not everyone uses a WSM as hard as it is to believe.

Um... was that not my point?

I.e., do you feel whatever you use requires a closer watch on temp than I seem to want with the set-it-and-forget-it WSM?

Thanks, afb005 for the answer, although I think (as I did several pages ago, to be honest) that it just comes down to, there's the guys who want to play with the knobs and dials and the guys who don't, and whatever makes you happy is great.

kinda sad, this was a once great thread with folks actually posting pictures & steps of what they are smoking.

I know I post pics and steps of what I smoke(good or bad).

Back to my deck, and my beer and tequila & to listen to the White Sox..

I still don't get why the BBQ in this thread has to come with a side of passive/aggressive... most of the time I've asked straightforward questions, and tried as best I could to ignore the condescension that came back, usually without the straight answer.

Whatever. Chicago can't make pizza either. Whatever. And I sure don't know anything about posting pictures and useful info on this site, that's for damn sure. Whatever.

I do think that with a WSM, monitoring the cooking temperature is less critical than with other cookers.

That said, I cooked some ribs on my WSM last weekend using the 'probe in a potato' method of temperature montoring. I just wanted to see how even (or uneven) it stayed throughout the cook. I vowed that I wasn't going to adjust the dampers at all, no matter what it said. However, after about 2.5 hours hovering at around 260 F, I noticed that the temperature had spiked considerably. Sure enough, all the water had cooked out of the water pan. Would I have noticed the spike without the thermometer sitting right there? Would holding my hand over the vent have been enough? I honestly don't know. It was cold, windy and rainy and I'm not sure I would have been patient enough to stay outside long enough to make an accurate diagnosis. But when I saw that the temperature was just over 315 F, I knew right away -- for sure-- that something had to be up. That's when I opened the door and noticed the empty water pan, which I refilled.

So, this time around, monitoring the temperature turned out to be a very good thing. Not only was it a very easy thing to do but doing so probably saved my ribs. It's easy to say 'it's done when it's done' or 'I'll make an adjustment next time' but if I'd killed these ribs, getting something else together for dinner on that particular night would have been a major pain in the ass, and it would have really disrupted my family's evening. What I learned in this instance was why 'use the force' when it's so easy not to?

=R=

HI,

Tomorrow, I am smoking a 10-pound brisket, some hot links as well as some Polish sausage. Underneath there will be baked beans catching all those delicious drips.

If it turns out everyone wants an earlier dinner, then the cook will begin before dawn. There is nothing sweeter than watching all those sparks flying off your fully lit chimney filled with red hot charcoal. I feel like a sorcerer making gold from base metal.

So what is anybody else cooking tomorrow?

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Tomorrow, I am smoking a 10-pound brisket, some hot links as well as some Polish sausage. Underneath there will be baked beans catching all those delicious drips.
...
So what is anybody else cooking tomorrow?

Um... I think we're all going to your house.

ronnie_suburban wrote:However, after about 2.5 hours hovering at around 260 F, I noticed that the temperature had spiked considerably. Sure enough, all the water had cooked out of the water pan. Would I have noticed the spike without the thermometer sitting right there? Would holding my hand over the vent have been enough? I honestly don't know.

I have some experience along those lines. My original point was that thermometers are nice, but not all that necessary once you get to know your cooker. For example, with the WSM I know that around the 1.5 - 2 hour mark, I have to refill the water pan, so I do that as a matter of course and don't experience the temp spike as a general rule. To answer your question, when the water pan starts to run low you can easily feel the difference using the hand method.

stevez wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:However, after about 2.5 hours hovering at around 260 F, I noticed that the temperature had spiked considerably. Sure enough, all the water had cooked out of the water pan. Would I have noticed the spike without the thermometer sitting right there? Would holding my hand over the vent have been enough? I honestly don't know.

I have some experience along those lines. My original point was that thermometers are nice, but not all that necessary once you get to know your cooker. For example, with the WSM I know that around the 1.5 - 2 hour mark, I have to refill the water pan, so I do that as a matter of course and don't experience the temp spike as a general rule. To answer your question, when the water pan starts to run low you can easily feel the difference using the hand method.

