Smoking Part III

[Stone]

I'm using the "Minion Method." I filled the charcoal chamber with charcoal and wood chunks. Lit about 1/4 a Weber chimney (larger than standard chimney) and threw it on. Theory says the small amount of lit charcoal will slowly burn downward, keeping a uniform amount of lit coals. The only potential drawback is an off-flavor from new coals being lit under the meat, but the literature says this should not affect the flavor at all.

Pork:

Brisket:

I've got a shoulder on -- about 6.5 - 7 pounds. I started with a basic dry rub -- salt, fresh ground pepper, paprika, garlic powder, cumin (fresh ground seed). I added fresh ground corriander (great floral aroma) and a small amount of fresh cardomon. Wonderful, aromatic -- but leaves some "shell" that look like cockroach wings.

Lighting the Bullet:

Meat went on at 1:45. I'll go check the temp, hopefully it will get up above 200 (goal is 230), and stablize so I can sleep a bit. Wind is down tonight, so I won't worry about it blowing over the bullet and lighting my building on fire. That, my friends, would suck.

Oh, the brisket. Basic dry rub -- salt, pepper, garlic, paprika. Will go on in the am.

205 degreesin 15 minutes. Should be good to go in about an hour after I finagle the bottom ports. Repeat after me: "Keep the top vent open throughout the process." O.k., it's not as catchy as "hey, hey, ho, ho, Saddam Hussein has got to go." But it does the job.

(FYI -- Smoking Part I; Smoking Part II.)

Edited March 22, 2003 by Stone (log)

[IrishCream]

For how long will you smoke the shoulder? (Pork?) Is it breakfast? Looking forward to the pics.

[Stone]

Not breakfast tomorrow, but pulled pork hash is excellent. (Miss Millie's in Noe Valley is known to serve it. They also serve a roast beef hash, which was very bad.) Right now I've got a belly full of Chinese food and wine, so I can't think of eating anything. I'll smoke it about 7 hours I guess. It went on just before 2, I'll probably go to sleep in 30-45 minutes, dropping the temp down to 210ish (it's stuck at 240 now, I've closed most of the bottom vents). It should be done by noon -- but I'll throw on some more coals and the brisket in the morning.) I'm really just smoking the shoulder because it's been sitting in my freezer for a few weeks, and I don't know how much longer it will last.

Edited March 22, 2003 by Stone (log)

[CathyL]

Off-flavor from newly lit coals is only a problem if you're using briquets, which contain nasty chemicals and filler. Lump charcoal burns clean.

What wood are you using for smoke?

[Stone]

7:00 a.m. I woke up and there's a large plume of steam/smoke rising on the other side of Potrero in what I assume is Hunter's Point. How many mornings have we all seen something similar, and not wanted to run to the t.v. "Heard of thing, that is loaded with weapons, packed up and ready to go."

293. That's too damn high. I'm surprised, I thought it would be cold. I took the top off to add water to the pan, which I had remembered to line with foil. The meat looks good -- I'll give it a turn, then back to bed. The instant read gives me an internal pork temp of about 180. The probe gives me internal temp of 174. Not bad.

Pork:

I've got the bullet temp back down to 190. I'll put the brisket on and get it back to the 240 range.

I am using briquettes -- I didn't have time to get the real charcoal. But Colonel tells me I should be o.k. I do notice some "chemical" aroma in the smoke.

I'm using Hickory from Webber. I can't find any other wood in SF. I think my only other option is to buy fireplace hardwood at Safeway and cut it down, but I'm not sure what kind of wood that is.

(By the way -- Pictures of a rubbed pork shoulder all look kinda similar. Pictures of a bbq aren't very exciting.)

Edited March 22, 2003 by Stone (log)

[Suzanne F]

Sierra Nevada for breakfast?

[Hickory]

First of all let me say hello from another avid smoker. I have been reading here for quite sometime but this is my first post.

If you can find Maple Leaf brand briquets, they are unique in that the binder material they use is Wheat and should not introduce off flavours. I have not tried them yet, I use their lump and find it to be excellent quality with some chunks being as large as my fist.

