Need help preparing for first Smoke in 18.5


 
M

Michael Davidson

New member
Hey there,

Well the meat is marinating in the fridge. Here is what I have.

-3lb Brisket point (sitting in pastrami brine)
-5lb Sirloin Tip (sitting in pastrami brine)
-Beef ribs (sitting in pastrami brine)
-8lb of Ribeye (sitting in it's own Montreal Steakspice wet Marinade)

I believe this will fill up the smoker (trying not to 'waste' I guess. I have some lump charcoal. The large blue bag form Lowe's.

Here are my questions:

-Suppose I let the meat site in the brine for 3-4 days. Do I need to take it out the brine, coat it with rub, and then refrigerate for another day? Or does it go directly on the grill?

-I'm not cooking with any pork this time around. Does my meat need to rest when I'm done?

-Which order should I put in the meat assuming both racks will be used and where should I place the drip pan? How does this work?

-How do I know when the ribs will be ready? I assume they are going to take shorter to cook..

-I keep reading about people having problem with lump charcoal maintaining a long cooking time. What should I expect?

-I'm in the north. It's still winter and my backyard is fairly windy. It's about freezing temperature out right now. The air isn't still back there.. there's always at least some sort of breeze. Will this make the lump charcoal burn out faster?

-I'm going to filling up the 18" grill with meat on both racks. Will I need to burn more charcoal throughout the process? Like does the amount of meat matter?

-I've read people say that you shouldn't put drumsticks or chicken breasts in the smoker, but rather the grill.. why is that?

-If I add more charcoal to the Weber, how do I do it? Do I lift the whole top off? Use the front door? I don't have any handles on it so am not sure what I'm supposed to do.

-How much Hickory wood chunks should I add to the charcoal? Suppose the are the size of your fist how much would you add. I really want a smoke ring.

-After I add the wood chunks and the charcoal is burning, when should I add the meat?

-My Weber has a water pan. Does this need to be filled up with water? Do I need to check it and keep refilling it? I keep seeing tinfoil over it in lots of pictures and don't know what to do with the water pan.

-Do I need to spray my meat pieces with apple juice once an hour to get tender meat? I keeping seeing this on Youtube.

Any help is appreciated on this.. thanks a bunch!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Michael Davidson:
Hey there,

Well the meat is marinating in the fridge. Here is what I have.

-3lb Brisket point (sitting in pastrami brine)
-5lb Sirloin Tip (sitting in pastrami brine)
-Beef ribs (sitting in pastrami brine)
-8lb of Ribeye (sitting in it's own Montreal Steakspice wet Marinade)

I believe this will fill up the smoker (trying not to 'waste' I guess. I have some lump charcoal. The large blue bag form Lowe's.

<span class="ev_code_RED">Michael, Welcome aboard!
You've taken on a REALLY AMBITIOUS cook for your first time around.

The amount and different cuts of meat you have will add additional issues you'll have to keep in mind while cooking.

I'll answer what questions I can...</span>
Here are my questions:

-Suppose I let the meat site in the brine for 3-4 days. Do I need to take it out the brine, coat it with rub, and then refrigerate for another day? Or does it go directly on the grill?

<span class="ev_code_RED">It can go right onto the smoker.</span>

-I'm not cooking with any pork this time around. Does my meat need to rest when I'm done?

<span class="ev_code_RED">I always let meat rest lightly covered with foil. The thicker the cut, the longer the rest.</span>

-Which order should I put in the meat assuming both racks will be used and where should I place the drip pan? How does this work?

<span class="ev_code_RED">Seems to me that you could put it all in at the beginning, and pull the individual cuts as they finish, you will have to keep them warm if you do that. If you want to try and have everything done at the same time, you are travelling a hard, tough road. Never try to time your cook to finish at "supper time". Cook till it's done. Period. The WSM doesn't use a drip pan.</span>

-How do I know when the ribs will be ready? I assume they are going to take shorter to cook..

<span class="ev_code_RED">I've never cooked beef ribs, but with pork spares and baby backs, they're done when a probe or toothpick passes through the meat with practically no resistance. Always cook to tender, not to time.</span>

-I keep reading about people having problem with lump charcoal maintaining a long cooking time. What should I expect?

<span class="ev_code_RED">With that amount of meat, I would expect to have to reload the charcoal at some point. Maybe, maybe not. Depends on conditions at the time.</span>

-I'm in the north. It's still winter and my backyard is fairly windy. It's about freezing temperature out right now. The air isn't still back there.. there's always at least some sort of breeze. Will this make the lump charcoal burn out faster?

<span class="ev_code_RED">The wind is your enemy. The WSM doesn't care about temperature. Try and rig some kind of wind break. There are lots of great examples on TVWB</span>

-I'm going to filling up the 18" grill with meat on both racks. Will I need to burn more charcoal throughout the process? Like does the amount of meat matter?

<span class="ev_code_RED">Answered above...yes, it does.</span>

-I've read people say that you shouldn't put drumsticks or chicken breasts in the smoker, but rather the grill.. why is that?

