What are you Smoking (BBQ)?

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Originally posted by DoubleD:
I understand the pellets are wood. But, isn't it compressed wood? If so, what is the binding agent? And do you think that material inhibits the smoke ring. My understanding is that if you are BBQing, you want the lower temperatures anyway.

On the better quality pellets, there is no binder other than steam. Heat from the process releases lignins in the wood which act as a natural binder, holding the pellet together as it is compressed. Some lesser manufacturers will add a food-grade oil or wax as a binder or flavoring agent. I never buy those. In fact, if you want true flavor wood pellets, you need to read how they're made. Most start with oak or alder as a neutral base, then add a percentage of apple or cherry or whatever, and call it good.
And yes, true bbq is low and slow. But this particular new grill can also go up to 500° to cook steaks or burgers using pellets.

Are there any anti-pellet purists in the house? I have some friends who wouldn't be caught dead with pellets. I'd like to think I could tell the difference but I can't.

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Originally posted by WinoCA:
Are there any anti-pellet purists in the house? I have some friends who wouldn't be caught dead with pellets. I'd like to think I could tell the difference but I can't.

I've been doing this for long enough, that I can tell you what kind of wood you're using, based on the smell of the smoke alone. If you're talking about the difference between pellets and charcoal, sure, there is a difference in taste, with pellets giving a more "woodsy" flavor, even when I add wood chunks to the charcoal. Each method has its pros and cons, and flavor can be subjective. For instance, I'm making teriyaki chicken tonight, and I much prefer the char flavor that I get from charcoal on that.

I have grills and smokers that are charcoal, electric, and now pellet. (I've dumped the propane one, as no longer necessary. Its only pro was convenience, a quick heating time.) I've even built a temporary pit from cinder blocks and expanded steel to cook a whole pig. The only thing I don't have is a big, steel, stick burner. Not that I don't like the flavor they produce; there is a great bbq stand near me that makes some really good 'Que on theirs, but it looks like a civil war, iron-clad battleship. Even the smaller ones that look like mini attack submarines aren't really built for the average weekend hobbyist. They take a long time to build up heat, and need a large, steady supply of wood. Most people don't have the time for that kind of commitment.

Pellet smokers rock. Thank you Parcival.

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Originally posted by mneeley490:
For instance, I'm making teriyaki chicken tonight, and I much prefer the char flavor that I get from charcoal on that.

i'd argue it depends on how you make your teriyaki sauce

So I fired up the smoker today and have a slab of baby backs on, and the butcher talked me into a slab of boneless ribs...I don't have high hopes, but figured I'd give them a try.

My question though has to do with smoked sausage. I just got back from a week in Dallas, TX and that sausage thing they do there is a delicious and different animal from what we do here. I'm at a loss though on where to start. What I had (twice) was a spicy red colored semi dense sausage served in slices. It's not a brat or italian sausage. My butcher's grinder was down or he said he'd make me some, but what the heck should I be looking for to try and replicate it?
I left with a stick of anduille and some keilbasa as well.

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Originally posted by snipes:
So I fired up the smoker today and have a slab of baby backs on, and the butcher talked me into a slab of boneless ribs...I don't have high hopes, but figured I'd give them a try.

My question though has to do with smoked sausage. I just got back from a week in Dallas, TX and that sausage thing they do there is a delicious and different animal from what we do here. I'm at a loss though on where to start. What I had (twice) was a spicy red colored semi dense sausage served in slices. It's not a brat or italian sausage. My butcher's grinder was down or he said he'd make me some, but what the heck should I be looking for to try and replicate it?
I left with a stick of anduille and some keilbasa as well.

What you want to re-create is the jalepeno sausage from the Hard Eight...so good...

Watching Barbecue on Netflix - excellent

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Originally posted by DoubleD:

quote:

Originally posted by mneeley490:
Not sure I understand the question. The pellets are wood. Smoke rings are created by the meat absorbing the nitrogen dioxide produced from burning wood or charcoal.

I understand the pellets are wood. But, isn't it compressed wood? If so, what is the binding agent? And do you think that material inhibits the smoke ring. My understanding is that if you are BBQing, you want the lower temperatures anyway.

DD -- reading backwards here so someone may have already answered this

You get every bit of smoke-ring with pellets as with hard wood briquettes and wood chunks. I've done side by side comparisons of the BGE and my pellet grill multiple times (once with Snipes present). And, despite nay-sayers, I have found that the pellet grills best the BGE and other smokers in the following ways:
1) Brainlessly easy to use (that said, you do lose the "craft" and hands on nature of smoking if you have the time and interest to do that)
2) Amazingly consistent, set and forget results
3) Amazingly similar end-result to a more traditional smoker. The one thing my wife has noticed is that the pellet-smoked meats don't seem to taste as smokey as their BGE counter-parts and she likes this quality of the pellet grills. Of course, level of smoke on a BGE is 100% depending on the type of charcoal and wood chunks you use so it's hard to say any more about that

Now, just waiting for Shane to chime in and tell me he will smack down both my pellet smoker AND BGE with a Weber Smokey Mountain!

