First Fatty - Didn't turn out?

[wildcard]

Afternoon all,

I tried my first fatty today and I must say I'm a little disappointed.

I did a bacon weave, 1.25 lbs of ground beef, some onions, green peppers, shredded cheddar and bbq sauce.

I had my MES 40 going at around 230 for three hours. The bacon didn't look too browned, but I pulled it out anyways and found the bacon wasn't cooked, the cheese wasn't melted and the meat wasn't cooked everywhere.

I did have it placed on a flat aluminum sheet.

Any ideas why it wasn't cooking or what I need to do differently??

I was using the smoker's thermometer and a maverick to monitor temp, though I didn't use the meat probe.

Thanks,

 

[crazymoon]

WC, IMHO I would use a probe while smoking to see what your internal temps are.It wasn't cooked enough if the meat was raw in spots and the cheese hadn't melted . Another idea for crisping the bacon is to have your grill fired up(after the smoke) for a quick sear all around to give that bacon some crunch. I also place my fatty directly on the grate and put some tinfoil a few racks down to catch the drippings.

 

[gmc2003]

Wildcard, when I do fatties with a bacon weave I usually cook them until the bacon is done and the internals are at 160 - 165. I also smoke them somewhere between 250 and 260*. They are cooked directly on the grill grates. More smoke penetration that way.

Chris

 

[GaryHibbert]

I agree with both CM and Chris. You need a meat probe inserted while cooking. Your internal temp was way below what it should have been.
Whenever I smoke anything bacon wrapped I cook it to the proper IT and then put it under the oven broiler (rotating it to crisp all sides).
Gary

 

[hardcookin]

275 until it hits an IT 165 like mentioned above.
Also precook peppers & onions before I add them.
It sounds like you wasn't cooking at 230...

 

[SmokinAl]

I agree with the above, I don't think your smoker was as hot as you thought!
Al

 

[SonnyE]

I'm soaking this up like a sponge in warm water.
I can see a beef fatty in my future.
(Just don't tell my doctor...)

 

[kajunkue]

Putting the fatties under the broiler is a great way to crisp the bacon but you have to watch it carefully. I was thinking about trying to rub a little oil on the bacon towards the end and crank up the temp to see if that crisp it up. What do you think? Would it work?

 

[KrisUpInSmoke]

I wonder if it would help the bacon crisp if you give it a head start. Make the bacon weave, put it on a flat rimmed (to catch drips) sheet pan and put another flat rimmed sheet pan on top, so the bottom of a second sheet pan is fitted into the first one and holding the bacon flat. Cook it some, but not all the way until it's crisp. Maybe 320 for 20 minutes, based on your oven, checking not to cook it through. Watch for spilling bacon fat when you take the pan out!
That bacon fat wouldn't melt into your fattie since you're rendering it out in the oven but, depending if you think the fattie will be too dry or you try without that fat and it's too dry, you could consider adding some of that bacon fat to the ground meat mixture, chill it, then flatten it out.
Or you could smoke the bacon weave until partially cooked, catch the drips in a pan the shelf below it and use those for more smoke flavor everywhere!

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

I’ve only made one fattie so far but it was on my offset. I put my probe in the middle and pulled it when IT hit 160. I cooked it closer to the firebox. The bacon was perfect that way. I agree that it sounds like you smoker was not hot enough for the entire cook.

George

 

[daveomak]

You need to use a thermometer to check on the final internal temperature of ANY meat product you cook...
You can pre-cook the bacon so it's 1/2 cooked, then do the weave... like Kris noted.... that will do a lot for it's final presentation or place the fatty under the broiler or on the grill...
I pre-cook bacon for any bacon wrapped item...I take ground beef to 165, in the event salmonella has contaminated it...