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***Official 2013 Grilling and Smoking Thread*** (1 Viewer)

My dad mentioned awhile back about getting a smoker so they could try something other than the grill. He never got one and I was thinking of getting a small one for him to try and see if he likes it. Gander Mountain has one on sale this weekend for $70. It's a propane smoker which I think he will like since he won't have to mess with charcoal. Anybody have one like this or any thoughts?

http://www.gandermountain.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=Smoke-Hollow-Outdoor-Leisure-LP-Gas-Smoker-26&i=694518&r=view

 
So, I decided to smoke some ribs for my Thanksgiving potluck lunch for work this year. I am planning on getting up really early to get my fire started, in hope that the ribs will be ready around 11:30 AM or so. My one major concern is how the air temperature -- which will likely be in the mid-40s throughout the majority of the cook -- will affect my smoking time. Anybody have a feeling for what I should anticipate for a colder weather smoke?

Also, any ideas on the best way to preserve the ribs until serving time if they finish early? Should I just keep them in an aluminum pan with foil on top?
If your smoker is shielded from the wind then the temps you state should not effect your cooking times at all. Once you have your ribs where you want them double foil them, place them in a cooler and cover with towls, they will stay hot for hours this way.As a tip, I always spray my ribs with apple juice when I foil/cooler rest
Thanks again for the tips. Everything worked out really well last night and today. Even though the outside temperatures were in the 30's and low 40's for most of the night, I didn't have any problems keeping my smoker temps in the ideal range. I ultimately pulled my ribs from the smoker around 9:30 a.m. and then double-foiled and put in a cooler with towels as you suggested. When I pulled them out before lunch at around 11:15 a.m., the ribs were a perfect temperature to serve.
Glad to hear it worked out for you.

 
So it's nearing the Holiday Time of year, you know what that means, Prime Rib Roast :tebow:

Doing a 7 bone this weekend for the Jags game along with a 4 bone Pork Roast, going to cut the Pork roast after a few hours of smoke and make some cowboy pork chops, going to cut away the bones on the rib roast and serve as beef ribs and going to do to some garlic.herb mashed tators with SW grilled corn on the cob. For starters I'll do some bruschetta/cheese/puled pork on french bread smoked till crispy and mushroom caps with salsa/pulled pork/cheese also done on the smoker.

Got a bottol of Eagles Rare ready to go so the Jags may suck and lose as usual but dammit if we won't eat and drink damn well.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
So it's nearing the Holiday Time of year, you know what that means, Prime Rib Roast :tebow:

Doing a 7 bone this weekend for the Jags game along with a 4 bone Pork Roast, going to cut the Pork roast after a few hours of smoke and make some cowboy pork chops, going to cut away the bones on the rib roast and serve as beef ribs and going to do to some garlic.herb mashed tators with SW grilled corn on the cob. For starters I'll do some bruschetta/cheese/puled pork on french bread smoked till crispy and mushroom caps with salsa/pulled pork/cheese also done on the smoker.

Got a bottol of Eagles Rare ready to go so the Jags may suck and lose as usual but dammit if we won't eat and drink damn well.
Amen to that, brother!

Hey, got any good prime rib recipes? We've got a few on the site, but always looking for new ones.

The day after Thanksgiving, I'm switching all the turkey recipes off the front page and putting up the beef recipes from the past and some new ones for beef and ham recipes for Christmas/New Years. I'm writing a post for Sears this weekend and doing a basic primer on prime rib, but nothing fancy in terms of a recipe. Dad's going to do one with a salt/dry brine. I saw one today called an onion prime rib with a bunch of dehydrated onions on the outside, but that looked pretty lame and didn't sound all that good either. We've done garlic studded, slathered in garlic paste (roasted garlic mashed up and rubbed all over the outside), in Andria's (local steak sauce and sponsor of the site), herb crusted. Need some fresh ideas.

 
OK, folks. Holiday dinner party for 15 coming up. Never done a roast that big, but it's obviously doable. Any other creative ideas to serve this many? Access to grill, smoker, and 30 inch double oven.

 
So it's nearing the Holiday Time of year, you know what that means, Prime Rib Roast :tebow:

Doing a 7 bone this weekend for the Jags game along with a 4 bone Pork Roast, going to cut the Pork roast after a few hours of smoke and make some cowboy pork chops, going to cut away the bones on the rib roast and serve as beef ribs and going to do to some garlic.herb mashed tators with SW grilled corn on the cob. For starters I'll do some bruschetta/cheese/puled pork on french bread smoked till crispy and mushroom caps with salsa/pulled pork/cheese also done on the smoker.

Got a bottol of Eagles Rare ready to go so the Jags may suck and lose as usual but dammit if we won't eat and drink damn well.
Amen to that, brother!

Hey, got any good prime rib recipes? We've got a few on the site, but always looking for new ones.

