corned beef.........

[vman]

hi, i am a newbee to the site. i use an electric smoker strictly for my "self proclaimed most -awesome chicken wings" and a gas smoker for the big stuff. i am a hobbyist backyard smoker and enjoy it.

anyway, gonna smoke a corned beef tommorow night for the first time. anyone here ventured with that before? any tips/suggestions welcome.

thanks,
Vman

 

[vman]

hi again!! after browsing your site i have seen some info on the corned beef saga.
this looks to be a great site and will stick around a while.

again, any comments are welcome!

 

[icemn62]

Welcome Vman. Whereabouts you from, and what equipment are you working with? Kepp us in the loop with you cooks, and share the good and the bad.

Grab a cold one and jump into the fray.

 

[vman]

hi, i use a brinkmann electric smoker exclusively for chicken wings...occasionally for thighs and drumsticks and pretty much have it figured out to a "T" for those applications (not to brag, but after much experimenting).
also have a gas "Great Outdoors/Smoky Mountain" smoker for the meats since i can control the heat much better than with the electric smoker.
i get applewood from my neighbor when he trims his trees and i share the goodies with him.
i am in rural NY in the tri-state area of NY, NJ, and Pa.

chicken seems to be my strong points/specialties after tons of experimental recipes and "competitions with a co-worker"....yes, it became addicting!!

anyway, fairly good at meats too, but in the process of all kinds of experimenting again...LOL. tonight, just gonna try the corned beef tonight, nothing fancy to it, just a "curious smoke".

 

[brianj517]

Hi Vman,

Welcome to our little corner of the 'net. Lot's of great folks here with plenty of helpful advice.

I've smoked plenty of briskets in recent years, but never a corned beef. I'm very curious to hear of your results. Please keep us posted and include a few pics if possible.

Cheers,
Brian

 

[trout]

Corned Beef smoked is great, with the right spices on it you can even make something like your own Pastrami. Make sure that you cook it all the way thru, at 160 to 165 foil it the take it to 190. It will not taste like normal corned beef or a regular brisket but they are still great. Any rub that you put on them do not use any salt. Add it after it cooks and then only if needed.

 

[larry maddock]

yo vman,
i have smoked 2 point corned beef briskets.

im glad to have done it.
but---they didnt taste like good pastrami.

in future this cut will definitly be crock potted.
i have that down to an art.

maybe a corned beef from the round will give better results for pastrami.

 

[cajunsmoker]

Yo Larry,

I know this is a smoke meat forum. But I can't imagine wasting a good corned beef in the smoker. Boil that sucker down and make corned beef or Reuben sandwiches. :D

 

[larry maddock]

yo cajunsmoker dude----
i was told that if you smoke corned beef ---its pastrami.

i tried it- deli is where i will buy pastrami from now on


these cheap point cuts are great in crockpot.

 

[vman]

ok, the corned beef is smoking right now, but gotta cheat a lil bit since i got home from work late. had to crank up the heat a lil bit, but this is an experiment for me so it is ok by me. it is a small 3lb point cut.

anyway for the chicken wing lovers with a brinkman electric smoker.....try this.
-if u like hot wings, marinate them 12-24 hours in your favorite hot sauce concoction.....but no marinade required if u don't like hot stlye wings, or just use your favorite marinade....if no marinade at all, brush them with olive oil.
-i use applewood chips and soak them overnight in 50/50 water and apple cider or apple juice. :)
-when ready to start remove the wood chips and use the 50/50 mixture in the water pan and add a bunch of whole smashed garlic to it.
-load up both grates with the wings...i get 20-25 pieces/grate.
-smoke for 75 minutes, than switch the grates.....put top grate on the bottom and the bottom grate on the top to even out the dispensed moisture from the water pan...now smoke another 75 mins.
-now u have 2 1/2 hours smoke time, remove the wings and cover them with your favorite BBQ sauce (i like to mix honey-mustard with a hot bbq sauce), now return the wings to the smoker for approximately 30 mins and check to see when the BBQ sauce texture is right for your liking.

just wanted to share for welcoming me to your site. try variations of this to your flavor liking. if u have the brinkman electric, these times should be about just right.

i am doing a copy&paste to the chicken forum.

 

[vman]

not too bad, but not fantastic. for it being an experimental smoke and short on time i really can't complain.
it tasted like smoked corned beef when it came out of the smoker....but after a night in the fridge it did taste like pastrami. definitely gonna try it another time when i have enough time for a good smoke and no other goodies are using the smoker.

have two 4# birds rubbed up for beer-can-style (actually apple juice in the cans with spices&garlic) and two "half" birds marinating in a hot sauce for the smoker in the morning.

 

[smokemack]

Welcome, you will enjoy this site. Many wonderful "smoking addicts" here. My Mom always told me not to smoke 'cause it's addicting. I'm 35, never really did listen very well, tried it, and now i can't quit :lol: . My wife has been ribin' me to smoke some wings, I smoke with a Silver Smoker (charcaol/wood with offset firebox), any tips besides the ones given..? After smoking and saucing would hitting them with the high heat from a gasser work..? Glad your here!

 

[vman]

i would probably increase the smoke time a lil bit before adding your bbq sauce (first check wings to see if u need more/less smoke time per your smoker)...add the bbq sauce and hit them on the gas grill just enough time to get the bbq sauce texture to your liking, crispy/crunchy/gooey/etc.