Social Saturday is BBQ Day V3 - How big is your meat?

[xHeadx]

Post oak for us Texas boys. Side note, here was my lunch & my beer that I'm drinking now :

 

[xHeadx]

I have a stainless basket that I use to partition the coals off from the meat. So I essentially have a direct and indirect zone on the grill. I do have a temp gauge and I also use a probe right on the grates for a more accurate reading. I have both lump and briquettes but I think I'm sticking to briquettes for this one. They're a little more consistent. When I've done briskets in the past on my electric, I've only ever used oak or cherry. But I think I'm going to give hickory a try.

I think my main issue is that I was lighting all the coals in my chimney rather than leaving some unlit in the basket. It was running well over 300 when I was trying to keep it between 225 and 250 on previous smokes.

Look into the snake method. Start off with 8-12 coals then light end of snake. Works its way around the snake. Good call with going with briquettes. Easier to control temp. Here's a great vertical smoker from Weber:

https://www.weber.com/US/en/grills/charcoal-grills/smokey-mountain-cooker-series/

 

[Te Huna Matata]

In the stall right now. Trying to decide if I want to crutch it or not. It got up to 174 but it's slowly creeping down and is now sitting at 165 where the point and flat meet. I had a bit of a flameout right around the time I ran up to shower so that's when the temp dropped pretty significantly. I have been pretty consistently running around 250 but when I was in the shower, my alarm on my phone started going off that the temp fell to 211.

Here is what she's looking like atm.

 

[xHeadx]

In the stall right now. Trying to decide if I want to crutch it or not. It got up to 174 but it's slowly creeping down and is now sitting at 165 where the point and flat meet. I had a bit of a flameout right around the time I ran up to shower so that's when the temp dropped pretty significantly. I have been pretty consistently running around 250 but when I was in the shower, my alarm on my phone started going off that the temp fell to 211.

Here is what she's looking like atm.

Power through, but if temp keeps dropping, wrap it. I have pink butcher paper, which breathes better than foil. Looking good so far.

 

[MASShole]

In the stall right now. Trying to decide if I want to crutch it or not. It got up to 174 but it's slowly creeping down and is now sitting at 165 where the point and flat meet. I had a bit of a flameout right around the time I ran up to shower so that's when the temp dropped pretty significantly. I have been pretty consistently running around 250 but when I was in the shower, my alarm on my phone started going off that the temp fell to 211.

Here is what she's looking like atm.

I'd crutch. Just personal preference for timing.

 

[Te Huna Matata]

I crutched it. My gf has been bugging me to do a real low and slow 10+ hour brisket. All the briskets I did in my electric took maybe 6-8. Now that I actually am doing one, she grows impatient.

The bark formation is sexy though.

 

[Satsui Ryu]

Just got done eating some bomb ass ribs I made. 3 hours with apple and pecan wood then wrapped with brown sugar and butter for another 2. Kept the temps between 275 and 300. They had that tenderness where they weren't fall of the bone, but the bites were clean down to the bone. And they had a very prominent smoke ring. For sauce I used my homemade sweet whiskey sauce. Would post pics, but the upload size limit here sucks.

 

[MASShole]

Just got done eating some bomb ass ribs I made. 3 hours with apple and pecan wood then wrapped with brown sugar and butter for another 2. Kept the temps between 275 and 300. They had that tenderness where they weren't fall of the bone, but the bites were clean down to the bone. And they had a very prominent smoke ring. For sauce I used my homemade sweet whiskey sauce. Would post pics, but the upload size limit here sucks.

Bomb!

I created an imgur account for uploading. You just copy the entire URL and paste it here and it will automatically show, no issues (unless you hide the image).

 

[MASShole]

I crutched it. My gf has been bugging me to do a real low and slow 10+ hour brisket. All the briskets I did in my electric took maybe 6-8. Now that I actually am doing one, she grows impatient.

The bark formation is sexy though.

Bark is nice and all BUT HOW DID IT TASTE?

 

[usmctanker242]

I've been eyeing up a slow n sear but haven't pulled the trigger yet. I want to get more cooks under my belt with it before making the investment.

Maybe go with 2 chunks of one of my fruit woods and one chunk of hickory? I think I have cherry, apple, and pear in the fruit family. Also have some maple chunks and hickory. I don't have any oak which is why I'm switching it up.

And my gf ran to Costco and got a whole packer so so much for only doing a flat. Not that I'm complaining though. It's a small packer at a touch over 10lbs so it won't be too bad.

Slow 'n Sear is a top notch product and if you're enjoying smoking on the Weber then it's a solid investment. Personally, when it comes to beef, I roll with Oak / Hickory / Pecan / Mesquite...no fruit woods simply because beef and sweet just don't personally work for me. You won't hurt anything by going with all hickory and in fact I think you'll really enjoy the flavor.

Good luck with the cook and I hope it comes out well.

Edit : seems I was late to the party and it brisket looked pretty good. How did it slice, taste, etc?

 

[usmctanker242]

I want to try maple but in upsate NY maple syrup is a big deal so bit harder to get your hands on. I am not paying 150$ for half a chord and the bags you get at the store are a rip off.

