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BBQ GAF - Smokin' Your Meat, USA Style

P

POWERSPHERE

Banned
Austin_Franklin_BBQ_Aaron_Franklin_ch_2011_58142.jpg_693_471_0_80_1_50_50.jpg


franklin-bbq-brisket.jpg


Weber-Silver-One-Touch-22.5-Inch-Grill.jpg


So I haven't seen one solid thread dedicated to the wondrous magic of BBQing. Not talking about just chucking some meat on a gas burner, but charcoal / coal / wood BBQing

I'm still relatively new to the art of Barbecue, and being Australian we are brought up on gas burners and hotplates, not coals and grills. Fixing this massive hole in my foodzone, I bought my first Weber One Touch 4 months ago, and have been researching & grilling since. I imagine by knowing how many food obsessives are on GAF that there's be a pretty good collection of BBQers amongst us. Whilst on a road trip through the USA early last year, I really caught the bug. Franklins BBQ in Austin Texas was great, but we got there too late to have any real choice, and The Joint in New Orleans was incredible. Anything that revolves around spending up to 12 hours watching something do nothing is alright with me.

Some Favourites thus far;

Pulled Pork: One of the first things I tried, I started off smoking a Pork Shoulder for 9ish hours, which was a huge success.

Home Made Bacon: Making bacon was like finding the key to the magic castle. So easy and unlike any bacon i've had before. Brined it for 3 days, rested for a day then smoked it with apple wood. Have done it with and without Nitrites, but havent tried my Nitrite version yet, but it stayed much pinker. People lose their mind when they try it.

Smoked Turkey: Yesterday for Christmas I smoked a turkey with Apple & Pear Wood from a tree on the property we're on, which turned out crispy, smokey and delicious. I had trouble getting the kettle up to 325f, so I had to run it a bit longer to get the internal to 165f, but it still worked.

Smoked Beetroot: This is a winner, pop them whole into some foil, poke holes in them and smoke for around 2 hours. Then pickling them with Onions and some spices makes for a great BBQ Snack, and is especially awesome with the homemade Bacon.

Of course smoked Corn is incredible, especially when cut off into a Smoked Corn & Jalapeño, Coriander, Lime & Mayo salad.

Going to Smoke some fresh Atlantic Salmon we caught today, and a Pork Leg tomorrow.

My next big challenge is to do a Brisket, which is hard to find a butcher who knows what it is out here in Australia, and the Weber would probably be a bit small for it, but i'm not ready for a full blown offset smoker just yet.

Anyone want to share tips and tricks or just things to make everyone hungry?
 
M

mcfrank

Member
From my Thanksgiving smoke. Brisket was brined in water with a bit of salt and white vinegar for three hours and rubbed with seasoning the day before. 1 pork shoulder was rubbed with mustard and brown sugar, the other was soaked in hard apple cider. I put the pork above the brisket in the smoker so the fat would fall onto it as it cooked. Smoked with mesquite for 12 hours to 195 (took the pork off at 195 after 10 hours) and rested for two hours.

amazing ribs is my go to site for info

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E

Eiolon

Member
You should be able to fit at least a 14 lb brisket in your Weber, maybe 18 if you have the 22 inch. Cook indirectly between 250 and 300. Takes around 9-10 hours + an hour to cool. Sounds like you know what you are doing though based on your other successes.

Personally, while I love meat, I have gotten into smoking/grilling other things more than I have meat. I made some smoked Mac N Cheese for Christmas dinner. I love to grill pizza and veggies as well. I probably only do meat once every month to be honest.

mnc-3.jpg
 
M

mcfrank

Member
Eiolon said:
You should be able to fit at least a 14 lb brisket in your Weber, maybe 18 if you have the 22 inch. Cook indirectly between 250 and 300. Takes around 9-10 hours + an hour to cool. Sounds like you know what you are doing though based on your other successes.

Personally, while I love meat, I have gotten into smoking/grilling other things more than I have meat. I made some smoked Mac N Cheese for Christmas dinner. I love to grill pizza and veggies as well. I probably only do meat once every month to be honest.

mnc-3.jpg
Click to expand...

Looks great. I will try that next time I do a smoke. My step father in law is smoking pork ribs Thursday night with his traeger pellet smoker.
 
