dansch wrote:I channeled my inner jimswside yesterday and smoked some spare ribs that had been lingering in my chest freezer*.

Brisket on the Big Green Egg for Mother's Day. Pimento cheese spread, stewed okra w/tomato, mushroom and onion and......TBD at the market.

I cut and trimmed a small hunk of the flat, which you may notice in the pictures, for two reasons. One, the brisket didn't quite fit the large BGE and two, people often ask me about smoking a first cut/flat brisket, which typically means well trimmed, I've decided to experiment with the best way to produce tasty results.

Full packer cut brisket with hunk of trimmed flat



Brisket just starting its Low Slow journey to tasty land



Enjoy,
Gary

LTH,

Brisket turned out not-bad-at-all, a nice Mother's day meal for me, the bride and a few family members. And, yes, that's polenta with the brisket, not a typical BBQ side, but I was in the mood for polenta.









Enjoy,
Gary

Smoked some lamb baby backs and belly (still attached) today, which were very tasty but a little too fatty for my liking. I concocted a cumin-black pepper-ancho chile rub, which worked very well. I think I'll do this again, but with racks of lamb that still have the loin attached. Also smoked some garlic sausages that I made last week and a small piece of beef tenderloin. The sausages were great smoked. I'd grilled a few after I made them but the smoked ones were better. The tenderloin, I absolutely cooked into oblivion. I forgot about it (didn't see it behind the ribs when I went out to the smoker). By the time I remembered it, it was about 180 degrees F internal and completely gray throughout. Yes, I masterfully made prime tenderloin taste like dry liver. Luckily, it was just a small leftover piece from a meal earlier in the week but it was still a shame.

Edit to add: Nice brisket, Gary!

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote: Nice brisket, Gary!

=R=

I concur, really nice looking brisket Mr. Wiviott.

I took last weekend off, and gave the WSM a rest, and I havent done any ribs since that sub-par(solely because of the ribs I used) batch I did using expensive pork from Whole Foods a couple weeks ago.

Back to basics this weekend, a trip to Restaurant Depot in the next couple days is in the cards for a 3 pack of IBP pork back ribs, and some bags of RO lump(I know, I know......., no one has ever made great, or even good bbq with IBP pork & charcoal, I guess I will never learn. ) Probably my last practice run on ribs before my first competition on the 29th.

Might also do some beans, and some ABT's Saturday as well.

How did I get it in the little rolling papers?

Smoked chicken thigh

nice...

seems like rib prices are headed up. Typically bb ribs are $2.49/lb - $2.79/lb @ Rest. Depot. Yesterday they were over $3.00/lb. $3.29/lb for individual 3 packs, and $3.01/lb/case price. Luckily I found a 3 pack on the reduced price rack for the $3.01/lb.

Those will be going on the WSM as I finalize some last minute tweaks and presentation for a rib contest I am doing May 29th. Also probably going to do some ABT's(got some leftover snow crab), and maybe some beans. Should be a nice treat after a day of painting the house.

My WSM has been sitting idle for just about 2 weeks now, its longest downtime yet.

ribs are prepped(rinsed with water and vinegar, membrane removed, and I am doing 3 different preperations.

(1) is an experimental mustard slather prep with my rub
(1) is the standard mustard slather and my rub
(1) the slab was slathered with thai chili sauce instead of mustard, then 5 Spice(lightly), and a storebought rub was applied.



I gotta blast off to the store and get other componants of the meal before I can start smoking (and drinking).

[quote="jimswside"]
seems like rib prices are headed up. Typically bb ribs are $2.49/lb - $2.79/lb @ Rest. Depot. Yesterday they were over $3.00/lb. $3.29/lb for individual 3 packs, and $3.01/lb/case price. Luckily I found a 3 pack on the reduced price rack for the $3.01/lb.

Jim,

FYI, Pete's Fresh Market is running slabs of pork spareribs this week at $1.79 a pound.

Evil Ronnie wrote:

jimswside wrote:seems like rib prices are headed up. Typically bb ribs are $2.49/lb - $2.79/lb @ Rest. Depot. Yesterday they were over $3.00/lb. $3.29/lb for individual 3 packs, and $3.01/lb/case price. Luckily I found a 3 pack on the reduced price rack for the $3.01/lb.

Jim,

FYI, Pete's Fresh Market is running slabs of pork spareribs this week at $1.79 a pound.

thanks for the heads up, I didnt check out spare rib prices @ RD, but $1.79 @ Pete's is a pretty good price. I go back and forth with which i prefer between bb's and spares.

ABF005 and I cooked a BBQ comp in Clinton IA over the weekend...we won Grand Champion!
great first year contest..well run and they really catered to the cooks ...
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs333.ash1/28833_391463357996_290615782996_4161311_6911288_n.jpg

knocked the ribs out after a few weeks off.

Head's Red BBQ wrote:ABF005 and I cooked a BBQ comp in Clinton IA over the weekend...we won Grand Champion!

