The PPlanet BBQ Thread

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chevss454 said:
I'm glad to know Planeteers are using the site. I found it 6 years ago.

The barbecue stall is a simple consequence of evaporative cooling by the meat's own moisture, slowly released over hours from within it's core . As the temperature rises, the evaporation rate increases - until the cooling effect balances the heat input. Then it stalls, until the last drop of moisture is gone. Adding moisture to the pan or injecting the meat increases the length of stall but also makes the meat more juicy. I frequently use Coke in the bottom of a disposable pan along with the pork shoulder. The Coke acts to tenderize the meat in a way apple juice can't although I have also used half coke and half pineapple juice (rich in papain, a proteolytic enzyme) or half pineapple juice and half apple juice very successfully. At 150 degrees meat temp I always use the Texas crutch - wrap in foil tightly - to shorten the stall at low temps. I use 220 degrees as my target for the smoker temperature so that's very low. Some people use higher temps and get great results but I've found the meat has to be watched very closely or it comes out dry when using temperatures above 275.
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I also always wrap my meat too, my moms trick. I'll have to try the pineapple juice. Can I leave out the coke though? I also generally slow cook at the lower temps unless I'm pressed for time.


~Dee~
 
deec77 said:
I also always wrap my meat too, my moms trick. I'll have to try the pineapple juice. Can I leave out the coke though? I also generally slow cook at the lower temps unless I'm pressed for time.


~Dee~
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I might try the pineapple juice, too.

When I do ribs for folks who don't like much heat, I have used foil boats with a mixture of butter, apple juice and apricot preserves and it'll impart a nice sweetness along with moisture.

Purists might find that problematic for the bark and it is a little different, but people seem to love it that way.
 
Hawg73 said:
I might try the pineapple juice, too.

When I do ribs for folks who don't like much heat, I have used foil boats with a mixture of butter, apple juice and apricot preserves and it'll impart a nice sweetness along with moisture.

Purists might find that problematic for the bark and it is a little different, but people seem to love it that way.
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Usually I do ribs on the grill and bake them first in tinfoil with a rub of some sort. I will add a bit of apple juice to ones i plan to add more rub to before throwing on the grill. The others I just coat in BBQ sauce. I'll either make a sweet or a hot depending (usually the sweet though hubby hates hot). That generally keeps them from drying out.

~Dee~
 
Hawg73 said:
Interesting stuff. I've obviously been on AmazingRibs and am a fan of Meathead, but I never saw that article, so thanks!

It sounded like he was describing me with all the panic and oven usage.

What I got out of reading it is that I wasn't really doing anything drastically wrong, but in the future I'm going to make sure that I have the time that I need, even if that means getting up extra early, and I will use a Texas Crutch as described with a finish on the grill to get the bark a little crustier, since that is how I prefer it.

I have an electric smoker, which have their pros and cons, but the bottom line is that there are a lot of ways to make good BBQ as long as you give yourself plenty of time.

Much obliged!
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Giving yourself the time really is the key. You can't rush good Q and each piece of meat will cook differently.
 
Hawg73 said:
Interesting stuff. I've obviously been on AmazingRibs and am a fan of Meathead, but I never saw that article, so thanks!

It sounded like he was describing me with all the panic and oven usage.

What I got out of reading it is that I wasn't really doing anything drastically wrong, but in the future I'm going to make sure that I have the time that I need, even if that means getting up extra early, and I will use a Texas Crutch as described with a finish on the grill to get the bark a little crustier, since that is how I prefer it.

I have an electric smoker, which have their pros and cons, but the bottom line is that there are a lot of ways to make good BBQ as long as you give yourself plenty of time.

