Smokin.....Oh Yeah !!!

[scott_vt]

Morning Scott,

that turkey looks really good. Did you do anything special to it before putting it in the smoker? I ask because I have two wild turkeys in my freezer and have been wanting to smoke them for some time. I've read about soaking them in a brine solution but wasn't sure if I HAD to or not. How did the turkey turn out?

Good Mornin Scot,
The turkey came out great but it took me 9 hrs to smoke it ! Im thinking Birds propane smoker may be the way to go on bigger items such as turkeys and brisquets etc...

On the prepartion questions, we did a salt rub and sprinkled paprika and rosemary on it and stuffed the inside with sweet onions. I like your idea on pre soaking the bird in a brine, might try that the next time !

BTW I used hickory chips this time for my smoke.


Mornin Bird,
Glad to hear that you had some leftover beer from those brats ! If it was me I would have finished that beer and cracked another !

 

[jinman]

Mornin Bird,
Glad to hear that you had some leftover beer from those brats ! If it was me I would have finished that beer and cracked another !

Howdy Scotty, you say that you would have had an extra beer, and I would have been tempted to make myself a BLT sandwich to go along with it using that well-smoked bacon on your turkey. That would have made a good snack while waiting on the bird to finish.

How did the bacon work out? Was its flavor evident in the turkey meat?

We ate ribs yesterday for lunch. Oh my, my! I almost hurt myself. They were perfect. I don't mean to be patting myself on the back, but those ribs were cooked perfectly: juicy, tender, and just the right smoke flavor. Now, I'll be under pressure to repeat that the next time I smoke ribs.

 

[MarkV]

Jim, glad you had a good first run with the new smoker. All that really counts is that you were happy with the end result. Being a long term smoker I have found that one of the joys of smoking is that everyone has their own way to do things and it adds a personal touch.

I am surprised with the cooking time that worked for you though. When I smoke ribs, at the 225 temp, I normally let them cook for at least 8 hours. Short of that I just don’t get that fall off the bone effect that smoking can give you. Often a full smoker of meat will cook much longer than that. Keep in mind that smoking was developed as a way to use lesser cuts of meat and slowly let the fats cook themselves out as they tenderize and moisturize the meat. At least for me, it is hard to over cook on a smoker with the temps in the recommended 225 range, it is much easier to under cook. I have more than once smoked 3 full size turkeys for the holidays and cooked as long as 22 hours. As you experiment try some longer times and see what you think.

Hey another old smoker trick you may not have discovered yet is a water tray. Below the meat a tray of liquid will add flavor and moistness as it cooks off. Like a rub there are may different things people will add for flavor. Spices, herbs, wine, lemon and orange peels are a few that some swear by. Personally I use water and apple cider vinegar. Vinegar is a natural tenderizer and I think it helps.

Scotty the turkey looks like it turned out well. I generally cook turkey beasts for about the same amount of time you did your bird. Never have tried the bacon except on very lean meat like venison but may give that a try next time.

Enjoy your smoking guys. Oh ya, I forgot to mention that at least here, a beer when smoking is not an option, it is part of the recipe.

MarkV

 

[MarkV]

You guys have me thinking about one of my favorite subjects and it brought to mind another smoking tip that new comers may not have learned yet. Ribs are a smoking favorite and years ago an old fellow taught me an important step to great ribs. Ribs have a membrane on their back, the bone side, that has much to do with how tender they end up. It needs to be removed, which is not always easy. You will see it as a whitish semi transparent layer. Sometimes you get lucky and can grab a corner that will pull the whole sheet off. More often it takes a little effort and comes off in pieces. People will use knives, pliers and most anything to remove the membrane. We have found that a plier with a wide gripping end, sold for cleaning cat fish, works about as well as anything we have tried. Sorry, I am sure there is a name for them that I don't know.

Get that membrane off the ribs, put a heavy coat of rub on them, foil and leave overnight in the frig, cook at 225 for 8+ hours, add BBQ sauce the last hour if you want and you will impress your friends. Oh and of course to complete the recipe you have to have a beer.

