookie this is probably a better starting route with your emphasis on temp and time.

As said above brisket and prok are two different Animals, in that I usually cook my pork at a higher temperature the first few hours than I ever would a brisket. If you DO NOT have a thermometer then before you do another thing go buy one and put it on the grill!!!!!!!!!!!!! Without knowing your temp you are really shooting int he dark.

Here is my basic brisket guide, that will save you from ******* up the first 6 or 7 you try to cook. No less than 1-1/2 hour per pound, and I try to buy a brisket that is "flexible" or that bends more easily than the others. Don't know if this is BS or science but it seems to work..

1) let your brisket sit out for an hour or so to come closer to room temperature before putting it on the grill. I usually let it sit for a while then put the rub on it while I get the coals ready.

2) Pretty much fill up the side box with charcoal, use a "chimney" to get a smaller batch of coals fired that you will dump into the side box in a pile on the side closest to the cooking surface. After about 7-8 hours you may need to add some coals.

3) do your math on the time 10 lb- 15 hours, 12 pound 18 hours etc.... I prefer a 12-15 lb brisket. ALWAYS place fat side up on the pit.

4) Keep the temp between 180 and 225, anything higher is less preferable. THIS IS THE HARDEST PART especially with a new grill you are not accustomed to. Controlling the air intake and outflow is key here. after 5 or so hours you may want to use something to poke underneath the coal pile to clear the ashes to give more room for oxygen. THIS IS WHEN YOU HAVE TO WATCH THE DAMPERS CAREFULLY to make sure the pit doesn't get too hot.

5) after about 10 hours or 2/3 cooking time, wrap the brisket in foil. It will take two big sheets folded together. and then wrap and seal well. At this point you can toss in a stick of butter that is a trick I learned a while back. Especially helpful for rookies in keeping it moist.

7) When you have done all of the above and done the time and tem right (think low and slow) pull it off the pit. Let the meat sit a MINIMUM of 30 minutes before attempting to cut into it. This is probably the most common rookie mistake as you want to taste your efforts you cut it prematurely and the hot juices come bubbling out and the meat drys out.

8) CUTTING ACROSS THE GRAIN! This is the other rookie mistake that can make a good peice of meat tough in the final moments. Look at the meat when it's raw. A brisket is bascially made up of two different differnt slabs, with grain running two different directions. The slab on the bottom is the leaner meat, and the other slab is fattier, but thus more flavor, and the grain runs a diffferent direction. Cutting ACROSS the grain gives you shorter fibers and thus more tender meat. you cut with the grain and you have just FUBARed your effort.

8) Enjoy! And eat until you are ill!

One trick I use is to drink about 3 big glasses of water befor I go to bed. This worked better for me than an alarm clock to check the coals to make sure the temp is within range. I wake up to piss and check the coals then go back to bed.

Good luck! If you follow the above instructions you won't need much luck if you keep the temp between 175 and 225.

PS- if you are trying to time for a dinner, you can always let the meat cook longer a a low temp for a hour or two in the 150 range. Still add time to let the meat rest for 30 minutes, it's really important.

 

[clevername]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I can't wait to get started! One more quick question. Where can I buy the desired wood? I noticed that Academy sells large bags of hickory. Is this a good type, or should I use a combination of woods?

Thanks

 

[Texas007]

For wood I would go to a local BBQ joint and buy it. BBQ wood should be a minimum of 1 year old. You simply cannot know how old the wood is in those bags at Academy. If it is not aged enoug it will still contain sap that will make your food very bitter and uneadible. As for type it is a matter of taste. For me depending on what I am smoking I use different woods. I use mesquite and oak mix for brisket and chicken. I prefer hickory and/or pecan for chicken and ribs. I use hickory only for prime rib. Decide what you want and call some BBQ joints and get some wood from them. That is what I do and have never gotten sappy wood.

 

[MrPhlegm]

Well I read some of that barbecuen site, and that brisket stuff must have been written by them guys that bake some pork and then chop it up and pour sauce

on it to make it taste good.

They keep ranting on about the fat in a brisket "not rendering out". WTF? and trimming a brisket? WTFingF?These guys don't know ****.

Their talk about a brisket being bitter just means that they used wood to cook it instead of coals or charcoal and a little wood to flavor it. Charcoal and a little wood to flavor is what I use and I use a mix of hickory and mesquite and that seems to work pretty well.

Now the trick to a good moist brisket is to not mess with it too much once you got it on the smoker. If you go a lookin at it too much it WILL dry out and you won't get the red ring.

When I cook briskets, always at least two as one is never enough, I try to start it in the late evening and let it cook overnight, starting it off with a pretty heavy smoke going and then just before bedtime load up the firebox with more charcoal and a little more wood for another shot of smoke and then off to bed. In the morning I get up and give the brisket a peek and maybe turn it over to fat side down to get some smoke on the other side. I load up the fire box about half full, raking out the ashes if necessary from under the firegrate and let it go for a few hours more. I do all of this with the lid up to the firebox and the smoke chamber so I don't gas myself with smoke.

