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What are you Smoking (BBQ)?

VM Vino MeMember
Over the last month I've done the following in the smoker:

Ribeye Roast- Tied with butchers twine. Coated with olive oil and minced garlic and then a simple rub was applied. Smoked with manzanita wood. Cooked to rare/medium rare. About 135 degrees internal.

Meatloaf- Wrapped a meatloaf in a bacon weave and smoked it using grapevine wood for about 2.5 hours. Applied a pineapple/habenero bbq glaze and smoked for another hour to about 165 internal.

VM
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S SarbuzeMember
This weekend I made BBQ pork ribs (made a traditional BBQ sauce) and Flannery beef ribs (smoked on day 1, then slow braised on day 2). My friend who is a great chef contributed some BBQ ribs and a bacon wrapped porchetta.

I need to buy a smoker. I setup my weber grills (basic round grill) with dual zones, one with a thing I built to hold wood/chips the second zone with a water bath (I put broth in it with water). It works well, but I have to open/close too often to maintain heat. I use a variety of wood, generally have on hand some hickory, apple, cherry and my favorite for grilling (and BBQ) pecan.

What type of smoker do you use? I think it's time for me to buy a proper smoker.
mneeley490mneeley490Member
quote:
Originally posted by sarbuze:


I need to buy a smoker. I setup my weber grills (basic round grill) with dual zones, one with a thing I built to hold wood/chips the second zone with a water bath (I put broth in it with water). It works well, but I have to open/close too often to maintain heat. I use a variety of wood, generally have on hand some hickory, apple, cherry and my favorite for grilling (and BBQ) pecan.

What type of smoker do you use? I think it's time for me to buy a proper smoker.

Sarbuze,
There's nothing wrong with a basic Weber. I own two electric smokers (one I built from a commercial fridge), a heavily modified charcoal horizontal (again, another home project), a 5-burner propane grill that I hardly ever use anymore, and a Weber One-Touch Gold kettle grill. Of them all, the one I use most is the Weber; it's just so versatile.

To maintain an even temperature over a long period, try a modified Minion method. It's basically stacking charcoal briquettes about 4-high almost all the way around the edge of the lower ring. (Also called the Snake method.) You can stud with wood along the way. Then drop in a few lit coals on one end. This will eventually wind its way around, keeping a temp of 200° to 250° or more, depending on how many briquettes you use. I've had this last for as much as 12 hours before. You can put a water bath in the middle, and you never have to turn the meat, because the heat is turning for you. This is a great method for long smokes, like brisket or pork butt.
G gregtMember
mneely - does that actually work? I love the idea but I don't see how the fire would work its way around. Each piece of charcoal has to be touching a lit one to start up and seems like that would fail somewhere.

But if it works, it's the solution to keeping a constant temp in the Weber. I have to keep checking every half hour or so.
thelostversethelostverseMember
The snake method most certainly does work. It's great for going low and slow on the standard 22 inch kettle while still cooking indirect. You don't need to use the snake method on the Weber Smokey Mountain because the water pan deflects the heat and creates indirect cooking that way.

For a dedicated smoker, you really can't beat the Weber Smokey Mountain. For occasional smoking, I would just stick with a Weber 22 inch kettle - as mneeley says, it doubles as a great smoker.
BRRBRRMember
I did a 15 pound whole brisket this past weekend for the 4th. I dry rubbed, using Oklahoma Joe's rub recipe, 24 hours in advance. Then, onto the Traeger at 5:30 a.m. and pulled it at about 6:00 p.m. We let it rest for an hour in a cooler wrapped in newspaper and towels, then sliced with a sauce on the side. Forget the sauce - the meat was outstanding.
doubleddoubledMember
quote:
Originally posted by BRR:
I did a 15 pound whole brisket this past weekend for the 4th. I dry rubbed, using Oklahoma Joe's rub recipe, 24 hours in advance. Then, onto the Traeger at 5:30 a.m. and pulled it at about 6:00 p.m. We let it rest for an hour in a cooler wrapped in newspaper and towels, then sliced with a sauce on the side. Forget the sauce - the meat was outstanding.

g-man, take notes!
G g-manMember
quote:
Originally posted by DoubleD:
quote:
Originally posted by BRR:
I did a 15 pound whole brisket this past weekend for the 4th. I dry rubbed, using Oklahoma Joe's rub recipe, 24 hours in advance. Then, onto the Traeger at 5:30 a.m. and pulled it at about 6:00 p.m. We let it rest for an hour in a cooler wrapped in newspaper and towels, then sliced with a sauce on the side. Forget the sauce - the meat was outstanding.

g-man, take notes!


that's beef fool.

you shoudl take it up with the caja china guys.

http://www.lacajachina.com/who...-worksheet_a/330.htm

9. Once lit spread the charcoal evenly over the Charcoal Grid, the cooking time starts right now, add more charcoal after the hour, you will add 3 more batches of charcoal in the following manner. 1 Hour, 1 Hour, 30 Minutes.

do the math, how many hours is that?
T thistlintomMember
quote:
Originally posted by Vino Me:
Over the last month I've done the following in the smoker:

Ribeye Roast- Tied with butchers twine. Coated with olive oil and minced garlic and then a simple rub was applied. Smoked with manzanita wood. Cooked to rare/medium rare. About 135 degrees internal.

What temp did you smoke the meats?

