Guidance

[bigcbbq]

Hello Community,

My name is "Big C", I am looking to get guidance on being the best smoking guy on the west coast. I there is an abundance of knowledge and skills here on this website.

I have a couple of questions:

1) Do I need to burn the smoking woods before smoking them to get out impurities? Also should I soak the wood for smoking purposes? I heard about these techniques. What do you think?

2) I have been brining the turkey meat, should I add seasonings to the brine to get it into the meat. Or should I use injector along with brining to get seasoning to the bone?

3) should I keep adding woods to keep tempurature up, or just add coals to sustain the tempurature
 

4) I would like to know is a good rule of thumb to smoking turkey you should cook 1hour for every pound?

Thanks,

Big C BBQ

 

[richoso1]

Hello Community,

My name is "Big C", I am looking to get guidance on being the best smoking guy on the west coast. I there is an abundance of knowledge and skills here on this website.

I have a couple of questions:

1) Do I need to burn the smoking woods before smoking them to get out impurities? Also should I soak the wood for smoking purposes? I heard about these techniques. What do you think?

2) I have been brining the turkey meat, should I add seasonings to the brine to get it into the meat. Or should I use injector along with brining to get seasoning to the bone?

3) should I keep adding woods to keep tempurature up, or just add coals to sustain the tempurature
 

4) I would like to know is a good rule of thumb to smoking turkey you should cook 1hour for every pound?

Thanks,

Big C BBQ

Welcome to the SMF, you'll have some work to do if you want to be the best on the west coast, but it will be fun!

1. You didn't mention what type of smoker you have, but generally pre-burning of wood is not needed. Same for soaking.

2. If your brining, i would add the seasonings to the brine. I haven't heard of too much success by injecting and brining. Maybe somebody hasn't mentioned it yet.

3. Again, I don't know your smoker. Wood is usually added while you're still smoking unfoiled meat, but you can use coals to hold the temp.

4.It is best to cook by internal temp as opposed to time. There are too many variables. The internal temp will let you know when it's done, somethings take longer to cook than expected.

BTW, how about an introduction telling us about yourself, and your choice of equipment.

It's all good my friend.

 

[meateater]

Welcome to the SMF. Glad to have you here. Lots of good folks, great recipes and knowledge. Looking forward to your first qview.

 

[beer-b-q]

 

Welcome to SMF, Glad to have you with us.
 

This is the place to learn, lots of good info and helpful friendly Members.
 

For those of you new to Smoking, be sure to check out Jeff's 5 Day Smoking Basics eCourse.

Click Here it's "FREE" ... 5 Day eCourseE

 

[mballi3011]

First off Welcome Big C to SMF. You'll like it here for there are alot of really good folks here that would just love to help you with just about anything to do with smoking. Now there are alot of proven recipes for some amazing things here too. So if you need sign up for the E-Course it's free and it will give you the basics of smoking and some good methods to use also. So the next big thing for you to do is go out and get you something to smoke and if you happen to have any questions just post it here and we will be happy to answer them for you.

 Now for your questions:

1.    I would say that you don't have to soak your chips or chunks I don't.

2.    I also would recommand brining and yes add some spices to it. I would look in wiki for the Slaughter House Brine myself.

3.    This depends on you and your smoker. If you like more smokey flavor then keep up the smoke and if not don't.

4.    We here smoke by temp most of the time for everything but pork ribs. The temp for turkey is 165°ish in the thickest part of the breast and 170° in the thigh area.

I hope that this has helped you and we can't wait to see your upcoming smokes in Q-view.

Welcome To Your New Addiction            

 

[northern greenhorn]

Welcome to SMF, and good luck on your goal, each journey begins with the first step, you did that, you came here

 

[realtorterry]

First welcome to SMF!!

Second I don't think youy could get any better answers than you just did!!

 

[bigcbbq]

Thanks Everyone that responded. I love SMF. It has been very helpful. I have been learning by error. For the everyone. I am trying to get photos posted of my smoker. I have several smokers. The El Cheapo Brinkman ( the tester Smoker), I have two 65 gallon custom built barrel style grills, and my big BABY is a custom built 6 foot smoker. It was originally a traffic light signal box, the gray steel boxes you see on the street corners. Well I had one modified and built into a smoker. It have Eight Tray levels for smoking multiple meats. Two Access doors on each side. it is a real winner. It has produced me some great smoking meats. I have recently started using the apple juice to keep meats moist during the smoking. which has worked out well.

