Smoking Methods

Q: unbelievable website! I am new to smoking and I was wondering how important it was to constantly monitor foods like turkey, ribs, ham. Thanks!

A: Smoking is one of those hobbies where the fun is in sitting back and watching the smoke with a cold glass of southern ice tea in hand. I understand that some just enjoy the flavor but would rather it be more of an automatic thing while they do other things around the house or even sleep.

To answer you question.. it really depends on what type of smoker you have and what you are cooking. I like to baste every hour or so with apple juice or other liquids and marinades and so this pretty much forces me to monitor the meat that often.

Using a gas or electric smoker you could technically leave turkey, ham, etc. in the smoker unattended for several hours at a time if your chip box/container is large enough to hold a good bit of wood chips or chunks and it would probably be ok. Using charcoal you would be constantly adjusting the vents and adding charcoal as needed to maintain temperatures in the smoking range and you would need to stay pretty close to the action.

Smoking meat is a labor intensive chore but it is fun labor so it cannot be classified as work.

I am not sure if that adequately answers your question.. I think it is very important to stay really close to what you are cooking and to know at all times what is going on in the smoker. This ensures that the end product will be a delightful thing.

I can think back to some of my mistakes and most of the time it was a result of trying to do too many other things while operating the smoker leading to forgetting to baste, add charcoal, wood, etc.

Give the smoker and the meat the attention it deserves and it will pay you back a hundred times over.

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Brisket Cook Time

Q: I bought an 18 pound piece of majestic beef. Sheared about four+ pounds of EXCESS fat, leaving a nice collar of trim. Did a delicate dry rub for overnight, and "yes" split the two pieces for thinness/thickness issues. Have seen a varied amount of (cook/smoke) times. I think too much smoking is overkill and still needing proper cooking times for best meat tenderness. Hence my fears, over smoke and under cook ~ what is the in between factor?

A: Proper smoking/cooking times is something to use as a guideline but the real guide is the internal temperature of the meat and this is true for almost anything. These is that perfect temperature when it is at its best and ready to melt in your mouth.

This is why I recommend a instant read probe meat thermometer like the ones that I advertise on the website from amazon.com.. it allows you to constantly monitor the temperature of the meat instead of trying to guess by touch or visually when the meat is done and ready to take out of the smoker.

I have also seen these recently at places like Wal-mart, Home Depot, Lowes, Ace Hardware, etc. at very reasonable prices.

I like to cook my briskets until they reach about 185 internally and this is ideal for slicing thick and having that tenderness that is not falling apart but easy to cut and eat. I usually pull the brisket at 180 knowing that it will continue to rise a few more degrees before it levels out and begans to cool down.

If you are using lump charcoal for heat and wood for smoke then you only need to apply smoke until the brisket reaches about 140 degrees. From my experience this will yield the best flavor.

This same theory would apply to smoking with gas as well.

If you are using an all wood smoker then I suggest plenty of airflow to keep the smoke moving into and out of the smoker so as to not oversaturate the meat with smoke. I also recommend a good mild base wood like well seasoned oak with a little cherry, apple, mesquite, or hickory added in for that additional flavor.

You can normally figure on 1.5 hours per pound as a simple guideline but it is just that.. a guideline and like I said, the real test of doneness is in the internal temperature of the meat.

Since you cut the brisket in half then the time per pound will be based on the weight of the individual pieces and not the combined weight.

Visit Smoking-Meat.com and WYNTK.us for hundreds of great tutorials and guides on smoking meat.

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Smoking Meat Loaf

Q: Okay! I have thought about it and I am willing to try your meat loaf recipe. I have what may be a dumb question. Do you put the meat loaf directly on the rack or do you have a small cookie sheet that you leave it on?

A: Finally getting back with you on this... the meat loaf is wonderful. Just form it into a loaf and place it on a flat cookie sheet. It does not hurt to place it on a cookie sheet that is quite a bit larger than the loaf itself since there will be some juices that collect on the bottom and the larger area will allow it to have a place to go instead of dripping down into your smoker.

Alternatively you could place it it in a flat pan that has holes in the bottom and let the juices fall into a drip pan or the water pan if you like. I like the flat cookie sheet method personally but now you have options.

Visit Smoking-Meat.com and WYNTK.us for hundreds of great tutorials and guides on smoking meat.

