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dan (or)

Newbie
Original poster
Feb 18, 2007
7
10
So today I had 11 lbs of beef in the smoker so I thought I might should be doing some research on how long and what temp! I signed up to this site! great place with lots of ideas and advice TIA!

I live in the Portland, Oregon area and have spend several years learning how to smoke salmon and steelhead. I also have done jerky for several years.

here is how it looks after 8 hrs in the smoker...

I cut and pressed some garlic cloves into the meat before smoking.... alder and one batch of mesquite... any feed back would be great!

dan(or)

Also I have smoked walleye....
a182ce82_vbattach11716.jpg
 
Welcome aboard Dan (or)?

Glad you found us. Looks like everything is going good with your smoke. Tell us a little more about what you got going there
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Welcome Dan (or) -

Looks mighty fine. How about some Stats? What kind of smoker did you use? Rubs? Mops? Sprays?

I don't know anything about fish so I can't help you there but I'm sure someone here can! This is best forum on the net!

You can never go wrong with garlic in my book (but then I'm Italian).
 
Welcome, Welcome!! Glad you are here!!

Ask lots of questions. The friendly folks here at SMF will make answer. Also, please consider taking Jeff's 5-Day course by email.


Take care, have fun, and do good!

Regards,

Meowey
 
I am dying here! I took the meat out of the smoker and wrapped in in Alum foil... put it in the oven about an hour ago... OMG!! the smell is driving me NUTS!!!

Ok a little more info. I bought several bottom round flats +/- 12 lbs for 99 cents a pound... now that was a great buy!! I thought I would be making some jerky out of it... but what the heck, why not try something new? Smoking the whole thing?

So I thawed it out, trimmed too much fat (after reading this site) cut it in half and put it in the smoker at 8 am. Alder smoke at about 150 degrees. for 9 hours....

Again after reading this site I went to a meat thermometer for checking the meat. It reached 170 degrees, so I pulled it off and put it in the oven. The smell is driving me crazy..

dan (or) oregon
 
Ok im lost here first of all I have never used alder and second 150* is way to cold to smoke. Some one correct me if im wrong or missing something here .
 
The pics look great.. I do recommend that you try to maintain at least 200 degrees for brisket (I usually shoot for 225 or so) as I have found that to yield the best results.

I would also sit it directly on the grate at least for the first few hours while it develops that nice smoky flavor. Lots of the folks foil the brisket after a few hours and that can yield great results as well.

I like to flip my briskets every couple of hours and use a mop.. my favorite is a really simple one: (I call it mop water by the way)

1 cup water
1 stick butter
2 tablespoons Cajun Seasoning

Micowave about 30 seconds before each mopping session and apply liberally to the top side of the brisket then flip, mop and shut the door.

There are some who don't flip at all and there are some who do it fat side down the entire time.

So you can see that everyone just experiments and does it the way that suits them best.

All in all, if it tastes great when you get done then you have been successful.

I absolutely LOVE the way brisket smells when it is almost done!
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Marvin-

My understanding is that it's used a good bit in the Northwest for a sweet-musky smoke. Mostly fish.

I was wondering if there was a thermometer discrepancy here. A smoker temperature of 150 degrees could not produce a 170 degree meat. At least he got a good edible product.

You might want to check your therometer though for next time. Don't want to burn something you worked so hard on. Good job Dan!
 
I think you are right. I have to invest in some better thermometers! Any recommendation out there? I was thinking about one to sit on the rack and compare to the door readout.

I guess I have been smoking in this unit for a couple of years. (Great smokey mountain propane unit = burner/ wood chip pan /water dish and four racks + two side vents and a top vent. basically the black box unit) I have found that the jerky, ribs and salmon all come out great at about 150/160 according to the door... so I stayed with it.... but more research is in order on the temps.

Alder/ alder smoke is prized here the northwest. Luhr Jensen sells chips or chunks in bags. They also sell hickory, mesquite, apple, cherry in bags but these are all mixed heavily with alder. If you read the label on the bag.

Ok back to today. I started out with just the garlic inserted into the meat no rub or marinate. got the smoker warmed up and put the meat on ... one pan of alder, one pan of mesquite/alder and three more pans of alder. The temps were about 140/150 according to the door. the meat was directly on the rack for the first 4 or so hours and then after reading a bunch on this site I thought I should put the meat in a foil tray... and after reading some more, discarded that idea.... doesn't seem to be a majority either way on the site. Kinda like the fat up or down thing...

The meat got to about 170 after 8 hours or so using a meat thermo (hence the thermometer issue) and I took it off and wrapped both pieces in foil and put them in the oven at 225.

I am waiting for the last chunk to get to 190. Don't know if it will be sliced or pulled... kinda depends on how it turned out.

Thanks for the welcome and all the advice.

dan
 
Put this piece in dish towels (advice from this site!) at 9:30 pm to slowly cool down and got up at midnight to have a slice....... It is the best!

Thanks for the great site!

dan
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Man I think your on to somthing, It looks Great. Although I'm not a big fan of Mesquite, I'd love to try Addler. Also, I do think a good rub will really add to anything you smoke, just like a good Brine adds to smoked fish . Greg
 
This is a thread on the Maverick Digital Thermometers. I ordered the Maverick ET-73 from partshelf.com - Regular price: $59.99, Sale price: $42.95 (it was $39.99 plus shipping of $8.40, two weeks ago when I ordered mine).

It has dual probes (meat temp & smoker temp) and a remote receiver. They claim the receiver range is 100' - that is straight line of sight, without walls or other obstructions. You will not get readings 100' away in your house. Still works great for me. I read a post on this site about a modification that will increase the range - by removing the antenna from the inside of the receiver. I haven't done it, nor do I think I need to. To each his/her own.

You can also set alarms - upper & lower temp alarms for the smoker (warn you of harmful temperature spikes, or an empty propane tank), and one alarm can be set for your meat temp (to let you know when to foil, for example). Very useful!

Whatever thermometer you get, test it for accuracy - place the probe in a pot of boiling water, without touching the bottom or sides. The reading should be 212*F. My probes read 211* & 213* - close enough!

Good luck with whatever you choose!
 
Welcome to SMF Dan (or)? ! A number of us use one form or another of a digital probe thermometer. I think that the Maverick ET-73 is one of the more popular units.

I have the GOSM and my door thermo is off too, they say that it can be calibrated, but I'm too lazy to pull the thing out of the door to do it.

Enjoy the forums.
 
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