2017 Gratuitous Grilling and BBQ thread

[indiucky]

Right on Phylodog. Sounds like you have it pretty well figured out.

I've come to the conclusion that Phylodog is the Stephen Hawking of the grill......This will be me meeting phylodog for the first time...

[video=youtube;N9cIzDOs6VU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9cIzDOs6VU[/video]

 

[phylodog]

Lol, I wish I was that talented. That would probably be my reaction to meeting Aaron Franklin though.

 

[Fargo]

I think it was a combo of a bit too much trimming (that's what I get for watching too many YouTube videos) and too low on the temp. Should've gone with 250*, live and learn. The brisket is my last big hurdle, I've got a pretty good handle on everything else I'm interested in. The flavor was really good, the white oak barrel staves were great it was just a little dry. I'm going to be a little more picky about the briskets I buy as well, GFS only had one out so I was kind of stuck with it.

Ive been working on brisket for a couple years now and have had much the same experience. IME the cut of meat is most important, stay far away from select unless you are using it in chili or drowned in sauce. I too go closer to 250 on cooker temp and it the only cut I even consider Texas crutching. If I am worried that I have a less than optimal cut, I will crutch it in the oven for the last six hours of the cook with some beef broth or apple juice. Flat, by its nature, starts drying out as soon as it is cut while point is much more forgiving. I like to do a couple hour rest in a faux cambro or warming drawer as I think it helps the remaining collagen and fat in the fat layer between the flat and point break down and adds moisture to the flat.

 

[Rookie]

I can usually get a select to come out moist by injecting, crutching, and smoking at around 275. Another thing I do when picking a brisket is hold it up about 1/3 from the bottom. If it folds easily in the package, it's usually pretty tender. I go by that over fat content.

Crutching is one of those hot button debates among smoking enthusiasts, but I crutch everything.

 

[Vigilant]

Getting ready to drop a 4 lb Ribeye roast on the BGE. Slathered in a "frosting" of 1/2 lb butter, salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, and enough garlic to choke an Italian vampire. 500* for 25 minutes, then shutting down the egg to let this puppy roast until mid rare! Gonna attempt to retain the drippings and make gravy with the beef stock I made from the bones when I did the last standing rib roast on the egg.(Smoked beef stock is AMAZING in beef and noodles BTW!)

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[phylodog]

Sounds tasty! Be sure to report on shutting down the egg and letting it steep, I've never tried that but I can see some advantages.

 

[gunsisgood]

Nothing fancy just a ribeye on a charcoal starter.

 

[phylodog]

Nothing fancy just a ribeye on a charcoal starter.

Now that's a great looking sear, nicely done!

 

[Vigilant]

25 minutes at 500* 2:10 after shutdown to get to 133* internal.

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First few slices!

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Slices plated with mashed taters and the homemade(not Houghmade) gravy from those wonderful drippings!

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One more with Irish BBQ Fluid in the background!

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As far as the shutdown goes, it worked wonderfully! I should have left the temp at 500* a little longer to further sear the crust, and carmelize it just a bit more. Next time, probably 5-8 more minutes at high temp. After, I just capped the egg with the storage cap, and shut down the dampers totally. For the next 2 hours and change, I watched the digimometer in the meat go up, and the egg temp go down. Pulled it at a tad before mid rare, rested it while the pan drippings were turned into gravy. Sliced it after resting 15 minutes or so, and it was PERFECT MID RARE. The pictures make it look rarer than it actually was, not quite that red at the finished product! This is by far, the easiest prime rib I've ever done! Now to tweak the seasonings, and learn more about this gravy thing! The gravy was a little bland just tasting it on the spoon, but when ladled over the mashed, and the meat ala Lawrys for Prime Rib style, it was near perfect!

 

[bacon#1]

That looks really good. Wonder what a "frosting" like that would do to a pork butt. Maybe some different spices but smearing it in butter like that. May have to try it.

 

[Vigilant]

That looks really good. Wonder what a "frosting" like that would do to a pork butt. Maybe some different spices but smearing it in butter like that. May have to try it.

The Ace of Cakes, and Cake Boss ain't got nuthin' on this "Buttercream Frosting"! I tend to smear my pork loins with garlic and applesauce, and the butts get dry rubbed, but I may try a butter basted pork butt as well?

 

[phylodog]

Looks perfect Vigilant, nicely done! I use a fat separator when I make gravy. When we make a roast (I usually braze them for 8 hours) I take 6 tbsp of the fat I skim off with the separator and 5 tbsp of fat, make a roux and cook it until you can't smell the flour any longer (medium blonde color). I then add 3 cups of the juice from the roast and if we have any around I'll put a tbsp or so of white wine in there. I haven't tried gravy from drippings off of the egg yet, I usually end up with very little liquid as it tends to burn off before the meat is done.

 

[Vigilant]

Looks perfect Vigilant, nicely done! I use a fat separator when I make gravy. When we make a roast (I usually braze them for 8 hours) I take 6 tbsp of the fat I skim off with the separator and 5 tbsp of fat, make a roux and cook it until you can't smell the flour any longer (medium blonde color). I then add 3 cups of the juice from the roast and if we have any around I'll put a tbsp or so of white wine in there. I haven't tried gravy from drippings off of the egg yet, I usually end up with very little liquid as it tends to burn off before the meat is done.

I don't have a fat separator, or I would have done that as well. As far as the liquid, I cheated by adding a covering of the beef stock in the bottom of the drip pan, just in case, as I rarely have much liquid left on longer cooks. I took the drip pan in, poured/scraped it into a sauce pot on med/hi heat, and started the roux with a couple tbsp's of flour(not blonde AT ALL) brought that to a slow boil and added 2cups of beef stock and cooked it down whisking religiously until thickened. As I said, tasting the gravy itself, it seemed bland, but when it was all combined, boy was it tasty!

ETA: the beef stock I used was from the bones of a smoked standing rib, and some may find the smokey stock a little different than what they're used to, but it turned out well, and it makes killer beef and noodles!

 

[phylodog]

I've made smoked chicken stock but not beef, I'm adding that to my "to do" list.

 

[Rookie]

Not sure if you've tried smoked salt, but it's easy to do.

 

[phylodog]

I haven't yet. I'm still pretty hung up on my Hawaiian salt, I'll get around to it once this love affair is over lol.

 

[Vigilant]

Not sure if you've tried smoked salt, but it's easy to do.

I'm looking at the cold smoker attachment for one of my Traegers, so I can start smoking cheeses.

 

[w_ADAM_d88]

Ribs tonight were awesome... not necessarily smoked tho. Cooked in the oven at 275 for 3 hours then finished over charcoal/peach wood mix for the last hour. Bbq sauce brushed on for the last 30 mins and caramelized. SOOOO GOOOOOD!

 

[Fargo]

Looks fantastic!

 

[phylodog]

Baby backs & sweet taters for dinner. Not sure what I was thinking but the 3-2-1 method takes more than 3 hours. I didn't get them on the smoker until 3:30 and it took me a couple of hours to realize that I'm an idiot. Jacked the temp up to 350* and pulled them for dinner at 7:40. They were done and the flavor was good but they certainly weren't the most tender ribs I've ever had.

I hate it when I screw up bbq.