New to smoking

[OutlawStar]

Put the smoker together and it looks pretty decent. Instructions were just alright and I think there is some improvements pitboss could have done to make the install go better but overall not bad. I've been shivering for the last few days so I haven't even been able to do the initial burn-off startup they recommend. Looks like this weekend I'll do that and see about smoking some chicken or something.

 

[billtool]

Good for you. I don’t know what the instructions look like, but I would fry the hell out of that before I cooked any food on it. Rub some vegetable on the lid and other exposed services and then have an hours long screaming charcoal fire in that thing. You need to fry the China out of there.

 

[OutlawStar]

Good for you. I don’t know what the instructions look like, but I would fry the hell out of that before I cooked any food on it. Rub some vegetable on the lid and other exposed services and then have an hours long screaming charcoal fire in that thing. You need to fry the China out of there.

Yeah, it says 350F for 30-45 mins for the initial burnoff. No harm in letting it go for longer. After the first couple burnoffs I planned on spraying a lot of surfaces with cooking spray, doing another heat cycle, then cooking on it. I don't think the fire pit is suited for charcoal burning so roasting the powder coating wouldn't help me much in the long run.

 

[billtool]

You have the plan. Do it! Don’t forget the pics...

 

[OutlawStar]

Probably a silly question, but is it actually bad to freeze a brisket if I find a good price on one, and save it for later when I feel ready to smoke it?

 

[Axxe55]

Probably a silly question, but is it actually bad to freeze a brisket if I find a good price on one, and save it for later when I feel ready to smoke it?

By all means no. If you can get a good price and have the room in your freezer, buy as many as you can. Just take it out of the freezer four or five days before you plan on smoking it and put it in the fridge to defrost before you get ready to prep it for smoking. Yes, depending on the size of the brisket, it can take that long to defrost.

 

[mp_tx]

There are some pros who will always freeze their briskets before a smoke. Something about the freeze/thaw assisting in breaking down meat.


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[Axxe55]

There are some pros who will always freeze their briskets before a smoke. Something about the freeze/thaw assisting in breaking down meat.


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I have heard something similar years ago, but honestly I don't know for sure to say one way or the other. I just know if I get a good price on a brisket, it goes in the freezer.

 

[billtool]

Just freeze it fast. A buddy of mine sells meat for a living and advised initially the faster it freezes the better. So don’t stack multiple briskets when freezing them. It’ll take longer that way. Something to do with the moisture in the meat...

 

[OutlawStar]

So I saw a $35 brisket and impulse purchased it. A few things I learned from my first time:
I followed the pittboss classic brisket recipe. "smoke" setting overnight for about 12 hours (cooking temp around 165) then raised to 350 in a foil pouch with a "baste" for about 2 hours or until finish.
-A brine would be much better, I just didn't think about it because I forgot I had a turkey oven bag that would have worked to brine just fine. No biggie, just something for next time.
-I should have used a turkey roasting pan because making a foil pouch with seams just resulted in a leak and a bit of a mess on my back porch and smoker when I steamed it.
-Not super impressed with the rub I used, but it seems to be a generic one with brown sugar, paprika, pepper, salt, garlic/onion powder, mustard, and chili powder. I added a bit of turmeric, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Probably just need to tweak some levels,
-I'm happy with the level of smoke and probably went through 5 pounds of pellets. I may try the next setting down.
-I didn't use my head and let the meat get to about 175 in the thickest part because the recipe in the smoker manual said to let it get to 195. The thin part of the brisket was "dry" (not cardboard, but not juicy) which is fine for thin slicing and sandwiches along with a dollop of sauce. I may pull it off at 165 next time to prevent drying out.
-After 155-160 I'd like to use a turkey roaster pan so I can remove the top foil and raise the temp to 400 to help develop a crust somehow

Still, came out fork tender but not falling apart under its own weight. Juices everywhere. For about $40 I spent, I probably have $150 of meat had I got it from a restaurant. Anyone have any other suggestions on improving the final product?

