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Best first time smoked ribs/brisket recipe: https://amazingribs.com/tested-recipes/spice-rubs-and-pastes/big-bad-beef-rub-recipe

Chickens taste better when cooked whole. Pickles taste better cut. Sandwiches taste better cut and bitten from inside. Meat tastes better sliced against grain.


Definitely a smoker is a personal choice, and what is better depends on what you are looking for.  I say it's a balance of goals, between: (i) making good food, (ii) making authentic BBQ, (iii) having fun with the maaseh of smoking, and (iv) convenience.  Items (iii) and (iv) don't only conflict, they directly oppose each other.

I opted for items (i) and (iv) so went PBC.  I would say WSM is also mostly a (i) and (iv) choice, but it brings in extra elements of (ii) and (iii), at a slight cost to (iv).  Maybe WSM also better at (i)--I have no idea either way.

Further to the above:

If all you want is good food, get a sous vide.

If all you want is authentic BBQ, get a huge offset smoker that you feed with split logs.

If all you want is having fun with the maaseh of smoking, again, get a huge offset smoker.

If all you want is convenience, use your oven.


Henche's PBC review
https://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=43018.msg1439199#msg1439199
« Last edited by jj1000 on June 04, 2020, 10:13:19 AM »

Author Topic: Smoking Meats  (Read 506291 times)

Offline thaber

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Re: Smoking Meats
« Reply #1660 on: June 24, 2018, 09:58:29 AM »
I still haven't gotten a clear answer why wsm is better than pellet smoker
Because for the money you'd rather get the top charcoal smoker over a mediocre pellet?

Offline ushdadude

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Re: Smoking Meats
« Reply #1661 on: June 24, 2018, 10:40:46 AM »
Because for the money you'd rather get the top charcoal smoker over a mediocre pellet?
Taking price or if the equation.  Besides, If I got the wsm it would only be with the flame boss.

Offline thaber

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Re: Smoking Meats
« Reply #1662 on: June 24, 2018, 01:19:48 PM »
Taking price or if the equation.  Besides, If I got the wsm it would only be with the flame boss.
Then you're probably right. See wiki

Offline henche

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Re: Smoking Meats
« Reply #1663 on: June 25, 2018, 12:04:45 PM »
Then you're probably right. See wiki

Thanks for adding that, forgot I wrote it. 

Offline thaber

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Re: Smoking Meats
« Reply #1664 on: June 27, 2018, 03:02:01 AM »
OK, have my WSM, chimney, thermometer, kongsford original and wood. all I need now is meat.
Local butcher (western kosher) has three varieties of whole brisket. standard is $8.99, grain fed or grass fed are $7.99. I have a leaning toward grass fed, but I'm scared it'll be too lean. thoughts?

Offline henche

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Re: Smoking Meats
« Reply #1665 on: June 27, 2018, 12:45:38 PM »
OK, have my WSM, chimney, thermometer, kongsford original and wood. all I need now is meat.
Local butcher (western kosher) has three varieties of whole brisket. standard is $8.99, grain fed or grass fed are $7.99. I have a leaning toward grass fed, but I'm scared it'll be too lean. thoughts?

Definitely use the more expensive one. American, not the South American. You're putting too much work and money into this to ruin it over a few dollars. 

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Re: Smoking Meats
« Reply #1666 on: July 01, 2018, 03:13:47 AM »
going live on a whole packer first thing tomorrow. @henche convinced me, also I'm a go big or go home type of guy. what I ddin't realize until later was that I got a big packer, and 18 pounder.
I'm going for a slightly sweeter flavor, to make everyone else happy. I have Hickory wood, and was going to use memphis dust. It seems salting is optional and, I'm assuming with kosher not as necessary.
Top or bottom rack on the WSM? I've read bottom and fill the water pan, but making sure that's the consensus.


Offline henche

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Re: Smoking Meats
« Reply #1667 on: July 01, 2018, 07:36:26 AM »
going live on a whole packer first thing tomorrow. @henche convinced me, also I'm a go big or go home type of guy. what I ddin't realize until later was that I got a big packer, and 18 pounder.
I'm going for a slightly sweeter flavor, to make everyone else happy. I have Hickory wood, and was going to use memphis dust. It seems salting is optional and, I'm assuming with kosher not as necessary.
Top or bottom rack on the WSM? I've read bottom and fill the water pan, but making sure that's the consensus.


