The BBQ/Smoker Thread

[MrDrew]

Let's talk some BBQ/smoking/grilling.

 

Talk about any tips, recipes for brine or rubs, techniques, and  what kind of smoker you have. 

[MrDrew]

I got a new Louisiana Grills pellet smoker this weekend. Finally got to use it tonight, and it worked just as planned. The LG's have a drip pan that opens to let you cook over a direct flame, which is one of the main reasons I bought it. I had some USDA prime top sirloin that I seared over the flame first, and then dropped it down to 225, and let them finish under smoke. 

Next up will probably be a tri-tip that will go the opposite of the steaks. I'll smoke it until it's almost done, and then sear it to get a good bark on it.

Also doing a turkey for Thanksgiving. Really excited this year because I'll actually have space for a bigger bird, and the LG has a keep warm feature that will drop the inside temp once the meat hits whatever temp you set the probe for.

[Dome]

I have a GMG Pellet Grill. Works great as a smoker too. We use it 3-4 times a week. It totally replaces our oven in the summer.

Love Tri-Tips. 

Have you tried brining a turkey? I've done it the last 4 years and would highly recommend it, especially on the smoker. I've had a handful of people tell me it's the best turkey they've had and some people that didn't like turkey at all changed their mind when they tried it. There's nothing to it. Soak it for two days and smoke it at 200 until it hits temp. It's fantastic.

[MrDrew]

5 minutes ago, domepatrol91 said:

Have you tried brining a turkey? I've done it the last 4 years and would highly recommend it, especially on the smoker.

Every time. Even did it the few times I fried one.

For anybody making a turkey, brine it. If you're making a chicken, brine it. 

What kind of brine are you using?

8 minutes ago, domepatrol91 said:

I have a GMG Pellet Grill.

I looked at a GMG wit the WiFi. Almost went that route. The LG had cast iron grills, the warm feature, and the drip pan that opened up were what really made me go with it over the others. 

[scar988]

9 hours ago, domepatrol91 said:

I have a GMG Pellet Grill. Works great as a smoker too. We use it 3-4 times a week. It totally replaces our oven in the summer.

Love Tri-Tips. 

Have you tried brining a turkey? I've done it the last 4 years and would highly recommend it, especially on the smoker. I've had a handful of people tell me it's the best turkey they've had and some people that didn't like turkey at all changed their mind when they tried it. There's nothing to it. Soak it for two days and smoke it at 200 until it hits temp. It's fantastic.

Brining is the key to making great smoked meats. I tend to do a brine that's about 1/2 salt, 1/4 Brown sugar and 1/4 other spices.

[Dome]

My brine is about 1/2 salt, 1/4 brown sugar bring it to a boil. Drop in a ton of cranberries, peel of an orange, a diced apple, minced garlic, pepper, and some othe crap. Great for turkey.

I remove the fruit in favor of more spices if I’m going to be brining a pork loin.

[MookieMonstah]

This thread is going to be gold

[scar988]

19 minutes ago, domepatrol91 said:

My brine is about 1/2 salt, 1/4 brown sugar bring it to a boil. Drop in a ton of cranberries, peel of an orange, a diced apple, minced garlic, pepper, and some othe crap. Great for turkey.

I remove the fruit in favor of more spices if I’m going to be brining a pork loin.

That's a great idea for a thanksgiving turkey brine. I'd still throw in some oregano, paprika, nutmeg and chili powder for a heartier flavor. But it does sound amazing.

[kgarrett12486]

For those that use conventional smoke, what kind of wood or chips do you use for different meats?

I usually go heavier smoke woods (mesquite or hickory) for my beef and pork. For chicken-pecan and fish/seafood-fruit woods (apple, cherry)

 

 

[MrDrew]

I would usually do salt, brown sugar, rosemary, thyme, bay leafs, garlic, and pepper. This time I need to cut the sugar out, so I'm trying to figure out something else that will balance out the salt. I was thinking of going citrus heavy, but I'm afraid of overdoing that flavor. Anybody got suggestions?

I usually make my own rubs for anything I put on the grill, but for poultry I love this stuff

I'll dry off the turkey after the brine, and rub this under and on the skin. Then I'll mop it with this stuff and olive oil to help keep it moist, and crisp up the skin. 

[MrDrew]

4 minutes ago, kgarrett12486 said:

For those that use conventional smoke, what kind of wood or chips do you use for different meats?

I usually go heavier smoke woods (mesquite or hickory) for my beef and pork. For chicken-pecan and fish/seafood-fruit woods (apple, cherry)

 

 

I'm from CA, so I like oak for beef. I'll usually blend it with some sort of sweet wood to keep it from being too heavy. For poultry, I like to go heavier on the sweet wood, but still have some oak/hickory in there. Most pork will be Apple, or an apple/cherry blend. 

[ET80]

11 hours ago, domepatrol91 said:

Have you tried brining a turkey? I've done it the last 4 years and would highly recommend it, especially on the smoker. I've had a handful of people tell me it's the best turkey they've had and some people that didn't like turkey at all changed their mind when they tried it. There's nothing to it. Soak it for two days and smoke it at 200 until it hits temp. It's fantastic.

This is my next adventure. 

1 hour ago, domepatrol91 said:

My brine is about 1/2 salt, 1/4 brown sugar bring it to a boil. Drop in a ton of cranberries, peel of an orange, a diced apple, minced garlic, pepper, and some othe crap. Great for turkey.

Sounds amazing. Going to borrow a page from @scar988 as well with the paprika, nutmeg and oregano. If I was brining a chicken for me, I'd probably toss in some cayanne pepper, but rest of family will probably object. 

So @domepatrol91, you're thinking two day brine for this? I think this year we're doing an 18 lb turkey, would two days be too long?

[MookieMonstah]

I've always heard you don't want to brine more than 24 hours but that could be wrong...

[tntitans4life17]

I've got a PitBoss 700 pellet smoker. Just got it a few months ago and have really enjoyed it. I managed a BBQ restaurant for a few years so it's been great to get back to smoking. I love hickory on just about anything except seafood. I haven't tried any of the sweeter woods on poultry but I might have to try that next time I put a bird on.

Favorite thing to smoke is a brisket. Use a lighter rub of mostly salt and pepper just to let the beef shine through. Love to use a pound or so of the brisket and make a brisket chili.

Any of you guys do injections? I've never done it but curious if anyone has had success with those and what they recommend.

[scar988]

26 minutes ago, EliteTexan80 said:

This is my next adventure. 

Sounds amazing. Going to borrow a page from @scar988 as well with the paprika, nutmeg and oregano. If I was brining a chicken for me, I'd probably toss in some cayanne pepper, but rest of family will probably object. 

So @domepatrol91, you're thinking two day brine for this? I think this year we're doing an 18 lb turkey, would two days be too long?

You can never brine too long. All the brine does in terms of the bird spoiling/etc is prevent it from doing so while also seasoning the meat.