Understood. In fact, in the dozens of times I've used my WSM, I imagine I've monitored the cooking temperature only a small percentage of them. It's a very consistent cooker and generally speaking, the only real variable when using it is wind. But reading some posts here recently about the potato method picqued my interest, so I decided to try it. The fact that I happened to be doing so at a time when it turned out to be really beneficial was just a matter of luck. I guess I just didn't fill the water pan full enough because usually when I smoke ribs, there's still some water in the pan when they're done.

I doubt that a more patient, more experienced bbq'er would have even run into the same sitaution as I did. But given this incident, I'm thinking there's no reason not to use the remote probe on future cooks. I already own the hardware and there's no real detrement to using it. The extra assurance might be kind of nice (and I'm a geek for the data, too).

Unfortunately, I won't be doing any smoking at all this weekend. I threw my back out something fierce and can only dream about bbq for now. But the pain pills are a reasonable consolation prize.

=R=

For those of you who might be interested -

Just picked up Adam Perry Lang's Serious Barbecue and have been very impressed by what I have read so far. Like politics Lang is a "big tent" chef who believes that there are different ways to cook BBQ and distinguishes between Northern BBQ and Southern BBQ. While most of us would make the distinction between smoking and grilling, Lang see both of these schools as part of a bigger BBQ tradition. He also discusses the benefits of layering, brining and glazing for BBQ and amply discusses their applications. It was also refreshing to see that he uses a ceramic cooker as well as other grills and that he was not tied down to a certain cooking technique because "that's the way its always been done." I see him and other young chefs representing a new wave in their approach to BBQ, keeping what works but expanding our views of what BBQ can and will be.

If your open to new ideas, you might want to check it out.

ronnie_suburban wrote:I doubt that a more patient, more experienced bbq'er would have even run into the same sitaution as I did.

Ronnie,

In all seriousness, I'm doubting such a person exists.

Cathy2 wrote:Tomorrow, I am smoking a 10-pound brisket, some hot links as well as some Polish sausage. Underneath there will be baked beans catching all those delicious drips.

So what is anybody else cooking tomorrow?

Regards,

sounds really good Cathy,

I am not sure what I am doing yet, I may wheel Ol' reliable(my offset) out of the garage, or I mause the WSM again, maybe smoke some chicken wings,

I am downloading the pics of yesterdays food as I type, they will be up shortly.

Here are my pics of yesterdays fun. Smoked some meatballs, and when they were done I put them in a crock pot with grape jelly, chilisauce, worstershire, black pepper, and garlic. Cooked them on low for 2 hours, and served with dinner. The meatballs were smokey, and tender, the sauce was surprisingly good(I wasnt sure about the grape jelly, chili sauce combo.

The beautiful bone in pork roast. Rubbed it Friday night with minced garlic, and mustard, the next morning applied a basic dry rub. Put it on the smoker, and pulled the roast when I hit 150 degrees, I then wrapped it in foil with honey, and apllejuice, and put it back on the smoker until I hit 160. I then unwrapped it, and took out the ater pan on the WSM, and charred up the crust. Outcome...brilliant ..!

Some of the better pork I have eaten.

meatball ingredeints:


meatballs:


meatballs cut:


meatballs in sauce:


pork loin:


rubbed loin:


Q-view:


finsihed loin:


slices:



thanks for looking at my pics, enjoy.

Cathy2 wrote:HI,

So what is anybody else cooking tomorrow?

Regards,

3 slabs of baby backs and 5lbs of jerk chicken (boneless thighs). Also brewing 5 gallons of Hefeweizen but that is of more interest to another forum

Got a loaner Big Green Egg yesterday to play around with for a month or so, chicken leg/thighs seem in order.

Jim, pork roast looked delish.

I'm a happy camper. I bought a 14 pound brisket to cook in my WSM for a neighbor's party.

Soaked it Friday morning in some Worcestershire Sauce and Jim Beam Whiskey, sprinkled Lawry salt, pepper, oreagano. Put it on the smoker around 10 pm. By 7 am, Saturday, had a beautifully cooked brisket ready for the party.

Reheated it, sliced it; tender, smoky, tasty -- life is good.

jimswside wrote:Here are my pics of yesterdays fun. Smoked some meatballs, and when they were done I put them in a crock pot with grape jelly, chilisauce, worstershire, black pepper, and garlic. Cooked them on low for 2 hours, and served with dinner. The meatballs were smokey, and tender, the sauce was surprisingly good(I wasnt sure about the grape jelly, chili sauce combo.

