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Foiling your meat when it begins the plateau stage can significantly lower the cook time. A recent study found that the "mystery" behind the plateau was really just the meat sweats. Literally! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-goldwyn/physicist-cracks-bbq-mystery_b_987719.html
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Jan 20, 2012 19:51
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I have a theory... I think by foiling the butt, you didn't lose enough water weight to go above 190F while maintaining a cook temp of 225F. Outside of the foil, the water would be evaporating much more rapidly. If you raised your temperature to 240, I think you'd hit that magic 195F...but that "magic" number might have changed, since you've changed your method... I theorize the meat is at least as tender at 190F when compared to non-foiled, and it's possibly juicier. Since you'd mentioned the foil was full of the expelled liquid from the butt, the foiled hours were essentially a braise, which expedites the conversion process of collagen to gelatin. I've kept a close eye on your HeaterMeter project, as I've often thought about doing the same sort of thing. Ultimately, I ended up building my own makeshift electric smoker out of a Weber Bullet knockoff, the element from a hotplate, and a rheostat. I can run it half-height anywhere from 200F - 350F, and full-height from 200F - 250F. For the smoke portion, I use the A-MAZE-N Pellet Smoker, and either pure hickory pellets, or a blend of whatever fruit wood is appropriate for the smoke. I've lost the ability to create amazing smoke rings, but gained the peace of mind that comes from being able to turn something on, and walk away for 10 hours at a time.
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Jan 22, 2012 23:07
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Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:I didn't expect a thread about smoking meat to contain so many graphs. I'd try smoking some meat myself, but my CCNA has expired. Don't worry. Just like every other current or former CCNA to CCIE consultant I work with, you should be able to call up TAC and have them walk you through the entire smoke. Oh, and for content, I'll be doing a pork butt this weekend. It should be pleasing to all, including Sir Mix A Lot. PainBreak fucked around with this message at 07:29 on Mar 15, 2012 |
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Mar 15, 2012 07:20
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Ron Jeremy posted:Can someone recommend a thermometer to me? I've gone through three ikea probes. I need one that will survive a 12 hour smoke. I use this: http://www.amazon.com/Maverick-Industries-ET-73-RediChek-Thermometer/dp/B0000DIU49/ It takes care of both, and is relatively cheap.
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Mar 17, 2012 21:56
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agentseven posted:This looks great, care to give us some insights into your method here? Chicken is the final frontier for me, I've pretty much conquered everything else to my satisfaction. Chicken is one of the easiest things to "smoke", because it doesn't require you to break down any connective tissue, making it a matter of taking it up to 160F. 350F is a great temperature at which to smoke chicken, and at that heat, you should end up with somewhat crispy skin. If you can go higher toward the end, then by all means, do. I just finished pulling 10lbs of pork butt... Hopefully my wife wants to eat BBQ for the next two weeks.
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Mar 21, 2012 08:05
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Well, now I've gone and done it. Two pork shoulders and a brisket are smoking away in this bad boy right now: 40" Masterbuilt Electric Smoker, with RF remote control, and a glass window, so I can see the meat smoking away. Rather than use chips that don't really properly combust unless you want to add a dozen at a time, every 30 minutes, I'm using the "A-MAZE-N Pellet Smoker." The combination of the MES and the pellet smoker is pretty ridiculous. It's been holding steady at 225F for 8 hours, and the pellets are right about halfway done. Thin blue smoke, and I can hang out in the office, waiting for my other thermometer's alarm to go off, letting me know that my brisket hit 200F. Here's the pellet smoker:  Everyone should have one. I'll be smoking some cheese in the next few days, which would be pretty much impossible without it.