The day after Thanksgiving, I'm switching all the turkey recipes off the front page and putting up the beef recipes from the past and some new ones for beef and ham recipes for Christmas/New Years. I'm writing a post for Sears this weekend and doing a basic primer on prime rib, but nothing fancy in terms of a recipe. Dad's going to do one with a salt/dry brine. I saw one today called an onion prime rib with a bunch of dehydrated onions on the outside, but that looked pretty lame and didn't sound all that good either. We've done garlic studded, slathered in garlic paste (roasted garlic mashed up and rubbed all over the outside), in Andria's (local steak sauce and sponsor of the site), herb crusted. Need some fresh ideas.
I did a wet rub of

Kosher Salt

black pepper

onion powder

garlic powder

Rosemarry

ground chiptole peppers

ground casabell peppers

ground guajillo peppers

ground ancho peppers

Olive Oil

Worstishere

Smoked with Oak/apple and served with a horsey sauce

 
Last edited by a moderator:
-jb- said:
OK, folks. Holiday dinner party for 15 coming up. Never done a roast that big, but it's obviously doable. Any other creative ideas to serve this many? Access to grill, smoker, and 30 inch double oven.
Just buy a 14-16 pound primerib roast, season how you see fit and cook to an internal of about 135, pull, tent it with foil and let rest for at least 45 minutes. Slice and serve

 
-jb- said:
OK, folks. Holiday dinner party for 15 coming up. Never done a roast that big, but it's obviously doable. Any other creative ideas to serve this many? Access to grill, smoker, and 30 inch double oven.
Just buy a 14-16 pound primerib roast, season how you see fit and cook to an internal of about 135, pull, tent it with foil and let rest for at least 45 minutes. Slice and serve
Yeah, I would definitely go with a prime rib roast. It's really easy to smoke a prime rib roast, and you're practically guaranteed to impress everyone. Hard to go wrong with a prime rib roast.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
-jb- said:
OK, folks. Holiday dinner party for 15 coming up. Never done a roast that big, but it's obviously doable. Any other creative ideas to serve this many? Access to grill, smoker, and 30 inch double oven.
Just buy a 14-16 pound primerib roast, season how you see fit and cook to an internal of about 135, pull, tent it with foil and let rest for at least 45 minutes. Slice and serve
Yeah, I would definitely go with a prime rib roast. It's really easy to smoke a prime rib roast, and you're practically guaranteed to impress everyone. Hard to go wrong with a prime rib roast.
So you're saying prime rib roast?

 
-jb- said:
OK, folks. Holiday dinner party for 15 coming up. Never done a roast that big, but it's obviously doable. Any other creative ideas to serve this many? Access to grill, smoker, and 30 inch double oven.
Just buy a 14-16 pound primerib roast, season how you see fit and cook to an internal of about 135, pull, tent it with foil and let rest for at least 45 minutes. Slice and serve
Yeah, I would definitely go with a prime rib roast. It's really easy to smoke a prime rib roast, and you're practically guaranteed to impress everyone. Hard to go wrong with a prime rib roast.
So you're saying prime rib roast?
What I did last year. May go again, as mentioned can't go wrong. May also do some tenderloins served oscar-style.

 
Want to serve pulled BBQ from a smoked pork shoulder to serve 6 people this weekend for rivalry week game. Just sandwiches with coleslaw, etc.

If I use a 4 lb shoulder, is 6 hours smoking time enough at a temp of 250-275? more or less? I realize lower temps would take longer cook time. Can I get away with 6 hours at 250? It's not a big shoulder.

I don't have a smoker but my gas grill has a smoker box for chips.

Indirect or direct heat? I imagine Indirect heat, yes?

Internal meat temp should be 190-200?

Thank you for tips/insights.

 
Want to serve pulled BBQ from a smoked pork shoulder to serve 6 people this weekend for rivalry week game. Just sandwiches with coleslaw, etc.

If I use a 4 lb shoulder, is 6 hours smoking time enough at a temp of 250-275? more or less? I realize lower temps would take longer cook time. Can I get away with 6 hours at 250? It's not a big shoulder.

I don't have a smoker but my gas grill has a smoker box for chips.

Indirect or direct heat? I imagine Indirect heat, yes?

Internal meat temp should be 190-200?

Thank you for tips/insights.
Chips on gas should be fine. Once internal temp hits 150 or so it's not taking up any more smoke so you can move it to the oven if you prefer.

Smoke at 250... should be done plenty fast. Assuming it's not bone in at that size. Shoulder isn't really something you can time. Ive had 8-9lb shoulders finish in 6-7 hours or take 12-14 hours. It's random as hell but 6 hours should be on the high side. It will keep in the cooler longer if you finish in 3-4.

Smoke until internal temp hits 195ish... pull it out and wrap in towels and put in a cooler for 45min-1hr. Let it sit.

Then pull it out, crack the butt to let it cool just a bit, then pull it.

 
Want to serve pulled BBQ from a smoked pork shoulder to serve 6 people this weekend for rivalry week game. Just sandwiches with coleslaw, etc.

