jmcgrath

Cook with the exhaust flue wide open. Control temperature with the firebox inlet. Don't worry about minor temperature variations. Shoot for 225F at the cooking grate. Lid thermometors run 25 to 50 degrees higher. Temperature cycles of +- 25 are normal. Don't sweat them and don't try to micromanage temperature. You will only drive yourself crazy. Use less wood rather than more. Avoid mesquite. Apple and oak are nice. Pecan is fine. Straight hickory can be harsh, but works OK as a suplement to milder woods. When the shoulder bone can be jiggled, the meat is done. Figure about 8 hours or 200 internal, but those are only guidelines. Lump charcoal is preferable to briquettes. Use a charcoal chimney rather than lighter fluid. After 3 or 4 hours, smoke flavoring ceases. Save yourself some money and stop adding wood at that point. I repeat, go easy on the wood. A couple of fist sized chunks of wood every hour for the first few hours is all you need. Many people cook with the fat cap up. I trim it off entirely. Start thinking about how you will sauce your meat. I prefer Eastern North Calolina style, vinegar and hot pepper flakes with a dash of sugar. Jim

They make roasting pans large enough. Didn't you see "The Cook, the thief, his wife and her lover"?

As opposed to what? Curly leaf parsley is fine for garnish, but not much else. I see no Philistine here. Jim

210F is a bit high for the butts. I'd estimate between 195 and 200. But whatever the temperature, they are done when the bone wiggles. The butts will hold better in a dry insulated container just large enough to contain them. If you need to use your oven, a temperature setting of 150 will work best. Jim

I'm fortunate to live near Boston where I can buy day boat fish at a local market. The texture of some fish really degrades if it is frozen. Garlic is easy enough to peel and mince that I've never bothered to try the bottled stuff. On the other hand, I have never used more than a single head at a time. I get together with friends each fall to roast numerous cases of fresh New Mexican chiles. I haven't bought canned chiles in years. Canned tomatoes, of course. John Cope's dried sweet corn, I love it. I love baking bread, but there is a local bakery that does as good of a job as I and will often buy from them if time constrained. Jim

I cook tender steak cuts over a very, very hot lump charcoal fire, at least to start. Anything other that salt just gets burned so I don't use it. Even tougher cuts like flank or skirt I cook fairly hot and still only use salt. Flavorings like pepper or herb butter get added afterwards. You can do a lot more with skirt steak than just make fajitas. Jim

It's been a very long time, but canned spinach. Growing up in the '40s when city vegetables came out of a can leaves horrible memories, but canned spinach most of all. I used to start gagging when I walked into the house and could smell canned spinach cooking. I have never tried offal and probably never will, so I can't comment on that. Well, liver is OK especially if slightly pink. I grew up hating food. Even after frozen vegetables became available, my mother cooked them until they looked like they came from a can. I married a farm girl in the mid '60s and discovered how good food could taste. She is long gone, but my discovery of food as a delight remains. Then there's gin. I think it has something to do with a run in I had with it as a teenager, but puking and gin still have strong correlation in my memory. Jim

You might try replacing the ketchup with tomato puree or crushed tomatoes. Ketchup is ungodly sweet. You can always add some molasses or brown sugar if the sauce is too acidic. Jim

11.5ft x 32.5ft. It's a remodeled '50s Cape kitchen and I could only expand in one direction. Jim

The acid weakens the gluten in the four and helps produce a more tender crust. This is also one of the reasons buttermilk is used in some biscuit, cake and pancake recipes. Buttermilk is also used as an acid to react with baking soda to generate carbon dioxide bubbles that produce the rise in some baked goods. Jim

I'm in that situation, and propane works just fine. You need to get a model that is designed for propane. The only difference is in the oriface diameter, but propane won't work properly with a burner designed for natural gas and vice versa. Jim

The flat always gets done first. When you can stick a fork in and do an easy quarter turn, it is done. Slice off the point. Just follow the layer of fat that separates the two pieces. Put the point back in for a few more hours until most of the fat is rendered. Don't worry about it drying out. Chop it up for great burnt ends sandwiches. Jim

You left out too much information. When do you want to eat and at what temperature will you be cooking? Your butt could be done as early as 9:00 AM. How much does the brisket flat weigh? Four hours seems short for a brisket, and remember that your bottom shelf will be running cooler. Figure five hours for baby backs and six hours for spares. Whole chickens will take one and a half to two hours. I'd move the butt to the bottom shelf when the brisket is ready to go on. It sounds neat to have the butt basting the brisket, but I don't think your timeline works well enough to do that. If the brisket is taking longer than you expected, you can use the "Texas crutch" and wrap it in foil when it reaches 165F internal. Times are only an estimate. The meat is done when it is done, and you are better off early than late. A whole brisket or butt wrapped in foil will hold well in an insulated container. Don't pull or slice until you are ready to serve. Jim

