Bunch o' questions

[Guest]

Perhaps these have been discussed to death - I haven't seen or had the time to go through the archives:

1. Fresh vs. Frozen - Since most items on the smoker spend hours there, does it matter? Also, if my butcher is having a butt sale, can I stock up and freeze them (for how long?). I guess it boils down to - what are the repercussions of freezing before smoking? (I am originally from Minnesota...).

2. In the arsenal of spices and flavoring agents, what should one stay away from? I know it varies from what you're smokin', so I'm looking for general no-no's, stuff that conflicts with smoke.

3. How long is too long? I know the goal is long, low and slow - but when is the window of peak flavor and texture attained? Too many variables?

4. What other than wood can / do you smoke with? I've seen references to nuts - shells and/or the meat of the nut? Anything else (shoe leather?)

5. In the water pan, you can obviously use any type of liquid other than water (beer, wine etc.) for flavor enhancement. Do they "work" or is it a waste of a perfectly good beer? Do spices in the water add anything significant? Is plain water the answer?

6. Why are the BBQ shows on TV showing us very "large" men in hula skirts, coconut bras and pig noses, with smokers shaped like a fighter plane?

OK, that's enough for now. Thanks in advance for your smokin' wisdom.

BeerBoy

 

[Chris Allingham]

Hi Dave,

Let me take a crack at these questions, with the hope that others will chime in and fill in any gaps.

1. 
   <LI>You should feel free to stock up on barbecue meats and freeze them when you find a good sale. I don't have a lot of storage space, so I tend to buy only what I will use immediately, but there are many who get good prices on briskets, butts, ribs, etc., throw them in the deep freeze and use them over time. Frozen meat stays food-safe indefinitely, but from a quality standpoint should be used within 6 months.
   <LI>I'm not aware of any spices you should stay away from when smoking. I've seen just about everything mentioned in one recipe or another.
   <LI>The peak of flavor and tenderness is tricky and varies from one type of meat to another and one individual piece of meat to the next. Chicken is naturally tender, so it's just a matter of cooking it to a high enough internal temp so it's safe to eat, but not dried out. With ribs, for me I know they're done when the meat tears easily when I pull apart two bones. For brisket, it's "fork tender", meaning that a fork goes in easily and you can't pick up the brisket using the fork, usually at an internal temp of 190-205*F. A pork butt is a very forgiving piece of meat, due to all the internal fat, so I cook to an internal temp of about 190 so it pulls nicely. As you gain experience cooking these meats on the WSM, you'll develop a sense of when the "peak" occurs.
   <LI>Whole onions, fresh or dried herbs, corn cobs, pecan shells, tree bark, grapevine, seaweed, Tabasco-soaked wood chips, wine barrel wood chunks...you name it, someone's tried it. Experiment to see what you like.
   <LI>The concensus is that plain H20 is the way to go. Flavored liquids don't seem to translate into better tasting meat.
   <LI>Fat guys in hula skirts, coconut bras and pig snouts tending funny-looking cookers are more entertaining and generate better ratings on TV than shots of me alone in the backyard tending my WSM!
   

Regards,
Chris

[This message has been edited by Chris Allingham (edited 07-21-2001).]

 

[Guest]

Change one thing at a time - that way you always have a direct corelation between cause and effect.

Steve

 

[Alan Bosch]

Dave,
Having been a chef in a previous life, I can say with certainty that fresher is better. However, fresh is not always available or practicle, or maybe cost prohibitive - in which case fresh frozen is always prefered. If you buy your meat from a good grocery store there's a good chance it's been frozen at some point prior to getting into your mitts. Yet it's still very good meat. If Sam's Club has a good price for butts, I usually pick up a couple or three and throw them in the freezer when I get home. Butts are usually in a cry-o-vac package that is great for freezing. If they have ribs, great, I'll pick up some of those too. However, I always repackage the ribs in either freezer paper (if I know I'm going to be using them fairly soon) or I cut them in half and place them in a zip-lock-type bag. I get as much air out of the bag as I can then seal the bag and place it into another bag. Freezer burn in the bane of frozen meat.

If you want to go high tech, there's a company that makes a vacuume-type food saver (Chris has it listed somewhere...) that can do double duty - it'll help you repackage bulk meat purchases for freezing and it's a great way to store your pulled pork after it's been cooked. Portion control is another benefit.

How long is too long...? Hmmmmm... We're all lucky to have this list as a resource. There's some very good tips posted here that can be used a guidelines for your particular smoking endevour. But that's really all they are - guidelines. You can tweak here, lower the temp there, and add something someplace else. It's not going to be the same every single time - or from person to person. If you're an obstenate old curmudgon who's gotta do everything your own way, then you're gonna learn by trial and error that a bowling-ball size pork butt can, in fact, shrink down to a softball-size piece of wholly inedible carbon if smoked too long. Use the list as a reference. Ya don't have to follow a recipie - but use the experience that's here. (This probably dosen't even come close to answering the origional question, huh...)

One man's opinion -- Beer in the water pan seems like the biggest waste of a perfectly good thirst-quencher -- especially if it's hot out, and the smoker's goin', and the beer is cold.

And finally... Fat guy's in hula skirts, pig snouts, and coconut bras... Uhhh, yeah, sure Dave. (Psssst! The Fetish Appreciation Forum is down the 'net a bit and to the left. Snort, snort!!!)