Maple is a great and depending on when it's harvested (time of year, ie with / without sap) determines how it flavors the food. I've had some that was harvested early in the season and when I cook with it I can taste maple syrup on the food. Other times, when it's lost its sap, it's extremely neutral and has almost zero flavor, but it burns hot and long, so it's a great wood. $150 for a half cord is a bit steep but it just depends on what's available. Personally I'll take white oak or pecan over any other woods if I can get them, but out in my area I basically have to just accept "mixed hard woods." White oak, red oak, pear, pecan, and hickory. People try to throw gum in there but I refuse it every time...not a chance in hell...smells like straight BO (body odor).

 

[Te Huna Matata]

So long story short, my gf told a coworker we'd be over to his place to hang out at the firepit (like 10 minutes from my house). I told her since the smoke was going fairly quickly (seemingly at the start) that it seemed possible. Then I hit the stall. The stall was stupid. So I crutched and cranked the temp. It took forever but once it was through, it got to temp in no time. I think I had it wrapped for maybe an hour. But the stall lasted at least an hour leading up to the crutch. Due to the impatience, I pulled around 198. It was probing really smoothly so I thought I'd be fine. Normally, I'd rest for a good 2hr. I got pushed into a 30 minute rest so we could get to her coworker's place.

Here is the result.



So a few things. First off, it was really good and there is no way around it. It's a running joke between my gf and I that I can't smoke a brisket since the first 4 or 5 I tried were barely edible. This one was pretty close to where I'd expect it to be. I could have used a longer rest and I could have let it get a few degrees hotter but it was pretty solid all around. The area where the point and flat meet didn't pass the pull test as well as I'd hoped and the hang test was a little tight. Also, I trimmed and rubbed the brisket this morning prior to getting the pit ready. I didn't get home from work until almost 4am Saturday otherwise I would have done it sooner. That would have been preferable. The rub was pretty superficial and didn't really get into the meat as I'd hoped.

So in summation:

Trim and rub night before.
Smoking on wood/charcoal takes a lot longer than on electric with chips.
Don't give in to peer pressure.
Don't pull before 203 and probe tender.
Give it a full rest...2hrs.

 

[usmctanker242]

@Te Huna Matata Overall that looks pretty good. You did a good job of trimming and it looks like you rendered a good amount of fat, so great job! Tenderness is all that matters and I've pulled some briskets which were really close to being done, but not quite, and then they tighten up during the rest / hold and are tough / chewy. I cook a bit hotter than you (I'm usually at 275-300°) so that can happen if the meats not thoroughly tender before it's pulled from the heat.

Curious as to why you think that wood / charcoal takes longer than electric? 250°=250° regardless of the fuel source...do you use an ambient temp probe when you're using your electric smoker? Most of those behave like ovens and will flucturate + / - 50° so if you set it for 250° it will rise up to 300° and then back down to 200°. Also, personally, I don't like to rub until about 30-45 minutes prior to putting the meat on the cooker. The only ingredient in a rub which will penetrate into the meat is salt...everything else is 100% on the surface only. If you leave a salty rub on the brisket for a long period of time you'll start to get a cured flavor, almost like ham.

Keep on kicking butt as you did a great job. Full packers are hard to cook but you did a great job. You rendered out a huge chunk of that interior fat seam and it looks nice and juicy. I usually cook them whole until I get to about 150° internal temp, and then I'll separate the muscles, trim all the exterior fat, and cook the muscles separately. Some people like the point being chewy, but I hate it that way, so I'll cook the point for at least an hour longer than the flats (on average). I will then cube up the point, toss it in the au jus, and cook it yet another 30-45 minutes until it's buttery tender. I usually cook 70Lbs of brisket at a time (multiple briskets) so doing it this way guarantees a tender and juicy product across all the different briskets. Some are small, some are large, some have a huge interior fat seam, some have almost none...this method just helps to remove the variables and concentrate solely on the tenderness of each muscle.

 

[xHeadx]

So long story short, my gf told a coworker we'd be over to his place to hang out at the firepit (like 10 minutes from my house). I told her since the smoke was going fairly quickly (seemingly at the start) that it seemed possible. Then I hit the stall. The stall was stupid. So I crutched and cranked the temp. It took forever but once it was through, it got to temp in no time. I think I had it wrapped for maybe an hour. But the stall lasted at least an hour leading up to the crutch. Due to the impatience, I pulled around 198. It was probing really smoothly so I thought I'd be fine. Normally, I'd rest for a good 2hr. I got pushed into a 30 minute rest so we could get to her coworker's place.

Here is the result.



So a few things. First off, it was really good and there is no way around it. It's a running joke between my gf and I that I can't smoke a brisket since the first 4 or 5 I tried were barely edible. This one was pretty close to where I'd expect it to be. I could have used a longer rest and I could have let it get a few degrees hotter but it was pretty solid all around. The area where the point and flat meet didn't pass the pull test as well as I'd hoped and the hang test was a little tight. Also, I trimmed and rubbed the brisket this morning prior to getting the pit ready. I didn't get home from work until almost 4am Saturday otherwise I would have done it sooner. That would have been preferable. The rub was pretty superficial and didn't really get into the meat as I'd hoped.