If I use a 4 lb shoulder, is 6 hours smoking time enough at a temp of 250-275? more or less? I realize lower temps would take longer cook time. Can I get away with 6 hours at 250? It's not a big shoulder.

I don't have a smoker but my gas grill has a smoker box for chips.

Indirect or direct heat? I imagine Indirect heat, yes?

Internal meat temp should be 190-200?

Thank you for tips/insights.
Chips on gas should be fine. Once internal temp hits 150 or so it's not taking up any more smoke so you can move it to the oven if you prefer.

Smoke at 250... should be done plenty fast. Assuming it's not bone in at that size. Shoulder isn't really something you can time. Ive had 8-9lb shoulders finish in 6-7 hours or take 12-14 hours. It's random as hell but 6 hours should be on the high side. It will keep in the cooler longer if you finish in 3-4.

Smoke until internal temp hits 195ish... pull it out and wrap in towels and put in a cooler for 45min-1hr. Let it sit.

Then pull it out, crack the butt to let it cool just a bit, then pull it.
Thanks, GB. On the bolded, are you saying once the internal temp hits 150 the smoking chips stop adding anything to it? At that point it is just about heating the meat until it reaches 195ish internal?

Question on thermometer... I read that the built-in thermometer on the top of the grill is not accurate at all during this process and I should go with an oven therm on the grates themselves. Is that fact or fiction? I figured between 250-270 would be plenty hot enough for the grill ( for 4 to 6 hours), and my temp gauge tells me the grill can get up close to 600 degrees.

 
OK, folks. Holiday dinner party for 15 coming up. Never done a roast that big, but it's obviously doable. Any other creative ideas to serve this many? Access to grill, smoker, and 30 inch double oven.
Just buy a 14-16 pound primerib roast, season how you see fit and cook to an internal of about 135, pull, tent it with foil and let rest for at least 45 minutes. Slice and serve
The only thing I would do different is smoke it till it reaches internal temp of 110-120, then sear the bejesus out of the outside. All sides and the ends, which should take it up to only about 135-140 in the middle (I like it red). Get the smoke and the sear. That's flavortown, my friend!

 
So it's nearing the Holiday Time of year, you know what that means, Prime Rib Roast :tebow:

Doing a 7 bone this weekend for the Jags game along with a 4 bone Pork Roast, going to cut the Pork roast after a few hours of smoke and make some cowboy pork chops, going to cut away the bones on the rib roast and serve as beef ribs and going to do to some garlic.herb mashed tators with SW grilled corn on the cob. For starters I'll do some bruschetta/cheese/puled pork on french bread smoked till crispy and mushroom caps with salsa/pulled pork/cheese also done on the smoker.

Got a bottol of Eagles Rare ready to go so the Jags may suck and lose as usual but dammit if we won't eat and drink damn well.
Amen to that, brother!

Hey, got any good prime rib recipes? We've got a few on the site, but always looking for new ones.

The day after Thanksgiving, I'm switching all the turkey recipes off the front page and putting up the beef recipes from the past and some new ones for beef and ham recipes for Christmas/New Years. I'm writing a post for Sears this weekend and doing a basic primer on prime rib, but nothing fancy in terms of a recipe. Dad's going to do one with a salt/dry brine. I saw one today called an onion prime rib with a bunch of dehydrated onions on the outside, but that looked pretty lame and didn't sound all that good either. We've done garlic studded, slathered in garlic paste (roasted garlic mashed up and rubbed all over the outside), in Andria's (local steak sauce and sponsor of the site), herb crusted. Need some fresh ideas.
I did a wet rub of

Kosher Salt

black pepper

onion powder

garlic powder

Rosemarry

ground chiptole peppers

ground casabell peppers

ground guajillo peppers

ground ancho peppers

Olive Oil

Worstishere

Smoked with Oak/apple and served with a horsey sauce
This sounds divine. Did you put that on overnight or right before you grilled it?

 
Want to serve pulled BBQ from a smoked pork shoulder to serve 6 people this weekend for rivalry week game. Just sandwiches with coleslaw, etc.

If I use a 4 lb shoulder, is 6 hours smoking time enough at a temp of 250-275? more or less? I realize lower temps would take longer cook time. Can I get away with 6 hours at 250? It's not a big shoulder.

I don't have a smoker but my gas grill has a smoker box for chips.

Indirect or direct heat? I imagine Indirect heat, yes?

Internal meat temp should be 190-200?

Thank you for tips/insights.
Chips on gas should be fine. Once internal temp hits 150 or so it's not taking up any more smoke so you can move it to the oven if you prefer.

Smoke at 250... should be done plenty fast. Assuming it's not bone in at that size. Shoulder isn't really something you can time. Ive had 8-9lb shoulders finish in 6-7 hours or take 12-14 hours. It's random as hell but 6 hours should be on the high side. It will keep in the cooler longer if you finish in 3-4.

