Smokers

[Elizah Huge]

I babysat a Traeger for a while, couple months while some friends moved. I liked it ok, but I found the fuel to be more expensive than my Weber and I didn't care for the smoke flavor, too harsh for me. Tougher to get a clean smoke, and for longer smokes it was just too much smoke for my taste. I wouldn't mind having one for quick smoking steaks for sous vide. Smoke them at a low temp for a half hour to get a good flavor on them and then sous vide, sear after with a torch. That works well. And it would be more convenient than charcoal. I just find I really like the flavor of charcoal better and that I have more control over the smoke output on my Smokey Mountain.

Over the weekend I low-temp roasted some rump roast and sirloin tip roasts for lunch meat. Cooked at 190 on my Smokey Mountain with white oak chunks for smoke. Took 4 1/2 hours to get them to 132, and when they came off and we thin sliced it the flavor was amazing and they were so tender, way better than store-bought lunch meat that has a chemically-salty flavor. I use my basic beef rub process, salt 24 hours ahead of time (dry brine) then course ground black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and this time hit it with some finely chopped rosemary (not powdered dry, but really finely chopped fresh) and fresh thyme, along with a light dusting of chili powder mixed with a touch of mustard powder, not too much, just enough to barely tell it was there. Used a spritz of water/Worcestershire sauce/soy sauce as a binder (1/2 cup w-sauce, 1/4 cup soy sauce, and mixed into about 4 or 5 cups of water in a big spray bottle). But that all adds a lot to the flavor. I use the same spritz when I cook brisket and for wrapping brisket. Thin sliced we got about 6 pounds of lunch meat/whatever meat/cannot stop eating it meat for later. Froze 4 pounds of it, and made a basic open faced hot roast beef sandwich with mashed potatoes and grilled corn and asparagus and some jaeger sosse to top it off, and some rotkohl on the side. Half american diner, have german pub food. Was awesome. Still have a pound for sandwiches or whatever. Should last a couple weeks, and the frozen will last us maybe 6 months, then we do it again.

I love reading your food posts. Always makes me hungry.

 

[The Thriller]

So beef ribs I will wrap in butcher paper just because the connective tissue can be a lot more persistent. Kind of the 3-2-1 but 2-3-1, with 3 in the butcher paper, uncoated butcher paper. Sometimes it ends up being 3-3-1 or 3-3-2 if they are stubborn. I still prefer low and slow if I have the time but they can take a bit longer. But they aren't my family's favorite so I don't cook them very often. Let us know how it goes!

I do keep the seasoning for beef ribs much simpler. For pork I have a serious rub recipe. For beef I prefer salt pepper garlic powder and Hungarian paprika, which actually has some flavor whereas the regular paprika you get most of the time is just for color. I use a mustard and vinegar base as a binder for beef ribs. I use a really light coat of vegetable oil for a binder for pork ribs.

For the record I much prefer st Louis cut ribs for pork so that's what I cook most often. But I really like to cut mine down from spare ribs so I can leave extra meat on them.

Do you spritz your beef ribs with apple juice? What do you put in with the ribs when you wrap them? I probably should’ve done more reading about this prior to buying them. The problem is I was hungry and saw a great deal at Costco and figured “ meh why not?” So im a bit nervous about doing beef. Why doesn’t your family like them as much as pork? Taste?

My neighbor did some St Louis ribs a few weeks ago. They were delicious. Recently I’ve grilled (not smoked) some picanha steaks. It’s this Cut famous from Brazil. That’s been really good. So tender and tasty. Almost like a filet:

 

[LogGrad98]

Do you spritz your beef ribs with apple juice? What do you put in with the ribs when you wrap them? I probably should’ve done more reading about this prior to buying them. The problem is I was hungry and saw a great deal at Costco and figured “ meh why not?” So im a bit nervous about doing beef. Why doesn’t your family like them as much as pork? Taste?

