Stefan
MegaDork
9/10/18 7:31 p.m.
RevRico said:
I wish more rednecks used the internet. Trying to find a proper recipe and keep getting pointed at all these yuppies using those stupid cheatery pellet smokers. "Push the extra button and set your smoke flavour level" is not a useful instruction. 200F for 6 hours is, 225 for 4 hours is, "light smoke" is not. Sorry, I know how to maintain a fire with real wood, pellets are for heating the house, and buttons are for playing music or videogames. I'm not usually against experimenting, but seeing 2 posts on different forums that say 225 for 6 hours and 250 for 18 hours for the same cut of meat is a Hell of a range, and this pork wasn't exactly cheap.
Granted, I go by internal temperature anyway, it would still be nice to know if I need to start at noon or midnight.
As a "yuppy" with a pellet smoker, I can say that its cheating, but some of us have E36 M3 to do and congratulations you're now better than me. Feel better?
Smoke temp on the pellet smokers is typically around 180 degrees or 225 for the high temp smoke. So that should help your search.
You might like the following subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/smoking/
You may also like the following:
Dear Henry McMaster, you are a idiot only interested in looking good in the news. Take your mandatory evacuation, fold it until it's all sharp corners, and stick it up your ass.
Wally
MegaDork
9/10/18 8:26 p.m.
In reply to Stefan :
I have an electric smoker. Everyone wants to make fun of it but they never turn anything down that comes out of it. I did a turkey and a couple pork shoulders for a party at work that my southern know it all coworkers couldn't tell were done "incorrectly".
logdog
UltraDork
9/10/18 8:27 p.m.
I am convinced that at any given time, 99% of all gas pumps are out of printer paper. Its a PITA for those of us that need paper receipts for expense reports.
logdog
UltraDork
9/10/18 8:28 p.m.
Wally said:
In reply to Stefan :
I have an electric smoker. Everyone wants to make fun of it but they never turn anything down that comes out of it. I did a turkey and a couple pork shoulders for a party at work that my southern know it all coworkers couldn't tell were done "incorrectly".
Electric smoker? Ive heard some mesquite smoked 220 (or 221, whatever it takes) is shockingly good.
Wally said:
In reply to Stefan :
I have an electric smoker. Everyone wants to make fun of it but they never turn anything down that comes out of it. I did a turkey and a couple pork shoulders for a party at work that my southern know it all coworkers couldn't tell were done "incorrectly".
I have a wood smoker that I use when ambiance is needed. I have a digital programmable electric smoker when I want food. I set it up and go work in my shop until the app on my phone tells me it's done. I love that thing.
2nd day back too work and my kids school is delayed 2hrs. Normally not an issue but it's my emergency baby sitters anniversary so I'm going to be late for work! This is the only day of the week my wife's hours overlap with mine.
Duke
MegaDork
9/11/18 7:42 a.m.
daeman said:
At 250, about 1hr/lb
I did an 8 lb brisket in the oven at this time and temperature, dry rubbed in a tented pan with seasoned broth in it. Finished it on the grill briefly with some sauce. It was not nearly as tender as it should have been for that much cooking time. I wish I knew why.
In reply to Duke :
The longer you keep the internal temp below 220, the more the fat can render, which yields a more tender, juicy meat. Place meat fat side up if it has a fat cap. A meat thermometer is the best way to monitor the temp, not sure if you use one just throwing that out there.
Duke said:
daeman said:
At 250, about 1hr/lb
I did an 8 lb brisket in the oven at this time and temperature, dry rubbed in a tented pan with seasoned broth in it. Finished it on the grill briefly with some sauce. It was not nearly as tender as it should have been for that much cooking time. I wish I knew why.
I'm too old to take "Brisket" and "Tender" as two words that go together, since it used to be the cheapest cut, generally cut up and used in a stew. A brisket will never become tender, but it can be cooked long enough to fall apart.
Can people stop misusing the term diffuser please?
My little rant about people.
In reply to RevRico :
With "scrap" pieces, you've normally got alot of gelatin, connective tissue and well worked muscles to consider as you're probably well aware. If I do a knuckle/hock in the oven, it's 4-6 hours at 300, with the first 30-45 minutes at 500ish. Usually stood on a bed of onion and fenel with a generous amount of beer. Comes out very crispy skinned but its fall apart sticky goodness underneath the skin.