MarkV

 

[scott_vt]

Howdy Scotty,

How did the bacon work out? Was its flavor evident in the turkey meat?

Good Evenin Jim,
Well I think the bacon worked out well for what it was intended for but no to your second question. I didnt really notice the bacon flavor in the meat, but to be fair it was draped over the skin. By the time the turkey was done most of the bacon had pretty much had it and some was too burnt to enjoy ! Although I found a couple of pieces that were edible ! All in all everyone enjoyed the turkey, but I feel for my little manual smaker that smaller fare is the way to go, mostly because of cooking time ! I mean i can drink alot of beers in 9 hrs !


Hey another old smoker trick you may not have discovered yet is a water tray. Below the meat a tray of liquid will add flavor and moistness as it cooks off. Like a rub there are may different things people will add for flavor. Spices, herbs, wine, lemon and orange peels are a few that some swear by. Personally I use water and apple cider vinegar. Vinegar is a natural tenderizer and I think it helps.


Hi Mark,
Thats a great point ! My little Brinkman has a water pan situated just above the coal pan which i filled with water and i also added some onions for flavor, that moisture is really important in the cooking process ! IMHO !

 

[jinman]

Mark, thanks for the tips. I smoked the ribs a total of 4 hours in the smoker and 2 hours in the oven with foil wrapped around them. The bones were loose, but the meat didn't just fall off. However, the meat came off easily when I bit into it. The bones were clean after eating the rib. I really can't imagine that cooking them much longer would make them better, but next time I'll add an hour and see how they turn out.

Also, I did not remove the membrane, but I'll do that the next time too.

My water pan just had water in it, but I did consider putting in beer or wine for flavor. Maybe a few jalapeno peppers would be good too. I'm sure vinegar would work good for brisket because it can be tough if rushed. I'm sure I'll learn what works and doesn't for our taste very quickly. I will try your tips, and I'm thinking bacon wrapped chicken breasts after seeing Scotty's bacon wrapped turkey.

 

[MarkV]

Jim, one of the things I like best about smoking is that everyone has their own little tricks and tips, every smoker cooks a little different, different woods add different flavors and you can develop your own secret rubs and sauces. It is fun to see what works for others. When you get right down to it all that matters is the end result and it sounds like you hit a home run your first time up to bat.

MarkV

 

[scott_vt]

Good Afternoon Guys,
Nothin like a beautiful New England day to fire up the smoker !

Todays menu, my favorites, pork ribs and chicken !

Just thought I would post my marinates that we are trying today, I have no idea how they will come out but Im game !

For the pork ribs : Tangy Marinade

1/2 cup veg oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup vinegar
2 gloves garlic we were generous
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tbs dried parsley
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
salt

For the chicken:
2 tbs veg oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
zest of 2 lemon
1/3 cup honey
2 tspdried herbs, oregano, thyme,rosemary
2 cloves garlic crushed


Heres hopin

BTW we are usin hickory chips today and I think I threw a hand full of mesquite chips in the bucket to have enough chips, HD was out of chips

 

[mjarrels]

I'm going to have to buy a smoker!

mark

 

[Sigarms]

You guys need to come down to Lexington, N.C next year

The Barbecue Festival

I didn't know what real barbecue was until I moved to N.C

 

[scott_vt]

I'm going to have to buy a smoker!

mark

Good Afternoon Mark,
Did I ever tell you about the beer drinkin that goes along with the smokin ???

I highly reccomend it, thats the smoker of course !

 

[dmccarty]

I didn't know what real barbecue was until I moved to N.C

AMEN. Who would think that a sandwich with chopped smoked pork with a vinegar sauce topped with slaw would be one of the worlds great foods.

Mouth watering thinking about it.....

Later,
Dan

 

[dmccarty]

Scotty,

Are you using the tractor as a seat to watch the smoker? Good choice of beer!

Its got cool enough for me to start smoking meat again. We just had some pork loin I smoked last spring. Wrapped it in plastic wrap, Aluminum foil and put in a zip lock bag and tossed in the freezer. Heated it up and you could smell the smoke. Just as good as hot from the smoker.

