Hello everyone! As posted in the SS forum, I got my Bradley and immediately seasoned it that night. Then the following day I attempted to smoke a Pork shoulder. It was 6 pounds. I also put in a rack of ribs. Both pieces of meat were dry rubbed.
After 6 hours or so of smoking, we ate the meats... It was very very good, but not falling off the bone like I've had when my friend has smoked some meats with his offset charcoal smoker.
What did I do wrong? Did I not leave it in long enough?
Hi Brabus,
Yup, Sounds like you didn't leave it in long enough. Butt usually takes at least 12 hours. However you can't go by time in cooker alone. You want to shoot for an internal temp of 190-200 degrees. When a Butt is ready to pull apart a temp probe or skewer will go in like butter. Foil and let sit for an hour or 2. Hope this helps.
Mike C
Thanks Mike... what do you mean my "foil"??
As in cover it with foil or foil the bottom?
When you take the Butt off the cooker. Wrap it in heavy duty aluminum foil. Let it sit for an hour or 2 then pull apart. Also if it will be a while before you want to pull. You can wrap in saran type wrap, foil, wrap in towel, then place in a cooler. It will stay hot for quite a while that way. Good stuff.
Mike C
Barbus!
If for some reason you do not have an internal temp. probe when cooking a Pork Butt, you can tell if it is finished if the bone pulls out easily. If not it is not done. The first thing I did when I got my BS was to get a temp. probe. The 190 -200 degrees is perfect if you are going to pull your pork.
BigRED
Wow... didn't know I should wait that long...
So smoke it until internal temp is 190, then take out and foil wrap/place in cooler for another 1.5 hours?
Very nice! I'll try that today!
The tried and true method is call FTC....Foil - Towel - Cooler. I do pork butts/shoulders to about 187°F. internal temp with the cabinet temp set no greater than 210°F. I smoke for 4 hours then just let it cook, after changing out the water after the first 4 hours - often one more time later.
Depending on the size, it could spend 24 hrs slow cooking. When the temp has been achieved, the meat comes out, and is wrapped in foil - some wrap first in saran. I add about 1/8 cup of apple juice to the foil pack, then wrap up in a heavy beach towel and put into a pre-warmed coleman-like cooler for 2-6 hrs.
When it comes out, it is like butter. It pulls easily and melts in your mouth. Even after 6 hrs in the cooler, it is still almost too hot to handle with bare hands.
The FTC time helps the collagen in the meat to break down leaving the meat very tender and additionally, very tasty! Keep trying! IT gets better every time!
P.S. I do ribs the same way, but with heat cranked up to 275°F, but after about 4 hrs, pull the ribs, add the juice, then finish foil-packed ribs in conventional oven at 300°F for about 30-45 min. Almost fall off the bone. Not all like it this way, it is just my preference.
Bill
<i>There is room on earth for all God's creatures....on my plate next to the mashed potatoes.</i>
Thanks bill, great advice!!!
I will try that technique. A couple of follow-up questions
-So you only smoke 4 hours the FTC it?
-How do you get the temp really high on the Bradley? I can't seem to get my Bradley to go higher than 225 degrees even on the high settings!
edit: I just realized what you meant... you leave the smoker on for 4 hours, then turn that off and let the bradley continue to cook it for many more hours... very nice! Never even thought of that!!
Brab,
So so sorry, nothing worse then your smoking dreams that have been interrupted by some tough meat.
Cal is right about the shoulder/butt. To make that cut of meat fall off the bone tender like pulled pork is really easy if you do these couple of things.
I will not get into seasoning now, just cooking.
First pull your hunk-o-meat out of the fridge and then go preheat your BS to about 250 or so for about an hour while the meat is on the counter.
Use 4hrs of your preferred smoke.
Second you can cook that piece of meat around 225 with no problem. Doesn't have to be exact just around 220-230. But this one thing you will need is a remote thermometer. You can get one from anywhere from 15 dollars on up. When you are cooking this meat you notice that it will hang with an internal temp of 165-175 deg for a long time, don't worry it's still cooking---it's just rendering. This will be different with any butt you do, some longer-some shorter but the idea it will have some hang time there.
