I am a single guy that really doesn't need 15lbs of pork or beef to eat. I have tried to do a couple of small brisket flats and today I tried a "money muscle cut" of pork. All came out terribly dry. They were all about 2lbs. I took them to the usual 190+ IT. My question is this, should I have started probing for tenderness at a way lower IT or are small cuts like this just better suited for another method of cooking?
Meat too small to smoke?
- Thread starter drunkenmeatfist
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Believe it or not, it needed to cook longer. 190F is about 15 degrees too soon. Muscles with a long of connective tissue, like that money muscle cut, will taste dry and tough when not cooked long enough. Same thing happens to a whole butt, picnic, or beef brisket.
That is exactly what I thought on the first of the tiny brisket flats I smoked. I only said 190 as a reference. I took the pork tonight to 201 and looking at the inside of the product it was completely dried out, The more I think on it I lean toward it just not being worth it to smoke small pieces of meat. The cut today was about two pounds and spent several hours on a smoker, of course it would be dried out. I will show my self out now.
daveb50
Newbie
I got a vacuum sealer so I could portion out things I smoke in individual meals, then seal and freeze. I just had some ribs tonight that I cooked over a month ago. I did the same with a Pork Butt I smoked two weeks ago.
redoctobyr
Smoke Blower
I'm glad you asked the question, I've been curious about this too. It's just my wife and I, so the idea of making 7 pounds of something seems a bit silly, or at least unnecessary. But I do have a vacuum sealer, so I could re-portion afterwards and freeze it.
I'm waiting for my smoker to arrive, so I don't have any experience yet. Can someone help me understand why a smaller cut of meat would end up dried out, if only cooking it until it reaches the proper internal temperature?
I could understand if you cooked by time, smoking a small item for the same 8 hours required for a bigger version of it, for instance. But if going by internal temperature, then it's less obvious to me.
I'm waiting for my smoker to arrive, so I don't have any experience yet. Can someone help me understand why a smaller cut of meat would end up dried out, if only cooking it until it reaches the proper internal temperature?
I could understand if you cooked by time, smoking a small item for the same 8 hours required for a bigger version of it, for instance. But if going by internal temperature, then it's less obvious to me.
sbws
Newbie
Small family here also. Only done this once and it worked. I smoked first using my A-maze-n smoke tube for about an hour with no heat. Then I smoke at 240 degrees for about an hour (until my 6 inch A-maze-n smoke tube stops smoking). Next I double wrap in foil, adding a little liquid (think I used apple juice) inside the foil, and put back in smoker until IT reached 205 degrees. Pulled it out, wrapped in towel for about an hour. Was a small 2 pound pork roast. Pulled apart easy, not dry at all, and made some real good pulled pork. I seen a video where they did steak this way. Except when the IT got to 130 degrees they threw the steak on the grill and finished instead of wrapping in foil. That's how I got the idea to smoke first without heat. Next time I'm thinking about adding some onions and peppers inside the foil.
When we do a big butt, we pull it all when done in a pan, then take like 2-3 pound portions , and put it in a freezer bag , and when you thaw it out, simply heat it right in the bag, in a boiling pot of water, dump in a big bowl, and then add your favorite finishing sauce ,,, we have 2 bags in freezer right now...
It's just my wife and I here. Our local Fred Meyer sells pork shoulder roasts that run about two pounds. They take about five to six hours and come out great every time.
I typically pull the small butts at 195-200 IT and wrap for 30 minutes before pulling. I smoke at 250.
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