So in summation:

Trim and rub night before.
Smoking on wood/charcoal takes a lot longer than on electric with chips.
Don't give in to peer pressure.
Don't pull before 203 and probe tender.
Give it a full rest...2hrs.

USMC gave some good advice above. I'll echo his sentiments & say good job. Like anything else, smoking meat takes practice. I'd invest in some pink butcher paper too. Peeps like to call it a crutch but the top dog BBQ joints, like Franklin's, all use it. I wrap at 165° & have no issues hitting 203°. There's no way around letting it rest. We wrap again when pulled & store in an ice chest for 2 hours. Also invest in an ambient temperature gauge. Keep it up.

EDIT: You can get fancy with the bluetooth too

 

[DesignedFailure]

Maple is a great and depending on when it's harvested (time of year, ie with / without sap) determines how it flavors the food. I've had some that was harvested early in the season and when I cook with it I can taste maple syrup on the food. Other times, when it's lost its sap, it's extremely neutral and has almost zero flavor, but it burns hot and long, so it's a great wood. $150 for a half cord is a bit steep but it just depends on what's available. Personally I'll take white oak or pecan over any other woods if I can get them, but out in my area I basically have to just accept "mixed hard woods." White oak, red oak, pear, pecan, and hickory. People try to throw gum in there but I refuse it every time...not a chance in hell...smells like straight BO (body odor).

Well like I said Upstate NY is maple syrup country so they are not cutting many of them. Never cooked with red oak or pear but have done the rest.

Another great thing about upstate NY is you can get grape vines its stupid incredible on beef and lamb. It is kinda pricey as your buying kindling basically. But it is very strong so like a bay leaf a little goes a long way. was $50 for a 1/4 cord

 

[MWB1982]

So I had to make a small lateral move from the pit I wanted to this pit due to timing issues. Here's what I've got in the works now... already paid for, just waiting for it to be built and delivered.

I'm pretty excited about it... my only concern is that the main smoking chamber is only 5 feet long, so I'm not too sure about the size of a hog I can get in there. I live in North Carolina so hogs are king out here, but I'm thinking I could probably get a 100Lb hog in there without too much trouble. Truth be told I don't even know how to cook a whole hog right now, so we'll see if I end up getting a lot of requests for them.

This pit is pretty great though... reverse flow offset, two door smoking chamber, and then the charcoal grill at the end. Great thing is the grill has a damper to the smoking chamber, so I can actually get some smoke on the meat as I'm grilling it. The vertical smoker on top of the firebox has a damper system as well, so it can act as a warming box or a smoking chamber.

Overall I'm pretty stoked... got my business all setup, just need my pit and the paperwork for the permits to be fully processed and I'll be ready to go. I even got my logo finished off, but waiting for the trademark to go through before I post it. haha

I got addicted to grilling and BBQing meats. I got a Weber grill. I dont have the pro grills you got.

I've been watching YouTube vids on smaller cylinder shaped grills.. I'm thinking about getting one that's about 70 bucks.

 

[MASShole]

I got addicted to grilling and BBQing meats. I got a Weber grill. I dont have the pro grills you got.

I've been watching YouTube vids on smaller cylinder shaped grills.. I'm thinking about getting one that's about 70 bucks.

Get a smokenator! www.smokenator.com. Turns your Weber into a smoker.

 

[MASShole]

Well like I said Upstate NY is maple syrup country so they are not cutting many of them. Never cooked with red oak or pear but have done the rest.

Another great thing about upstate NY is you can get grape vines its stupid incredible on beef and lamb. It is kinda pricey as your buying kindling basically. But it is very strong so like a bay leaf a little goes a long way. was $50 for a 1/4 cord

Dude. When I went to Aspen Food & Wine Fest this summer Gail Simmons talked about smoking with grape vines and how it changed her appreciation of lamb. I totally get it. I would absolutely pay $50 for a 1/4 to smoke some lamb or game meat. That fucking rules.

 

[MASShole]

So, gents, I got asked to cater a wedding next spring. It will be dinner for sure, but likely lunch + dinner the same day. Most catering is like $70/head for a 3 course meal, which I think is reasonable. However, if we do lunch too, I'm thinking $100/head total.

200 person wedding, $100/head, shit loads of work. What do you think? Is $100 to low? Too high?

 

[usmctanker242]

So, gents, I got asked to cater a wedding next spring. It will be dinner for sure, but likely lunch + dinner the same day. Most catering is like $70/head for a 3 course meal, which I think is reasonable. However, if we do lunch too, I'm thinking $100/head total.

200 person wedding, $100/head, shit loads of work. What do you think? Is $100 to low? Too high?

An easy way to gauge your quote to the customer is 3x your food costs...include everything down to things like salt and pepper. Honestly for a 3-course catered meal $70 sounds low, but if that's the going rate in your area, then just make sure that you're serving cost-appropriate foods. Can you and your buddy put out enough food for 200 people or will you have to hire a staff?