I am a smoker, the BBQ type.

[Fritzo]

i do a lot of smoking meat myself and been on a bacon kick. pro tip, if you do bacon get the pork belly with the skin off. its a bitch and takes a lot of time for a novice to take that skin off.

ive never done a pastrami because i always thought it had to be steamed to finish it after smoking.

If you take it off when it's hot, the skin should pull right off. I like the extra porky flavor the skin adds, plus it holds moisture.

 

[zinfamous]

!!!!

So the next time I smoke a pork shoulder for pulled pork, you are saying to have a tray of beans under the meat to catch the fat?

yessir

 

[NetWareHead]

i do a lot of smoking meat myself and been on a bacon kick. pro tip, if you do bacon get the pork belly with the skin off. its a bitch and takes a lot of time for a novice to take that skin off.

ive never done a pastrami because i always thought it had to be steamed to finish it after smoking.

If you peel it off yoursef, then you can make cracklins!

The pastrami recipe I provided has you cool the meat down after smoking. Keep it in the fridge. When ready to serve, slice off a piece and steam it until hot inside and then slice the steamed piece.

 

[NetWareHead]

yessir

I never thought of that...thank you for this amazing idea. Smoked baked beans swimming in pork drippings Do you have this baked beans recipe?

 

[smackababy]

I never thought of that...thank you for this amazing idea. Smoked baked beans swimming in pork drippings Do you have this baked beans recipe?

I do that all the time. I made some pork in a slow cooker a few weeks ago and all the fat leftover, I just plopped some beans in, seasoned em up, and let them cook.

 

[OutHouse]

If you take it off when it's work, the skin should pull right off. I like the extra porky flavor the skin adds, plus it holds moisture.

never worked for me every belly i have made into bacon the skin is a mofo. but i am a novice ive only done a few. im not a fan of crackings so i get my belly's pre-skinned and its cheaper per pound.

i dont care for the skin on, when you fry up your slices of bacon that skin can get rock hard.

 

[zinfamous]

I never thought of that...thank you for this amazing idea. Smoked baked beans swimming in pork drippings Do you have this baked beans recipe?

Actually, I don't, because I've never done it myself. Never been much of a baked beans person, though I have enjoyed them before. I only recall someone showing me their setup for the beans. I am not sure how long they need to be in the smoker--cooking time for beans vs pork.

I do that all the time. I made some pork in a slow cooker a few weeks ago and all the fat leftover, I just plopped some beans in, seasoned em up, and let them cook.

this sounds like a winner.

 

[ViperXX]

Update: I haven't made my pastrami, yet. I made some pulled pork today. I put the pinto beans under my pork shoulder and 6 hours later they weren't ready, while the pulled pork was. I put them in the pressure cooker and the smell filling the house is heaven. I can't wait for them to be done.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Had some family over yesterday and made a bunch of cornell chicken. If you haven't had it, it's worth a try. Sort of a vinegar white bbq sauce, it's delicious. It really needs to marinate overnight for the flavors to shine.

http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/chicken_turkey_duck/cornell_chicken.html

 

[Spydermag68]

I really like the recipes from amazing ribs. when I was just starting to BBQ I started with their recipes. Since then I have found some more and have started to make my own variations. I a. still trying to get a blueberry BBQ sauce perfected.

 

[NetWareHead]

I really like the recipes from amazing ribs. when I was just starting to BBQ I started with their recipes. Since then I have found some more and have started to make my own variations. I a. still trying to get a blueberry BBQ sauce perfected.

Amazing ribs is a great website. I love the memphis dust recipe and find it is perfect for smoked baby back ribs.. I even used it on the exterior of a pork shoulder that i turned into pulled pork.

Glad this thread resurfaced. I have not yet made my pastrami. I did get all of the spices needed. No stores around me have juniper berries so I had to order them from internet vendor. Going to make it soon and will update this thread with pics.

 

[Jeeebus]

Whole butterflied chicken is one of my favorites on the smoker - makes for a great lunch throughout the work week (just smoked a couple chickens last night).

The only food I haven't been tremendously successful with is brisket. Always comes out tasty but never as fall apart tender as I want. It's always somewhat dry.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Whole butterflied chicken is one of my favorites on the smoker - makes for a great lunch throughout the work week (just smoked a couple chickens last night).

The only food I haven't been tremendously successful with is brisket. Always comes out tasty but never as fall apart tender as I want. It's always somewhat dry.

