Excited WSM newbie with some questions..


 
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J

JohnN

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Hi all-

'First time poster, long time lurker', while I debated getting myself a WSM upgrade to my ECB.

After a year and a half of ECB'ing my way through some decent Q, my wife decided to up the ante and pick me up a WSM for Father's Day (so all those dirty diapers were not for naught). Dunno if it was all those subtle hints (like kicking the ECB on Memorial Day), or the web pages I constantly left open on my laptop, but nonetheless, I'm all set.

I went ahead and picked myself up a Maverick Redi-Check smoker thermometer, to add to my collection of Polders, and I'm all set in terms of tools - now, to actually start cooking.

A few questions remain though:

1. Smoking wood - this has been a problem for me, since I live in NYC, and that's not exactly a routine thing to pick up around here (you want funny looks - try asking for tri-tip, but that's a whole other problem). Does anyone know a reliable and reasonable source for smoking woods in the tri-state area (preferrably Long Island) or if there's a good Internet site that won't kill me with shipping charges?

2. Meats - the number of names that butchers and markets apply to the same cuts of meats astound me. I'd like to throw a Boston Butt on the WSM as a first-shot, since I'm guessing the temperature will be a bit harder to control the first time out and the Butt's more forgiving, but I've only done one so far - and it wasn't that great. I'm not sure if I have it right - does 'pork shoulder' = 'boston butt', or do I need to mention a different cut? From Chris' pictures, I don't see any skin on the top of the butt - and the shoulder I get always does have skin. Should I remove it, or leave as-is?

3. The ECB - should I retain it's services as a second unit for extra cooking space? I was wondering if anyone had bothered doing the cold smoking conversion using the ECB, as I could see the two connected by a piece of duct, with a fan, with the smoke generated in the ECB. Has anyone tried this?

TIA for any assistance, especially about the wood. I can get my hands on hickory, but above and beyond that, nada - and if I do, it's in those gourmet 'chips' format, both expensive and not as useful as the real deal.

-John
 
A butt can be called a lot of things. Here on the west coast, butts are called either "pork shoulder roast" or "pork shoulder blade roast" They also market a "pork shoulder picnic roast" which is the other lower shoulder cut. The picnic roasts I see usually have the skin on, but the shoulder blade roasts (butts) do not. (FYI, a pork shoulder is cut into two sections: the butt roast and the picnic roast)
 
Finally, another New Yorker. Glad to see it catching on. Did you attend the 1st Annual Big Apple BBQ Festival last weekend on 27th Street? There is definitely some interest...Anyway, the only place I have been able to get chunks of wood is at K-Mart and Fortunoffs (expensive). K-Mart has Char-Broil Hickory and Mesquite while Fortunoffs in Westbury has Weber Hickory & Mesquite. What I usually do now is take a few hour drive at the beginning of the season up to People's Woods in Rhode Island and get apple, oak, hickory and mesquite. As far as pork butt, there is no shortage of good pork stores in Brooklyn. Any of them will know the difference between a Boston Butt and a picnic (both from the shoulder). My only suggestion is to get it bone-in and cook for about 2 hours per pound.
 
Question #1 and #2 covered.
Question #3 answer- Get 2 wsm's (just kidding).
I have a modified brinkman and use it for large cook outs were im doig both pork buts and ribs.
I would use the weber for longer cooked items like shoulder and the brinkman for ribs.

Mine has two grates. Its not a true ECB (just a CB). If you have the one with one cooking rack
you wont get much cooking space anyway.But if you
have one with 2 grates it might be worth keeping it.
Jim
 
I'm not sure why I mention this to a "New Yorker", but I'll mention it anyway.(Avid RedSox Fan here - yes, yes... I know... I know.. 1918 ~smile~)

Do you have any apple or other fruit orchards nearby? I've had good luck with obtaining wood from nearby orchards when they prune their trees, or from broken branches. You might have the same good luck.
 
Thanks for all the info guys..

In reverse order:

Mike - thanks. Just for that, I'll remember not to hold all that losing against you /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif Actually, that was my plan - to check out an orchard or such and see if there's any wood lying around. You'd think these guys would know they're sitting on a BBQ commodity, wouldn't they? I drove around last time expecting to see a sign somewhere saying 'Apple Wood for Sale' but no dice.

Jim - I think I got *this* WSM only because Father's Day is approaching and we just found out our second child is on the way. Short of learning how to walk on water or turn yarn into gold, I won't be getting the budget approval to buy a second WSM any time soon.

PJ - D'oh! There was a Q fair here in NYC and I didn't know about it!!!! Is there a mailing list anywhere? Figures my luck would be to learn about it a few days late. Thanks for the RI suggestion - I might just do that the next time we decide to take a trip for vacation. There are lots of pork stores in Brooklyn, but the last time I went into one I got a very small butt at a very large price - I don't think those places really cater to that. Now - if you can tell me where to find Tri-Tip in NYC, I'll be eternally grateful.

Dave - Thanks! Two of those names are readily available at my local Costco for a very fair price - looks like there will be butt on the menu this weekend (not too many people can make a statement like that, and many not on a family board /infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif

Now, to get this *@!#%()& workday over with already so I can go home and put my baby together...
 
Mark,

I wouldn't expect there to be a sign indicating wood for sale. I usually just strike up a conversation with the people at the orchard and they are more than willing to let me have a branch or two, if available. The best time is go around after a strong wind storm or snowfall.

Offer to deliver a couple racks of ribs in exchange!
 
The festival was sponsered by a restaurant called Blue Smoke on East 27th Street (A Danny Meyer - Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, etc.- venture (Smoked Foie Gras, anyone?). Go to their web site at www.bluesmoke.com. Even in the pouring rain the turnout was very good. Look for it next year. As far as pork stores, I know I am paying too much at $1.79/lb.(we are in metro NY after all), but I am getting very good cuts in the 5-7 lb. range. Best bet is to make friends with a butcher...
 
Hi John - You might try a mail order place like People's Woods. It's in New England, so the shipping might not be too bad. You can try different combos of woods that way. The WSM doesn't really use a lot of wood, so 20 lbs. will last a long time. You want wood chunks, not chips.

For the pork butt, it sounds like you're getting a "pork picnic" which is usually sold with the skin on. You want the part above that on the arm/shoulder for the butt.

Do you live in a house in New York City? If not, where do you do your BBQ'n?

Congrats on the new WSM - and keep the old ECB, you can never have too many smokers.
 
Tom-

I'll give 'em a shout if I end up not turning up any wood in my tour of Long Island. I only wish taht these places would send the stuff regular mail at my discretion, with the understanding that the wood would travel uninsured. Seems like I'd end up paying a load for shipping wood because of the insurance (media mail for books is dirt cheap, even when it's heavy).

Luckily, I've got a house here in Brooklyn, so I have some space next to my garage to set up my smokers and grills (two gas grills - one which must go in the garbage now, and an ECB to go with the new WSM). I had lived in Florida for awhile when I got the BBQ bug, and I have to admit - it's not an easy hobby to have here in the city. If finding supplies isn't hard enough, having limited backyard space doesn't help either. Of course - my family appreciates good eats as much as the next, so they don't mind parting with some real estate.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by PJ Polke:
[qb] Finally, another New Yorker.[/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>By my count, we have at least 34 members from The Empire State. To locate members from your city or state, click "directory" at the top of the page. On the left side of the directory page, you can search members by location. Based on a search of NY, N.Y., and New York, I come up with 34 members.

Regards,
Chris
 
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