LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Jun 8, 2015 8:41:08 GMT -5
I love how summer is just one holiday after another that's perfect for barbecuing. I'm going to do beef ribs and turkey from Franklin's cookbook on Father's Day. Sounds excellent. Procuring some proper beef ribs so I can serve "The Big Rib" is on my to-do list for sure. I've done smoked turkey the past two Christmases and have really enjoyed it both times. Does Franklin recommend spatch-cocking the bird or anything? |
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Post by pairesta on Jun 8, 2015 8:48:21 GMT -5
Yeah now I'm on a quest for proper plate ribs, not even the short rib racks that are sold. So this should be fun.
Franklin is completely indifferent to turkey breast, making a number of backhanded remarks about it. For all the other meats in his cookbook, he goes on for pages about sourcing the right meat, defining the cut used, how it cooks, etc. The turkey recipe is two pages long. He uses a storebought boneless turkey breast.
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Baron von Costume
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Like an iron maiden made of pillows... the punishment is decadence!
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Post by Baron von Costume on Jun 8, 2015 9:00:47 GMT -5
I wish decent brisket wasn't so damned expensive here. I'd really like to make one every two weeks this summer and get my technique at least a bit more refined. My last two were so completely different in terms of cook time and final result.
I think my next brisket is going to be a Pastrami anyway though.
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Post by pairesta on Jun 8, 2015 9:18:24 GMT -5
I wish decent brisket wasn't so damned expensive here. I'd really like to make one every two weeks this summer and get my technique at least a bit more refined. My last two were so completely different in terms of cook time and final result. I think my next brisket is going to be a Pastrami anyway though. Yeah there really is no consistency for me at this point. One time it'll be a huge disappointment, the next it will be this rapturous experience. And I try to do everything the same, yet they just come out completely different. |
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Baron von Costume
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Like an iron maiden made of pillows... the punishment is decadence!
Posts: 4,683
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Post by Baron von Costume on Jun 8, 2015 9:33:53 GMT -5
I wish decent brisket wasn't so damned expensive here. I'd really like to make one every two weeks this summer and get my technique at least a bit more refined. My last two were so completely different in terms of cook time and final result. I think my next brisket is going to be a Pastrami anyway though. Yeah there really is no consistency for me at this point. One time it'll be a huge disappointment, the next it will be this rapturous experience. And I try to do everything the same, yet they just come out completely different. The last one I did finished ridiculously fast, something like 10 hours. This one even if I'd been there to pull it when I probably would have still would have been 20ish. Granted I think the first was messed up a bit by temp variations and the smoker getting some extra seal from my windbreak and snow/ice but still. |
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Jun 18, 2015 8:16:49 GMT -5
I'll be slapping the rub on some brisket tonight for Saturday's bbq. Salt and pepper only. For some reason I agreed to serve dinner sometime between 2 and 3, so once again I'll be starting the fire at around 2 in the morning.
I was never completely happy with the first brisket I bought. I mean, it probably would have been fine, but then I saw one I liked better for a good price, so I ended up buying a second brisket and will be corning the first.
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Baron von Costume
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Like an iron maiden made of pillows... the punishment is decadence!
Posts: 4,683
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Post by Baron von Costume on Jun 18, 2015 8:51:33 GMT -5
I'll be slapping the rub on some brisket tonight for Saturday's bbq. Salt and pepper only. For some reason I agreed to serve dinner sometime between 2 and 3, so once again I'll be starting the fire at around 2 in the morning. I was never completely happy with the first brisket I bought. I mean, it probably would have been fine, but then I saw one I liked better for a good price, so I ended up buying a second brisket and will be corning the first. More brisket in many forms is the path to true enlightenment... |
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Post by pairesta on Jun 18, 2015 9:42:31 GMT -5
I'm getting twitchy anticipating Sunday's cook. I want to find beef plate ribs, and I know that'll be an undertaking. I went to a full on butcher shop and requested them on Saturday and got blank stares. "You mean short ribs?" Also, it being not November, Turkey Breast is hard to come by as well.
