nyvram
09-27-2005, 01:52 PM
Ok, I dropped off the face of the planet for a few days due to being stuck in L.A. (we had a connecting flight through Houston that was cancelled on Thursday).
Howver, I got back late Friday night, made a stop by Wal-mart on the way home (around midnight) and pick up a shoulder & brisket.
Saturday morning, I put them both on to smoke around 7:45 AM. I put the brisket on the top rack & the butt right under it. I also used the 'foil method' to create little molds of the smoke box that I filled with presoaked wood chips. I used the rub I bought from here to coat the meat..I was a bit disappointed that it seems I used more than half of it in coating 2 11-lb pieces of meat. I'm not sure if I used too much or what.
I also bought a couple of cheap aluminum pans (99 cents) at Walmart..and I'm glad I did! I used one as a drip pan in the bottom rack of the smoker & the second one is where I put the pulled pork. :)
First thing I discovered..the temp goes WAAAAY down when you put the meat in. :) I was worried I couldn't keep the temp under 250 even on the lowest setting until I actually put some food in the smoker.
The first couple of hours were a bit rough; me trying to get the temp to even out at roughly 225; I ended up burning through that first foil smokepack really fast.
I finally got the temp dial in a 'see saw' manner to optimize the point where it stayed around 225. For good measure I drew on the control with a sharpie so I can see the line to use.
The first pouch of wood turned to cinder well within the first hour. I'm guessing that had something to do with me fighting to keep the temp under 250. The second foil pouch of wood was so tall I had to take the water pan out first then mush the pan down on top of it.
The rest of the day I was mowing & cleaning up for the party so I checked on the temp roughly once an hour. It held rock solid at 230ish all day long.
Around 6ish I took the brisket out, wrapped in foil and covered with some KC Masterpiece (I didn't have time to make the homeade sauce recommended on this site) and put back in. I was late getting to the brisket to do this. Too many things going on.
I took the 11lb pork roast out around 8pm with a temp of roughly 170. It was too soon! The meat was still tender enough to pull with a fork, but it still clung to the bone which I understand should come out clean if the meat is truly done. I'm sure the fussing I was doing earlier in the day added a couple of hours to the cook time. But there were people there who were wanting to eat & they pressured me(!)
Around 10:30 I took the brisket out.
Verdict:
Pork was good..I liked the pork but its never been my favorite meat. Everyone really seemed to enjoy it and no one wanted to add sauce to it! I think that's a testamenet to the quality of the dry rub.
Brisket was very GOOD. I was worried that this being my first time, it wouldn't end up so hot (not pun intended) but following the directions on this board made it nearly foolproof. I brought it into work and people have been coming out of all corners trying to track down the smell. Good stuff.
Now for the lessons learned & questions:
1. The wood chips (even soaked) did seem to burn up fast. I wonder if chunks would last longer? My brain tells me they should. Is there any issue/bitterness with leaving the 'dead' wood in the smoker all day? Should I take the wood pouch out completely once its turned to ash?
2. The brisket seemed a little tough on the flat end but HOLY CRAP when I got to the fat end the knife just fell through the meat. Unbelieveble. It was a good brisket. Is the fact the flat was a little tough mean I should have wrapped it in foil sooner? Or could that mean I took it out too soon?
3. What is the consensus for brisket cooking temp? If the meat stops absorbing smoke at 140..it seems the 190ish cook range while taking longer..would mean your brisket would get a deeper smoke ring. Does a deeper smoke ring mean the meat tastes better? I had around a 3/16 smoke ring on the brisket which was tasty but I'm curious if I should try to make the smoke last longer.
4. Clean up..what a breeze! Throw out the drip pan, toss the smoker racks in the dishwasher, scrub the crud off the water pan, wipe down the smoker & pick it up & put it back in the garage. I'd be surprised if it took longer than 15 minutes to completely clean up the smoker mess.
Finally..I love the GO smoker! I know you guys hate the propane but remember I'm just a novice here. I'm already jonesing to smoke more meat. I want to load that sucker up this weekend with all kinds of meat. Those 22lbs of meat are almost all gone from this past weekend.
