Smokers (BBQ - not grilling)

[Knifemaker]

Only smoking I'm doing, is cigars...till I get home from Mexico

You can bring back up to $100 worth of Cubans without paying any duty.

(Smoked quite a few when we were there last month)

 

[El Toro Joe]

Only smoking I'm doing, is cigars...till I get home from Mexico

You can bring back up to $100 worth of Cubans without paying any duty.(Smoked quite a few when we were there last month)

I did pick up a couple...Partagas Series "D" #4, and a Cohiba Siglo VI.

Also picked up one of these, at the Duty Free...

 

[gapiob]

I like partagas too, but I prefert cigar from Honduras "Flor de Selva" or flor de copan, with an old cognac

 

[Bounce]

Ooo! I forgot that trade has opened with Cuba. I have 2 humidors that are still too full to need to order more yet but when I do...

Anyone tried enough since the embargo has lifted who are able to say (with any certainty) if the rush for product has caused (at least a temporary) drop in quality?

 

[Knifemaker]

Quality of Cubans likely has dropped through the years, don't think there is any "rush in production" since the embargo was lifted. As far as I understand it, you still can't buy Cubans in US shops.

Seriously I think from what I sampled, Cuban cigars aren't what they used to be, only because places like Nicaragua, Honduras and the Dominican Republic have had all that time to produce some high quality cigars.

The true Cubans I smoked in Mexico were in my view over priced, and not any better than what the other countries are producing.

JMHO

(Realize this is kinda off topic, I do remember starting a thread years back on scotch and cigars that this could be moved to, but couldn't find it..)

 

[gapiob]

I completely agree with this analysis. In France, we have always had Cuban cigars. I find partagas and cohibas in a tobacco shop 200 meters from the house. But the value tipped in recent years in favor of other countries. IMHO, Cuban stayed excelents, but too valuated. I find that their price has increased since 3 4 years (at least in France).

 

[Knifemaker]

At the resort we stayed at in Mexico, they had two "Mexican Culture" nights in the main plaza while we were there.

Little booths with Art, crafts, that kind of thing. One however was sponsored by the resorts Cigar Bar, that had a man rolling cigars while you watched. I bought one and smoked it there while enjoying the music. The cigar was actually quite good. I went back and asked about them, he was selling small boxes of them. I asked what tobacco he was using, he pulled up a thick burlap bag that he said was from Cuba. The writing on the bag seemed to support this. Appearently, you can buy (in Mexico) bags of Cuban tobacco for a fraction of the cost of a real Cuban cigar.

As the cigars are in produced in Mexico, there's no issue with paying a duty as you would with Cuban cigars I was told. I bought a box to bring back (and have since smoked them all)

I have since learned, that bulk tobacco trade is common, an that many of my favorite cigars are not made with 100% of the tobaccos of that particular region. For example a cigar that says "Handmade in Nicaragua" may use to tobaccos from Honduras, Equador, etc..for the various parts of a cigar (the filler, the wrapper, or the binder)

However, commercial traders are still is not allowed to import in the US cigars made with Cuban tobacco that are "assembled" in another country. So even my Mexican/Cuban cigars can only bet got by going to Mexico to get them...

 

[Warpdrv]

Hahahh no one will accuse you guys of taking this off topic - still smokin !!! LOL

 

[Fred W]

Rainy day yesterday, so I put up the rain fly and smoked up a couple of 5 lb Perdue chickens that were on sale for a buck a pound. Nothing too fancy on the prep, just rubbed them down with a little oil and then sprinkled some nice dry rub just before slapping them onto the grille. I included salt in the rub this time since I didn't brine them at overnight.

Cooked on the OK Joe with what remained in the charcoal basket from when I did the ribs a couple weeks ago and, supplemented that with some dry cherry wood splits for the smoke and added fuel.

Came out really nice. I'm really starting to gel with that OK Joe pit.

Carved up one for dinner, and kept the other for sammiches thru the week. Note the drink of choice on a rainy Saturday afternoon. Mint Julep with home grown spearmint leaves.

 

[Knifemaker]

Not a fan of Mint Juleps, but dat chicken looks good. Not sure if I've come completely comfortable with my smoker yet, but noticed on the last few cooks I was more relaxed with the whole process, and better at hitting my target tempatures with less fiddling.

We got a big reunion thing here in two weeks, I'm going to try my hand at some of those baby backs (if I can find some) and will be doing at least two pork loins.

None of the store here carry fresh baby backs, just pre-packaged ones from lord knows where. All the pork ribs they sell are Saint Louis cuts (go figure ) Luckily, if no luck at the usual meat markets, the wife is friends with a couple that own a rather well known pig farm. I think if I put an order in this week they might be able to help us out.

