***Official 2011 Grilling and BBQ thread*** (1 Viewer)

[flyingsushi]

Marinate a 6-7 pound brisket in 2 cans of Dr.Pepper, teriyaki, worchestershire sauce. Marinaded it for 2 days. Take it out and poure the marinade in a sauce pan and add pomegranate juice and simmered for about 45 minutes. You can use this as an injection or as a spritz. Seaon with lots of black pepper and put on some Montreal Steak blend and cooked the brisket at 235-250. Spritzed it every hour if you do not inject.http://public.fotki.com/Meglamaniac/smoking/smoking/dsc01511.htmlhttp://public.fotki.com/Meglamaniac/smoking/smoking/dsc01513.html

OMG, that looks perfect. Great pics. I have never made a brisket and your pics are motivating me to give it a try. However I need some help and I have several questions to help guide me. I am not familiar with Montreal Steak blend. Is this something common in grocery stores, like Walmart or Miejer? If I can't find it, is there a substitute you could recommend?What kind of wood did you use?Now, I need to ask a silly question but if I don't ask I will never know. I like my meat medium rare. Can you make a brisket medium rare? I know nothing about cooking briskets but I am interesting in giving this a try. Should I cook a brisket to a certain internal temp? I think I have only had a brisket once and have never attempted one myself. How long did this take you to cook? When it is time to take the meat off of the grill, should I do anything like let it sit for X amount of time, or wrap it in foil like I do with Boston Butts?As you can see I need a little more attention so I don't mess it up than the average person here. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Hopefully I can do this sometime within the next week.Thanks,Sushi

 

[BigJohn]

I can help with a few of these...

I am not familiar with Montreal Steak blend. Is this something common in grocery stores, like Walmart or Miejer?

Yes. You should find it with no problem. McCormick makes a great Montreal seasoning.

Now, I need to ask a silly question but if I don't ask I will never know. I like my meat medium rare. Can you make a brisket medium rare? I know nothing about cooking briskets but I am interesting in giving this a try. Should I cook a brisket to a certain internal temp? I think I have only had a brisket once and have never attempted one myself.

It's a different situation. With a brisket, you need it to reach a higher internal temp to break down all the fat and connective tissue. If you pulled a brisket @ 135 deg, it will be very tough. To properly break everything down, it needs to get to at least 190-200 deg internal. Now, the meat won't be medium rare, but it will absolutely melt in your mouth.

How long did this take you to cook? When it is time to take the meat off of the grill, should I do anything like let it sit for X amount of time, or wrap it in foil like I do with Boston Butts?

General rule is 1.5 hours per pound. BUT, as has been stated in a lot of the grilling/smoking threads we have here, don't let that tell you when the meat is done. Use it as a rough guide to gauge when you want to eat. Let the meat tell you when it's done. I pull my briskets at 190 deg and the will usually continue to rise to 195-200. I do wrap mine in towels and put them in a cooler for 45 minutes to an hour, just like pulled pork.Hope this helps.

 

[flyingsushi]

Thanks BigJohn. Those answers help a lot. I was thinking the Montreal steak thing was a sauce but realized after I posted it is seasonings.

I understand the temperature issues with this type of meat now and I think I know what I am going to do. Hopefully I can get to this sometime in the next week.

 

[[icon]]

Got bit by the bug yesterday morning and threw on 3 slabs of Baby backs using 3-2-1, plus smoked two chickens (didn't even brine them). Had some folks over for the Sox / Cubs game.

Ribs: Trimmed, Rubbed down with Home BBQ's "World Famous" Rib Rub and I'll say that stuff is FANTASTIC. I'd heard very good things about that and theirBeef Rub gaining popularity on the KCBS circuit so I ordered their sampler pack. 7 or 8 different rubs/seasonings. Bought two kits to get the free shipping. Very impressed with everything I've tried thus far.

After 3 hours I slathered them with our Slab Yo Mama "Boldalicious" tomato base sauce, then foiled each slab with about 1/2cup of our "Tarhole" Vinegar Base sauce. Unfoiled about 2hrs later and they were looking fantastic. 3 layers of Boldalicious (with one last layer of Home BBQ Rib Rub on the 2nd coating) over the next hour and they were ready. Came out FANTASTIC. Tons of compliments from the folks and I was quite pleased.

Under the ribs on the lower level of my WSM I had a roaster pan with the birds breast side down, rubbed with Home BBQ's"Deep South Tangerine Pepper Rub", threw em under the ribs and let the rib fat render out and fall into the pan. WHen they were done we pulled them and tossed in a light coating of our Boldalicious thinned out with some cider vinegar and added a little fresh black pepper, 40k Red Pepper flakes and a few other touches. Had two people tell me it was the best BBQ chicken they've ever had. Love that.