E

ErnieMcCracken

Member
jVpFx5gibw0Rm.jpg

One of the best things I've ever purchased. Holds temps like nothing else and is stupid easy to use. Well worth the $$$. Had 2 friends each buy one after they saw mine.
 
P

POWERSPHERE

Banned
mcfrank said:
From my Thanksgiving smoke. Brisket was brined in water with a bit of salt and white vinegar for three hours and rubbed with seasoning the day before. 1 pork shoulder was rubbed with mustard and brown sugar, the other was soaked in hard apple cider. I put the pork above the brisket in the smoker so the fat would fall onto it as it cooked. Smoked with mesquite for 12 hours to 195 (took the pork off at 195 after 10 hours) and rested for two hours.

amazing ribs is my go to site for info
Click to expand...

Amazing! Yeah, i've been pouring over Amazingribs.com trying to absorb what I can. He really gets in there with the info! I did my Christmas Turkey from his notes, and it was great, but I have sinced watched Aaron Franklins video on Thanksgiving and kinda wish I put a pound of butter on it and foil tented it. Would have really punched it through. I really like his tendency to only season in salt & coarse pepper, too.

Eiolon said:
You should be able to fit at least a 14 lb brisket in your Weber, maybe 18 if you have the 22 inch. Cook indirectly between 250 and 300. Takes around 9-10 hours + an hour to cool. Sounds like you know what you are doing though based on your other successes.

Personally, while I love meat, I have gotten into smoking/grilling other things more than I have meat. I made some smoked Mac N Cheese for Christmas dinner. I love to grill pizza and veggies as well. I probably only do meat once every month to be honest.

mnc-3.jpg
Click to expand...

I've got the 22 inch. I'm more than prepared to get up really early to start the Brisket, adds to the journey. Plus gives you a whole day to sit on the balcony and drink beers & look at the trees. I've read some people split the flat and the point for webering a brisket, would you say thats a good approach, or just keep it whole? I've been researching how to trim it up to even the fat out to 1/4 across the meat, and where to chop out the bulk bits. The Aaron Franklin youtube channel is pretty good. Doesn't go into too much detail, but goes into enough.

Mac & Cheese! Yessss! This will happen before new years, probably with a pulled pork!
 
M

mcfrank

Member
I always split the flat and the point if there is a major thickness variation. Otherwise getting both sides even is impossible.
 
DanteFox

DanteFox

Member
The weather here is terrible right now but since venturing into southern-style barbecue I've smoked pork ribs, pork butt, and brisket. My grill sucks so it's tough to control the temp. but I've been fairly pleased with the results, especially the pulled pork. Next thing I try to tackle will probably be beef ribs as well as try my hand at the previously mentioned cuts. I also definitely want to experiment with different rubs as well as bastes.

I also recently bought "Charred and Scruffed" by Adam Perry Lang, and I really like some of his techniques in the book. I definitely want to try to apply them next time I cook steaks in order to add more layers of flavor.
 
P

POWERSPHERE

Banned
mcfrank said:
Take it sooner. The temp is pretty even in most of the barrel in my smoker.
Click to expand...

Sorry for the barrage or questions, but i'm building my knowledge base before I make or break a huge chunk of meat. So, you would cut before putting in, not during the cook, right?

DanteFox said:
Why not just cut the point off after the flat's done and make burnt ends like they do in KC?
Click to expand...

Burnt Ends, you say... Hmmm.
 
M

mcfrank

Member
POWERSPHERE said:
Sorry for the barrage or questions, but i'm building my knowledge base before I make or break a huge chunk of meat. So, you would cut before putting in, not during the cook, right?



Burnt Ends, you say... Hmmm.
Click to expand...

No worries on the questions. As with most things bbq, there is no right answer, just what works for you. You can separate them before you cook, during, or after. I just think it is easier to separate them before, making sure to leave plenty of fat on both pieces (over trimming is the enemy of good bbq) and then cook them both up to 195-200 internal (smoker temp is 215-245). When I have cooked them intact my flat was 195 while my point was 180 and still chewey. Not great.
 
M

mcfrank

Member
Also, not sure if it is available in AUS, but season 1 of BBQ pitmasters on Netflix instant is pretty good. Season 2 is kinda terrible though.
 
R

Ridli

Member
Dang, I was just this week thinking about trying my hand at a smoking and grilling thread for the coming summer. I thought you were jumpin the gun but I see OP is Australian, and I envy your chance to do an outdoor Christmas rib dinner.