Meatloaf- Wrapped a meatloaf in a bacon weave and smoked it using grapevine wood for about 2.5 hours. Applied a pineapple/habenero bbq glaze and smoked for another hour to about 165 internal.

VM
BRRBRRMember
The bummer of the above-mentioned brisket was that, when it came time to serve the 28+ guests, I was inside putting my kids to bed and my brother-in-law, the owner of said Traeger, sliced the whole thing with the grain! Mad Hey, we all make mistakes. The flavor, juiciness, and perfect smoke ring were all there, but it was poorly served and the texture suffered. Oh well.
mneeley490mneeley490Member
quote:
Originally posted by BRR:
The bummer of the above-mentioned brisket was that, when it came time to serve the 28+ guests, I was inside putting my kids to bed and my brother-in-law, the owner of said Traeger, sliced the whole thing with the grain! Mad Hey, we all make mistakes. The flavor, juiciness, and perfect smoke ring were all there, but it was poorly served and the texture suffered. Oh well.

Sometimes the grain is hard to find on a cooked brisket. One trick is, while the meat is still raw and you can see the grain, partially insert a toothpick on the top along the direction of the grain. After it is cooked, find the toothpick, and cut crosswise from there.
R redguyinabluestateMember
quote:
Originally posted by mneeley490:
Threw on a couple of pork butts at 6am, for pulled pork later tonight or tomorrow.
These were both injected with a mixture of apple juice, apple cider vinegar, and Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey, then coated with Tatonka Dust. Smoking with a 50/50 mixture of hickory and apple.


Do you find that injecting pork butts is worth the extra effort? I read somewhere (? Amazingribs.com) that it wasn't worth it but I'm open to trying new things. Did two butts for the 4th (one South Carolina and the other Lexington style) that turned out great. I liked them both but the South Carolina style was the most popular.
mneeley490mneeley490Member
quote:
Originally posted by Red guy in a blue state:
quote:
Originally posted by mneeley490:
Threw on a couple of pork butts at 6am, for pulled pork later tonight or tomorrow.
These were both injected with a mixture of apple juice, apple cider vinegar, and Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey, then coated with Tatonka Dust. Smoking with a 50/50 mixture of hickory and apple.


Do you find that injecting pork butts is worth the extra effort? I read somewhere (? Amazingribs.com) that it wasn't worth it but I'm open to trying new things. Did two butts for the 4th (one South Carolina and the other Lexington style) that turned out great. I liked them both but the South Carolina style was the most popular.

I do. Pork butt is a very thick cut, and seasoning and smoke will not penetrate more than a fraction of an inch. If you want the inside to have additional flavor (and moisture), injection is the way to go, unless you plan to use a finishing sauce. These went 16 hours, btw, so I figure more moisture can't hurt.
I've never done one S. Carolina style. Could you share a good recipe?

That last injection was a new one for me. It came out very good. My go-to is usually a mixture of applesauce, bbq sauce, and rub. (Applesauce tends to not leak out, unlike cider.) Another good injection is melted grape jelly. Sounds strange, I know, but it gives the meat a sweeter flavor, and you cannot taste the grape in the end. Done this way, any sauce is just an option.

As to the guy that writes amazingribs.com, I tend to disagree with a lot of what he says. There are hundreds of different ways and styles to do good bbq, but he seems to think only his way is right.
A aphillaMember
I need to learn more about this.

I made baby back ribs and chicken tonight. I used apple wood. This wasn't premeditated. I went to the garage to grab wood and I was out of hickory. The apple gave hardly any smoke flavor to the meat. I don't know whether I didn't use enough wood (about the same amount as when I use hickory) or apple doesn't really help pork and chicken. Thoughts on that?
A aphillaMember
Wood chunks. I experimented with using chips last year and didn't get much out of them.

Not sure what you mean by what type of bbq? I was smoking them in a WSM, they had a rub from penzey's spice - the one on the ribs wasn't great, the one on the chicken was pretty nice.

I added the wood by spreading a layer of charcoal on the bottom, putting the wood on top of that, and then pouring the lit charcoal on top of them both.
vinoevelovinoeveloMember
odd - sounds like it should have worked. i'm assuming you were around 250F or so? and you didn't soak the wood first or anything like that?

It might be, as g-man notes, due to putting the wood under the lit charcoal, but i only suggest that as i always put my wood on top and don't have any practical experience doing it the other way. although i cant think of a reason why it shouldn't work?
G g-manMember
quote:
Originally posted by vinoevelo:
odd - sounds like it should have worked. i'm assuming you were around 250F or so? and you didn't soak the wood first or anything like that?

It might be, as g-man notes, due to putting the wood under the lit charcoal, but i only suggest that as i always put my wood on top and don't have any practical experience doing it the other way. although i cant think of a reason why it shouldn't work?


charcoal is a natural adsorbant of chemicals

you're filtering out your smoke basically with the charcoal on top =)

(anyhow that's a random ass guess)

but if you're only smoking for like 15 minutes

you're probably not going to impart something like apple smoke into your meats.

if you used Mesquite then 15 minutes could acutally do it.
A aphillaMember
quote:
Originally posted by vinoevelo:
odd - sounds like it should have worked. i'm assuming you were around 250F or so? and you didn't soak the wood first or anything like that?