Next, wait till an internal temp of 187-190. Pull the meat then do what we refer to as FTC. Foil-Towel-Cooler method. Double wrap it in foil, then double wrap it in an old towel, then put in a (non full of ice) room temp cooler and shut the lid. Leave it there for 2 hours. Brab--then you will be the King of Q, the Sultan of pork, like "I can't believe that you did this" or "Man, I'm glad you got this smoker". <u>For a brief moment in time</u>(and I do mean breif) you will get the respect you always deserved in your home.
If this method doesn't work for you, tell me and I will send you a check for the price of the butt.
Now about the ribs. Like folks say around here "Ribs are an adventure".
This is my .0235 cents worth here. Big Smoker got me on this method.
Do the pre-heat thing again with the meat on the counter and smoker.
I cook mine at 200 deg.
Put them in the smoker and cook for 2-3 hours then wrap in foil and place back in the for only 2 hours.
Pull the little packages of love out, unwrap-then finish them on the grill with or with out you favorite sauce. THIS HAS BEEN THE MOST CONSISTANT METHOD FOR ME. I don't even use a remote thermometer any more on this.
Now there is RULE#1 that must be followed on these two cooking methods, or for that matter on just about anything you put in the BS. THAT IS:
<b><font size="3"><font color="red">KEEP THAT DOOR SHUT!</font id="red"> </font id="size3"> </b>
They say curiosity will kill the cat, it will do the same to your cook. Let your Bradley do its thing, don't worry that some little nasty Q monster won't come and steal the meat while you are not looking.
Hope this helps and don't give up, good things are around the corner.
Also if you want to get into seasoning, we can do that later.
<b><font color="blue">DANG, there was only one responce to this thread when I started and I think there was about 6 or seven when I got done typing. SO humbly forgive me if things were repeated.</font id="blue"></b>
(http://www.susanminor.org/Rayeimages/mallardwacker/peta-sucks.gif)
SmokeOn,
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mski
Perryville, Arkansas
Wooo-Pig-Soooie
If a man says he knows anything at all, he knows nothing what he aught to know. But...
Actually, what was meant was you only load enough pucks to have smoke for 4 hours (see bubba pucks). You leave the meat in the Bradley for as long as 190-ish takes ( start early). When you reach that temp, you take it out wrap it in foil, wrap that in a towel, then put it in the cooler for at least an hour, two if you can wait. Some chefs will add a splash of apple juice to the foil. I have never tried it, but those that do seem to like the results.
a 6 pounder will be a lot of pulled pork. If you are like me, you have really big friends, and it will not be a problem.
Getting a really high temp is not really what the Bradley was made for. If you can get 225, you are in the neighborhood. The term used is "Low and Slow." Low temp, slow cooking. It is the pen-ultimate in home bbq. The Bradley does it best. IMHO. If you load up the cabinet with meat, it is very, very hard to get anywhere above 225. Olds has the physics, but it is not what the Bradley was intended for.
Welcome to the forum....good stuff here - it makes you look like a genuius....
What a piece of work is man!
Mallard!! Thanks sooo much for the thorough response!! I will definitely take these words and use them to the fullest extent!
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by MallardWacker</i>
<br /> Brab--then you will be the King of Q, the Sultan of pork, like "I can't believe that you did this" or "Man, I'm glad you got this smoker". <u>For a brief moment in time</u>(and I do mean breif) you will get the respect you always deserved in your home.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Hilarious!! hahahah... but even as it stands right now, I'm totally glad I bought the smoker. I have lots of learning to do and I've always had a knack for cooking meats, so smoking was the natural progression for me.
Thanks to all who have given me tips so far, I'll keep you guys updated on my progress :D
Yeah, I need to make sure to not to keep opening the door, I have a habit of doing that :P hahaha
Brabus,
After the pucks finish the four hours I mentioned earlier, I don't turn off the smoke generator. It continues to put out heat that helps regulate the temp inside....you need all the heat you can get in the BS! You asked about how I get the temp up. I preheat the BS for at least an hour with no pucks. Temp usually climbs way up that way. Then I put in room temp meat to start the smoke. BS doesn't have to work so hard to get back to temp that way. Ribs and chicken wings is the only thing I cook at maximum temp, and the wings only for two hours then finish on the grill!
