Recent content by Gerry Ackerman

I've noticed the residue, but it hadn't gotten bad until I smoked some bacon tonight. What are the flakes and are they hazardous to eat? Some fell on my bacon. I'll know to clean them off in the future, but after a year and a half of using the WSM whatever it is has finally built up enough to be...

Thanks all!

Should I set an alarm for an overnight temp check if I load up on charcoal when I start or should I add more coals before I go to bed. Or perhaps both?

Thanks, Jon. I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, so I know I'm not talkin' about real cold, but I'm still dealing with Tennessee cold. :)

Sorry, didn't include that I'm on a Weber SM 22.5.

I'm going to smoke brisket on Christmas Eve for Christmas Day consumption and the overnight temperature on Dec. 24 in Nashville will be around 40 degrees. I'm a big fan of the Minion Method but I was wondering if anyone had a solid suggestion for keeping the coals hot (225) on a cold night. As...

Morton's site says Tender Quick is temporarily unavailable. Has anyone tried Morton Sugar Cure and how does it compare? I'll be using it for bacon.

Thank you, Martin! I appreciate the tip!

I took my pork bellies out of the cure tonight and they both had a little bit of green coloration on a few areas of the fat side. Is this a cause for concern? They've both been rinsed and are currently in the fridge for a Tuesday smoke. Thoughts?

Thank you, Bob! That makes sense! I can't wait to try it.

Thanks for this, Bob. I'm curious about the amount of brown sugar to add. I'm making two slabs of bacon (each about 3.5 lbs) and I'd like to try brown sugar on one. I realize it's a matter of personal taste, but I'm trying to figure out whether I need to use (for the sake of this discussion) 1...

I'm sure this has been discussed a bazillion times, but I'm smoking a 7 lb. pork butt and am debating whether to foil it or not. I typically wrap the butt in foil after about 4 hours, but I'm thinking about changing up. It usually helps keep the meat moist. I'm about an hour and a half in...

I'm going to try my first Boston Butt in the morning. 6 lb. butt bone in, how much time am I looking at if I keep it in the 225-250 range? I've read two hours per pound, but that's not WSM specific. Any insight?

Good info, all. It's all a learning process for me, which I love. I may give the ribs another run this weekend with water in the pan.

Thanks, guys. I'll try those things next time through. I guess I was thinking of water in the pan more as a way to keep the meat moist and not so much as a temperature control. I appreciate the input.