Recent content by Rick Jones

I've smoked a couple of Kobe Briskets, and they do cook extremely fast compared to choice or select briskets, right around 45 minutes/lb. The ones I got weren't all that expensive, with whole packers going for around $2.50/lb. mail order from a place in Texas. The problem is the overnight...

I was in a BBQ restaurant in Jacksonville, Florida a couple of years ago, and I swore to my dining companion that they had to be using hickory. I was right, but I have never been quite sure whether it was the smell of the hickory in the air or the taste of the meat. Either way, I still knew it...

The last 3 briskets I've cooked were all flats, 2 of them CAB and one Wagyu. The CAB's took around 12 hours each, similar to what it takes me to cook a whole packer. The Wagyu only took around 8 hours, but surprisingly wasn't as juicy as the CAB's. For contests I've liked the convenience of...

Dave, I've never done a chuck roll, but here are a few ideas anyway. With Butt & Brisket, it's been my experience that the longer they sit in the plateau area of around 160 degrees, the juicier and more tender they are. For this reason, I've taken to cooking them at around 210-215 degrees...

My favorite commercially available is Paul Prudhomme's. Failing that, just go with some herbs de provence and you won't be sorry. Good Luck, Rick

I've always understood the bacteria danger zone to be between 40-140 degrees, so it would seem that if he's smoking chickens or whatever at 178 you wouldn't have to worry about salmonella, etc. Rick

Mike, Some briskets just cook faster than others; my personal experience has been that 15-20 degrees in temperature shouldn't shorten your cooking time by more than an hour or so. I've cooked spare ribs at 250 degrees that took 9 hours to get tender, and I've had them take as little as 5-6...

I've seen the method that Stone has described referred to as "burping". I've done it (hell, probably everyone whose ever owned a WSM has), and it does work to bring the temp down briefly, but like Mords says leaving the lid off will end up causing way too much draft and temps will go through...

I tried the following method out of desperation, and it worked quite well so I thought I'd share it here. I told Henry Joe Peterson about it at the West Coast BBQ Championship in Fairfield, California over the weekend, and he used it successfully as well when his temps got way out of control...

Pat, I think it would be a great investment. I have a regular, little Smokey Joe and use it almost as much as my 22.5" kettle. It's great when you just want to do a few hamburgers or any smaller amount of food. I usually use it when doing a single tri-tip for the family. You'll be surprised...

Jeff, I've only recently started foiling ribs, but I've had pretty good success so far. I cook spares for a couple of hours without foil, then cook them in foil for another couple of hours with some apple juice in the foil. I wrap them loosely, just so all the edges of the foil are sealed up...

Larry, I wouldn't worry about that at all. A lot of people cook pork butt on the top rack and brisket on the bottom exactly because they want the pork to baste the brisket. Good Luck, Rick

Roy, Thanks for the heads-up. A year or so ago Smart & Final had Choice briskets for $1.39 a pound, but that was a one-time deal as they usually only carry Select. The price at the S&F near me for Select briskets usually ranges between 1.19-1.59/lb, sounds like I should go take a look at what...

Although I've read from reliable sources on the internet that a smoke ring cannot be created on a gas grill, I have done it more than once. This was before I got my WSM, of course, but by cooking them with one burner turned all the way to low (total cook time between 3-4 hours), I still managed...

John, I've had tri-tip both smoked at 225 and grilled direct over hot coals, and I really prefer the grilled version. I also find that if you take them up to 140 degrees you'll get a nice medium rare, with the ends a little more well done, closer to medium. I know what you mean about the...