Lol niiiiiiiice. Biggest I've done is 16.

I would salt, half teaspoon per lb, but maybe less if some ppl sensitive. 

Offline rs242

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Re: Smoking Meats
« Reply #1668 on: July 01, 2018, 09:20:27 AM »
going live on a whole packer first thing tomorrow. @henche convinced me, also I'm a go big or go home type of guy. what I ddin't realize until later was that I got a big packer, and 18 pounder.
I'm going for a slightly sweeter flavor, to make everyone else happy. I have Hickory wood, and was going to use memphis dust. It seems salting is optional and, I'm assuming with kosher not as necessary.
Top or bottom rack on the WSM? I've read bottom and fill the water pan, but making sure that's the consensus.
I happen to hate hickory wood, I find it to be bitter. The sensitive ppl always complain that it’s too smoky when I use hickory. ( I’m a  cherry guy)

Offline thaber

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Re: Smoking Meats
« Reply #1669 on: July 01, 2018, 09:22:19 AM »
I happen to hate hickory wood, I find it to be bitter. The sensitive ppl always complain that it’s too smoky when I use hickory. ( I’m a  cherry guy)
I was worried about that, maybe I'll go pick up some cherry before I start. Thanks

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Re: Smoking Meats
« Reply #1670 on: July 01, 2018, 05:32:30 PM »
TR so far
This thing was huge. I didn't trim any fat, because there wasn't more than 1/4 in anywhere, and the butcher told me not to.
Did a tablespoon of salt per side, and then
Spiced it with the BBR, modified it to work with the bland pallette of my family.

Fired up the WSM, (with cherry wood, thank you!) remarkably easy for a first timer, and got it to a consistent 225 per the built in Guage.
Put it in, and it didn't really fit, but made it work.

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Re: Smoking Meats
« Reply #1671 on: July 01, 2018, 05:34:37 PM »
4 hours later, been climbing steadily. Grill temp dropped a little but I got it back up.
I just opened it for the first time.

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Re: Smoking Meats
« Reply #1672 on: July 01, 2018, 07:14:59 PM »
Taking a poll. Fire is struggling (maybe I overloaded the coal bin) so I have all the vents open and more white smoke than I would like. It's come back up to 215, and the smoke died down
Meat is at 176 and hasn't really stalled, but also didn't develop a dark color.
Wrap? Put it in oven? See what happens?

Offline Ygold

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Re: Smoking Meats
« Reply #1673 on: July 01, 2018, 07:22:38 PM »
4 hours later, been climbing steadily. Grill temp dropped a little but I got it back up.
I just opened it for the first time.

As long as your a Talmid Chochom you should be okay.
Shout out to Meshugener!

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Re: Smoking Meats
« Reply #1674 on: July 01, 2018, 07:35:30 PM »
As long as your a Talmid Chochom you should be okay.
?

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Re: Smoking Meats
« Reply #1675 on: July 01, 2018, 07:58:43 PM »
We're at 187, finally got some color

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Re: Smoking Meats
« Reply #1676 on: July 01, 2018, 10:04:59 PM »
Wrapped at 190, pulled off at 203, put it in the oven with a towel at 100. I'll leave it in there until after Maariv, about an hour and a half, and then slice it later tonight.

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Re: Smoking Meats
« Reply #1677 on: July 01, 2018, 10:10:12 PM »
Taking a poll. Fire is struggling (maybe I overloaded the coal bin) so I have all the vents open and more white smoke than I would like. It's come back up to 215, and the smoke died down
Meat is at 176 and hasn't really stalled, but also didn't develop a dark color.
Wrap? Put it in oven? See what happens?
I know it's too late now, but my worst briskets have allways been the ones I wrapped prematurely, needs a good dark bark before wrapping.

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Re: Smoking Meats
« Reply #1678 on: July 01, 2018, 10:10:47 PM »
Wrapped at 190, pulled off at 203, put it in the oven with a towel at 100. I'll leave it in there until after Maariv, about an hour and a half, and then slice it later tonight.
Can't wait to see the final results.

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Re: Smoking Meats
« Reply #1679 on: July 01, 2018, 10:12:52 PM »
Can't wait to see the final results.
Thanks, me too. Ended up waiting to wrap until it was dark. Probably could have skipped the wrapping totally, but I wasn't moving off 190, and from what I understand it doesn't hurt at that point anyway