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Post by jerkassimo on Jun 18, 2015 10:53:35 GMT -5
I'm getting twitchy anticipating Sunday's cook. I want to find beef plate ribs, and I know that'll be an undertaking. I went to a full on butcher shop and requested them on Saturday and got blank stares. "You mean short ribs?" Also, it being not November, Turkey Breast is hard to come by as well. I'm staring blankly....and googling. |
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Jun 18, 2015 10:56:28 GMT -5
I'm getting twitchy anticipating Sunday's cook. I want to find beef plate ribs, and I know that'll be an undertaking. I went to a full on butcher shop and requested them on Saturday and got blank stares. "You mean short ribs?" Also, it being not November, Turkey Breast is hard to come by as well. Unless I buy frozen, I find a whole turkey breast difficult to find all the time. And even then, the frozen version is often skinned and boned which I usually wouldn't want. Sometimes Sprouts has whole turkey breast in the fresh case, but they're usually pretty meager specimens. |
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Post by pairesta on Jun 18, 2015 11:13:32 GMT -5
I'm getting twitchy anticipating Sunday's cook. I want to find beef plate ribs, and I know that'll be an undertaking. I went to a full on butcher shop and requested them on Saturday and got blank stares. "You mean short ribs?" Also, it being not November, Turkey Breast is hard to come by as well. I'm staring blankly....and googling.  It's the same cut as short ribs, except it's the whole rib portion, not cut in half like short ribs are. |
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Post by pairesta on Jun 18, 2015 11:16:03 GMT -5
I'm getting twitchy anticipating Sunday's cook. I want to find beef plate ribs, and I know that'll be an undertaking. I went to a full on butcher shop and requested them on Saturday and got blank stares. "You mean short ribs?" Also, it being not November, Turkey Breast is hard to come by as well. Unless I buy frozen, I find a whole turkey breast difficult to find all the time. And even then, the frozen version is often skinned and boned which I usually wouldn't want. Sometimes Sprouts has whole turkey breast in the fresh case, but they're usually pretty meager specimens. Yeah, so it should tell you something that skinned and boned is exactly what Franklin calls for. Figure it'd be a nice low maintenance meat. I'll brine it overnight and then smoke it. |
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Post by pairesta on Jun 22, 2015 6:14:06 GMT -5
Well it all turned out well. I managed to find a not-overly factory injected turkey breast, but it was still on the bone. I tried to debone it myself and it fell apart. I wound up tying the two sloppy pieces together, but it actually worked well on the smoker and they fused together. I probably over-brined the turkey breast, it was a little too "hammy" in texture but juicy as hell and everyone else liked it.
The beef ribs were pretty amazing. I only made one rack, though, and it wasn't enough for everyone to eat comfortably. But a good, crunchy, flavorful bark and meat that pretty much looked exactly like the sample I posted above, so I was proud of it. But at $40 a rack, brisket's a much more cost-effective meat.
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Jun 22, 2015 8:35:33 GMT -5
Glad to hear it went well. Happy with my cookout as well. Brisket was maybe a little over in the flat but was beautifully fatty and juicy in the point. I carved from both sides to build the platter, and wouldn't you know it that most of my guests chose pieces from the flat. The leftovers are almost all point. Hooray!
Weird thing though. While I thought the flavor was right with the seasoning and the smoke, no smoke ring. None! I'm not sure where it went wrong. That's never happened to me before.
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Post by pairesta on Jun 22, 2015 8:42:04 GMT -5
Glad to hear it went well. Happy with my cookout as well. Brisket was maybe a little over in the flat but was beautifully fatty and juicy in the point. I carved from both sides to build the platter, and wouldn't you know it that most of my guests chose pieces from the flat. The leftovers are almost all point. Hooray! Weird thing though. While I thought the flavor was right with the seasoning and the smoke, no smoke ring. None! I'm not sure where it went wrong. That's never happened to me before. Even though I've read more than enough to know intellectually that smoke rings are meaningless, I still want them when I cook, so I feel the frustration. Anything I could tell you you probably already know. So, I dunno, just blame the wood. |
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Post by pairesta on Jun 24, 2015 9:44:22 GMT -5
Aaron Franklin's PBS Show finally premiered in Houston last weekend. The debut ep was, of course, brisket. It's alot lighter, more off the cuff, and wide-ranging than his PBS-sponsored Youtube series. So the episode was a little light on content, although it does have an experiment of cooking brisket unwrapped vs. one in foil vs. one in butcher paper. As it stands though, the multi-part youtube instructional vid he does for brisket remains my go-to, and this is just a nice little supplement. |
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Post by pairesta on Jun 24, 2015 9:47:37 GMT -5
I want to find and hurt this guy.For maybe the first time ever, though, Youtube commentors have it right. 153 downvotes to one upvote. The comments are also well-deserved.