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Originally posted by Parcival:

Now, just waiting for Shane to chime in and tell me he will smack down both my pellet smoker AND BGE with a Weber Smokey Mountain!

WSM user here. I'm about to add a Weber Summit Charcoal grill as well. I won't bad mouth pellet smokers or BGE as I've never used one. I'm a Weber guy to the core.

you could just cover the meat in curing salt and you dont even need to smoke to get the smoke ring =)

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Originally posted by thelostverse:

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Originally posted by Parcival:

Now, just waiting for Shane to chime in and tell me he will smack down both my pellet smoker AND BGE with a Weber Smokey Mountain!

WSM user here. I'm about to add a Weber Summit Charcoal grill as well. I won't bad mouth pellet smokers or BGE as I've never used one. I'm a Weber guy to the core.

I have both a Weber Performer and a Weber One-Touch Gold. As much as I like my other toys, these are still the most versatile grillers/smokers in my lineup. Can't beat a steak grilled over charcoal, imo. They just take more time and tending, which is fine if I have the time.

Smoked a 10+ lb brisket last week on my Primo XL300. Brined for 3 days with my secret brine. Smoked with apple and cherry wood at 225 over water bath until internal temp reached 195. Applied more dry rub when reached 140. This one took over 10 hours. Delicious.

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Can't beat a steak grilled over charcoal, imo. They just take more time and tending, which is fine if I have the time.

Agree with steak over charcoal. And, for the price it's pretty darned hard to beat a Weber

I enjoyed working with the BGE for several years. But, with two young kids at home I found I just did not have the time I wanted to play with this grill.

For now, the plug and play convenience of the pellet grill provides much needed convenience!

Found a 4.75 lb. frozen Butterball turkey breast roast at Costco the other day for about $13. It's in the smoker now at 275°, with some rub and injected with garlic butter. Using orange wood for smoke; I really like orange with poultry. If it turns out well, I will probably go back and get a couple more for Thanksgiving. So much easier than messing with a whole turkey.

My oldest son passed his test today to become a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Been smoking a 19 lb packer brisket since midnight on our Traeger pellet smoker. Heading home soon to confirm internal temp and crank up as necessary, then will wrap and stash in a cooler for a couple hours. Good amount of family and friends will be here in a few hours to celebrate.

Just made my first ever batch of homemade bacon. Unfortunately the recipe I used had too much salt in the ratio. Still tasty, but not ideal for just munching on slices by themselves.

Next time, I'll decrease the salt by at least 1/3, and add a bit more sugar and more pepper to the dry brine........

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Originally posted by fusionstorm:
Just made my first ever batch of homemade bacon. Unfortunately the recipe I used had too much salt in the ratio. Still tasty, but not ideal for just munching on slices by themselves.

Next time, I'll decrease the salt by at least 1/3, and add a bit more sugar and more pepper to the dry brine........

Fusion, usually after brining, you want to cut off a small test piece and fry it to test the salt level. If it's too much, you can reduce some of the salt by submersing in cold water for a few hours, changing out the water once or twice. Then dry and smoke.

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Originally posted by mneeley490:

quote:

Originally posted by fusionstorm:
Just made my first ever batch of homemade bacon. Unfortunately the recipe I used had too much salt in the ratio. Still tasty, but not ideal for just munching on slices by themselves.

Next time, I'll decrease the salt by at least 1/3, and add a bit more sugar and more pepper to the dry brine........

Fusion, usually after brining, you want to cut off a small test piece and fry it to test the salt level. If it's too much, you can reduce some of the salt by submersing in cold water for a few hours, changing out the water once or twice. Then dry and smoke.

Thanks for the pointer! After wrapping and chilling overnight, the saltiness seemed to have tamped down a couple of notches. Still a little too salty for my liking, but more than fine as long as consumed with other, less salty foods.

quote:

Originally posted by mneeley490:

quote:

Originally posted by fusionstorm:
Just made my first ever batch of homemade bacon. Unfortunately the recipe I used had too much salt in the ratio. Still tasty, but not ideal for just munching on slices by themselves.

Next time, I'll decrease the salt by at least 1/3, and add a bit more sugar and more pepper to the dry brine........

Fusion, usually after brining, you want to cut off a small test piece and fry it to test the salt level. If it's too much, you can reduce some of the salt by submersing in cold water for a few hours, changing out the water once or twice. Then dry and smoke.

Yes definitely your methods is correct to adjust the salt level..