The Big Smoke

[Stone]

Here's the current plan:

Friday Night:

Put 12 pack of Sierra Nevada in fridge. Drink one.

7:30 pm -- Set up bullet, full bin of unlit coals, 4-5 big wood chunks, lit 10 starter briquettes (maybe I'll try to find natural wood charcoal -- but they don't fit well in the chimney, difficult to guage what I've got).

Rubb the butts (they'll have been brining for two days in simple water, salt, sugar mix). Two, about 6 lb and 8 lb. Drink 2.

8 pm -- Butts on. Either both on top rack or bigger on top. (Full water). Get temp to stabilize between 225-260.

Trim two racks of pork ribs. Make cole slaw, white bean salad. Two more beers.

Midnight -- fill water, drink. 3 am -- rise and check temp, water, flip butts. Drink?

Saturday

7 a.m. -- rise. Check temp, water. Beer (before or after brushing? Col.?)

Brine ribs. Same mixture (make fresh night before). How long need to brine ribs? 3-4 hours? I think overnight would be too long.

8 am -- Brine chickens. 2, about 3.5 pounds each, backs out, butterfly'd. How long need to brine chix?

9:30 -- Cure salmon filet (take pin bones out first). All that salt? Will need a beer.

10 -- 10:30 -- Rinse ribs, chix -- rub 'em down. Butts off when bone wiggles. Hopefully a good internal temp of 210 ish? Wrap in foil put in oven to rest. (Off?)

Continuing -- check coals. Ribs on lower rack. Chix on top (probably skewer with bamboo, prop up) Water. Beer.

1 p.m. -- rinse salmon, S&P

1-1:30 -- chix off. Wrap in foil; salmon on.

2-2:30 -- pull pork, cut up chicken.

3:30 -- Ribs off.

This is the current plan. I'll probably nix the fish and have some burger meat ready if necessary.

(Brines and cures courtesy of Virtual Weber Bullet.)

Edited June 10, 2003 by Stone (log)

[Jim Dixon]

How long need to brine chix?

With a boff o'the briney brim to col klink, I've adopted the 1/4 cup kosher salt + 4 cups water formula as my basic brine. You get good results with chicken from a short soak (about 20-30 minutes) or a luxuriously long bath (a few days).

I have a dim memory of brining a salmon filet last summer and seem to recall it came out nicely, too.

Jim

[awbrig]

7 a.m. -- rise. Check temp, water. Beer (before or after brushing? Col.?)

Having a beer at 7AM on a Saturday? You're hardcore!

[s'kat]

7 a.m.  --  rise.  Check temp, water.  Beer (before or after brushing?  Col.?)

Definately before. But if you goof, and indulge after brushing, a second beer should be included. The first one to thoroughly wash away the nasty toothpaste aftertaste, and cleanse the palate.

The second? Well, as Tommy would say, it's noon somewhere.

[Stone]

Anyone have an estimate of how many people this will feed? (Assume no salmon.)

[NewYorkTexan]

Anyone have an estimate of how many people this will feed?  (Assume no salmon.)

One egullet basketball team

[guajolote]

I'd say around 40-50, that's about 1/2 lb uncooked meat per person. I'm assuming you're also serving "filler", ie coleslaw, potato salad, chips etc. Buy some hot dogs/burgers just in case. You can always frezze them if you don't use them.

[jmcgrath]

10 -- 10:30 -- Rinse ribs, chix -- rub 'em down.  Butts off when bone wiggles.  Hopefully a good internal temp of 210 ish?  Wrap in foil  put in oven to rest.  (Off?)

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

[Stone]

Well, I'm done wasting money on Polder thermometers. I bought two new probes. One is pierced through a potato -- niether the oven sensor nor the food sensor is touching metal. They're parallel to the heat. It's telling me that the food is at about 275 degrees, the oven at about 200. The other is stuck in a butt. It's got the meat at 50 degrees, the oven at 175. Oy vey.

[Stone]

So it's 11:50. I've got three thermometers in there. One says 165, one 240, the last 275. I take the high and the low inside and wipe down the probes. Test them under my tongue. They both say I'm 95 degrees. Well, I've been accused of being alittle cold at times, but that's good enough for me. I put them back on.

Ten minutes later -- one says 160, the other says 280.

What the fuck?

[IrishCream]

What's with thermometers, anyway? How can they be so inaccurate? Whatever, sounds like you'll be serving up a feast tomorrow.

[col klink]

So how did everything come out Stone? Do you have any pictures?

[pixelchef]

Was one in Farenheit and one in Celsius?

[Stone]

I dare say, it was good.

Put two butts on, about 7 pounds each, at 9 pm on Friday. Notwithstanding my thermo issues, I pulled one off a little before 7 as the meat was pulling back from the bone and it was wiggling. Wrapped it in foil and popped it in the oven. I basically cycled the oven off and on for most of the morning, so it was rarely more than warm. The other butt was still pretty firm. Pulled it off at 9.

Put two butterflied chickens on at 11. Brined them for about 3 hours in the morning. Rubbed one with some lemon/pepper that I bought at Costco (idea from the VWB), the other with a mixture of leftover butt/rib rub. Took them off at 2.

Put the ribs on at 11 as well. Did not brine them. Too lazy. They came off at 3.

The butts were perfect -- at least in the opinion of a Jewish kid from Westchester. Great pulled texture, and the fibers split apart easily. Moist, but not running with fat. Hot pink smoke ring (matched my thong), good flavor.

The chickens were my favorite. I don't think the rub made much of a difference, because the meat had a great smokey flavor. Just like smoked chicken. Whooda thunk? I thought about putting them under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp the skin, but was too lazy.

The ribs received a few "best ribs I've ever tasted" comments.

'Twas a good day.

Edited June 16, 2003 by Stone (log)

[MatthewB]

Sounds like a feast, Stone!

BTW, have you tried "chicken on a throne/beercan chicken" in your WSM yet?

I did & it's some of the best chicken I've ever had.

But I've not smoked butterflied chicken.

I'm wondering about end-result differences between these two approaches.

[col klink]

When you butterfly the bird you almost double the surface area thus greatly increasing the amount of smoke the bird can absorb. If your smoked birds aren't getting smokey enough, this is a great idea. Also, if you're smoking on a regular Weber kettle, you can crisp the skin more quickly.

[MatthewB]

When you butterfly the bird you almost double the surface area thus greatly increasing the amount of smoke the bird can absorb.

I seem to lack common-sense.

Thanks for knocking some sense into me, klink.

I'll have to do butterflied birds soon.

[col klink]

Just remember to brine it first!

[Stone]

I thought about the throne, but when I was trimming the ribs, I got carried away and took some whacks at the birds. I did mist the birds once with water. (I was too lazy to do it again.) They were certainly moist enough. Since I had some trouble fitting two butterflied birds on the top rack (I stuck some thin bamboo skewers through them to help keep their shape), I did lay each bird over a beer so they "tented" a bit. (I had the can down towards the bottom of the bird so as not to cover too much of the body.) I doubt this affected the flavor of the bird, but the beer was nice and smoky after two hours in the bullet. (Yes, I'm kidding.)

[gknl]

I dare say, it was good.

Yes, it was.

He done did good.

He has lots of nice friends too.

Was that really Amanda Peete? Guess I should have talked to her myself.

When's the next one?

ediot: Forgot the "Thanks!"

Edited June 18, 2003 by gknl (log)

[col klink]

Was that really Amanda Peete?    Guess I should have talked to her myself. 

Amanda Peete? I love her!

[Stone]

No, but she does look like Amanda Peete. I thought that too when I first met her.

Edited June 18, 2003 by Stone (log)