My neighbor did some St Louis ribs a few weeks ago. They were delicious. Recently I’ve grilled (not smoked) some picanha steaks. It’s this Cut famous from Brazil. That’s been really good. So tender and tasty. Almost like a filet:
View attachment 13058
View attachment 13057

I use a mix of apple cider vinegar, and water. I don't want to add too much too it and I prefer it less sweet. I don't spritz much, mostly just when I wrap it, then I spritz the meat and the paper and that is usually enough liquid for the wrap.

I also use a thermometer with beef ribs because they are thick enough usually, whereas with pork ribs a thermometer is almost useless because it's too close to the bone. I dry cook them at 250-275 temp in the smoker until about 170 degrees, then wrap until they hit 195 then unwrap and cook that last hour until they hit between 200-203. Kind of like brisket and pork butt they do better at higher temps at the end.

And beef ribs can take a lot longer than pork ribs, like a brisket. I've had them go 7-10 hours before they get to the right temps.

There are a few YouTubers that do great beef rib videos. One is called meat church. Another is mad scientist barbecue. One of my favorites is smokin Joe's barbecue.

My family like pork ribs better because of all the factors, tenderness, bark, overall flavor, just seems to be the preferred meat. Beef ribs can be tougher and more stringy even when cooked nearly perfectly. But they can also be incredibly beefy and flavorful so I cook them a few times a year and they still enjoy them.

 

[The Thriller]

I use a mix of apple cider vinegar, and water. I don't want to add too much too it and I prefer it less sweet. I don't spritz much, mostly just when I wrap it, then I spritz the meat and the paper and that is usually enough liquid for the wrap.

I also use a thermometer with beef ribs because they are thick enough usually, whereas with pork ribs a thermometer is almost useless because it's too close to the bone. I dry cook them at 250-275 temp in the smoker until about 170 degrees, then wrap until they hit 195 then unwrap and cook that last hour until they hit between 200-203. Kind of like brisket and pork butt they do better at higher temps at the end.

And beef ribs can take a lot longer than pork ribs, like a brisket. I've had them go 7-10 hours before they get to the right temps.

There are a few YouTubers that do great beef rib videos. One is called meat church. Another is mad scientist barbecue. One of my favorites is smokin Joe's barbecue.

My family like pork ribs better because of all the factors, tenderness, bark, overall flavor, just seems to be the preferred meat. Beef ribs can be tougher and more stringy even when cooked nearly perfectly. But they can also be incredibly beefy and flavorful so I cook them a few times a year and they still enjoy them.

Thanks for the tips. Let’s see how it goes!

 

[The Thriller]

I use a mix of apple cider vinegar, and water. I don't want to add too much too it and I prefer it less sweet. I don't spritz much, mostly just when I wrap it, then I spritz the meat and the paper and that is usually enough liquid for the wrap.

I also use a thermometer with beef ribs because they are thick enough usually, whereas with pork ribs a thermometer is almost useless because it's too close to the bone. I dry cook them at 250-275 temp in the smoker until about 170 degrees, then wrap until they hit 195 then unwrap and cook that last hour until they hit between 200-203. Kind of like brisket and pork butt they do better at higher temps at the end.

And beef ribs can take a lot longer than pork ribs, like a brisket. I've had them go 7-10 hours before they get to the right temps.

There are a few YouTubers that do great beef rib videos. One is called meat church. Another is mad scientist barbecue. One of my favorites is smokin Joe's barbecue.

My family like pork ribs better because of all the factors, tenderness, bark, overall flavor, just seems to be the preferred meat. Beef ribs can be tougher and more stringy even when cooked nearly perfectly. But they can also be incredibly beefy and flavorful so I cook them a few times a year and they still enjoy them.

Almost 3 hrs in

 

[The Thriller]

Temp done at 5 hrs on the dot. I thought it might take longer but maybe these just cook a lot faster than the “Dino” short ribs?

 

[LogGrad98]

Temp done at 5 hrs on the dot. I thought it might take longer but maybe these just cook a lot faster than the “Dino” short ribs?

View attachment 13066

Looks awesome!

