What did I get myself into this time???

[same2you]

Hi Everyone.  I just finished ordering the 6 Rack DBS, and I'm sitting back doing some research before it eventually arrives.  I have to say that I initially thought that this would be a easy and flavorful thing to get into, but now (after reading forum on top of forum) I am beginning to see that I have joined some sort of a cult  .  That's perfectly fine for me... I usually jump into this type of thing with both feet while holding out my wallet to the closest retailer.

So, just a few newbie questions for everyone...
1.  I know the 140 degrees within 3hrs rule, but can someone give me an idea of what cuts of meat I should be looking at definately (without question) be curing before smoking?  (I'd hate to waste a huge Rib Roast because it too 6 hours to reach 140.

2.  Has anyone used a vacuum sealer to help keep the curing process a little more convenient as far as space and cleanliness goes?  I only have the one fridge, and I'm certain that the wife will have a few words if I put a huge bucket of curing meat in there... I can see a vacuum sealed back being much more acceptable (and easier to move).  If someone has used this method, is there a trick to sealing the bag without sucking up some of the brine in the process?  Does being in a vacuum affect the time required to cure?

3.  I live in Canada, and will obviously be starting my smoking adventure in the sub-zero temperatures on my back deck.  Besides putting a couple of bricks and a larger water bowl at the bottom to assist with heat recovery, is there any other advice that anyone can give to me about winter smoking (clean-up, heat recovery, time/temp adjustments, etc)

4.  I already have a wireless temperature probe (not the Maverick, but a good trusty one), I've ordered some curing materials (meat pump, Tenderquick, etc), and I also have the cover and some wood coming with it.  Is there anything else that a good smoker should have?

5.  What is the holy grail of smoking?  I thinking that bacon would definately be up there (mmmmm Bacon... Arghhhhhhhh), but what else would be in the same class?


I'm sure I'll have many more stupid questions before the interior of the DBS goes black, so thanks in Advance.... And Happy New Years Everyone!

Same2you.

[Caneyscud]

5.  What is the holy grail of smoking?  I thinking that bacon would definately be up there (mmmmm Bacon... Arghhhhhhhh), but what else would be in the same class?

Same2you.

Welcome Same2you!  You do like to jump in with both feet.  I'm partial to Brisket with mesquite or is it mesquite with brisket.  Ranking right up there is Lox and Texas Hot Links.  And then there is.........

[KyNola]

Same2you,
Welcome to the cult I am going to yield to Habanero Smoker for the definitive answer to your first question as he is the absolute authority on all things cured and smoked but I really can't think of a particular meat that you 100% absolutely must cure prior to  smoking.  I cure pork loins for canadian bacon and cure pork belly to make bacon but you can smoke a pork loin without cure as well as pork belly.  As for the val sealer to aid in curing, I have absolutely used it for a dry cure such as canadian bacon.  I personally believe it shortens the curing time by about 1/3.  I have never tried it with a brine cure though.  Cold weather smoking, the wind is your biggest enemy.  Try to block the wind from reaching your BDS the best you can.  Preheating to 250-300 is a must as you will lose a ton of heat when you open the door to load the meat.  Also, smaller loads aid in faster heat recovery during cold weather.  Accessories?  Bubba pucks, aluminum disks to place on top of your wood so they will push your last wood puck into the water bowl.  Lastly, the holy grail of smoking..everything.

Once you've been a member of the cult for a while, we will show you the secret handshake. 

Seriously, welcome and don't be afraid to ask questions.  We have all already asked all of the stupid ones so you don't have to worry, your questions won't be stupid.

KyNola

[Smoking Duck]

Hello and welcome, Same!

I'll try to answer your questions as best I can.

1.  As far as the 140F 3 hour rule........never seen a time frame quite honestly and if you're looking to get your meats to 140 within that 3 hours rule, it's gonna be kind of rough.  Now, with that being said, there are some that will.  A small pork loin and some lean beef roasts might come to the 140F that quickly.  However, I think the most important rule of thumb when trying to avoid the nasties, is proper food handling.  Remember that the surface of the meat is where you need to be most concerned with getting your nasty bugs on and the surface of the meat will come up to temp much quicker than the center.  Additionally, the smoke that is produced from the bisquettes will also work to keep the nasties from getting on your meat.  I pretty much just follow good food handling and smoke most things at 200F-220F.  If it's ground beef, I'll do that a little higher as I want that to get to an IT of 165 as quickly as possible.

2.  I've never used a vac sealer when doing a wet brine.  I use the vac sealer all the time when doing a dry cure (Canadian bacon, belly bacon).  Maybe someone else has used the vac sealer with a wet brine.

3. Open the door as little as possible.  If you're looking, you ain't cooking.

4. You have the DBS and thus a digital way of setting the temp.  Once you get into it a little heavier, think of adding a PID for even greater temp control.  Additionally, you ought to look into getting the high temp jerky drying screens from yardandpool.com.  From what I hear, they help with clean up immensely and save the life of your racks.  Also look into purchasing 3 bubba pucks, they'll save you a lot of wood in the long run.  And, when you really get into it, see about ordering one of the cold-smoke add on boxes.....great for cold-smoking (heck, if your wallet is open, best to open it all the way  ).  I don't work for yardandpool nor derive any income from them but can tell you that you'll be really pleased with their customer service.

5.  There really isn't a holy grail for smoking except what you decide.  There's pork butt, ribs, brisket, sausage, cheese......the list goes on and on..just make sure you try all of it!

Best of luck,

SD

[Stargazer]

Welcome to the forum.

