Smoking Barbrcue Thread

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Smoked 4.25 hours on Saturday. Trouble downloading these pictures, got it to work. My best Pork Ribs I have smoked.
 
Did you know if you don't sponsor here, you can only post images using one of those image hosting websites? I didn't either. F that.

Oh well, I made a kick *** brisket yesterday. You'll just have to take my word for it. Or not, that's fine, too.
 
Little 4th spread. Had some neighbors and some family over. 1 brisket, 3 racks of ribs. Also did up some cowboy style beans from scratch.

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Smoked 8 hours on the 3rd until about 11 pm, then finished in oven. Pulled at 5 am, rested/held until 6 pm and sliced at that time.
 
I may finally have a chance to do some offset smoking this weekend...I have run a couple of trial burns just doing direct-heat burgers as I tried to make sure my patches would hold (high heat foil tape).

While doing the burgers, I was also checking the temp in the offset area and it was consistently holding where I wanted it to be, so I have that going for me.

Now to shake the rust off on my actual cooking techniques...I've got a few things from ButcherBox that will probably wind up on the grill...brisket will ultimately come from a local market, but probably not until it cools off a little bit.
 
Disappointing day of smoking yesterday...

I was using large lump mesquite but didn't have enough to really properly sustain my 225 degree temps for four hours...I need to find a local source and get me a good quarter-cord of mesquite for the longer cooks. It didn't help that the rains came shortly after I had got the fire going and that cost me some temp in the cooking area. I ALSO realized that rain comes off of the roof right where I prefer to stand...I did not take that into account when I set up the area where I have the pit situated...

The ribs were still 'done' but not what they SHOULD have been. One slab of baby-backs with rub and one slab of St. Louis-style with rub and brown sugar. No sauce. No mopping.
 
I recommend 275° for ribs. But whaddoiknow? My tree guy here in Chicago area gets hickory and red oak for me. You should have no trouble sourcing mesquite.
 
horninchicago said:
I recommend 275° for ribs. But whaddoiknow? My tree guy here in Chicago area gets hickory and red oak for me. You should have no trouble sourcing mesquite.
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I've always done them around 225 or so...especially since I don't do the mopping/saucing.

Mesquite used to be easy to find...now that everyone and their uncle has something with a firebox, it has become more pricey and challenging to find.
 
mb227 said:
I've always done them around 225 or so...especially since I don't do the mopping/saucing.

Mesquite used to be easy to find...now that everyone and their uncle has something with a firebox, it has become more pricey and challenging to find.
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Unless you can't live without mesquite, white oak is plentiful and used by many of the bbq joints there.

I don't mop either, I just like 250-275.
 
horninchicago said:
Unless you can't live without mesquite, white oak is plentiful and used by many of the bbq joints there.

I don't mop either, I just like 250-275.
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I prefer the flavor that the mesquite imparts...part of the reason I don't use sauces is that I am a graduate of the school of thought that suggests flavor should only be provided by the rub and the smoke. With a little brown sugar sprinkled over the slab before it goes in...
 
mb227 said:
I prefer the flavor that the mesquite imparts...part of the reason I don't use sauces is that I am a graduate of the school of thought that suggests flavor should only be provided by the rub and the smoke. With a little brown sugar sprinkled over the slab before it goes in...
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Then stop bitchin' about the struggle to source mesquite lol. 'Smatta witchu?

:fiestanana:
 
mb227 said:
note to self...No ribs for HIC.

OK, you were saying?
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Sooo...on a pilot forum I am on, some people are suggesting choice brisket is fine because of the long cook time on brisket, prime doesn't matter. I say they are nuts. What say you?
 
horninchicago said:
Sooo...on a pilot forum I am on, some people are suggesting choice brisket is fine because of the long cook time on brisket, prime doesn't matter. I say they are nuts. What say you?
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IMO, I believe much will have to do with how large of a brisket we are discussing and whether it was trimmed prior to purchase.

I miss the days of those good but cheap 15 pounders with a nice-sized fat-cap to render out during the process. I would have no problem with doing one of those as choice. Now, choice becomes a default for many because of price concerns...
 
I cooked up some bacon the grill last week. Was most excellent.

Started out with a 4-5 pound pork belly. Used a sugar / kosher salt / spices / ground up hatch chili curing mix, and let it cure in the frige for 10 days, flipping over ever day.

Then onto the grill, indirect heat, 250 F grill temp, and lots of pecan smoking chunks and chips, till it got to 150 F.

Everyone I've given it to likes how meaty it tastes. I credit a lot it to me only using kosher salt for the cure, not the curing salts most bacon is cured with, that has a lot of nitrates in it, and really makes it taste like the sea, and not pork.
Smoked bacon_1.jpg
 
Thnx for posting that...my Kroger has had some pork belly in their butcher case that I was contemplating tossing on the pit, but I was not sure how I wanted to do it. Now I at least have one idea to work with LOL!
 
It's super easy. Lots of curing recipes online, and if don't have any "curing salts" as they list, no problem as I didn't use any nor will I. Just regular salt is fine, and allows the meat to have more than a salt taste.

Takes 7-10 days of curing - you rub the curing mix on the meat, put it in a plastic bag, and into the fridge, turning it over once a day. After 5-8 days, it should be decently firm, then the last two days the recipe said to take it out of the plastic and let cure open air, I guess to allow some drying.

Then onto the grill. With all the fat, there's a flat line stall I had right at 148 F (going to 150 F). I kept it on the grill for 2-3 hours at that stall temp to render some of the fat off, then finally pulled it off at 149 which was close enough. There's no magic temperature I think for bacon like brisket where it needs at least 200 F plus. You're going to fry it up later anyway.

Then you slice it up - this will take awhile if you just have a knife. You can't get the thin slices like store bought bacon - it's more like the thick cut style. But that's fine, and adds to the meaty taste.
 
Nice looking ribs. I've given up on St. Louis ribs - they always turn out too fatty for me, so I pal the extra to get the baby backs, looking for ones where there's a lot of loin meat on them.

I cooked some salmon on the grill last week - most on a cedar plank, and few off on the grill itself for lack of room. Turned out well.

Salmon ready_1.jpg
 
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