<span class="ev_code_RED">The normal school of thought is that because of it's tough, thick skin, chicken should be grilled at high temps. That said, I do smoke chicken from time to time. When I do that, I run my WSM with all the vents wide open, to get the maximum amount of heat.</span>

-If I add more charcoal to the Weber, how do I do it? Do I lift the whole top off? Use the front door? I don't have any handles on it so am not sure what I'm supposed to do.

<span class="ev_code_RED">Either way is OK, whatever works for you. USE GLOVES!! You will probably want to keep your eye on the fire and have some already lit when it is time to add.</span>

-How much Hickory wood chunks should I add to the charcoal? Suppose the are the size of your fist how much would you add. I really want a smoke ring.

<span class="ev_code_RED">The meat will only make a smoke ring when it's temperature is below 140° F. Smoke particles will continue to adhere to the outside of the meat for the remainder of the cook. I would probably start with 3 or 4 fist-sized chunks, and NOT add any more. That's just me, though.</span>

-After I add the wood chunks and the charcoal is burning, when should I add the meat?

<span class="ev_code_RED">Have the meat ready to go. Add your unlit to the charcoal ring. Light about 1/3 of a Weber chimney starter (maybe 2 lbs.), wait till it's licking flames above the top coals, then dump it on top of the unlit, spread it around evenly, add the wood, assemble WSM, add the meat.</span>

-My Weber has a water pan. Does this need to be filled up with water? Do I need to check it and keep refilling it? I keep seeing tinfoil over it in lots of pictures and don't know what to do with the water pan.

<span class="ev_code_RED">Foiling the water pan simply makes cleanup easier. It's up to you whether you use water in the pan or not. The purpose of the waterpan is to keep the temps in the "low 'n' slow" range, rather than getting so hot. I'm starting to learn how to cook with only a foiled pan, but I've been doing this for 6 - 7 years.</span>

-Do I need to spray my meat pieces with apple juice once an hour to get tender meat? I keeping seeing this on Youtube.

<span class="ev_code_RED">In my opinion, spritzing doesn't help with tenderness, it only helps build a flavor layer for the outside of the meat, and may possibly help some cuts stay moist. Once I start a long cook, I NEVER take the lid off unless I'm chekcing for tenderness towards the end of the cook.</span>

Any help is appreciated on this.. thanks a bunch! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

<span class="ev_code_RED">You're welcome. Good Luck, and take pictures!
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</span>
 
Michael over the years I've screwed up a lot of cooks
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I always cook something cheap & small for a first cook in a new cooker!
You've got time to cook the ribs as a trial , or a rack of BB ribs before the big cook.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by John Ford:
Michael over the years I've screwed up a lot of cooks
icon_biggrin.gif

I always cook something cheap & small for a first cook in a new cooker!
You've got time to cook the ribs as a trial , or a rack of BB ribs before the big cook. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Boy, do I agree with John. +1

If this is your first cook (as it appears), you are risking a LOT of meat, expense and time. I would suggest a nice meatloaf for first time (you can find lots of recipes here). While it's tempting to maximize your cook time and resources like this (I do it a lot myself), it's safer and more fun to get some experience first.
My first WSM cook was a pork butt with several other items -- the pork butt came out great, but the rest was only so-so because I just didn't understand the smoker.

I'd also suggest that you go to the "Cooking Topics" of the TVWB and read about each piece of meat you are cooking, about brining and about any of the other questions you have.

Good luck whatever you do.

Rich
 
Another good reason to split that up into a few cooks is that you may not want to cook everything at the same temperature. Honestly, I'm not sure since I've never cooked a few things on your list, but there is a learning curve to the WSM. Even after hundreds of cooks at various temps on a kettle, I felt like I was starting over on my WSM. Unless you're feeding an army, I would try to make that 2-4 cooks. Start with the beef ribs, they're easy.
 
Agree with Charles' answers.

Agree with all - very ambitious and risky for a first time smoker.

IMO, ribeyes are best grilled over high heat.
 
That is a lot of brineing going on. How long are you leaving it in the brine? You may want to rinse everything you brine to take some of the salt out of it. Is that a ribeye roast or steaks? I would grill them if they are steaks.

The blue bag from Lowes is Royal Oak lump here in Ottawa so probably the same in TO. Watch out for foreign objects in it. I got a bag last week and it has some insulation in it and actually found a chunk of plastic. Take a look and make sure your only burning wood.

First cook I would definitely use your water pan. Make sure to fill it with HOT water.

Don't spritz. Every time you take off the lid your going to affect your temperature in the smoker and you have enough to worry about as it is.

If you need help eating all that I can be at your place in 4 1/2 hours.
 
Michael,
I don't recomend lump charcoal, I have used it twice and both times controling the temp has been very hard.Lump makes it hard to fill the ring so you can't get the max heat. If you can try to get some briquettes, also I would recomend one type meat at a time untill you get the hang of the smoker.Good luck
 
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