Much obliged!
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I bought an electric smoker 10 years ago used it twice and never again. I'm sure they must be better now. My ribs came out tender and juicy but they had a bitter flavor. Inedible. I called the company to find out what was wrong and they said I used too much wood in the holding compartment. I used exactly the 6 oz of hickory they said to use. The next time I smoked a pork butt and belly with 4 oz of apple wood. Same results. I gave it away.
I had a Weber at the time so I did some googling and found the Smokenator which, imo, is the #1 accessory for Webers. Inexpensive turns any Weber into a smoking machine.
<hr>
smokenator5.jpg

The Smokenator

The Smokenator is a popular add-on that turns your Kettle into a smoker. A bit less expensive than the Slow 'N Sear, it lacks the sear function, and because it has a cover over the charcoal and a small water pan just doesn't do the job as well as the SNS.



deec77 said:
I also always wrap my meat too, my moms trick. I'll have to try the pineapple juice. Can I leave out the coke though? I also generally slow cook at the lower temps unless I'm pressed for time.


~Dee~
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Pineapple juice works wonders but so does Coke. Try it, you'll like it.
One caveat, since papain is an enzyme temperatures higher than 220-225 will cook it rendering it useless. Coke doesn't mind the higher temps, adds a bit of sweetness but doesn't impart the coke flavor. You taste tenderness but not the coke.
 
chevss454 said:
I bought an electric smoker 10 years ago used it twice and never again. I'm sure they must be better now. My ribs came out tender and juicy but they had a bitter flavor. Inedible. I called the company to find out what was wrong and they said I used too much wood in the holding compartment. I used exactly the 6 oz of hickory they said to use. The next time I smoked a pork butt and belly with 4 oz of apple wood. Same results. I gave it away.
I had a Weber at the time so I did some googling and found the Smokenator which, imo, is the #1 accessory for Webers. Inexpensive turns any Weber into a smoking machine.
<hr>
smokenator5.jpg

The Smokenator

The Smokenator is a popular add-on that turns your Kettle into a smoker. A bit less expensive than the Slow 'N Sear, it lacks the sear function, and because it has a cover over the charcoal and a small water pan just doesn't do the job as well as the SNS.





Pineapple juice works wonders but so does Coke. Try it, you'll like it.
One caveat, since papain is an enzyme temperatures higher than 220-225 will cook it rendering it useless. Coke doesn't mind the higher temps, adds a bit of sweetness but doesn't impart the coke flavor. You taste tenderness but not the coke.
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I have a weber kettle and love using it. It's a great grill, but the problem for me was always regulating the temperature. You get it right and an hour later you have to open it up and try to get more fuel in, which is a pain. You can certainly cook great food and ribs with one, but for a long smoke I found it frustrating. That smokenator is one way to take advantage of the limited space on the grill. I'll probably buy one.

I never could make up my mind on a dedicated smoker and lived with the shortcomings of the kettle, but got a basic Masterbuilt electric smokehouse, which is 190 bucks at Target, as Christmas gift and I figured I better use it.

It works very well. I don't get any discernable bitterness as long as the heat is 250 or below. I have noticed a little bitterness at times when I cooked at 275 which is the highest it will go. I've been using a big bag of hickory sawdust for a while now and it seems to be a good happy medium because it seems to impart a mildish smoke flavor and my audience doesn't tend to like a lot of smoke, as I prefer.

The convenience factor is a big plus and it's led me to longer cooks and experimenting with briskets and Boston Butts. I like using it a lot, although it is a pain in the ass to clean enough so it doesn't get moldy in the warm months.

One other drawback is that it won't start below freezing. I would have to bring it in the house or use a hairdryer to get it going on really cold days.

Pros and cons. I guess that is what keeps things interesting.
 
Hawg73 said:
I have a weber kettle and love using it. It's a great grill, but the problem for me was always regulating the temperature. You get it right and an hour later you have to open it up and try to get more fuel in, which is a pain. You can certainly cook great food and ribs with one, but for a long smoke I found it frustrating. That smokenator is one way to take advantage of the limited space on the grill. I'll probably buy one.

I never could make up my mind on a dedicated smoker and lived with the shortcomings of the kettle, but got a basic Masterbuilt electric smokehouse, which is 190 bucks at Target, as Christmas gift and I figured I better use it.

It works very well. I don't get any discernable bitterness as long as the heat is 250 or below. I have noticed a little bitterness at times when I cooked at 275 which is the highest it will go. I've been using a big bag of hickory sawdust for a while now and it seems to be a good happy medium because it seems to impart a mildish smoke flavor and my audience doesn't tend to like a lot of smoke, as I prefer.