Tonight heading over to a buddy's place for Sox/Cubs. Grilling Burgers/Brats with HomeBBQ's Black Jack Rub and going to cook up some Mussels in a White Wine / Garlic Butter sauce and throw in some copped shallots. Oh....and some brews.

 

[Megla]

Got bit by the bug yesterday morning and threw on 3 slabs of Baby backs using 3-2-1, plus smoked two chickens (didn't even brine them). Had some folks over for the Sox / Cubs game.

3-2-1 is a method for Spares, much to long for BBs unless your cooking them at 175-200, I'm suprised your BBs didn't turn to mush.

 

[JerseyToughGuys]

 

[TheFanatic]

Marinate a 6-7 pound brisket in 2 cans of Dr.Pepper, teriyaki, worchestershire sauce. Marinaded it for 2 days. Take it out and poure the marinade in a sauce pan and add pomegranate juice and simmered for about 45 minutes. You can use this as an injection or as a spritz. Seaon with lots of black pepper and put on some Montreal Steak blend and cooked the brisket at 235-250. Spritzed it every hour if you do not inject.

http://public.fotki.com/Meglamaniac/smoking/smoking/dsc01511.html

http://public.fotki.com/Meglamaniac/smoking/smoking/dsc01513.html

We're going with this recipe on Sunday. Do you have the exact amts? I can't give you credit in the local paper, but I'll definitely give you mad props on the site. PM me if you want me to include a link or anything.

It's not mine to take credit for so no need1/2 cup Teriyaki, 1/4 cup worchestershire, 1 to 1.5 cup of pomegranate

We did this yesterday. Well, almost all of it. We left the reduction sauce on the stove until it was smoking and burnt. We're the grillin fools, not the stove top cookin idiots when the weather was that good and we had four grills going!?! We cooked it along with our standard mustard marinated brisket and did them identically. Wanted to see how it stacked up to ours. I can't say one is better than the other. Both were outstanding. Ours has a little more zip from the crushed red pepper in the mop sauce, but this one had more sweetness. Oh, we used some of the marinade as a mop sauce. One big difference, the smoke ring on this one was out of this world. I posted some pics of all the stuff we grilled that day (including that sick smoke ring) on FB. I'll be doing a write up on this (along with the chicken wings and pork tenderloins we did soon).

 

[TheFanatic]

I have a brisket recipe that includes Dr Pepper

Do tell. I am going to slow cook as much as possible this summer.The brisket I did a couple days ago came out fine as far as meat quality and tenderness, but my spices left me wanting. The last of it is in the fridge shredded and smothered with bbq sauce for sandwiches. I wouldn't have done that if it turned out better. Fanatic, a fast trick for tasty grilled fish is to mix one and a half part 7up to 2 parts mayo, a splash (1/2 part) of white wine and wisk in some crushed garlic. An hour before grilling heavily coat the fish in the mixture then just treat like burger patties on the grill. Salt lightly and squeeze of lemon when done. Excellent. For an Asian twist sub Ginger Ale for the 7up and soy sauce for the wine. Great with stir fried veggies.eta this soda fish recipe got two of my very finicky nephews to eat fish when they were little kids. Now they both cook it up that way.

We have a brisket going into a bag with some cherry coke today for Sunday, so I too would like to hear the rest of the brisket and soda recipe.We are actually doing a fish and 7up deal as well. What type of fish are we talkin here? I might use this exact recipe along side the other one we have going (7up, butter, cilantro, garlic).

Not salmon. Not real thin filets. White flaky filets or steaks a half inch minimum thickness. They need a little bulk to cook off the mayo into a sheen. I use a lot of cod and rockfish. A fat catfish would work. You can fancy it up a little and go almond or macadamia crusted with this mixture. I've done that with swordfish and mahi mahi.

I bought all the stuff to do this, but never got to it. We did so much cooking that day that we just couldn't get this done. I will revisit it later...

 

[TheFanatic]

Got bit by the bug yesterday morning and threw on 3 slabs of Baby backs using 3-2-1, plus smoked two chickens (didn't even brine them). Had some folks over for the Sox / Cubs game.

3-2-1 is a method for Spares, much to long for BBs unless your cooking them at 175-200, I'm suprised your BBs didn't turn to mush.

I'm guessing icon used the method but not those exact times. I think 3-2-1 is too long for spares myself, but I don't like my ribs fall off the bone.