Smoke until internal temp hits 195ish... pull it out and wrap in towels and put in a cooler for 45min-1hr. Let it sit.

Then pull it out, crack the butt to let it cool just a bit, then pull it.
Thanks, GB. On the bolded, are you saying once the internal temp hits 150 the smoking chips stop adding anything to it? At that point it is just about heating the meat until it reaches 195ish internal?

Question on thermometer... I read that the built-in thermometer on the top of the grill is not accurate at all during this process and I should go with an oven therm on the grates themselves. Is that fact or fiction? I figured between 250-270 would be plenty hot enough for the grill ( for 4 to 6 hours), and my temp gauge tells me the grill can get up close to 600 degrees.
There are differing schools of thought.. some say meat stops accepting smoke at 135... some say it takes smoke the whole time but the smoke ring stops forming. When people in your shoes are looking for ways to streamline a cook I suggest 150 to be safe. But yes if the theory that meat no longer accepts smoke is true, then you're simply trying to get the meat to temp. I used to do 190... then tried 200... was a touch too much and settled on 195. It's nitpicky I know but that's what I suggest.

The grill therms are usually a bit off, yes. What I do is use a probe at the grate and compare it to the grill therm at my usual cooking temps... then I have an idea of what to look for on the grill therm to keep it in the ballpark.

 
OK, folks. Holiday dinner party for 15 coming up. Never done a roast that big, but it's obviously doable. Any other creative ideas to serve this many? Access to grill, smoker, and 30 inch double oven.
Just buy a 14-16 pound primerib roast, season how you see fit and cook to an internal of about 135, pull, tent it with foil and let rest for at least 45 minutes. Slice and serve
135 might be too done for some? I tend to pull these things at 115-120 or so (120 max).

I am also a huge fan of the blowtorch method. Basically torch the entire outside with a propane torch before you start. It looks grey and nasty at first but really helps with crust development during cooking. Then cook it at a low temp (225 or so), and when it reaches 105 or so, crank up the heat to impart the crust. Pull when you reach desired doneness temp, realizing that it's going to rise 5 to 10 degrees while resting. Then rest 45 minutes, especially if the roast is 10+ pounds. With a smaller roast you might be able to get away with 30 minutes rest.

 
So it's nearing the Holiday Time of year, you know what that means, Prime Rib Roast :tebow:

Doing a 7 bone this weekend for the Jags game along with a 4 bone Pork Roast, going to cut the Pork roast after a few hours of smoke and make some cowboy pork chops, going to cut away the bones on the rib roast and serve as beef ribs and going to do to some garlic.herb mashed tators with SW grilled corn on the cob. For starters I'll do some bruschetta/cheese/puled pork on french bread smoked till crispy and mushroom caps with salsa/pulled pork/cheese also done on the smoker.

Got a bottol of Eagles Rare ready to go so the Jags may suck and lose as usual but dammit if we won't eat and drink damn well.
Amen to that, brother!

Hey, got any good prime rib recipes? We've got a few on the site, but always looking for new ones.

The day after Thanksgiving, I'm switching all the turkey recipes off the front page and putting up the beef recipes from the past and some new ones for beef and ham recipes for Christmas/New Years. I'm writing a post for Sears this weekend and doing a basic primer on prime rib, but nothing fancy in terms of a recipe. Dad's going to do one with a salt/dry brine. I saw one today called an onion prime rib with a bunch of dehydrated onions on the outside, but that looked pretty lame and didn't sound all that good either. We've done garlic studded, slathered in garlic paste (roasted garlic mashed up and rubbed all over the outside), in Andria's (local steak sauce and sponsor of the site), herb crusted. Need some fresh ideas.
I did a wet rub of

Kosher Salt

black pepper

onion powder

garlic powder

Rosemarry

ground chiptole peppers

ground casabell peppers

ground guajillo peppers

ground ancho peppers

Olive Oil

Worstishere

Smoked with Oak/apple and served with a horsey sauce
This sounds divine. Did you put that on overnight or right before you grilled it?
Prepped it the night before and let it sit covered overnight in the fridge, pulled it out about an hour before it was time to put it on the smoker so it could get close to room temp

 
Let's talk Baby Backs please. I'll be smoking 6 racks this weekend (along with 2 pork butts) to feed 16 people (I expect maybe 8-10 will try some ribs). I plan to use the 2-2-1 method and have a question about the middle 2 hours in foil. I know that many competition smokers will use a combo of Parkay, honey and brown sugar in the foil and my understanding is that it makes a nice sweet/candy crust. From what I've read on other forums, this creates a sweetness that is great in small doses, but not so great for a person enjoying say a half rack.

Do any of you use the margarine mixture during the foil? What did you think? Too "candy" or just awesome?

Planning to go sauceless so that my guests can sauce as they see fit. Using a "cherry" rub and smoking with cherry wood. Will spritz with apple juice mixed with Captain Morgan during the cook.

TIA.