 

[The Thriller]

Not a fan of wet methods for ribs. Tend to lose the pork flavor and lean to heavily on the sauce and seasoning, and it can make the meat more mushy than tender. I just cook it 6 hours or so on my smoker at 235. I use the Weber smokey mountain with a water pan that I keep full throughout. It adds some humidity for good smoke penetration and bark formation, and helps keep temp steady as a heat sink. I prefer a stronger bark on my ribs, and the 321 method tend to soften the bark and muddy the flavors imo.

The last time I made ribs it was with a friend who hadn't had my ribs before. I asked him how he liked it and he said it was like a religious experience. He didn't even use any sauce on them. I always serve them dry with sauce on the side. Lots of time people just eat the ribs and ignore the sauce altogether.

Okay!

This weekend is the weekend!

I got a small rack of some St Louis ribs from Winco. They had the regular value pack, which looked good. But with extended family out of town/busy with other things, I just didn’t want to waste a ton of meat. I plan on using the Holy Gospel all purpose rub. I’m thinking about letting it go at 225-250 for at least 2.5 hrs with hickory and a few cherry (maybe for color) pellets with a water pan. I don’t want to wrap it. I don’t want to do 321. I just want to let it go and see what happens. I get it’ll probably take more than 2.5 hrs but wanted to see what differences not wrapping will make. Bbq sauce will be served on the side.

 

[LogGrad98]

Okay!

This weekend is the weekend!

I got a small rack of some St Louis ribs from Winco. They had the regular value pack, which looked good. But with extended family out of town/busy with other things, I just didn’t want to waste a ton of meat. I plan on using the Holy Gospel all purpose rub. I’m thinking about letting it go at 225-250 for at least 2.5 hrs with hickory and a few cherry (maybe for color) pellets with a water pan. I don’t want to wrap it. I don’t want to do 321. I just want to let it go and see what happens. I get it’ll probably take more than 2.5 hrs but wanted to see what differences not wrapping will make. Bbq sauce will be served on the side.

Sounds awesome. At 225-250 for st louis cut plan on 4-6 hours with no wrapping. Most of mine go between 5 and 6 hours. I usually check at about the 4 hour mark, then depending on where it is at that time, I check again at 5 hours then every half hour or so until they are done to my liking. I don't want it to be fall-off-the-bone, I like to have a little chew to it, so I check with the bend method to see if the meat is pliable and if the bark cracks in multiple places. Looking for something that bends easily but doesn't just fall apart. Sometimes I will grab a bone and pull against the meat to see if it is starting to break away. I want it to break away with a little effort, not just fall out of the thing. Going by temp is hard even if you have a needle thin probe for it. I use that sometimes but even then each rib is different. Some are done at 205, some at 190, and some of the best I have made came off at 185, probably all erroneous readings as getting a good reading that close to the bone is nigh impossible. Good luck! I hope they turn out great!

 

[The Thriller]

Sounds awesome. At 225-250 for st louis cut plan on 4-6 hours with no wrapping. Most of mine go between 5 and 6 hours. I usually check at about the 4 hour mark, then depending on where it is at that time, I check again at 5 hours then every half hour or so until they are done to my liking. I don't want it to be fall-off-the-bone, I like to have a little chew to it, so I check with the bend method to see if the meat is pliable and if the bark cracks in multiple places. Looking for something that bends easily but doesn't just fall apart. Sometimes I will grab a bone and pull against the meat to see if it is starting to break away. I want it to break away with a little effort, not just fall out of the thing. Going by temp is hard even if you have a needle thin probe for it. I use that sometimes but even then each rib is different. Some are done at 205, some at 190, and some of the best I have made came off at 185, probably all erroneous readings as getting a good reading that close to the bone is nigh impossible. Good luck! I hope they turn out great!

Do you use a water pan or spritz? I’ve been watching meat church and Matt seems to use one or the other and sometimes both.

 

[LogGrad98]

Do you use a water pan or spritz? I’ve been watching meat church and Matt seems to use one or the other and sometimes both.

Just a water pan.

 

[The Thriller]

Just a water pan.

Loved it! The Mrs loved it too! I liked it a lot better than 321 ribs. Thanks for the tips!

 

[LogGrad98]

Loved it! The Mrs loved it too! I liked it a lot better than 321 ribs. Thanks for the tips!

No problem. I'm glad they turned out great.