Bill
<i>There is room on earth for all God's creatures....on my plate next to the mashed potatoes.</i>
Second smoke has occured... I used smoke for 6 hours and then just heat for another 5 hours. Then I used the FTC for about 1.5 hours. It still didn't come out as tender as I've had it but it was defintely better than the first time.
I think next time I need to do a better job at regulating the temperature. It had a lot of flux. I was at work so I couldn't watch it too much. Thanks for all the tips guys, keep them comin!!!
Since were on pork butt I've got a question. Starting with a statement. I bought my BS only for jerky, sausage, and seafood ie: smoked oysters, and salmon. I use my Weber Bullet for Butts, ribs, city Hams and such (Large Meats) So my question is. How do you all deal with all the drippings from the large meats in the BS. I know that the above mentioned meats put out a tremendous ammount of fat drippings. How do you keep from fouling up the BS [?]
Mike C
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Brabus</i>
<br />Second smoke has occured... I used smoke for 6 hours and then just heat for another 5 hours. Then I used the FTC for about 1.5 hours. It still didn't come out as tender as I've had it but it was defintely better than the first time.
I think next time I need to do a better job at regulating the temperature. It had a lot of flux. I was at work so I couldn't watch it too much. Thanks for all the tips guys, keep them comin!!!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
You would be better off investing in a digital remote thermometer so that you will know when the correct internal meat temperature is reached. If you can afford it, the Maverick ET-73 wireless remote is better for smoking, but there are other manufactures that make remote thermometers such as Bradley, Weber, Radio Shack, Polder etc.
Mike C.;
There are very few problems with drippings in the BS. It was designed very well. The V pan funnels all drippings into the water bowl. Just make sure you empty the water bowl, and refill with hot water periodically. Also, whenever possible, prevent the meat from touching the walls of the cabinet, or the dripping will run down the side of the wall. When this happens the V pan is unable to catch these dripping, but the bottom tray usually catches what the V pan misses.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><font size="2"><font color="blue">Mike C.;
There are very few problems with drippings in the BS. It was designed very well. The V pan funnels all drippings into the water bowl. Just make sure you empty the water bowl, and refill with hot water periodically. Also, whenever possible, prevent the meat from touching the walls of the cabinet, or the dripping will run down the side of the wall. When this happens the V pan is unable to catch these dripping, but the bottom tray usually catches what the V pan misses.</font id="blue"></font id="size2"><hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">Amen.
Olds
(http://www.susanminor.org/Rayeimages/gif/Launch47.gif)
Brabus
Unless I missed it I don't know what type of butt you want when you say it is not tender enough. Are you talking about slicing pork or pulled pork?
Somethings to consider:
1. Quality of meat.
All meats have to pass a USDA standard and when they do they get this stamp of approval:
(http://www.susanminor.org/Rayeimages/USDA/stdusda.gif)
<b>However,</b> grading of meat quality is voluntary! It is upon the processor to request grading. How to tell if meat has been graded is when you see one of these three stamps:
(http://www.susanminor.org/Rayeimages/USDA/meatlabe.gif)
In short you can purchase, let's say a whole brisket that is package in the original cryopak and not have a grading stamp. I have seen this myself. Normally the processor does not request a grading stamp when the animal is old or of a poor grade stock.
Now here is the problem with pork grading: Although there are USDA quality grades for pork, these do not carry through to the retail level as do the grades for other kinds of meat. Personally I have always found this to be a strange deal as I can find out the grade of beef, but not of pork.
So what I've learned to do it purchase by brand. Plus to insure I get the best possible pork I always purchase my pork from a private meat market. The last thing a private meat market owner wants is to sell tough meats to his customers. Then again on the other hand the supermarket meat manager hands are tied and what comes in is what he has to sell.
Up until last year we had a supermarket that was selling choice grade ibp meat. Then they went with excel select. There was no notice posted to the that fact. I'm sure it was a cost cutting factor made higher up in the food chain.
2. Now I dance to a different drummer when it comes to cooking pork. First I never allow my box to get hotter than 205 F. I normally cook my butts when I want slicing at 190 F. I remove them at 180 F. This takes time to get to that temp. Sometimes after the four hours of smoking I will wrap the butt up in a foil boat and finish the cook in the smoker as a slow cooker. Other times I T-shirt smoke them as in this picture. You will note how moist they look on the outside:
(http://www.susanminor.org/Rayeimages/2_butts1.jpg)
These where slicing pork and everything you could hope for.
