Your batting average...

[timstalltaletav]

For some of our more experienced cooks on the forum, I pose this question:

What would you say is your "batting average" when it comes to home run recipes/smokes?

Personally I find myself somewhere right around .500. If I stick to traditional cooks that I know well enough to cook in my sleep I'm usually solid, but when I go outside of the usuals (I.E. 3-2-1 ribs, etc...) my average drops.

Anyone else have similar experiences? I can say there's only been one cook I remember that I actually gave all of it to the dog. That was my first brisket. I was brand new (didn't find this forum yet) and just cooked it until the probe thermometer said it was done. I can unequivocally state that brisket cooked to 170° is terrible! The dog barely ate it. But I've lived and learned...

 

[mdboatbum]

I'm not nearly as experienced as most on here, but I'll answer anyway.

I think my definition of "home run" has changed quite a bit over the years. When I first started smoking, I was thrilled with the results of just about anything that came off the cooker. Then I started to learn. Then I started to really try for perfection and the quality really increased, but so did my idea of perfection.  I'd say overall maybe 20% of what I've smoked has been truly what I'd consider a home run. 95% has been edible, and 50-75% in the "good" range.

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Hmm...I'm somewhat of a rogue...usually I'm experimenting, sometimes even when cooking for larger groups. I've slowed down quite a bit and don't cook nearly as much as I did up until a few years ago, but very little of my creations came out with poor results. I've always seemed to tweek something for the better, be it rubs or methods.

Sometimes I find myself in the mood to just wipe the slate clean...try to forget about all the things I've done, even if they worked well, and start a cook completely from scratch using simple seasoning and methods...just to see where it leads me and experience the moment. I find it pleasantly surprising to learn just how good food can be with so little enhancement. Then, compare this experience with more complicated rubs or methods.

I have had a couple flops over the years, but this happens so seldom that I find it very difficult to admit to failure. Usually it's not a total bust...rather it just needs a little extra TLC to get closer to what I had hoped for. Sure, it wasn't what you expected or would have preferred, but these are among of the best learning experiences you can have...teaches you what doesn't work for that particular meal or cut of meat, and also what you can do avoid the issue in the future.

I find that if I'm not doing something a bit differently than I've done before, then I have little to challenge me...challenges drive me to the pursuit of victory. How I measure the outcome of mt cooking determines the end result for my efforts. If I get blind-sided by something and work the problem on the fly, then this is part of what I measure to determine my level success. Good planning helps, but we can't plan for every possible variable...that's where being adaptable and willing to make changes will usually turn things for the better. Again, learning from everything you do, whether it worked or not. I have combined the use of multiple cookers for a single dish, or a single cooker for the entire meal, just for the challenge and the quest for something new and unique, for example...these meals will always present me with new challenges that I have to accept and work through, yet these have been among my most enjoyable meals to prepare, and are always good eating.

I sense that you may be in a slump or sorts, and possibly are in need of ideas to make improvements or just change what you cook out of boredom...or, you're wanting to step out of your comfort-zone and try new things, but in the past you've had less than desirable results, so your confidence in your skills is not where you'd like it to be. Sometimes you just have to step forward and ask yourself what it is you really are searching for. Maybe just planning a one cooker complete meal is something you should consider...smoke taters and veggies with your meat can really kick things up.

Maybe I'm way off the mark here...dunno...tell me more, if you like...or just tell me to shut my pie-hole, and I will...LOL!!!

Eric

 

[daveomak]

My batting average has improved dramatically following recipes I find on this forum.... Eric's brisket recipe improved my reputation....

 

[timstalltaletav]

It's funny as I posted this thread yesterday I was cooking some spare ribs, the cooker ran pretty hot so instead of 3-2-1, it turned out more like 2.5-.1-.5. Not the usual, but I consider a victory none the less for one simple reason. My girlfriend who never eats anything off of the smoker ate a whole rack of ribs when they were done. I almost fell over when I came in the house and saw just the bones on the plate.

She even tried some of the burnt ends that I reheated from a brisket I cooked last week. Maybe my smoking stars are beginning to align?