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Jun 24, 2015 9:48:00 GMT -5
Aaron Franklin's PBS Show finally premiered in Houston last weekend. The debut ep was, of course, brisket. It's alot lighter, more off the cuff, and wide-ranging than his PBS-sponsored Youtube series. So the episode was a little light on content, although it does have an experiment of cooking brisket unwrapped vs. one in foil vs. one in butcher paper. As it stands though, the multi-part youtube instructional vid he does for brisket remains my go-to, and this is just a nice little supplement. I need to check those out. Haven't seen the YouTube videos either. Made brisket hash yesterday, and I think I might have like the reheated brisket even more than the fresh stuff from Saturday. I griddled slices of it until deeply browned in a cast iron skillet, then finished the potatoes, onions, peppers and even the eggs in the fat. Tonight, brisket tacos. |
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Post by pairesta on Jul 8, 2015 6:34:40 GMT -5
So on the 4th, we were to have 17 people over at my Uncle's in Wisconsin. I decided to do ribs and then, at the last minute, brisket, given the number of people. The problem: he didn't have a smoker.
So I rigged my uncle's gas grill by parking an aluminum tray filled with wood chips on one side, right on the burners, and leaving the other side off. I got up at 5 and put the brisket on (I did a paprika rub on it instead of my usual salt an pepper) then let it grill/smoke for 5 hours. The point, facing the fire side, got burned, and not in a burnt ends kind of way. After 5 hours I wrapped it in foil with some of my homemade barbecue sauce and put it in the oven until it finished.
The ribs I had wrapped in foil and cooked in the oven the day before, then was to grill them to warm them up before service. I slathered them with more of my barbecue sauce as they were on the grill. However, i forgot that the sauce had drippings from the ribs (i.e., lots of fat) in it, and as soon as the sauce dripped off it created a huge gout of flame, which was rather embarassing since I had a crowd watching. The ribs got that singed taste I hate.
The brisket was dry, I thought, particularly the point. But it was very flavorful. But everyone else attending loved it and raved about it, even as I sulked the rest of the evening.
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Jul 8, 2015 8:36:59 GMT -5
If there's one good thing about knowing even a little bit about preparing good barbeque, it's that most people are so used to mega-chain crap that even a lesser effort at home can really blow them away. Not that it makes you feel any better  Do you find that the ribs hold together better after they've had the chance to cool? Usually when I prepare pork ribs they're so "fall off the bone" tender that trying to move them to any other cooking surface, and especially a grill where flipping might be expected, just seems like folly. Maybe if I brought them down they'd hold together better? I have not mastered the perfect rib texture, which I think is lusciously tender but not "fall off the bone." You should actually be able to take a bite and leave a bite mark, rather than all the meat tearing off with your first bite. I can't consistently deliver this. Maybe I'm just overcooking. |
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Post by pairesta on Jul 8, 2015 9:12:00 GMT -5
Before I got a smoker, my go-to technique was foil wrapped in the oven, then on the grill to crust 'em up. I did the overnight technique as an experiment to see if they'd be easier to handle since, yes, they are fall-apart at that stage. but it didn't work due to all the flaming up and were pretty inferior. Very little brisket leftover but LOTS of ribs.
I haven't ever gotten the texture right on ribs either, even once I started smoking them. But I'm more and more okay with that, as long as it's not just bare bones jutting out of the meat.
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Post by pairesta on Sept 7, 2015 13:45:39 GMT -5
So somehow I have managed to not make any barbecue since July 4th and haven't used my smoker since Father's Day. What the hell happened to summer?
Yesterday I did the usual three for labor day: brisket, homemade kielbasa, and ribs.
It would be only fitting that I follow my very best brisket ever with my worst brisket ever, just for the brisket gods to put me in my place, lest I get confident or anything. The brisket I got from costco was horribly trimmed: almost all of the fat cap was gone, and it was one long, thin piece with barely any point. I should have been paying more attention and tried to cook it differently, but I just did my usual and wound up with a tough, dry, crumbly brisket. This was for my parents and my brother, so they have yet to see the true brisket heights I can reach.
