Bark on the Butts/Brisket

hawsfli · February 10, 2004, 08:27:28 PM

I'm an old (66)sometimes competition Q smoker. Due to my advancing age with its infermaties am now looking for a way to get quality Q without staying up all night. Hence the BS. My question is related to quality. Good Q must have a nice bark on it which, I believe, comes from long slow cooking with adequate rubs & smoke. When cooking butts or brisket will the BS develope a good bark on the meat? I am concerned because there hasn't been any posts on the forum related to pulled pork or cooking packer briskets.

Chez Bubba · February 11, 2004, 01:05:13 AM

hawsfli,

The Bradley will do what you're wanting as long as you don't try to cram 40 pounds of meat into it. If the top vent is open to allow the steam to escape & there is plenty of room for the air to convect around the meat, you'll get Mr. Brown

Interestingly, I was watching a show on the Food Network recently where they followed several groups of competition smokers around the country. While they all had the huge Texas pits to feed the masses, 3 of the 6 or 7 groups used a Bradley smoker to cook their entries for the judges!

We're on the same page with butts, good dry rub, long & slow cookin'. I like to throw mine in before I go to bed so sometime after I get up the next day they're ready for shreddin'.

66 isn't that old, I bet you've got at least another 20 years of smokin' in ya![:)]

Kirk

http://www.chezbubba.com

trout · February 12, 2004, 12:13:30 AM

I have smoked pork butts several times in my Bradley. It is one of my favorite and easiest things to smoke. I use a couple rub recipes from "smoke and spice" book. I rub them down the night before, then in the morning I load up about 2hrs worth of smoke biscuits and set the heat for about 200degrees. I let it go undisturbed for 8 or 10 hours and it comes out great. Definitely has a good bark and very very moist inside. It just falls apart. The only thing I ever messed up was one time leaving the roast net that the store put on the pork butt while smoking. the strings were so stuck in the bark that I had to throw most of it away.[:(!] Oh well live and learn.
have fun[:D]

hawsfli · February 12, 2004, 07:20:39 PM

Chez, The rules must be different in Texas. Up here in the Northwest (PNWBA) who operate under KCBS rules we can not use a BS for competition cooking because the heat source has to be from wood. Since the BS is electric it is out. The Treager gets around it since the heat source is the burning pellets. Have you heard of anyone that has made a comparison for quality between the BS and a Treager. Just wondering.[:)]

MallardWacker · February 12, 2004, 07:37:50 PM

Trout,

When you smoke your butts, how open is the vent through your smoking process? Many Thanks.

SmokeOn,

mski

If a man says he knows anything at all, he knows nothing what he aught to know. But...

trout · February 12, 2004, 11:35:49 PM

When I smoke a pork butt, I just crack the vent a little bit. I get a lot of moisture buildup inside the smoker, but still get a really good bark and have not seen any problems from the moisture yet.[:D]

Let your trout go and smoke a salmon instead.

Chez Bubba · February 13, 2004, 01:57:26 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by hawsfli
 Chez, The rules must be different in Texas. Up here in the Northwest (PNWBA) who operate under KCBS rules we can not use a BS for competition cooking because the heat source has to be from wood. Since the BS is electric it is out. The Treager gets around it since the heat source is the burning pellets. Have you heard of anyone that has made a comparison for quality between the BS and a Treager. Just wondering.[:)]
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
I thought the show I watched featured a Q contest in KC, but memory can be a fleeting thing.

I had to search Traeger's site to become familiar with them, and no, I've never had anyone give me a direct comparison between the two. For what it's worth, here is my opinion:

Depending on the model you choose, the Bradley is 1/2 to 1/8th the cost for the smoker. Operating costs seem to be about equal.

They're significantly heavier than the Bradley, which may or may not be an issue for you.

I firmly believe that the smoker you use and the wood that you use are minor components in the finished product. You HAVE to have quality meat & spices and proper preparation. The smoker you choose is about it's convenience for you. For me, the Bradley fits the bill.

I've been to a bunch of BBQ festivals (not as a cooking participant) and usually my reaction is "I can beat this". I guess my point is, if an idiot spends $3000 on a smoker, that does not guarantee him good food. Someone with experience & knowledge can prepare a much superior meal on a $50 Weber. It's all about convenience.

