1st timer Super Bowl BBQ


 
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Well, this site sealed the deal...

I've been thinking about getting into smoking (I love BBQ'ing), and have been getting more and more anxious since finding an old (Brinkman, I think) smoker in the alley behind my house. I poked and prodded, cleaned it up, bought a replacement grate for it.... then found this site. Well, the Brinkman is now back in the alley (minus it's charcoal pan turned water pan), and I spent last evening setting up my brand new WSM!

Tip to prospective parents: do the deed on or about April 29th. Your child will have a birthday that is always within a couple days of the super bowl, and will than you for it eternally. That said, this weekend it the annual "Dirty Dave's (28th) Birthday and Super Bowl Bonanza". But all of that pales in significance to the baptism by fire of my brand new WSM.

So, I have about 25 people to feed, a WSM, and a trusty old Charbroil gas grill. Here's my plan:

Menu:
1) one brisket, ordered from the butcher yesterday ("packer's cut")
2) one pork butt
3) a couple "Chickens on a throne", if I think the above won't feed everyone, or to provide more choice

I'd like to be able to serve up at halftime, around 4:30-5pm locally.

Prep:
Planning to marinate both meats in a mixture of apple cider vinegar and dry rub overnight. The chickens I would probably flavor-brine. Probably brine + paprika and chili powder

Cooking:
I plan to get up early sunday (early for me is around 7am), fire up the WSM, and get the meat on by 8. I'll do the brisket on the bottom rack, with the pork butt above, basting the brisket in wonderful rendered fat all day.
If I do chickens, I'll cook them on the gas grill from about 1-4pm, at a relatively high heat (~280).

Smoking:
I plan to us the Minion method, with Kingsford and some smoking wood I'll get at a BBQ store. My neighbor has a pile of relatively fresh (1-2 yr) split oak I'm tempted to use, but I'll probably just buy some chunks.

Serving:
I will accompany all this with infinite beans, steak rolls, horseradish, slaw, and potato salad. And 2 kegs /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Questions:
- My biggest concern is the smoking time. I'll really only have 8 hours this way, which definitely seems on the short side. But I don't think it's realistic for me to get up at 5am or earlier before a big party night. Maybe I can get the meat on by 7.
- I am considering smoking overnight. But I worry about the safety (of the meat, not my house). I would hate to ruin it (my house is already ruined). Also, it would probably be done early then, and I would really like to have the smoker going while everyone's at the party at around 3pm.
- If I were to use (purchase) only one type of wood, which would you recommend?
- Any other tips?

Thanks for reading, and I'll appreciate any feedback or advice you have. This is a great board, and I'm looking forward to some great times here.

-Dave
 
Forget the advice, what time does the party start? /infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif

First, nice choice on the WSM -- that is the favorite of my 3 grills.

I have not yet done a brisket, but seems you will need more time OR foil it. I am sure others will advise on that.

Sounds like a really tasty menu, I have made beer can chicken quite a few times, only advice would be indirect (vs. direct) heat.

Have made a few pork butts, and you will probably have to foil those at some point as well. My usual pork butt days start at 4:30 am, I try to allow 2 hours per lb.

Have a great day -- I am throwing a few baby back ribs on and possibly a brisket flat -- nothing major, just my family. Enjoy the game!
 
Thanks Ken,

I think your are pointing me in the right direction. Not having used foil, I could use some direction on how long, etc.

I'm thinking smoke from 8am to 2pm, then foil for 2 hours, during which time I would stoke the coals and bring the temp up to about 275?

Instead of wrapping in foil, can I place the meat in a disposable pan and cover with foil?

Also, will a comparably sized and pork butt take the same amount of time? If the prok takes longer, I could wrap it in foil sooner. It will also be at a bit higher temp, being above the brisket.

-Dave
 
Dave,

Since you are pressed for time I would either do an overnight cook. It is easy to keep the meat warm in the cooler until serving time. Or you can finish the brisket and the butt in the oven in foil. I am pretty sure you don't have enough time at 8 hours. When I finish in the oven I just wrap it up tight and cook until internal of 195 for the brisket and butt.

I am from San Diego also. If you would like to get together for some BBQ let me know.
 
Dave
How big a brisket, if is 10 to 12 pounds, you need to start it by 8 to 9 pm Saturday night and the butt can take 12 hours. I would start it around Midninght. Put the butt on and check the water in the waterpan and get some sleep.
If your going to use the neighbor's oak one or two fist size chunks is all you will need for the whole cook.
In the morning when you get up, a lite stir of the coals and check the waterpan.
Eight hours is just not enough time to get the job done.
Jim
 
Well... I have the pork butt here. About 8.5lb.

Per Jim's advice I'm going for the overnighter. Perhaps a bit ambitious for my first ever WSM smoking, but I'm up for it.

I'm looking at marinating options right now. Probably some spiced up apple cider vinegar. Off to the recipes...

-Dave
 
Well, the Super Bowl's come and gone, my beer and my guests have come and gone, a huge mess has come... and stayed... and my WSM... oh baby...

So, the original plan was modified a bit when my butcher was unable to get the brisket that I ordered. To make it up to me, he gave me the pork butt at half price ($1/lb) and tri tip at cost ($2.30/lb). My total bounty for the day came to:
- 9lb pork butt
- 3 2.5lb tri tip roasts
- 3 chickens

Conservatively adding it up, I proudly proclaimed to each and every guest that I was cooking a full 28 pounds of meat for the party.