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Mar 23, 2012 06:47
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The Midniter posted:This may be a dumb question but what's the difference between an electric smoker and the manual kind as pictured in Mackieman's post above? How does an electric smoker even work? Although it's been answered, I'm going to go ahead and chime in with my $.02. Electric smokers are pretty terrible, if you use them straight out of the box, per the instructions. Let's take the one I just purchased...It's a top of the line electric smoker. It's insulated, there's a heating element, a thermostat that keeps it at a steady temperature, a chip tray, and a chip loader, so you don't have to open the door and let the heat out, in order to replenish the smoking wood. It's great for someone who doesn't know what they're doing, or why the end product doesn't taste right. The problem with almost all electric smokers, is that they're designed to smolder the chips. You want combustion, thin blue smoke, not smoldering, which produces bitter, acrid white/gray smoke. That's why I bought the pellet tray. You load that guy up with 100% hardwood pellets (they're formed via pressure, not binders) and it'll let off the perfect amount of thin blue smoke for 12 hours or so, without creating much heat. As far as getting a smoke ring goes...a smoke ring adds no flavor. Sure, they're pretty, but you're not getting one with an electric smoker. You need carbon monoxide to create a smoke ring, and the amount of wood I'm burning to create smoke doesn't stack up to the amount of wood/charcoal you'd burn if it's your heat source. Here's what's great about my electric smoker setup. I set the temperature, I start my AMNPS full of hickory, I insert a couple of probes, and I walk away. My charcoal smoker (knock off of a Weber Smokey Mountain) was extremely stable, and I'd consistently get 6 hours at 225-250F out of it. Then, the water pan would be empty, and it'd shoot up to 350F, unless I babysat it. It was good enough to get a little shut-eye...and with my remote thermometer, it would sound an alarm if the temperature rose more than 25 degrees. But now, I can put something in at midnight, go to bed, and know that at noon, I'm going to have amazing bbq for lunch. That's worth every penny to me.
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Mar 28, 2012 07:36
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unknown posted:I've got the same Masterbuilt box that you've got - so the pellet tray is a worthy/must-have "upgrade" for it? (And means I can do proper cold smoking too?) Oh hell yes. I live in South Texas, and with the water pan full of ice on tray 1, and two small "freeze packs" on tray 3, cheese on tray 2, and the AMNPS at the bottom, after 4 hours the box temperature was 55F. I believe if you're a member of "smoking meat forums" you can get a $10 discount on it, since it's made by Todd, one of their members. I hate to sound like a walking ad for the thing, but for something as simple as it is, I couldn't imagine smoking without it now.
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Mar 28, 2012 19:43
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zerox147o posted:I want to start smoking more this spring/summer and do it in something besides a kettle grill. I've wanted to get a BGE for a while but have been unable to justify the cost to myself (yet). Anyone have a good entry level dedicated smoker recommendation? Size wise I'll be doing 5-10 pound pulled pork, racks of ribs, dozen+ pieces of chicken, beer can chicken or two, etc. It depends upon what you want your initial cash outlay to be. Here's how I'd break it down: Entry Level: Brinkmann Smoke n Grill Pros: Cheap and readily available($39.97 at your local Home Depot); holds a relatively steady temperature via the Minion Method; you can move the fire pan upward, and use it as a charcoal grill (for chicken) or leave it at the bottom and use it as a smoker; makes really, really great smoked food. Cons: No airflow adjustment means less efficient use of charcoal; make sure the water pan never runs out or you'll burn poo poo; for longer smokes (pork / brisket) every 5-6 hours plan to remove and foil the meat and put it in the cooler or put in a preheated oven while you reload the fire pan. Mid-Level: Weber Smokey Mountain Pros: Everything the Brinkmann does, but better; more efficient design and larger fire pan means 11-12 hours between firepan reloads; adjustable air vents means that with practice, you can hold a range steady temps without a water pan in place (allows for smoking poultry at a higher temperature) Cons: $300 Mid-Upper-Level: 40" MasterBuilt Electric Smoker + $50 AMNPS Pros: Electricity is cheap; set it and forget it (12 hours of thin blue hardwood smoke from the AMNPS is perfect); tons of space (16 full racks of ribs, or 80lbs of pork shoulder); Remote. loving. Control.; built-in light; the Cadillac of (as opposed to the Egg McMuffin of) lazy-man smokers. Cons: $350; doesn't burn wood or charcoal; you'll pretty much never have a smoke ring on your meat; people with charcoal smokers will point and laugh at you (but don't feel bad, people with stick-burners are pointing and laughing at them, so it all evens out). BAMF Smoker: Traeger Texas Grill Pros: 36000 BTUs of maximum performance, piercing the night; burns only hardwood pellets, so your meat will be meatier, your smoke smokier, and your friends and neighbors jealousier; nearly infinite adjustment of temperature, you can grill, you can smoke, and everything will taste absolutely awesome; feed it 20lbs of pellets, set the temperature, and walk away. Cons: $1000 Professional Smoker: Ole Hickory Pits Model SSO-SSI end-loading pit oven smoker. Pros: Cooking Capacity: Ribs (3 & Down) - 144 Baby Back Ribs - 216 Boston Butt - 108 Turkey - 72 Chicken (Whole) - 108; (Half) - 432 Brisket (12 lb.) - 72 Cons: gently caress you, I'm eating. I think you should get a Brinkmann. Eventually, you'll want to spend more money and either get a Weber Smokey Mountain or an electric smoker, but the Brinkmann will keep you happy at a cheap price for 1-2 years. It's not that it'll fall apart...but you'll crave something more. In the meantime, you can save your money, and make awesome food. PainBreak fucked around with this message at 05:17 on Mar 30, 2012 |
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Mar 29, 2012 21:17
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Chicken leg & thigh quarters were on sale for $.47/lb. 20lbs are on the smoker right now. 
