BBQ and Grilling megathread

[gordo67]

Originally Posted by fotze

Is that bradley smoker electric. I.e. you don't have to fart around lighting the coals?

Yes..

[wpgflamesfan]

Originally Posted by Delgar

Question: Have you ever tried Iceman's rub?

2nd Question: How much brine for a 9 lb roast?

I have't tried Iceman's rub but i've heard great things. I've fooled around with a few different ones and found one that works for me.

As for the brine, it was 1 cup of apple juice, 1/2 cup of water, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of salt.

And gordo, in response to the brisket, I haven't taken one on yet. Apparently if you want something amazing you gotta wet age the meat for like a month and smoke for like 22 hours. My dad really wants to do one this summer so maybe i'll post some pictures if we get around to it.

[kermitology]

I want to eat that wpgflamesfan. I want to eat it so much.

[gordo67]

Originally Posted by wpgflamesfan

And gordo, in response to the brisket, I haven't taken one on yet. Apparently if you want something amazing you gotta wet age the meat for like a month and smoke for like 22 hours. My dad really wants to do one this summer so maybe i'll post some pictures if we get around to it.

Some say to wet age it an some say to just use a rub and leave it over night. As for time it all depends on the weight, I honestly don't remember how long mine was on, put it on the night before. There are so many methods to smoking a brisket that I think it is trial and error to see what is best like by the family.

[Antithesis]

Man alive, I think the series of posts about that pulled pork might have convinced me to go out and buy a smoker. Geez, that looks fabulous ... and it would make my father-in-law so jealous ...

[guzzy]

Originally Posted by fleuryisgod

Just wondering if anyone has tried making their own smoker. I found these plans and they seem very simple and I think it would be kinda neat to just make my own rather then buy one. Also I live in a condo and well if I make it out of a trash can I can pretend it is just a trash can instead of a smoker if anyone asks. As a side note my patio is 20' by 10' so I have room to spare and will be making a base for it so it does not actually contact the floor of my patio.

http://cruftbox.com/cruft/docs/elecsmoker.html

I just got three steel drums that used to contain racing fuel. I am going to burn them out and buy this kit

http://www.northlineexpress.com/item...p?ic=5VZ-BK50E

After that you just paint it with bbq paint and cut hole in top piece and had hinges. From the reviews I have read on line it is a great smoker and if you can get the barrels for free the whole smoker costs you under $200.

[transplant99]

Tried this recipe earlier this week and it was awesome.

Good for either pork chops or chicken breasts.

1/2 cup brown sugar packed.
3/4 cup apple juice
4 TBS soy Sauce
2 TBS canola oil
1 TSP ground ginger

Pour AJ into a sauce pan over medium/low heat add all other ingredients after the juice warms. Stir constantly until sugar is dissolved.

Place meat into a casserole dish and pour the mixture over it. Cover and place in refridgerator for at least 2 hours. (I left mine in for 8)

Grill on fairly high heat for about 8 minutes for medium sized breats or chops.

Sort of a sweet and sour taste that is not overpwoering on either side and absolutely tender meat.

Served with some mexican rice and fresh corn on the cob.

Everyone was really impressed and it was so easy.

[Komskies]

Started a pulled pork of my own today, to be cooked tomorrow.

It's an apporximately 7 pound loin roast, with really nice marbelling and a nice uniform fat cap.

Right now it's brining in the fridge in a solution of salt, brown sugar, lots of water, 2 bay leaves, and a few tbsp. of my dry rub. At about 10 tonight I'll pull it out of the brine, dry it off, and apply the rub.

My rub was a mixture of brown sugar, and then equal ratios of smoked paprika, cayenne, chili powder, cumin, coriander, pepper, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano.

This will sit on the pork overnight, and then around 8 am I'll start it smoking. I have a massive bowl of applewood chips soaking in water right now for use tomorrow.

Edit: Also, I bought some Innis and Gunn to go with it. Thought it would be a nice complementary flavor:

[Pinner]

Pork loin eh, I grill them pretty often, they don't take long to cook. I would be concerned about drying it out. I shut the heat of at 135f and let it rest on the grill...

The brine should help, never thought of smoking one.

Take a picture for us Komie.

[Komskies]

To be honest, I'm not sure if the loin will have enough connective tissue and fat to pull really nicely. Went to 3 stores and and nobody a shoulder so I settled on this very nice piece of meat. If all else fail's it will still slice really nicely, and I can make a faux pork sandiwch. I can take a couple pictures during the cooking process. I went to Lee Valley Tools yesterday and picked up a nice spray bottle that I'll use to spray my mop on the pork.

[Pinner]

Those Olymel "smoked" butts are on sale often for .99 cents a pound, They are not really smoked, they are still raw so I wonder if one of those would be an option ? I think they are just brined. It wouldn't be the same as starting from scratch but it would be a good experiment...

[Komskies]

This is the sauce I'll be using. It's from Tyler Florence's Ultimate BBQ Chicken recipe. Probably my favorite homemade bbq sauce:

The Ultimate Barbecue Sauce:

• 1 slice bacon
• 1 bunch fresh thyme
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 cups ketchup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika if available
• Freshly ground black pepper

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Wrap the bacon around the bunch of thyme and tie with kitchen twine so you have a nice bundle. Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the thyme and cook slowly 3 to 4 minutes to render the bacon fat and give the sauce a nice smoky taste. Add the onion and garlic and cook slowly without coloring for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, give the sauce a stir, and turn the heat down to low. Cook slowly for 20 minutes to meld the flavors.