Congratulations! Nice start to the contest season.

Head's Red BBQ wrote:ABF005 and I cooked a BBQ comp in Clinton IA over the weekend...we won Grand Champion!
great first year contest..well run and they really catered to the cooks ...
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs333.ash1/28833_391463357996_290615782996_4161311_6911288_n.jpg

Congrats on the win! I wish I had known about the comp, I am only about 40 min away from Clinton!

Head's Red BBQ wrote:ABF005 and I cooked a BBQ comp in Clinton IA over the weekend...we won Grand Champion!
great first year contest..well run and they really catered to the cooks ...
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs333.ash1/28833_391463357996_290615782996_4161311_6911288_n.jpg

NICE win on the Grand Champion! Congrats!! Did you sell much sauce before or after the cook? I still have not tried your stuff yet but I WILL soon.

thanks all..Blown Z..Clinton used to have this comp every year in conjunction with Riverboat days..then it stopped..they are hoping to kickstart it again at the Wild Rose casino..
Meanwhile there is another one in Westmont IL in a couple weeks..an amateur one as well as a KCBS one ..

Head's Red BBQ wrote:ABF005 and I cooked a BBQ comp in Clinton IA over the weekend...we won Grand Champion!

Congrats, on the big victory!

I spent some time at the WSM today and cooked over a combination of lump and apple . . .


Rack of Lamb
Went back at this today and it was a big improvement over the previous trial I noted upthread in which I used belly-intact lamb ribs. I used the same cumin-black pepper-garlic rub that I did last time but this time, used a frenched rack of lamb. After about 2:30, the rack was moist and tender throughout, and had nice flavor. Still, I'm not sure that the method was an improvement over just searing them off and roasting them briefly in the oven. But sometimes, you have follow that crazy hunch that comes to mind, until you know whether you like it or not.



Baby Backs
Used a variation of my basic rub (paprika, cumin, ancho, coriander, etc.) for these ribs and they turned out great. They took about 3:15. The family was very pleased with both items but clearly liked the baby backs better.

=R=

Congratulations Bill! Lucky me, I've got Head's Red BBQ sauce. Can't wait to try it!

thanks! great meeting you yesterday..hope to be by some time this summer for berries

ronnie_suburban wrote:Went back at this today and it was a big improvement over the previous trial I noted upthread in which I used belly-intact lamb ribs.

Looks terrific, though I believe you mean loin-intact not belly. Lamb breast/lamb ribs I've been smoking lately are from the belly, same as spare, what you picture is analogous to baby back/loin back ribs with the loin still attached from a piggy.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:Went back at this today and it was a big improvement over the previous trial I noted upthread in which I used belly-intact lamb ribs.

Looks terrific, though I believe you mean loin-intact not belly. Lamb breast/lamb ribs I've been smoking lately are from the belly, same as spare, what you picture is analogous to baby back/loin back ribs with the loin still attached from a piggy.

Enjoy,
Gary

Thanks. It's always fun spending the day out by the smoker.

It was definitely belly-intact the first time around but I didn't post a picture of those. The second time it was just a rack/loin.

=R=

LTH,

Smoked a lightly brined fillet of salmon, made a few sides, Kurt, King of Kurtopia Red Rice, pickled red onion, quick salad of cucumber with dill labne/olive oil and asparagus marinated in a mustard vinaigrette.

Smoked Salmon







As I've said before, I am terrible at composing a plate, tasted good though



Just had leftover salmon on a toasted Kaufman's corn bagel with cream cheese, tomato and red onion for lunch.

Enjoy,
Gary

Great day to smoke today (relatively speaking) and I've got a packer-cut brisket and a shoulder in the smoke, due to be ready in about 2-2.5 hours. For a snack, I threw a bunch of duck wings and drummettes (with a rub of five spice and salt) that I had in the freezer on the smoker this morning. When they were cooked, the wings were doused in a sauce of sriracha, fish sauce, soy sauce, honey, ginger, and butter.



Not too bad for an afterthought. We'll see how the brisket and shoulder turn out.

Timeline question:

Starting pork shoulders tonight (tomorrow morning) after I get out of work....probably around 4 a.m. They are all 8 lbs. I figure that they'll probably take around 12 hours or so to reach good pulling temp.

I have a smaller whole chicken and another good couple few feet of hot links (fresh, not cooked) that I want to come out at the same time i'm pulling my shoulders.

About when should I be putting those on a 250 degree pit? How long does sausage and a whole chicken at 250 take abouts?

I know it's all estimate, and whenever i've cooked multiple things i've been able to get them off and ready to eat in relatively the same time....but it's annoying to pull different items and start serving them at different times, so any ballparks would be nice.

Thanks guys

Dave

djenks wrote:I have a smaller whole chicken and another good couple few feet of hot links (fresh, not cooked) that I want to come out at the same time i'm pulling my shoulders.

About when should I be putting those on a 250 degree pit? How long does sausage and a whole chicken at 250 take abouts?

