Just got my first smoker

[jfkbengals]

(02-26-2021, 04:44 PM)Sled21 Wrote: Pellets are made and sold out of specific woods... pecan, hickory, peach, apple, mesquite, etc.  I doubt "dope smoke" would be a very good tasting smoke.

There are dope flavored spirits out there, so if people enjoy the flavor drinking it they just might enjoy food smoked with it.

We need a stoner to suspend a bite of meat in their bong while they hit it, then let us know how it tastes afterwards!

[WeezyBengal]

(02-27-2021, 11:48 PM)bfine32 Wrote: They look great. Did you soak them in a brine? 

Nope, just did a rub on the outside. 

[*bfine32*]

(02-28-2021, 01:31 PM)WeezyBengal Wrote: Nope, just did a rub on the outside. 

I'm no expert but I've been told the most important thing to smoking poultry is to soak it in a brine. It breaks down the muscles and allows the smoke/juices to infiltrate better. I recently did a Turkey and there was no comparison between baking and smoking. Given it was the first time I ever soaked on and spatchcocked. Perhaps next time I do one in the overn I'll try that method. 

[MileHighGrowler]

(02-28-2021, 02:30 PM)bfine32 Wrote: I'm no expert but I've been told the most important thing to smoking poultry is to soak it in a brine. It breaks down the muscles and allows the smoke/juices to infiltrate better. I recently did a Turkey and there was no comparison between baking and smoking. Given it was the first time I ever soaked on and spatchcocked. Perhaps next time I do one in the overn I'll try that method. 

Brining a turkey makes a huge difference whether it's smoked or oven-roasted.  Wet brine or dry brine both work.  I've had nothing but moist birds since I started brining them all about 10 years ago. 

[WeezyBengal]

(02-28-2021, 02:30 PM)bfine32 Wrote: I'm no expert but I've been told the most important thing to smoking poultry is to soak it in a brine. It breaks down the muscles and allows the smoke/juices to infiltrate better. I recently did a Turkey and there was no comparison between baking and smoking. Given it was the first time I ever soaked on and spatchcocked. Perhaps next time I do one in the overn I'll try that method. 

I had no issues with how tender and juicy it was. That part was fine. The cutting board was soaked. 

For me, it was just the payoff and yield maybe wasn't worth all the effort it took to smoke it rather than just put a couple chicken breasts in the over. This is coming from a guy who doesn't really like dark meat too. 

[fredtoast]

Any of you guys ever smoked corned beef?

Have any of you ever brined a brisket to make it corned beef?

I LOVE pastrami.  Isn't that just smoked corned beef?  Or is there another step involved?  

My parents raised their own beef.  I always wanted to try to make my own corned beef, but the meat was already frozen by the time my parents got it back from the slaughterhouse.  I didn't think thawed frozen meat would work as good as fresh.  Then one time they slaughtered and processed a calf themselves that had broken its leg.  They ground the entire thing into hamburger.  But I took a couple of large roast cuts and got a brine recipe and instructions off the internet.  I don't know what I did wrong but the stuff was too salty to eat.  I tried soaking the brine out of it, but nothing worked.  It ended up as dog food.

Funniest part of the story was my attempts to buy saltpeter (potassium nitrate).  Every place I asked about it they wanted to know what I wanted it for.  I guess they thought I was trying to make explosives.

[*michaelsean*]

(03-01-2021, 02:40 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Any of you guys ever smoked corned beef?

Have any of you ever brined a brisket to make it corned beef?

I LOVE pastrami.  Isn't that just smoked corned beef?  Or is there another step involved?  

My parents raised their own beef.  I always wanted to try to make my own corned beef, but the meat was already frozen by the time my parents got it back from the slaughterhouse.  I didn't think thawed frozen meat would work as good as fresh.  Then one time they slaughtered and processed a calf themselves that had broken its leg.  They ground the entire thing into hamburger.  But I took a couple of large roast cuts and got a brine recipe and instructions off the internet.  I don't know what I did wrong but the stuff was too salty to eat.  I tried soaking the brine out of it, but nothing worked.  It ended up as dog food.

Funniest part of the story was my attempts to buy saltpeter (potassium nitrate).  Every place I asked about it they wanted to know what I wanted it for.  I guess they thought I was trying to make explosives.

I think pastrami is smoked, but I don’t think it’s just smoked corned beef.

[Sled21]

(03-01-2021, 02:40 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Any of you guys ever smoked corned beef?

Have any of you ever brined a brisket to make it corned beef?

I LOVE pastrami.  Isn't that just smoked corned beef?  Or is there another step involved?  

My parents raised their own beef.  I always wanted to try to make my own corned beef, but the meat was already frozen by the time my parents got it back from the slaughterhouse.  I didn't think thawed frozen meat would work as good as fresh.  Then one time they slaughtered and processed a calf themselves that had broken its leg.  They ground the entire thing into hamburger.  But I took a couple of large roast cuts and got a brine recipe and instructions off the internet.  I don't know what I did wrong but the stuff was too salty to eat.  I tried soaking the brine out of it, but nothing worked.  It ended up as dog food.

Funniest part of the story was my attempts to buy saltpeter (potassium nitrate).  Every place I asked about it they wanted to know what I wanted it for.  I guess they thought I was trying to make explosives.

Never made corned beef, and to tell the truth I've never even heard of anyone brining beef. I've seen it injected, and I inject pork butts, but bringing beef is a new concept to me....

[fredtoast]

(03-01-2021, 07:31 PM)michaelsean Wrote: I think pastrami is smoked, but I don’t think it’s just smoked corned beef.

It has a spiced dry rub for flavor, but there could be more.