 

[The Thriller]

I don’t have any pics of the sliced turkey. But I bribed this 3.5 lbs breast for about 4 hrs in meat church’s bird bath with herbs and orange slices. Cleaned it off and dried it. Used mayo and sprinkled meat church’s Holy Cow rub on it. Honestly, any rub with a lot of pepper and salt would do.

smoked this at 270 for about 2 hrs on cherry apple pellets. Basted it with butter every 45 mins to hour. I’m wondering if Hickory might be good next time?

And man, was this delicious. We had one traditional oven roasted turkey and one smoked. The smoked was gone after Thanksgiving with the in-laws.



This wasn’t smoked but the other night I grilled some picanha (it’s like Brazilian tri tip). Delicious.

 

[The Thriller]

3rd time smoking turkey. This time part of the breast broke off when I took it out of its packaging for brining. So I had a few pieces of breast. Might not win any aesthetic prize but it sure tasted great! I don’t think I can ever go back to eating traditional Turkey.



Did this brine:

Sweetwater Lemon Thyme BBQ Turkey Brine

Lemon juice delivers citrus notes that are enhanced by ginger & coriander seed, then spiced by mustard seed and white pepper & rounded out with thyme & rosemary

www.atbbq.com

Smelled like A1 out of the bottle. Used oranges, rosemary, thyme, and sage. It was a small breast (3 lbs) so I only brined it for about 3.5 hrs.

Used Duke’s mayo as a binder.

Amazon product ASIN B00448SAJ2View: https://www.amazon.com/Dukes-Mayonaise-8-oz/dp/B00448SAJ2/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?adgrpid=55870210797&gclid=CjwKCAiAhqCdBhB0EiwAH8M_Gu5hNH1Xy5YVr9OlTR6xWGGiqOSqmLejITRd_hpNLvX5Bp3O8aUX0RoC5XAQAvD_BwE&hvadid=617098663180&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9029705&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=b&hvrand=16888446948361236810&hvtargid=kwd-295278001646&hydadcr=7674_13573632&keywords=duke+mayo&qid=1672020806&sr=8-3


Meat Church’s Holy Cow as a rub.

Amazon product ASIN B0192DVZH2View: https://www.amazon.com/Meat-Church-Holy-Cow-10-5oz/dp/B0192DVZH2/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?crid=3HC73Z94BCE0U&keywords=meat+church+holy+cow&qid=1672020836&sprefix=meat+church+hily+c%2Caps%2C131&sr=8-2


Threw it on the smoker with BBQ Pitstop’s competition blend pellets (50/50 cherry and pecan) at 270 to temp. Was done in about 1.5 hrs. I melted butter on it about every 45 mins.

 

[LogGrad98]

3rd time smoking turkey. This time part of the breast broke off when I took it out of its packaging for brining. So I had a few pieces of breast. Might not win any aesthetic prize but it sure tasted great! I don’t think I can ever go back to eating traditional Turkey.

View attachment 13584
View attachment 13585
Did this brine:

Sweetwater Lemon Thyme BBQ Turkey Brine

Lemon juice delivers citrus notes that are enhanced by ginger & coriander seed, then spiced by mustard seed and white pepper & rounded out with thyme & rosemary

www.atbbq.com

Smelled like A1 out of the bottle. Used oranges, rosemary, thyme, and sage. It was a small breast (3 lbs) so I only brined it for about 3.5 hrs.

Used Duke’s mayo as a binder.

Amazon product ASIN B00448SAJ2View: https://www.amazon.com/Dukes-Mayonaise-8-oz/dp/B00448SAJ2/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?adgrpid=55870210797&gclid=CjwKCAiAhqCdBhB0EiwAH8M_Gu5hNH1Xy5YVr9OlTR6xWGGiqOSqmLejITRd_hpNLvX5Bp3O8aUX0RoC5XAQAvD_BwE&hvadid=617098663180&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9029705&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=b&hvrand=16888446948361236810&hvtargid=kwd-295278001646&hydadcr=7674_13573632&keywords=duke+mayo&qid=1672020806&sr=8-3


Meat Church’s Holy Cow as a rub.