Not having the brisket, I didn't go for the overnighter. Got up at 6 and started up the WSM, a-la-Minion. A big pile of unlit coals topped with 12 hot ones. Since I don't have a chimney, I laid out the 12 coals over the heating element on my gas BBQ, and a mere 10 minutes later they were ready to go!
I had soaked the pork butt in seasoned apple cider vinegar overnight. When I woke up I coated it in a dry rub and threw it on at 7am, using chunks of Pecan as my smoking wood. Being a bit time-conscious, I cut it in half first, to make 2 ~4lb chunks.
I then mixed up some brine for the chickens (didn't think of it the night before) and tossed them in to soak.
After a quick nap, the dry-rubbed tri tip roasts went on the bottom cooking grate at 10am. Shortly thereafter, the 3 chickens "on a throne", or "a-la-Bud", went on the gas grill, seated in metal cooking pans. I've found that the gas grill, with one element on low and the other off, stays at an even 225 degrees. The WSM was remarkably easy to keep pegged at 230 (at the grill) all day.

My plan to serve up at halftime lasted until a hoarde of starving partygoers showed up an hour before the game. I checked the tri tip, and they were about 180 internal, so I pulled them off at around 3:30. They were fantastic! Well, seasoned, a beautiful smoke ring (that most people needed explanation of), and a great outside-to-inside ratio on the small roasts. I set out a big bowl of toasted steak rolls, with horseradish, mayo, dijon, jalapenos, etc, then cut the meat to order, as people filed into the kitchen with their sandwiches-to-be at the ready for a big helping of meat and carmelized onions. The tri-tip was my favorite of the day, and there's less than a pound left over. It was fantastic.

I then had my first break of the party, watching the end of the first half and sipping a cold one from my kegarator, which was stocked with 3 5-gallon kegs (yes... overkill).

At halftime, it was chicken time. They were good, but I wasn't wowed (remember, they were from the grill, not he WSM). I think I left them on a bit long. Not at all dry, but a bit overdone, and beginning to lose texture. The best one was the one whose beer can I filled with jalapenos!

At 6pm, the pork came off after 11 hours, at an internal temp of 175 ( a bit below my target, but the time had come). After a brief rest, I did the same sandwich procession. The pork was great - flaked apart fairly easily, without being too fall-off-the-bone tender. It was good, but the half without the bone had some very large fat streaks that made serving a bit more complicated.

All in all, it was an excellent spread, and I received rave complements. Most of the guests are not big BBQ eaters, many of them being european, and they were really impressed.

Thanks to Jim and everyone for your advice, for listening to my rant, and for being the impetus behind my purchase of the WSM!

Cheers,
-Dave
 
Three five gallon kegs.....

That sounds familiar, I'll check in the garage. Whew, they're still there.

You a homebrewer, Dave?

Darren
 
I wish I could get Tri-TIp here in Florida...I use to do Temporary Duty (TDY) at Vandenberg AFB and learned to enjoy the Tri Tip cut with ranchero beans, salsa and tortillas....mmmmm

Have to make a trip back to Lompoc/Santa Maria some day....

Glad you enjoyed your Super Bowl party!

PrestonD
 
Dave --

Next time you do Tri-Tip, try grilling to about 120-130* internal. You'll find a lot more flavor than going to (shudder) 180*. That roast has been designated by God to be served rare/med rare!! That's just the way it is! That's the way it has to be!

I have done literally hundreds and hundreds of Tri-Tips for thousands of people and we always pull them off when the center cuts are just past blood rare, slice (3/8") and put into serving trays, cover with HD foil and put back over medium heat, where the slices rest in their own juices until served (never longer than 10 minutes, as we pull and slice on demand). No one has ever complained that they were too rare; as the ends tend to get more done than the thicker middle, so there are medium pieces for those who would rather and there is nothing for those who want them DONE! Those who want their Tri-Tip DONE don't need to eat Tri-Tip! Let them eat Tofu! Just the way it is, by God!
/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif
 
Walt
I think you need to let us know how you feel and stop holding back. /infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif
Jim
 
Thanks Jim --

I needed that!!
Must be the anethesia wearing off! /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

Dave --

In spite of that sneaky fellow using MY name to vent /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif , you really ought to treat that Tri-Tip as a thick steak -- not as something to be low and slow cooked. You will be very pleased with the results! I take mine off at 30 - 45 minutes on my gas grill. I try to go to 45 minutes, but in most cases, it's done before then. That's with the burners all the way down.
 
Hey Dave,

For our SuperBowl cook here in Boston, we slaughtered Rams for 59 minutes & 53 seconds, ...then we smoked them in seven seconds!

IT'S DELICIOUS!!!!

THATS RIGHT !!! WE BAD IN BOSTON, THE HOME OF THE WORLD CHAMPION NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS !!!!

Theo B.
 
Low and slow tri-tip:

We do tri-tip both ways. Love it grilled for about 45 minutes while still pink in the middle.

We also slow cook it fat side up for about the same time as our bbacks. We are talking 4-5 hours at 225. Glaze it about three to four hours out. Slice and serve. At our tailgaters last year we went through about ten tri-tips per game, people loved it. Tender, juicy, full of flaver and done all the way through.

More than one way to use this wonderful product.

Don't care what they do in California, besides Ducks play better Football and Baskerball.

Go Ducks!
 
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