New Member from West Mids

[Leggy]

Good afternoon all!

I'm new to the forum, but I've been BBQ'ing for a little while. Found you guys after the wife showed me a post about the BBQ meet you'll be doing in Sutton soon.

Always enjoyed being In front of a grill. A couple of years ago I bought A Chargriller Wrangler and the SFB to bolt on.

Had a few goes at smoking and cooking low and slow, had a couple of successes and a couple of failures, but still enjoying it whatever the outcome.

My biggest problem is getting the times right, when to wrap etc. I think it's because I've watched so many American videos where they use massive chunks of meat, found the smaller cuts we get over here cook a lot faster. But, I'll get there.

Anyway, glad to be a part of this community. Hopefully I'll learn loads from you guys and gals!

Cheers for reading,

Adam.

[sotv]

Hi welcome Leggy, we'll have to wait to see what happens with the Midlands Tailgate and the government advice, but hopefully you can come along to one in the near future.

I have found wrapping can be a confusing thing as well, I usually just go for when the meat has passed the stall now and wrap it after that, i always go by internal temp not timings, because as you say the weights can be so variable.

Noticed a few new members talking about offsets on here lately, maybe @Smokin Monkey can set a dedicated sub section for them, like the Smokefire recently, so owners can create threads and offer advice  in one easy to find area for them?

[Leggy]

Thanks for the welcome!

Yeah, I currently do most of my cooking with the offset method, but sometimes you just can't beat cooking over a flame eh?! 

 

I intend to do a lot of reading on here, see what the general consensus is on wrapping. I did some pork the other day, I wrapped that but I didn't keep it moist during the cook, but I'll know for the next one!

Cheers,

Adam

 

[Icefever]

Hi & welcome to the forum Leggy, if it wasn't for this smegging virus we'd be working up to the 1st Midland tailgate in a couple of months. That's looking like a no no at the moment, but we'll wait until the last minute before we make a decision on it....fingers crossed for Woodsmoke 20 this year..🤞🤞👍

Ice.

[hoogl]

Hi  I'd say for wrapping internal Temp is worthwhile watching, a decent probe can make a difference of when to do what. I always use one but I like my numbers. 🤓

[Leggy]

1 minute ago, hoogl said:

Hi  I'd say for wrapping internal Temp is worthwhile watching, a decent probe can make a difference of when to do what. I always use one but I like my numbers. 🤓

Thanks for the welcome!

Yeah, literally everything I've watched or read says 'Wrap at this temp' I'm happy to have a bit of guidance, I'm nowhere near telling by sight or feel yet haha.

[hoogl]

I've always used a thermometer during my smokes i find it takes the pressure off. I'm enjoying the meater as it gives a estimated finish time. i think the new weber one does. In the past i'd say its a fad but having used it I love it during my cooks. 

Even if you get the wrap wrong/mistimed whatever Q you make will be damn tasty so no losers here. Plus it's an excuse to buy more meat and try again. 😁

[Leggy]

Yeah, I know what you're saying. When I've done a few more, I'll hopefully get a better feel for it, but I agree, I enjoy using my temp probes.

And it's always nice to have an excuse to buy more meat haha!

[Wade]

On 4/12/2020 at 12:22 PM, Leggy said:

My biggest problem is getting the times right, when to wrap etc. I think it's because I've watched so many American videos where they use massive chunks of meat, found the smaller cuts we get over here cook a lot faster. But, I'll get there.

It is much tougher to maintain an even temperature across the cooking chamber of these smaller offset smokers than the larger ones often see in the US videos. There are several things that can help though.

One of the biggest challenges is the proximity of the meat to the opening between the cooking chamber and the fore box. This results in one end of the meat becoming significantly hotter than the other - and significantly hotter than the lid thermometer reading shows. To reduce this, place a baffle inside the cooking chamber in front of the firebox gap to deflect the heat opwards before it comes in contact with the meat. This can be as simple as a small brick wrapped in tinfoil placed on the cooking grate.

To reduce he effect of any heat gradient on the meat, place it at the far end of the cooking chamber and turn it regularly to even out the cooking. It is good to mop/spritz it when you turn it too to keep the surface moist. You can use a sauce or even just water.

After the first 3 hours it is good to foil wrap for the rest of the cook to retain moisture. It is the law of diminishing returns and most of the smoke flavour will have been imparted within the first 3 hours. If you are looking for a firm bark then unwrap it again for the last hour.

Smaller pieces of meat need more careful handling that larger pieces. Regardless of the size, the tenderness is dependant not only on the temperature the meat reaches but also the length of time it remains there. It takes time for the heat to break down the collagen into sugars. The smaller pieces of meat will get to the desired temperature quicker but then they will also start to dry out quicker before the desired texture can be reached.

[Leggy]

48 minutes ago, Wade said:

It is much tougher to maintain an even temperature across the cooking chamber of these smaller offset smokers than the larger ones often see in the US videos. There are several things that can help though.

One of the biggest challenges is the proximity of the meat to the opening between the cooking chamber and the fore box. This results in one end of the meat becoming significantly hotter than the other - and significantly hotter than the lid thermometer reading shows. To reduce this, place a baffle inside the cooking chamber in front of the firebox gap to deflect the heat opwards before it comes in contact with the meat. This can be as simple as a small brick wrapped in tinfoil placed on the cooking grate.

To reduce he effect of any heat gradient on the meat, place it at the far end of the cooking chamber and turn it regularly to even out the cooking. It is good to mop/spritz it when you turn it too to keep the surface moist. You can use a sauce or even just water.

After the first 3 hours it is good to foil wrap for the rest of the cook to retain moisture. It is the law of diminishing returns and most of the smoke flavour will have been imparted within the first 3 hours. If you are looking for a firm bark then unwrap it again for the last hour.

Smaller pieces of meat need more careful handling that larger pieces. Regardless of the size, the tenderness is dependant not only on the temperature the meat reaches but also the length of time it remains there. It takes time for the heat to break down the collagen into sugars. The smaller pieces of meat will get to the desired temperature quicker but then they will also start to dry out quicker before the desired texture can be reached.

Absolutely solid advice, thank you very much.

 

I've got a Boston Butt coming tomorrow, so I'll re-read this before I light my next fire and make my adjustments. Thanks again!

Cheers,

Adam.