 
I personally don't like to add a ton of crap in the foil during that stage, but some others in here may have insight. Maybe a light glazing of sauce (which may or may not include honey)... but Adding a ton of butter seems like overkill.

 
Let's talk Baby Backs please. I'll be smoking 6 racks this weekend (along with 2 pork butts) to feed 16 people (I expect maybe 8-10 will try some ribs). I plan to use the 2-2-1 method and have a question about the middle 2 hours in foil. I know that many competition smokers will use a combo of Parkay, honey and brown sugar in the foil and my understanding is that it makes a nice sweet/candy crust. From what I've read on other forums, this creates a sweetness that is great in small doses, but not so great for a person enjoying say a half rack.

Do any of you use the margarine mixture during the foil? What did you think? Too "candy" or just awesome?

Planning to go sauceless so that my guests can sauce as they see fit. Using a "cherry" rub and smoking with cherry wood. Will spritz with apple juice mixed with Captain Morgan during the cook.

TIA.
I never cook for anyone eating small portions, and it seems like everyone likes the Parkay/honey/brown sugar ribs a lot. That has pretty much been my standard the past year or so. The combination of sweet, smoke, and heat really works well.

 
I never cook for anyone eating small portions, and it seems like everyone likes the Parkay/honey/brown sugar ribs a lot. That has pretty much been my standard the past year or so. The combination of sweet, smoke, and heat really works well.
Tell me more about the heat. What are you using to add heat to the flavor profile? Chili powder in the rub? Other?

 
Made some of the best Brunswick Stew of my life this weekend.

Lightly smoked venison and rabbit (dogs made a nice clean kill of the latter, didn't want to see it go to waste).

Nice fire on a bitter cold day, and trusty cast iron dutch oven.

The rest was pretty basic: potatoes, tomatoes, limas, carrots, chicken broth and some pretty basic seasoning.

The rabbit and venison really set it off.

 
I never cook for anyone eating small portions, and it seems like everyone likes the Parkay/honey/brown sugar ribs a lot. That has pretty much been my standard the past year or so. The combination of sweet, smoke, and heat really works well.
Tell me more about the heat. What are you using to add heat to the flavor profile? Chili powder in the rub? Other?
Yeah, chili powder and cayenne. Although lately I've been buying random rubs online and seeing what I like... I like the ones with a little heat. I also sauce at the end with something with a little heat.

Here's a video of a guy I really like - he foils with the butter/sugar/honey.

 
Made some of the best Brunswick Stew of my life this weekend.

Lightly smoked venison and rabbit (dogs made a nice clean kill of the latter, didn't want to see it go to waste).

Nice fire on a bitter cold day, and trusty cast iron dutch oven.

The rest was pretty basic: potatoes, tomatoes, limas, carrots, chicken broth and some pretty basic seasoning.

The rabbit and venison really set it off.
I might have to try that... at least the venison part. I've got about 25lbs of venison on the way (easy to come by here in Wisconsin this time of the year).

 
I never cook for anyone eating small portions, and it seems like everyone likes the Parkay/honey/brown sugar ribs a lot. That has pretty much been my standard the past year or so. The combination of sweet, smoke, and heat really works well.
Tell me more about the heat. What are you using to add heat to the flavor profile? Chili powder in the rub? Other?
Yeah, chili powder and cayenne. Although lately I've been buying random rubs online and seeing what I like... I like the ones with a little heat. I also sauce at the end with something with a little heat.

Here's a video of a guy I really like - he foils with the butter/sugar/honey.
I think it's better to use Parkay (margarine) instead of butter. Something about a higher burning point....

 
Just some observations from my BB rib cookings

1. If I'm foiling 5 hours is much too long a cook time, even at 200-225. I prefer 2-1-1 and my last hour is often higher heat with a glaze or mop.

2. As an alternative to the margerine/honey/sugar additive try Applesauce and hot sauce. Mix both in a bowl prior to adding to the ribs.

3. Of all the methods I've tried I prefer the RENDEZVOUS RIBS
method.

 
Megla said:
Just some observations from my BB rib cookings

1. If I'm foiling 5 hours is much too long a cook time, even at 200-225. I prefer 2-1-1 and my last hour is often higher heat with a glaze or mop.

2. As an alternative to the margerine/honey/sugar additive try Applesauce and hot sauce. Mix both in a bowl prior to adding to the ribs.

3. Of all the methods I've tried I prefer the RENDEZVOUS RIBS method.
YEp.. this is how I prepare my ribs the VAST majority of the time now. So quick and easy... and if done right they are fantastic. All about the meat/smoke instead of hiding behind layers of goop. Can always dip in a sauce if you desire, too.

 
Megla said:
Just some observations from my BB rib cookings

1. If I'm foiling 5 hours is much too long a cook time, even at 200-225. I prefer 2-1-1 and my last hour is often higher heat with a glaze or mop.

2. As an alternative to the margerine/honey/sugar additive try Applesauce and hot sauce. Mix both in a bowl prior to adding to the ribs.

