meatfest 2012

[dabuddha]

So I've got my annual bbq coming up this saturday and my wife happened to invite about 10 extra couples that I hadn't planned for. Given this, I've got to increase the amount of bbq which means I have to figure out how to cook all this meat. Here's what I'm thinking of as far as meat goes:

2 7lb boston butts smoked
6 slabs of baby back ribs smoked
3 whole chickens (halved) smoked
2 large filets of salmon grilled
hot dogs for the kids
veggie burgers for the weirdos

So I plan on brining my boston butts for about 10-12 hours. The chickens I'll be brining for about 5 hours

I was thinking I could brine the boston butts, thursday morning, marinate them with the dry rub thursday evening, and throw them on the smoker friday morning. I'm guesstimating it'll be on the smoker for about 12 hours or so so they'll be ready by friday evening. Or should I throw em on the smoker friday evening so they'll be ready saturday morning? If I throw em on friday morning, will they still be good to eat by saturday evening (figured I'd wrap em up tight in foil and refrigerate them).

For the ribs, I'm hoping I can cram all 6 slabs in the bottom rack of my smoker (Weber Smokey Mountain 18.5"). I was then going to throw the chickens on the top rack using the beer can holders. I'm guesstimating the ribs will take about 5-6 hours and the chickens for about 4-5 hours. Given those times, I was thinking I can throw the ribs and chicken on about 10am or so so they'd be ready by 5pm.

Last few meatfests, it was much easier since I didn't have as many people to cook for.

Here's some food porn from the last bbq

 

[ichy]

Hot dogs for the kids? Teach them to appreciate real food instead!

BTW, have you considered curing & smoking the salmon as well?

 

[ElFenix]

porkapalooza


curl your ribs (use a skewer to hold them in the curl) and you should be able to fit 3 racks no prob.

 

[dabuddha]

If I make the pulled pork a day in advance, should I refrigerate it or just wrap it in foil and place it an an ice chest (without ice that is). What's the best way to reheat it w/o drying it out?

 

[ElFenix]

If I make the pulled pork a day in advance, should I refrigerate it or just wrap it in foil and place it an an ice chest (without ice that is). What's the best way to reheat it w/o drying it out?

refrigerate

don't quite cook it all the way to done. the reheating process will finish the cooking.

 

[NetWareHead]

DaBuddha would you mind sharing your recipes? My coworkers and I are planning a meatfest as well , but never brined the butts before. That smoked chicken sounds great too!

 

[sixone]

This thread is not what I expected.

 

[Fritzo]

BTW- as a fellow BBQ'er, if you can find this sausage GET IT. Best sausage I've ever had on the smoker.

Costco carries it now.

 

[slag]

BTW- as a fellow BBQ'er, if you can find this sausage GET IT. Best sausage I've ever had on the smoker.


Costco carries it now.

That does sound good. I like to smoke Johnsonville brats, either beer or cheese filled, but they always dry out too much. What's the best method for smoking the brats (I tend to smoke around 225-250 so I get a nice smoke going), without them drying out? Doesn't matter if I put a pan of water underneath them, they still dry out.

 

[Fritzo]

That does sound good. I like to smoke Johnsonville brats, either beer or cheese filled, but they always dry out too much. What's the best method for smoking the brats (I tend to smoke around 225-250 so I get a nice smoke going), without them drying out? Doesn't matter if I put a pan of water underneath them, they still dry out.

The trick to smoking any sausage is to make sure it doesn't get too hot. If the skin breaks, you're done. The sausages above are smokehouse grade, so the casing is thicker and won't break as easy.

You only want to cook them 2 hours or so.

 

[SandEagle]

This thread is not what I expected.

its exactly what you should expect from any tech forum. :\

 

[dabuddha]

DaBuddha would you mind sharing your recipes? My coworkers and I are planning a meatfest as well , but never brined the butts before. That smoked chicken sounds great too!

Sure I'll post them all tonight when I'm on my pc and not on the phone

 

[thestrangebrew1]

This sounds awesome. I think I'll have to start our own little meatfest tradition. Food looks fantastic.

 

[NetWareHead]

Sure I'll post them all tonight when I'm on my pc and not on the phone

Thanks.

What smoker is everyone using? Home Depot has a Brinkmann smoker on sale for around $40 but the reviews I've read about it are not the greatest. I'm tempted to get a Weber smokey mountain which does review well but is somewhat pricey.

 

[dabuddha]

I highly recommend the Weber Smokey Mountain. As they say, you get what you pay for. I load it up with charcoal and it keeps a constant temperature for 4-5 hours straight. I'll get the recipes in a few, fell asleep early last night and didn't get a chance to do it.

 

[dabuddha]

I used this on one of my boston butts:

Wild Willy's Number One-derful Rub

3/4 cup paprika
1/4 cups black pepper
1/4 cup coarse salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 teaspoons cayenne

Other butt:

The Renowned Mr. Brown
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup paprika
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon cayenne

Mop to go with it:
remaining rub
2 cups cider vinegar
3 tablespoons black pepper
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon cayenne


For my ribs:
Kansas City Sloppy Ribs:

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup paprika
2.5 tablespoons black pepper
2.5 tablespoons coarse salt
1.5 tablespoons chili powder
1.5 tablespoons garlic powder
1.5 tablespoons onion powder
1-2 teaspoons cayenne

For my chickens, I'm trying this recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/patrick-and-gina-neely/applewood-smoked-chicken-recipe/index.html

For the pulled pork, I'm making this:
Smoked Onion Sauce:
1 tbl vegetable oil
1 large onion smoked
2 garlic cloves minced
1 cup tomato puree
.75 cup cider vinegar
6 tbl molasses
3 tbl packed brown sugar
3 tbl tomato paste
3 tbl Worcestershire sauce
1 tbl yellow mustard
2 tbl chili powder
2 tsp black powder

I've also got some Lefty's bbq sauce

For my Salmon, I'm doing 2 diff recipes
First one:
kosher salt and pepper over the filet.
Thyme and Oregano all over
drizzle some olive oil
spoon chunky salsa over the top of the filet and spread it out
wrap it up and seal it in a foil pouch

second one I'm trying this recipe:
Asian Grilled Salmon:
2 tbl dijon mustard
3 tbl good soy sauce
6 tbl good olive oil
.5 tsp minced garlic

Half of the marinade, you save it till the end so you can spoon it all over.

 

[NetWareHead]

Thanks!

 

[Uppsala9496]

Now I am obsessed with smoking something tomorrow. Only have a weber spirit at home. Smoker is up at the lake house.
Do I just use the spirit or do I go spend some money on a cheapy dedicated smoker?

Won't be using a smoker very often at home since on the weekends I am always at our lake house and use the smoker there. This will only be used over the winter and into early spring.

 

[Kaido]

In the immortal words of Mr. Rogers, oh won't you be my neighbor?

 

[z1ggy]

This thread is not what I expected.

hahahaha. Poor six..