The “Perfect” Day

[quickray]

As I smoke and grill more and more, I’m starting to realize I have good days and bad days. Does everyone experience this or is it just practice?

My first brisket this past weekend didn’t turn out too good. It was edible, it wasn’t shoe leather, but it wasn’t like some of the briskets I see on here.

In contrast, the two baby back ribs I smoked the following day were absolutely perfect. Ive never tasted ribs as good and I’m honestly a pretty harsh critic of myself.

Burgers are also consistently good.

So I guess it just comes down to practice? Or do some grilling jobs come out better than others?

 

[smokerjim]

Brisket can be tricky, a little information on how you smoked might help , smoking meats in my opinion is patience and knowledge.

 

[cansmoke]

There are so many variables in bbqing that you need to always remember that a bad day bbqing is better than a good day at the office.

Welcome to the Dark Side!

 

[SmokinAl]

We all have had bad days, but I can say that keeping detailed notes during each smoke will help you very much. Like smoker temp, rub, meat temp, time etc. The more detailed the better. I did this for several years & always looked back at my notes the next time I smoked the same piece of meat. I still have those logs, but after a while you just remember what to do with each piece of meat & don’t need the notebook anymore. I also have a recipe index that has been developed over time, and I do refer to that often, and change it from time to time by adding a new ingredient, or subtracting one. I guess it all boils down to experimenting, and finding the recipes that YOU & YOUR FAMILY like. Not what someone else says is the only way to do this is my way. Good luck!
Al

 

[HalfSmoked]

Agree with Al. It can also depend a lot on the cut of meat from the animal some will be more tender than others.

Warren

 

[chef jimmyj]

Good and bad can happen with anything you cook, even to retired Pro Chefs! Ive made Cajun BBQ Shrimp and loved it. Tried the same recipe with Scallops the other day. The scallops were perfect but the sauce sucked. Came out too sweet from the Honey I used. Added extra Lemon and Worcestershire. It was edible but disappointing...JJ

 

[tx smoker]

Brisket is the Holy Grail of Texas BBQ and for good reason. It takes the right touch and the right seasonings (not necessarily complicated seasonings however) to attain perfection. Briskets will also vary one to the next so there's no exact science behind cooking them. You'll nail one and not know what you did differently but it just came out perfect. That's the nature of what we do

Robert

 

[sawhorseray]

Aside from things like humidity, heat, wind, type of fuel, another thing to consider is that every hunk of meat is going to have it's own characteristics. Just like people, every pig, cow, lamb, and chicken may have something that makes it differ slightly from is mate on the cold case. RAY

 

[SmokyMose]

Sometimes things just don't work right, but all it takes is one perfect cook to keep you hooked....

 

[Brokenhandle]

Maybe others are different, but the way I look at it is... I can make so many different things now because of SMF than I used to be able to. So I figure a not so good day of smoking is still better than burnt water! Ok, so I wasn't that bad but you get my point!

Ryan

 

[noboundaries]

The great thing about smoking and grilling is that poor outcomes are still edible in many ways (soups, chilis, casseroles, pasta, etc)

Once I stopped chasing perfection on long smokes, I found it. I once got on the bus to the school of technology, internal temp, timing per pound, and complex processes. Got tired of the classes there and walked to the other school of KISS which is heat, smoke, and time, letting the meat tell you when it's done with how it feels when a probe is inserted into the proper area. That's where I found perfection.

And I made a lot of great soups, chilis, casseroles, and pastas along the way,