One of my goals this year is to add brisket into the family repertoire since we lean hard on the pork spare ribs and could stand to add a little beef into the mix. Subbin' for later.
 
M

MarleyManiac

Member
I actually am the Pitmaster for a competition BBQ team.

We did our first contest this fall and placed 1st in Chicken and 1st in Pork.

I am looking forward to this thread evolving!

Burnt Ends

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A couple of Chuck Roasts for making "Pepper Stout Beef" and a fattie

PSTOUTBEEFE.jpg


Our 1st place Chicken box...

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P

POWERSPHERE

Banned
I've started watching BBQ Pitmasters. The first season was pretty interesting, the second looked too reality TVish, so I skipped to the third season. This looks to be the best of them all, with good judges (including Aaron Franklin), and good cuts to deal with.

Also, did a butterflied smoked chicken on the Weber tonight. Totally smashed it!

Also, knives. I'm looking at getting a curved boning knife, would you say Victorinox or Dexter Russell? Or other? I'm looking at this at the moment http://www.everten.com.au/dexter-russell-15cm-flexible-curved-boning-knife.html
 
F

FGMPR

Banned
These pictures are mouth-watering. You're making me want to crank the barbie even though its almost midnight here.
 
U

User 100115

Banned
Gah, I miss southwestern food. Moved away from home and can't find a brisket that isn't pre-corned. Wtf people. And I get really strange looks when I ask if stores have brisket sauce.
 
N

NervousXtian

Thought Emoji Movie was good. Take that as you will.
I have a Traeger, that is currently awaiting a new part.. but it's the easiest to use smoker ever and has pretty darn good results on everything from brisket to fish to ribs... but it doesn't get hot for grilling.

So I got myself a Big Green Egg style ceramic cooker from Costco (vision brand I think?) that was like half the price of the BGE, and same size as the large Egg.

Best investment ever. Once you get it to a temp it holds it very well, one load of coal will do most of a brisket cook, and since I foil my brisket anyhow at a certain point I just transfer to the oven to finish since it's not getting smoke while foiled so why waste more lump.

Ribs are best going 3-2-1.. though I do more of a 3 1/2 - 1 1/2 - 30mins kind of deal... if that makes sense.. the meats ready when it's ready.

Pulled pork is the easiest to not fuck up to be honest.. just get a good fatty pork shoulder/butt (it's not actually butt). Cover it in yellow mustard and some rub and smoke 225-250 degrees until it hits 190 degrees.
 
E

Ecrofirt

Member
ErnieMcCracken said:
jVpFx5gibw0Rm.jpg

One of the best things I've ever purchased. Holds temps like nothing else and is stupid easy to use. Well worth the $$$. Had 2 friends each buy one after they saw mine.
Click to expand...

What product is this, if you don't mind my asking? I thought it might be a Weber Smokey Mountain, but it isn't.
 
A

andycapps

Member
I'm new to smoking after wanting to do it for years. I've pretty much only smoked a pork butt, which turned out great. I have a bottom of the line charcoal smoker that I've had to make some modifications to because it's so cheap. It had one tiny hole in the bottom for a vent, so I had to drill 4-5 more, but I ended up making them bigger and drilling even more after my first smoke as the ash was getting bogged down in the holes and not enough air was getting in there.

As a result, my first cook started with me getting up at 5:30 to start the coals and meat prepared, meat on about 7. Then it smoked all day until about 5:30 and still wasn't close to being done, so at that point it had absorbed all the smoke it could anyway so I finished it in the oven for like 3 hours. That was annoying as heck. That was when I decided to make my vent holes bigger and add a few more. I can't wait until I can get a good smoker like a Smokey Mountain or something.

Anybody ever smoke with Weber kettle? Wondering how doable it is and how easy it is to regulate temps. I've seen people do the coals offset and then with a water pan under the meat, so theoretically it should work.
 
S

SolsticeZero

Banned
There's some good looking BBQ in this thread. The kind of stuff that doesn't have a gallon of brown sugar sauce poured on top of it. Kudos, gentlemen, kudos.
 
A

andycapps

Member
CrankyJay said:
I personally recommend the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker, especially because there is an entire online community dedicated to this smoker.

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/

You may be able to find one cheaper at Home Depot or Lowes if you catch them on clearance.
Click to expand...

