Lets talk Smokers and Smoking meat

[IslandTractor]

Everything you'll ever need to know about smoking meat: BBQ Ribs Recipes, Barbecue Recipes, Grilling Techniques, Baby Back Ribs, Barbeque Spareribs, Outdoor Cooking, Rating Grills and Smokers This is truly the most scientific and well researched site I've found for smoking meat. Watch out though, it is almost as big a time sink as TBN. Amazing Ribs really does testing and has honest to goodness physicists as well as cooks and foodies giving advice. They also have great equipment reviews. You already have an electric smoker so you're set on that but you definitely need a digital thermometer too.

The good news is that it is pretty hard to screw up smoked pork. One of my favorite recipes is Kalua Pork (Hawaiian style) and the recipe for that is simple: Salt, Meat, Heat, Eat!

 

[kcflhrc]

The smoker has a built in probe so I can either cook by time or temperature. Also has a remote control so I can watch car racing, drink beer, and smoke my meat all at the same time. Sounds too easy.

 

[IslandTractor]

Fish is easy to over-do (less dense). I doubt you'll have a problem with pork loin. Your smoke ring might only extend 1/2" into the meat, probably less and a pork loin is pretty thick. Never tried pork tenderloins but I bet they would be the perfect meat for smoke.

The only issue with pork tenderloins is that they are the least fatty part of the pig so therefore have the least flavor. Tenderloin is also naturally tender so doesn't gain much from long slow cooking to break down tough fibrous tissue. I prefer Boston Butt myself though it commits you to a bigger chunk of meat.

 

[joefromga]

Smoking is simple.

No fancy rubs or wet sauces. Just salt and pepper and maybe some garlic or lemon. . The meat will flavor itself.

If you want tender meat just wrap it up in heavy duty foil. People forget this and then have leather outside meat. I don't like Bbq places because of this. They chop and grind theirs all together to make it pass.

You can then take your super tender meat and grill it to brown the edges or just leave it. Poke holes in the foil for steam and smoke. This method also keeps your meat from being too smoky flavored.

Last tip. Don't leave the juice in the juice catcher. It will be bad in a few days. Real bad. Heat the box up after you remove it to dry out the smoker. After a while it will become seasoned and taste even better. Temps below boiling will keep dry meat from being a problem.

Ps. Check for wasps before you start.

 

[teejk]

The only issue with pork tenderloins is that they are the least fatty part of the pig so therefore have the least flavor. Tenderloin is also naturally tender so doesn't gain much from long slow cooking to break down tough fibrous tissue. I prefer Boston Butt myself though it commits you to a bigger chunk of meat.

We do a lot of pork butt also (I was a meat cutter for years and never did figure out how they named a part of the front shoulder a butt...one of life's mysteries). With the bone structure really best for pulled pork and they require a lot of time at low temps I think but it is good eats.

 

[teejk]

The smoker has a built in probe so I can either cook by time or temperature. Also has a remote control so I can watch car racing, drink beer, and smoke my meat all at the same time. Sounds too easy.

You will probably end up using temperature instead of time but the probe is internal temp of the meat...remember the slower you go the more smoke you're going to get and the more you start breaking down the chewy parts...it's a balance thing only gleaned from experience (take notes about what you did and might want to do differently). And with something like pork you might want to pour the smoke to it early and often. Not so sure how big your chip box is but our large Smokey Mountain box gets refilled a few times. As for the drinking beer, that is the beauty of the smoker...lower temperatures you can just let it go and not worry about it. Let us know how you do.

 

[joefromga]

You can start it before bed Saturday night, get up go to church and come home and it'll still be hot and delicious and ready to eat. Like a cooler, as long as you don't open the door you can go quite a few hours after the heat is shut off.

 

[teejk]

You can start it before bed Saturday night, get up go to church and come home and it'll still be hot and delicious and ready to eat. Like a cooler, as long as you don't open the door you can go quite a few hours after the heat is shut off.

The consumer smokers don't hold heat too well but nothing wrong with keeping the heat on low and just let it do what it wants to do...as long as the heat doesn't exceed the temperature of how you want it cooked you could go to Vegas for a week and it will be just fine. Pork butts we probably start at 6am and let them go for several hours. Learned that at some point in time we pull them and finish in the oven. They aren't going to take any more smoke and the oven is easier to control. Now I'm getting hungry...thanks a lot...btw, one of my favorites is chicken wings. Unfortunately that once so-so piece of the chicken is now the most expensive part. Same thing happened with the once "inferior" beef rib-eye until some jack-*** let the cat out of the bag and told everybody to skip the NY strip/T-bone and opt for the rib-eye (he/she was right but I thought it was supposed to be a secret).

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Smoked chicken wings are marvelous. They take about an hour and 1/2 at 250 F, maybe less. I use my own rubb, but you would be surprised how good Lemon Pepper seasoning is for chicken. Maybe just a hint of garlic. I personally use Mesquite as my primary smoking wood, with Blackjack Oak as its companion. I usually stick in some Pecan and/or Hickory. Although Mesquite is a very strong smoking wood, I have found that smoking for long periods mitigates the Mesquite, but you still have to not use too much.

 

[IslandTractor]

You guys are bad. It's still technically winter up here and not yet warm enough to hang around the smoker sucking down brewskis. I'm going to have to bbq vicariously for another month.

On the other hand, the sous vide set up is working fine.