I have zero suggestions Foos. I'll be happy if my first attempt turns out half as good as yours.

I'm taking suggestions on chicken wings. Tonight was a bust. They didn't cook very evenly and they dried out. I actually had to pull them off the smoker and throw them in the oven so my kids could eat before bedtime. Not fun.

Overall they tasted ok. The skin was still crispy, the seasoning was fine, but they were dry and the cook time I looked up on the Internets wasn't anywhere close.

Sorry about that RT. Always disappointing when a cook doesn't work out. Especially when you have hungry kiddos to feed too.

This turkey is a trial run for me. If it works out, I'll do a larger one for us and our neighbours and we're going to trade some thanksgiving food with each other.

Sept 28, 2020 1:10:56 GMT Foos said:

Sept 27, 2020 23:54:23 GMT RT said:

A friend of mine is a chef and his advice to me on brisket was this:

"Be prepared to waste your money at least once. It has a mind of its own and even if you follow every step perfectly, you're probably still going to fuck it up."

Well go me then. I ended up sharing my brisket with two friends who both said it was really good. So that probably means I'll screw up my next batch!


RT ,iNCY ,All34LOL ,🤯 , and anyone else...I plan on smoking a turkey on Wednesday. It's pretty small, 8.5 lbs. Who has experience with this?

I plan on a brine, then a mild seasoning, stuffing it with aromatics (apples, lemons, garlic, onions, rosemary). I plan on using hickory. 

Any suggestions? 

Nobody in my country eats Turkey except body builders and sado-masochists.
I think it's going to be hard to keep it moist.

When I grill chicken I always butterfly it first with good results, I have never tried doing beer can chicken.

iNCY I only eat turkey twice a year generally. Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thanksgiving is soon (not you America) so that's why they're around and cheap.

And I agree with the moisture concern. Hence the brining. It was only $12, so worst case scenario if it's dry, I'll turn it into turkey pot pie and make some killer smoked gravy with the drippings I plan on collecting.

Sept 29, 2020 2:13:03 GMT Foos said:

iNCY I only eat turkey twice a year generally. Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thanksgiving is soon (not you America) so that's why they're around and cheap.

And I agree with the moisture concern. Hence the brining. It was only $12, so worst case scenario if it's dry, I'll turn it into turkey pot pie and make some killer smoked gravy with the drippings I plan on collecting.

I’ve done a good sized turkey breast a couple times. The brine is key. And that’s wet brine not dry brine. Both times mine turned out good. Can’t really remember my temps and times off the top of my head. Though I know I wrote it in one of the mrs cookbooks. I’ll try and find it though. We did thanksgiving food with one. With the second I feel like I roasted a bunch of veggies. String beans, potatoes, carrots, broccoli, onions... gotta stop making myself hungry.

Found it. So I tried to keep my temp between 225 and 250. And went about 40 minutes per pound as a guide. I used a six pound breast both times. And was done in 3 hours with an internal temp at 165.

Now I haven’t done a full bird. Many people separate the wings, thighs and legs though. It’s hard to get the breast cooked to right temp with those attached so I’ve heard. And with dark meat I’d wanna go a little longer anyway. Like I’m gonna want my thighs at like 180 before I eat Um. That’s just me though.

Good luck man hope it turns out great.

Smoked turkey turned out very well. Great flavour! It took a lot longer than I expected based off of what the internet told me. That's good to know going forward. I got the thighs to a temp I was good with, and the breast was still pretty moist. I brought some to work and they were very happy that I shared. I ran out of hickory so it was about 3/4 hickory and 1/4 pecan for the smoke.

I had to Friar Tuck one of the drumsticks. Too good of a picture opportunity to pass up. I saved the drippings, but making gravy is my wife's job. She'll make some smoked gravy tomorrow. Mmmm mmm.

Oct 2, 2020 2:48:02 GMT Foos said:

Smoked turkey turned out very well. Great flavour! It took a lot longer than I expected based off of what the internet told me. That's good to know going forward. I got the thighs to a temp I was good with, and the breast was still pretty moist. I brought some to work and they were very happy that I shared. I ran out of hickory so it was about 3/4 hickory and 1/4 pecan for the smoke.

I had to Friar Tuck one of the drumsticks. Too good of a picture opportunity to pass up. I saved the drippings, but making gravy is my wife's job. She'll make some smoked gravy tomorrow. Mmmm mmm.

That does look pretty incredible... I do love me some leftovers!
I would love to try this some day:

Looks great man glad it turned out so good. Wish I had one of those legs right now. Got me in the mood to smoke one now.

Oct 2, 2020 13:51:49 GMT All34LOL said:

Looks great man glad it turned out so good. Wish I had one of those legs right now. Got me in the mood to smoke one now.