The first link in that review is from Harry Soo himself. Wow! Some interesting tips in there. No water pan after the bark is formed is an interesting way of doing it. I wonder if he does that to speed up the cook, because my impression was that you use the water pan to keep the temp low. Maybe he doesn't want to keep the temp low after the bark is formed, because of how less time it will take to cook.

I used the Memphis Meathead Dust recipe for my pork and it is awesome. I honestly don't know that I've had better BBQ than what I made with this. No sauce was needed, period. The smoke ring was probably an inch thick all the way around, and then with that flavor going into the meat, wow. Now I'm hungry.
 
D

Davedough

Member
I dont have pictures, but here's my recipe for my famous ribs that are OH so good.

For starters, grab a few racks of pork baby back ribs. You can choose to add a wet bag of apple wood chips in the grill if you want some extra smoked flavor.

Ingredients:

Mop Sauce -
1 1/2 cups apple cider
1/4 cup each cider vinegar and soy sauce

Glaze -
2 Tablespoons each of butter, brown sugar and whiskey

Rub -
2 teaspoons each sea salt, brown sugar and paprika (if you want to substitute Hungarian paprika, it adds spice if desired)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon each dry mustard and garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon celery seed

If you want to use wood chips, soak them in water about an hour before you start grilling and add them when you start.

For the Mop Sauce, just combine the ingredients in a bowl.
For the Glaze, bring all the ingredients to a boil under medium-low heat until the brown sugar is nicely dissolved. I usually dont make the glaze until about 15-20 minutes before the ribs are fully done so it doesn't coagulate.
For the Rub, just combine everything into a small bowl.

Rub the meat thoroughly in the morning and set it in butcher's paper in the fridge and let it sit until about 2 hours before you're ready to eat.

Heat the grill to about 325-350, this is usually the low setting depending on your grill.

When the grill is ready, either oil the grill or lay foil down so the ribs dont stick to it. Cook on the top shelf so they're not in direct heat or they'll get scorched. Found that out on my first attempt. Once the grill is up to temperature and you have the foil down, lay the ribs on the grill, cover and let sit for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, bring out your mop sauce and gently mop on the sauce about every 10 minutes or so to keep the ribs moist. Repeat this procedure while the ribs are covered an cooking for an additional 45 minutes.

Once the rib meat has retracted on the bone and you can see about 1/2" of bone protruding from the meat, the ribs are just about done. Gently drizzle the glaze onto the ribs and cover as much area as you can. Do not use your mop as it will water down the glaze.

Let them cook with the glaze so it will harden for another 10-15 minutes, pull them off the grill, cut them up and enjoy.
 
C

CrankyJay

Banned
andycapps said:
The first link in that review is from Harry Soo himself. Wow! Some interesting tips in there. No water pan after the bark is formed is an interesting way of doing it. I wonder if he does that to speed up the cook, because my impression was that you use the water pan to keep the temp low. Maybe he doesn't want to keep the temp low after the bark is formed, because of how less time it will take to cook.
Click to expand...

I read that too...

Depending on what I'm smoking, I'll go water or no water.

When I want higher temps (275+) I'll go waterless...mostly for ribs/chicken

When I do a 12+ hour smoke on something like pork butt I'll put water in there to hold the temps steady at 225-245.

The Virtual Weber Bullet has a PDF on their forum in the form of a Q&A with Harry Soo on what he does for ribs in his WSM and I generally follow that.

275 (no water in pan) for 3 hours to set the bark, then foil wrap the ribs with juice, brown sugar, agave nector until tender.
 
V

Velinos

Member
CrankyJay said:
I personally recommend the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker, especially because there is an entire online community dedicated to this smoker.

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/

You may be able to find one cheaper at Home Depot or Lowes if you catch them on clearance.
Click to expand...

If you are looking for an even cheaper option and/or are just looking to cook for yourself, you can do like I did and build a Smokey Joe Mini WSM. It costs about $80-100 to build (less if you already have some of the components) and works great. With it being only 14" wide, it is not big enough for the larger cuts of meat (whole packer brisket, full uncut racks of ribs, whole pork shoulder, etc.), but it does chicken, pork butts, and several half racks of ribs very nicely. I smoked a 8lb pork butt on it Christmas day out in the snow when it was 20 degrees out and it held temps wonderfully.
 
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