I did some baby's on da Texas Hibachi yesterday and took them over to a friends annual pumpkin carve/keg party. They were the first of the food items gone...


and I just cant keep living this way, smokin' meat everyday...

I am planning on brining and smoking a turkey for Thanksgiving. Since the smoke flavor tends to dominate, does anyone see a reason to go for an expensive bird, like a HoKa?

lougord99 wrote:I am planning on brining and smoking a turkey for Thanksgiving. Since the smoke flavor tends to dominate, does anyone see a reason to go for an expensive bird, like a HoKa?

if you start with a better product usually you will end with a better product--will brine and cook a bell and evans bird for our holiday

Even smoked butter-flavor chemicals and mushy texture are still not as good as smoked quality meat.

Oh, man, Da Beef, those ribs look fabulous!

Local Kroger has baby backs on sale today. I feel a smoking session coming on.

lougord99 wrote:I am planning on brining and smoking a turkey for Thanksgiving. Since the smoke flavor tends to dominate, does anyone see a reason to go for an expensive bird, like a HoKa?

If you are the one doing the smoking and feel smoke flavor is overpowering the turkey you should either lessen the amount of wood you are using or rethink fire control.

I agree with Mike and Buzz, if your choice is an 'enhanced' bird or HoKa go with the HoKa. If cost is a factor I've smoked a few fresh Rosebud Farms turkeys lately and they turned out quite well. Not enhanced and less cost then HoKa.

Enjoy,
Gary

Thank you, good thoughts on the subject, all.

For Thanksgiving I debated what to do: smoke a turkey, deep fry a turkey, roast a turkey. After some thought I decided to go to my local que shop and get a smoked breast. This is a benefit of living in the South where a bunch of folks get their main course from local smokers.

I'll do some stuff on the grill: portabellos stuffed with crab meat (local), vegetable course (likely eggplant or zucchini), shrimp skewers (local).

GA wines are mostly too sweet for us, so we'll have some Aussie Pinot.

I ended up smoking some short ribs today that I bought at Zier's Prime Meats in Wilmette. I cooked them for just under 4 hours at 250 F over a combination of lump charcoal and applewood. I often let them go longer in order to get more tender but after 4 hours, these were really juicy with a very pleasant chew, so I pulled them right then and there . . .















=R=

Absolutely beautiful Ronnie!

little500 wrote:For Thanksgiving I debated what to do: smoke a turkey, deep fry a turkey, roast a turkey. After some thought I decided to go to my local que shop and get a smoked breast. This is a benefit of living in the South where a bunch of folks get their main course from local smokers.

Just moved to Minneapolis and found a local butcher that also offers smoked meats (smoked on the premises), so this sounds great. I ordered a local, fresh 14-16lb bird for Thanksgiving and was thinking that I would try to smoke it myself. Since I've never done one, I figured that once I get the bird, I'll brine it and roast it - the "old fashioned way" and not try to experiment on Thanksgiving.

This post got me thinking of trying to smoke a turkey breast though. Any idea on how long a turkey breast may take on the wsm smoker? I know that it'll depend - on air temp, wind, size of the product, temp of the fire - but guess-timates are fine. Thanks.

-Russ

tyrus wrote:

little500 wrote:For Thanksgiving I debated what to do: smoke a turkey, deep fry a turkey, roast a turkey. After some thought I decided to go to my local que shop and get a smoked breast. This is a benefit of living in the South where a bunch of folks get their main course from local smokers.

This post got me thinking of trying to smoke a turkey breast though. Any idea on how long a turkey breast may take on the wsm smoker? I know that it'll depend - on air temp, wind, size of the product, temp of the fire - but guess-timates are fine. Thanks.

-Russ

Several years ago I used my Brinkmann water smoker to do a turkey breast. I put the turkey on lower rack and a fresh ham on the top rack. The idea was that the ham fat moistened the turkey during the process. Unfortunately, I lost my smoker "diary" in the proess of moving, so can't tell you the smoking time. I do remember I took the turkey off way before the ham, thiough. I also threw some fresh shrimp on the top rack for an easy lunch.

