Brinkman smoke n grill

[crispystl]

Anyone ever use one of these for smoking ? I just want something cheap to practice with.

[tooge]

Originally Posted by lewdog

I have a smoking question and figured we might as well bump this thread up. There was some good info in here last year that I used quite a bit.

I'm going to a friend's house for opening day. Here on West Coast time that means 10 a.m. kickoff. I am going to smoke a pork butt for some pulled pork sandwiches, but due to time constraints and not being at my house, I'm going to have to do this the day before.

Given the butt size I will be using it will likely take 9-10 hours to get it up to a temp of 190.

My question is how do I store this and re-heat it the day after so that the meat doesn't get dried out and tastes as close to coming off the smoker as it can be instead of microwaved leftovers?

You don't have to cook a pork butt whole. I had a time constraint last weekend and cut one into 6 pieces. Smoked it for 2.5 hours, foiled it, then cooked it for another 2 hours. It was perfect to pull. So, you could just get up pretty early, say 4:30, smoke the cut up butt, go back to bed, wake up about 7:30, foil it, and then just take it over hot off the smoker and pull it for sammys at your friends house. Thats what I'd do.

[Dunit35]

What wood pellets should I buy for beef, pork, fish, etc? I've heard oak is good for beef. Mesquite is strong, and fruit woods are usually the way to go. Anybody know what is best?

[jspchief]

Originally Posted by Dunit35

What wood pellets should I buy for beef, pork, fish, etc? I've heard oak is good for beef. Mesquite is strong, and fruit woods are usually the way to go. Anybody know what is best?

I would reserve the stronger ones for beef like mesquite and hickory. Fruitwoods are good for pork, as well as milder woods like oak and maple.

For anyone just starting out smoking, I always give the same advice. Keep a journal. Document things like the wood, rub, cooking method, etc. There are a lot of different ways to smoke good meat. Personal taste and actually being able to track what you did that gave you the results you liked helps.

Conversely, because there are so many different ways to get it right, you can get away with "winging it" alot. If you aren't that particular, just try something different from the web every time.

[Dunit35]

Originally Posted by jspchief

I would reserve the stronger ones for beef like mesquite and hickory. Fruitwoods are good for pork, as well as milder woods like oak and maple.

For anyone just starting out smoking, I always give the same advice. Keep a journal. Document things like the wood, rub, cooking method, etc. There are a lot of different ways to smoke good meat. Personal taste and actually being able to track what you did that gave you the results you liked helps.

Conversely, because there are so many different ways to get it right, you can get away with "winging it" alot. If you aren't that particular, just try something different from the web every time.

Thanks. I plan on writing stuff down as I go. I'm doing kc strips tonight on it. From what I'm reading you can smoke them at 225 degrees for 20-30 minutes until internal temp of 110-120. Then it says to jack the temperature to the high stage (400-450) for 1-2 minutes per side for searing, remove at 130-140 depending on how you like it.

[lewdog]

I love a mixture of apple and cherry wood for anything pork.

[Dunit35]

I bought the chargrill pellet grill at Lowes yesterday. The damn thing broke in the first 15 minutes during the seasoning stage. Called Lowes. Said I could take it back. It's going back tomorrow.

Went to the local Traeger dealer and walked out with the Lil Texas Elite. This thing has 142 sq inches less in cooking space compared to the Chargriller and was a little more than $300 more with the rebate. But it made one hell of a steak.

I put two kc strips on it, 25 minutes later and we had some damn good steaks.

[Dunit35]

Cooked baby backs on the traeger today. They were decently tender and had a good spice to them. I want more flavor though. I went with:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup paprika
1tbs black pepper
1 tbs salt
1 tbs chili pepper
1 tbs garlic powder
1 tbs onion powder
1 tps cayanne pepper

Cooked at 225-240 for 2 hrs, spraying apple juice/apple cider vinegar occasionally. I removed and wrapped for an hour adding apple juice and a bit more rub prior to wrapping. I removed foil, added a bit more rub and some honey. They needed more of a sweet flavor to it.

[crispystl]

Originally Posted by jspchief

There might be some websites out there with mods for that smoker to improve temp control.