3. Of all the methods I've tried I prefer the RENDEZVOUS RIBS method.
YEp.. this is how I prepare my ribs the VAST majority of the time now. So quick and easy... and if done right they are fantastic. All about the meat/smoke instead of hiding behind layers of goop. Can always dip in a sauce if you desire, too.
There are a number of ways to make great tasting ribs, but saying "hiding behind layers of goop" is a pretty strong mischaracterization of what that method is about. It turns out looking pretty much the same with or without the margarine/honey/sugar, it just adds another dimension to the flavor (which is the goal of rubs/pre-rubs/marinades/injections/etc).

I just listened to a podcast the other day with guys like Lampe, Minion, and Whippen. Most of them were adding this mixture at the foil stage. They may have been talking about competition ribs (sometimes they'd clarify what they do in competition vs. at home) which may make it too sweet for some people, but I definitely don't think it makes them overly sweet.

 
Megla said:
Just some observations from my BB rib cookings

1. If I'm foiling 5 hours is much too long a cook time, even at 200-225. I prefer 2-1-1 and my last hour is often higher heat with a glaze or mop.

2. As an alternative to the margerine/honey/sugar additive try Applesauce and hot sauce. Mix both in a bowl prior to adding to the ribs.

3. Of all the methods I've tried I prefer the RENDEZVOUS RIBS method.
YEp.. this is how I prepare my ribs the VAST majority of the time now. So quick and easy... and if done right they are fantastic. All about the meat/smoke instead of hiding behind layers of goop. Can always dip in a sauce if you desire, too.
There are a number of ways to make great tasting ribs, but saying "hiding behind layers of goop" is a pretty strong mischaracterization of what that method is about. It turns out looking pretty much the same with or without the margarine/honey/sugar, it just adds another dimension to the flavor (which is the goal of rubs/pre-rubs/marinades/injections/etc).

I just listened to a podcast the other day with guys like Lampe, Minion, and Whippen. Most of them were adding this mixture at the foil stage. They may have been talking about competition ribs (sometimes they'd clarify what they do in competition vs. at home) which may make it too sweet for some people, but I definitely don't think it makes them overly sweet.
Johnny Trigg has made a living making ribs like that and he'll tell you that he doesn't like them. He would never eat them himself. These ribs are ideal for competitions where the rib is only going to get one bite, maybe two. But I agree with Icon they are too sweet and the flavor of the meat is lost with this method. That's just me, and Icon and I don't agree on much.

 
Any recommendations on smokers? Electric vs. Gas

I was looking at the Masterbuilt Electric Smokehouse (30 or 40"). Don't want to spring for a Big Green Egg for the amount of smoking I actually do.

I prefer the cabinet type as opposed to the off set wood box smokers.

 
Any recommendations on smokers? Electric vs. Gas

I was looking at the Masterbuilt Electric Smokehouse (30 or 40"). Don't want to spring for a Big Green Egg for the amount of smoking I actually do.

I prefer the cabinet type as opposed to the off set wood box smokers.
Have you looked at the Weber Smoky Mountain for basically half the price of the BGE (if you're willing to mess with charcoal)? love mine and use it virtually every weekend.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001I8ZTJ0/thevirtualweberb

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/

 
Any recommendations on smokers? Electric vs. Gas

I was looking at the Masterbuilt Electric Smokehouse (30 or 40"). Don't want to spring for a Big Green Egg for the amount of smoking I actually do.

I prefer the cabinet type as opposed to the off set wood box smokers.
Have you looked at the Weber Smoky Mountain for basically half the price of the BGE (if you're willing to mess with charcoal)? love mine and use it virtually every weekend.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001I8ZTJ0/thevirtualweberb

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/
I have considered that one too. I don't think I want to mess with charcoal.

Is the temp gauge accurate on your WSM? I read some had problems with that.

 
Any recommendations on smokers? Electric vs. Gas

I was looking at the Masterbuilt Electric Smokehouse (30 or 40"). Don't want to spring for a Big Green Egg for the amount of smoking I actually do.

I prefer the cabinet type as opposed to the off set wood box smokers.
Have you looked at the Weber Smoky Mountain for basically half the price of the BGE (if you're willing to mess with charcoal)? love mine and use it virtually every weekend.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001I8ZTJ0/thevirtualweberb

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/
I have considered that one too. I don't think I want to mess with charcoal.

Is the temp gauge accurate on your WSM? I read some had problems with that.
I don't know for sure how accurate it is (haven't checked with a grill probe), but if it's off, at least it's consistently off.

I just go by the dome thermometer. They say the upper grill temp is slightly cooler (~25 degrees?) than the dome temp but I haven't had any unpleasant surprises in that regard. If mine is off by 25 degrees then I think that would be the max.

I know that generally when I smoke a butt for X hours at what it says is 250, I get roughly the same results as I did last month when I tried the same thing.

It also does a very good job of holding an maintaining a temp, IMO.

