Smokers (BBQ - not grilling)

[sloppy]

I have had both the Big Green Egg and a Kamado Joe. One was no different that the other. (Ford n Chevy). The Joe was a lot cheaper. The next grill I get will be a pellet smoker no doubt. I still have the Joe and the BBQ is out of sight but I love the idea of fire and forget.

 

[Blind Squirrel]

Yeah, did a search around here, can’t find a store that sells Lumberjack pellets locally.
Can only find them online.

Same here. I'll have to order a bag up and give them a try.

 

[Fred W]

The beef jerky smoking went really well yesterday. I had marinated the trimmed sliced beef strips overnight in a jumbo ziplock bag in the fridge, roughly following Alton Brown’s recipe. Laid the strips out on paper toweling for an hour to absorb most the surface moisture, then arranged them on four of the expanded aluminum grill toppers you can buy at Wally World. Fired up the PBV (Pit Boss Vertical) and slid the loaded toppers onto the top 4 grates.

With my Smoke thermometer probe on the center rack I was only getting about 130 degrees with the PBV temperature dial set to 150. It may be due to the relatively low ambient temps at this time of year, but I‘d rather it to be running too low vs. too high. Smoked them for about 3 hours at that setting, then jacked the temperature up to the 175 setting, and was seeing about 155 on the smoke, for the last hour or so.

Came out very tasty.

 

[TomInPA]

I have been using the Hickory, Oak, Maple Cherry blend from Sam's Club. Good price and nice smoke results.

 

[Knifemaker]

Same here. I'll have to order a bag up and give them a try.

Looks like they ship:
https://www.stlbbqstore.com/

 

[biknflyfisher]

Hey Knife - I’m going to make a batch of your 6 bean chili tomorrow. I have a smoked tri-tip in the freezer that’s now thawing for the meat component.
I have done your chili several times and it’s an outstanding recipe.
Biknflyfisher

 

[Knifemaker]

^ Thanks. The only way to make it better is to use smoked brisket instead of the tri-tip. (That got me first place award in a chili cook off)
I’ve tried chopped sirloin, but being so lean, it seems to toughen up while cooking.
Have thought of trying cut up chicken thighs, but not sure I’d like it.

 

[Blind Squirrel]

Same here. I'll have to order a bag up and give them a try.

Walmart has them online. Ordered a 20# bag of the Hickory. $31.62 delivered to my door .

---

 

[Knifemaker]

One day short of 14 days in the refrigerator, we tried a sample of the smoked Havarti.
The smoke smell was pretty intense unwrapping the two layers of plastic wrap. My hands highly perfumed with the smoke smell from just handling it.
Taste was quite good. The outer edges a bit strong, but the inner “meat” of the cheese had a good smoked flavor and didn’t over power the actual taste of the cheese. I’ll likely let the other two cheeses (sharp cheddar and Gruyère) mellow another week or two. Maybe break them open on Christmas.
Definitely looking forward to putting some of the cheddar on a burger.

 

[Bounce]

I am tasked with home made bread for xmas dinner. I am pondering the known-reliable "cheesy" variant vs the accidental "ugly bread" which had so much cheese in it didn't rise consistently. Looked awful. Tasted maaaahvelous. Either way, my process requires a test run each time to make sure I've dialed in for the weather (baking and humidity)... boo hoo since most are edible but less-than-presentable on the first try.

 

[Knifemaker]

Ah, skip the work…the kneading, the waiting to rise…just make:


Beer bread.

3 cups self rising flour (sifted)

Three tbs sugar

tsp salt

One Beer...

Mix well in a bowl then pour into a greased bead pan. Bake at 375 for 20 -25 min.

To make a crispy crust, pour a 1/4 cup of melted butter on top before baking.

For a cheesy bread, add 1 cup shredded cheddar to the mix.

 

[Bounce]

Kneading? We don't need kneading. It's all in the machine.

 

[Knifemaker]

So by homemade you mean machine made…

Shouldn’t that be “Kneading? We don nied no steee-king kneeeeding”

 

[Bounce]

Made at home. My hands put the ingredients in and my brain has to adjust amounts for conditions (baking, ammirite?). So both home made and hand made. LOL

 

[wingshot]

My smoking journey over the past 2 years has been from a Bullet briquette to a Sportsman gas and now to a Traeger pellet.

I would like to thank you all for the on going discussion that I read on a regular basis for my education.

Question for the hive mind, have any of you used the smoke tube to get better smoke when using a gas or pellet smoker?

 

[Knifemaker]

By smoke tube I’m assuming y you ou mean like the A-maze~ing thing. Interesting idea.
I’d likely use it with my gas grill, if cooking something slowly. Not sure if it be much different than those smoking boxes the sell for grills.
By better smoke I guess you mean more. Perhaps useful for a short cook like a pork tenderloin.

 

[Blind Squirrel]

Okay. The pellets arrived. This morning I gave my smoker a decent clean out and replaced the pellets I had in there with the pellets Fred suggested (Hickory). I'm doing a standing rib roast to try them out. I'll report back (with a picture) to let everyone know what I think of the pellets.

 

[Knifemaker]

^ still waiting for the results….

 

[Blind Squirrel]

Right at 3 hours @ 250 degrees. Pulled it when it when the probe hit just below medium (138 degrees). Noticeably better smoke flavor. Next I'll do some ribs and report on them when I do. Thanks Fred!

 

[Bounce]

Hauled out the bread machine. As always, test runs are required. First try... dead (old) yeast. It's always something. Still have 7 days to smooth out the process.