 

[Nigel]

My standard steak tip marinade is 1 cup BBQ sauce, 3/4 cup Coke and 1/2 cup Italian dressing, a tbsp or so each of teriyaki & olive oil, salt & pepper.

 

[The Commish]

Got bit by the bug yesterday morning and threw on 3 slabs of Baby backs using 3-2-1, plus smoked two chickens (didn't even brine them). Had some folks over for the Sox / Cubs game.

3-2-1 is a method for Spares, much to long for BBs unless your cooking them at 175-200, I'm suprised your BBs didn't turn to mush.

I'm guessing icon used the method but not those exact times. I think 3-2-1 is too long for spares myself, but I don't like my ribs fall off the bone.

What are the times that you guys use for "firm, but come off the bone cleanly when pulled"? My wife likes fall off the bone, so that's what I usually do, but I like a little more structure to the meat myself.

 

[[icon]]

Got bit by the bug yesterday morning and threw on 3 slabs of Baby backs using 3-2-1, plus smoked two chickens (didn't even brine them). Had some folks over for the Sox / Cubs game.

3-2-1 is a method for Spares, much to long for BBs unless your cooking them at 175-200, I'm suprised your BBs didn't turn to mush.

I know GB. Sorry should have clarifeid.. These were EXTREMELY meaty babys (swift premiums from costco) and I was experimenting with lower temps (ran 200ish). They came out great actually. Nice tug to get the meat free, then pulled clean off the bone. Still firm flesh. Definitely not pulled pork consistency.

 

[[icon]]

I'm guessing icon used the method but not those exact times.

In reality it was more like 2.5 / 1.5 / .75 to 1 but yeah I also didn't trim them up a lot (huge loins remaining on the backs, etc) and was running a bit low. I HATE fall off the bone ribs. Ugh. The Wednesday of BBQfest we hit blues city on beale at 2am because it was the only place open. ordered a slab for kicks and litereally couldn't pick up a bone without all the meat falling off. What a waste

 

[Grahamburn]

Already stoked for the long weekend. Looking forward to smoking some meat.

 

[Megla]

Got bit by the bug yesterday morning and threw on 3 slabs of Baby backs using 3-2-1, plus smoked two chickens (didn't even brine them). Had some folks over for the Sox / Cubs game.

3-2-1 is a method for Spares, much to long for BBs unless your cooking them at 175-200, I'm suprised your BBs didn't turn to mush.

I'm guessing icon used the method but not those exact times. I think 3-2-1 is too long for spares myself, but I don't like my ribs fall off the bone.

What are the times that you guys use for "firm, but come off the bone cleanly when pulled"? My wife likes fall off the bone, so that's what I usually do, but I like a little more structure to the meat myself.

For BBs at 225 to 250 right at 4 hours, no foilingIf I'm Johnny trigging them then 2.5 then 1 hour foil with the sugars, 1/2 hour bastingSpares at 225-250, St Louy, 5 hoursSpares untrimmed 6 hoursI do not foil my spare ribs

 

[pollardsvision]

Any smoker design experts in here?

I'm in the process of trying to design a cabinet-style smoker to pull on a small trailer. Something along the lines of a Spicewine or a Backwoods smoker.

I do virtually no grilling, so a cabinet smoker would seem to be the far more efficient route, as opposed to the more typical barrel-style, offset smoker. I absolutely hate offset smokers.

The basic design I've come up with so far is:

Mounted directly on one axle, door facing backwards

-44" tall (33" cooking chamber, 11" firebox directly underneath)

-36" wide

-30" deep

-Control plate separating firebox and cooking chamber, with a 1 5/8" gap on both sides, for firebox-cooking chamber intake (water pan on top of control plate).

-3 cooking grates, 10" apart (with grate mounts in between when cooking ribs)

-2 Intakes on the firebox door, both 4.5" in diameter

-Chimney either 6"(dia)x21" or 4"x48". Or separate into 2 chimneys. Not sure whether to have the chimney descend way down into the cooking chamber to create a reverse airflow or not (would love some thoughts on that).

This would give me a capacity for 24 butts or 40+ racks of ribs.

Does anything seem out of whack with those basic specs so far?

Any ideas on how to get more out of the design?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[TheFanatic]

Got bit by the bug yesterday morning and threw on 3 slabs of Baby backs using 3-2-1, plus smoked two chickens (didn't even brine them). Had some folks over for the Sox / Cubs game.