In the mean time you can always pre-burn some in your chimney and add them once they get going.

2 quick questions if I may? How do you like the bullet? Can you cold smoke in it?

My equipment is not nearly as exotic. I use an old stainless mixing bowl for the firebox and set it inside the shell of our gas bbq. It works fine but I really should upgrade now that I am a confirmed smoke addict and beyond the "experimenting" stage.

The shoulder looks great. Good luck with it.

Brian

in Toronto ON

.

[Stone]

Sierra Nevada for breakfast?   

The bubbles clean my teeth.

I'm very happy with the bullet. My only problem with it was not using enough charcoal on my first smoke. Ever since, I find it very easy to use, and pretty easy to keep the temp regulated. Haven't tried cold smoking.

I usually (the other two times ) light the coals completely before putting them on the fire. The Minion overnight method (I assume you're familiar with the virtual weber bullet site so you know this?) calls for adding a small amount of lit coals to a full hopper of unlit, so the coals light and burn slowly over night.

Edited March 22, 2003 by Stone (log)

[col klink]

How big is that brisket? 4.5lbs? If it is, you probably won't want to smoke it longer than 6 hours; especially since that's a well trimmed brisket and your temp almost hit 300. Temp spikes that high longer than a 20 minutes really draw out a lot of moisture and smoking for even longer will make it even drier.

So if you put it on around 2 you want to start thinking about pulling it now.

edit: Doh! I just read that you're putting the brisket on this morning.

Edited March 22, 2003 by col klink (log)

[Huevos del Toro]

I'm using Hickory from Webber.  I can't find any other wood in SF.  I think my only other option is to buy fireplace hardwood at Safeway and cut it down, but I'm not sure what kind of wood that is.

Stone;

I use a Smokette II (electirc) from Cookshack. It's the lazy man's smoker. Set it and forget it (Now where have I heard THAT before?)

I buy my wood from them. They have Hickory, Apple, Cherry and Mesquite. They come 10 or 20 pounds. The smoker uses a maximum of 8 ounces for 21 pounds of product. The chunks are about 2x2x3 inches. Maybe these would do you. They also have a "sample" pack of all four, 5 pounds of each, for about $25.00. From their web site:

"If you want wood chips, contact American Wood Products in Overland, Kansas, at 1-800-223-9046, fax 913-648-8019. They also sell 14" to 16" logs, charcoal, and lump mesquite.

Click

Great pics. And there ain't nuttin' wrong with a little "mouthwash" in the morning!

[Stone]

How big is that brisket? 4.5lbs?

4 lbs. But I didn't put the brisket on until this morning (about 7:15ish). It should be good. The high heat hit the pork, hopefully not too bad (but the water pan was empty when I got up). We'll see. How bad can it get?

[col klink]

The pork will be just fine, it has a lot of fat to compensate. You're brisket on the other hand does not. Brisket can be one of thre most beautiful cuts of meat but not if it's dry. But don't worry about it too much, it's all in the fun. Besides, if it's too dry, that's what sauce is for.

[Stone]

In about an hour or so I'll givethe brisket a spray with some apple juice.

[Stone]

Mmmmmm. Pork.

The digital probe had the internal temp of about 187; the instant read was up to 200. So I pulled it off and let it rest about 15 minutes.

Very nice. The bone slipped out nicely. Good pulling texture throughout, glistening with juicy fat.

The brisket is about 170 internal; I'll give it about another hour. It's been basted by the drippings from the shoulder, so it should be nice and moist.

[Suzanne F]

Oh, Stone, that is so beautiful. May I say, in the best sense of the words: HEY DUDE, IT'S PINK.

[Stone]

Mmmmm. Beef.

I took it off at 1:45, with an internal temp of anywhere from 190 to 200. Let it rest for about 45 minutes as I snoozed.

It's a tad dry where there was no fat cap. But incredibly tasty. The rub gives an explosive flavor, followed by the beefy goodness of real food. The fat is not as icky as I thought. It's actually got a nice velvety feel to it.