The beautiful bone in pork roast. Rubbed it Friday night with minced garlic, and mustard, the next morning applied a basic dry rub. Put it on the smoker, and pulled the roast when I hit 150 degrees, I then wrapped it in foil with honey, and apllejuice, and put it back on the smoker until I hit 160. I then unwrapped it, and took out the ater pan on the WSM, and charred up the crust. Outcome...brilliant ..!

Some of the better pork I have eaten.

thanks for looking at my pics, enjoy.

It's like viewing food pornography, damn Jim that looks great!

stevez wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:However, after about 2.5 hours hovering at around 260 F, I noticed that the temperature had spiked considerably. Sure enough, all the water had cooked out of the water pan. Would I have noticed the spike without the thermometer sitting right there? Would holding my hand over the vent have been enough? I honestly don't know.

I have some experience along those lines. My original point was that thermometers are nice, but not all that necessary once you get to know your cooker. For example, with the WSM I know that around the 1.5 - 2 hour mark, I have to refill the water pan, so I do that as a matter of course and don't experience the temp spike as a general rule. To answer your question, when the water pan starts to run low you can easily feel the difference using the hand method.

Just curious, do you use a watch or a clock to keep track of the time to know when the 1.5-2 hours have elapsed? Or do you also possess a built in clock?

Seriously, using your hand over the vent is a very slick cook cooking tip, I dont disagree. I know I cant do it. I must have thick skinned hands or numbed nerves from those years of working in a bakery in front of a bread oven catching bread & bun pans...

I think ronnie_suburban's honesty and practicality is admirable. Like he said, if you have the tools, they can't hurt.

Take care all-

G Wiv wrote:Got a loaner Big Green Egg yesterday to play around with for a month or so, chicken leg/thighs seem in order.

Jim, pork roast looked delish.

thanks Gary,

Big Green Egg loaner... nice. I have heard great things about that expensive piece of equiptment.

abf005 wrote:
It's like viewing food pornography, damn Jim that looks great!

thanks burt. still deciding on how to do my shrimp today, brined and roast smoked on the WSM, or marinated and grilled on the kettle.

jimswside wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:Tomorrow, I am smoking a 10-pound brisket, some hot links as well as some Polish sausage. Underneath there will be baked beans catching all those delicious drips.

So what is anybody else cooking tomorrow?

Regards,

sounds really good Cathy,

I am not sure what I am doing yet, I may wheel Ol' reliable(my offset) out of the garage, or I mause the WSM again, maybe smoke some chicken wings,

I am downloading the pics of yesterdays food as I type, they will be up shortly.

Went Downtown for dinner out last night, so I think I'm on the grill tonight. Not really sure yet what I have a taste for. I think a trip to Garden Fresh Market is in the plan for this afternoon. Lets see what look fresh, I'll try to post picts of what I turn out.

I'm envious of Cathy2, sounds like shes feeding an army, and has a solid grip on planing ahead for this weekend that I apparently lacked!

stevez wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:I doubt that a more patient, more experienced bbq'er would have even run into the same sitaution as I did.

Ronnie,

In all seriousness, I'm doubting such a person exists.

LOL! I felt pretty effing stupid when I found that water pan empty. And I was in such a hurry to get back inside, to begin with. I'm guessing there are those among us who would relish such situations but for me, it was just the chore of "making dinner" in crappy conditions.

=R=

jimswside wrote:Big Green Egg loaner... nice. I have heard great things about that expensive piece of equiptment.

Seems a nice piece of equipment.



Thought I'd start off slow, made breakfast in the BGE.

Sausage, tomato, potatoes, jalapeno, fresh pineapple w/brown sugar and lemon juice



Breakfast



Enjoy,
Gary

jimswside wrote:meatball ingredeints:

Jim,
The meatballs look and sound delicious. What's the stuff in the jar on the right, in the back?
Kenny

abf005 wrote:
Just curious, do you use a watch or a clock to keep track of the time to know when the 1.5-2 hours have elapsed? Or do you also possess a built in clock?

I'll admit to using a watch to keep track of time, but that's something I do whether I'm cooking or not. .

I know for a fact that I'm not alone in knowing the state of the meat while it is cooking by feel; even among those who use instruments to guide their cooks. I'll bet many instinctively know when the meat is done and simply use the instruments as a confirmation. Once you cook for a while (regardless of cooker or method), surely you get a feel for such things.

Kennyz wrote:What's the stuff in the jar on the right, in the back?

