Is it really THIS easy?


 
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Mark C

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Good morning all, have 2 - 8 pound butts and 1 - 10 pound brisket (on bottom) on the WSM for 6 hours now. 56* outside, using Minion with Kingsford. Used 25 lit coals. This thing is rock steady! 235* - 240* without a hitch! Can't believe I waited this long to get one of these fine smokers!

Off to mop and turn!

Mark
 
Wanna bet..... seems like it's a common theme --> It can't be this easy........

It only gets better. Keep ready tips from the pros here. I've got maybe 8 smokes under my belt. Each one a bit better than the previous.

Tip: I've never turned, mopped, or basted. My butts and briskets have been awesome. Don't make it harder than it needs to be.

Enjoy.
 
LOL Steve, I guess you have the same opinion!

Going on 9 hours now. Still holding 240* perfectly. I don't normally baste or turn either, but was going to follow the Renown Mr. Brown recipe as it is written this time. Then I will do it again and just leave it in there next time and see if I can tell a difference.

Never used sugar either!
 
Steve,
While yas you can turn out an awesome product just letting it sit. Mopping can add a lot to the bark. Keeping the meat moist early can (without oil) can help smokering. Not mopping just a spritz of apple juice and not too much so as to wash away the rub.

What makes BBQ great is there are lots of ways to do it right.
 
Konrad, I am beginning to believe in mopping! The brisket had a great bark on it and so does the butts.

This smoker is like nothing I ever tried. Going on 14 hours and it is still at 245 - 250*. Brisket done, butts at 190* now. Going to take 'em off at 15 hours or 195 - 200*. They about fell to pieces when I had to take them off earlier to get to the brisket.

This thing is a keeper!
 
Konrad - what is the "science" behind the spritzing with apple juice and the creation of the bark. That is an awesome piece of information to know. The bark is what makes pulled pork have character.

I know that opening the cooker too much can really create some tempature challenges. How often do you use the apple juice or mop sauce? Is this the 1/2, 1/2, 1/2 thing that was discussed in a previous thread?

I'm getting older every day, but never too old to learn from my betters.... knowing your competition sucesses, I really value the cooking techniques and secrets that you share with us.
 
Don't know about being a better. I'm just a fumbling clutz with a gift for cooking. I still have a lot to learn.

Well the science of the smoke ring was described in an excellent article in the BBQ'er magazine. Basically you need to be burning (not smoldering) wood, starting charcoal (not grayed over) or using gas to get the right nitrogen rich gas which helps form the smoke ring. A moist surface absorbs the gas. Smoke ring (not to be confused with smoke flavor) stops forming around 140f. In fact it's not even from the smoke it's the gas.

What I try to do for best smoke ring is start with cold meat and a cool smoker and throw on some charcoal and wood right when I add the meat. Been doing that since before I read up on the science and it still works.

The other reason to spritz with apple juice is the concept that it forms a varnish which helps reduce evaporation and keeps the meat moister. No science behind this.

HTH,
 
Appleood was my first exposure to good BBQ ribs here in Milwaukee. We had a place called "Speed Queen BBQ" I was told it used to be a laundermat turned into a q joint but that was before my time. Any way they advertized how they smoked over sweet apple wood and thats when I decided I needed to figure out how to make this flavor!! (that was high school) It was soo good it was worth the wrath of my dad for taking his car down there late late at night 11:00 night (they were open til 3AM). It's still around but the quality has gone way down over the years. Now every couple of years they seem to have afire and close for a couple of months and repopen.
I just figured the apple flovor marryed so well with the pork that someone figured out you could enhance the apple flavor in the pork and help keep the meat moist at the same time by spritzing...who would have thought science was involved
 
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