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Apr 1, 2012 21:18
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I was a bit concerned that my new smoker, which only goes to 275, would make rubbery chicken. I smoked it until it hit an internal temp of 160 and it was relatively crispy. It was much less dark on the outside than when I have used charcoal, but the flavor was nothing short of amazing. Less sooty and still just as smokey? That has to be a plus... I'm loving this rig more and more each time I use it.
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Apr 2, 2012 07:10
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I thought this was an interesting excerpt from Modernist Cuisine:
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Apr 3, 2012 04:44
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GigaFool posted:I ordered the Masterbuilt 40" electric, along with the AMNPS pellet tray. Does anyone have this setup and have any tips or recommendations before I start? Yes, I have this exact setup, and I recommend that you pat yourself on the back for your awesome purchasing decision. Also, you might want to make a "chimney" for your top vent. A soup can with both ends cut off fits perfectly on top of the vent, but I only have an electric opener, and cans with the anti-open-bottom bullshit, so I wrap aluminum foil around the can, slide it off, and use the foil as a chimney. I'm sure there's a better option, but it creates better airflow to keep the AMNPS lit. Also, to clean the window on the door, Mr. Clean Magic Erasers work ridiculously well.
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Apr 26, 2012 04:49
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Jonny 290 posted:A friend gave us an electric smoker last week, and I've decided to do our turkey in it this year. What kind of electric smoker is it?
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Nov 20, 2012 16:49
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Using the water pan will keep you right around that 250 degree sweet spot. Don't worry about bent lids too much. If you're able to maintain 425, then you aren't really in desperate need of retaining heat. Let the thin blue smoke roll.
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Feb 24, 2013 03:19
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GigaFool posted:Seconding the tray under the meat to catch drippings. I almost never foil a butt because I like dry bark. I've never really understood this. I get wanting "bark" on a brisket, but for pulled pork? It ends up just being the inedible parts that you have to throw out. Why would you purposefully want to dry out the meat? I don't understand.
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Apr 27, 2013 23:57
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jonathan posted:Ok, attempt #3 at learning this grill. Doing the minion method this time, going to try to keep the temp at a steady 300f. From what I can tell, the grill is pretty well sealed, my earlier issue was simply letting it get hot and then trying to choke it back down. It's my understanding that the Cuisinart smoker is a Masterbuilt MES 30 without the meat temperature probe, and a less-functional wood chip loading slot. They claim to take pellets rather than chips, but loading pellets into the "chip tray" of one of these would likely not work very well. If you get this, you'll need something like a Maverick ET732 to keep an eye on the temperature of what you're smoking ($65.99 CAD). I also highly recommend an A-MAZE-N Pellet smoker for any electric smoker you purchase. This one fits an MES 30: http://www.amazenproducts.com/productdetails.asp?productcode=amnps5x8 I think with the AMNPS and a probe thermometer of some sort (the ET732 is great if you don't want to go outside and monitor the temp, but you could get away with a normal kitchen probe-on-a-string style) you could have good success with this smoker. There are quite a few negative reviews regarding the build quality, though, so caveat emptor.
