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Help teach Jeff Berlin BBQ!

#21
JeffBerlin said:
What temperatures? How long in the smoker for what types of meat??
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Well, like the man said "Low and Slow". I did a pork butt last time, and I think it went 4 or 5 hours. I use a Weber, so I don't know about actual cooking temps. I just bank the coals off to the sides (Cherry wood or Mesquite chunks) and let the thing smoke like crazy. I just use a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temp is around 150 - 160.

One of my favorite things is chicken wings. Hit em with some dry rub, bank the coals and flip them every 15 minutes or so for maybe an hour and a half. (I like a little hoter fire for this) Sauce is optional!
 
#22
need4mospd said:
And if you're stuck with a gas grille, buy one of those wood chip smoker boxes to set in the grille.
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Grille =

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Grill =

charcoal-grill.jpg



That's pretty much all I got to contribute when it comes to BBQ.



And what is mop sauce and dry rub? I get that mop sauce is sauce intended to be mopped up by the meat, and I get that dry rub is some dry thing like spice that is rubbed on the meat. But a little more detailed, what is it?
 
#23
Phalex said:
Well, like the man said "Low and Slow". I did a pork butt last time, and I think it went 4 or 5 hours. I use a Weber, so I don't know about actual cooking temps. I just bank the coals off to the sides (Cherry wood or Mesquite chunks) and let the thing smoke like crazy. I just use a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temp is around 150 - 160.

One of my favorite things is chicken wings. Hit em with some dry rub, bank the coals and flip them every 15 minutes or so for maybe an hour and a half. (I like a little hoter fire for this) Sauce is optional!
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I like roasting whole chickens this way too.
Put a drip-pan in the middle..Rub the chicken with olive-oil and sprinkle with your favorite Cajun seasoning..;)
 
#24
John Wentzien said:
I like roasting whole chickens this way too.
Put a drip-pan in the middle..Rub the chicken with olive-oil and sprinkle with your favorite Cajun seasoning..;)
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I stuff the body cavity with lemon wedges, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, garlic and a few cloves. I even wedge a couple of lemon slices under the skin over the breasts. (Lubricate with lots of olive oil) Keeps em moist and tender!
 
#25
Phalex said:
I stuff the body cavity with lemon wedges, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, garlic and a few cloves. I even wedge a couple of lemon slices under the skin over the breasts. (Lubricate with lots of olive oil) Keeps em moist and tender!
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You can set the chicen on a can of beer in the cavity too..keeps it from drying-out..good flavor too!
 
#27
There's a good reason why the BBQ Cook is usually near drunk by the time lunch is served... He has to start the coals early and wait, he usually is cooking with beer, and beer in the hand waits for nothing. I think its a 75% to 25% beer ratio favoring the cook when cooking with beer... if BBQ Lunch is served at 1pm, then i get the coals going at 10am to achieve a hot red rock cooking heat without any flame, and i'll feed more charcoal during that hour heat-up time. I believe that the bag of charcoal is meant to be used for one cooking event :) BBQ cooking is a slow process...

more on my face book page "Bogdon Vasquaf" bass player/chef
 
#29
MakiSupaStar said:
^This. Mean is juicy, no need to burn it up with sugars.

On another note, why is the OP talking about teach BBQ for Jeff Berlin? Why is Jeff Berlin on here asking for himself? :eyebrow:
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We started to get "off-topic" on the Jeff Berlin music thread--talking about BBQ.
So I started this one ...
Jeff really is interested in this subject!:bassist:
 
#34
Low and slow means different things to different people. I go for 225 degrees while smoking, give or take.

I use a weber kettle grill, and load chunk charcoal to one side. The meat goes on the other side once you've got it up and running and the temperature down to where you want it. A small instant read thermometer hung in the top vent (closed down) will work if you're doing the hang-drink-smoke routine. I have a great wireless that I use and then can do work in the kitchen or chill with friends...it will beep if the temp gets too high or low.

For the first 2 hours, naked meat on the grill, after that, wrap in Aluminium foil. I like to use both wood chips and chunks for the smoke. They work at different speeds...the chips start quick but the chunks last a long time and seem to do it right. Soak the wood before adding to the top of the charcoal (at least an hour of soak). Small water pan under the meat (there's no charcoal on that side anyway). Often at one hour I may check the smoke and add more chips/chunks if I think it needs. Also, you may need to refresh your coals about 3/4 of the way to done...having a charcoal chimney helps! You'll know that your fire is in need of fuel when you notice the temp goes wonky quickly (both up or down).