3-2-1 is a method for Spares, much to long for BBs unless your cooking them at 175-200, I'm suprised your BBs didn't turn to mush.

I'm guessing icon used the method but not those exact times. I think 3-2-1 is too long for spares myself, but I don't like my ribs fall off the bone.

What are the times that you guys use for "firm, but come off the bone cleanly when pulled"? My wife likes fall off the bone, so that's what I usually do, but I like a little more structure to the meat myself.

I do high heat almost exclusively now which is between 275-300. I do BBR's for right at 2 hours and they come out perfect every time. If I want to do FOTB (my inlaws love them that way), I go closer to 3 hours, but I also foil for a good 45 minutes with some sort of liquid in the foil. FOTB every time. I put theirs on, about 30-45 minutes later I put my slab on. I don't despise FOTB like icon, but would prefer them not cooked that much. If I have to eat them, I will but prefer not to. For spares at high heat I up the time to about 2.5-3 hours and another 45 minutes for FOTB. The way I see it, the meat is only taking on smoke for a couple of hours, tops. If I can get them tender in the same amount of time it takes to get them full of smokey goodness, I don't need to go any longer than that. And the bigger thing is that I have two little kids (3 and 1) and I don't get the luxury of sitting around the pit for 6 hours very often anymore. Can't rightly tell my wife it will take 6 hours when she can go on my website and see quite clearly that we can do them in under 3.

 

[TheFanatic]

Any smoker design experts in here?

I'm in the process of trying to design a cabinet-style smoker to pull on a small trailer. Something along the lines of a Spicewine or a Backwoods smoker.

I do virtually no grilling, so a cabinet smoker would seem to be the far more efficient route, as opposed to the more typical barrel-style, offset smoker. I absolutely hate offset smokers.

Amen, and my main grill is an offset. I haven't used the firebox in years. I have it closed off with aluminum.

The basic design I've come up with so far is:

Mounted directly on one axle, door facing backwards

-44" tall (33" cooking chamber, 11" firebox directly underneath)

-36" wide

-30" deep

-Control plate separating firebox and cooking chamber, with a 1 5/8" gap on both sides, for firebox-cooking chamber intake (water pan on top of control plate).

-3 cooking grates, 10" apart (with grate mounts in between when cooking ribs)

-2 Intakes on the firebox door, both 4.5" in diameter

-Chimney either 6"(dia)x21" or 4"x48". Or separate into 2 chimneys. Not sure whether to have the chimney descend way down into the cooking chamber to create a reverse airflow or not (would love some thoughts on that).

This would give me a capacity for 24 butts or 40+ racks of ribs.

Does anything seem out of whack with those basic specs so far?

Any ideas on how to get more out of the design?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

I'm wondering if you might want to line the bottom with firebricks? Obviously not over your vent to the main chamber, but they should really help you maintain constant temps over a long period of time and help to counter adverse weather conditions.

 

[[icon]]

Any smoker design experts in here?I'm in the process of trying to design a cabinet-style smoker to pull on a small trailer. Something along the lines of a Spicewine or a Backwoods smoker.I do virtually no grilling, so a cabinet smoker would seem to be the far more efficient route, as opposed to the more typical barrel-style, offset smoker. I absolutely hate offset smokers.The basic design I've come up with so far is:Mounted directly on one axle, door facing backwards-44" tall (33" cooking chamber, 11" firebox directly underneath)-36" wide-30" deep-Control plate separating firebox and cooking chamber, with a 1 5/8" gap on both sides, for firebox-cooking chamber intake (water pan on top of control plate).-3 cooking grates, 10" apart (with grate mounts in between when cooking ribs)-2 Intakes on the firebox door, both 4.5" in diameter-Chimney either 6"(dia)x21" or 4"x48". Or separate into 2 chimneys. Not sure whether to have the chimney descend way down into the cooking chamber to create a reverse airflow or not (would love some thoughts on that). This would give me a capacity for 24 butts or 40+ racks of ribs.Does anything seem out of whack with those basic specs so far?Any ideas on how to get more out of the design?Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Talk to Joe Bryant about his Big E smoker. I talked to him a lot during it's construction and he had a fantastic attention to detail with regards to certain aspects of it's construction. HEre are a few questions:How are you insulating the walls of the cooking chamber? Double-wall? What about the Firebox? Fire Brick? How are you handling ash in the firebox? (see next option) Are you having a roll out fuel grate for adding fuel easier? What about the water pan? How easy will it be to top it off? Where will thermometers be mounted? Will your design accommodate the addition of a Stoker-type system? Are you working in some sort of locking caster system for mobility? Are you painting or powdercoating the exterior. (I suggest the latter for durability)? What type of grates are you anticipating (mesh grates can be more prone to "grabbing" meat over metal rod style slats)?Just some things to think about for starters.