Do it! My rub was just seasoning salt, garlic, paprika. 

And iNCY, smoked mac and cheese with brisket? That sounds amazing. 

Oct 3, 2020 1:00:38 GMT Foos said:

Oct 2, 2020 13:51:49 GMT All34LOL said:

Looks great man glad it turned out so good. Wish I had one of those legs right now. Got me in the mood to smoke one now.

Do it! My rub was just seasoning salt, garlic, paprika. 

And iNCY, smoked mac and cheese with brisket? That sounds amazing. 

Rub sounds right to me. But I’d ad same sage.turkey needs sage.

Oct 3, 2020 1:11:13 GMT All34LOL said:

Oct 3, 2020 1:00:38 GMT Foos said:

Do it! My rub was just seasoning salt, garlic, paprika. 

And iNCY, smoked mac and cheese with brisket? That sounds amazing. 

Rub sounds right to me. But I’d add some sage.turkey needs sage.

I shoved fresh sage inside the bird. Inside the cavity was onions, apples, lemon, sage, and rosemary. All34LOL,

Oct 3, 2020 1:19:06 GMT Foos said:

I shoved fresh sage inside the bird. Inside the cavity was onions, apples, lemon, sage, and rosemary. All34LOL,

Nice

Oct 3, 2020 1:19:06 GMT Foos said:

I shoved fresh sage inside the bird. Inside the cavity was onions, apples, lemon, sage, and rosemary. All34LOL,

That brought back too many memories of boy scouts... I still walk funny.

Oct 3, 2020 2:12:34 GMT iNCY said:

Oct 3, 2020 1:19:06 GMT Foos said:

I shoved fresh sage inside the bird. Inside the cavity was onions, apples, lemon, sage, and rosemary. All34LOL,

That brought back too many memories of boy scouts... I still walk funny.

At least no gerbil!

Tried something new. I did a pork shoulder overnight. Zero maintenance. Put it on and forget it until it reached 195. 

Standard type rub. Used cherry wood for my smoke. Put it on before bed. Had the temperature stable at 230. Figured that was good. Woke up randomly at 430am. Checked the temperature, it was up to 245. I didn't really care, happy to smoke pork shoulder in betwen 225-250. Fell back asleep. Woke up at 6:30. Smoker was at 280. Yeesh. Took the pork off and it was at 199. So, good to go. Not happy that the temperature got so high. My water bowl was completely dry, so I figure that was the reason for the temperature spike. Anyone else have any theories?

The pork itself? Just dandy. I mean, I picked a pork shoulder to do this to because it's the most forgiving piece of meat I've worked with. The bark was extra crispy. I've yet to have a bark like that before...I kinda liked it! I might do that again, but wake up halfway through and refill the water bowl to hopefully keep the temperature stable. Give that beast a spritz or two while I'm up. Overall it was on the smoker for just shy of 9 hours. 

My friends want to toss me some money to do a brisket. Not sure if I'm there yet. That's a lot of money to invest into a brisket in case I screw it up. I'll have to decide soon, since it's getting realllllly cold now. Already getting negative temperatures overnight. 

Anyone smoke before in cold temperatures? Is it doable? Just burning through more propane/wood/charcoal because of the cold air? I can't imagine this working really well in my harsh winters. All34LOL 🤯 iNCY RT @ness

Mandatory pictures:

I don't smoke meats. I smoke plants.

I'm just here to eat the pictures.

Oct 16, 2020 1:49:10 GMT Foos said:

Tried something new. I did a pork shoulder overnight. Zero maintenance. Put it on and forget it until it reached 195. 

Standard type rub. Used cherry wood for my smoke. Put it on before bed. Had the temperature stable at 230. Figured that was good. Woke up randomly at 430am. Checked the temperature, it was up to 245. I didn't really care, happy to smoke pork shoulder in betwen 225-250. Fell back asleep. Woke up at 6:30. Smoker was at 280. Yeesh. Took the pork off and it was at 199. So, good to go. Not happy that the temperature got so high. My water bowl was completely dry, so I figure that was the reason for the temperature spike. Anyone else have any theories?

The pork itself? Just dandy. I mean, I picked a pork shoulder to do this to because it's the most forgiving piece of meat I've worked with. The bark was extra crispy. I've yet to have a bark like that before...I kinda liked it! I might do that again, but wake up halfway through and refill the water bowl to hopefully keep the temperature stable. Give that beast a spritz or two while I'm up. Overall it was on the smoker for just shy of 9 hours. 

My friends want to toss me some money to do a brisket. Not sure if I'm there yet. That's a lot of money to invest into a brisket in case I screw it up. I'll have to decide soon, since it's getting realllllly cold now. Already getting negative temperatures overnight. 