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Post by The Stuffingtacular She-Hulk on Sept 8, 2015 9:45:27 GMT -5
Hey pairesta, I finally looked at the first page of this thread - we have the same smoker as you! Didn't use it this weekend, though. We used the Weber charcoal grill and set it up as a water smoker for a rack of St. Louis-style ribs and some corn. We trimmed/rubbed/wrapped them up on Saturday morning, then on Sunday we put them on the grill for about 5 hours, only lacquering with barbecue sauce about half an hour before they were to come off. Once they did, I grilled the corn in their husks as the ribs rested - it was the best corn we've had all summer, plump and sweet and slightly charred. And it took until Labor Day to find! The ribs turned out really well, too; nicely crusted on the outside and super moist and tender on the inside. |
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Post by pairesta on Sept 8, 2015 12:04:49 GMT -5
Hey pairesta, I finally looked at the first page of this thread - we have the same smoker as you! Didn't use it this weekend, though. We used the Weber charcoal grill and set it up as a water smoker for a rack of St. Louis-style ribs and some corn. We trimmed/rubbed/wrapped them up on Saturday morning, then on Sunday we put them on the grill for about 5 hours, only lacquering with barbecue sauce about half an hour before they were to come off. Once they did, I grilled the corn in their husks as the ribs rested - it was the best corn we've had all summer, plump and sweet and slightly charred. And it took until Labor Day to find! The ribs turned out really well, too; nicely crusted on the outside and super moist and tender on the inside. Sounds good! I snagged this from my dad, who was about to give it away after getting an electric smoker. For all my struggles, it sure isn't because of the smoker itself. It works almost flawlessly. |
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Post by pairesta on Oct 13, 2015 6:35:55 GMT -5
The pork shoulder I did yesterday was the best version I've made. I'd been in kind of a funk about cooking barbecue after my Labor Day disaster but this got me back in the saddle. I couldn't stop eating the pork. Just very concentrated, well seasoned, and smokey flavor throughout.
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Oct 13, 2015 11:13:15 GMT -5
Mmmmm...
We're doing a Halloween pot luck this year, and I'm thinking about doing a pork shoulder myself for that. I still dream about the shoulder I made for Superbowl Sunday. First time I felt I'd really, really nailed it.
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Post by The Stuffingtacular She-Hulk on Oct 19, 2015 9:48:14 GMT -5
Went to a family friend's party yesterday and they served pulled pork made on a pellet grill, with sauces on the side. The pork was juicy and tender, but the real flavor came from the blackberry barbecue sauce I put on it. Good stuff, but I missed the smoky succulence you get with a water smoker.
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Post by pairesta on Oct 19, 2015 10:15:15 GMT -5
Went to a family friend's party yesterday and they served pulled pork made on a pellet grill, with sauces on the side. The pork was juicy and tender, but the real flavor came from the blackberry barbecue sauce I put on it. Good stuff, but I missed the smoky succulence you get with a water smoker. Yeah, my dad and brother have a Traeger that they love. It turns out good quality stuff, and there's something to be said about just flipping a switch, but I find that there's very little smoke flavor at all. |
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Post by The Stuffingtacular She-Hulk on Oct 19, 2015 11:44:16 GMT -5
Went to a family friend's party yesterday and they served pulled pork made on a pellet grill, with sauces on the side. The pork was juicy and tender, but the real flavor came from the blackberry barbecue sauce I put on it. Good stuff, but I missed the smoky succulence you get with a water smoker. Yeah, my dad and brother have a Traeger that they love. It turns out good quality stuff, and there's something to be said about just flipping a switch, but I find that there's very little smoke flavor at all. Yeah, honestly, I'd rather spend the 10 hours or so tending to the water smoker - the payoff is worth it. I also like the Carolina-style dijon/cider vinegar sauce we make. |
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Post by pairesta on Nov 16, 2015 9:15:21 GMT -5
So I got back in the saddle with brisket yesterday after fucking it up so badly on Labor Day. Events really conspired against me: my back gave out Saturday so i was in quite a bit of pain all day yesterday, leading to some mistakes. Nonetheless I stayed focused on at least not fucking it up worse than I had my last two at-bats with it. I was rewarded for my efforts by a thoroughly middle of the pack brisket: not as bad as my worst efforts, not as good as my best. It had an inconsistent texture, some pieces compact and a little dry (undercooked?) others shreddy (overcooked) and in the middle, which is where I was taking temp anyways, it was pretty much spot on. I thought I had good heat control, but there were some swings here and there. Anyways, with that uneven texture I don't really know what the culprit is to correct for next time.
So I guess that closes barbecue season out for me. I don't think i'd call the turkey I'm doing next week barbecue, and I will likely do a big batch of bacon for the winter after that. Maybe a ham around Christmas or the new year, we'll see. But it'll be a while before I do brisket again, regardless, and this was at least a hopeful note to go out on.
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