PS I threw the kids hot dogs (the oscar meyer w/ the cheese inside) in the smoker for about 45 minutes...man those dogs came out great. Best tasting dogs I've cooked.
Howver, I got back late Friday night, made a stop by Wal-mart on the way home (around midnight) and pick up a shoulder & brisket.
Saturday morning, I put them both on to smoke around 7:45 AM. I put the brisket on the top rack & the butt right under it. I also used the 'foil method' to create little molds of the smoke box that I filled with presoaked wood chips. I used the rub I bought from here to coat the meat..I was a bit disappointed that it seems I used more than half of it in coating 2 11-lb pieces of meat. I'm not sure if I used too much or what.
I also bought a couple of cheap aluminum pans (99 cents) at Walmart..and I'm glad I did! I used one as a drip pan in the bottom rack of the smoker & the second one is where I put the pulled pork. :)
First thing I discovered..the temp goes WAAAAY down when you put the meat in. :) I was worried I couldn't keep the temp under 250 even on the lowest setting until I actually put some food in the smoker.
The first couple of hours were a bit rough; me trying to get the temp to even out at roughly 225; I ended up burning through that first foil smokepack really fast.
I finally got the temp dial in a 'see saw' manner to optimize the point where it stayed around 225. For good measure I drew on the control with a sharpie so I can see the line to use.
The first pouch of wood turned to cinder well within the first hour. I'm guessing that had something to do with me fighting to keep the temp under 250. The second foil pouch of wood was so tall I had to take the water pan out first then mush the pan down on top of it.
The rest of the day I was mowing & cleaning up for the party so I checked on the temp roughly once an hour. It held rock solid at 230ish all day long.
Around 6ish I took the brisket out, wrapped in foil and covered with some KC Masterpiece (I didn't have time to make the homeade sauce recommended on this site) and put back in. I was late getting to the brisket to do this. Too many things going on.
I took the 11lb pork roast out around 8pm with a temp of roughly 170. It was too soon! The meat was still tender enough to pull with a fork, but it still clung to the bone which I understand should come out clean if the meat is truly done. I'm sure the fussing I was doing earlier in the day added a couple of hours to the cook time. But there were people there who were wanting to eat & they pressured me(!)
Around 10:30 I took the brisket out.
Verdict:
Pork was good..I liked the pork but its never been my favorite meat. Everyone really seemed to enjoy it and no one wanted to add sauce to it! I think that's a testamenet to the quality of the dry rub.
Brisket was very GOOD. I was worried that this being my first time, it wouldn't end up so hot (not pun intended) but following the directions on this board made it nearly foolproof. I brought it into work and people have been coming out of all corners trying to track down the smell. Good stuff.
Now for the lessons learned & questions:
1. The wood chips (even soaked) did seem to burn up fast. I wonder if chunks would last longer? My brain tells me they should. Is there any issue/bitterness with leaving the 'dead' wood in the smoker all day? Should I take the wood pouch out completely once its turned to ash?
2. The brisket seemed a little tough on the flat end but HOLY CRAP when I got to the fat end the knife just fell through the meat. Unbelieveble. It was a good brisket. Is the fact the flat was a little tough mean I should have wrapped it in foil sooner? Or could that mean I took it out too soon?
3. What is the consensus for brisket cooking temp? If the meat stops absorbing smoke at 140..it seems the 190ish cook range while taking longer..would mean your brisket would get a deeper smoke ring. Does a deeper smoke ring mean the meat tastes better? I had around a 3/16 smoke ring on the brisket which was tasty but I'm curious if I should try to make the smoke last longer.
4. Clean up..what a breeze! Throw out the drip pan, toss the smoker racks in the dishwasher, scrub the crud off the water pan, wipe down the smoker & pick it up & put it back in the garage. I'd be surprised if it took longer than 15 minutes to completely clean up the smoker mess.
Finally..I love the GO smoker! I know you guys hate the propane but remember I'm just a novice here. I'm already jonesing to smoke more meat. I want to load that sucker up this weekend with all kinds of meat. Those 22lbs of meat are almost all gone from this past weekend.
PS I threw the kids hot dogs (the oscar meyer w/ the cheese inside) in the smoker for about 45 minutes...man those dogs came out great. Best tasting dogs I've cooked.