 

[knifebld]

It's funny as I posted this thread yesterday I was cooking some spare ribs, the cooker ran pretty hot so instead of 3-2-1, it turned out more like 2.5-.1-.5. Not the usual, but I consider a victory none the less for one simple reason. My girlfriend who never eats anything off of the smoker ate a whole rack of ribs when they were done. I almost fell over when I came in the house and saw just the bones on the plate.

She even tried some of the burnt ends that I reheated from a brisket I cooked last week. Maybe my smoking stars are beginning to align?

LOL Sounds like you are gonna have to plan for a few extra racks on your next rib smoke.

As a newbie, having only about half a dozen smokes under my belt, I would only consider one or two as truly successful smokes...IMHO you always learn something from each...something you could have done better in the process or an adjustment in the recipe used. That said, my family would disagree and say that I have a perfect batting average...but they love me so it does not really count! LOL

Cheers.

 

[jmgreen]

That's so true. I have many years experience and there are some things like butts, shoulders, salmon that are homeruns everytime. Others, like chicken, are usually damn good but sometimes I think of ways I could do better. Others like ribs, mine are good and sometimes exceptional, I've found I can be all over the place with them, I think I try too hard or try too many things at once. This forum has been an excellent guide to other stuff I hadn't tried or even considered before. My friends and family think everything I make is awesome so perhaps I tend to be (like most folks) my worst critic. I can't think of anything I've smoked that was just awful. I've never tried to smoke brisket as my brother-in-law makes the best I've ever had and I just don't see the point in competing. I've been experimenting more with fish/seafood and vegtables since my wife has decreed we will eat healthier and that has gone well. Same with grilling. I love grilled oysters with homemade chipotle butter. First tasted them at a place called Pearl's Oyster bar in Memphis. Like anything, I believe practice, practice, practice, and what's great about smoking is you get to eat the results!

 

[venture]

As stated above, I guess it depends on the definition of "home run".

My home run average would be way less than .500.  Then again my definition might set a higher standard, and my standards seem to become more difficult to achieve over time?

The more experience I get smoking?  Certainly my food has improved, especially since joining the forum.  Thanks guys and gals!

At the risk of hijacking the thread?  What about repeatability?

Has anyone mastered the capability to reliably repeat recipes like meatloaf, chili, and all the others that come to mind?

Then again, when those recipes come out differently, how often might they be an improvement on my "perfect recipe and execution"? 

  or 

???

Good luck and good smoking.

 

[barnold]

Time was, if I hit .500, I felt kinda lucky.  Then, I started getting more serious about grilling and smoking rather than assuming I knew everything!  Reading about techniques and watching TV cooking programs embedded some good data, but it was still up to me to execute.  As to different types of dishes, I'll do a rundown of the things I like to do (forget some of that other stuff!). 

Top of my list is pork spare ribs.  Going back 20 years or so, I got 'em cooked but didn't make a study of them.  In the ensuing time, I read, researched and watched cooking shows and can honestly say that they must be darn good.  When we have neighbors who ask when I'm going to do another rib cook, it's a good sign!  In total, I'd say I'm batting .950 on pork spare ribs.  The only questionable cook I've had recently was the first one after I made some mods to my OKJL and it ran hotter than I expected (of course that's one objective of the mods - more efficiency).  On that cook, most of the ribs were "fall off the bone", whereas I prefer tender with a nice bite.

Boston butt has me at about .750, if I average being able to pull the bone out with no meat sticking to it versus tender but having to chop more than pull the meat.

Turkeys will put me at about .600.  I get more of them right but occasionally don't let one cook quite long enough.  Crazy story I'm still trying to figure out is the last turkey smoke I did.  That was the first time I used my digital meat thermometer to gauge when the turkey was done.  Got to the right temperature (165°F) and let it hold a bit, then removed them from the smoker and let them rest and cool down before stripping them.  Prior to that cook, I went by time, look and feel and the meat would be juicy, tender and falling off the bone.

Brisket?  When I cooked brisket before, it was on a Brinkmann bullet.  Never had a bad one, but I'll let the jury remain in deliberation until after I do a beef brisket and beef ribs this weekend.

Ribeye steaks on my gas grill are fantastic, even if my wife and neighbors say so!  I'd have to admit that I'd give myself a grade of .500 going back in time, but that's when I'd just get the standard store cut of not more than 3/4".  I always wanted medium rare, but some steaks would end up more toward medium.  I started buying a whole loin and having the butcher cut 1" steaks for me.  That little bit thicker cut means I can hit medium rare all the time now!