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Jeff's Naked Rib Rub and BBQ Sauce Recipes.. a religious experience! Make everyone think you're a pro (even if you're not!)

How to Pull Brisket

Q: I need a little help. We are tailgaiting for the UK game this weekend. I am having a bunch of people over and want to have pulled pork which i think i am comfortable doing. I was going to get a pork tenderloin and smoke it then pull it. I also want to do a beef brisket. I am a little nervous.
I just bought a propane cabinet smoker. Pretty nifty little outfit. Long story short how do i do the brisket and then can i pull it and have sandwiches with the pulled pork? How long do i cook it if i am going to shred it? Is basting all night a must? Any help would be appreciated.

A: I have written a brand new tutorial on the complete process of smoking a brisket and don't think I can improve much on that however I will give you a few tips on the pulling/shredding process since I did not cover that in the article.

By the way the article is at http://www.wyntk.us/food/smoking-brisket.shtml

If you want to pull the brisket then you will cook it until it reaches about 195-200 degrees. Allow about 1.5 to 1.75 hours per pound minimum for pulled brisket. An average 10 pounder will require as much as 18 hours to cook to pulling temperatures if you are able to maintain 225 to 240 degrees.

Let it cool down on the cabinet for about 30 minutes then take 2 forks and pull the meat in opposite directions to shred it. If you want to separate the point from the flat first you can do that but it will not be as flavorful. Healthy or not the fat contains the flavor so you want at least some of it mixed in with the brisket. If it is not juicy enough you can always pour beef broth over the pulled brisket to give it some juiciness.

I like to mix in some barbecue sauce before serving for extra flavor but that is just another option for you if you feel the meat is too dry or needs some extra flavor.

You do not have to marinade the brisket all night but it tends to give much better results if you do.. the pulled pork as well as the brisket will make awesome sandwiches and your guests will love it!

Visit Smoking-Meat.com and WYNTK.us for hundreds of great tutorials and guides on smoking meat.

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Jeff's Naked Rib Rub and BBQ Sauce Recipes.. a religious experience! Make everyone think you're a pro (even if you're not!)

Common Smoker Modifications

Q: Ooops, I am trying to go this site, as I have a brand new offset horizontal box and your course says that it needs a modification ( which I already suspected as I was putting it together.

http://www.velvitoil.com/Smokermods.html does not work, I am getting an error msg.

So what is the secret mods?

A: Those links work sometimes and sometimes not.. I posted some different links at the blog a while back to other sites that talked about modifications to various types of smokers. I have posted the links and hopefully they are working as well. I need to get some of this information on the smoking-meat.com site so I can verify that they always work.

For the offset smoker you will need a baffle just under the grating to help disperse the heat more evenly.. it is normally a sheet of metal with long narrow holes or notches cut out in it perpendicular to the smoke chamber. The holes should be smaller and spaced further apart close to the firebox end and should get larger and spaced closer together toward the opposite end of the smoker.

This will allow less heat to come up on the hot end toward the firebox and more heat to come up on the cool end away from the firebox thus helping to even out the heat and get rid of some of the characteristic hot spots in the offset horizontal smokers.

You can also place a water pan at the entrance of the firebox into the smoke chamber to act as a barrier to the radiant heat.

http://www.randyq.addr.com/ecb/ecbmods.html
http://bbqinstitute.com/smokermods.htm
http://www.eaglequest.com/~bbq/faq2/7.html#7.2.1

Visit Smoking-Meat.com and WYNTK.us for hundreds of great tutorials and guides on smoking meat.

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Smoking Ribs on a Gas Grill

Q: Before I get to my email...You have the BEST BBQ sites!!! Very informative!!!!

I know this is an old email, but I am planning on smokin' some spare ribs on Monday and have a question from this email response you sent me. I don't have a coffee can, but my wife has a bunch of empty cans, about the same size as a Pork and Beans can. Would these work? How many would I need? How full would I fill them with wood chips? Do the chips need to soak prior to adding them to my "smoke cans"?

Also, by using a gas grill, how do I monitor the amount of smoke being applied to the ribs...My grill has two 1" holes on each side, plus in the back it has 6 vents that are about 4 1/2 " wide. Is this enough vent space for smoke to escape or is it too much?

I can't wait for Monday!!! It will be my first attempt with your rub & sauce recipes!!!!!!