 
Any recommendations on smokers? Electric vs. Gas

I was looking at the Masterbuilt Electric Smokehouse (30 or 40"). Don't want to spring for a Big Green Egg for the amount of smoking I actually do.

I prefer the cabinet type as opposed to the off set wood box smokers.
Have you looked at the Weber Smoky Mountain for basically half the price of the BGE (if you're willing to mess with charcoal)? love mine and use it virtually every weekend.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001I8ZTJ0/thevirtualweberb

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/
I have considered that one too. I don't think I want to mess with charcoal.

Is the temp gauge accurate on your WSM? I read some had problems with that.
I don't know for sure how accurate it is (haven't checked with a grill probe), but if it's off, at least it's consistently off.

I just go by the dome thermometer. They say the upper grill temp is slightly cooler (~25 degrees?) than the dome temp but I haven't had any unpleasant surprises in that regard. If mine is off by 25 degrees then I think that would be the max.

I know that generally when I smoke a butt for X hours at what it says is 250, I get roughly the same results as I did last month when I tried the same thing.

It also does a very good job of holding an maintaining a temp, IMO.
yep. Hell back when I bought mine they didn't have dome therms built in so I went and bought two small aftermarket ones and drilled two holes in my weber. Added one about 3" above the lid seam (upper grate) and one about 4" below the lid seam (2nd grate). They're generally within 10-15 degrees of probe readings.

 
Has anyone tried to use tea as the smoking agent instead if wood?

I am going to be trying some Asianed flavored ribs on my Egg tomorrow and am going to try the tea method

Tea method: in a foil pouch, add tea leaves, ginger, orange peel and some uncooked rice; then close the pouch, make slits and toss onto lump

I am unsure what the uncooked rice is for but it appears to be included in the pouch in the few recipes I saw online.

 
Has anyone tried to use tea as the smoking agent instead if wood?

I am going to be trying some Asianed flavored ribs on my Egg tomorrow and am going to try the tea method

Tea method: in a foil pouch, add tea leaves, ginger, orange peel and some uncooked rice; then close the pouch, make slits and toss onto lump

I am unsure what the uncooked rice is for but it appears to be included in the pouch in the few recipes I saw online.
I have not tried this, but that sounds pretty awesome to me. How did it go?

 
OK, I think I've decided on a method for smoking prime rib. Curious if any of you have any input:

1. 1 day before, dry brine with salt in the fridge.

2. On day of cooking, dry it off and blowtorch it

3. Cover with high smoke point oil (canola or grapeseed) plus S&P. Considering adding some granulated garlic or maybe one more herb / spice, but may just let beef shine on its own.

4. Cook at 225 in my kamado grill, diffuser in place, with very light smoke (thinking oak first, apple or cherry if I can't find it easily)

5. When it reaches 105 or so, remove the diffuser and crank the heat up to 500 or so to impart crust

6. Pull at around 118-120. Rest for 30-40 minutes (8 lb roast). Would love a final temp of 128-130, on the rarer side of things.

7. Remove bones, separate them, and throw them back on grill at around 350-400 while we carve the rest of the roast and begin eating.

8. Pull ribs mid-meal and eat them.

 
Has anyone tried to use tea as the smoking agent instead if wood?

I am going to be trying some Asianed flavored ribs on my Egg tomorrow and am going to try the tea method

Tea method: in a foil pouch, add tea leaves, ginger, orange peel and some uncooked rice; then close the pouch, make slits and toss onto lump

I am unsure what the uncooked rice is for but it appears to be included in the pouch in the few recipes I saw online.
I have not tried this, but that sounds pretty awesome to me. How did it go?
I was over all very happy.

I changed 3 variables from my normal technique

1) used tea instead of wood

2) used a marinade instead of a dry rub

3) used an applesauce mixture instead of honey during the foil stage

The flavor of the tea smoke was very mild (which my wife very much liked as the wood smoke can be overpowering for her even when I use a small chunk

I got a much much more pronounced smoke ring than normal. I don't know if that has to do with the marinade or the tea

I did not like the applesauce mixture. It did not break down as I expected it would. I am going back to honey during the foil stage

The glaze was great but took some time to balance the sugar, juice and base teriyaki to get it how I wanted.

I was very happy how long the one tea packet I made continued to produce smoke. It was still putting out a small amount after the 5 hours was up.

I was more than happy enough to use tea again and to try it on different meats with other flavor profiles. I don't think the tea smoke always needs to be paired with Asian flavors as it appears to be mild enough to go with any flavor profile.

Overall I would recommend the tea for anyone looking for a milder smoke flavor than your normal fruit wood provides.

==========

Here are the steps I took for this cook

1) butcher ribs to the style you like and remove membrane.