It might be, as g-man notes, due to putting the wood under the lit charcoal, but i only suggest that as i always put my wood on top and don't have any practical experience doing it the other way. although i cant think of a reason why it shouldn't work?


Right. I was a little hotter than 250 but not much.

Never soaked the wood.

That's the way I've always put the wood in and there's never been an issue before. Dunno.
G g-manMember
I've never soaked my wood chunks.

also the big water pot int he middle keeps it around the 250 mark.

I take it you use that "minion" method too.

hickory is stronger than apple

I usually do two chunks of hickory when i smoke but I'd do 4 chunks of apple.

you *might* want to close off some of the bottom vents though to get a lower heat. the thing about burying your wood chunks into the charcoal like that is that lighter woods like apple wont get enough time to acutally smoke before it gets too hot and just stops smoking.

The way i do apple/maple/fig/cherry is I set up charcoal on the bottom, leave an indentation for the lit charcoal. Throw in the lit charcoal then I'll put the 4 wood chunks in a line from center outward. This allows for a great smelling steady wood smoke.

i keep my WSM around 200-230
G galvezguyMember
Great thread. My smoker set up is a 40" Masterbuilt propane smoker with an electric smoke generator attached. I used a 3" hole saw on the smoker and have a jerry-rigged aluminum vent that I use to attach the generator to the smoker. This way I can hot smoke without having to open the smoker to add more chips and I can also cold smoke (even in the summer, just put a large pan of ice in there). Last two things to run through there were bacon (cold-smoked) and pastrami (hot smoked). Have not done a brisket, ribs, or pork but since I made the conversion to the smoker but with summer here, that is a likely project. When the propane smoker rusts out (inevitable in this location) I will probably replace with electric simply for the better heat control. It will likely be Masterbuilt as the Masterbuilt electric smokers already have the vent for attaching the smoke generator. I smoke mostly with pecan, cherry, apple, and hickory but will add peach due to the discovery of how well it flavors pork ribs. Maple sounds intriguing too.
VM Vino MeMember
Smoked Bologna
The oddest thing I ever smoked was bologna. Apparently this is a very popular thing to smoke in Oklahoma (they call it Oklahoma Prime Rib) so I thought I would try it. It is served as an appetizer in cubes or can be sliced for sandwiches.

I started with a 1 pound veal bologna (you can use a larger piece). Cross score all sides. Rub with a mustard and soy sauce mix. Smoke at 225 degrees for about 2-3 hours until the outside is crusty. The bologna is already cooked so don't worry about the internal temperature.

VM
T thistlintomMember
quote:
Originally posted by Vino Me:
Santa Maria Tri Tip
I've had good luck in the past smoking a tri tip Santa Maria style. Rub with chili powder, cumin, black pepper, onion powder, oregano and garlic powder. Smoke at 225 degrees using oak (or similar hardwood) until internal temp is about 125. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.

VM


Hmm, I will have to try smoking a tri tip, sounds interesting. About how long did it take?
VM Vino MeMember
Smoked Pork Belly
I incorporated a smoked pork belly into a version of a Loco Moco breakfast that I made. Loco Moco is a Hawaiian breakfast dish which normally includes brown gravy over rice, fried spam, a couple fried eggs on top and garnished with chopped green onions. I used the pork belly instead of the spam.

Brine your slab of pork belly over night. You can use either apple juice or water with the kosher salt. Smoke the pork belly using fruit wood at 225 degrees until the internal temp is about 160. Should take 4-5 hours. Baste the belly with bbq sauce during the 2nd half of the smoking process. I then let the belly cool down and placed it in the fridge overnight to use the next morning. I cut the pork belly into half inch thick strip and fried them in a pan to get the outside nice and crisp before plating them with the Loco Moco.

VM
thelostversethelostverseMember
quote:
Originally posted by Vino Me:
I used a brown gravy that I added a little hoisin sauce to for a little oriental kick. The last time I made it, I also topped the rice with some leftover pulled pork that I smoked the week before.

I served it to LostVerse, Allred and our wives and didn't hear any complaints.

VM


No complaints here at all - it was delicious.
G galvezguyMember
Skin on the belly or off?

quote:
Originally posted by Vino Me:
Smoked Pork Belly
I incorporated a smoked pork belly into a version of a Loco Moco breakfast that I made. Loco Moco is a Hawaiian breakfast dish which normally includes brown gravy over rice, fried spam, a couple fried eggs on top and garnished with chopped green onions. I used the pork belly instead of the spam.

Brine your slab of pork belly over night. You can use either apple juice or water with the kosher salt. Smoke the pork belly using fruit wood at 225 degrees until the internal temp is about 160. Should take 4-5 hours. Baste the belly with bbq sauce during the 2nd half of the smoking process. I then let the belly cool down and placed it in the fridge overnight to use the next morning. I cut the pork belly into half inch thick strip and fried them in a pan to get the outside nice and crisp before plating them with the Loco Moco.

VM
G g-manMember
quote:
Originally posted by GalvezGuy:
Skin on the belly or off?

quote:
Originally posted by Vino Me:
Smoked Pork Belly
I incorporated a smoked pork belly into a version of a Loco Moco breakfast that I made. Loco Moco is a Hawaiian breakfast dish which normally includes brown gravy over rice, fried spam, a couple fried eggs on top and garnished with chopped green onions. I used the pork belly instead of the spam.