Mine are always MUCH better when foiled/braised at the end.

Everything else, even beef ribs, I don't foil. I generally don't care for the texture of braised ribs or other meat, but brisket needs it.

I also have stopped cooking only brisket by itself... I almost always thrown on a butt, gives you something else to munch on if the brisket turns out tough. Or the brisket is amazing and then I freeze the pork.

I'm extremely consistent with my brisket cooks but the end product varies wildly. I'm convinced that a lot of the end product relies on the initial meat quality. That doesn't seem to be so much the case for other low and slow (butts, pork ribs, etc), but with brisket it's worth passing on non-marbled and stiff feeling meat.

 

[NetWareHead]

Whole butterflied chicken is one of my favorites on the smoker - makes for a great lunch throughout the work week (just smoked a couple chickens last night).

The only food I haven't been tremendously successful with is brisket. Always comes out tasty but never as fall apart tender as I want. It's always somewhat dry.

Chicken recipe?

I also have experienced this same phenomenon with brisket. It sure is tasty and smoky but never as fall apart tender as pulled pork from a shoulder. it takes a special touch to get a tender brisket. I'm going to try pastrami soon which involved brining the brisket into corned beef for a week under solution first. If the brining works, I'll try that with a smoked brisket next.

Brisket (the flat muscle, not the point) is pure muscle with relatively little marbling. When buying, try to stay away from USDA select, aim for choice or prime. If you can find angus or waygu brisket, the extra fat will help for more moisture and tenderness. I try to find a brisket that is relatively uniform in thickness. A thinner edge will overcook and dry out. Bigger is also not always better. Bigger briskets are usually from older animals whose meats is tougher.

Some guys also inject their briskets with a specialized beef marinade that includes tenderizers, moisturizers and flavor enhancers. You can get these products at bbq supply vendors but if that sounds too much like steroids, then injecting with beef broth works. I'd try the low sodium broth first before the normal sodium, even though sodium has the effect of brining the meat from the inside.

 

[NetWareHead]

I'm extremely consistent with my brisket cooks but the end product varies wildly. I'm convinced that a lot of the end product relies on the initial meat quality. That doesn't seem to be so much the case for other low and slow (butts, pork ribs, etc), but with brisket it's worth passing on non-marbled and stiff feeling meat.

I agree. There is so much intramuscular fat in a pork shoulder that it makes it somewhat difficult to truly mess up pulled pork.

Have you ever tried a higher grade of brisket meat (like choice or prime?) and noticed a difference?

 

[Jeeebus]

Chicken recipe?

Nothing crazy. I use the brine and cook method from: http://virtualweberbullet.com/chicken4.html

Usually just sprinkle on whatever rub - McCormick bbq or something like that. Cook for an hour at 300, brush on some bbq sauce, and perfection.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

I agree. There is so much intramuscular fat in a pork shoulder that it makes it somewhat difficult to truly mess up pulled pork.

Have you ever tried a higher grade of brisket meat (like choice or prime?) and noticed a difference?

I've tried well marbled choice as well as angus. The angus was the best one thus far, from a local butcher who claimed it was easily prime just wasn't specifically rated/judged so didn't get the stamp.

And I did notice a difference, but it still wasn't fall apart. Certainly edible and delicious, but it took more of a "bite" than I like to pull the meat apart.

I guess my metric is whether or not it's soft enough to be on a sandwich. Brisket should be able to be easily pulled apart with your teeth, but still hold itself together.

 

[RagingBITCH]

Whole butterflied chicken is one of my favorites on the smoker - makes for a great lunch throughout the work week (just smoked a couple chickens last night).

The only food I haven't been tremendously successful with is brisket. Always comes out tasty but never as fall apart tender as I want. It's always somewhat dry.

There's a million ways to do a brisket - it's all about finding what works for you, not necessarily what recipe X says. Things I've found that are key with brisket:

- Digital temp probe - stick it in, be done with it. I'd probably advise retaking the temp (moving the probe) around the time you crutch the meat, just to make sure you find the coldest spot. IE, that 160 could be 145 if you move it over an inch. Crutched meat that I've done has always been a bit more juicy than non-crutched, although the purists will argue you don't need one if it's low and slow

- Moisture - pan of water providing moisture is pretty critical IMO

- Finishing temp - taking it out around 200-203. Recipes vary between 190-203, but 203 tends to be fantastic IMO

