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Serious grilling/smoking advice wanted !
Sperry
Member Posts: 5,006 ✭✭✭
I've got:
18" Weber kettle
2 pound chunk tri-tip
Kingsford briquettes
Apple wood chunks
I planned on bringing the meat to room-ish temperature, apply olive oil and spiced rub. Make a charcoal fire, then push it to one side of the Weber, 2-chunks deep. Lay wood across the charcoal and place the meat on the grill, opposite of the fire. Lid, and vents top and bottom ? way open. Put more wood on the coals every 30 minutes.
= = = = = giving it a try = = = = =
1] ok, coals are going their thing. I've never had luck adding coals to coals, seems like they just do not light, but I have a second weber, a 14", I can fire up some coals and add them if necessary.
2] I'll take it easy with the apple wood. I guess this meat will cook with the heat of the briquettes. I thought it would cook by the heat of the smoke.
3] I can try again at some point with the apple under chicken. [:p]
4] Wow, you're not kidding about the smoke. I'm 30 feet away, and it is too much. Last time I tried wood, it was an open wood fire in a large basin with a grill thrown overtop.
5] Yum! Slipped another dozen briquettes alongside the wood. They were already grey, started on another grill. Lid is back on, vent closed on top to stop the wood from burning, but she is still making a ton of smoke. Meat has a nice color but I bet it is not really cooking too much yet. It's been on a little under an hour, I recon'
6] DONE Double yum! 2.5' was a little too long, but it was not dry on the inside. I'd go with three chunks of wood next time, not five. And try to get it to even less heat.
At about 2.25' it would bleed a little red, just a tiny bit, and that is when I should have taken it off.
Thank for your help and support. [^]
18" Weber kettle
2 pound chunk tri-tip
Kingsford briquettes
Apple wood chunks
I planned on bringing the meat to room-ish temperature, apply olive oil and spiced rub. Make a charcoal fire, then push it to one side of the Weber, 2-chunks deep. Lay wood across the charcoal and place the meat on the grill, opposite of the fire. Lid, and vents top and bottom ? way open. Put more wood on the coals every 30 minutes.
= = = = = giving it a try = = = = =
1] ok, coals are going their thing. I've never had luck adding coals to coals, seems like they just do not light, but I have a second weber, a 14", I can fire up some coals and add them if necessary.
2] I'll take it easy with the apple wood. I guess this meat will cook with the heat of the briquettes. I thought it would cook by the heat of the smoke.
3] I can try again at some point with the apple under chicken. [:p]
4] Wow, you're not kidding about the smoke. I'm 30 feet away, and it is too much. Last time I tried wood, it was an open wood fire in a large basin with a grill thrown overtop.
5] Yum! Slipped another dozen briquettes alongside the wood. They were already grey, started on another grill. Lid is back on, vent closed on top to stop the wood from burning, but she is still making a ton of smoke. Meat has a nice color but I bet it is not really cooking too much yet. It's been on a little under an hour, I recon'
6] DONE Double yum! 2.5' was a little too long, but it was not dry on the inside. I'd go with three chunks of wood next time, not five. And try to get it to even less heat.
At about 2.25' it would bleed a little red, just a tiny bit, and that is when I should have taken it off.
Thank for your help and support. [^]
Comments
You control the heat with the top vents.
Arrange the lid so the vents are on the opposite side of the fire.
Draws the smoke and heat over the meat.
You may need to add charcoal during the cooking time.
Slow cooking with indirect heat is one of my favorite ways.
A meat thermometer is good to have.
I would love a good BBQ hunk of meat but I'm a woosy so I won't stand in the snow at below freezing temps to cook.
Come on Spring.
Either way, I'd be surprised if you needed to add wood every 30 min, but I guess it depends on the size of the chunks.
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
Soak the wood in water.
Kinda late for that now. But yes, if he had time for it.
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
Soak the wood in water.
yup 24 hours
and dont really plan on a 30 minute specific time for adding chips, you dont see smoke there is fire, put it out with more chips
need more heat, i use an old hair dryer to kick it up fast
No Sense Dowsing your Meat with Carcinigens
I may have to add charcoal, acdodd? I thought the charcoal would get the wood going, and I'd just have to add wood ...
I went to a Fry's grocer for the wood; they had a bunch of different kinds but no help. I got apple, remembering fondly the almond wood fires I made in '04, to cook chicken.
Am I going to be cooking/grilling in indirect apple wood, or will it be more smoking in applewood?
He has a TV show called Barbecue University, also lots of other shows about smoking EVERYTHING you'd want (or not) to BBQ.
Might also check out Cook's Country for additional recipes & tips.
They have a show called America's Test Kitchen, which will give you ideas on how to make stuff that people in Vermont think is tasty.
BBQ U uses Webers, Green Eggs, offset smokers, grills, pits; if somebody built a fire & threw some food on it, Raichlen was there.