This^^^ I modded the shit out of the Brinkman Smoke n Grill and it holds a really solid temp now. One of the best and easiest things you can do is remove the legs from the damn thing.

[crispystl]

Originally Posted by Dunit35

Cooked baby backs on the traeger today. They were decently tender and had a good spice to them. I want more flavor though. I went with:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup paprika
1tbs black pepper
1 tbs salt
1 tbs chili pepper
1 tbs garlic powder
1 tbs onion powder
1 tps cayanne pepper

Cooked at 225-240 for 2 hrs, spraying apple juice/apple cider vinegar occasionally. I removed and wrapped for an hour adding apple juice and a bit more rub prior to wrapping. I removed foil, added a bit more rub and some honey. They needed more of a sweet flavor to it.

i'm no pro at all and don't claim to be but I prefer closer to 200 for longer time.

[lewdog]

I'm going to smoke a pork butt on Saturday in my Charcoal vertical smoker.

Any recommendations for tips? Should I brine it over night? Give me your best ideas!

[KCUnited]

Originally Posted by lewdog

I'm going to smoke a pork butt on Saturday in my Charcoal vertical smoker.

Any recommendations for tips? Should I brine it over night? Give me your best ideas!

I've never brined a butt, there's plenty of moisture in there. I trim the fat cap and any other unsightly fat pockets. I salt mine and let it sit to build a pellicle and then rub it (I use a saltless rub because I've already salted the meat), but you can use mustard or oil to help adhere your rub. Throw it on around 225-250. I flip mine around 8 hours and start to baste it with an apple juice/vinegar/rub mix and pull off around 190. Let it rest for 30 mins to a couple hours depending on what the plan is. Good luck, man. Enjoy yourself.

[jspchief]

Originally Posted by KCUnited

I've never brined a butt, there's plenty of moisture in there. I trim the fat cap and any other unsightly fat pockets. I salt mine and let it sit to build a pellicle and then rub it (I use a saltless rub because I've already salted the meat), but you can use mustard or oil to help adhere your rub. Throw it on around 225-250. I flip mine around 8 hours and start to baste it with an apple juice/vinegar/rub mix and pull off around 190. Let it rest for 30 mins to a couple hours depending on what the plan is. Good luck, man. Enjoy yourself.

Yep. 225 until 190 internal temp. It will stall around 170 internal temp, but be patient. I like a rub heavy on salt and sugar because I feel it gives the best bark.

I take mine off and wrap tightly in foil to rest at least an hour. Wrap it in towels and put it in a cooler.

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by KCUnited

I've never brined a butt, there's plenty of moisture in there. I trim the fat cap and any other unsightly fat pockets. I salt mine and let it sit to build a pellicle and then rub it (I use a saltless rub because I've already salted the meat), but you can use mustard or oil to help adhere your rub. Throw it on around 225-250. I flip mine around 8 hours and start to baste it with an apple juice/vinegar/rub mix and pull off around 190. Let it rest for 30 mins to a couple hours depending on what the plan is. Good luck, man. Enjoy yourself.

I actually am going to cook it all Saturday, leave it whole/refrigerate and reheat whole in the oven the next day at my buddy's house. Not the best scenario but only way it is going to work for me.

What temp to re-heat it at in the oven and do I need it to get back to 190 degrees again?

/n00b questions

[KCUnited]

Originally Posted by lewdog

I actually am going to cook it all Saturday, leave it whole/refrigerate and reheat whole in the oven the next day at my buddy's house. Not the best scenario but only way it is going to work for me.

What temp to re-heat it at in the oven and do I need it to get back to 190 degrees again?

/n00b questions

You may as well be speaking Cantonese, homie. I've never tried reheating a whole butt in the oven. I'd probably pull the bone when it comes off the smoker though. You may google it. Good luck.

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by KCUnited

You may as well be speaking Cantonese, homie. I've never tried reheating a whole butt in the oven. I'd probably pull the bone when it comes off the smoker though. You may google it. Good luck.

Seems like people recommend a cool down, pull it, then store in fridge over night. Keep juices and poor over pulled pork with some apple juice with reheating in the oven at the party. Not ideal but it should be ok. These people are just from Phoenix.