Smoking Food (Meat)

[coxhaus]

I thought we could use a smoking meat thread or maybe other food. Here is me loading the smoker today. If everybody would post there smoking food here. Cooking or cooked.

I will try not to drink too much so I can take a picture of the finished product. The chicken wings will come off first. The ribs and chicken wings are done shown in the second picture. The pork butt will require another couple of hours. Ok the pork butt is done. It has a good smoke ring inside the meat. I will use it for tacos and stir-fry.

 

[esoo]

Last thing off the WSM

 

[stringer]

I'm your huckleberry. I have been smoking meat amateurly and professionally for a lot of years.

I bought this Oklahoma Joe Combi Offset/Grill recently. I love it.

 

[Bear]

The weekends beef short ribs

 

[coxhaus]

I don't know what you guys use for a meat fork but I like these big Henckels forks. I have bent several forks trying them out but these Henckels seem to stand up to the task and not bend. For really big briskets I use 2 Henckels meat forks. And my wife weaves these towels as she makes them herself.

 

[Jovidah]

This is probably the 'rabble solution', but I just use my hands... If it's too hot to touch that means it needs to rest longer anyway...

 

[coxhaus]

Yes, I like your idea but sometimes I need to take something off while the smoker is still running for something else. I tend to smoke in batches.

Using your hands is a lot cheaper solution.

 

[Jovidah]

Ooh for moving meat around in (and out of) pans I always use tongs. Guess I just never had anything so large I couldn't pick it up with tongs. Never liked the idea of prodding into the meat, and even when I had access to them meat forks never offered any added value to me.

 

[coxhaus]

Ooh for moving meat around in (and out of) pans I always use tongs. Guess I just never had anything so large I couldn't pick it up with tongs. Never liked the idea of prodding into the meat, and even when I had access to them meat forks never offered any added value to me.

Yes, you cannot pick up a brisket with tongs.

My smoker may run for another couple of hours after the brisket is finished smoking. If I left it on the smoker until cool to the touch it would be dry. Even the small pork but I cooked above cannot be picked up with tongs and it weights a lot less than a brisket. I did use tongs for the chicken wings as the meat fork probably would not work and they were way too hot to take off by hand.

 

[coxhaus]

Here is a picture from last week. I made finger food for my friends across the street. There were about 10 of us. I drank too much to get finished shots.

 

[Pertti]

Looking good guys. I saw no electric smokers though and I've been thinking about getting one. Would you think something like this one with temp control would suffice?

My only self experience with smoking is basically with a small stainless smoker box that creates some smoke inside a gas bbq while the food is there on the upper section if the grill. It adds some nice flavor, but its not very intense yet.

 

[Dull_Apex]

Looking good guys. I saw no electric smokers though and I've been thinking about getting one. Would you think something like this one with temp control would suffice?

View attachment 130635


My only self experience with smoking is basically with a small stainless smoker box that creates some smoke inside a gas bbq while the food is there on the upper section if the grill. It adds some nice flavor, but its not very intense yet.

How much of a convenience factor are you looking for?

There are some that drop pellets etc at intervals as well as maintaining heat.

 

[stringer]

I have used electric smokers for many years. They aren't as flexible or powerful as other options but they can work fine and are very convenient.

 

[applepieforbreakfast]

@coxhaus @Jovidah

For moving brisket and pork butt off the smoker, I like to use knit cotton-poly gloves under nitrile.

 

[RonB]

I agree that using nitrile gloves over top of cotton gloves like the ones linked below is the best way I have found to move large clods of meat.

https://smile.amazon.com/MIG4U-Protection-Lightweight-12pairs-Natural/dp/B08B6995X2/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=TPH0YLSDB0YV&dchild=1&keywords=cotton+gloves+bbq&qid=1623327750&sprefix=cotton+glove,aps,162&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUE5R0NRSDc5WElMMlImZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA3NDM5NjUxQVJBR0M5MzA5RTFQJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAzMTg2NzExTFpQNjlSUVZDU0Q3JndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

 

[Bensbites]

I love my kamado joes. I don’t use them enough.

 

[Pertti]

How much of a convenience factor are you looking for?

There are some that drop pellets etc at intervals as well as maintaining heat.

I have used electric smokers for many years. They aren't as flexible or powerful as other options but they can work fine and are very convenient.

Thanks,

Another option I've been considering was a "medium" sized smoker box that would fit inside inside my bbq and heat it with the gas there. But that seems basically the same as this electric in terms of what the food would taste like.