Brine your slab of pork belly over night. You can use either apple juice or water with the kosher salt. Smoke the pork belly using fruit wood at 225 degrees until the internal temp is about 160. Should take 4-5 hours. Baste the belly with bbq sauce during the 2nd half of the smoking process. I then let the belly cool down and placed it in the fridge overnight to use the next morning. I cut the pork belly into half inch thick strip and fried them in a pan to get the outside nice and crisp before plating them with the Loco Moco.

VM


i skin it personally

the skin gets kinda tough when smoked
P parcivalMember
after enjoying smoking on the Big Green Egg for many many years, but finding less and less time to do it, I caved and bought a pellet smoker . . .

Yes, you no longer get the satisfaction of building, tending to, and maintenance your own fire, but you can smoke spur of the moment, leave and go to the gym 5 minutes after you press the start button and set the temp, go work out, work for a few hours, and come home to delicious smoked meat.

Anyway, I digress . . .in the past two days:
-smoked chicken wings with apple wood pellets (then tossed in a hot cast iron pan with a habanero-mango bbq sauce)
-Baby back ribs (ala TDUB recipe) last night smoked with pecan wood pellets. Served with a few different bbq sauces on the side.

Still have my Big Green Egg and look forward to using it when I have the time. But, with the pellet grill, I have a feeling that smoking will become a much more regular occurrence around here
G g-manMember
quote:
Originally posted by Parcival:
after enjoying smoking on the Big Green Egg for many many years, but finding less and less time to do it, I caved and bought a pellet smoker . . .

Yes, you no longer get the satisfaction of building, tending to, and maintenance your own fire, but you can smoke spur of the moment, leave and go to the gym 5 minutes after you press the start button and set the temp, go work out, work for a few hours, and come home to delicious smoked meat.

Anyway, I digress . . .in the past two days:
-smoked chicken wings with apple wood pellets (then tossed in a hot cast iron pan with a habanero-mango bbq sauce)
-Baby back ribs (ala TDUB recipe) last night smoked with pecan wood pellets. Served with a few different bbq sauces on the side.

Still have my Big Green Egg and look forward to using it when I have the time. But, with the pellet grill, I have a feeling that smoking will become a much more regular occurrence around here


but how else can you get a bunch of guys sitting around a big charcoal fire drinking first growths??
P parcivalMember
quote:
Originally posted by g-man:
quote:
Originally posted by Parcival:
after enjoying smoking on the Big Green Egg for many many years, but finding less and less time to do it, I caved and bought a pellet smoker . . .

Yes, you no longer get the satisfaction of building, tending to, and maintenance your own fire, but you can smoke spur of the moment, leave and go to the gym 5 minutes after you press the start button and set the temp, go work out, work for a few hours, and come home to delicious smoked meat.

Anyway, I digress . . .in the past two days:
-smoked chicken wings with apple wood pellets (then tossed in a hot cast iron pan with a habanero-mango bbq sauce)
-Baby back ribs (ala TDUB recipe) last night smoked with pecan wood pellets. Served with a few different bbq sauces on the side.

Still have my Big Green Egg and look forward to using it when I have the time. But, with the pellet grill, I have a feeling that smoking will become a much more regular occurrence around here


but how else can you get a bunch of guys sitting around a big charcoal fire drinking first growths??
'

Just more drinking time while we all sit around and say things like "is that thing still working" . . . response will be "yup" and then you take another sip!
G galvezguyMember
Cured pork loin going in the smoker tomorrow morning. Will smoke with maple chips at 225 until it reaches 160. Thinking of adding a glaze of maple syrup and dark brown sugar near the end of cooking. After it is removed and cools down half will be sliced into chops and the other half thin cut for back bacon.

Update, turned out pretty well. The sweetness of the glaze was very nice against the smoky salty meat. Will be a little better with some time to integrate more of the sweetness.
Last edited by galvezguy
thelostversethelostverseMember
Smoked an 8 pound pork shoulder on Saturday. Golf was out for the day with lousy weather, so I decided to go lower than normal (225-250). Put it on the smoker at 9 AM and it was on for 11 hours. It was delicious and I love when the smoker runs all day.

Used the pulled pork for breakfast on Sunday with a modified version of Loco Moco using pulled pork instead of spam.

Sunday I smoked a fatty. Kept it simple by rolling out the sausage, seasoning both sides with a dry rub and added some deli ham, onions and some shredded cheese. Roll it back up, and smoked it low (225) with some hickory and pecan.
mneeley490mneeley490Member
quote:
Originally posted by thelostverse:
Sunday I smoked a fatty. Kept it simple by rolling out the sausage, seasoning both sides with a dry rub and added some deli ham, onions and some shredded cheese. Roll it back up, and smoked it low (225) with some hickory and pecan.

I've done the same, but have you tried it inside a bacon weave? dance
G g-manMember
quote:
Originally posted by mneeley490:
quote:
Originally posted by thelostverse:
Sunday I smoked a fatty. Kept it simple by rolling out the sausage, seasoning both sides with a dry rub and added some deli ham, onions and some shredded cheese. Roll it back up, and smoked it low (225) with some hickory and pecan.