Looks like Texas Pete Pepper Sauce, hot peppers in vinegar.

Mike G wrote:I still don't get why the BBQ in this thread has to come with a side of passive/aggressive... most of the time I've asked straightforward questions, and tried as best I could to ignore the condescension that came back, usually without the straight answer.

Whatever. Chicago can't make pizza either. Whatever. And I sure don't know anything about posting pictures and useful info on this site, that's for damn sure. Whatever.

I was thinking the same thing. I lurk and occasionally contribute to a wide range of BBQ specific forums and I rarely see this type of passive/aggressive and dogmatic thinking on other forums. That's not to say that they don't have their own disagreements but I think their discussions stay somewhat civil due the the following. Most forums have a national audience split between those who are causal BBQ'ers and those who compete or own restaurants. For those who do compete, they have to watch the trends as to what the judges want to see and if they refuse to be sensitive to what the judges are looking for, they are simply not going to do well. If my ribs don't turn out well on any given day, I am disappointed - if theirs don't turn out well, they are out a lot of time and money. People on these BBQ forums also use a wide range of cookers from converted 55 gal drums to rigs costing over $10,000 and have a tendency to cook items that are not talked about much on this forum such as ABT's and "fatties."

In contrast, many of the BBQ posters in LTH forum live in the Chicago land area and prepare a wide variety of dishes. There are not many people who cook on the circuit and many of those who post use a Weber Smokey Mountain and follow Gary Wiv's Low and Slow philosophy. There is certainly nothing wrong with this but I will put myself out on a limb here and say that the smoking/BBQ talk here does not reflect what I see in other forums. People who post on this forum (and there aren't many - 10 to 15 regulars on the topic of BBQ) have a pretty strong mindset of what BBQ is and how it will be produced.

This is my take - you take might be different.

G Wiv wrote:
Thought I'd start off slow, made breakfast in the BGE.

Sausage, tomato, potatoes, jalapeno, fresh pineapple w/brown sugar and lemon juice

And to think I had bran flakes with soy milk for breakfast today. I am so embarrassed I have strayed so far off the path.

Bill/SFNM

Hi,

Brisket and burnt ends turned out very well. I wasn't in the mood to make BBQ sauce today, I did put out sauces from Arthur Bryant, Speed Queen, Sweet Baby Ray and horseradish. Inspired by a conversation yesterday, I also made Horseradish Cream sauce:

1 cup whipping cream
4 tablespoons horseradish
a pinch of salt

Add salt to whipping cream, then whip until stiff. Fold in horseradish. Serve.

While probably more traditional with roast beef, it worked really well with the brisket. I used whipping cream, because it finished up the half gallon purchased last weekend at Costco. I could have just as likely used unwhipped sour cream and stirred in horseradish.

I also used brisket slicing idea from Darren72: "As you probably know, brisket has a very distinct grain when it is raw. When cooked, though, it is sometimes difficult to see the grain. A trick is that you cut a small piece of the meat off at a tip, perpendicular to the direction of the grain. When the meat is done, you may not be able to see the grain, but you will see the bit where you cut off the meat. Begin your slices parallel to this cut." I thought it worked like a charm, though I took a slightly different approach: I cut a corner with the grain. Later when it was time to serve, I had a reference. Whatever way your noodle works, Darren's idea of cutting a reference in the raw meat is solid.

Regards,

Kennyz wrote:

jimswside wrote:meatball ingredeints:

Jim,
The meatballs look and sound delicious. What's the stuff in the jar on the right, in the back?
Kenny

Kenny, sorry I didnt see your question til now,

It is what GWiv answered jut below Texas Pete peppers in vinegar, I use about a tbsp. of the vinegar from the peppers in the meatballs.

I watched the Throw Down with Bobby Flay episode this weekend where he "throws down" against pit master Ed Mitchell of North Carolina. Flay was defeated, of course, but a couple of questions arose while watching Mitchell.

He usually 'ques whole hog (low & slow) but will also do ribs. He called the cut of ribs he used a "Carolina cut" and said they were superior to the St. Louis cut that Flay was using. I've never heard of this cut. Is it cut from the sparerib?

Also, his method for rib-cookery is cooking hot & fast over a hot fire using oak & hickory wood! He said about 20 minutes per side. And they came out tender & "fall off the bone." I thought this was most interesting. Any thoughts on this method?