I've got to ask, what kind if finished oridupr are you hoping for? Crispy or chewy outer, it'll definitely impact how you go about it.
How's the head been dressed? I've seen them prepared a couple of ways. If you've got the bulk of the neck still in there that's going to take some time, if alot of the neck is gone and you're pretty much just working with the jowls and outer skull meat, it could be done in a similar time frame to the hocks, but again it depends on the finished product you're trying to achieve.
Back yourself Rev, you know how to cook, you'll do alright.
As for ham and bacon, I've got a book by Maynard Davies called "manual of a traditional bacon curer", it's got some good info on brining, pressing, smoking, sausage Making and stuff like that. I can snap a page or three if you get stuck on how to go about that side of things. I actually got it out to have a look for trotters for you, but he only brines and steams them for sale purposes... That said, they get brined for about a week, then steamed at 200 for an hour or so, and then have to be left to cool otherwise they fall apart.
In reply to Duke :
How rendered was the fat ? That might give you a bit of insight as to what happened and why. There's nothing more disappointing than investing thay sort of time into food only to be unhappy with the result.
As much as I've always been a by eye and by smell guy when it comes to cooking meat, thermometers really do take alot of the guess work out of things. You don't have to be one of those guys that uses a thermometer for absolutely everything, but sometimes it helps to show you what's going on inside the meat.
As an aside, do you know how accurate your oven reads? My last oven was out by 20-30°c which made things a royal pain in the ass.
In reply to Streetwiseguy :
I love cheap cuts... So much flavor, and it takes a good cook to make a cheap cut into something delicious and edible. A crap cook can take a premium cut and make it into boot leather.
I made a lamb neck stew last Sunday... It was fantastic
The medication they prescribed: i have at least three of the "serious side effects stop takingimmediately " ones.
Part is moodswings. Ready to berkeleying KILL after a 12 hour day full of shiny happy people and duschebags and E36 M3heads.
In reply to daeman :
My pink salt came in today so I got the hocks soaking.
1 cup each kosher salt and brown sugar, 2 bay leaves, peppercorns, and some garlic powder for good measure. A scaled down version of an old ham brine recipe I found. I vacuum sealed them because I don't have a big enough pot that also fits in the fridge, maybe it will help penetration.
With regards to the head I'm hoping for a crispy skin, but I won't be upset if it isn't. I'm guessing I got about half the neck on the head, it's still pretty frozen right now but I'm going to be adding pics to the food porn thread come Saturday, when it isn't so unattractive. I think I'm going to take a multi pronged approach, temperature probes in the cheeks, jowls, and neck and start earlier than noon just to be safe. If I'm cutting it close time wise later, I'll throw it on my searing tower and let it crisp up there.
Smoking with seasoned black cherry wood this time, I'm excited to try the hocks and see how much flavour they pick up. I usually use oak and Apple, but seems a special occasion.
I do have a rant for today though, Sam's club is already putting away Halloween stuff for Christmas. Bah berkeleying humbug.
Wally
MegaDork
9/11/18 7:21 p.m.
In reply to RevRico :
I usually brine turkey in a 5 gallon pail. With a shelf removed it fits in my fridge.
Duke
MegaDork
9/11/18 8:06 p.m.
In reply to daeman and ECM:
It was not all that rendered, so maybe I just didn’t go long enough. Internally it was somewhere around 165 when I took it out and hit the grill. Maybe I needed another couple hours to get it to really render out and loosen up.
Duke
MegaDork
9/11/18 8:08 p.m.
In reply to Streetwiseguy :
But that’s the point. Cheap cuts are full of flavor. When you can get them to be tender, with long slow cooking, you end up with a delicious meaty treat.
Is it a nice filet, sautéed Pittsburgh rare with 2 minutes a side on a screaming hot flat top grill? No. It’s different.
Wally
MegaDork
9/11/18 8:47 p.m.
This was probably not a good night to be home alone. Usually the wife keeps me from sitting here watching History Channel.
Wally
MegaDork
9/12/18 4:19 a.m.
In reply to Appleseed :
I should have taken your advice
In reply to Dusterbd13 :
erections lasting longer than four hours? bloody stool? inquiring minds want to know? ;-D
in all seriousness, though, i hope they get you straightened out soon.
In reply to Dusterbd13 :
I have those symptoms without medications. Getting worse as I get older.