A: I think a smaller can would work just fine.. just fill one all the way up with dry chips and place a piece of foil on top of the can with a few holes poked in it to let the smoke escape.

As far as the vents.. that sounds like a lot of vent space for the grill.. I would only allow about 4 square inches of vent and that should be plenty. Besides the lid is probably not airtight and will let the smoke escape as well.

This may mean you will need to plug 2 or 3 of the vents so that you are left with minimal venting.

This is more important in a gas grill simply because there is much less danger of creosote and the smoke will have a lighter impact.

Keep replenishing the cans for about the first 3 or 4 hours of the smoke time.. when the smoke stops, quickly insert another one.

Try to maintain 225 degrees as much as possible and allow at least 7 hours from start to finish.. if they happen to get done sooner then simply wrap in foil and place in a warm oven for up to 2 hours.

You might also look into purposely getting done a few hours early and foiling the ribs and placing them in a warm oven for an hour or two to allow them to tenderize before serving.

Visit Smoking-Meat.com and WYNTK.us for hundreds of great tutorials and guides on smoking meat.

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Jeff's Naked Rib Rub and BBQ Sauce Recipes.. a religious experience! Make everyone think you're a pro (even if you're not!)

Various Smoking Questions

Q: I have a grill with a side fire box (not an upright smoker which you seem to focus on) and 2nd, I like to use wood. I have a friend who is an arborist and I can almost always get apple wood, cherry, etc. Can you translate? Do you use all wood if you smoke with wood or do you use a mix? Do you use a water bowl with a side box? Those are the kind of things I'm not clear on. Another big thing is do you put the meat in right away or wait until you get the heat regulated? And how do you regulate it? With the vents? If you can help, I'd really appreciate it. I'm a pretty good cook and I've kind of taken on smoking as my next project.

A: An entire book could be written on the few simple questions that you have posed.. I will try to give you a few basic answers that should help and as you run into issues you can email me or for an even quicker response, post your question at www.smokingmeatforums.com and see what the folks come up with.

Sounds like you are very lucky to have such a friend.. most of us would be envious of you. Whether you use all wood or a mix is really up to you. The problem with using all wood is that it can overpower the meat unless your smoker is large enough to handle it. At any rate, make sure to allow plenty of airflow into the smoker and out of the smoker and build the fire small enough so that with the intake half open and the vents 3/4 or so open it will not get hotter than 225 degrees or whatever your target temperature is.

You can also mix your various types of woods together to create your own flavor combinations such as apple/cherry or peach/plum, etc.

I think you will find that you will get better results from using lump charcoal for heat and chunks or sticks of wood for the smoke. You can also burn your wood down in a separate container and transfer the coals to your firebox as needed to maintain 225 degrees.

Place your meat in the smoker when the target temperature is reached and you have adequate smoke being created.

The water pan is mainly a barrier to prevent the radiant heat from bruning the meat.. this is something that you will have to deal with most likely. Where the heat enters the smoke chamber it will be hotter than at the far end. Meat right next to that entrance will overcook while the meat at the far end may not even get done properly.

There are modifications you can do to make your horizontal smoker/grill heat more evenly and is basically a piece of metal called a baffle that is placed below the grate with small notches at the firebox end and larger notches as you get toward the opposite end. This allows more heat into the cooler area and less heat into the hotter area and thus evens the temperature and serves as a barrier from the radiant heat.

A water pan can also be placed in the area where the heat enters the smoke chamber to serve as a barrier for the radiant heat and this may be the best option until you can modify the smoker with the baffle I mentioned above.

It is best to build the right sized fire to begin with so that you can have plenty of airflow and still not be too hot. For minor adjustments to the fire use the vents on the firebox but make sure to not shut them all the way down or you will have an improper burn and begin to create some nasty creosote on your meat and in the smoker.

The ideal situation is for the air to enter the smoker and create a nice draft so that the smoke moves quickly over the meat and out of the smoker. This will create the best flavor and will keep you out of danger of creating creosote.

If you find that you need more smoke flavor you can close the vents just a little where the smoke exits the unit on the smoke chamber end to allow the smoke a little more time with the meat before it exits.

Visit Smoking-Meat.com and WYNTK.us for hundreds of great tutorials and guides on smoking meat.

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Jeff's Naked Rib Rub and BBQ Sauce Recipes.. a religious experience! Make everyone think you're a pro (even if you're not!)