 

[cygunner]

So I saw a $35 brisket and impulse purchased it. A few things I learned from my first time:
I followed the pittboss classic brisket recipe. "smoke" setting overnight for about 12 hours (cooking temp around 165) then raised to 350 in a foil pouch with a "baste" for about 2 hours or until finish.
-A brine would be much better, I just didn't think about it because I forgot I had a turkey oven bag that would have worked to brine just fine. No biggie, just something for next time.
-I should have used a turkey roasting pan because making a foil pouch with seams just resulted in a leak and a bit of a mess on my back porch and smoker when I steamed it.
-Not super impressed with the rub I used, but it seems to be a generic one with brown sugar, paprika, pepper, salt, garlic/onion powder, mustard, and chili powder. I added a bit of turmeric, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Probably just need to tweak some levels,
-I'm happy with the level of smoke and probably went through 5 pounds of pellets. I may try the next setting down.
-I didn't use my head and let the meat get to about 175 in the thickest part because the recipe in the smoker manual said to let it get to 195. The thin part of the brisket was "dry" (not cardboard, but not juicy) which is fine for thin slicing and sandwiches along with a dollop of sauce. I may pull it off at 165 next time to prevent drying out.
-After 155-160 I'd like to use a turkey roaster pan so I can remove the top foil and raise the temp to 400 to help develop a crust somehow

Still, came out fork tender but not falling apart under its own weight. Juices everywhere. For about $40 I spent, I probably have $150 of meat had I got it from a restaurant. Anyone have any other suggestions on improving the final product?

Sometimes it works best if you separate the point (thick part) from the flat as they can tend to cook at different rates. TexMex makes a decent rub but I prefer Bellville Meat Co. Sounds like you learned a lot, had fun and some good eating.

 

[HKSig]

There's a place in Temple (Emporium Packaging & Spice Co.) that a lot of restaurants get their "secret" blends from. The "secret" is that the blends are Emporium's house blends.

 

[Axxe55]

So I saw a $35 brisket and impulse purchased it. A few things I learned from my first time:
I followed the pittboss classic brisket recipe. "smoke" setting overnight for about 12 hours (cooking temp around 165) then raised to 350 in a foil pouch with a "baste" for about 2 hours or until finish.
-A brine would be much better, I just didn't think about it because I forgot I had a turkey oven bag that would have worked to brine just fine. No biggie, just something for next time.
-I should have used a turkey roasting pan because making a foil pouch with seams just resulted in a leak and a bit of a mess on my back porch and smoker when I steamed it.
-Not super impressed with the rub I used, but it seems to be a generic one with brown sugar, paprika, pepper, salt, garlic/onion powder, mustard, and chili powder. I added a bit of turmeric, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Probably just need to tweak some levels,
-I'm happy with the level of smoke and probably went through 5 pounds of pellets. I may try the next setting down.
-I didn't use my head and let the meat get to about 175 in the thickest part because the recipe in the smoker manual said to let it get to 195. The thin part of the brisket was "dry" (not cardboard, but not juicy) which is fine for thin slicing and sandwiches along with a dollop of sauce. I may pull it off at 165 next time to prevent drying out.
-After 155-160 I'd like to use a turkey roaster pan so I can remove the top foil and raise the temp to 400 to help develop a crust somehow

Still, came out fork tender but not falling apart under its own weight. Juices everywhere. For about $40 I spent, I probably have $150 of meat had I got it from a restaurant. Anyone have any other suggestions on improving the final product?

Experimentation! Try out different things until you happen upon what works best for you, and your equipment. There really isn't a right or wrong way with what you are doing. Just have to tweak and tune thing to get the best product from your smoker. So far, it looks like you have the basics down and are on your way.