For tri tip I only apply garlic salt and a little pepper, learned that style down in Brasil at a BBQ. Man was that good eats! Serve with Black beans and Pao de Queijo recipe here
The foil wrap for 20 minutes, or maybe 15, did that while I whipped up left over potatoes in olive oil, butter, and pepper.
Do people smoke tri-tip and go for a bloody finish, or do you always want the blood to stop?
I had a touch of red 15 minutes before removal, and think that was when I should have stopped.
Yep, I want to get the temp lower but do not have my thermometer, as I am not home. Less wood, same coals, is my next try.
Can I do a brisket the same way, even though there is usually a big slab of fat on one side of it?
Do people smoke tri-tip and go for a bloody finish, or do you always want the blood to stop?
Can I do a brisket the same way, even though there is usually a big slab of fat on one side of it?
I like mine rare plus so yes blood. Plus I always cook a big one and then vacuum freeze the leftovers for a fast supper when the kids are out.
Brisket is a TOTALLY different animal, it must go low and slow unless you want shoe leather.
What's the deal with a brisket on the grill? No good? It'll dry out?
Used 80/20, but I bet 70/30 would have worked better.
Wanna do another tri-tip. What other 2# - 2.5# cuts would work well?
Even less heat but equal time to get the flavor? [?]
Maybe chicken next ... [:p]
Gonna be in the 70s all week, while they is shivering back home [:D]
It should sit in its own juices and the heat will be kept away from the side, and should roll over top, or...
2. a pan of water underneath the grate. It will add moisture to the air inside.
3. buy a roasting rack (v shaped that will sit in a baking pan. I usually do good meats or those that dry easily like this). Fill the roasting pan with water or apple juice, toss a couple garlic cloves in the liquid. This is how I do my Thanksgiving turkey in the Pizza oven, it's insane how juicy it stays, even at 400-450 in the oven.
Slow and low, like you say.
Apple wood is good for fish (as is pecan and maple). I prefer oak and mesquite for beef. Pork I go with oak mostly mayby some mesquite thrown in but it can get too harsh on a 12 - 15 hr cook time on a whole shoulder.
Grills are for grilling. Smokers are for smoking....
The rotisserie is for picanha but tri tip works there as well!!!
Without the juice from the foil boat the pork would have been a bit dry. When I added coals and wood for a 15 minute "finish" after the first fire had mostly died, I think I could have just left it alone in the Weber for 30 minutes ... It was probably 140F or higher.
When I lived in the hills of California, I'd get dried almond wood branches from Central Valley pruning, wood that had sat a year. Cut it into chunks, and grill on a wood fire. That wood added serious flavor.
I appreciate all the guidance. A new tool in my skills, another hole punched in my Man Card.
The idea is to allow the heat to drift from the fire box up & across the meat & out the main vent which is mounted above the meat the farthest point away from the fire.
This will allow the smoke to cross over the meat the most effectively.
It also keeps the best temperature at a Low & Slow cook method.
Depending on what cut of meat you are cooking a good slow smoke would usually take around 8 hrs on the quick end.
An average large beef brisket should smoke at a temp of 225 to 275, for about 12 hours.
It's all about the rub, so make sure you have applied the rub about a day ahead of time so that it can soak into the cut. This works good for ribs & chicken too, however these cuts cook a lot faster.
If you like to baste your meat with a sauce, do not apply it until about the last five minutes of cooking, or just before you pull it from the cooker.
This will help in prevent burning if you are using a cooker that has adjoined heat where the fire is directly under the meat. This type of cooker would also be harder to keep a low & slow cook. Make sure you keep an eye on it.
Other than that if you are using the type of cooker with an offset fire box, DO NOT keep lifting the lid to check on your meat. This will cause the meat to take longer to cook by lowering the temp every time the lid is opened.
With an offset fire box you only need to apply wood from time to time. A good hard wood is the only way to go. Hickory makes good smoke as does mesquite. Pecan & apple are also used a lot. I have never experienced much flavor gain from using apple like others claim.
I personally wouldn't cook with charcoal briquettes. I have found they are too soaked with fire starting fluid, and they tend to permeate the meat with the flavor of the starter fluid. Use a few to get the wood burning. When the wood is burning good & up to temp you don't need anymore briquettes.
With this method you use more wood, but you don't need to soak any or get the wood wet. It will burn & make it's on charcoal just fine.
Good luck, and I hope this helped some.
Trinity (The Pit Master) +++...[:p]
Depending on what cut of meat you are cooking a good slow smoke would usually take around 8 hrs on the quick end.
An average large beef brisket should smoke at a temp of 225 to 275, for about 12 hours.
It's all about the rub, so make sure you have applied the rub about a day ahead of time so that it can soak into the cut. This works good for ribs & chicken too, however these cuts cook a lot faster.
Good luck, and I hope this helped some. Trinity (The Pit Master) +++...[:p] Very helpful, especially the 24-hour advance rub. I'll rub my new pork loin soon, for tomorrow's cooking. And the heads up on smoke times, as well as an idea of just cooking on cook (vs. Kingsford charcoal or charcoal plus smoke).