3. Of course as stated controlling the box temp is important. What I do now is after the 4 hours of smokin' I move my box inside my garage. This helps control the direct factors of the outside, such as a cloud going by, wind, and the day getting hotter.
Now what I've posted here is not a do-all-fix. They are factor to give some consideration.
Olds
(http://www.susanminor.org/Rayeimages/gif/Launch47.gif)
Excellent thoughts old. Well right now I'm not too sure of the difference between sliced pork and pulled pork. I was trying to go for pulled pork and got a chunk of pork shoulder (picnic). I bought mine from costco so I don't believe there was a grade on there. I will try to look for an indy butcher around my area to get cuts from. Never even thought to look for different grades.
What is a t-shirt smoke? Those look great!! Not all black like the ones I had last night...
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><font size="2">pork shoulder (picnic). </font id="size2"><hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">Hold the phone Martha.. hold the phone.
If there is anything that needs to be SLOW smoked it is a fresh picnic. That is a long ways away from a pork butt... When I was in the business 190 F was max for a fresh picnic. You get hotter and it will come out at times dry, rubbery or if too hot like shoe leather.
As to the T-shirt method.. this will be more information than you requested, but I suggest reading it more than once.. [:D]
Old's T-Shirt Double Smoked Ham (http://susan.rminor.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53)
Now this posting address cold smoking a ham but the idea works on fresh boston butts as my photos show. Instead of cold smoking as this shows set your box temp to 190 F. Other than that do as instructed. i.e. flip the butt over at the 4 hour mark.
Now I don't do a lot of rubs. Just simple salt and pepper. Yes there are times I do a heavy rub, but not when I want a great pork only favor to add to a sandwich. These in the picture are for slicing--not so cooked to be pulled apart. If that is what you want then continue your cook. However, again I suggest not above 205F--yes it will take longer but the meat cannot dry out at that cook temp.
And with that I'm sure your check is in the mail...[:0]
That will be $5.00 please~~! [^]
Olds
(http://www.susanminor.org/Rayeimages/gif/Launch47.gif)
Brabus,
The recommendation to get a remote thermometer is a good one. Regulating the temperature drove me nuts initially. Now, after a big cash investment, I regulate the temp of the BS with a Procom4 and Raptor controller. I can actually regulate both of my BS smokers at the same time if the load is comparable in each one. The Procom actually only controls the temp in one, but if the load is the same, it will actually keep the other pretty darn close. I can visually see the temp of the meat in each smoker, and the cabinet temp of the primary smoker from up to 200 yards away. It will also set an alarm to go off to tell me temp is reached, and if desired, shut the smoker(s) off. You can see it at //www.thebbqguru.com. To me, it makes the whole process trouble free. I change out the water in the cabinets after 4 hours, rotate the shelves, and everything is automatic from there. Many times, on long smokes I will rotate shelves every 4 hours, but hopefully, after I install convection like fans inside, won't even have to do that!
The Guru stuff isn't for everyone, but it fits my lifestyle, and I am so spoiled now, I would hate to go back to sliding that darn switch all the time to regulate temps.
Love it!
Bill
<i>There is room on earth for all God's creatures....on my plate next to the mashed potatoes.</i>
Here is picture of one of the butts I did last in the smoker, about to come out after about 24hrs at 205°F.
<b>Click To Enlarge</b>
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v499/nsxbill/Butt_In_BS-2x2.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v499/nsxbill/Butt_In_BS-4x4.jpg)
Here is picture of the end result-tearing into one of them:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v499/nsxbill/PulledPork2-1.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v499/nsxbill/PulledPork2-4x6.jpg)
These were tumbled in my 25# capacity Hobart Commercial Marinator prior to smoking in a mixture of French's Mustart (16oz) and the rub mix du jour. When they came out of the tumbler after about 30 minutes, I covered with Dizzy Pig Rub and smoked. They were terrific! Note, I emptied and refilled water after first 4 hrs of smoke, and additionally about 6 hrs later. It was the only time I opened the smoker door until they were done. I rotated the shelves on both occasions.