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May 30, 2013 06:03
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I've never used a Big Green Egg, but it almost seems like a solution for a problem that doesn't yet exist. Does it get up to brick oven temps for pizza? That could potentially make it worth buying a used one, if it were a viable substitute, but it seems a lot of people recommend them as a smoker. For low heat smoking, you still need to have ample and adequate airflow in order for the smoke itself not to stagnate and become acrid. So, in properly smoking, I don't see how the investment pays dividends over, say, a Weber Bullet, if you're dedicated to charcoal. What are its other benefits that justify its price (and ridiculous weight)?
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Jun 30, 2013 05:49
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JGdmn posted:I just bought a Brinkman electric, and while seasoning it (like it says in the directions) I decided to drop down a thermometer to see what temp it stays at. The water pan will drop the internal temp to between 225 and 250. You're golden. Speaking of golden, if it will hold steady at 330f with no pan, that would make a nice, golden bird.
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Nov 9, 2013 16:55
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Thanksgiving for my side of the family is in the books. I smoked a 20lb whole turkey and a 12lb breast with a mix of apple, cherry, maple and hickory. I am generally a hickory, hickory and more hickory kind of person, but this turned out pretty amazingly. The sweet, mild smoke of the fruit wood, with just a hint of the pungent hickory really went together nicely. Skipping the brine, since it was a cheap, frozen turkey pumped full of briney solution, I thawed it, and it went into the 40" MES with AMPNS. It smoked for roughly 5 hours at 275 until reaching 155 in the dark meat. Highly recommended.
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Nov 26, 2013 06:11
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Well, it's not meat... Currently 13F outside, so while I've frozen a full water pan, I don't think I'm going to need much of a buffer. I have a small 12v case fan on top to ensure at these cold temperatures, oxygen continues to flow from the bottom to the top, so that the AMNPS will stay lit.
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Dec 7, 2013 19:19
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Ahdinko posted:So I'm going to do my first smoke tomorrow, but since England is apparently full of big girls blouses, the biggest pork shoulders I could find were 5.5lbs each. So not like the 12lb monsters you guys seem to have in the states. You're still looking at a 6+ hour smoke depending on the temperature (225-250F) and whether or not you foil. You can foil, but I would wait until you hit 160F (plenty of smoke flavor at this point, and this is where the meat sweats stall things out), and make sure you're prepared for the foil to retain scalding hot pork water/fat, so use caution when removing the foiled shoulders from the smoker. Best of luck!
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Dec 14, 2013 02:07
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If you can source hardwood pellets in the UK, get an AMNPS and never worry about running out of smoke again.
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Dec 17, 2013 20:41
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Mob posted:I got the Masterbuilt 30" electric smoker(and wood chips! and some heavy duty meat gloves!) for Xmas. I thought I'd ask for this one to get started with and make sure I was really interested before I got a WSM or BGE. I've been reading/researching/watching BBQ for about a year now so I'm pumped to go get some pork butt and try to make a few of those and then move on to ribs or brisket. Your next move should be to order an AMNPS, and get a bag of Traeger hickory pellets at your nearest Ace / True Value hardware store... Or anywhere else that sells them. After having 3 other kinds, and switching to Traeger, there's no comparison. With chips, you will be constantly babysitting the smoker, and producing OK, but somewhat ashy/acrid smoked meats. Congrats on getting an MES, you're going to enjoy the hell out of it. :-)
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Dec 26, 2013 18:28
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jonathan posted:I also got a MES 30" for Christmas. In my opinion, there's no comparison. The chip tray is a sheet metal pan that sits directly above an electric coil, and it's enclosed enough that it doesn't quickly ignite the chips--they smolder for most of their "life." The smoldering creates a thicker, white smoke that doesn't have the same aroma as the wispy, blue smoke that's released from combustion of most hardwoods. I find the thick, white smoke to impart acrid and ashy flavors, not unlike the smell you get from a burning newspaper. I find the wispy blue smoke to impart a sweeter smoked flavor, more akin to what you smell when entering a good BBQ restaurant, or if you live in an area that gets cold in the winter, the wonderful smell of a nearby wood-burning fireplace. With the chip tray, I found I had to put very small quantities of chips in at a time, so they'd get hot enough to combust. That led to a lot of babysitting, as I was adding 8-10 chips at a time, every 30 minutes or so, and for the first 10 minutes, they'd still be giving off the white smoke that I find less desirable. If you add a lot of chips, you get plumes of thick white smoke for quite a while, and then you get a fire inside your MES and wildly fluctuating temperatures. The AMNPS puts out that wispy, thin blue smoke for about 6 hours with both ends lit, and 10+ if you just light one end. It also forces you to have proper airflow, because it will go out if it's starved for oxygen. Stale smoke tastes like ash to me as well, so ensuring the AMPNS stays lit in turn ensures a nice flow of fresh smoke. Here's what you get from the chip tray: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3LBaRZ9XSE From the AMNPS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7oYnCttVbQ The difference, side by side, would looks something like this: 
PainBreak fucked around with this message at 20:48 on Dec 26, 2013 |
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Dec 26, 2013 20:45
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jonathan posted:Awesome and thank you. Going to try to find a retailer in Alberta. Top vent wide open, chip tray pulled out 1", chip loader pulled out slightly. The heat from the element will create convection that will draw in air from the bottom, and send it out the top vent. Cold smoking's a little trickier, so sometimes I put a small fan on low, blowing toward the chip loader area.