I've done the same, but have you tried it inside a bacon weave? dance


or coring out the bone of a ham and putting said sausage inside after wrapping it in bacon?
thelostversethelostverseMember
quote:
Originally posted by mneeley490:
quote:
Originally posted by thelostverse:
Sunday I smoked a fatty. Kept it simple by rolling out the sausage, seasoning both sides with a dry rub and added some deli ham, onions and some shredded cheese. Roll it back up, and smoked it low (225) with some hickory and pecan.

I've done the same, but have you tried it inside a bacon weave? dance


I have done the bacon weave, but making everybody sign a waiver before eating it was getting to be a bother. Big Grin
mneeley490mneeley490Member
quote:
Originally posted by thelostverse:
quote:
Originally posted by mneeley490:
quote:
Originally posted by thelostverse:
Sunday I smoked a fatty. Kept it simple by rolling out the sausage, seasoning both sides with a dry rub and added some deli ham, onions and some shredded cheese. Roll it back up, and smoked it low (225) with some hickory and pecan.

I've done the same, but have you tried it inside a bacon weave? dance


I have done the bacon weave, but making everybody sign a waiver before eating it was getting to be a bother. Big Grin

True, there is that. Razz
P parcivalMember
quote:
Originally posted by mneeley490:
I made some Char Siu tonight. I normally cook it indirect on my Weber kettle with some sugar maple wood for smoke. This time I went direct to give it a nice char, no smoke. Also tweaked my marinade recipe, substituting candied ginger slices for grated, and agave syrup for the honey. Big improvement, imo.


do you use Chinese five spice in your marinade?

Would be curious to get that recipe. I love making Char Siu and have experimented with a few different recipes in the past
G g-manMember
my char siu sauce recipe involves 3 main things
-fermented red bean curd
-shaoxing wine
-5 spice

my five spice
is predominantly crushed white peppercorn and sichaun peppercorn,
with hints of anise, cloves, black pepper

Variations then will be:
dark soy
honey
rice vinegar

or
a more cornstarch base which would be
simple syrup,
cornstarch
soy sauce
P parcivalMember
quote:
Originally posted by g-man:
my char siu sauce recipe involves 3 main things
-fermented red bean curd
-shaoxing wine
-5 spice

my five spice
is predominantly crushed white peppercorn and sichaun peppercorn,
with hints of anise, cloves, black pepper

Variations then will be:
dark soy
honey
rice vinegar

or
a more cornstarch base which would be
simple syrup,
cornstarch
soy sauce


have used red bean curd in the past to get the color (vs. red food dye some recipes call for which I have generally just left out)

Like the home-made 5-spice approach. I have tended to omit because store bought versions can have too much concentration of anise and cloves

For my marinade, I have generally used rice wine vinegar, ketchup (yup, ketchup), hoisin sauce, light soy sauce, honey and cane (or brown) sugar with white and black pepper (occasionally five spice)
G g-manMember
quote:
Originally posted by Parcival:
quote:
Originally posted by g-man:
my char siu sauce recipe involves 3 main things
-fermented red bean curd
-shaoxing wine
-5 spice

my five spice
is predominantly crushed white peppercorn and sichaun peppercorn,
with hints of anise, cloves, black pepper

Variations then will be:
dark soy
honey
rice vinegar

or
a more cornstarch base which would be
simple syrup,
cornstarch
soy sauce


have used red bean curd in the past to get the color (vs. red food dye some recipes call for which I have generally just left out)

Like the home-made 5-spice approach. I have tended to omit because store bought versions can have too much concentration of anise and cloves

For my marinade, I have generally used rice wine vinegar, ketchup (yup, ketchup), hoisin sauce, light soy sauce, honey and cane (or brown) sugar with white and black pepper (occasionally five spice)


let's just throw the kitchen sink at your pork!! =)

haha seriously if you're going to mix it up like that, i'd say save the trouble and just add some MSG and tomato paste!!!!

Crushed white peppercorn, in my opinion, is one of the best spices for pork. It's just awesome. like beef and back pepper, pork and white pepper.

Hoisin though is weird because you get all of the ingredients (minux maybe teh sweet potato starch) from the ingreident list you have.
P parcivalMember
quote:
Originally posted by g-man:
quote:
Originally posted by Parcival:
quote:
Originally posted by g-man:
my char siu sauce recipe involves 3 main things
-fermented red bean curd
-shaoxing wine
-5 spice

my five spice
is predominantly crushed white peppercorn and sichaun peppercorn,
with hints of anise, cloves, black pepper

Variations then will be:
dark soy
honey
rice vinegar

or
a more cornstarch base which would be
simple syrup,
cornstarch
soy sauce


have used red bean curd in the past to get the color (vs. red food dye some recipes call for which I have generally just left out)

Like the home-made 5-spice approach. I have tended to omit because store bought versions can have too much concentration of anise and cloves

For my marinade, I have generally used rice wine vinegar, ketchup (yup, ketchup), hoisin sauce, light soy sauce, honey and cane (or brown) sugar with white and black pepper (occasionally five spice)


let's just throw the kitchen sink at your pork!! =)

haha seriously if you're going to mix it up like that, i'd say save the trouble and just add some MSG and tomato paste!!!!

Crushed white peppercorn, in my opinion, is one of the best spices for pork. It's just awesome. like beef and back pepper, pork and white pepper.

Hoisin though is weird because you get all of the ingredients (minux maybe teh sweet potato starch) from the ingreident list you have.