- Marinade/basting - not necessary IMO. I'd rather keep a consistent heat than screw up the temp every 30 minutes basting it with "flavor". Also do straight salt/pepper on the outside for the rub vs the 20 ingredient bucket list some call for. Also lets the meat shine through

- Wet aging - aging it in the cryovac for 30-45 days from pack date. Not sell by, but pack date. The last two I've aged for about 2-3 weeks each (2 for the first, 3 for the second) and it made a difference

- Smoker Temp - this one people will disagree about, but you're seeing competition folks abandoning low and slow for 5 hour briskets. To each their own - the last two I've done have been 5 hour briskets, and have turned out great for poker/dinner nights

Regardless, record what you do each time, and make adjustments off each one without changing the entire recipe/method of cooking.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

It also helped me to get brisket that is both the point and the flat, still connected.

 

[NetWareHead]

- Smoker Temp - this one people will disagree about, but you're seeing competition folks abandoning low and slow for 5 hour briskets. To each their own - the last two I've done have been 5 hour briskets, and have turned out great for poker/dinner nights

I do low and slow for nearly everything. My last brisket took way longer than 5 hours. What temps do you run at for a 5 hour brisket?

 

[RagingBITCH]

I do low and slow for nearly everything. My last brisket took way longer than 5 hours. What temps do you run at for a 5 hour brisket?

If you're using the typical 1 hour per lb of meat at the 200-225, yes, low and slow will take 10-12 hours. For 5-6 hour, it ranges somewhere b/t 275-300, prob on the higher side. At that point, it's more of a baking the brisket, but in a charcoal/oak oven.

Last two were time restricted, herego, had to crank the heat up, but we couldn't tell a diff in terms of juicy/dryness. And the more I read, the more I found out the "fast" way is gaining popularity in the comp crowd. Sacrilege to some, efficient to others.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Keep in mind that competition people may be aiming for something different than what you'd do for your family. They don't want anything even close to fall off the bone or fall apart. Their ribs should have quite a bit of bite to them, and be sort of chewy.

The higher temp cooks (for pork ribs, anyway) result in a lot more 'bite' and a too tough end result. I've tried it twice, and wasn't super happy with it. Edible, yes, but I like my rib meat to be fall-apart, but not literally fall off the bone. Basically so tender that you have to be careful picking them up, but they are nowhere near mush.

 

[RagingBITCH]

Keep in mind that competition people may be aiming for something different than what you'd do for your family. They don't want anything even close to fall off the bone or fall apart. Their ribs should have quite a bit of bite to them, and be sort of chewy.

The higher temp cooks (for pork ribs, anyway) result in a lot more 'bite' and a too tough end result. I've tried it twice, and wasn't super happy with it. Edible, yes, but I like my rib meat to be fall-apart, but not literally fall off the bone. Basically so tender that you have to be careful picking them up, but they are nowhere near mush.

At least for a brisket, it's the end result - should be able to pick it up and have the meat stay together, but come apart with light pressure when pulling it. Should be the same no matter how you cook it.

Ribs - whole different ballgame on that one. Unfort, I've always done ribs in combination with something else I'm smoking (brisket, pork shoulder) so I really can't say I've gotten consistency with that yet.

 

[kn51]

Chicken recipe?

Not the person you quoted but I'll toss my couple of cheap cents into this conversation.

Super quick method I use since I usually have this stuff on hand...

Soy sauce...probably around 1/2 to 3/4 cup.
Olive oil, eh, probably around maybe a 1/4 cup.
Few cloves of garlic. I use a couple Tbsp of jarlic.
Toss in whatever else you want, onion powder, rosemary, etc.

I throw it all in a gallon ziploc along with a spatchcocked chicken for around 3-4 hours in the fridge and flipping the bag every so often.

After that, apply whatever rub you want and toss on the smoker between 325-350. Flip after 40 minutes and it should be done within another 40 minutes.

Usual disclaimer, cook for temp, not for time. I usually pull it when the breast is around 160-165. Higher temp gets the skin crispier. Low and slow ain't meant for birds.

 

[kn51]

As for pastrami, I tried it once with packaged corned beef. Soaked it in water. After smoking it I steamed the whole thing. While edible, I was disappointed in the results. Bad cut of beef? I overdid it? Probably.

I read that article in regards to a Katz's clone. I'll have to disagree with one point of it, you can get too much smoke in it. In retrospect, I'm going to cure my own brisket flat and attempt it again. Once you start curing your meats there is no going back.