Smokers (BBQ - not grilling)

[Fred W]

Black walnut is gold to a woodworker. You are a lucky guy.

Oh, and your butts looked awesome. Subjecting your poor wife to BBQ teasing is something you will need to atone for some day. Bad enough to be anticipating the joys of a colonoscopy prep. But to do that with the smell of some great pulled pork in the air is nearly criminal.

 

[Knifemaker]

I apologized profusely before I even began. Every time I came back inside after standing around the pit she'd come up and smell me...saying although she couldn't partake in the meat it was still great to enjoy the smell....perhaps we have an idea for a new cologne? . Would drive me nuts for sure.

My wife, being retired, has a little side "business" making stuff from local wood, repurposing old furniture, and creating interesting art pieces using various stuff she finds at flea markets and such...like these cedar stools/tables:

That is why the garage is filled with wood. When I retire I'll be joining in, making stuff with that walnut.

 

[Knifemaker]

Just a post note... I think because I was inundated with smoke from the drum Sunday and being worn out from yard work....my taste buds were not as receptive to the pork that night. Today, back at work two days later, I had some for lunch (pulled from the freezer this morning) just a clump of it heated up in the microwave then put on plain bread with a touch more Baby Rays sauce.

The smoke flavor was intense...and I mean that in a good way. It was just awesome. I'm thinking my use of using both wood chips and wood chunks is what did the trick.

Definitely going to keep this practice up in the drum.

Examining the charcoal basket it almost looks as if the charcoal petered out due to drippings from the meat. Also noticed about 2-3 cups of water in the bottom of the drum. Am guessing this is normal for a long cook?

Anyway feeling really really lucky I still have a few weeks supply of the pulled pork waiting for me in the freezer

 

[Bounce]

That's my experience too. I'm also convinced that it's because my head is in the smoker/smoked product enough that I don't taste the fullness of that flavor until the next day.

 

[Knifemaker]

My son in law says he can build me a digital thermostatically controlled switch. So, it looks like I'm going to be making my own stoker

I can buy a blower from BBQ Guru for $45.00, but they want $25.00 for the "3/4" ball joint coupler". I will look into building my own fan unit first.

 

[Bounce]

Ribs (no rub, just salt and pepper). Great smoke flavor. 4 hours on. No wrap.

Smoked corn on the cob, baked potatoes. All really good. The dark area on the bottom half of the rib (on the plate) isn't shadow. It's smoke ring.

 

[Knifemaker]

I figure you can grill just about everything and likely you can smoke just about anything too. Found this online...smoked meatloaf:

https://www.grillseeker.com/2017/09/smoked-meat-loaf/

 

[Fred W]

Weather was nice and cool for a change today. Knocked out a couple of racks of baby backs this afternoon on the OK Joe, smoked with straight hickory wood splits. Ate one rack for dinner and tossed the second one into the chest freezer for later. Sorry, no photos, but you’ve all seen enough of my ribs to know what they look like.

 

[Bustanut joker]

Been to got damned warm and muggy here to piss with smoking, except for dope.

I'm not environmentally conscious/ friendly so I burn shit that burns in the firepit.

Hotdogs and chicken over a burning pile of tires will get your attention and the tree huggers who call da cops!

Pissed me off no end when they arrived without beer.

 

[Bounce]

I figure you can grill just about everything and likely you can smoke just about anything too. Found this online...smoked meatloaf: https://www.grillseeker.com/2017/09/smoked-meat-loaf/

This too

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1197134/smoked-cream-cheese

 

[Knifemaker]

Last rack of baby backs for dinner out from the freezer.

Looks like I'll be doing another cook to replace maybe next weekend....

 

[Fred W]

Man, those baby backs look fabulous. And being reheated I know they are usually even better the second time around.

Went to a local butcher shop a couple days ago and scored a few nice cuts. Got a plate of beef back ribs (what they call their longhorn ribs to differentiate them from the short ribs) and Im cooking those up today. The rack is about a foot wide, made up of 7 ribs, the short end being 5-6 inches and the longer end being 8-10.

Was going to do them on the drum smoker, so I could set it and forget it, but got my chores done this morning (oil change on FJR and new rear tire on Strom) so I opted to go with the stick burner. Using some maple and red oak off my cordwood pile. The cordwood is in a little shed I built from free pallets with a shingled roof, so its nice and dry, and making some nice sweet smoke. So far so good. Im about 4 hours in and figure on about another hour or so, plus rest time.

Being something I dont cook too often Ill be sure to nab some BBQ pR0n and post it up for you all.

 

[BigOgre]

Was going to do them on the drum smoker, so I could set it and forget it, but got my chores done this morning (oil change on FJR and new rear tire on Strom) so I opted to go with the stick burner. Using some maple and red oak off my cordwood pile. The cordwood is in a little shed I built from free pallets with a shingled roof, so its nice and dry, and making some nice sweet smoke. So far so good. Im about 4 hours in and figure on about another hour or so, plus rest time.

Bourbon should definitely be involved with this.

 

[Fred W]

It should, but it wasn’t, at least not yet.

I had a Harpoon Flannel Friday this afternoon while watching the fire, followed by my regularly prescribed double dose of Gordon’s dry Martini on the rocks once the sun got over the yard arm.

The ribs are still resting waiting for SWMBO to get back home. Based on smell, they will be delicious!

 

[Bounce]

Raining here all week like it was Vietnam. No outdoor anything.

 

[Fred W]

The results were spectacular.

That's a really big serving fork there. I haven't had such good results on beef ribs ever in the past. I credit it to cooking with wood and being patient. Great stuff.

 

[Knifemaker]

Those look great Fred. You use a Dalmatian rub on them? How long were they in the smoker? I've been looking around for some good short ribs here. As much beef that is usually available they seem hard to find for some reason. Or just regular back ribs with some meat on them.

We are having rain here too, so rib cook postponed. I'd like to throw on a rack of beef ribs along with the pork. We have a butcher that can get me almost anything but $$ is much higher than say Walmart. Will start looking around this week.

 

[Fred W]

Yeah, I went with the Texas Dalmatian rub (Kosher salt day before, lots of course black pepper just before cooking). These were Back Ribs, which are pretty hard to find around here. Normally these ribs are attached to a rib eye steak. Only time you get the rack of ribs is when the butcher removed the whole rib eye to cut into boneless steaks or a roast.

Even though I found these at a butcher shop, the ribs were very reasonably priced. The whole rack was only about $12. The 6 lb brisket flat that I scored on the same shopping trip was a whole lot more money. That will be for some company were having next Friday.

I also grabbed a couple of boneless pork butts and 2 slabs of pork belly to grind up some fresh breakfast sausage. Down to our last 1/2 lb log from the last time I made it. I just roll the sausage into 1 lb logs and wrap with wax paper then freeze.

 

[biknflyfisher]

I had toyed with the idea of going up to Kings Canyon Nat. Park to fly fish today, but as the weather will be so nice at home I decided to throw a tri-tip on the ol’ Brinkmann smoker.

It’s been pre-rubbed by the market where I bought it with Pappy’s seasoning, but then I liberally applied salt, pepper and more Pappy’s!

I’ll put it on at noon, and by 5:30 it will be ready to rest.....

Beefeater and tonics start about 4:30, JSNS......

 

[Fred W]

Ive heard about you left coast guys and your tri-tips. And Ive seen a few in the butchers case. Whats the idea with those? Is it a full, low and slow up to over 200F to get it tender, or is it more of a smoke roast to normal roast beef temps for medium rare, medium, rare, etc.?

That cut isnt particularly prevalent, nor cheap, around here. Just curious what you do with it.