The convenience factor is a big plus and it's led me to longer cooks and experimenting with briskets and Boston Butts. I like using it a lot, although it is a pain in the ass to clean enough so it doesn't get moldy in the warm months.

One other drawback is that it won't start below freezing. I would have to bring it in the house or use a hairdryer to get it going on really cold days.

Pros and cons. I guess that is what keeps things interesting.
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Pellet smokers work great and offer the same convenience. I'm at the office but smoking a Boston butt right now that I put in 3 hrs ago. I'll wrap it at 12:15 for 3 hrs, unwrap it for an hour and eat it at 5. Hard to beat imo.
 
After about 30 years of smoking meat/seafood in Webers, water smokers, Brinkleys I've become a set it and forget it smoker. My machine.....
11703395_10206123993315526_8057886724903590559_o.jpg


11058299_10206375665847182_4565877931971834999_o.jpg
 
I have that smokenator for the Weber too. Liked it at first, but it did require a lot of babysitting. If I do get something else to smoke with, it will probably be a dedicated smoker that requires a lot less intervention.

Sent from my Enigma Device
 
Undertaker #59* said:
I have that smokenator for the Weber too. Liked it at first, but it did require a lot of babysitting. If I do get something else to smoke with, it will probably be a dedicated smoker that requires a lot less intervention.

Sent from my Enigma Device
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Which is why I got the pellet smoker. The Smokenator is great for ribs though.
 
chevss454 said:
Which is why I got the pellet smoker. The Smokenator is great for ribs though.
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What pellet smoker did you get? I've been looking at them to replace my current propane smoker at some point.
 
patsload said:
What pellet smoker did you get? I've been looking at them to replace my current propane smoker at some point.
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Here is a rating site for pellet smokers.

http://amazingribs.com/bbq_equipmen...eld_manufacturer_target_id=All&field_fuel_tid[]=3

My youngest son gave me a pellet smoker for Father's Day years ago. He gave me a Traeger Li'l Tex which has had probably close to a 1000 hours of use and still going strong. Big cuts take 10-12 hrs at 225 degrees so I start at midnight. If I'm doing a chicken, I can put that in at 9:30 in the morning and the smoked meat is good to go by lunch for a family BBQ.
Pellet smokers have come a long way since mine was built.

If I were buying 1 today I'd look hard at the value the Green Mountain Daniel Boone model provides realizing the brand isn't nearly as important as the meat, the rub or the sauce.

Very impt: look for high quality pellets. The cheaper ones leave too much residue and can actually put out the fire. High quality pellets leave almost no residue which means cleaning out the firebox is a once a year thing. Costco sells Traeger pellets which have been very good for me.
 
BBQ will commence this afternoon!...it was 90 out yesterday...and will be there plus more this whole week.
 
Family reunion (my Mom's side) IN Vermont Sat.

It.s 1230 AM Fri. 16.5 hours into 2 Butz (15 lbs total. Just at 185 degrees, need 205.)


The stall can be a bear. And I can.t get my mind around High Temp cooking or foiling and losing the crust, so:

Patience grasshopper.

Cheers, BostonTim
 
BostonTim said:
Family reunion (my Mom's side) IN Vermont Sat.

It.s 1230 AM Fri. 16.5 hours into 2 Butz (15 lbs total. Just at 185 degrees, need 205.)


The stall can be a bear. And I can.t get my mind around High Temp cooking or foiling and losing the crust, so:

Patience grasshopper.

Cheers, BostonTim
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Good luck the stall can be a biotch.

~Dee~
 
BostonTim said:
Family reunion (my Mom's side) IN Vermont Sat.

It.s 1230 AM Fri. 16.5 hours into 2 Butz (15 lbs total. Just at 185 degrees, need 205.)


The stall can be a bear. And I can.t get my mind around High Temp cooking or foiling and losing the crust, so:

Patience grasshopper.

Cheers, BostonTim
Click to expand...

I'm gonna burst outta the shrubbery in your backyard like the silverback in the Gorilla glue commercial and raid yur smokah!
 
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