Smoke on[8D],

Kirk

http://www.chezbubba.com

MallardWacker · February 13, 2004, 07:25:03 PM

Trout Man,

What type of butts do you use. With or with out the bone? I know buying it with bone is MUCH cheaper. I can debone it with no problem. What would you rather have?? Anybody else have a word on this??

SmokeOn,

mski

If a man says he knows anything at all, he knows nothing what he aught to know. But...

trout · February 14, 2004, 12:52:13 AM

I buy boneless hormel porkbutt. They run about 99cents/lb usually here. The only downfall is they come in a roast netting, which will hopelessly get glued into the bark if you leave it on as I once found out.[:(!]

Let your trout go and smoke a salmon instead.

trout · March 09, 2004, 01:59:19 AM

I've got a brisket marinating in the fridge for tomorrow. It's taking a bath in beer, cider vinegar, oil, onion, chipotle peppers and a little rub mix. Tomorrow it will get a rub of black pepper, seasoned salt, brown sugar, paprika and chili powder. (recipe from Smoke and Spice). I will post tomorrow night while I am taste testing. [^]

Let your trout go and smoke a salmon instead.

trout · March 09, 2004, 08:46:57 PM

Just pulled out my brisket. Yummmmmmm. I smoked it for about 3 1/2 hours and then wrapped it in foil and left it in at 225F for about 2 more hours. Tasty stuff, but it didnt get a good bark like the pork butts that I don't finish off in foil. I wonder, would it be good if I didnt wrap it in foil at the end, or would it dry out without mopping it. My pork doesnt dry out, but it has much more fat inside the meat than brisket. Anybody done alot of brisket on the Bradley[?]

Let your trout go and smoke a salmon instead.

Fuzzybear · March 10, 2004, 01:17:15 AM

You guys got me wanting to run out and buy a porky butt!

Hey Kirk: I was watching the Food Network this weekend and they had a Tennessee Q (Jack Daniles of course!) Lots of pit smokers but you were right about the Bradleys - there they were in the background along with some cannister models...

"A mans got to know his limitations"
Glendora, CA - USA!

Regforte · March 10, 2004, 05:03:42 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by trout
 
I wonder, would it be good if I didnt wrap it in foil at the end, or would it dry out without mopping it.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Trout, I'm a firm believer that if you start with a quality cut of meat, be it beef or pig or whatever, you should be able to cook without foil and get a good result with no dryness problems.

The Bradley is an enclosed box with a comparatively small amount of airflow and high humidity, so if it comes out dry it's either not cooked right or it's a problem with meat quality. Give it a try with a well marbled cut without the foil and see how it comes out.

Chez Bubba · March 11, 2004, 01:28:04 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Regforte
 <blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by trout
 
I wonder, would it be good if I didnt wrap it in foil at the end, or would it dry out without mopping it.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Trout, I'm a firm believer that if you start with a quality cut of meat, be it beef or pig or whatever, you should be able to cook without foil and get a good result with no dryness problems.

The Bradley is an enclosed box with a comparatively small amount of airflow and high humidity, so if it comes out dry it's either not cooked right or it's a problem with meat quality. Give it a try with a well marbled cut without the foil and see how it comes out.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Excellent advice.

The problem today with the big supermarkets is that they tend to trim a lot of the fat caps off roasts to make them appear more "healthy". Fat doesn't weigh nearly as much as meat and with it being "a healthier cut", they can get another buck or two a pound for it.

Smokin' was designed for those fatty pieces nobody wanted. It's process will turn that piece of "waste meat" into some of the best food ever to pass your lips.

Seek out a smaller meat vendor or a supermarket butcher that will give you the real thing. Or, wait for the big boys to have their sale on the untrimmed "in the bag" whole cuts & trim them to your liking.

Smoke on & bust the system[8D],

Kirk

http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?

Fuzzybear · March 18, 2004, 01:35:19 PM

Ok smokers, I'm printing this topic and "first try at pork" to try and combine the two for a butt this weekend..the part I'm missing of course (no book) is the rub---which rubs (ingredients please) are being used from the SMoke and Spice??[?]

"A mans got to know his limitations"
Glendora, CA - USA!