Bill
<i>There is room on earth for all God's creatures....on my plate next to the mashed potatoes.</i>
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">These were tumbled in my 25# capacity Hobart Commercial Marinator<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">Holy smokes martha....Yaooow now that a tumbler.
(http://www.susanminor.org/Rayeimages/mallardwacker/peta-sucks.gif)
SmokeOn,
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mski
Perryville, Arkansas
Wooo-Pig-Soooie
(http://www.azbbqa.com/logos/azbbqatiny.gif) (http://www.azbbqa.com)
If a man says he knows anything at all, he knows nothing what he aught to know. But...
The big tumbler was a must have for me.... I wanted to have it available when I start doing cases of skirt steak for jerky after I retire. Want to take the show on the road with a knock down smoker that I can use at BBQ road shows as a vendor. Pretty good money selling jerky in small packages..it goes for about $26 a pound, and would help with fuel costs for Prevost converted bus while the dog-and-pony-show is on the road. I picked up this $4600 marinator for about $500 on Ebay, and spent about $200 more to refurbish it. It is quite efficient on large batches, butts, etc. I still like the Reveo for everyday use, however.
Here is what I want to travel in.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v499/nsxbill/Prevost.jpg)
Plan is to keep the smoker in a bay under the bus, as well as a BS for personal use. A freezer will be mandatory, and will additionally offer the Reveo Marinators for sale (I'm an Eastman Outdoors Dealer)
Now just have to come up with the bucks for a 92-95 Bus conversion! [8D] [:D] [:D]. The price should be pretty good with people dumping them due to high cost of Diesel now. I don't need the doo dads of the fancy new ones, and slideouts not necessary...I just want a basic bus conversion, Satellite PC connection, and Satellite TV. Love those shiny sided Prevosts!
Bill
<i>There is room on earth for all God's creatures....on my plate next to the mashed potatoes.</i>
Wow... i'm almost overwhelmed by all the info... definitely going to try that t-shirt style one day :) looks great!!
I'll try the boston butt next weekend and go for a slow cook for 190 and 24 hours :P
Oh and speaking of the remote thermometer, I definitely want to get one. I'm not too sure which pieces I need. I've looked on the guru before. I'll take about look.
Brab,
If you have a "Sports Academy" in town, they $15.95. I have a couple of them.
Bill,
I must say you go big...on just about everything.
(http://www.susanminor.org/Rayeimages/mallardwacker/peta-sucks.gif)
SmokeOn,
(http://www.azbbqa.com/forum/phpbb2/images/avatars/gallery/AZBBQA/mallardsmall.gif)
mski
Perryville, Arkansas
Wooo-Pig-Soooie
(http://www.azbbqa.com/logos/azbbqatiny.gif) (http://www.azbbqa.com)
If a man says he knows anything at all, he knows nothing what he aught to know. But...
Well I missed the whole dang thread and putting my .02 in [:(]. Not anything else I can think to say other than....
If you want the butt to cook faster you can cut it into 3-4 pieces thus creating less mass to cook in the smaller pieces. Also injecting cuts down on cook time[;)]. Another benefit of using smaller pieces is, that means more bark in the end[:p][:p][:p][:p] and you can use several different rubs to fit everyones tastes[;)]. Happy Smokin'.
Jeff
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/Jeff100/shopping.gif)
(//www.bbqshopping.com)
Some say BBQ is in your blood, if thats true my blood must be BBQ sauce.
Hey Bill,
Just in case fuel gets to high in cost here is one to consider:
(http://www.rvs-r-us.com/UniqueRVs/vw-bug-mhc.jpg)
On the other hand if you have a need for that 60's "Freedom Ride" this one would be more in-line:
(http://www.rvs-r-us.com/images/trike1.jpg)
Now given how you are going to have A LOT of smoked food for sale and all of that extra weight this one with the dual front wheels might be the way to go~~!
(http://images.rvamerica.net/classifieds/1943_PhotoRef.jpg)
Personally this last one I would like to know more about. All I could find out was it was made in 1943. Those extra front wheels are interesting.
