All systems are go...Turkey is smokin'

birdboy · January 11, 2005, 10:44:28 PM

Well put, thats what I figured out after a few attempts.

I guess another question is when to brine. Say you are going to do some roasts and plan on using a rub. Would you brine, remove from brine, apply rub, let sit xxx hours, and then cook? or would you skip the brine process?

BigSmoker · January 12, 2005, 01:10:35 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by birdboy
 Well put, thats what I figured out after a few attempts.

I guess another question is when to brine. Say you are going to do some roasts and plan on using a rub. Would you brine, remove from brine, apply rub, let sit xxx hours, and then cook? or would you skip the brine process?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

When you say roasts you are talking porky, right? I have done pork loins brined, not brined and cured. I usually use a bacon wrap if I don't brine them(which is most of the time). Good stuff.

Jeff
//www.bbqshopping.com

[/url]
Some say BBQ is in your blood, if thats true my blood must be BBQ sauce.

SmokinMoe · January 12, 2005, 03:11:15 PM

Well, brining for two days was what I had read, of course, it was only a 10 1/2 pound turkey. It almost looked like a large chicken LOL that is how small it was.
I will only do turkey on my oval from now on. It was 60 degrees out when I did it, so the temp should've been easy to maintain. I set it at 275 when I noticed it wouldn't hold the temp even in ramp mode.
I wondered if I had soaked it in water for an hour or two after pulling it out of the brine (I read that somewhere) and then let it air dry, would it had been all right? The salt would've pulled in the water.
Oh well, it kind of made me scared to try anything else, I don't even want to mess with Salmon now. The brining process was certainly not something I was very familar with, but I read everything I could for the whole week this process took.
Live and learn!! I hate brined Turkey. Lesson learned.

humpa · January 12, 2005, 03:49:28 PM

I brine for 12 hours, rinse it off good, dry it off, put rub on and then wrap it up and put it in the fridge for another 12 hours. Let it sit at room temp for an hour before smoking. I cook mine at 200-205 deg until breast meat is at 167. Then pull it and FTC for an hour or more. Never had a bad one yet. Also start off with a fresh bird as opposed to a butterball. There are many ways to do a bird but I like the simple way which works for me.[^]

Hey Doc...I'm down to 2 racks a day!!!

birdboy · January 12, 2005, 05:19:27 PM

When you say roasts you are talking porky, right? I have done pork loins brined, not brined and cured. I usually use a bacon wrap if I don't brine them(which is most of the time). Good stuff.

Jeff

Ooops, I was thinking of doing a couple different beef roasts that we got from our last butchering. Thought adding rub/smoke may turn it from something that was blah to mmm mmm good [:p]

BigSmoker · January 12, 2005, 07:34:02 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by birdboy
Ooops, I was thinking of doing a couple different beef roasts that we got from our last butchering. Thought adding rub/smoke may turn it from something that was blah to mmm mmm good [:p]
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I've never brined beef.[:D]

Jeff
//www.bbqshopping.com

[/url]
Some say BBQ is in your blood, if thats true my blood must be BBQ sauce.

bsolomon · January 12, 2005, 10:07:29 PM

birdboy,

The technique you list is correct: brine, remove from brine, apply rub, let sit xxx hours, and then cook. However, looking at the follow-up posts and seeing you are talking about beef, I wouldn't bother with the brine. There is no reason you can't brine it, but most people feel this is an unnecessary step. One reason for this is that beef, along with other higher fat meats such as duck and lamb, tend to be naturally moist and flavorful.

Rub and smoke beef - why not? Brine beef - why bother?

Ian · January 13, 2005, 02:06:55 PM

Good morning Smokin Moe,
Don't be discouraged by this first attempt, in my humble opinion brining or marinating is the only way to go when doing poultry. Here is a link to the most definitive article I've seen on the subject. ( and in rereading this, the name Harold McGee jumped out at me twice in two days, small world[:)])
http://www.cbbqa.com/articles/salt/saltbrining.html
Now when I do roasters they're generally in the 81/2 to 10 lbs range, these I will either brine or marinate about 12 hrs. Brining, rinse off, pat dry inside out, let air dry in fridge, bring out let come to room temp., apply rub maybe some creole butter under skin, and then cook. I should have mentioned that I butterfly my roasters, and cook at about 275 degrees. Turkey's I only brine, start with small fresh 12 to 14 lbs hens, brine 16 to 18 hrs, no more remove rinse, pat dry, and let air dry at least over night in fridge, remove and bring to room temp., apply favourite rub ( I've injected both breasts and thighs before, but with smaller birds as such, I truly didn't see any benefit from it). These I will cook at around 300 degrees, breast side down. The last 1/2 hr I will flip breast side up to finish ( any larger size of bird they will start to fall apart with this last step).[8D]

Ian ( GO STEELERS!!!! )

birdboy · January 13, 2005, 03:48:11 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by bsolomon
 birdboy,

The technique you list is correct: brine, remove from brine, apply rub, let sit xxx hours, and then cook. However, looking at the follow-up posts and seeing you are talking about beef, I wouldn't bother with the brine. There is no reason you can't brine it, but most people feel this is an unnecessary step. One reason for this is that beef, along with other higher fat meats such as duck and lamb, tend to be naturally moist and flavorful.

Rub and smoke beef - why not? Brine beef - why bother?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Sounds logical, how much penetration do you get with a rub compared to a marinade? Might be something else to try...marinade, rub, smoke. Going to try the rub that S/S lists for their beef roast and try some shrimp with ragin cajun and the receipe mentioned by JJC.

JJC · January 13, 2005, 07:10:57 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by birdboy
 <blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by bsolomon
 birdboy,

The technique you list is correct: brine, remove from brine, apply rub, let sit xxx hours, and then cook. However, looking at the follow-up posts and seeing you are talking about beef, I wouldn't bother with the brine. There is no reason you can't brine it, but most people feel this is an unnecessary step. One reason for this is that beef, along with other higher fat meats such as duck and lamb, tend to be naturally moist and flavorful.

Rub and smoke beef - why not? Brine beef - why bother?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Sounds logical, how much penetration do you get with a rub compared to a marinade? Might be something else to try...marinade, rub, smoke. Going to try the rub that S/S lists for their beef roast and try some shrimp with ragin cajun and the receipe mentioned by JJC.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Let me know how the ragin cajun rub turns out on the shrimp. I know you'll like the S+S recipe I posted--it's tasty but not spicy for the more timid taste buds among us.

John
Newton MA