I have to admit I never exactly knew what was in soy sauce but just considered it an sweet sauce that could aid in thickening. Just did some googling and saw that you are exactly right . . . The proportions of things I have been using don't exactly make a hoisin sauce but the hoisin itself is redundant because it is already represented in my ingredients . . . one ingredient gone!
mneeley490mneeley490Member
quote:
Originally posted by Parcival:
quote:
Originally posted by mneeley490:
I made some Char Siu tonight. I normally cook it indirect on my Weber kettle with some sugar maple wood for smoke. This time I went direct to give it a nice char, no smoke. Also tweaked my marinade recipe, substituting candied ginger slices for grated, and agave syrup for the honey. Big improvement, imo.


do you use Chinese five spice in your marinade?

Would be curious to get that recipe. I love making Char Siu and have experimented with a few different recipes in the past



I use very little five spice in mine. To me, a little goes a long way, and when I'm walking through our Chinatown district, I can smell the five spice out on the streets.

This may be a "kitchen sink" approach, but it comes the closest to the best I've had in a local Chinese restaurant known for their bbq.

Char Siu

1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. Yoshida's Gourmet sauce
1/2 c. mirin
1/2 c. Hoisin sauce
1/2 c. brown sugar
4 T. maltose
1 T. agave syrup or honey
1 t. minced garlic
3-4 slices of candied ginger
1/8-1/2 t. Five Spice powder (depends on your taste)
1/2 t. sesame oil
1 t. red food coloring (I like it RED) but this is optional

1 t. cure #1
1/2 pork loin, sliced into long 2-1/2" x 2-1/2 strips, or 4-6 pork tenderloin.

Recipe updated 11-13-18

Heat all ingredients (except cure #1) in a saucepan till maltose dissolves. (You will need to heat it just to get the maltose off your spoon. It is insanely thick and sticky, almost like a malleable plastic, but don't substitute anything for it. It is the glue that adheres the sauce to the meat.)
If using pork loin, make sure to remove all silverskin from the meat. I remove the fat also, but that is a personal preference.
Cool, and then add the cure #1. Pour over meat in large ziploc bag. Let rest in refrigerator overnight, or up to 3-4 days.
Makes about 2-1/4 cups.

Last edited by mneeley490
P parcivalMember
quote:
Originally posted by mneeley490:
quote:
Originally posted by Parcival:
quote:
Originally posted by mneeley490:
I made some Char Siu tonight. I normally cook it indirect on my Weber kettle with some sugar maple wood for smoke. This time I went direct to give it a nice char, no smoke. Also tweaked my marinade recipe, substituting candied ginger slices for grated, and agave syrup for the honey. Big improvement, imo.


do you use Chinese five spice in your marinade?

Would be curious to get that recipe. I love making Char Siu and have experimented with a few different recipes in the past


I use very little five spice in mine. To me, a little goes a long way, and when I'm walking through our Chinatown district, I can smell the five spice out on the streets.

This may be a "kitchen sink" approach, but it comes the closest to the best I've had in a local Chinese restaurant known for their bbq.

Char Siu

1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. Yoshida's Gourmet sauce
1/2 c. mirin
1/2 c. Hoisin sauce
1/2 c. brown sugar
4 T. maltose
1 T. agave syrup or honey
1 t. minced garlic
3-4 slices of candied ginger
1/8-1/2 t. Five Spice powder (depends on your taste)
1/2 t. sesame oil
1 t. red food coloring (I like it RED) but this is optional
1/2 pork loin, sliced into long 2-1/2" x 2-1/2 strips, or 4-6 pork tenderloin.

Recipe updated 5-28-16

Heat all ingredients in a saucepan till maltose dissolves. (You will need to heat it just to get the maltose off your spoon. It is insanely thick and sticky, almost like a malleable plastic, but don't substitute anything for it. It is the glue that adheres the sauce to the meat.)
If using pork loin, make sure to remove all silverskin from the meat. I remove the fat also, but that is a personal preference.
Cool, and pour over meat in large ziploc bag. Let rest in refrigerator overnight, or up to 3-4 days.
Makes about 2-1/4 cups.


Thanks . . . this is going to be dinner next Friday. Will report back.

Now just need to procure some maltose. Do you have any experience substituting corn syrup for the maltose?
G g-manMember
quote:
Originally posted by Parcival:
quote:
Originally posted by mneeley490:
quote:
Originally posted by Parcival:
quote:
Originally posted by mneeley490:
I made some Char Siu tonight. I normally cook it indirect on my Weber kettle with some sugar maple wood for smoke. This time I went direct to give it a nice char, no smoke. Also tweaked my marinade recipe, substituting candied ginger slices for grated, and agave syrup for the honey. Big improvement, imo.


do you use Chinese five spice in your marinade?

Would be curious to get that recipe. I love making Char Siu and have experimented with a few different recipes in the past


I use very little five spice in mine. To me, a little goes a long way, and when I'm walking through our Chinatown district, I can smell the five spice out on the streets.

This may be a "kitchen sink" approach, but it comes the closest to the best I've had in a local Chinese restaurant known for their bbq.

Char Siu

1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. Yoshida's Gourmet sauce
1/2 c. mirin
1/2 c. Hoisin sauce
1/2 c. brown sugar
4 T. maltose
1 T. agave syrup or honey
1 t. minced garlic
3-4 slices of candied ginger
1/8-1/2 t. Five Spice powder (depends on your taste)
1/2 t. sesame oil
1 t. red food coloring (I like it RED) but this is optional
1/2 pork loin, sliced into long 2-1/2" x 2-1/2 strips, or 4-6 pork tenderloin.