Gotta get me some Wonderbread and mayo!

Mmm.

Edited March 23, 2003 by Stone (log)

[Stone]

For how long will you smoke the shoulder? (Pork?) Is it breakfast?    Looking forward to the pics.

It's not a question of time but of internal temp. The goal is to get the internal temp to a point where the collagen and connective tissue break down. That turns the piece of meat from a regular roast to "pulled" pork so it shreds. But I defer to Colonel, =Mark and CathyL on this subject. The shoulder I did last night was about 7 pounds, blade in. I put it on at 2 a.m., and took it off almost 11 hours later. Actually, it probably could have used another hour.

[col klink]

That's some good looking brisket Stone.

Gotta get me some Wonderbread and mayo!

Mmm.

You're so close! If you're going to eat brisket like a Texan, you eat it straight or with cheap-ass white bread, onions, pickles, a splash of hot sauce and a peppery tomato based bbq sauce. I'm not sure if you get Stubb's out in San Fran, but it's a pretty decent commercial sauce for a brisket sandwich.

Here's the "official" recipe:

Texas Brisket Sandwich.

edit: That was a good idea putting the brisket under the shoulder. Whole untrimmed briskets don't need that due to the amazing amount of fat already present.

edit(2): see emphasis.

Edited March 23, 2003 by col klink (log)

[CathyL]

It's mostly a question of texture - depending on the cooking temp and time, pullability can happen within a range of meat (center) temperatures from 170º to 210º. Stick in a fork, or tug at the bone. If fork or bone twists easily, it's done.

I like to cook a shoulder overnight: bring it up to the point where the meat temp stalls, and let it idle there to render as much fat and collagen as possible. It can take hours before the meat temperature starts rising again, a sign that it's almost done. The whole process takes 20+ hours, usually, at an average grill temp of 210-220º.

[Stone]

In my previous attempts, I found that the meat towards the outside was nicely textured, but the interior hadn't gotten far enough.

Can you explain more about the temperature stalling?

[col klink]

It's a change of phase thing I believe. Like taking ice to water and water to steam. But I've never monitored the temp of a shoulder through the whole process. Meats like brisket and shoulder I rarely check because they're going to be fully cooked; I go by feel. But I suppose that doesn't really help.

[CathyL]

El Colonel is, of course, correct. A change of phase absorbs enormous amounts of energy. It takes one BTU to raise the temperature of a pound of water 1 degree. Unless the water is at 211.9, in which case it takes over 900 BTUs. The energy required to melt a pound of ice is around 140 BTUs. (If I didn't get this quite right, I hope some smug engineering bastard will speak up.)

When the center temp of a hunk o' protein stalls out, it means the internal fat and collagen are changing state from solid to liquid. In my experience that plateau can happen anywhere from 140º to 170º. I keep it there as long as I can. Once the temp starts climbing again, it's time to try the fork test.

My Q mentor/S.E.B. insisted I keep records, and out of habit I still tend to jot down center temp and grill temp every 2 hours or so. He also wanted me to track the delta between them, since that's what drives the rate of heat transfer; a "delta T" between 35º and 75º is ideal, he claimed, for ensuring that collagen/fat melt thoroughly without overcooking the meat. Works for me.

[Stone]

This is all very interesting. Perhaps I'll need a second probe to monitor my internal temp against my external. But how can you get a Delta of 35-75 consistently? If you start with the meat at 40 degrees (from the fridge), you can only heat the smoker to 120 or so; raising it very very slowly as the meat heats up. I would think it's almost impossible to maintain those temps, and would take days to cook.

[CathyL]

Sorry, I should have said that maintaining that delta T range matters once the meat approaches collagen-melting internal temps. Before that, you want faster cooking, both to start the meltdown and to get the internal past 140º - the "danger zone" - for safety's sake. Although the interior of a big hunk of meat is essentially sterile.

[pixelchef]

Ohmigosh Cathy, you're a meat genius! I shall now refer to you as Meatenius.