Olds
(http://www.susanminor.org/Rayeimages/gif/Launch47.gif)
I wonder if it was something a Mary Kay distributor would have used then? [:D] [:D]
Bill
<i>There is room on earth for all God's creatures....on my plate next to the mashed potatoes.</i>
I guess I look at strange things because of my business, but take a look at those front axles on that pink beauty. Strange articulation.
(http://www.susanminor.org/Rayeimages/mallardwacker/peta-sucks.gif)
SmokeOn,
(http://www.azbbqa.com/forum/phpbb2/images/avatars/gallery/AZBBQA/mallardsmall.gif)
mski
Perryville, Arkansas
Wooo-Pig-Soooie
(http://www.azbbqa.com/logos/azbbqatiny.gif) (http://www.azbbqa.com)
If a man says he knows anything at all, he knows nothing what he aught to know. But...
When I first started using my BS, I too on two occaisions, had trouble with liquids coming out the bottem of the door
The solution: I cut a narrow piece of board about one eigth to one quarter inch thick and as long as the BS is wide. Installed this strip under the front of the BS to cause it to lean back slightly. (This BTW was earlier recommended by some other kind person on the BS forum). Since then many smokes and no problems including smoking two different large briskets. One of them weighed 16 lbs that took 24 hrs to do and was the tenderest, most flavorful beef that we and 15 others have ever eaten. These briskets were several inches longer, (over 20 inches) than the diagonal length of the BS rack so that they had to bend several inches up the BS wall to get in--no problem. After 24 hrs in the BS they had shrunk several inches in length. They were then FTC'd for 5 hrs.
WCS
WCS,
Please I'm not being a booger here, but may I sugest opening your vent just a little more. I have smoked plenty of brisket and chicken(which is worse) and have not really experianced the problem.
(http://www.susanminor.org/Rayeimages/mallardwacker/peta-sucks.gif)
SmokeOn,
(http://www.azbbqa.com/forum/phpbb2/images/avatars/gallery/AZBBQA/mallardsmall.gif)
mski
Perryville, Arkansas
Wooo-Pig-Soooie
(http://www.azbbqa.com/logos/azbbqatiny.gif) (http://www.azbbqa.com)
If a man says he knows anything at all, he knows nothing what he aught to know. But...
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by MallardWacker</i>
<br />Brab,
If you have a "Sports Academy" in town, they $15.95. I have a couple of them.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
There's no Sports Academy in my area... Where else can i get one?
Maybe check "Linens and Things" has the most selection, but "Bed Bath and Beyond" has one or two. But "Linens and Things" is where I would start.
(http://www.susanminor.org/Rayeimages/mallardwacker/peta-sucks.gif)
SmokeOn,
(http://www.azbbqa.com/forum/phpbb2/images/avatars/gallery/AZBBQA/mallardsmall.gif)
mski
Perryville, Arkansas
Wooo-Pig-Soooie
(http://www.azbbqa.com/logos/azbbqatiny.gif) (http://www.azbbqa.com)
If a man says he knows anything at all, he knows nothing what he aught to know. But...
I really like the Maverick ET-73 and it's down to about $30-35 on Amazon or other places . . . you get a wireless dual probe (cabinet and meat) thermometer with an alarm--really a sleep saver! The Raptor/ProComm combo is 10X more and probably worth it, but if you want to try something relatively cheap, go with the Mav.
John
Newton MA
Mallard Whacker,
After the 2nd time my BS had small amounts of condensed water run out of the door, I spoke with a BS rep who interstingly recommended what I did and of course there has been no problem since.
Respectfully, I am sure that your method of controlling this potential small problem is also effective. By increasing the opening of the damper however, one is increasing the air flow out and in to the BS to the extent that it is dehydrating the air such that the relative humidity remains above the dewpoint and no water as a liquid will form or condense. However an increase in dehydration of the BS' contents also occurs, perhaps to an indestinguishable degree but I want my brisket, turkey breast or whatever. to be as moist as possible. Like you, I now do my smoking at temps below the boiling temp of water. Secondly, the greater the air flow, the greater the heat load, also the more air the less will be the concentration of the smoke and thus less of its flavor will be imparted to the BS' contents.
We have an AGA stove in our kitchen, part of its greatness is in the small airflow through its ovens.