I just made a post in the general area. But I have had issue with people not understanding the pink color inside the smoked meats. They are assuming it is not well done and a requesting it to be cooked till brown or no more pink color. Which is drying out and compromising my juicy slow and low flavored and textured meats. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Big C

 

[chefrob]

welcome and good info above.........as far as the smoke ring, it is a reaction involving nitrogen and oxygen forming N02 and reacting with the myoglobin in the meat.

 

[alelover]

Welcome to SMF. Great place and great people. I think we all have become better smokers by being here.
 

But I have had issue with people not understanding the pink color inside the smoked meats. They are assuming it is not well done and a requesting it to be cooked till brown or no more pink color. Which is drying out and compromising my juicy slow and low flavored and textured meats. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Big C

We know what happens when we assume. Educate them. Tell them that's way it's supposed to be and shove some in their mouth. They should understand after that.

 

[arnie]

But I have had issue with people not understanding the pink color inside the smoked meats. They are assuming it is not well done and a requesting it to be cooked till brown or no more pink color. Which is drying out and compromising my juicy slow and low flavored and textured meats. Any suggestions?

 

Thanks,

Big C

Here is a link on The Color of Meat and Poultry 

Also see Is Pink Turkey Meat Safe?

The last section addresses meat and poltry

More information than most people need, but it may help


The key is internal temp.

 

[SmokinAl]

Welcome to SMF. As to the pink color, just put a temp probe in & show them it's done. The smoke ring will be near the surface of the meat. If it's pink down in the middle then maybe it's not done. The only way to tell for sure is with a temp probe.

 

[bigcbbq]

Al, I have a question if you have the probe in throughout the process, and lets say the temp dips for a period and it is cooking for quite a long time.

Does the internal temperture has to reach that number sometime during the process, correct? What I am leary about is when the temperture drops but the meat is cooking at lower temp. then it goes up high to the 225 temp. does it make a difference when it hits that temp?

 

[jirodriguez]

Al, I have a question if you have the probe in throughout the process, and lets say the temp dips for a period and it is cooking for quite a long time.

Does the internal temperture has to reach that number sometime during the process, correct? What I am leary about is when the temperture drops but the meat is cooking at lower temp. then it goes up high to the 225 temp. does it make a difference when it hits that temp?

I assume you are talking about the temperature in your smoker dropping, then going up when you add more fuel?

For the meat itself the main rule of thumb regarding large cuts of meat or whole chicken/turkey is getting the outer 1/2" of meat from 40° to 140° in 4 hrs. or less.... regardless of what your smoke chamber temperature is doing. This formula changes though if you have pierced the meat by either injecting it or with a probe thermometer before putting it in the smoker. If you have pierced the meat then you run the risk of bacterial from the outside of the meat getting carried to the inside of the meat, so you now have to get the entire piece of meat from 40°-140° in 4 hrs. or less. That is why a lot of people do not put the probe in untill the meat has been on the smoker for 4 hrs.

Now as for your chamber temps going up and down, that is strictly due to either poor perfomance of the smoker itself or a need for better fire controll. If you have smoke pouring out of all the little cracks on your smoker that means air is getting in through those same cracks and makes it hard to controll the temps. with your intake dampers. You can seal up a lot of those cracks with fireplace roap gasket or high temp automotive gasket adheasive.

The fire controll has more to do when you are adding fuel, and how you are adding it. Idealy you are looking for long periods of steady low heat, but if your smoker needs to be refueled in mid smoke you are going to get a temp. spike when you add more fuel. This can be delt with by adjusting the dampers when adding fuel. On the otherside you want to add fuel before the temps drop down very far to avoid the smoker running cold for long periods of time. A lot of folks like to use the Maverick ET-73 or newer temp. probes to monitor their firebox temps. because you can set both a high temp and low temp alarm. So if your are trying to maintain 225-250° in the smoke chamber you could set your low temp. alarm for 220° and it would signal you that you need to tend to your smoker, and on the high side set it at 275° to be aware of any unanticipated flare ups.

I suggest you focus on one smoker at a time and learn how to get the results you need/want from each one. Take notes of what you do, and what does and doesn't work with each smoker.

 

[alelover]

That was a very good explanation, Johnny.

 

[SmokinAl]

I think Johnny said it all.

 

[scarbelly]

Nicely said Johnny

 

[Bearcarver]

That makes 4 who noticed a superior explanation by Johnny again!

Thank You Johnny!

Bear

 

[bigcbbq]

Johnny You the Man! I truly thank you for your knowledgeable response. I will be doing that this weekend to get written notes to get this part under control. I got a lot of insite on the 4 hours of constant cooking. I had no Idea about that. Thanks everyone. I am off to smoke here in Southern California in this 78degree weather and sunny. I am truly sorry and feel for those of you in freezing conditions. I will throw a tri tip on the grill for you.