2023 Smoking/Grilling/Cooking thread

[Mark-DuCo]

Just dropped a flank steak in the Traeger. I'm going to see if a few hours of smoke and time will improve the experience.

Anyone smoked a flank steak before?

I like to smoke flank steak really low like 200 degrees until the meat hits about 110, then sear it in a pan of butter on both sides until med rare.

 

[Caleb]

Just dropped a flank steak in the Traeger. I'm going to see if a few hours of smoke and time will improve the experience.

Anyone smoked a flank steak before?

Not smoked but I've cooked it on a skillet before

 

[EPeter213]

Did you smoke it until the meat got past 140⁰?

Yup.smoked to 160, then wrapped in foil. Frankly, I was surprised the bark held up as well as it did.

 

[EPeter213]

The point is tough because you cut with the grain. Cube it, throw it on the smoker or even grill for a bit, lightly sauce it, and thank me later

It’s actually the flat that was tough. I realized that the point got sliced with the grain. I must have gotten it turned on accident, but it came out tender enough not to matter.

The flat still came out tender, just not perfect.

 

[Caleb]

What wifi thermometer are you guys running?

I've looked at the Meater+, thermowork signals, and the inkbirds but cannot make up my mind

 

[BigRed]

Full packer in the fridge thawing for the smoker this weekend.

 

[Hoosierdood]

What wifi thermometer are you guys running?

I've looked at the Meater+, thermowork signals, and the inkbirds but cannot make up my mind

I have the Inkbird IBT-24S and it works pretty well. Bluetooth is only good for about 30ft and I wish it went further but overall pretty happy with it.

 

[Caleb]

I have the Inkbird IBT-24S and it works pretty well. Bluetooth is only good for about 30ft and I wish it went further but overall pretty happy with it.

I'm set on wifi....can't decide which. Order your inkbird from Amazon?

 

[jfed85]

Went camping at raccoon lake this past weekend. Had to take the Weber Smokey mountain to smoke us some ribs.

Then when we got home Sunday evening did some ribeyes on the Weber kettle. Love summer. Smoke on.

 

[hoosierdaddy1976]

I figured since the whole damn state is covered in smoke, a little more couldn't hurt.

 

[freekforge]

I made chilli yesterday morning and let it simmer all day while I was at work. Today I took the left overs and mixed in some cheese and tossed it in the smoker with some hotdogs and made some smoked chilli dogs.

 

[mike4sigs]

Krogers has Bone in Ribeye $7.97 a pound and Pork Back ribs $1.99 with digital coupon

 

[chipbennett]

How long are you guys smoking flat brisket for at what temperature?

I was going to try for 225⁰

I cook to internal temperature, not time. There are rules of thumb, but they're not perfect - and can easily be the difference between mediocre brisket and great brisket. You really can't predict the length of the stall with any precision.

Temperature probes are relatively inexpensive. Really nice, wifi-connected probes that provide real-time, remote monitoring and trending of a cook can be had for more - and worth every penny, depending on how much you use them.

 

[chipbennett]

Obviously weight comes into play but I've found allotting 2hrs per pound works well. I do brisket at 250° however. The 2hr per lb includes a 1 hour rest in a cooler too

That rest is super important for proper brisket.

 

[chipbennett]

First smoke in the weber it smells amazing! Question though, what temp do you guys pull the brisket off and wrap it? What temp do you guys cook it too?


View attachment 282775

For a brisket flat, usually around 202F? But it could be anywhere from the 190s to 205F (or even a bit higher, depending on preference). The trick is learning to finish to "probe tender" (i.e. you can insert/remove a temp probe with minimal resistance): an indication that all of the connective tissues have broken down/gelatinized, ensuring full tenderness, without overcooking. So, it's a good idea to start checking for probe tenderness in the mid/upper-190s.

 

[chipbennett]

Point upto 132. May need to move the probe to check on flat

If you're going to cook full packers very often, getting multiple probes (or a multi-probe unit) is a good investment. For me, the trickiest part of the full packer is hitting the sweet spot of getting the point fully done without overcooking the flat. Monitoring internal temperature of both, simultaneously, is a huge help.

 

[chipbennett]

A coworker just today told me to smoke a pork shoulder/butt with the cap facing down...it retains all the yummy fat he said.

I put a drip pan under the pork butts, and add a can or so of dry cider. It makes for a slightly moist smoke and adds great flavor. I pull the butt in the drip pan after the rest, thereby retaining all of the rendered fat drippings and the remnants of the cider. I find that there is no need for any kind of sauce afterward to keep the pulled pork moist (though some still add sauce for flavor; to each, his own).

 

[phylodog]

I stumbled across a skirt steak in the freezer and decided I'd give Alton Brown's method of cooking directly on the coals a try. It turned out ok, the flavor was very good and I'd not shy away from doing this again but it turned out a bit more rare than I like and there was enough fat the make it too chewy for me. I ended up giving mine an additional quick cast iron sear before I ate it but my wife and daughter liked it as it turned out.

I also tried Sam the Cooking Guy's little puck potatoes. They were also very good, the texture was fantastic but he used a non stick skillet and I went with cast iron. My butter browned more than I wanted it to which skewed the flavor a bit away from where I wanted it but I'll be doing it again for sure.

 

[Jaybird1980]

I stumbled across a skirt steak in the freezer and decided I'd give Alton Brown's method of cooking directly on the coals a try. It turned out ok, the flavor was very good and I'd not shy away from doing this again but it turned out a bit more rare than I like and there was enough fat the make it too chewy for me. I ended up giving mine an additional quick cast iron sear before I ate it but my wife and daughter liked it as it turned out.

I also tried Sam the Cooking Guy's little puck potatoes. They were also very good, the texture was fantastic but he used a non stick skillet and I went with cast iron. My butter browned more than I wanted it to which skewed the flavor a bit away from where I wanted it but I'll be doing it again for sure.

I have never seen it straight on the coals like that. Interesting

 

[phylodog]

I have never seen it straight on the coals like that. Interesting

I'd be very surprised if anyone could detect a difference in flavor between this method and regular grilling.