You will really enjoy your Bradley alot. Not only will you have superb results, but makes smoking enjoyable and fun too.

As for the cult part... ladies fish and gentlemen ...

Now touring a city near you

[westexasmoker]

Once you've been a member of the cult for a while, we will show you the secret handshake. 

Welcome to the cult uh I mean fourm S2U!  Lots of good information and people here!

They still have'nt shown me the secret handshake! 

Once again welcome aboard and keep us posted!

C

[pensrock]

Watch out for that secret handshake. While one hand is out to shake, the other is snatching up all your good smoked foods. 

[Caneyscud]

Once you've been a member of the cult for a while, we will show you the secret handshake. 

They still have'nt shown me the secret handshake! 

C

And you do know why don't ya?

And it's not that we are jealous of your drop-dead gorgeous looks!

[deb415611]

Once you've been a member of the cult for a while, we will show you the secret handshake. 

They still have'nt shown me the secret handshake! 

C

And you do know why don't ya?

And it's not that we are jealous of your drop-dead gorgeous looks!

[Tenpoint5]

Once you've been a member of the cult for a while, we will show you the secret handshake. 

They still have'nt shown me the secret handshake! 

C

And you do know why don't ya?

And it's not that we are jealous of your drop-dead gorgeous looks!

What you saying Caney, He's ugly as a Mud Fence or that He just smells bad?

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi same2you;
Welcome to the forum.

I've seen a few referenced on this board referring to the 140°F within a certain period. I curious as to where that comes from, if you have a reference I would appreciate you pointing me in that direction. For solid muscle you mainly have to worry about the surface, and I wouldn't be concerned about the internal temperature getting up to 140° within 3 hours. And as mentioned the surface of the meat in most of your smoke/cooks should be up to at least 140°F, around or within the 3 hour mark. And as previously mentioned; smoke is a antimicrobial, plus the salt in your rub (if salt is used) provides an additional buffer of time. Ground beef you need to be concerned to get the internal temperature up to 140°F as quickly as possible, the continue until you reach 160°F for beef, and 165°F for poultry.

As far as to what absolutely has to be cure, is sausage, unless you plan to hot smoke/cook it at a temperature 225°F or higher. Because sausage it ground meat that is in a casing, it is very susceptible to botulism. So if you smoke sausage like most of use do, using low temperatures, and long drying/smoking/cooking times you need a cure.

The best thing about the Maverick ET-73 is that it is a dual probe. One probe monitors the cabinet temperature which is much more accurate then the door thermometer, because you can locate the probe in a more efficient area to get a better reading.

[Caneyscud]

Once you've been a member of the cult for a while, we will show you the secret handshake. 

They still have'nt shown me the secret handshake! 

C

And you do know why don't ya?

And it's not that we are jealous of your drop-dead gorgeous looks!

What you saying Caney, He's ugly as a Mud Fence or that He just smells bad?

Well I guess that is a possibility, but since I don't think that I have ever laid eyes on him not much of a probability unless another of you here confirm it.  I just can't say with any certainty, but as far as the other!!!

Well there is this one quote from the bard.

His breath stinks with eating toasted cheese.
Henry VI Part 2, 4. 7

If one fries lasagne  - one might!

But I was thinking along the lines of being ostracized for the "M" word!  The teabag treatment just couldn't be the only "punishment" for such great taste in woods!!

Sorry for the hijack Same2you.

Shakespeare
May your dinner be like a poem!

[westexasmoker]

Once you've been a member of the cult for a while, we will show you the secret handshake. 

They still have'nt shown me the secret handshake! 

C

And you do know why don't ya?

And it's not that we are jealous of your drop-dead gorgeous looks!

What you saying Caney, He's ugly as a Mud Fence or that He just smells bad?

Well I guess that is a possibility, but since I don't think that I have ever laid eyes on him not much of a probability unless another of you here confirm it.  I just can't say with any certainty, but as far as the other!!!

Well there is this one quote from the bard.

His breath stinks with eating toasted cheese.
Henry VI Part 2, 4. 7

If one fries lasagne  - one might!

But I was thinking along the lines of being ostracized for the "M" word!  The teabag treatment just couldn't be the only "punishment" for such great taste in woods!!

Sorry for the hijack Same2you.

Shakespeare
May your dinner be like a poem!

To quote  Monty Python

Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberry! 

I too am sorry S2U.......I'll leave our silliness elsewhere!......I just gotta figure out this handshake thing! 

C

[westexasmoker]

Once you've been a member of the cult for a while, we will show you the secret handshake. 

They still have'nt shown me the secret handshake! 

C

And you do know why don't ya?

And it's not that we are jealous of your drop-dead gorgeous looks!

What you saying Caney, He's ugly as a Mud Fence or that He just smells bad?

Well I guess that is a possibility, but since I don't think that I have ever laid eyes on him not much of a probability unless another of you here confirm it.  I just can't say with any certainty, but as far as the other!!!

Well there is this one quote from the bard.

His breath stinks with eating toasted cheese.
Henry VI Part 2, 4. 7

If one fries lasagne  - one might!

But I was thinking along the lines of being ostracized for the "M" word!  The teabag treatment just couldn't be the only "punishment" for such great taste in woods!!

Sorry for the hijack Same2you.

Shakespeare
May your dinner be like a poem!

To quote  Monty Python

Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberry! 

I too am sorry S2U.......I'll leave our silliness elsewhere!......I just gotta figure out this handshake thing! 

C

My bad again....I belive strike that reverse that!......OK I'll just go smoke some mesquite!

[Smoking Duck]

You know what they say....beauty is skin deep, but mesquite goes all the way to the bones 

SD