 

[cajunautoxer]

So I saw a $35 brisket and impulse purchased it. A few things I learned from my first time:
I followed the pittboss classic brisket recipe. "smoke" setting overnight for about 12 hours (cooking temp around 165) then raised to 350 in a foil pouch with a "baste" for about 2 hours or until finish.
-A brine would be much better, I just didn't think about it because I forgot I had a turkey oven bag that would have worked to brine just fine. No biggie, just something for next time.
-I should have used a turkey roasting pan because making a foil pouch with seams just resulted in a leak and a bit of a mess on my back porch and smoker when I steamed it.
-Not super impressed with the rub I used, but it seems to be a generic one with brown sugar, paprika, pepper, salt, garlic/onion powder, mustard, and chili powder. I added a bit of turmeric, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Probably just need to tweak some levels,
-I'm happy with the level of smoke and probably went through 5 pounds of pellets. I may try the next setting down.
-I didn't use my head and let the meat get to about 175 in the thickest part because the recipe in the smoker manual said to let it get to 195. The thin part of the brisket was "dry" (not cardboard, but not juicy) which is fine for thin slicing and sandwiches along with a dollop of sauce. I may pull it off at 165 next time to prevent drying out.
-After 155-160 I'd like to use a turkey roaster pan so I can remove the top foil and raise the temp to 400 to help develop a crust somehow

Still, came out fork tender but not falling apart under its own weight. Juices everywhere. For about $40 I spent, I probably have $150 of meat had I got it from a restaurant. Anyone have any other suggestions on improving the final product?

I would not cook the brisket lower than 200 deg due to the fact you need the brisket to reach IIRC 140 deg with in 4 hrs. This is to protect you from food poisoning. Also after 5 hrs your brisket will not absorb anymore smoke flavor. I use a smoke tube to help with this since a pellet smoker will not give you the same smoke flavor as a stick burner. For seasoning I only us SPOG on my briskets. Most will recommend that you leave the brisket alone until it reaches the stall and then wrap. You can wrap with foil or pink paper. I usually smoke until the thickest part of flat reaches 203 deg. Did you trim the think part of the flat? If not you'll always have a good bit of dry flat. I trim the thin parts and save them in freezer for stew. This will take several briskets trimmings of course. I will also put the point side of brisket on the left and put it fat side down. The reason for fat side down that is bc the heat is from the bottom and the fat will protect the meat from drying out

 

[OutlawStar]

Roasted a $10 bone-in turkey breast. Brined it the night before, then slow roasted it for a couple hours. Best skin I've had on a turkey and it was all juicy. I left it simple and just put butter under the skin and a little herbs de province. Had some turkey gravy with it so I wasn't worried about why all the herbs seemed to fall off in the pit.

Also smoked a pork picnic roast shoulder. Didn't like the results on that one because the pork was NOT falling apart under its own weight; I had to shred it with forks. I'll have to try again. Not sure if I just need to smoke for longer or I didn't get a big blade roast.

GF absolutely loves pork ribs, going to try that later this week. Simple rub, slow smoke all day, then some BBQ sauce at the end is the plan. I'm liking this pellet smoker/grill thing a bit more than my dual fuel propane/coal grill. So much easier to control the temp because thats electronic and everything has a nicer smoke to it than putting chunks of wood near the coals.

 

[baboon]

Also smoked a pork picnic roast shoulder. Didn't like the results on that one because the pork was NOT falling apart under its own weight; I had to shred it with forks. I'll have to try again. Not sure if I just need to smoke for longer or I didn't get a big blade roast.

GF absolutely loves pork ribs, going to try that later this week. Simple rub, slow smoke all day, then some BBQ sauce at the end is the plan. I'm liking this pellet smoker/grill thing a bit more than my dual fuel propane/coal grill. So much easier to control the temp because thats electronic and everything has a nicer smoke to it than putting chunks of wood near the coals.

If your picnic was like the one I recently did & had skin on that's why you might have ben disappointed. I was more pissed about the skin not crisping up into meat candy.