Well, I've rattled on long enough for now!!!

 

[timstalltaletav]

In re: repeatability

My ribs are probably 90% repeatable. It's when I stray from my usual recipe that things (sometimes good, sometimes bad) happen.

I have chili down to a science but it's taken me a long time and a lot of "decent" batches to get there. I feel like right now I can acceptably reproduce the product everytime. To be honest the biggest thing that helped me was actually writing down what I'm doing. Seems like common sense but I never did it... The other thing I've been able to do is adjust the recipe for the crowd. I love hot food, but I never make the chili I truly like for parties. It's too hot for some people. The joy of cooking for others I suppose... not only do you have to cook for them. You also have to cook to their taste.

 

[venture]

Precisely my problem!

I have many recipes in the box that I have modified to my own perfection over the years.

Then, a couple of beers?  I just have to stop measuring and make other changes based on my mood at the time!

Not that it is bad?  Just that it isn't consistent.

Good luck and good smoking.

 

[resstealth]

I'm newer myself. I've done bacon wrapped chicken thighs twice, bb ribs once, rum injected ham once, an 11 pound boston butt, and did two 18 pound shoulders at the same time. Also did 2 beer can chickens last weekend. The butt, both shoulders, the chicken thighs, and the ham were grand slams. The ribs got a bit burnt but were still decent. The beer can chickens were decent, texture was off a little bit. Used hickory and mesquite wood.

 

[noboundaries]

I'm always experimenting, more with ingredients than technique or process though, but that too at times.  Knowing your equipment and how meat cooks makes a huge difference in the outcome when trying something new.  Instincts play a part too.  I've been cooking for others for four decades.  My experience is it takes me up to three attempts with something new to get the texture, flavor, and moisture JUUUUuuuuussst the way I want it.  Sometimes I nail it on the first attempt, but that's rare.  I'm analytical, almost to a fault, but it has served me well. 

When I try something new I have a pretty good idea how it is going to taste. I can stand in front of a pantry and refrigerator with a piece of meat in front of me, see what's available, and throw a mental recipe together because in my mind I can taste the finish product once I have pulled the ingredients from the shelf.  I'll get ideas just walking through the grocery store.  Then I smoke it, evaluate the results, make adjustments, and tweak it the second time.  By the third attempt it will be just right if I didn't nail it on the first or second attempt.

The only fails I've had since I started smoking last August was discarding my experience and purely following guidelines I found online before I found SMF.  One was a chuck roast (tough as shoe leather because it was overcooked); one a set of beef ribs (too much rub and not smoked long enough); and a turkey I did last Thanksgiving was fair at best because I didn't take into account the temp difference between the grate and the dome in my Weber Kettle (90F difference).  Made great turkey salad though.

When we have guests I generally smoke only the things I have nailed.  Smoking every weekend just adds to the list of things I try.  I use a cookbook software (Living Cookbook) to keep track of my recipes and techniques.  Now it doesn't matter if I'm using the smoker, charcoal grill, gasser, oven, stovetop, or camp stove, I have techniques and recipes I can reference.  I still tweak favorites, but it's little things now. 

And measuring?  The palm of my hand and my eyeballs are all I need.  That's why I smoke and cook, avoiding baking that requires more precise measuring.

The problem with drinking while I'm cooking, the liquor or beer always ends up in the recipe, and not always with great results.  I love tequila but I've YET to find any recipe that it enhances.  Makes it easier to laugh at the final product though!

 

[johnnyrockford]

I don't get to use my smoker as often as I'd like but I can rate myself this way:

Whole chicken (once): Fail. Awaiting rematch.
Vegetables (few times): Epic Fails so bad that I've given up on veggies.
Pork butts/ribs/loin (several): Neighbors keep coming back!!
Beef round roast (twice): Fair, but looking forward to some new skills I've learned on SMF.
Beef brisket (once): Big Success! Neighbor is buying the next one!!
Hot Dogs (as a snack almost every time): Good, but come on...hot dogs are good cold for crying out loud!!

The neighbors used to look at me funny when I first started, now every one of them smiles and waves and even comes to visit when they see me and my smoker out for a day. That's my homerun! :-)