 

[Fred W]

I've been getting the cryovac ribs (from a couple of different brand name packers) at the local chain discount supermarket (DeMoulas Market Basket) and had some pretty good luck with them. We don't get very good fresh meat anywhere in the northeast unless you go to a butcher shop and pay out the ying-yang. In fact the last time I did go to the fancy butcher shop and bought their "fresh" pork ribs they were inferior to the cryovac ones.

We get mostly the baby backs or the whole (spare) ribs here in those packages. Don't see many St Louis cut, but then... unlike you, I am no where near St Louis.

 

[Blind Squirrel]

I am a fan of cryovac meat because it allows me to wet age. I will wet age a brisket up to 60 days. I have seen a report that claims you can wet age pork loin up to 14 days. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20416685 Not sure if wet aging ribs or butt would work or not.

 

[ionbeam]

Don't see many St Louis cut, but then... unlike you, I am no where near St Louis.

The Prime Butcher either in Atkinson or Windham and at Hannafords. The Prime Butcher in Atkinson is better but as you point out, you pay when go to a specialty shop Did some St Louis ribs over the 4th, they wuz good!

 

[Knifemaker]

My only issue with the cryovac bags of baby backs here is that they don't look to have a lot of meat on them. Yes, a bit hard to tell the way they are packaged, but I've seen baby backs with a good measure of loin meat on them and I've seen ones that look kinda thin.

The wife wants me to do the baby backs, I just want to make sure the amount of meat they hold will make the effort worthwhile. I think the concept of wet aging is important for a large hunk of meat, but given the shelf life of ribs at the local store, I don't see that as a big concern. I'm more concerned over the eater to rib ratio. I've eaten an entire rack of baby backs all by myself with no problem, so cooking for a large group I just want to be sure I've got enough meat for everyone.

 

[ChrisCo]

Dang, Fred -- That chicken looks good! How long did you let it sit on the OKJ?

Aw, great. Now I'm hungry...again...

 

[Fred W]

My only issue with the cryovac bags of baby backs here is that they don't look to have a lot of meat on them. Yes, a bit hard to tell the way they are packaged, but I've seen baby backs with a good measure of loin meat on them and I've seen ones that look kinda thin.
The wife wants me to do the baby backs, I just want to make sure the amount of meat they hold will make the effort worthwhile.

The BB ribs I've been getting tend to be meatier at the small end, but there is still a good amount of meat on the longer ones up toward the spine ends. I've seen a couple of different cryo vac'd brands at the market. Some that have two full racks in a bag and some with only one. Both are sold by the pound so I prefer the single packs so I can see the rack well when choosing it. The ones that double them up tend to hide an inferior rack behind a good one.

I too have eaten a full rack of baby back ribs myself, but that was in a different era of gluttony. With my family there are some big eaters and some dainty ones, but all of us are somewhat health conscious and would never jam our intestines with an entire rack of ribs. I cooked up the three full racks for Father's Day when there were 8 adults and one 9 year old eating them, and we still had some left at the end. I guess you'd have to know your eaters to guess how much they'll eat.

Dang, Fred -- That chicken looks good! How long did you let it sit on the OKJ?
Aw, great. Now I'm hungry...again...

Thanks. There were two of the 5 lb birds, and I ran the pit hotter than normal (maybe 275ish) for cooking the poultry. I'd guess they were on there for about 4 hours. I pulled them off when both had reached 165F in the thickest part of breasts, wrapped them in foil and towels into the faux cambrio (empty cooler) to rest for an hour before dinner.

Getting some nice sammies out of bird #2 this week.

 

[Knifemaker]

The Baby Backs you mentioned dry brining overnight. So the cryovac bags have no salt solution in them?

Hard to tell by the photos, but looks like the BB's I've seen here weren't that big. Guess I'll try shopping around, and if I don't find ones that satisfy me, I'll call the pig farm...

 

[Fred W]

No they are not in any sort of salt solution. Just plain ribs in cryovac bags.

There are several brands of precooked baby backs in cryovac, all sauced up and ready to eat. Lloyd's is the big one. Of course those do not compare to what you can make with 5-6 hours of quality time on your smoker.

 

[08FJR4ME]

Fred,

We planted some mint in the garden last year. It is growing like weeds. My wife learned how to make a great Mojito drink with it. Not sure if it winters over up there in NH.

Dave

 

[Fred W]

Funny... Josie wanted me to make Mojitos with the mint, but I didn't have any rum in the designated booze cabinet.

I always have at least a few kinds of bourbon on hand, so Juleps it was.