 

[Axxe55]

Roasted a $10 bone-in turkey breast. Brined it the night before, then slow roasted it for a couple hours. Best skin I've had on a turkey and it was all juicy. I left it simple and just put butter under the skin and a little herbs de province. Had some turkey gravy with it so I wasn't worried about why all the herbs seemed to fall off in the pit.

Also smoked a pork picnic roast shoulder. Didn't like the results on that one because the pork was NOT falling apart under its own weight; I had to shred it with forks. I'll have to try again. Not sure if I just need to smoke for longer or I didn't get a big blade roast.

GF absolutely loves pork ribs, going to try that later this week. Simple rub, slow smoke all day, then some BBQ sauce at the end is the plan. I'm liking this pellet smoker/grill thing a bit more than my dual fuel propane/coal grill. So much easier to control the temp because thats electronic and everything has a nicer smoke to it than putting chunks of wood near the coals.

A technique you can try is the one I use for large cuts of pork or beef on the smoker.

Apply your rub to the meat, then place on the smoker for about 45 to 60 minutes, turn the meat over, and smoke for another 45 to 60 minutes. Then pull the meat off the smoker, wrap in heavy foil, place on a cooking sheet or pan, put back on the smoker at about 225 to 250 degrees for the remaining amount of the cooking time needed. My rule of thumb is about an hour of smoking for every pound of meat. The pork butt I did late Friday night was about 6 lbs. and I smoked it for about seven hours. It was falling off the bone good! 6 lbs. of pork butt is also a lot of meat.

ETA: I also do the majority of the cooking on the smoker once I wrap the meat in foil, fat side up and let gravity work. All the fat in the meat when it renders, goes down, helping to keep the meat moist and tender, plus the fat adds more flavor to the meat.

 

[baboon]

There's a place in Temple (Emporium Packaging & Spice Co.) that a lot of restaurants get their "secret" blends from. The "secret" is that the blends are Emporium's house blends.

Zach's Spice Company is what I used for sausage seasonings as a meat cutter. I just bought their BBQ spice & chicken rub for my new kamado.

Zach's Spice Company

www.zachspice.com

 

[Axxe55]

Zach's Spice Company is what I used for sausage seasonings as a meat cutter. I just bought their BBQ spice & chicken rub for my new kamado.

Zach's Spice Company

www.zachspice.com

I like to make my own blend of spices for my rubs. I keep mine pretty simple and so far seems to work really good.

Salt, black pepper, garlic powder, cayenne powder, cumin and brown sugar added if doing ribs, or a brisket.

 

[OutlawStar]

If your picnic was like the one I recently did & had skin on that's why you might have ben disappointed. I was more pissed about the skin not crisping up into meat candy.

Mine did have a skin and kinda turned leathery, maybe a little crispy too.

A technique you can try is the one I use for large cuts of pork or beef on the smoker.

Apply your rub to the meat, then place on the smoker for about 45 to 60 minutes, turn the meat over, and smoke for another 45 to 60 minutes. Then pull the meat off the smoker, wrap in heavy foil, place on a cooking sheet or pan, put back on the smoker at about 225 to 250 degrees for the remaining amount of the cooking time needed. My rule of thumb is about an hour of smoking for every pound of meat. The pork butt I did late Friday night was about 6 lbs. and I smoked it for about seven hours. It was falling off the bone good! 6 lbs. of pork butt is also a lot of meat.

ETA: I also do the majority of the cooking on the smoker once I wrap the meat in foil, fat side up and let gravity work. All the fat in the meat when it renders, goes down, helping to keep the meat moist and tender, plus the fat adds more flavor to the meat.

yeah I saw a few guides recommend wrapping in foil after 6-8 hours of smoking once the temp levels off at about 140. I know its just more experimentation because there is some conflicting info, even though I'm sure any method will work after long enough on the grill.