I do breasts until internal temp reaches 170 which is usually about 1 1/2 - 2 hours at around 250 degrees.

lougord99 wrote:I do breasts until internal temp reaches 170 which is usually about 1 1/2 - 2 hours at around 250 degrees.

timing sounds good--I'd probably pull the breast off when the temp is just over 155deg figuring to gain 5deg resting

I agree Buzz..i usually cook white meat until 160..dark 180

Nice. Thanks guys. Smoked turkey breast is in the future...

Since it is hardly worth firing up the smoker for the short time a breast cooks, I usually throw it on at the end of cooking something else. Usually most of the breast gets carved up and ziplocked and frozen for sandwiches. We never buy deli lunch meat.

ronnie_suburban wrote:I ended up smoking some short ribs today that I bought at Zier's Prime Meats in Wilmette. I cooked them for just under 4 hours at 250 F over a combination of lump charcoal and applewood. I often let them go longer in order to get more tender but after 4 hours, these were really juicy with a very pleasant chew, so I pulled them right then and there . . .




=R=

Beautiful!

went outside the box from what I usually do for this batch of bb's







used alot of methods I dont usually use besides the sauce. these worked.

1 side, some killer shrimp cole slaw:

jimswside wrote:went outside the box from what I usually do for this batch of bb's

good looking ribs/slaw!! But shrimp slaw?? Just creamy slaw with shrimps or???

buzzd wrote:

jimswside wrote:went outside the box from what I usually do for this batch of bb's

good looking ribs/slaw!! But shrimp slaw?? Just creamy slaw with shrimps or???

thanks,

basic mayo based slaw recipe, sliced cabbage, diced red pepper, diced onion, + my homemade slaw dressing with some tweaks for the shrimp. Some shrimp I boiled in the shell then deshelled and cut in half tossed in.

Really nice flavor, and texture.

Next time I add in some shredded carrot.

Babys, shrimp slaw and Mickeys...NICE!!

jimswside wrote:used alot of methods I dont usually use besides the sauce. these worked.

Care to elaborate?

G Wiv wrote:

jimswside wrote:used alot of methods I dont usually use besides the sauce. these worked.

Care to elaborate?

I didn't want to get made fun of.

sure, I had seen Myron Mixon "marinate" his ribs in the smae things he injects his butts with. So I had some extra apple juice, cider vinegar and worstershire around and marinated for a couple hours before rubbing, really didnt notice a difference, but it was a short time period.

I also have been reading Adam Perry Lang's "Serious BBQ" book, and used a couple methods outlined in the book.

He has a recipe for thinner mustard slather Ill call it, it is yellow mustard, water, cider vinegar and worstershire. really thins out the mustard out for that layer under the rub.

Last step was using foil, I know... I basically did a 2-1-1 smoke. 2 hours in the smoke, 1 hour double wrapped in foil with brown sugar, honey and a touch of apple juice. After 1 hour in the foil on the smoker I took the foiled ribs out and left them in the foil on the counter for 20 minutes before unwrapping and putting the ribs back on the smoker for the last hour. glazed with bbq sauce for the last 30 minutes. Finished product was good, tender, but toothy, nice smoke flavor from the apple wood.


Alot of added steps, watching the timer and opening the WSM for me. I prefer to leave the WSM closed for as many hours straight as I can.

jimswside wrote:Last step was using foil, I know... I basically did a 2-1-1 smoke. 2 hours in the smoke, 1 hour double wrapped in foil with brown sugar, honey and a touch of apple juice. After 1 hour in the foil on the smoker I took the foiled ribs out and left them in the foil on the counter for 20 minutes before unwrapping and putting the ribs back on the smoker for the last hour. glazed with bbq sauce for the last 30 minutes. Finished product was good, tender, but toothy, nice smoke flavor from the apple wood.