Recipe updated 5-28-16

Heat all ingredients in a saucepan till maltose dissolves. (You will need to heat it just to get the maltose off your spoon. It is insanely thick and sticky, almost like a malleable plastic, but don't substitute anything for it. It is the glue that adheres the sauce to the meat.)
If using pork loin, make sure to remove all silverskin from the meat. I remove the fat also, but that is a personal preference.
Cool, and pour over meat in large ziploc bag. Let rest in refrigerator overnight, or up to 3-4 days.
Makes about 2-1/4 cups.


Thanks . . . this is going to be dinner next Friday. Will report back.

Now just need to procure some maltose. Do you have any experience substituting corn syrup for the maltose?


i thgouth maltose is corn syrup?

ever try cornstarch as a substitute for maltose?

or molasses (but lessen the amount of sugar in the other ingredients)
P parcivalMember
Maltose is a little different than corn syrup . . .

Maltose sugar is (wait for it) maltose. Corn syrup is fructose. But, your point is a good one. I think you could use corn syrup and decrease sugar in other components of the recipe because fructose is sweeter than maltose.

Molasses could work but would change the flavor profile of the sauce

anyway, I'm going to go the corn-syrup route and reduce brown sugar to 1/3 cup (totally random decrease but want to preserve the amount of corn syrup at original maltose amount for consistency purposes)
G g-manMember
quote:
Originally posted by Parcival:
Maltose is a little different than corn syrup . . .

Maltose sugar is (wait for it) maltose. Corn syrup is fructose. But, your point is a good one. I think you could use corn syrup and decrease sugar in other components of the recipe because fructose is sweeter than maltose.

Molasses could work but would change the flavor profile of the sauce

anyway, I'm going to go the corn-syrup route and reduce brown sugar to 1/3 cup (totally random decrease but want to preserve the amount of corn syrup at original maltose amount for consistency purposes)


http://www.livestrong.com/arti...n-syrup-bad-for-you/

whats high maltose corn syrup then?
P parcivalMember
quote:
Originally posted by mneeley490:
It's certainly up to you what you put in it, but imo, the maltose is one of the principle ingredients in the dish. It is much, much thicker than honey, corn syrup, or molasses. It has the look and consistency of fiberglass resin; hard to believe it is edible at all, but I have had the best results using it.


Cost of entry was pretty easy (~$6) so going to be making this on Friday using your recipe. Will give an update over the weekend
S slipstitchpassMember
quote:
Did a high heat brisket over oak on Memorial Day. Ran the smoker at about 360-375 rather than traditional 225-275. Delicious with some grilled bread, grilled corn and a watermelon and mint salad. First time I've done a high heat brisky, and I'm not sure if I'm sold on the method.


Very interesting. Never heard of this before. Any details you can provide or a link to a recipe? I had someone recently giving me a ton of shit about running at 250 for a brisket...i've found that to be my sweet spot.
thelostversethelostverseMember
quote:
Originally posted by slipstitchpass:
quote:
Did a high heat brisket over oak on Memorial Day. Ran the smoker at about 360-375 rather than traditional 225-275. Delicious with some grilled bread, grilled corn and a watermelon and mint salad. First time I've done a high heat brisky, and I'm not sure if I'm sold on the method.


Very interesting. Never heard of this before. Any details you can provide or a link to a recipe? I had someone recently giving me a ton of shit about running at 250 for a brisket...i've found that to be my sweet spot.


Slip, if you want to run at 250 and that works for you, do it. I don't believe there is a single right (or wrong) way to smoke BBQ.

There is a whole segment of the BBQ world that does high heat brisket. Also, search the forums at VWB for numerous threads of people doing high heat.

I've done a lot of different high heat proteins, but there is just something I really enjoy about low and slow and dialing in the smoker where I want it to be.
P parcivalMember
quote:
Originally posted by thelostverse:
quote:
Originally posted by slipstitchpass:
quote:
Did a high heat brisket over oak on Memorial Day. Ran the smoker at about 360-375 rather than traditional 225-275. Delicious with some grilled bread, grilled corn and a watermelon and mint salad. First time I've done a high heat brisky, and I'm not sure if I'm sold on the method.


Very interesting. Never heard of this before. Any details you can provide or a link to a recipe? I had someone recently giving me a ton of shit about running at 250 for a brisket...i've found that to be my sweet spot.


Slip, if you want to run at 250 and that works for you, do it. I don't believe there is a single right (or wrong) way to smoke BBQ.

There is a whole segment of the BBQ world that does high heat brisket. Also, search the forums at VWB for numerous threads of people doing high heat.

I've done a lot of different high heat proteins, but there is just something I really enjoy about low and slow and dialing in the smoker where I want it to be.


TLV . . . agree there is no one right way. Did a 10-ish pound pastrami-d brisket a few weeks ago at 210 for about 16 hours.

One take on that temperature: why the heck do you want it to take so long for your meat to get done? My answer - don't know; just playing around with temps.