 

[flyingsushi]

My standard steak tip marinade is 1 cup BBQ sauce, 3/4 cup Coke and 1/2 cup Italian dressing, a tbsp or so each of teriyaki & olive oil, salt & pepper.

Sounds good. Can you use this with all steaks?

 

[BigJohn]

Any smoker design experts in here?

I'm in the process of trying to design a cabinet-style smoker to pull on a small trailer. Something along the lines of a Spicewine or a Backwoods smoker.

I do virtually no grilling, so a cabinet smoker would seem to be the far more efficient route, as opposed to the more typical barrel-style, offset smoker. I absolutely hate offset smokers.

The basic design I've come up with so far is:

Mounted directly on one axle, door facing backwards

-44" tall (33" cooking chamber, 11" firebox directly underneath)

-36" wide

-30" deep

-Control plate separating firebox and cooking chamber, with a 1 5/8" gap on both sides, for firebox-cooking chamber intake (water pan on top of control plate).

-3 cooking grates, 10" apart (with grate mounts in between when cooking ribs)

-2 Intakes on the firebox door, both 4.5" in diameter

-Chimney either 6"(dia)x21" or 4"x48". Or separate into 2 chimneys. Not sure whether to have the chimney descend way down into the cooking chamber to create a reverse airflow or not (would love some thoughts on that).

This would give me a capacity for 24 butts or 40+ racks of ribs.

Does anything seem out of whack with those basic specs so far?

Any ideas on how to get more out of the design?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Here is a link to Joe's thread over at The Smoke Ring. What you are describing is a lot like what he did.

 

[FatMax]

Going to try smoking a pork loin and fatty on a Weber kettle this weekend. What should I try to maintain the lid temp at?Any help is appreciated.Thanks.

If I were doing this, I'd cap it at about 250.

 

[Chaos Commish]

Here is a link to Joe's thread over at The Smoke Ring. What you are describing is a lot like what he did.

Wow, I vanished from FBG for about a year in the middle of that project and never saw the finished rig. That thing is awesome. I hope it is getting lots of use.

 

[snellman]

Going to do some Tilapia tonight. Hopefully it works better on the new grill because was always a pain on the old grill. Not sure what I am going to do yet, will probably just wing it

 

[JerseyToughGuys]

bought some "Cruz Bay Rub" from St. John Spice Company on vacation. Really good, especially on some fresh mahi I did (also good when combined with a balsamic based marinade - did sirloins strips that way)

*Cruz Bay Grill Rub- BESTSELLER!

Winner of a 2010 Scovie Award!

Roasted garlic, onions, peppers, cinnamon, nutmeg, fennel and other tasty spices. Excellent as a dry rub or marinade on meat, chicken and seafood. Sprinkle on potatoes or vegetables prior to roasting.

I think it's the cinnamon and nutmeg. Gonna have to order some more.

 

[Chaos Commish]

This is a confession I have almost posted four or five times, but I didn't want to tell on myself. When I chunked up the pork butt for Pibil a couple weeks back I had more meat than needed. So about a five pound butt was sliced in thirds and frozen. This past weekend I made some homemade orangy bbq sauce (very basic recipe on request if anyone cares) marinated about a pound and a half hunk of butt roast for less than two hours, not so slow cooked it on indirect heat in a Kettle between 350 and 290 for less than two hours... and...

I liked the finished product better than doing the whole butts for 8 hours slowly. I got a decent smoke ring in that time. I got a nice sticky sweet slightly charred glaze. I got succulent fork tender roasted pork. I'm going to try about ten pounds like this for company this holiday weekend.

 

[pollardsvision]

Any smoker design experts in here?

I'm in the process of trying to design a cabinet-style smoker to pull on a small trailer. Something along the lines of a Spicewine or a Backwoods smoker.

I do virtually no grilling, so a cabinet smoker would seem to be the far more efficient route, as opposed to the more typical barrel-style, offset smoker. I absolutely hate offset smokers.

Amen, and my main grill is an offset. I haven't used the firebox in years. I have it closed off with aluminum.

The basic design I've come up with so far is:

Mounted directly on one axle, door facing backwards

-44" tall (33" cooking chamber, 11" firebox directly underneath)

-36" wide

-30" deep

-Control plate separating firebox and cooking chamber, with a 1 5/8" gap on both sides, for firebox-cooking chamber intake (water pan on top of control plate).