Amazon product ASIN B0192DVZH2View: https://www.amazon.com/Meat-Church-Holy-Cow-10-5oz/dp/B0192DVZH2/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?crid=3HC73Z94BCE0U&keywords=meat+church+holy+cow&qid=1672020836&sprefix=meat+church+hily+c%2Caps%2C131&sr=8-2


Threw it on the smoker with BBQ Pitstop’s competition blend pellets (50/50 cherry and pecan) at 270 to temp. Was done in about 1.5 hrs. I melted butter on it about every 45 mins.

Yeah once you try smoked turkey it's hard to eat one cooked in an oven. Completely better in every way.

 

[bigb]

3rd time smoking turkey. This time part of the breast broke off when I took it out of its packaging for brining. So I had a few pieces of breast. Might not win any aesthetic prize but it sure tasted great! I don’t think I can ever go back to eating traditional Turkey.

View attachment 13584
View attachment 13585
Did this brine:

Sweetwater Lemon Thyme BBQ Turkey Brine

Lemon juice delivers citrus notes that are enhanced by ginger & coriander seed, then spiced by mustard seed and white pepper & rounded out with thyme & rosemary

www.atbbq.com

Smelled like A1 out of the bottle. Used oranges, rosemary, thyme, and sage. It was a small breast (3 lbs) so I only brined it for about 3.5 hrs.

Used Duke’s mayo as a binder.

Amazon product ASIN B00448SAJ2View: https://www.amazon.com/Dukes-Mayonaise-8-oz/dp/B00448SAJ2/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?adgrpid=55870210797&gclid=CjwKCAiAhqCdBhB0EiwAH8M_Gu5hNH1Xy5YVr9OlTR6xWGGiqOSqmLejITRd_hpNLvX5Bp3O8aUX0RoC5XAQAvD_BwE&hvadid=617098663180&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9029705&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=b&hvrand=16888446948361236810&hvtargid=kwd-295278001646&hydadcr=7674_13573632&keywords=duke+mayo&qid=1672020806&sr=8-3


Meat Church’s Holy Cow as a rub.

Amazon product ASIN B0192DVZH2View: https://www.amazon.com/Meat-Church-Holy-Cow-10-5oz/dp/B0192DVZH2/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?crid=3HC73Z94BCE0U&keywords=meat+church+holy+cow&qid=1672020836&sprefix=meat+church+hily+c%2Caps%2C131&sr=8-2


Threw it on the smoker with BBQ Pitstop’s competition blend pellets (50/50 cherry and pecan) at 270 to temp. Was done in about 1.5 hrs. I melted butter on it about every 45 mins.

I like the idea of butter every 45 minutes. I’ll have to try that.

 

[LogGrad98]

I like the idea of butter every 45 minutes. I’ll have to try that.

I make a compound butter with sage rosemary and thyme and then slice it into 1" rounds about 1/8" thick and put about 8 of them under the skin over each breast. Automatic basting and super crispy skin that also flavors the juices for the best gravy ever.

 

[bigb]

Do you guys do pizzas? Do you use a pizza oven in the Traeger? My wife got me a pizza oven for Christmas, but it’s a stand alone thing that I don’t necessarily have room for. I was hoping for just something I could stick in the Traeger.

 

[LogGrad98]

Do you guys do pizzas? Do you use a pizza oven in the Traeger? My wife got me a pizza oven for Christmas, but it’s a stand alone thing that I don’t necessarily have room for. I was hoping for just something I could stick in the Traeger.

I make pizza in my Weber grill with a round pizza stone that basically covers the grill surface with a couple of inches open around it. I just load it up with a couple of chimneys of charcoal spread evenly across the bottom. Once it's at full heat and the stone is ripping hot then the pizzas go on. We got a ring you add between the grill and the lid that gives you an opening and holds the heat better with better convection. That can get the grill to over 600 degrees, often over 700. Cooks almost exactly like a brick oven.

I would imagine you could just put a pizza stone or steel in the traeger. I'm not sure the traeger can get that hot but 400-500 degrees is plenty hot for pizza.