I think it is also boiled or steamed after smoking.

[fredtoast]

(03-01-2021, 07:43 PM)Sled21 Wrote: Never made corned beef, and to tell the truth I've never even heard of anyone brining beef. I've seen it injected, and I inject pork butts, but bringing beef is a new concept to me....

Not exactly like brined for cooking/smoking, but brined for preserving like the way they turn pork into ham.

[MileHighGrowler]

(03-01-2021, 07:55 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Not exactly like brined for cooking/smoking, but brined for preserving like the way they turn pork into ham.

I've never made corned beef, but it is brisket cured in a brine.  Pickled would be another way to look at it, I guess.  

If you smoke that corned beef, it will become pastrami.  Which is just more steps than I can to go through to make a sandwich, no matter how good it tastes.  Curing and then smoking is a lot of time if you're making it from a fresh brisket.  Probably a 6 day project from start to finish.  I'm impatient enough for a 18-hour smoke 

[*michaelsean*]

(03-01-2021, 07:52 PM)fredtoast Wrote: It has a spiced dry rub for flavor, but there could be more.

I also think it is also boiled or steamed after smoking.

I guess it is smoked corned beef.

[fredtoast]

(03-01-2021, 08:50 PM)MileHighGrowler Wrote: I've never made corned beef, but it is brisket cured in a brine.  Pickled would be another way to look at it, I guess.  

If you smoke that corned beef, it will become pastrami.  Which is just more steps than I can to go through to make a sandwich, no matter how good it tastes.  Curing and then smoking is a lot of time if you're making it from a fresh brisket.  Probably a 6 day project from start to finish.  I'm impatient enough for a 18-hour smoke 

Yeah, you would have to be a huge pastrami fan to go to all that trouble.

If I had a smoker I'd buy a corned beef brisket that is already cured just to give it a try.  But to guys who smoke it seems like picking the spices/rubs/sauces and prepping the meat themselves is half of the fun

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

Just got some jobs so will be making some good dough this year and I am going to buy me one of those Green
Mountain Grills soon. Just have to say that this is a great thread, one of the best ever. The king thread of smoker's.

So much info, thanks everyone.

[Sled21]

(02-23-2021, 03:41 PM)michaelsean Wrote: Just caught one of his videos which I believe is new. He’s suggesting one of Franklin’s secrets is putting tallow on the butcher paper when he wraps, and then when it comes off, wrapping it again for the rest with more tallow on the paper.

I saw a guy posting about this on one of the BBQ forums I visit. He was recently at Franklin's, and got to go back into the kitchen and talk to Aaron and his GM. They do not use beef tallow, and they do not rewrap anytime in the process. The reason their briskets are so moist is he uses high humidity warmers where the briskets sit at 140 for 8-12 hours after coming off the smoker. They take the briskets off at midnight, put them in the high humidity warmer and let them self baste until they open at 11 the following morning. So, if you want a brisket like Franklin makes, stop buying tallow and save up for a $5000.00+ humidity controlled warming oven.

[*michaelsean*]

(03-12-2021, 12:42 PM)Sled21 Wrote: I saw a guy posting about this on one of the BBQ forums I visit. He was recently at Franklin's, and got to go back into the kitchen and talk to Aaron and his GM. They do not use beef tallow, and they do not rewrap anytime in the process. The reason their briskets are so moist is he uses high humidity warmers where the briskets sit at 140 for 8-12 hours after coming off the smoker. They take the briskets off at midnight, put them in the high humidity warmer and let them self baste until they open at 11 the following morning. So, if you want a brisket like Franklin makes, stop buying tallow and save up for a $5000.00+ humidity controlled warming oven.

We will see what our friend in Denver says when he tries it. May not be the secret, but it may still be a good idea.

[MileHighGrowler]

(03-12-2021, 03:08 PM)michaelsean Wrote: We will see what our friend in Denver says when he tries it. May not be the secret, but it may still be a good idea.

I'd planned to give it a try this weekend, but 3 feet of snow coming in has me delaying... hopefully next weekend!  

I think it's guaranteed to make a difference and be a good idea.  It's the same school of thought that has burger places cooking their burgers in tallow on the flat top (which I WILL be trying this weekend).  Added flavor, added juiciness.  And a hell of a lot cheaper than a humidity controlled warming oven 

[*michaelsean*]

(03-12-2021, 03:41 PM)MileHighGrowler Wrote: I'd planned to give it a try this weekend, but 3 feet of snow coming in has me delaying... hopefully next weekend!  

I think it's guaranteed to make a difference and be a good idea.  It's the same school of thought that has burger places cooking their burgers in tallow on the flat top (which I WILL be trying this weekend).  Added flavor, added juiciness.  And a hell of a lot cheaper than a humidity controlled warming oven 

Living in Colorado looks awesome but I’m not sure I want to live where snow is measured in feet rather than inches.

[Sled21]

(03-12-2021, 03:08 PM)michaelsean Wrote: We will see what our friend in Denver says when he tries it. May not be the secret, but it may still be a good idea.

I'm not saying it won't help, just that it's not what Franklin does, as suggested in the Mad Scientist's video.

[MileHighGrowler]

(03-12-2021, 04:23 PM)michaelsean Wrote: Living in Colorado looks awesome but I’m not sure I want to live where snow is measured in feet rather than inches.

You can still measure in inches... it's just a lot of inches sometimes!

We ended up with 22" at my house.  The "official" Denver measurement comes from the airport (which is not in Denver), and I believe they recorded 27" there, which makes it the 4th largest storm since they've been recording data. 

It's supposed to be really nice on Saturday and then back to snow/rain on Sunday.  Hoping to get a brisket in on Saturday!