-3 cooking grates, 10" apart (with grate mounts in between when cooking ribs)

-2 Intakes on the firebox door, both 4.5" in diameter

-Chimney either 6"(dia)x21" or 4"x48". Or separate into 2 chimneys. Not sure whether to have the chimney descend way down into the cooking chamber to create a reverse airflow or not (would love some thoughts on that).

This would give me a capacity for 24 butts or 40+ racks of ribs.

Does anything seem out of whack with those basic specs so far?

Any ideas on how to get more out of the design?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

I'm wondering if you might want to line the bottom with firebricks? Obviously not over your vent to the main chamber, but they should really help you maintain constant temps over a long period of time and help to counter adverse weather conditions.

Bricks would probably make alot of sense. Especially since, at this point, I don't plan on having it insulated.

 

[E-Z Glider]

This is a confession I have almost posted four or five times, but I didn't want to tell on myself. When I chunked up the pork butt for Pibil a couple weeks back I had more meat than needed. So about a five pound butt was sliced in thirds and frozen. This past weekend I made some homemade orangy bbq sauce (very basic recipe on request if anyone cares) marinated about a pound and a half hunk of butt roast for less than two hours, not so slow cooked it on indirect heat in a Kettle between 350 and 290 for less than two hours... and...

I liked the finished product better than doing the whole butts for 8 hours slowly. I got a decent smoke ring in that time. I got a nice sticky sweet slightly charred glaze. I got succulent fork tender roasted pork. I'm going to try about ten pounds like this for company this holiday weekend.

of course we care also, about how much charcoal did you use (1/2 chimney, 3/4 chimney, full) and where did you keep the vents?

 

[pollardsvision]

Any smoker design experts in here?I'm in the process of trying to design a cabinet-style smoker to pull on a small trailer. Something along the lines of a Spicewine or a Backwoods smoker.I do virtually no grilling, so a cabinet smoker would seem to be the far more efficient route, as opposed to the more typical barrel-style, offset smoker. I absolutely hate offset smokers.The basic design I've come up with so far is:Mounted directly on one axle, door facing backwards-44" tall (33" cooking chamber, 11" firebox directly underneath)-36" wide-30" deep-Control plate separating firebox and cooking chamber, with a 1 5/8" gap on both sides, for firebox-cooking chamber intake (water pan on top of control plate).-3 cooking grates, 10" apart (with grate mounts in between when cooking ribs)-2 Intakes on the firebox door, both 4.5" in diameter-Chimney either 6"(dia)x21" or 4"x48". Or separate into 2 chimneys. Not sure whether to have the chimney descend way down into the cooking chamber to create a reverse airflow or not (would love some thoughts on that). This would give me a capacity for 24 butts or 40+ racks of ribs.Does anything seem out of whack with those basic specs so far?Any ideas on how to get more out of the design?Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Talk to Joe Bryant about his Big E smoker. I talked to him a lot during it's construction and he had a fantastic attention to detail with regards to certain aspects of it's construction. HEre are a few questions:How are you insulating the walls of the cooking chamber? Double-wall? What about the Firebox? Fire Brick? How are you handling ash in the firebox? (see next option) Are you having a roll out fuel grate for adding fuel easier? What about the water pan? How easy will it be to top it off? Where will thermometers be mounted? Will your design accommodate the addition of a Stoker-type system? Are you working in some sort of locking caster system for mobility? Are you painting or powdercoating the exterior. (I suggest the latter for durability)? What type of grates are you anticipating (mesh grates can be more prone to "grabbing" meat over metal rod style slats)?Just some things to think about for starters.

Some great questions and some decisions I haven't gotten to yet, but need to.-At this point, I don't plan on having it insulated or double-walled, though that would probably make more sense. I'll look into that once I get the basic design down.-I'll probably use bricks in the firebox.-I need to add some more space in the firebox for some area below the firegrate for ash and removal. A rollout grate is a good idea.-Was planning a thermometer about 2/3rds of the way up in the middle of the door.-It'll be mounted on a trailer, so I wouldn't need a caster system.-I'd probably either not paint at all or have it powdercoated.-I'm defintely leaning towards rod grates.

 

[Chaos Commish]

This is a confession I have almost posted four or five times, but I didn't want to tell on myself. When I chunked up the pork butt for Pibil a couple weeks back I had more meat than needed. So about a five pound butt was sliced in thirds and frozen. This past weekend I made some homemade orangy bbq sauce (very basic recipe on request if anyone cares) marinated about a pound and a half hunk of butt roast for less than two hours, not so slow cooked it on indirect heat in a Kettle between 350 and 290 for less than two hours... and...

