Santa was good to me, got a new BS, looking for first project?

[thrdrock]

Wild....when you did the brisket, how long did you apply smoke for, and what kind of wood? What IT did you cook it to? Any special blend on the spices? Smoked beef sounds mighty good !!! Good job

[Wildcat]

Wild....when you did the brisket, how long did you apply smoke for, and what kind of wood? What IT did you cook it to? Any special blend on the spices? Smoked beef sounds mighty good !!! Good job

I smoked for 6 hours.  That may be a little longer than needed, but IMHO beef does not pick up the smoke flavor as well as pork.  I figured 6 extra pucks was not going to break the bank.  I kept the box temp between 190 and 200 during the smoke then around 205 for the remainder.  (I did bump the temp up the last hour because I was running out of time, but I would recommend just waiting at the 205 - 210 range.   When IT reached 180F, I FTC'd for 4 hours.  I just took and mixed some sea salt in a sandwich baggie, added some pepper, a small amount of garlic and onion powder.  Did not measure anything since my experience allows me to estimate fairly well.  I applied the rub lightly because I did not want to overdo the salt.  I figured that the smoke would enhance everything.  Better not enough salt than too much.  I would like to add some other spices next time but the wife threatened to take away my adult beverages if I did.  She said it was perfect and ordered me NOT to change a thing unless I wanted to do one for myself and another for everyone else.  Hmm!?!?

Take a look at my post under Hot Smoking (I think it was titled MY FIRST BRISKET).

[Gizmo]

Wildcat,

You might want to try substituting some celery salt for the sea salt and see if the others notice and or like it better.  I have been using celery salt, white and black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder as a base seasoning for many a meat dish.  The celery salt adds a real nice flavor.  Found this basic combination from a local old fashioned meat market as their seasoning for all the meat they sell if you want it preseasoned.
If you're adventuroues and don't have the fear (or reality) of DIVORCE, let me know what you think.

[Wildcat]

Yeah, sounds great to me.  Wife was only kidding but serious about how the brisket turned out.  She is elated that I am cooking more meals.  I still refuse to cook indoors though.  She is stuck with the side dishes unless I get a wild hair for trying a side dish outside.  I have never used celery salt but I WILL try it next time. 

[thrdrock]

Giz,
that actually sounds really good. Think I will try that on my next smoke. Thanks to you guys for the input. Next question, anyone ever try cold smoking any cheese, and if so, the details. Is really cold here right now, this might be a good weekend to try that.
"Thrd"

[Wildcat]

I have not but I may eventually give it a try.  I have yet to taste a cheese that I did not like.  Too many other things to try first. ;)

[Gizmo]

There are a bunch of threads here on smokin the cheese.  Here is one that is active right now:
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=4521.15;topicseen
There is also the recipe site and this post:
http://susan.rminor.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32

[thrdrock]

Just wanted to post a quick update. Had a busy weekend, and not much time to take on a long "smoke" project, so experimented with some cheese, which should take about an hour or two, on cold smoke. Tried 3 different pieces, sharp cheddar, colby and monterey jack, no fancy names, just local Safeway brand. Got the snack sticks that were about 2 inches square and 6-8 inches long. Used the cherry pucks, going for a light smoke flavor. Originally was going for an hour of smoke, but because you always have those 2 extra pucks in the feed that don't get burned (my Bubba Pucks arrived yesterday), I ended up pushing them on the burner manually and had about 1hr 40 min smoke total. Unplugged the cabinet power and just used the power to the puck burner. Was really surprised at how much the puck burner heated the cabinet, the outside air temp was about 25-28 degrees, had the vent almost wide open, and the cab. temp still got over 100 at one point. Had to open the door several times to lower the temp. Making a remote smoke box would certainly be the trick if you were going to do much cold smoking.I even had ice in the water bowl, and chilled the rack and the cheese in the freezer for a while before the smoke. Final verdict...the cheddar came out great, the colby next, as it seemed to pick up a little less smoke flavor, but still good, and the jack had the least smoke flavor, but all still good (it is cheese, after all!!) Also noticed that none of them got the really dark rind like you see on "smoked" cheese that you buy in the store-figured those have been done "artificially".

One side note, after my 1st smoke, was mildly irritated at how much "crap" accumulated on the surface of the puck burner. After cleaning, I noticed that the surface where the pucks sit was very irregular, with quite a few little bumps and pocks that catch on the pucks, and maybe even provided some extra resistance as the pucks try to advance. Before I started, I took a piece of emery cloth, and sanded all of the bumps down, and more or less polished up the entire surface. Made a huge difference when done, had very minimal buildup of residue, and very easy to clean up. When I get some more time, will take the Dremel and buff it up really good.

[manxman]

Also noticed that none of them got the really dark rind like you see on "smoked" cheese that you buy in the store-figured those have been done "artificially".

I have experimented with a few different types of cheese and  a variety of times ranging from 2 to 6 hours, nowadays I tend to stick to mature cheddar and cold smoke for around 4- 5 hours, normally 5 hours. You do get a smoked cheese appearance at that stage with some "dark rind" evident.

how much "crap" accumulated on the surface of the puck burner.

You should notice this improves significantly with the use of your bubba pucks.

[Wildcat]

Congrats Thrd!  I have read several posts where folks wound up melting the cheese.  Like Manxman stated, the bubba pucks will help.

[Mctuber]

 :o Hello all ! I also got a bs for xmas .Seasoning the thing has been the first learning experiment.Looking forward to a smoking session soon .Thanks for all the insight on this post.

Mind over matter    never mind it doesnt matter! ;D

[Wildcat]

Welcome to the forum.  Smoking itself is nothing but a learning experiment (regardless of how long you have been doing it) and is a lot of fun.  As an added benefit, you can eat some of the best food in the world amd take pride in the fact that you created it.

[West Coast Kansan]

Welcome to the forum Mctuber (your avitar looks familiar somehow ;D) Post those learning experiences and enjoy the smoker and forum!

[Arcs_n_Sparks]

Welcome to the forum Mctuber (your avitar looks familiar somehow ;D)

You mean like Bruce Willis? Amazing what Photoshop can do to your mug.....  :D :D :D

Arcs_n_Sparks

[West Coast Kansan]

Or like that guy in my mirror every morning. Except a lot leaner, and then more hair, and better chin, and the glasses look better on him...otherwise take away a couple of decades and we could be related ... distantly.  :-[