Sounds like you are ready for the competition circuit.
I have foiled ribs any number of times, problem I typically have with foiled ribs is the texture is mushy/mealy. I am not a fan of sweet BBQ, but if you like the taste that is all that matters. I will admit to the occasional sauce glaze in the last 30-minutes or so on the smoker, but its not often I am in the mood for saucy ribs.

G Wiv wrote:Sounds like you are ready for the competition circuit.
I have foiled ribs any number of times, problem I typically have with foiled ribs is the texture is mushy/mealy. I am not a fan of sweet BBQ, but if you like the taste that is all that matters. I will admit to the occasional sauce glaze in the last 30-minutes or so on the smoker, but its not often I am in the mood for saucy ribs.

lol, thats what I was thinking..., I think would have fared better than 6th and 11th this past year at the comp's I did if I would have turned these in.

Texture wasnt bad for being foiled. and sauce..., sometimes I just get the urge for sauced ribs. Plus sauced ribs look good for photos.

As you know I still enjoy trying new things, and some experimenting now and then.

I will re-use the thinner mustard slather again I believe.

jimswside wrote:
Texture wasnt bad for being foiled. and sauce..., sometimes I just get the urge for sauced ribs. Plus sauced ribs look good for photos.

As you know I still enjoy trying new things, and some experimenting now and then.

I will re-use the thinner mustard slather again I believe.

foil is a good tool--our comp spares are always foiled--similar to what you did--in the smoke until the color is right-in foil until tenderness then back on the smoker to firm and set glaze(kinda sweet)--haven't injected ribs yet but some folks have had success doing that

I've been cooking with wood/charcoal since around 1970. Now that we live in southern GA we cook outside year round. Most often I use a mix of lump/Kingsford competition/hickory.

The wife and I have decided that what we like best is "naked" meat on the grill or smoker with the only seasoning being Tony C's Creole Seasoning. This is basically the Texas style (although we often cook pork which you rarely find there).

We do use table sauces, usually tomato-based or vinegar/pepper. Never anything overtly sweet.

That said, everything on this page looks great!

buzzd wrote:

jimswside wrote:
foil is a good tool--our comp spares are always foiled--similar to what you did--in the smoke until the color is right-in foil until tenderness then back on the smoker to firm and set glaze(kinda sweet)--haven't injected ribs yet but some folks have had success doing that

foiling is nothing new to me, I foiled in the comps I did just because thats what comp bbq is foil, and sweet sauce. I have alot of free time on my deck and am sometimes in the mood to trying something new.

The difference this time was all the "stuff" in the foil, and the 20 mins off the heat in the foil.

fun to experiment, but I always come back to no foil, no sauce.

G Wiv wrote:

jimswside wrote:Last step was using foil, I know... I basically did a 2-1-1 smoke. 2 hours in the smoke, 1 hour double wrapped in foil with brown sugar, honey and a touch of apple juice. After 1 hour in the foil on the smoker I took the foiled ribs out and left them in the foil on the counter for 20 minutes before unwrapping and putting the ribs back on the smoker for the last hour. glazed with bbq sauce for the last 30 minutes. Finished product was good, tender, but toothy, nice smoke flavor from the apple wood.

Sounds like you are ready for the competition circuit.
I have foiled ribs any number of times, problem I typically have with foiled ribs is the texture is mushy/mealy. I am not a fan of sweet BBQ, but if you like the taste that is all that matters. I will admit to the occasional sauce glaze in the last 30-minutes or so on the smoker, but its not often I am in the mood for saucy ribs.

setting the racks back on the cooker after unfoiling will get rid of some of that steamed mushiness. I personally dont like to foil ..in the yard or at comps as ive had too many instances where they went from underdone to overdone very quickly using that method even watching the time in the foil. Seems a lot of people marinade the ribs as well..I have never tried that but want to try that as well..at least once