Summer means smokers!

[Eric]

Sorry, no pics.

BTW, forgot to mention I started putting butcher's twine on my boston butts -- I really like it.  It gave the meat a more uniform shape as-well-as holding it together when moving it off the grill.

I was trying to avoid the Texas Crutch (foiling), but the temperature stall was incredibly long and was looking like it'd be a 10 o'clock dinner.  So I double-wrapped it, poured in half my beer (eep!) and cranked up the heat to 280F. Two hours later the meat was 190F and ready for its one-hour rest.  15-hour total smoke and some of the best pulled pork I think I've made.  I think the only thing I'd change would be a little more actual smoke time with the mesquite wood chunks.

Today be beef brisket day. Yesterday, I injected it with a beef broth (Campbell's concentrate, no added water) enchanced with beef base for extra punch.  An hour or so before putting it in the smoker, I rubbed some peanut oil (another new test, as I've always used olive oil) and McCormick's Burgundy Beef rub.  The final new thing I'm trying was to put a light layer of cane sugar on top to counter some of the rub's saltiness. 

At 150F, I'll Texas Crutch it with either more beef broth or beer.  I have a foil pan I'll be using to save the juices.  We're using hickory for the smoke.

[Eric]

Gonna jot down the brisket recipe:

To inject:
-Campbell's canned Beef Broth
-Beef base (I used one with no MSG in it, but that's optional)

Mix the two, inject with the grain 12 hours or more in advance.

Rub:
-Peanut Oil (or Olive Oil)
-McCormick Beef Burgundy Rub
-Florida Crystals Cane Sugar (less processed than white sugar)

An hour or so before the smoke, rub oil onto meat, then liberally spread rub over meaty parts (skip fat).  Shake a thin or medium layer of sugar over the rub.  The sugar should make the meat taste less salty since rubs tend to have a lot of salt.

Smoke:

-Enough wood for about two hours' worth of smoke.  I used Hickory.

Texas Crutch:

-Aluminum foil
-Aluminum pan (optional)
-Broth or Beer

At an internal meat temperature of about 150F (probably about two hours of cook time for a 5lb brisket "flat"), place brisket in pan. Then pour 1/2-1 cup of broth or beer into the pan, careful not to pour onto the meat's rub.  Tear off enough foil to cover and crimp along the pan to form a tight seal. 

After about an hour per pound, check the meat's temperature.  If it's in the 195-205F range, it's done and needs to rest for 1-3 hours.  My brisket was over 200F.

I've read some people just close all the smoker vents and leave the meat inside, covered, and it keeps it warm while letting it rest.  The brisket I cooked was finished four hours before meal time, so I actually left it in a ~180F smoker for three hours, poured out the aus jus and left it in the turned-off microwave for about one more hour.

The final product was so tender I had trouble cutting it even with my very sharp knives.  I'd have preferred to let it rest for no more than three hours, but our guests had eaten a late lunch.  The sugar test worked great as the meat wasn't salty at all.  I had hot leftovers a day later on a Hoagie w/some provolone cheese and some Worcestershire sauce and I think I liked the meat even better then.

[Spooky]

Had this been posted before?

http://www.zazzle.com/the_iron_grill_apron-154685274829521231

[AdmiralDigby]

Had this been posted before?

http://www.zazzle.com/the_iron_grill_apron-154685274829521231

Yea

And it's awesome

[Eric]

We finally get to taste some of my apprentice's pulled pork today at lunch.

I haven't smoked anything since last October.  With Pearl's parents coming in early June, I imagine I'll rectify that situation ASAP.

[Eric]

Well, between only getting a taste of it at my "apprentice's" house (not enough to go around) and helping another couple get started with smoking I had to run out and grab a 7lb Boston butt to throw in the smoker for tonight's dinner.
We'll see how the new rub recipe I'm trying works out but I'm probably going to stop doing the overnight brine method and just go with a rub that has salt in it.  It's just too much work and the result probably isn't that different.

As for getting friends smokin', I figure the more people who know how to smoke food the better the world is.  

[Spooky]

New Jersey Man Recovering After Eating Metallic Bristle From Grill Brush

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/05/21/new-jersey-man-recovering-after-eating-metallic-bristle-from-grill-brush/

[Eric]

I had bought a nine-pound half of a bone-in hickory-smoked ham from a local small store literally next door to their processing plant -- we've bought their bacon before, and it's some of the most-lean and best-tasting I've had.

Followed these directions, but in my smoker.
We also used the very, very tasty apricot glaze which Pearl had made as it smoked.

When the meat came up to 130F, I transferred it to a hot grill to properly caramelize the glaze.

We're hosting our friends this month and are going to cook a 9.5lb "butt portion" ham from the same plant.  Also going to try the Cracker Barrel green bean recipe (Sara's favorite, but we've never tried cooking it here). We may grill some corn, since it's in-season and (usually) super-cheap.  May do sliced zucchini instead.  And to top it off, Sara's come up with a wonderful home-made cornbread recipe that makes the cake so light it almost floats off the plate. 

[TinkTanker]

Would really like the cornbread recipe if Sara feels like sharing.

[Pearl@32]

http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3pmbxd/

I actually got it off the back of the Indian Head Corn Meal bag. I added all the liquid ingredients to the dry ones before stirring. I was probably throwing away the egg shells. This made the baking powder fluff up a bit (at least I think that's what was reacting) but I have no idea if it made anything more fluffy. Put it in a square Pyrex dish.

Golden Yellow Corn Bread or Corn Muffins

1 cup Indian Head Yellow Corn Meal
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
¼ cup oil
1 cup milk
1 egg, beaten

Corn Bread:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Mix oil, egg, and milk together and add to dry ingredients, mixing until batter is uniform. Bake in a greased 9"x9"x2" pan for 20-25 minutes.

Corn Muffins:
Pour corn meal batter into greased or line muffin tins, filling about 2/3 full. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

Recipe Variation:
**For a sweeter, moister corn bread or muffin, make these changes to the recipe above: use 2/3 cup milk, ½ cup sugar, ½ cup oil and 2 eggs. Reduce the heat to 400 degrees. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

http://www.wrmills.com/indian-head-yellow-corn-meal/