Just adding my point of view. I'm not saying there is nothing wrong with your method.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by wet coast smoke</i>
<br />By increasing the opening of the damper however, one is increasing the air flow out and in to the BS to the extent that it is dehydrating the air such that the relative humidity remains above the dewpoint and no water as a liquid will form or condense. However an increase in dehydration of the BS' contents also occurs, perhaps to an indestinguishable degree but I want my brisket, turkey breast or whatever. to be as moist as possible.
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I understand your theory, but I am not one who believes moist air equals moist meat when you are dealing with regular cuts of meat.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by wet coast smoke</i>
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Secondly, the greater the air flow, the greater the heat load, also the more air the less will be the concentration of the smoke and thus less of its flavor will be imparted to the BS' contents.
We have an AGA stove in our kitchen, part of its greatness is in the small airflow through its ovens.
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I'm not sure what you mean about a heat load. The BS has an electrical heating element, it is not fueled by wood or charcoal, so opening the vent will not not make the fuel burn hotter. If you are stating that by opening the vent you will need to turn up the heating element, that is correct in most cases. One of the exceptions is when there is too much moisture in the cabinet.
I have a different point of view. It takes a lot more energy to evaporate water, so when the cabinet contains a lot of moisture, you heating element will usually have to be set at full just to keep the temperature around 200 degrees F. It takes less energy to heat less humid air.
I keep my vent open 1/4 to 1/3 for most food. For chicken with skin I keep in open 1/4 to 1/2, until most of the moisture contained in the skin has evaporated, then I will close it some. With these vent openings I get great smoke flavor, and I like more smoke then others.
West Coast Smoker,
Where I live at the RH factor is many time 90% plus. Yet I never had the problems you are talking about. I set my vent open just enough to keep the smoke from coming out of the generator.
If you feel you are losing favor due to a more open vent then why not extend your smokin' time one or two more pucks or use a stronger wood. Personally, I have not found this to be a problem. However, we all have different taste.
Now you said you wanted the most moist items you can get. May I suggest that after your smoke period either to use the T-shirt method or boat your food in foil to hold in as much moisture around your item.
In the picture below is a chicken I did using the T-shirt method. Where you see that hole in the skin when I did that the juices just ran all over the place. Next if you look at the thigh/ leg area they look pregnant. This is do to all of the liquid.
<b>Click To Enlarge</b>
(http://www.susanminor.org/Rayeimages/chicken-0.jpg) (http://www.susanminor.org/Rayeimages/chicken.jpg)
I will note that I have never done more than 2 chickens at a time. Perhaps with 4 or more I might have a moisture problem. If so then it would be a simple matter of opening the vent more, adding more pucks if needed for flavoring. I guess it kind of like finding a balance. Once you do I don't see how your foods would dry out.
Good Luck!
Olds
(http://www.susanminor.org/Rayeimages/gif/Launch47.gif)
I have not had problems with drying out the food, nor have I had a problem with heat load. I merely stated that by increasing the air flow through the BS that it will tend to dry the BS and its contents more than it would otherwise and it will decrease the cabinet temperature through the increased heat load. Probably in most instances the differences are minimal or as I suggested, indestinguishable. IMO, maximum smoking effects are, as one of you suggest, with minimal air flow, being only the amount of air that is necessary to stop smoke from reverse flowing out of the smoke generator. As to the heat load effects of any liquid- condensed water being present, it will depend to some extent on what the cabinet temp is. If one is operating the cabinet well above 212, then the water will not condense to the liquid state but be boiled off as steam and be carried with the smoke out the vent. If we operate the cabinet below 212 deg the water present should have little or no effect on the cabinet temp but it will help to maintain a higher water content of the air present (humidity). If there is water present as a liquid at some point and one wishes to increase the temp above 212 any appreciable amount, then that liquid water will certainly increase the heat load significantly through having to boil it off (latent heat requirement).
This is becoming a gas processing discussion, LOL, (I used to work in that industry). Thanks for the responses and intelligent discussion, it is always good.
