Watcha Cookin This Weekend THROWDOWN EDITION 2/01 - 2/03

[Rich777]

I hear ya BW. I got a sawbuck on the game, so I better watch.

[bigwheel]

Well I got invited to a party where a person can bet on stuff I might go just to keep em honest.

bigwheel

[honu41]

Aloha...

Got that right on the "kini popo" Rob. When the missionaries from the eastern seaboard got to the Islands they really educated the natives! Taught dem "ryettin" and "reetmatick" but never taught them "real estate" so that is why the haoles got most of the land!

Some of dem even married into the Royal family to get the inside track...

Sneaky huh?

Take care and have a great Super Bowl Sunday! A hui hou kakou...

[DaHorns]

I'm just gonna make some snacks, queso, brats, and maybe some shrimp/crabmeat nachos.

[OSD]

After going to the store, it looks like a thick cut 5 pound chuck roast, some chicken thighs, and a meatloaf to make sammies during the week.

[Papa Tom]

Hard to get excited about the Super Bowl when the Cowboys aint in it. Two yankee teams playing...gag...sputter..heave. I will have Cheetos and Bean Dip whilst watching the Military Channel on TV. That should teach em a lesson or two.

bigwheel

Yeah I'm gonna capture it on the ol' TIVO sos I can skip over the game and watch those commercials in hi-def.........

[ikiru]

This weekend I did:

-Brisket
-Pork Shoulder
-ABTs
-Rib Roast

I smoked in 2 parts this past weekend. The Brisket and Pork Shoulder was done on saturday...the Rib Roast and ABTs sunday. Saturday, I did an all wood fire, and I was constantly fighting it. Part of the problem is my nature to fiddle with things, but I think that since the wood comes in all different shapes and sizes, its really an art to gauge when to add more wood, adjust dampeners, etc. The brisket turned out dry on the skinny end (but tender), and super moist and good on the fatty end. I think I kept the smoker too hot (I think the average temp was over 260). Next time, Ill stay closer to 225. The pork shoulder was smoked for a couple of hours and then wrapped to finish. Turned out great. I believe that Pork Shoulders must be the easiest hunk of meat to smoke (i.e. most forgiving).

Sunday, I decided that I didn't want to mess with wood, so I switched to a charcoal basket (hand made from expanded steel). I was able to keep a constant 225-250 with very little tweaking on my part. Adjustments to the dampener were slight, but made a big difference. I threw in some oak to help generate some smoke. Rib roast hit 126 after 4 hours. I blasted it in the oven at 500 to finish.

For the ABTs, I used flat iron steak. I just threw it into the smoker with the rib roast on the side closest to the firebox. I was surprised how well the flat iron handled the smoker. While the steak cooked, I mixed cream cheese with chipotle/raspberry sauce, sliced/seeded the jalapenos, and then filled them with the cream cheese mix. After a while, I pulled the steak, sliced it, topped the jalapenos, and then wrapped in bacon. They cooked in the 350 degree oven for 40 minutes (I still am not familiar with where all of the hot and cold places are in my smoker, so the oven was a good choice for me).

Things I learned from this weekend:

1. Brisket is probably the hardest meat to get right.
2. It must be almost impossible to mess up Pork Shoulders, especially if you wrap it a couple hours in.
3. Charcoal Baskets make life so much easier.

Sorry no pics, the camera was on the fritz this weekend. Maybe next time.

-ikiru

*enjoy the sauce*

[SteerCrazy]

This weekend I did:

-Brisket
-Pork Shoulder
-ABTs
-Rib Roast

I smoked in 2 parts this past weekend. The Brisket and Pork Shoulder was done on saturday...the Rib Roast and ABTs sunday. Saturday, I did an all wood fire, and I was constantly fighting it. Part of the problem is my nature to fiddle with things, but I think that since the wood comes in all different shapes and sizes, its really an art to gauge when to add more wood, adjust dampeners, etc. The brisket turned out dry on the skinny end (but tender), and super moist and good on the fatty end. I think I kept the smoker too hot (I think the average temp was over 260). Next time, Ill stay closer to 225. The pork shoulder was smoked for a couple of hours and then wrapped to finish. Turned out great. I believe that Pork Shoulders must be the easiest hunk of meat to smoke (i.e. most forgiving).

Sunday, I decided that I didn't want to mess with wood, so I switched to a charcoal basket (hand made from expanded steel). I was able to keep a constant 225-250 with very little tweaking on my part. Adjustments to the dampener were slight, but made a big difference. I threw in some oak to help generate some smoke. Rib roast hit 126 after 4 hours. I blasted it in the oven at 500 to finish.

For the ABTs, I used flat iron steak. I just threw it into the smoker with the rib roast on the side closest to the firebox. I was surprised how well the flat iron handled the smoker. While the steak cooked, I mixed cream cheese with chipotle/raspberry sauce, sliced/seeded the jalapenos, and then filled them with the cream cheese mix. After a while, I pulled the steak, sliced it, topped the jalapenos, and then wrapped in bacon. They cooked in the 350 degree oven for 40 minutes (I still am not familiar with where all of the hot and cold places are in my smoker, so the oven was a good choice for me).

Things I learned from this weekend:

1. Brisket is probably the hardest meat to get right.
2. It must be almost impossible to mess up Pork Shoulders, especially if you wrap it a couple hours in.
3. Charcoal Baskets make life so much easier.

Sorry no pics, the camera was on the fritz this weekend. Maybe next time.

-ikiru

*enjoy the sauce*

you're absolutely correct. I still somewhat struggle with briskets myself. I'll be on a roll and think I can't get 'em wrong until I get one wrong then I wonder what happened. Pulled pork you can over cook and it can tend to get mushy but you're correct. Sounds like you had a busy weekend!