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cooking time with Minion method


 
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David Prince

TVWBB Fan
just trying to determine if I'm calculating cooking times correctly, and I use tmm for all cooks, long and short.

once I put the 15-20 coals on (usually 20) I immediately then put the meat on, fill the pan, and add the smoke wood in that order..for a half hour to an hour the temp of the cooker will be below the target 225 (will be 180 to 200).

if I'm looking to cook ribs 6 hours, do I start counting the time even when cooking temp is not 225?..after this initial warmup period the WSM stays pegged about 245 at the dome for hours.

thansk for any replies/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
 
D-

Remembering that time is just a guideline, I usually count the time from when I put the meat on. When I'm cooking spares, I will usually check on them after about four hours to get a feel for where they are in the process. At that point, depending on dinner time, and who's coming to dinner, I'll either leave it alone at my favorite temp (230-240?), or kick it up to 265-275? if I need it done sooner (my preference is to leave it alone....)

I figure if I do it this way, I'll always be checking a little early, which has been useful on a few occasions when I had ribs (or other meats) that were done much sooner than anticipated.

Hope that helps.

R
 
What Rich said. The biggest mistake rookies make is clock watching the second is trying to keep temp within a 5 degree window. The most important thing is texture then internal temp as determined with a digital thermometer. You don't even need to turn on the thermometer half the time as how easy it slides in is most of the story.
HTH
 
David...

GREAT question. I just explained my timing in a post to Jeff down in the Just Conversation thread about ribs.

When I lay out my rib technique, I do exactly how you stated..which Jim does also.....light the WSM and immediately put the meat on. That is when the clock starts ticking. That is why my ribs take 6 hours! It takes a while to get the temp up to 225?.

Now, there is always lots of talk about "it's done when it's done". While true, that is VERY inconvenient for most people. Take contests for example...you have a 10 MINUTE window..that's it! None of this "it's done when it's done", BS! The same is true for catering....if you promise to have a meal ready at 6pm...it better be darn close to 6pm and you will have trouble if it runs to 6:30 and MAJOR problems if you don't serve until 7pm! This is even more important when catering lunches..which I do lots. If you are 15 minutes off in this stuff, you are dead in the water.

Not everybody cooks comps and not everybody caters, but you can relate the same thing to serving guests. If you are more than an hour late, it is a BAD reflection on your cooking skills....again, IMO.

So, timing, in my mind is VERY important. That is one reason I like to keep the WSM at a rock steady 225?...I know from over 5 years of experience, that my ribs will be done in EXACTLY 6 hours. NOT 5 1/2, NOT 6 1/2...but EXACTLY 6. That is not to say that I don't have the occasional spikes..BUT I bring them back in line immediately.

As I stated in my technique, there are some variables...the weight of the rib slab for instance. I have been cooking the SAME ribs for 5 years now..they ALL weigh exactly the same so it makes for a nice consistent cook. In my case, it is all about watching the clock...but, I have many years of experience as well.

My advice...experiment until you find the perfect cook. Once you are there, then duplicate everything EXACTLY and you will come to be able to fix PERFECT Q......ON TIME....EVERY TIME.
 
Kevin,
No need for SHOUTING. I could not care less but I don't want the folks reading this to get all confused.

The Pacific Northwest has more hard core competition teams cooking on WSM's than any other region and each year around four or five of our teams get invited to the Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational. I've had the privilege of cooking next to these teams for the last two years and have been fortunate to be invited to the Jack this year and last. I also cater full time up to 9 events a week and some times over 1,000 people a day.

Like my buddy Jim Minion told me back when I got started "as you get more experienced, you will learn to pull and push (times) to get your meat ready on time". I've seen Judy (who took first place at the Jack last year in Pork) fight temps all night and end up grand champion. We cook in competitions in all conditions from 0 to over 110 and from sea level to 7,000' and that does affect everything.

A case of Brisket will contain different weights and marbling and that will affect the time each piece of meat takes to cook. The weight of a butt will affect cooking time. How old the meat is and if it has ever been frozen will affect cooking time.

Many of the great chefs of the world have taught the benefit of letting meat rest and many of teams far more successful than me let it rest for many hours after it has finished cooking.

My point is there is more than one way to cook Barbeque and getting things ready early is a very successful technique for some very successful cooks. For less experienced cooks learning to hold meat means that if everyone is not ready to eat according to plan ?No Worries?. At least 50% of my catering events the guests are not ready to eat when planned and we hold the food so they can have their fun and eat when they want.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Konrad Haskins:
[qb]No need for SHOUTING.[/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I didn't read Stogie's post as shouting. In fact, I didn't even notice the capitalized words until you brought it to our attention.

FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW, THIS IS SHOUTING--TYPING IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. IT'S CONSIDERED INAPPROPRIATE FOR MOST INTERNET DISCUSSIONS.

Let's cut Stogie some slack on this one. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Regards,
Chris
 
Sorry Konrad..I sure didn't mean to shout! I wanted to emphasize some things and unfortunatley don't know how to bold or italicize stuff....hence the capitalization.

Sorry if I upset you...it was NO reflection on anything you said. You are talking about butts and briskets...my comments were related to ribs ONLY. Perhaps I didn't make that clear. I agree with everything said about large roasts, they need resting and finishing them early is the best way to achieve this.

Ribs don't need to be rested as their mass is much less and the juices don't have to travel far back in to the meat. I cater lunches mainly and these folks have 30 minutes to eat and I like my Q hot off the grill. So, missing by 15 minutes is a mortal sin.

My whole point was......if you cook at the same temps and use the same meats, once you find your timing, you can indeed serve a meal excatly when you promised.

Just trying to show another side. Most on here know I am anal about timing and my cooker temp...I just like to share that anality with all!! LOL

Have a great weekend, all!
 
Let me say right now if you are not smoking a cigar while cooking then you are not using the Minion Method, I know Stogie has that down pat!
Jim
 
OK I suck /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
I don't smoke seegars and have been known to adulterate my Jack with Coke /infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif
But I do make a mean Margarite /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif
I hope this Holiday weekend finds all enjoying their adult beverage of choice!
~Konrad
 
Konrad
I've been meaning to talk to you about not smoking Seegars, but I had NO IDEA that you put coke in JD!!!! /infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif
Have a great weekend My Friend!!!
Jim
 
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