The other thing I do is when I first fire it up I start a small pile of charcoal and then cover it with more after it is going good and then after all of that is going I put on the wood and let it get started and then close every thing down so that the fire just kind of slows way down and I don't have to worry about jacking with the temprature all the time. I cook with the damper open about half a fingerwidth the cracks in the firebox give the fire enough air while not giving it a lot so that the fire makes a lot of carbon monoxide which gives the red ring.

overnight it slows down to about 160 degrees which really cooks it slow which really makes it tender and the fat DOES render out and the smoke flavor really gets deep into the meat.

The trick to not having it dry out is to get plenty of smoke on it early and slow slow cooking and then foiling it BEFORE it drys out. I sometimes put a sliced onion in with one of the briskets to give it an oniony flavor and the onion gets pretty damn tasty too.

The last time I cooked brisket, I didn't have any foil and was low on charcoal and wood so I cooked it overnight and then in the morning when all the fuel had burned down I just threw the two briskets in one of those covered turkey roasters and popped that in the oven. They came out perfect a couple of hours later, I was shocked.

 

[MrPhlegm]

My god! I just read some more of the barbecuen site and them clowns really don't know **** about BBQ. Them so called champion BBQers keep ranting about brisket being tough, WTF? If your brisket's tough, YOU did something wrong. If you do it right then "You don't need no teef to eat my beef." is I believe the way it is put.

For you rookies, if your brisket IS tough, keep trying, slow cooking is the secret and wrapping it in foil after it has a good smoke on it and cooking it slow for a few more hours almost guaraantees sucess. Don't give up, the nice thing about bbq is that unless you cook it to a lump of charcoal or creosote it (which I have done, thank you very much) it's still gonna be pretty damn tasty (and the creosoted ones I did, all I did was carve off the edge and it was still tasty enough to eat with sauce

uke

so it's fun learning.

I have had great fun introducing my new friends here in Florida to REAL bbq. They rant about how great their ribs and pork is (and it is pretty tasty) but then I whip out my brisket and fork and carving knife and slice them some REAL BBQ and they taste it (NO SAUCE ALLOWED) and their eyes light up and they eat it all and can't seem to stop. It's AMAZING to see.

 

[suttree]

I've never had the stones to do a brisket overnight. Seems like the fire would go out, the meat would get cold, and you might contract some bacterial fiesta.

As far as seasoning it, the guy at Pitts & Spitts told me to smoke a big slab of bacon first, as the fat and smoke would cure the metal. I complied, although I was sickened to wast 5 lbs of Blue Ribbon in the process.

My first effort was the "renowned Mr. Brown," a pork shoulder. The marinade was coffee, vinegar, and some other stuff. I got it out of that Legends of Texas BBQ, which is a must for you if you want to learn to smoke. Unlike that garbage above, this book actually contains useful and legitimate Q recipes.

I personally think beer can chicken and baby back ribs are the best, but everyone has to do a brisket from time-to-time to become one with their grill. I've done about 10, maybe 3 were worth a ****. I personally think the success of a brisket is about 85% meat related.

 

[coachkiss]

Some thoughts from someone who has taught themselves...

Don't do a brisket your first time out. There are way too many variables, and the long cooking time guarantees that you will screw something up.

Try a chicken or two first, or a small pork shoulder.

I do each one a little differently. A chicken I will cut the skin over the breasts, insert my fingers, and pat the rub directly into the breast. Then I will dump some rub in the chicken hollow. I will usually put a little water pan below the chicken.

The pork shoulder will be olive oil, spices, and roasted garlic wrapped in foil overnight, and put in the fridge. I will bring it out, warm it up, then smoke it approx. 1lb. per hour or until my meat thermometer says it done (please buy one of these if you are serious).

Please, please buy a chimney for your charcoal. I fill the chimney with charcoal, put two paraffin squares below it, let it burn until it is glowing, dump it in the firebox, put some wood chips on top, and close everything down. A chimney full of charcoal = 225 degrees in my smoker. If I want a lower temp, I cut out one layer of charcoal in the chimney.

This is much, much easier than other ways to me.

If you have any other questions, let me know...I've messed up on everything in my attempt to learn.

 

[Sip94]

virtualweberbullet.com is one of the better websites I've found with a good message board. Focus is mainly on the Weber Smokey Mountain smoker, but the recipes don't care what you are smoking on.

 

[bigg78]

MrPhlegm, where in Florida are you? My girlfriend lives in Daytona Beach and her family thinks I'm crazy for my rants on brisket. Little do they know. Anyway, you're right about them thinking pork is the ****. One of my best friends from work is also from there (that's how I met the g-friend) but luckily for him, he lived here in Austin for 2 years and has tasted my brisket.