[sclitheroe]

If I had some baby back ribs, would it be acceptable (I’m not going all out gourmet here) to start them on low heat in the oven for a number of hours, then finish at higher heat for a short while on the BBQ?

Or should I just dial the heat way down in the BBQ and go for it?

New BBQ and I’m a little nervous about throwing $30 worth of baby backs on there until I know how the temps go in there.

Maybe I should just man up and give ‘er hell

[Pinner]

Originally Posted by Pinner

An easy way to do ribs, you should pull the "silver skin" off the bone side.

You just work a spoon handle under the thin membrane from the end until you can get a grip on it and pull, it will peel right off the bones.

Sprinkle some seasoning (chicken & pork rub) on the ribs and rub it on, bake them in a covered pan at 225f for at least an hr, this renders the fat out and cooks the ribs and can be done ahead of time. I use a turkey roaster and it fits 4 racks without much touching, 2 racks against the sides. If you have more racks you will have to pile them and increase the baking time a fair bit.

Just put them on the grill at a med/low heat and brush your favorite sauce on them at your leisure as long as their not drying out. Your really just adding the final touch. Don't be afraid of sloping the sauce on, what falls into the grill just smokes the ribs up...

Ribs should not be boiled... Keep the flavor with the ribs.

Post #108

[Komskies]

Pork's been on the grill for about an hour now. Took 2 pictures yesterday: one in the brine, and one at around midnight last night when I put the rub on. I'll upload them later.

[TimSJ]

Picking up a Big Green Egg this week. Can't wait to get started using it. I think i will do some ribs first figuring they will be a simple trial run.

[Pinner]

FROM THE CANADIAN VENISON COUNCIL:

Controversy has long raged about the relative quality and taste of venison and beef as gourmet foods. Some people say that venison is tough, with a strong "wild" taste. Others insist that venison's flavor is delicate. An independent food research group was retained by the Venison Council to conduct a taste test to determine the truth of these conflicting assertions once and for all.

First, a Grade AAA Black Angus steer was chased into a swamp a mile and a half from the road and shot several times. After some of the entrails were removed, the carcass was dragged back over the rocks and logs, and through mud and dust to the road. It was then thrown into the back of a pickup truck and driven through rain and snow for 100 miles before being hung out in the shop for 10 days.

After that it was lugged into a garage, where it was skinned and rolled around the floor for a while. Strict sanitary precautions were observed throughout the test, within the limitations of the butchering environment.
For instance, dogs and cats were allowed to sniff and lick the steer carcass, but were chased away when they attempted to bite chunks out of it.

Next, a sheet of plywood left from last year's butchering was set up in the basement on two saw horses. The pieces of dried blood, hair and fat left from last year were scraped off with a wire brush last used to clean out the grass stuck under the lawn mower.

The skinned carcass was then dragged down the steps into the basement where half a dozen inexperienced but enthusiastic and intoxicated men worked on it with meat saws, cleavers and dull knives. The result was 375 pounds of soup bones, four bushel baskets of meat scraps, and a couple of steaks that were 1/8" thick on one end and 1 1/2" thick on the other.

The steaks were seared on a glowing red hot cast iron skillet to lock in the flavor. When the smoke cleared, rancid bacon grease was added along with three pounds of onions, and the whole conglomeration was fried for two hours. The meat was gently teased from the frying pan and served to three blindfolded taste panel volunteers. Every one of the members thought it was venison. One of the volunteers even said it tasted exactly like the venison he had been eating in hunting camps for the last 27 years.

The results of this scientific test show conclusively that there is no difference between the taste of beef and venison.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by wpgflamesfan

Pulled Pork Update:


I'll probably give it about 5 hours of smoke, then shut the smoke generator off and just let the heat do the work.

I know that this is late and all (and the final product looked delicious!). Just wondering about the 5 hours of smoke. I don't have an electric, but generally way less than an hour of actual smoke is needed. I think that I read somewhere that most of the actual smoking is infused in about 5 minutes.(I always smoke for longer than 5 minutes, but I'm pretty sure that was the time range) I'm not sure if that is the case with an electric, but I would think that it shouldn't be too much different?

Anyway, I just thought I'd ask...and if it all holds true then maybe that would save you some of your materials so you don't need 5 hours worth at a time.

[wpgflamesfan]

Originally Posted by Slava

I know that this is late and all (and the final product looked delicious!). Just wondering about the 5 hours of smoke. I don't have an electric, but generally way less than an hour of actual smoke is needed. I think that I read somewhere that most of the actual smoking is infused in about 5 minutes.(I always smoke for longer than 5 minutes, but I'm pretty sure that was the time range) I'm not sure if that is the case with an electric, but I would think that it shouldn't be too much different?

Anyway, I just thought I'd ask...and if it all holds true then maybe that would save you some of your materials so you don't need 5 hours worth at a time.

I've actually never heard about smoking for 5 minutes. I know with ribs you have to do it longer then that to get that nice smoke ring on the outer edges of the meat. Bradly, the makers of the electric smoker, actually have a great forum and I started off by reading what had worked for other people there, then modifying it to what worked best for me.

I know to from watching competitions on the food network that those guys do some insanely long smokes that produce some amazing things (ie burnt ends).

[Clarkey]

Too much smoke results in a creosote flavor. Smoke is important but the slow n' low heat is the key.