Conundrum's of Digital Smoking ?

[jokensmoken]

I'm not that old school but I smoked alot of darn good stuff on my old ecb using nothing but the dial thermometer that said cool ideal and hot for temp and a toothpick or a skewer test for doneness...Gramps never had a thermometer in the smoke/cure house that I remember either.
When i learned outdoor dutch oven cooking (40+ years ago) temp was determined by how long you could hold your hand over the coals...
Our first pig roaster had a water trough in it to guage temp...When you kept the water at a low boil you were there...a harder boil under the ham and shoulder, a simmer under the rib section was perfect.

Now I like my thermometers but I absolutely agree learning and having sucess without them sure builds your confidence and knowledge base and makes using them easier and you more appreciative for them.

Walt.

 

[gary s]

I'm not that old school but I smoked alot of darn good stuff on my old ecb using nothing but the dial thermometer that said cool ideal and hot for temp and a toothpick or a skewer test for doneness...Gramps never had a thermometer in the smoke/cure house that I remember either.
When i learned outdoor dutch oven cooking (40+ years ago) temp was determined by how long you could hold your hand over the coals...
Our first pig roaster had a water trough in it to guage temp...When you kept the water at a low boil you were there...a harder boil under the ham and shoulder, a simmer under the rib section was perfect.

Now I like my thermometers but I absolutely agree learning and having sucess without them sure builds your confidence and knowledge base and makes using them easier and you more appreciative for them.

Walt.

Exactly, Never said give up your Temp gauges and probes Just learn the basics 

Gary

 

[GaryHibbert]

This is a great post Gary--really makes a fella think about his feelings on the subject.

Where I grew up, meat came in only 3 categories--raw, undercooked, and REALLY well done. I was in my 20s before I discovered that not only could a person actually eat "under done" meat, but that I preferred it that way. So until I learned to know when my beef was cooked to medium I used a meat thermometer. Didn't take long, but that high tech probe was a great learning tool.

These days when I'm smoking meat I use my Maverick to keep an eye on the cook chamber temp. I like to do most smoking at around 240ish--heavy on the ish--so I just sorta glance at it every once in a while. Since I am getting just a tad on the old side, I leave the meat probe in as a reminder to check for done. When the Mav says my meat is to my desired temp then I take a look, probe, wiggle, and make the final decision to either say its done or leave it for a bit longer.

So yeah I use the new technology, but its really just a guidline.

Could I smoke without it? Sure. But its still nice to have that 2nd opinion. That said, I have to admit I'm a tech dinosaur. Heck I hadn't even heard of an instant read therm until a couple of years ago. Now I have one. Its a neat thing to play with, but people have been known to ask me why the meat has all those little holes in it.

Gary

 

[jokensmoken]

I use my digital probe more to probe for tenderness" to know if my meat is done rather tha relying on what temp it reads on almost everything except my ribs...then I'm in Al's camp.
I cook ribs to temp because I'm more particular about them...but that's NOT the way I learned...
Doneness was determined by pull back and bend.

Walt

 

[gary s]

Thanks Gary, Got a Brisket going right now, sitting in my recliner glancing out the door  every once in a while at my Smoker's temp gauge.

No Idea what my IT temp is (and I really don't care) after about 6 - 7 hours of smoke I'll wrap. I'll look and feel of it then and see how it's coming

Note:  To many people get hung up on IT temps, especially on Briskets. They are ALWAYS gunna go through the Stall .

When I first learned I didn't know what the stall was, just knew It wasn't ready after only 6 or so hours

Gary.

 

[chopsaw]

Jumpin in late , but great point made here .  I've cooked on a 22" weber since in my teens . I'm 56 now . Never temp any thing that I cook on the kettle .  Mes 30 ,,, I use a remote therm , and I have instant reads  that I use  for certain things . 

Just got back from vacation ,, Fort Morgan Ala.  When we were leaving for the trip , my daughter said " sure you have everything ? " 

I said ,  " wait , I need my thermometer  "  ( rented a grill  down there )

She said "  Why you sick , do you have a fever ? " 

Never mind get in the car . 

Great post and point well taken . 

 

[Rings Я Us]

It's like fishing. You could be the best fisherman on the lake.. but go to the river one day and you might not be to lucky.
You have to know the river and what it requires that day to catch something. All your fancy tackle and gear won't do much. Experience helps. Knowing someone who lives there and fishes the river frequently is the best.

 

[biaviian]

I use a smoker thermometer, but that's about it.  I will use an instant read for some items, but I usually go by touch and looks.  I can't recall the last time I have used a probe in my meat, but I did that for a while.  I have 6-10 Mavericks, and they just sit in a container; it's sad.

 

[eman]

I have 2 calibrated thermometers. 1 for making sure of the smoking temperature. (MES owners will understand)

The second is for any rare smokes or sides that need to reach a certain temp to be safe.

All meat is done the old fashioned way. sight and feel. When i started i had 6 different thermos and used them for everything and constantly fought to maintain exact temps.

After a few years ,i realized that most of us make smoking so much harder than it needs to be. Smoking temps 10 - 15 degrees either way is not going to hurt a thing .

I learned to quit watching the thermo and the clock. It's done when it's done . I enjoy smoking a whole lot more now.

 If you know product weight and cooking temps ,you know about when you need to start checking to see if it's done.

 

[Bearcarver]

 
Where would the newbies be without a therm & trying to follow Bear's step by steps?

Al

Good Point !!

I could go without my therms on some things, but I use them, and take notes, so I can put a list of the Times & Temps in my Step by Steps, so there is an actual Path to follow.

Bear

 

[browneyesvictim]

If only I had a bunch of idle time, retired, or just plain old NOT BUSY and if could sit around and throw a stick in a firebox and watch and monitor temps, TBS, adjust vents etc... (Sigh!) Some day!

During the weekdays, supper needs to get on the table in a timely fashion along with all the other evening chores. Weekends or days off are the only opportunities to do bigger cuts and longer smokes. But that weekend time is a valuable commodity for other family activities, as well as home upkeep etc... There is no way I could pull off smoking what I do as often as I do without some digital help.