I liked the finished product better than doing the whole butts for 8 hours slowly. I got a decent smoke ring in that time. I got a nice sticky sweet slightly charred glaze. I got succulent fork tender roasted pork. I'm going to try about ten pounds like this for company this holiday weekend.

of course we care also, about how much charcoal did you use (1/2 chimney, 3/4 chimney, full) and where did you keep the vents?

Alright. It was a full chimney but I let it die down longer than usual before starting and the temp was 350. Like I said it went from there to 290 and I added about ten coals worth of lump at the hour mark. Raising the temp back up to I'm not sure but it was back to 295 when I pulled it at 1 hour and 55 minutes. Bottom vents 3/4s, top vents 1/4, but I opened them full for about ten minutes when I added the coal. The coal I added was not lit, so... what. It was 100% mesquite if you want to duplicate me. I did not use a meat thermometer. I just cut into it and said, oooh that's done.I suspect you guys can all improve on the rest of this if you want faster than usual smokey pork butt slabs instead of entire roasts.

I got this orange blending thing from a dude who works in the kitchen at Ruth Chris:

Orange mixture:

I part each orange juice (I used fresh squeezed), orange marmalade, and ketchup (I used organic which has a much better taste). 1/4 tsp dark cocoa powder, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp cayenne. Mix well.

I used a third cup of each to make a cup's worth. So you can scale this up or down from there.

Now add that in equal parts to your favorite bbq sauce and you have my basic orangy bbq sauce for chicken and pork. I used a good cup and a half on the sliced butt slab before I was done, thoroughly brushing and turning it every 20 minutes. The bbq sauce I used was Elmore Smith's, a gift from a sis, so no particular reason why I used it. It is better than Kraft but that would probably work fine too.

No salt, no pepper, no dry rub, almost no fuss, and my kid said it was the best she ever had. We ate the whole thing in one sitting and wished I made more.

 

[TheFanatic]

Chaos Commish, welcome to the high heat method. We do all our ribs, pork butt, brisket this way. Baby Backs in two hours, 5 pound briskets in 6, pork butts in 5. I'll be doing it with a whole hog on Sunday. 60 pound hog in 6 hours.

 

[Chaos Commish]

Chaos Commish, welcome to the high heat method. We do all our ribs, pork butt, brisket this way. Baby Backs in two hours, 5 pound briskets in 6, pork butts in 5. I'll be doing it with a whole hog on Sunday. 60 pound hog in 6 hours.

Thanks for the welcome. I'm pretty sure scanning your comments in this thread and maybe some stuff at GF subconsciously encouraged me to do that. I think an additional trick to what I did was turning a five pound butt into a 2 pound hunk. This makes more surface area for smoke rings, spices, bark, char, sticky sweet sauce, whatever you prefer on the outside that makes a bbq unique. I'm going to do five of these two pounders five different ways (spices sauces) Sunday and have some fun. Suggestions on spice and sauces other than my orangy will be considered for three of them. I'm doing one habanero honey mustard. I bought three pig tags for feral pig hunting yesterday. Here in SoCal the wild pigs get nasty when the weather gets hot, so I am taking three Saturday (hopefully) that need to last until September. My dogs eat most of it. I really really want to do a whole hog but lack the facility. I linked to a cinder block $200 build but it was over $300 at Home Depot, so I think I may find the courage to do one in a pit Hawaiian style... or not... probably not.

 

[Gordo]

Well, I have my 1st catering job booked. Not being paid for it, as it is for a close friends graduation party for her daughter. She asked for my advice, and I volunteered to do the cooking if she paid for the groceries/supplies.

The menu will include pulled pork, coleslaw, & beans.

How many raw pounds of pork would you guys do for 75-100 guests?

 

[SteevieG]

I've never done anything like that, but I've read that for pulled pork catering jobs caterers figure on 5oz per sandwich. I would think 50# would cover you and leave some for left-overs.

 

[Megla]

Well, I have my 1st catering job booked. Not being paid for it, as it is for a close friends graduation party for her daughter. She asked for my advice, and I volunteered to do the cooking if she paid for the groceries/supplies.The menu will include pulled pork, coleslaw, & beans.How many raw pounds of pork would you guys do for 75-100 guests?

Raw Lbs yeild 1/2 Lb of meat, figure 6 OZ a person so 450 to 600oz of cooked pork equals 28 to 38 Lbs of cooke pork equals 56 to 76 LBs raw pork butt

 

[TheFanatic]

The unofficial start of summer, what's going on the grill over the next few days?