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Dec 26, 2013 21:26
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jonathan posted:Forgot about the chip loader. Can the MES retain enough heat with convection taking place ? Oh yeah, the element on those is more than powerful enough to maintain 275F (max temp) with the vent wide open, the chip loader out, and the chip tray open. It's appropriately oversized.
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Dec 26, 2013 23:09
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jonathan posted:Top sirloin roast, 1.1kg (2.5lb). That's a really weird cut of meat for smoking, so don't be disappointed when it turns out differently than any BBQ you've ever eaten. There are a couple of ways to go with it. Cook it slowly (225f) with bacon on top for basting, until it reaches 195f, then pull / chop it for sandwiches. Or, go even more slowly, 200f, until you hit 125f, then slice it thinly and put it on a salad. Chuck is slightly better if you're going for nonstandard cuts for smoking. You should really start out with a pork shoulder, though. They are very, very forgiving, will soak up as much hickory smoke as you want to feed it, cheap, and most importantly, delicious. For pork and beef, stick with hickory (or oak, but that gets tricky) and save the fruit woods for more delicate things like poultry and seafood. Also, throw away the mesquite.
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Dec 28, 2013 01:47
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So... Explain the smoker. Is it just a roast pan full of burning embers, stuffed into the oven? How does it vent? So confused.
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Dec 29, 2013 05:17
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GrAviTy84 posted:it's my cheap 90bux charbroil grill I bought ages ago that I'm too cheap to upgrade. I'm using an old dutch oven that I don't use anymore with smoldering charcoal briquettes (like 4 of them) on the bottom. I then feed woodchunks and chips on top of the smoldering briquettes for smoke. I have the grill hooked up to a nat gas line in the wall so I can heat the grill up hotter. With it on its lowest setting on one side, other side off, and the smoldering wood chunks, grill internal temp is about 200 F. The whole thing is outside so venting is not an issue. That makes a lot more sense than what I thought I saw. :-)
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Dec 30, 2013 07:40
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GrAviTy84 posted:sure by all means keep over paying for inferior meat. :P Keep the prices of spareribs down for the rest of us I'm going to have to disagree here. Spare ribs: $2.99/lb untrimmed, 3.99 St Louis Trimmed. Baby back ribs: $3.99/lb Spare ribs are thinner, have much less meat to bone ratio. With baby backs, you don't have a bunch of poo poo left over that you can't serve people / have to trim off to make a presentable rack of ribs. I mean, what do I know, living in KCMO? Maybe you are getting inferior baby backs there on the coast.
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Jan 7, 2014 00:07
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jonathan posted:What is the best way to clean the MES 30 ? Remove grates spray over cleaner, hose out ? Grates can be cleaned in the dishwasher or if they are bad, on the oven clean cycle. Everything else, leave seasoned, or clean with a magic eraser.
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Jan 14, 2014 06:13
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bunnielab posted:My take away from that is that there is a world of smoked meats out there I have never even heard of. I have a near limitless supply of grape vines, can I smoke over them? Is that you, Michael Chiarello? It's too drat cold to smoke a meat. Smoke a cheese instead.
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Feb 2, 2014 15:32
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