Anyone smoke before in cold temperatures? Is it doable? Just burning through more propane/wood/charcoal because of the cold air? I can't imagine this working really well in my harsh winters. All34LOL 🤯 iNCY RT @ness

Mandatory pictures:

I’ve had mixed results in the cold. My turkey turned out great. Did a shoulder once in the cold that gave me fits. Temp was harder to maintain. Though I was opening occasionally to spritz. Next shoulder I do in The cold I may use your Method foos . Open once to fill water. And just let it happen.

I have a feeling my Traeger will actually do better in cold. Unfortunately I live in a townhouse with an exposed deck so my setup is in direct sunlight. In the summer the temp was always 15-20 degrees higher than I had it set at because of that.

We have a patio umbrella that sort of helps but depending where the sun is it doesn't always provide shade. Last couple times I used it it was overcast and not very warm and I found it sat right at the temp I set it at.

Anyway nice job Foos that looks pretty good. I should try for a crispier bark next time too. I like a little crunch, especially something like pulled pork sandwiches.

Foos You can finish in the oven after smoking for 2 hours or so. Smoke penetration stops after a point.

Oct 16, 2020 2:59:58 GMT RT said:

Anyway nice job Foos that looks pretty good. I should try for a crispier bark next time too. I like a little crunch, especially something like pulled pork sandwiches.

I always make a quick coleslaw to add to my pulled pork sandwiches for my crunch. This bark helped too. The more I ate it, the more I liked it. 

Oct 16, 2020 3:20:59 GMT Gyro LC said:

Foos You can finish in the oven after smoking for 2 hours or so. Smoke penetration stops after a point.

When my last brisket stalled I brought it in, wrapped it, and put it in the oven. I also finished my most recent turkey in the oven too. Problem right now is that my wife despises the smoke smell and is extremely unhappy when the house starts to smell amazing when I finish things in the oven. 

Two more recent submissions for you guys. 

Did a little brisket. Less than 3 lbs. Injected with beef broth, rub was just salt and pepper. Smoked using pecan and applewood. Temperature was pretty consistent at 240. Pulled it at 165, wrapped in foil, and finished in the oven until it hit 203. Bark never really set in while in the smoker. It was pretty tender. Still not happy with the results. Made for some great sandwiches. Next time I think I'll remove the water tray and see if I can get a better bark that way. Or I may not wrap it, and see how long it can go during the stall. 

Brushed the snow off of the smoker yesterday and did some chicken wings. Rub of salt, garlic, paprika. Smoked them for about an hour using cherry wood at 230-240. Cranked the heat, got it up to 400-425 and kept it on for about 35 minutes. Flipped the wings halfway through. This really crisped them up nicely. Was overall really really pleased. My wife even had some. I did a quick sweet bbq sauce for my share. I will definitely do more like this with cherry wood. 

Anyone (other than iNCY) do some snow smoking? I'm sure it's a little early in the season for the rest of you, but historically?

mikec, this is what you should ask for for Christmas. The opportunity to eat Foos' meat.

I bet mikec makes a mean bbq. Just not motivated to take and post pictures.

Although he should. Always looking for ideas and tips whether it's bbq or grilling. Not that I do much grilling when it's covered in snow...

I do some ok stuff on the grill, the highlight for me is a blackened chicken but burgers, brats, chops, sure no problem.

I’m not good with the smoking yet though. I’ve had ribs twice, once good and once bad and I’ve made a few pork butts but honestly I’ve liked the slow cooker more. So I’ll happily take some Foos food.

No smoking going on right now. I am out of pellets and I want to buy a few bags of different kinds this time, rather than the blend Mrs RT gifted me. I liked the blend as it was good for learning how the smoker behaves, but now I want to get a little more specific and see how much different the flavours can be.

Thinking of grabbing a bag of pecan, bag of apple, and a bag of hickory. Those 3 seem to be the main ones used in a lot of recipes. Apparently pecan is good for chicken and fish, apple for ribs, hickory for basically anything.

Mrs. RT wants to do some Christmas shopping this week so maybe after that is done I'll stock up. The only place that sells pellets where I live is a little pricey, otherwise I'd just go buy some.

EDIT: I just did a quick googles and Rona sells them here! I didn't know that. And they're only $18 bucks a bag as opposed to $25 at the stupid other place. Ohhhhh I might be smoking a whole chicken this Sunday....

I've been messing with hickory, pecan, mesquite, cherry, and apple so far. So far I just need to be careful with how much mesquite I add because it's a strong smoke flavour.

On my eventual to smoke list...meatloaf.

Lotta posts in here but only a few foodporn pics.

Just saying.

I'M DOING MY BEST OKAY NESTICLE?!