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I think wet brines penetrate to the center more quickly for very thick pieces of meat. If I have a very thick belly, then I'm more inclined to use a wet cure; for standard or thinner than usual I prefer to use a dry brine.

I'd like to get a remote probe thermometer that can also work for roasting at higher temps in the oven. Are there any probes that can handle temps around 450?

It didn't make sense to me either why this would be at all beneficial.

A local guy who does a lot of high quality charcuterie for his catering business told me that he recommends removing the liquid from meat that is dry curing. I didn't get a chance to ask him the rationale for this. What do you think? Does this make sense?

I don't believe the argument that water in the pan slows down the moisture loss in the meat. On the other hand there are many compelling reasons why clay saucer works better than water: 1) Less likely to have injury from spilling boiling water. 2) Easier set up, easier mid-cook monitoring...

I've done it quite a bit, but it really isn't necessary for bacon. Hot smoking to 145-150 works just fine. For bacon or jerky, what I think works better than cold smoking is to minion the start with just a few lit coals, and let the temp come up slowly and try to hold it around 150 for an hour...

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">pastrami is meant to be lightly smoked, not fully smoked like a brisket. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> I realize that is the case, but why is it so? Pastrami is usually steamed...

Question for those familiar with grass-fed brisket: how well will this work for pastrami? The beef in question is Scottish highland beef from this source. Bonus pastrami question: Why is it that many delis steam their pastrami until tender, rather than have it smoked till tender? Is it...

I'm wondering if it would be possible to set up a temp control device to monitor an oven away from home that has no human supervision for an hour or two at night now and then. On the off-chance that the oven malfunctions and gets too hot, I'm wondering if a temp control device could be set up...

The best way to avoid a hammy taste is to intentionally create a hammy taste by making your own cured pork products from time to time--bacon, tasso ham, buckboard bacon, cured jowl, etc. Once you know how to create that flavor intentionally, you'll know how to avoid it as well. Personally, I...

Take a look at Kevin Kruger's second post in this thread. I think that will help to solve your problem.

My cooker is rather leaky and I do it if I am cold smoking or milking a sub-200 degree temp for things like jerky or bacon. Otherwise, no.

I'd like to encourage you to try using plain salt separate from other spices. There are several big advantages. First, you pay way more if you buy salt combined with other ingredients than if you just buy salt alone. Second, it is very hard to know just how much salt you are adding when you...

When a lot of people got started with smoking meat, there was a fairly strong orthodoxy that said BBQ = low and slow. That orthodoxy has been debunked fairly well both for competitive and non-competitive smokers, although clearly not with this primo "pitmaster." But even for those who have...

Wow Andy, that is a great score. I'd love to have something like that. Get that thing really well seasoned and you could use it anywhere you would use a griddle. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the Benihana pseudo-Japanese knife style of cooking. In Japan the most common type of griddle...

My wife gives her avacados a couple minutes in citric acid mixed with water prior to making her california rolls. Her objective is to prevent them from browning for as long as possible, not to leave any strong taste. We never did any side-by-side testing, but I think lemon juice or other...

Don't get me started about mold. People have been way too worried about mold of late due to exaggerated reports about noxious strains of mold, with the assumption that all mold is the same. The truth is, the vast majority of mold strains are nothing to worry about and have coexisted with humans...

Typically, when you have a sauce with a substantial vinegar component, the acidity is going to make it last quite a while if kept chilled. That said, it won't taste as good after it has been hanging out in your frig for 2 months.

For me, it is too much of a hassle to remove the top rack to add and subtract food to the bottom rack in the middle of a cook. So I always try to set it up if at all possible so I am not going to have to lift the top grate more than once throughout the cook. Without a remote thermometer, the...

Jay, Click here for info on determining the age of your Weber smoker/grill. Nice score. You may want to consider a new cooking grate as well. They are sold at many hardware and home depot/Lowe's type of store. Not a bad idea to replace them every couple of years if they get a lot of use...