Olds,
I do use the foil wrap method, I apply it at about 150 deg meat temp then when the meat reaches "cooked" temp I remove it from the Bradley, give it a shot of liquid - mop or apple juice, wrap it up again and put it in our Aga's 160 deg 'warming oven' to rest and wait for meal time. If we didn't have the Aga I would FTC it which we tried also with very good results. No problem with smoke flavor either as I believe we afe getting max smoke with minimal air flow. Thanks to yourself and all of the other veteran/regulars, I quickly learned about the foil, FTC and much much more, you are a truly knowledgeable bunch of very pleasant ladies and gentlemen.
WCS
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by wet coast smoke</i>
<br />I have not had problems with drying out the food, nor have I had a problem with heat load. I merely stated that by increasing the air flow through the BS that it will tend to dry the BS and its contents more than it would otherwise and it will decrease the cabinet temperature through the increased heat load. Probably in most instances the differences are minimal or as I suggested, indestinguishable. IMO, maximum smoking effects are, as one of you suggest, with minimal air flow, being only the amount of air that is necessary to stop smoke from reverse flowing out of the smoke generator. As to the heat load effects of any liquid- condensed water being present, it will depend to some extent on what the cabinet temp is. If one is operating the cabinet well above 212, then the water will not condense to the liquid state but be boiled off as steam and be carried with the smoke out the vent. If we operate the cabinet below 212 deg the water present should have little or no effect on the cabinet temp but it will help to maintain a higher water content of the air present (humidity). If there is water present as a liquid at some point and one wishes to increase the temp above 212 any appreciable amount, then that liquid water will certainly increase the heat load significantly through having to boil it off (latent heat requirement).
This is becoming a gas processing discussion, LOL, (I used to work in that industry). Thanks for the responses and intelligent discussion, it is always good.
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It will be good to have your knowledge on the board. I am a novice in science, but enjoy studying the science of cooking. I just want to state I was talking about evaporation, which does not require the water to boil, but does require some energy to convert water to a gas. From experience, I've learned that more moisture in the cabinet will bring your temperature down. Looking at if from a cooking point of view (in an oven or other type of cooking cabinet), in order for water to evaporate it will pull heat (energy) for the surrounding air.
Like I said I'm a novice, but enjoy learning the science of cooking. Maybe you can answer a question, excluding a pressure cooker; if the moisture reaches a saturation point, condensation should take place (I believe); at this point is more energy needed to keep the air saturated, or does it reach a point of equilibrium?
HS
The water content is a function of the pressure and temperature of the air. In this situation the pressure of course is constant, being atmospheric at approx 14.7 psia. As the temp increases which is what generally takes place in a BS, the airs capacity for water (in the vapor state)increases significantly (exponentially). As an example,at 40 deg the capacity at saturation (100 % relative humidity)is approx 0.4 lbs per cubic foot, at 60 deg it is 0.8 and at 100 deg it is about 3 lbs .
You are correct that any water increase beyond saturation will be as liquid water. Also if you are operating the BS at saturation, any decrese in temp of that air will result in condensation occuring (liquid). Did you ever notice the difference in the rate of evaporation of water in a dry climate versus a humid say, oceanside climate? Or the large amount of water condensing off of your cold glass of beer on a hot humid day at the coast versus the much smaller amount on a much cooler day because the cooler air even if near saturated (high humidity day) contains only a small fraction of water compared to the hot humid coastal or lakeside air.
Thanks for the information.
Your second paragraph, I know fairly well. One of my hobbies is monitoring the weather conditions. Our local television station has many "weather spotters" to report the local weather, which I am one. Most of the time it's fun, sometimes it becomes a hassle.[:)]
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">you are a truly knowledgeable bunch of very pleasant ladies and gentlemen.
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Well knock me down and chew the gum twice. I thank you on behalf of all of us that are still learning. [^]
Olds
(http://www.susanminor.org/Rayeimages/gif/Launch47.gif)
Now this may not apply to the Bradley because of the way the pucks are made, but with any other barbecue cooker it is recomended that you leave the exhaust vent wide open while cooking. This is to prevent the nasty stuff in the wood smoke, like creosotes from condensing and dripping back down on your meat. [xx(] So I alway's leave my vent wide open no matter what I am smoking. <blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Well knock me down and chew the gum twice. I thank you on behalf of all of us that are still learning. <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
You said it Old's. It's good to have some scientific perspective to this art we call smoking/barbecueing.
Mike C