My main concern has been if the food will taste as good from an electric compared to other options like the kamados. But there is smoke from wood so I guess its kind of the same from electric too?

I think the convenience will win for me..

 

[Bear]

Love my eggs, very versatile , great for sub zero temps but nothing can beat the taste a well made, heavy walled offset smoker.

 

[Pertti]

Love my eggs, very versatile , great for sub zero temps but nothing can beat the taste a well made, heavy walled offset smoker.

Now I regret asking haha.. I should have bought my smoker last week.

 

[RonB]

Here are a few different cooks over the last few months.

 

[RevJoe]

I thought we could use a smoking meat thread or maybe other food. Here is me loading the smoker today. If everybody would post there smoking food here. Cooking or cooked.

I will try not to drink too much so I can take a picture of the finished product. The chicken wings will come off first. The ribs and chicken wings are done shown in the second picture. The pork butt will require another couple of hours. Ok the pork butt is done. It has a good smoke ring inside the meat. I will use it for tacos and stir-fry.

View attachment 130566

View attachment 130573

View attachment 130583

What type of wood you use?

 

[coxhaus]

What type of wood you use?

I use oak. Post oak is the best but we have lots of different kinds of oak trees local to me. I like pecan for whole chicken as it gives a nice brown color. I would not use pecan on brisket as it is too much smoke for too long of time. I like mesquite wood for fajitas as it gives a spicy taste. It works on chicken for a Mexican dish. I like hickory for shorter cooking times. I have only had 1 hickory tree. It is not real common around here or I would use it more but it does have a different taste. Fruit wood works for ham for me. I get very little fruit wood either.

I get all my wood for free. I have lots of friends out in the country with lots of trees. I go around and cut down dead trees. My friends know in the end they will end up with tasty BBQ.

 

[coxhaus]

@coxhaus @Jovidah

For moving brisket and pork butt off the smoker, I like to use knit cotton-poly gloves under nitrile.

It sounds good. How much trouble is cleanup? The meat fork cleanup is real easy when I am done. I put a little squirt soap in my hand and rub the tines of the fork, all done. In fact, I have a squirt soap on my kitchen sink. Can you do the same thing with nitrile?

 

[applepieforbreakfast]

It sounds good. How much trouble is cleanup? The meat fork cleanup is real easy when I am done. I put a little squirt soap in my hand and rub the tines of the fork, all done. In fact, I have a squirt soap on my kitchen sink.

Just take off the nitrile gloves and throw them away. The knit gloves stay clean 95% of the time.

 

[RevJoe]

Yeah I recently found I Like oak.,, I like oak, cherry, hickory, pecan and some of the other fruits for various items. That ring made me think maybe a hint of cherry.
I think my new primary is oak, then hickory or pecan.. I used mesquite but so infrequently a little goes a long ways, and my family here in NM see it as a Texas thing.

 

[coxhaus]

I have never had cherry wood but it sounds like fun.

To get that smoke ring I use oak and build a fire the size to where I get blue smoke. If I build too big of a fire and try to close down the smoke is not the right color and I end up with a darker color. I don't think it taste as good either. And never cook with black smoke as it tastes bad. Your fire needs air for complete combustion but it is a balance between too hot with the right blue smoke. Fire size is key. If your blue smoke is too hot then build a smaller fire or use less wood.

PS
Every smoker is a little different. So, take your time and learn to use yours.

 

[stringer]

What type of wood you use?

I use lump charcoal to get the fire started start. Hickory mini logs cut into splits for temperature regulation. Apple and/or mesquite for flavor.

 

[coxhaus]

I don't use charcoal as my wood is free. I have lots of big trees in my yard. Mainly oak and pecan trees. I pick up sticks and put them under my smoker for starting fires. I have pine trees also but I throw them away. I never use pine or pine straw as it tastes bad to me. The only case where I use charcoal is in the winter time when it is cold out and I want to smoke meat. If I did not have so many sticks in my yard, I probably would think about charcoal to start the fire.

 

[Bodine]

Love my egg, 20 years old now and just like new.
I really like pecan wood for most of my smoking, have some apple, peach and mesquite on hand as well, lots of oak species here, but have not used them.

 

[esoo]

With the WSM, it's charcoal + pecan chunks as a top choice for me. Apple is a solid second. Used a bag of mesquite chunks, but had to temper my use of it was it was way too strong for my general liking.