Whole turkey breasts can be more convenient, just don't overcook. 165F internal seems perfect. I smoked one yesterday, not brined, but injected with a Thai style marinade. It took about 2 and a half hours at 250F. Jim

Of course you're welcome, Jim. Where are you located? I'll be coming from Concord, MA. I'll see what regional treats I can dig up between now and then. For starters, I have some Purple Loosestrife honey from a hive in my backyard. Perhaps some sausage from a little butcher shop up in St. Johnsbury, VT. Plenty of time to get things together. Don't even think lobster. Jim

I don't know how welcome eGullet newbies will be, but I'd like to come if they are. I've only helped with a few hogs, but I know my way around brisket and pork shoulder pretty well. Jim

When I remodeled my kitchen about ten years ago, I chose two 30" GE electric ovens mounted side by side. I chose nonconvection because of the depth I would lose with the fan unit. I sometimes miss not having an infrared broiler, but with two charcoal grills on the deck right outside the kitchen it is not a serious problem. I have a 36" five burner propane Jenn-Air cooktop centered above the ovens. Burner BTUs range from 6000 to 12000 on high. I have a microwave with integrated exhaust hood venting to the outside hanging from cabinetry over the cooktop. Between this setup and the Klose BBQ pit in the backyard, I can handle just about anything that has come up so far. Jim

Jim Fahey did a special dinner for the New England Barbecue Society at B.B. Wolf's in January. We review it in the May issue of National Barbecue News. If I can find a soft copy of it I will post it here. Jim

A Mouli grater, I use it for everything from cheese to nutmeg. A garlic press, zlyiss, also works well for juicing ginger. A shrimp sheller/deveiner. Jim

I wouldn't use it as a baste, the sugar will burn. It would be better as a finishing sauce. In the last few minutes of cooking, move the duck breasts from over the coals, sauce, and allow to set. Jim

Something that small sounds like it a picnic shoulder, the lower half of the front leg of a pig. That is a very fatty tough cut of meat that requires low temperature long roasting or braising to dissolve the connective tissue. Figure at least an hour and a half a pound at 225 to 250F until it reaches 180 internal for slicing or 200 for shreding. It's even better in a smoker if you have one available. Jim

I realize you asked about cooking them, but I like them best raw in a salad. They are a nice complement for whatever other greens you use. Jim

This has been an interesting thread, but no one has mentioned my all time favorite, the Bassomatic. Jim

I use the top grate. I has handles which makes removing the meat much easier. Getting a heavy piece of meat off the bottom grate can be difficult. Jim

I'm very new to eGullet, but have been smoking for quite a while, with a lot of experience with a WSM. I'll add a few comments. Sorry for jumping in towards the end of a fairly long thread. Newbies should start with the basics. There is a lot of useful information on the net, especially on the vitrual weber site. Learn fire control in your bullet before trying some of the more advanced tactics. Start with water in the water pan, hot water. Hold off on the sand for a while. If you are having problems with your fire getting out of control, go back to briquettes. They burn a lot cooler. Personally, I think briquettes are vile, but I used them for several years before graduating to lump charcoal. They are a lot easier to work with. A new WSM will run hotter for the first few cooks until the shiny inside surface picks up a layer of crud. Start with dumping a chimney on the fire grate and fill the ring on top of that. Hold off on the Minion method for a while. The top grate runs about 25 to 30F hotter than the bottom grate. If you are cooking on both grates, run the top grate at 250F or a little higher. Newer probes, remote and dual, have what seems to be a high failure rate. Start with a basic Poldor. Stick the probe though a wine cork or small potato to keep it from touching the metal grate. Do not leave the probe tip in contact with meat. It should be measuring air temperature at the grate. Never allow moisture to come in contact with the probe/cable junction. Use a bagie to keep the readout dry. Readouts get flaky when exposed to bright, direct sunlight. Provide some shade. Take it easy with the wood chunks. You don't need more than a few. Do not soak them in water. Do not use mesquite for a few years. It works good in a grill but can be death in a smoker. I like pecan, oak and maple. I also like cherry, but it will result in a fairly dark meat surface. Stir the ashes in the fire pan down every once in a while. This is more important with briquettes. Don't micromanage your temperature. Temperature swings of +- 25F are normal. Learn to live with them. Keep your water pan full. Make sure the aluminum door has a tight fit. A little bending may be necessary. Meat will be done when it is done. When the bone in a butt can be wiggled it is done. When you can easily twist a fork in the flat of a brisket, it is done. Times and internal temperatures are only approximations. Jim