2) make marinade: soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, ginger, garlic, sriracha sauce

3) marinate ribs for 2 hours

4) make foil tea packet: cut up 7 bags of tea, fresh ginger, brown sugar, orange peel and uncooked rice

5) set up egg for 250 indirect and put foil packet with slits on hot coals

6) cook ribs for 3 hours

7) wrap ribs in foil with an apple sauce, sriracha sauce mix, cook for 1 hour

8) heat glaze on stove top: garlic, ginger, teriyaki, pineapple juice and a little brown sugar, heat until all blended

9) after ribs have cooked one hour in foil, take out of foil and let cook unfoiled for one more hour

10) add glaze during last 30 minutes, finishing off with one coat of glaze during the end

 
Has anyone tried to use tea as the smoking agent instead if wood?

I am going to be trying some Asianed flavored ribs on my Egg tomorrow and am going to try the tea method

Tea method: in a foil pouch, add tea leaves, ginger, orange peel and some uncooked rice; then close the pouch, make slits and toss onto lump

I am unsure what the uncooked rice is for but it appears to be included in the pouch in the few recipes I saw online.
I have not tried this, but that sounds pretty awesome to me. How did it go?
I was over all very happy.

I changed 3 variables from my normal technique

1) used tea instead of wood

2) used a marinade instead of a dry rub

3) used an applesauce mixture instead of honey during the foil stage

The flavor of the tea smoke was very mild (which my wife very much liked as the wood smoke can be overpowering for her even when I use a small chunk

I got a much much more pronounced smoke ring than normal. I don't know if that has to do with the marinade or the tea

I did not like the applesauce mixture. It did not break down as I expected it would. I am going back to honey during the foil stage

The glaze was great but took some time to balance the sugar, juice and base teriyaki to get it how I wanted.

I was very happy how long the one tea packet I made continued to produce smoke. It was still putting out a small amount after the 5 hours was up.

I was more than happy enough to use tea again and to try it on different meats with other flavor profiles. I don't think the tea smoke always needs to be paired with Asian flavors as it appears to be mild enough to go with any flavor profile.

Overall I would recommend the tea for anyone looking for a milder smoke flavor than your normal fruit wood provides.

==========

Here are the steps I took for this cook

1) butcher ribs to the style you like and remove membrane.

2) make marinade: soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, ginger, garlic, sriracha sauce

3) marinate ribs for 2 hours

4) make foil tea packet: cut up 7 bags of tea, fresh ginger, brown sugar, orange peel and uncooked rice

5) set up egg for 250 indirect and put foil packet with slits on hot coals

6) cook ribs for 3 hours

7) wrap ribs in foil with an apple sauce, sriracha sauce mix, cook for 1 hour

8) heat glaze on stove top: garlic, ginger, teriyaki, pineapple juice and a little brown sugar, heat until all blended

9) after ribs have cooked one hour in foil, take out of foil and let cook unfoiled for one more hour

10) add glaze during last 30 minutes, finishing off with one coat of glaze during the end
Wet or moist meat will always have a more pronounced smoke ring

 
Wife wants me to do chicken breasts stuffed with cornbread stuffing for Christmas.

I've done stuffed chicken breasts before but not with the cornbread stuffing.

A) Anybody have a good cornbread stuffing recipe(preferably without chicken livers)?

B) Do i just mix it up and let it cook on the grill? (She also wants extra stuffing that would be served on the side. I figured that would be cooked separately)

 
I never cook for anyone eating small portions, and it seems like everyone likes the Parkay/honey/brown sugar ribs a lot. That has pretty much been my standard the past year or so. The combination of sweet, smoke, and heat really works well.
Tell me more about the heat. What are you using to add heat to the flavor profile? Chili powder in the rub? Other?
Yeah, chili powder and cayenne. Although lately I've been buying random rubs online and seeing what I like... I like the ones with a little heat. I also sauce at the end with something with a little heat.
I was just going to post a link to this guy's youtube videos. I have been following him for the last year. He also has additional videos on his website. Would LOVE to have one of those Yoder 480 smokers he has.

 
Got my prime rib thawing in the fridge. Commissary had it frozen because it was near its "sell by" date, and got it for $5.50/lb. Does anyone marinate theirs prior to smoking?

 
I never cook for anyone eating small portions, and it seems like everyone likes the Parkay/honey/brown sugar ribs a lot. That has pretty much been my standard the past year or so. The combination of sweet, smoke, and heat really works well.
Tell me more about the heat. What are you using to add heat to the flavor profile? Chili powder in the rub? Other?
Yeah, chili powder and cayenne. Although lately I've been buying random rubs online and seeing what I like... I like the ones with a little heat. I also sauce at the end with something with a little heat.
Malcom is the ####. I'm doing a prime rib on Tuesday, following his method here.

 
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Got my prime rib thawing in the fridge. Commissary had it frozen because it was near its "sell by" date, and got it for $5.50/lb. Does anyone marinate theirs prior to smoking?
I do not. I don't think it needs it.

I follow Malcom Reed's method. Turns out amazing every time.

Is it bad that the thing I'm looking forward to most at Christmas is the smoked prime rib?

 

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