Ballpark on the chicken, 90 to 120 minutes, sausage approximately the same. Remember with raw chicken and sausage along side cooked meat there is a chance of cross contamination, once you put the raw meats on don't sample the cooked, or almost cooked, meats.

What are you cooking on, you can speed up or slow down the cooking time depending on where you position the meat. For example, on a WSM foods cook faster around the outside of the cooking grate, with an offset foods closer to the firebox will cook a little faster.

Enjoy,
Gary

just some ribs, and wings i did for a competition Saturday:
















competition was fun, I didnt win or place, but, I made all my turn ins, I was happy with the food I did, I got lot of sun, I met alot of cool folks, and got to spend the day with my family.

With that said probably my first competition was my last, Im too old to be lugging my smoker, coolers, food, tables, etc. all over the place. Took a bit of the fun out of the actual bbq for me, Ill stick to the backyard

jimswside wrote:competition was fun, I didnt win or place, but, I made all my turn ins, I was happy with the food I did, I got lot of sun, I met alot of cool folks, and got to spend the day with my family.

Sounds a really nice day to me. And, if its any consolation, your BBQ looks good to me.

G Wiv wrote:

jimswside wrote:competition was fun, I didnt win or place, but, I made all my turn ins, I was happy with the food I did, I got lot of sun, I met alot of cool folks, and got to spend the day with my family.

Sounds a really nice day to me. And, if its any consolation, your BBQ looks good to me.

I appreciate that Gary, the food was tasty I thought, as well as the food i tried from other folks i met.

I gave the competition thing a shot, its just not for me, Ill stick to my deck.


just got the results of the day - 14 teams:

8th overall

Gorgonzola/Olive Burgers: 7th Place
Smoked Korean BBQ Chicken wings: 7th Place
BB Ribs: 6th Place
Brined, bone in Pork chops: 10th Place

All good for a first try imho,

also interesting, the team with the multi thousand dollar smoker/hog roasting rig finsihed last in every category. "its the cook not the cooker"

My favorite new quotation about smoking meat comes from Jamie Purviance, author of the James Beard Award-nominated Weber's Way to Grill.

Chicago Sun-Times wrote:"There are so many variables," he said, and every one of them has its heated adherents. "If it was simple, and everyone could do it -- one, two, three and it always came out the same -- it would lose some of its allure."

What say you, smoking fans? What inspires you to spend hours making smoke-cooked foods? Is it mostly the process? The results? The gear? The challenge?

LAZ wrote:What say you, smoking fans? What inspires you to spend hours making smoke-cooked foods? Is it mostly the process? The results? The gear? The challenge?

For me, first and foremost, it's the results. If I could buy bbq'd or smoke-cooked foods that were as good as homemade, maybe I'd buy them more frequently. Yes, there are a few bbq restaurants I really enjoy but I've never purchased food from those places for home entertaining. I've either eaten there or carried out an occasional meal for my family. A home cook has the huge advantage of having only one ready-time. Figure out when you're serving, calculate backwards from there and cook accordingly. BBQ doesn't get much better than when you take it off the cooker, cut it up and serve it immediately. This is a luxury rarely enjoyed when eating restaurant bbq.

But I like the process, too. For me, the most satisfying challenge is adjusting to the variables that pop up during the process. Cooking in wind, extreme cold, rain or snow all require slight modifications to the method. I'm not always successful in adjusting (and no 2 batches are ever exactly the same) but I feel like I've accomplished something when I can effectively adapt to the conditions and put out relatively consistent food. Just like with any endeavor, cultivating mastery (or working toward it) is satisfying. And with bbq (or any cooking, really), you and yours can eat the results.

This past weekend, I was lucky enough to get my hands on a couple of 18-pound, USDA-prime briskets from Zier's Prime Meats in Wilmette. My group was relatively small, so I ended up smoking one of them for my guests and setting one aside, which I'll cure/smoke into pastrami later. Here are the before pics . . .


Prime brisket from Zier's; 18 pounds of beautifully-marbled beef



Rubbed and ready for the smoker

Sorry, no "after" pics (too drunk, too hungry) but I smoked this on my of Komodo Kamado cooker over a combination of lump, natural briquettes, extruded coconut charcoal and apple wood for about 12 hours. With absolutely perfect conditions on this day, the cooker held at just under 250 for the entire length of the cook (and it was still chugging along when I removed the brisket). Final result was excellent, with a manageable and tasty bark on the outside, a pronounced smoke ring and and delectably juicy meat.

=R=

Zier's Prime Meats & Poultry
813 Ridge Road
Wilmette, IL 60091-2445
(847) 251-4000

HI,

I am reluctantly obligated to cook a 12-pound turkey today. It's brined in buttermilk with Old Bay's seasoning and been air drying for 24 hours. I can roast it or I can smoke it.

I saw where Ms. Ingie smoked a 23-pound turkey in 5-1/2 hours. Is it possible this smaller turkey will take 3 hours?

Regards,