Recent content by Michael Campisi

I've been making a ton of beer can chickens as of late for jobs I've been doing. The latest pair I had going at 260 for about 2.5 to 3 hours. Great flavor, just the right amount of smoke as I used three fistfuls of cherry. I also had both chickens cooking on the lower level for consistency...

Clay, I love the torch idea! Does it give you a nice crispy surface in addition to carmelization? To me,the perfect rib embodies that crispiness on the outside, and a tender yet not completely "fall off the bone" texture inside. If anyone thinks they've mastered their ribs to achieve this...

Thanks guys! I'm going to fiddle around with some stuffing ideas, and give this a whirl...I'll definitly post the results...

Has anyone ever tried this? I bought a veal breast today, and am eager to see the results. Their were Veal briskets as well, but the breats looked like the better candidate for "low and slow"... Thanks!

Hey Everyone, I had to buy a couple of picnic's this past weekend, because there were no Boston butts to be had. The finished product turned out tough as heck, and were very difficult to shred. It wasn't due to temperature spikes, as the cook was carefully observed. Is it possible that the...

I tried the recipe yesterday and pretty much followed it to a T. It still turned out with rubbery skin, but the turkey itself was great! It was my test run for Thanksgiving. Does anyone think separating the skin from the meat itself prior to cooking will make much of a difference? Or does...

The only beef rib I would smoke are Short ribs. They give you the most bang for your buck. They can be a little fatty, but the meat comes out so tender when smoked properly...

Keri, You said you poured the apple juice immediately after removing from the refrigerator. Most brining techniques I have seen require boiling the solution first, and then allowing to cool. I'm assuming you didn't do this?

Thanks everyone! I've had a 9 lb picnic shoulder on since 11:30 PM last night, and the temp has stayed steady. Paul G, you said it best. It's definitly an art!!

Has anyone else experienced an uncontrollable spike in temperature when using Mr. Minion's method for long cook times? I am extremely stingy about the amount of air I let through the vents, and I've still had instances where the temperature hit upwards of 280! I find that once it gets that...

Yes, I am referring to the plateuing. I would agree that it should start to rise, but I had a 6 lb brisket smoking for close to 11 hours, and the temp was infact dropping! Doesn't make sense!

Has anyone ever had a problem with their meat thermometers leveling off temperaturewise? I seem to have been having that problem with both the digital as well as analogue types. I end up just determining if the meat is done based on time and looseness of the bone. It's driving me crazy!