If you're doing a fair sized piece (I tend to do a few pork shoulders (bone in if you can find, don't have them take the fat layer off) or a full brisket, so we're talking about 14-20 pounds and you're in for 7-9 hours of time give or take. I don't usually probe for done-ness I do it by feel...never had it go wrong. For prepping pork, you want to trim the fat-cap so its even and make sure you put it fat-side up on the grill. It will melt through and off so your meat won't be too greasy but will be kept moist.


For me its dry rub for the meat sauce on the finish if people want it. Try to pick a rub that doesn't have piles of sugar, which will burn.

Really, the less fussing you do with the grill/smoker and the meat, the better it will be.

As a side note, I've also done a whole leg of lamb this way too...I got the leg from the Halal market and watched the butcher take it right off the little guy! That one I rubbed with EVOO, rosemary, lots of garlic then marinated over night in Guinness before smoking. Lots of people told me it wouldn't be good, but it came out great!
 
#35
Lesson #1... Teaching Jeff how to BBQ.
Grilling is cooking food over direct high heat, above 300 degrees F. BBQ is cooking with indirect heat at lower temperatures, usually between 180 and 300 degrees using wood smoke as flavoring. Cold smoking is applying wood smoke to meat at a low temperature, usually from 70 to 120 deg, hot smoking between 120 and 180.
These are only my definitions. There are many others. BBQ is an outdoor cooking activity, it's something you eat. To some, it's grilling on a hibatchi, roasting a whole steer on a split, or baking chicken in your oven with some Kraft bbq sauce on it. Whatever the method, I call it good stuff.
Jeff's Lesson #1a...BBQ pits.
Probably the most common pit is the Weber kettle.
fireplace002.jpg

They are usually black and have three legs. I removed the legs off of this green one and put it in the living room fireplace so I could grill without going outside this winter. One of the many reasons I'm divorced, I'm sure. This great little pit can be used as a grill or a smoker. The next most common pit is a small verticle smoker, sometimes called a water smoker. Here is a pic.
wsm.jpg

This one is called a Bullet-type smoker. I have this one mounted on a stand that I made so I didn't have to bend over to tend it when my back went out. This one is a Weber Smokey Mountain. Brinkman makes a cheap version of a water smoker that you can get for around 40 bucks. It's an abomination in the eyes of the great fire god Vulcan and is not reccommended. The Weber runs around 200 bucks and worth every penny. I have one that's 25 years old. These have two cooking racks with a water pan above the coals for indirect heat.
Another common type of pit is what we call an "Offset". Here's a pic.
IM000214.jpg

In an offset, the fire is built in the lower section, and the meat is in the upper section. This gives you indirect heat for bbqing. This is my favorite type of bbq pit.
More pits and a lesson on proper fire building and control later in Jeff's BBQ lesson #1b this afternoon. I need to practice chord harmonies right now.
Squirtle.
 
#38
BurningSkies said:
The real question is, does anyone make a nice offset that's not a 'trailer rig' in size or price. You know...
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Brinkman, maker of all things that are black and metal has a few models. The New Braunfels Smoker Company makes a few, too.

As said earlier, they're about the size of a standard propane grill. I paid about $200 bucks for mine 15 years ago, and it's still going strong. Enough room for two full-sized briskets, or a good sized dismembered Thanksgiving turkey.

One of the first and most important things to learn about BBQ is fire control. Get the right wood for the job, and learn how your equipment works so there's the perfect amount of smoke with the perfect amount of heat. I don't care whether you rub or mop, whether you prefer pig or beef (or fruits and veggies), or whether your idea of sauce is based on ketchup, vinegar, or mustard, if you can't control your smoke and heat, your BBQ is doomed.
 
#39
i prefer to use a water smoker.

try to maintain internal smoker temp at around 265 f.

allow pork and beef to rest in the refrigerator over night uncovered in order for a nice pellicle to develop.

dry rub right before the meat hits the smoker.

cuts of meat that have less fat on them can and should be soaked in a brine over night before smoking.

KEEP THE SMOKER CLOSED
 

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