Anyway, back to the original topic. Brisket is a trial by error. You learn as you go. The first one I smoked about 15 months ago was not that good. It was tasty, but tough. however, I kept tweaking things and now I've got it down to a T.

You definitely have to let the brisket cool down for at least 30 minutes. What I like to do is stick it in a cooler (obviously without the ice) while it's still wrapped in foil. The cooler traps in the heat but let's all of the juices in the brisket settle.

Also, for a rub, I use a combination of coarse pepper, ground pepper, garlic salt, cajun seasoning, regular salt, and a sprinkle of cayenne. Sometimes we add another ingredient, but those are the basics. No matter what anyone else says, always smoke it fat side up. And always smoke it at 200 degrees or less (just like everyone else has said)

The biggest advice is just to have fun with it. Follow the basic instructions set forth in these responses and then add your own style. That's the best part, is making it your own process.

Oh yeah, and the more you drinik the better

 

[Woland]

Where does one find a 12 pound brisket? The stores my way only sell the 20 pound variety.

 

[horn4life]

COSTCO usually has some in the 15 lb range. I just usually go a little smaller if I can when I only have a few folks or the immediate family.

I also agree with the poster above regarding brisket as your "first outing" but that's why I often suggest slapping some baby backs on as a fall back position.

I still think CHARCOAL is the best bet for most folks, you can toss in some hickory if you want, but you can control temp better with charcoal when you are first getting started.

SUTTREE - damn near fill up the side box with charcoal and you will never again be afraid of overnight cooking. Just drink 3 huge glasses of water and when you have to pee at 3:30 then stir the coals and add coals as needed. IF you add coals and the temp is close to 225 then close your top damper a little bit.

1-1/2 hour per pound MINIMUM @ 175-225 is ALL you need to know regarding kcik *** brisket.

Doing some baby backs and some beer can chickens is probably the best way to have a near perfect first time outcome.

 

[NickDanger]

I agree with the bacon curing. Another method is to get an olive oil mister and spray all over and let that cook. I like the bacon better.

It's funny, Phlegm rolls his eyes when he sees me post, but we cook briskets essentially the same way. The only twist is that for some reason I can't explain, my grandfather put the brisket into a brown paper bag before foiling it. I don't know why. It works, though.

Baby backs are a great way to start. I don't always do it the same way, but the way I would do my first ones would be to put them on with some pecan or persimmon smoke and let them get some good color before putting them in foil. I often do 3 or 4 and I put some of the family bbq sauce in at least one of the foiled ribs.

I personally don't care for hickory.

 

[Longhorn_Fan68]

Smoking meat and rubbing melons... is this the correct forum?

 

[PukeNRally]

Does anyone have a recommendation on what smoker to use or where to purchase a smoker? Any suggestions for getting the most bang for the buck?

 

[flaco]

You could get brisket flats and start learning with those. Smaller cut means less time a less invested when you **** it up.

Great advice above. HEB has little digital meat thermometers for $11. Get one. The dial readout kind are notoriously innaccurate.

Like they say above, don't let your temp get over 225, though a few minutes here and there (when you add new coal) at slightly higher temp won't hurt much.

When temp read around 160, it is time to foil that bad boy until temp reaches 190. If you don't get to 190 the connective tissue won't break down and you get gristly meat. If you get there too fast the meat becomes tough.

When you get ready to open the foil, cut one end of the foil and save the juice and mix it with a little catsup and whatnot to make sauce although if done right you won't need it.

I read where Cooper's in Llano sears theirs over (2-3 feet over) hot coals, then dips the brisket in their vinegary sauce and wraps it in foil to slow cook the rest of the way. Whatever they do is sure is good.

 

[mazinga69]

I smoke my briskets fat side down. Has always worked for me. I smoke them for about two hours on high heat. Then I wrap them in foil and put a little beer on them. Slow cook them for about another 8 to 10 hours. They always come out tasty, moist, and practically melt in your mouth. I never use charcoal, always use mesquite. I use Stub's Rub mixed with La Fiesta Rub and some brown sugar. Damn, I'm making myself hungry.

 

[suttree]

If you do a pork shoulder make sure you cut it right. You have to cut out the fat layers as you go through it, or it gets pretty nasty.

Another easy and good thing to smoke is a leg of lamb. And pretty damn cheap, too. Believe it or not, the Junior League Cookbook from here in Houston has an incredible marinade for lamb.

 

[planohorn91]

If you are going to "smoke some meat", wouldn't butcher paper be the rolling paper of choice

?

 

[horn4life]

So how did it turn out clevername?

My pulled pork got rave reviews, and my kids and their cousin devoured the rest of it before I got back from the Rice game. My five year old wanted some more for Monday dinner... gotta love that child....

 

[Austin_Horn]

Worst thread title ever