 

[Chaos Commish]

The unofficial start of summer, what's going on the grill over the next few days?

Today: Boneless chicken breasts Tomorrow: Pork Butt hunksSunday: Flat Irons and ShrimpMonday: On the lake so ???

 

[Grahamburn]

Ribs, ribs, ribs..

 

[SofaKings]

so i was looking for a new sauce and picked up guy fierie's #6 Carolina mop. I like it. A bit vinegary but that appeals to me.

 

[SofaKings]

Well, I have my 1st catering job booked. Not being paid for it, as it is for a close friends graduation party for her daughter. She asked for my advice, and I volunteered to do the cooking if she paid for the groceries/supplies.The menu will include pulled pork, coleslaw, & beans.How many raw pounds of pork would you guys do for 75-100 guests?

 

[PatriotJohn]

Felt good to get the smoker back into commission after dealing with a flooded basement/remodeling since late February.

Son's graduation party today. Got 4 pork butts at about 189 degrees right now. Will foil/towel/load into coolers at about noon, and will shred at the party site (Shellabarger Park in Riverside for any Dayton peeps that want to come out.....that means you BigJohn.)

WSM Chugged right along since 10PM last night. Temp was at @250 when I went to bed at 1AM and was at @220 when I woke up at 7.

 

[sho nuff]

Not sure whats going on tonight.

Tomorrow Im thinking Flank or flat iron (doing the shopping here in a little bit).

Monday is the stuffed pork loin.

 

[SteevieG]

Well, I'm going to a friends house tomorrow who got me into smoking meat. He really isn't that into it and every year or so he'll decided to smoke some ribs and butts. Last year it was almost inedible, but the wife and I ate some graciously. We'll do the same tomorrow, but he hasn't taken any of the subtle hints I've given him from what I've learned about smoking over the years. Anyway...

I'll be bringing the desert/appetizers which are bacon candy. I saw a show a little while back about a lady who makes this stuff.

My link

I'm going to try my hand at this and see what happens. I've done regular pig candy, which is awesome, but not this. Wish me luck.

 

[SofaKings]

A whole whitefish, 3 racks of baby back and 2 bone in pork loin chops thick cut. Ah yes...summer is back!

 

[The Commish]

When you guys do butts, do you cut off the fat cap or no? I always have in the past, but am going to try it with it on this time. Will be the first time I smoke overnight also. Have a noon picnic tomorrow, so I have to start tonight.

 

[[icon]]

When you guys do butts, do you cut off the fat cap or no? I always have in the past, but am going to try it with it on this time. Will be the first time I smoke overnight also. Have a noon picnic tomorrow, so I have to start tonight.

Re: Overnight smokeRunning a WSM? Know the minion method? Re: FatCapLots of different schools of tought here w no wrong answer.

 

[The Commish]

When you guys do butts, do you cut off the fat cap or no? I always have in the past, but am going to try it with it on this time. Will be the first time I smoke overnight also. Have a noon picnic tomorrow, so I have to start tonight.

Re: Overnight smokeRunning a WSM? Know the minion method? Re: FatCapLots of different schools of tought here w no wrong answer.

Yes...employ the minion method exclusively. Been on the smoker for about 45 minutes now....we'll see how this fat capped bad boy goes.

 

[snellman]

The unofficial start of summer, what's going on the grill over the next few days?

Nothing Special, threw some T-bones on tonight, going to do some chicken tomorrow and brats tomorrow night.

 

[2Young2BBald]

Quick question. Picked up pork ribs at Costco to grill tonight. We only need one of the two slabs in the pack. For the second slab, is it better to freeze them uncooked for later or to cook them and freeze them for later. I am guessing the best answer is cook and eat both right away, but want to save 1/2 for later. I'll be cooking them over mesquite charcoal on an ancient Weber grill using a home made dry rub (so they wont be all gunked up with sauce).

 

[glumpy]

Quick question. Picked up pork ribs at Costco to grill tonight. We only need one of the two slabs in the pack. For the second slab, is it better to freeze them uncooked for later or to cook them and freeze them for later. I am guessing the best answer is cook and eat both right away, but want to save 1/2 for later. I'll be cooking them over mesquite charcoal on an ancient Weber grill using a home made dry rub (so they wont be all gunked up with sauce).

Freeze them uncooked--I do it all the time, buying in bulk. Make sure they're wrapped airtight. I don't prefer mesquite for pork myself, but many seem to.