Actually have never tried the high temp before but going to check out the thread you posted. It seems a little counter-intuitive to do such a fatty piece of meat at such a high temp but interested in checking the comments out
P parcivalMember
quote:
Originally posted by Parcival:
quote:
Originally posted by mneeley490:
It's certainly up to you what you put in it, but imo, the maltose is one of the principle ingredients in the dish. It is much, much thicker than honey, corn syrup, or molasses. It has the look and consistency of fiberglass resin; hard to believe it is edible at all, but I have had the best results using it.


Cost of entry was pretty easy (~$6) so going to be making this on Friday using your recipe. Will give an update over the weekend


Mneeley . . . made your char siu recipe for dinner last night. The pork loin had only been marinating for 10 hours so last night was a test run. Very good on this first pass.

Cooking up the remainder for dinner tomorrow night and going to reduce the sauce a little to serve on top of the pork and rice

And you were absolutely right. . . that maltose syrup is like soft melted plastic
mneeley490mneeley490Member
quote:
Originally posted by Parcival:
Mneeley . . . made your char siu recipe for dinner last night. The pork loin had only been marinating for 10 hours so last night was a test run. Very good on this first pass.

Cooking up the remainder for dinner tomorrow night and going to reduce the sauce a little to serve on top of the pork and rice

And you were absolutely right. . . that maltose syrup is like soft melted plastic

Glad you liked it. I like to let it marinate for about 2-3 days.
A aphillaMember
I smoked baby backs today. I'd like to make a couple of shout outs.

I bought this book Low and Slow when I got my smoker and went through it. The rub recipes he gives are really excellent. Today we used the "rudimentary rub" which was paprika, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne, and it made an awesome bark on our ribs.

We buy BBQ sauce from Head Country Head Country in Oklahoma. I grew up in Oklahoma, but only discovered this long after I had moved away thanks to a recommendation from my mom. We've been ordering it by the case ever since. I like the spicy and the mild, but my wife thinks the spicy is too spicy. Good stuff.

The ribs today were fine with and without the sauce.
S SarbuzeMember
Have always used a weber grill for smoking (indirect method) but finally broke down and bought the Weber Rocky Mountain smoker (gman's advice).

First time using it this past weekend:

- pork ribs (5 racks, dry rubbed w/ my own bbq rub)
- whole chickens (dry rubbed, herbs)
- 2.5 lb salmon fillet (lemon, tarragon, salt, pepper)

The ribs were good. Overdone a bit (which Gman was kind enough to message me about after seeing my facebook post) but the group loved them. The flavor was good, homemade bbq sauce was a hit and my family wants me to start jarring it for them (have made it this way for years). Just need to work on timing, the pork spent too much time in the smoker.

Chickens were incredibly moist. Served with olive oil and lemons, huge hit.

Salmon was good, pulled it off a bit medium rare and it went over well with the group.

Very excited to get this thing going again in the near future, next up will be a whole turkey and a duck.

Smile
G g-manMember
quote:
Originally posted by sarbuze:
Have always used a weber grill for smoking (indirect method) but finally broke down and bought the Weber Rocky Mountain smoker (gman's advice).

First time using it this past weekend:

- pork ribs (5 racks, dry rubbed w/ my own bbq rub)
- whole chickens (dry rubbed, herbs)
- 2.5 lb salmon fillet (lemon, tarragon, salt, pepper)

The ribs were good. Overdone a bit (which Gman was kind enough to message me about after seeing my facebook post) but the group loved them. The flavor was good, homemade bbq sauce was a hit and my family wants me to start jarring it for them (have made it this way for years). Just need to work on timing, the pork spent too much time in the smoker.

Chickens were incredibly moist. Served with olive oil and lemons, huge hit.

Salmon was good, pulled it off a bit medium rare and it went over well with the group.

Very excited to get this thing going again in the near future, next up will be a whole turkey and a duck.

Smile


I found out your mistake.

it's the weber smokey mountain you were suppose to buy, not the weber rocky mountain.

no wonder your stuff wasnt as good as it was suppose to be!
S snipesMember
quote:
Originally posted by Vino Me:
Smoked a whole chicken using apple wood. Brined it over night. Stuffed with apple, lemon, onion and garlic. Coated the outside with olive oil and rubbed with kosher salt, pepper and paprika. Smoked at 250 for about 6 hours to 170 degrees internal. Sit for 20 minutes and then pulled it to serve.

VM


Sounds delicious.
mneeley490mneeley490Member
quote:
Originally posted by ThistlinTom:
quote:
Originally posted by mneeley490:
Got up at 3am to throw a couple 9+ lb. pork butts into the smoker. Hopefully will be done by dinner time, but you never know for sure. Using a combination of woods; hickory, maple, and cherry.


Those are some big butts. Smoking a 5.5 lb butt

I get mine at a wholesaler. Go big, or go home, I say. Wink
Unfortunately, (probably due to the size) they took quite a while to hit 205° internal, so I was pulling about 9pm last night. Oh well, it tasted great tonight!

I like to go traditional with pulled pork sandwhiches. Cheap hamburger buns, pork, cole slaw, and my award winning bbq sauce.
I say, "award winning" in that I entered it a couple years ago in the state fair, and it won 2nd place...for canning technique. Turns out, they don't even taste the entries, fearing botulism. When told that afterward, my autistic son pipes up, "MY DAD DOES NOT PUT BOTULISM IN HIS BARBECUE SAUCE!"
Last edited by mneeley490
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