BBQ Log

[Nobe]

Warning: I geeked out real hard here....
I know there are a few resources out there for BBQ Cooking logs, but I wasn't extremely satisfied with any of them and decided to create one of my own with google sheets (link at the bottom)

It looks a bit intimating, but bare with me as it really does only contain what other logs have just in one place.

Tab 1 is just for the recipe, and contains most of the fields to fill out.

Tab 2 is the Cooker log where you record temps (At least start and end), vent opening, and other additions as the cook progresses

Tabs 3&4 are just to keep track of your rub and injection recipes (and average rating based on the summary)

Tab 5 is the summary, overview of pretty much everything, and this is where the final results are compiled.

Future plans:

Separate tab for Target Temps. ex. tab would show target temp for brisket and the target temp for the cooker - these would then auto populate when you enter the meat on Tab 1

Forms that link to the tabs to make it easier to fill out during a cook

Notes and feedback:

The lines filled out are just test numbers.

Check fields for formulas before typing in them.!

Maybe put all this in an app form?

Link:

 

[HalfSmoked]

Description of your brine or rub. Did you like it or not?
You need more details on final.

Warren

 

[Nobe]

I was just sharing the template for the cooking log. The info in there is just test stuff.

 

[noboundaries]

Yep, I geeked out with Excel spreadsheets for several years. Changed it every year. Now I've got the experience and instincts so stopped logging anything. Still smoking and grillin', though.

 

[Nobe]

I'm still fairly new. Do you think logging helped you?

 

[noboundaries]

Absolutely, logging helped in so many ways.
1. I was able to determine my monthly/annual charcoal use and how to load my smoker and grill to conserve fuel, maximize flavor, and get clean smoke.
2. I was able to measure how different charcoals performed on long smokes, hot smokes, and heavy mass loadings.
3. I was able to log taste, tenderness, and timing results based on various chamber temps, where I bought my meat, and whether time of year made any difference (it didn't).
3. I logged yes and no for rub recipes I tried, both storebought and homemade.
4. I used my log in conjunction with a recipe program so I could repeat results.
5. I kept a separate tab in the spreadsheet of lessons learned.
6. I used the same log for smoking and grilling on my Kettle.
7. I added a spreadsheet tab that calculates cure amounts/ingredients for meat and jerky.
8. I have a crappy memory so I used the log to keep track of names of folks here on SMF.

I'm typing all this on my phone, away from my computer, but there's more in there.

Logging DEFINITELY helps.

Ray

 

[noboundaries]

I roast my own coffee, too, have for the last two years. I log every roast. I used to use a side burner on a defunct gas grill, but now use a home concocted setup on a single burner Camp Chef camp stove.

I've developed enough instincts about coffee roasting that I stopped using my Maverick temp probe during the roast and go strictly by ear. I'm able to nail my roast results every time. I know which coffees I love by country of origin and flavor profile. I never would have got there without a log.

Soooo, log away. The more detail the better.

Time to go make an Ethiopian espresso latte...ladeedah!

Edit: the latte potion morphe'd into Irish cream. Where's my log?

 

[jokensmoken]

I'm still fairly new. Do you think logging helped you?

YES...ABOLUTELY...
The usual "just smoke it between 225°~250° for xxx hours or to xyz temp" is a fair but over simplistic explination.
Every type of meat and every piece of meat will cook slightly different and the more you write down, ESPECIALLY in the beginning, the easier it becomes to repeat successes and avoid mistakes.
Dont assume you'll remember...
I promise, you wont because the variables are endless.
Deciding which wood flavors you like with which meats...
What cook temps for what meats...
Which meats to cook to temp and which cook to tenderness...
How weather conditions affect fuel consumption, smoker temps and cook times (and the list goes on) all play a vital role.
Walt

 

[Bearcarver]

Pretty Cool, Nobe!!
Like.
I'm better at Smoking than I am at computer stuff, so I just take copious Notes, and then write it up for posting in the days that follow. Then I add my Pics.
Then I have the Post I made to use the next time I want to Do the Same Smoke.

Bear

 

[forktender]

No logs for me, I wing it.
I guess people learn and remember things in different ways. For me it's always been about cooking by touch, smell, looks and taste. I rarely use timers or thermometers I rely on my senses more than anything.

Can I ask if you are German? I know weird question.

The reason I ask is I married my best friends little sister, and they are 100% German raise by a father that was a machinist and a mother that was a farmer's daughter, they were very detail oriented. Both my brother in-law and wife take notes for damn near everything that they do, which makes me laugh because I'm the complete opposite.

Honestly, the only time I go by a recipe is when I'm making my pizza dough, bread or baking or when I'm curing meat or making sausage or cheese. I learned to cook from my Nona, Poppa, Mother, Aunts, Uncles and family friends working in my families Italian restaurant in San Francisco's North Beach area, actually Fisherman's Wharf.

Everything I was taught was by touch, taste, looks and smell. Even when I see something posted that looks good to me here on the forums, I rarely follow the recipe to a tee. I always ad-lib, a little of this and a little of that until it pleases my taste buds.

I just find it interesting how different people cook, there is no right or wrong way as long as it tastes great in the end.

Smoke on bruth'a.
Dan

 

[Jabiru]

Nice work mate!

I forget way to much with my cooks this looks very handy.

 

[Nobe]

Thank you everybody for your encouraging words! I'm going to try to stick to logging for a while. I just did some ribs this weekend and they turned out being my second best batch yet!

Also I don't know if I said it before, but feel free to save a copy of that sheet and use it for yourself or share it with anyone you think could benefit.

 

[noboundaries]

Can I ask if you are German? I know weird question.

Cracked me up. I learned to love eating from the food made by my Italian mom and grandmother (aka Nonni). They never wrote anything down, but tasted and adjusted during the cook. I got my mom to write some recipes down while I was at university. A Fanny Farmer cookbook did the rest of the teaching, but was WAAAAY under seasoned, so I fell back on tasting as I cooked.

Then I marry a 100% German. She loved my cooking, but with her super-tasting powers could tell minor differences in sauces, breakfasts, meals, etc. She insisted I write down what I did so I could repeat the things she loved. It became a habit I still do everytime I concoct something she praises. HWHL, so I didn't argue, and now have over 1,900 recipes I can hand down to our kids

 

[Nobe]

Lol! I'm half German, so maybe that's where this is coming from? That and I don't come from any cooking tradition; no great family recipes or cooking tips.

 

[pops6927]

https://statich.smokingmeatforums.com/0/07/07104ca2_smoking-meat-log.pdf

Smoking Meat Log