Hope to start the smoker soon. Really want to do some oysters.

Later,
Dan

 

[Bird]

Scotty, that does look good. And I certainly have nothing bad to say about North Carolina barbecued pork; it's delicious, but to say "I didn't know what real barbecue was until I moved to N.C" makes me assume that Sigarms has never had any Texas barbecued beef.

 

[Flatheadyoungin]

Ah, you guys want to make me give 'er another go...

I used my uncle's little Brinkman style and I had a lot of trouble maintaining the heat and the meat wasn't that great......too smokey.....it was ok but needed some BBQ or something on it....then, again, I think I only used lowerys, pepper etc....

I picked up a little brinkman style smoker but it doesn't have the door to throw the coals in.......i think you just lift the whole thing off but i'm thinking you'd lose too much heat.......

I may pick up some chicken and some pork and then let you fellas walk me through it one day.....

man, i'm hungry now!

 

[dmccarty]

.... but to say "I didn't know what real barbecue was until I moved to N.C" makes me assume that Sigarms has never had any Texas barbecued beef.

And the BBQ Wars Have Begun!

I have had Texas BBQ. Its good and I won't turn it down...

But smoked chopped pork with slaw is Super Duper Yummy!

Later,
Dan

 

[dmccarty]

Young Mr. Flat Head,

I have a 7n1 cooker from Cabela's. For smoking I start a small fire with hardwood in the bottom of the cooker. Once it gets some coals going I put in more wood, clean off the grill and put on the meat. The cooker I have does have a door at the bottom. I wish it was a big bigger but once the coal are going I only toss in a few chunks of wood. I have use hardwood twigs/branches of the oak trees to do this. Lately I have been burning little chunks of oak/hickory I save from splitting firewood. Nothing bigger than 2 or 3 inches across and maybe 6 inch long.

The cooker came with a thermometer but it got overheated and I dont trust it anymore. Instead I use a instant read thermometer to test the meat and the smoke coming from the vent.

I pretty much just salt and pepper the meat on all sides. That is it. This and the smoke is all that is needed.

Later,
Dan

 

[scott_vt]

Scotty,

Are you using the tractor as a seat to watch the smoker? Good choice of beer!

Later,
Dan

Good Evenin Dan,
I was pulling the sweeper to clean up the yard while I was waiting to eat, and every so many trips around the yard I would through a hand full of chips in for more smoke and crack another beer

BTW good advice to Flatheadyoungin, I do the same thing, small chunks of white oak for my coals and more heat, and i can use that little door !

Bird,
Everything came out good with these marinades but I think Im partial to Texas Bullseye Barbeque and I doctor it a little bit !

Joe,
I would love to come to that festival, problem is that I might like theirs better, and they dont give their recipes away !

Anyways here is a pic of the finished product !

 

[Bird]

I think Im partial to Texas Bullseye Barbeque

Scotty, I haven't tried that one. Years ago, we used to make up our own barbecue sauce and tried a lot of different recipes. We also tried a lot of the different sauces from the grocery store, and finally just quit using any sauces except the original KC Masterpiece, although we do still use some different marinades and dry rubs.

An old friend who is also a former next door neighbor in Dallas was from Kansas City and moved back there after retirement. He tells me if I'll come visit, he'll take me to another Kansas City barbecue place that's even better than KC Masterpiece.

Several years ago, I went to Ellensburg, WA, with one of my brothers to bring back some things that belonged to his mother-in-law and he told me he would have to buy some barbecue sauce while we were there because what he thought was the best he'd ever found was sold in Anchorage and in Washington state, but not in Texas. I don't remember the brand and he didn't know where it was made until we got to a supermarket in Ellensburg and he bought all they had of that brand. And when we looked at the bottles, the stuff was make in New Jersey! I told him it was no wonder it wasn't sold in Texas.

 

[lhfarm]

I've used a little Brinkmann electric smoker for years with good results. However, I found this add-on for a Weber kettle grill Smokenator 1000 last spring and it is great. You can get 6 hours of cooking from one fuel load and only requires filling the water tray hourly. Doing a turkey this weekend. Can hardly wait.