Smoking Meat?

[spongella]

Smoked salmon and some pulled chicken the other day, good eatin'. Used apple chips.

 

[Ronnie-]

I had a stick burner before I bought my first pellet smoker which was a Traeger Junior (2013). With the tailgate kit if fits perfect in my motorhome. I also have a GMG Daniel Boone (2015) for home. I am now looking at a Masterbuilt Gravity Fed charcoal smoker for next year. It has controls like pellet smokers, but it burns charcoal along with small split logs of wood.

I came very close to getting the Gravity fed. They only had one in stock however, and it was the display model that had been sitting in home and garden for almost a year. It did show some weather degradation, and they had no mark down on it.

I do have a friend that has one, and he is pleased with it however.

 

[Comptech]

I use a Mastercraft electric, but found a new way for a pork butt with my pressure cooker. Marinate with the basics, not telling my marnade, but the usual salt, brown sugar, vinegar and spices for 24 hours. Put it in the insta pot with just a little brine and some water for a hour. then transfer it to the smoker for two to three hours very low heat. The meat comes out of the insta pot tender and not browned with a crust, already pretty tender and juicy, and ready to suck up the smoke and caramel coloring.

 

[TRG]

I had a stick burner before I bought my first pellet smoker which was a Traeger Junior (2013). With the tailgate kit if fits perfect in my motorhome. I also have a GMG Daniel Boone (2015) for home. I am now looking at a Masterbuilt Gravity Fed charcoal smoker for next year. It has controls like pellet smokers, but it burns charcoal along with small split logs of wood.

Perhaps I have a personality disorder or maybe I'm just old school. Maybe I'm just old. Don't get me wrong, I'm as close to bleeding edge as you can get with technology. I'd probably blow your mind with the technology that I deal with on a daily basis. From my work in decreasing geometries in the semiconductor industry, pushing the limits of silicon to the molecular level complications that challenge my work with some of the top national labs in the country. But when it comes to cooking I'm primal. Fire, heat and time. Sure there is some science involved. And yes, throwing meat into a Traeger and coming back 8 hours later sounds attractive. But there is a lot more to it than that.

I spent a lot of time in the deep south. With folks that take the time to season and prepare the meat, build the fire, tell the stories, listen to music, sip the local moonshine or brews and make some outstanding food. It's a process. It's tradition. And at the risk of sounding weird there is a certain amount of "love" involved too. Love that a 115vac plug, a temperature sensor, blue-tooth and computer control consistency cannot replicate.

I think that the part that Americans in this day and age lack is time. And maybe the, "love" part.

Anyway, that's my rant of the day. Take the time. Slow down. It's worth it.

 

[reubenray]

Perhaps I have a personality disorder or maybe I'm just old school. Maybe I'm just old. Don't get me wrong, I'm as close to bleeding edge as you can get with technology. I'd probably blow your mind with the technology that I deal with on a daily basis. From my work in decreasing geometries in the semiconductor industry, pushing the limits of silicon to the molecular level complications that challenge my work with some of the top national labs in the country. But when it comes to cooking I'm primal. Fire, heat and time. Sure there is some science involved. And yes, throwing meat into a Traeger and coming back 8 hours later sounds attractive. But there is a lot more to it than that.

I spent a lot of time in the deep south. With folks that take the time to season and prepare the meat, build the fire, tell the stories, listen to music, sip the local moonshine or brews and make some outstanding food. It's a process. It's tradition. And at the risk of sounding weird there is a certain amount of "love" involved too. Love that a 115vac plug, a temperature sensor, blue-tooth and computer control consistency cannot replicate.

I think that the part that Americans in this day and age lack is time. And maybe the, "love" part.

Anyway, that's my rant of the day. Take the time. Slow down. It's worth it.

I am not one of these that depend on apps to see how the meat is being smoked. My wife and I love to sit outside drinking a few drinks (or more) while the smoker is working. Most of my neighbors can tell when I have something on the smoker and unless the weather is bad we are sitting outside on our patio. Most of the time neighbors will show up to see what is smoking. We even set out there on Christmas day when some beef dinosaur bones was smoking and the temperature was only in the low 40's.

 

[navychop]

My prep for pork butt takes 19-24 hours. That's a lot of drinking!

 

[klang]

My prep for pork butt takes 19-24 hours.

For brisket too. Why I gave up on my stickburner.

 

[navychop]

Just got back from Shopper's (before they go under), as SWMBO said they had sales she wanted to take advantage of.

I got a bit excited when I saw off in the middle distance big chunks of pork, $1.49/lb. Sadly, it was "picnic." I doubt I'll ever see 98 cents/lb pork butt again. $1.49 would be nice, but not for the fake stuff- "picnic."

 

[reubenray]

My prep for pork butt takes 19-24 hours. That's a lot of drinking!

I usually don't do the drinking until the end to guard whatever I have smoking.

 

[AlanParker1989]

Thank you for the cool recipes and sites with recipes, today they just brought me this wonderful thing and now I will also be doing cooking! It must be divinely delicious!

 

[dfergie]

Stopped by a moving sale down the road this morning, saw an Oklahoma Joe Bronco Drum Smoker for $100... Priced online ($399 - $679) went back and snagged this afternoon, too windy to cook this weekend.

 

[navychop]

Congratulations.

 

[dfergie]

First cook in the Oklahoma Joe, pork butt & St Louis ribs... Fired it up around 6:40, put meat on around 7.

 

[osu1991]

Marinated a side of salmon overnight with gin and sprinkle of salt and sugar. About to light the smoker. Only takes a few hours to smoke these at 225-230ish with apple wood.

 

[dfergie]

Ribs were really good, had to pull the butt early so finished in instant pot when we got home this evening. Pulled and mixed some with green chile's and made burritos out of most of it...

 

[reubenray]

I smoked three slabs of St. Louis style ribs for Easter on my Smokin Brothers 36PP pellet smoker. They were outstanding.

Two days before I smoked four pounds of bacon. I put these in freezer bags to take out when wanted.

 

[dfergie]

2 baby back racks on the Oklahoma Joe, put on at 8:15, just pulled and wrapped in foil to finish up for an hour depending on temp...
Rub :
SPGO
Mesquite seasoning
A few mesquite chunks and a short pecan limb in with charcoal.

 

[navychop]

Lump or bricks?

 

[dfergie]

Mainly lump, scattered briquets... Applied homemade sauce and put on grill with for 30 minutes before pulling and resting for about 45 minutes... Good Stuff!
Sauce:
Whataburger Ketchup
French's Mustard
Brown sugar
Apple cider vinegar
Lemon juice
dash of Worcestershire & teriyaki sauce

 

[TRG]

I went to a friends house last weekend and had some delicious smoked meats that he smoked on his Traeger. Now I have the new grill bug. Likely a pellet smoker. If you read my rant above (2020) you'll see that my opinion on how it should be done has flipped 180 degrees.