What We’re Smoking (or Grilling, or Curing)!

[audreyh1]

Nice! Nice bark too.

I’m getting ready to smoke a prime rib again for Xmas. Smoke and reverse sear. Horseradish cream sauce. The last one was so good that we really look forward to it.

Bone-in prime rib roasts show up at Costco just a week or so before Christmas. They have short ones as well as full length.

 

[aja8888]

Nice! Nice bark too.

I’m getting ready to smoke a prime rib again for Xmas. Smoke and reverse sear. Horseradish cream sauce. The last one was so good that we really look forward to it.

Bone-in prime rib roasts show up at Costco just a week or so before Christmas. They have short ones as well as full length.

Thanks!

I saw those rib roasts at Costco last week. My daughter is cooking so I'm a freeloader this year. But I am giving her most of the brisket I just cooked.

Our Costco is out of Prime briskets right now and when they show up again, I'm buying a couple and freezing them. The last price was $3.99/pound.

 

[audreyh1]

Sounds like your new smoker has been a big success!!

 

[Steeler75]

Nice! Nice bark too.

I’m getting ready to smoke a prime rib again for Xmas. Smoke and reverse sear. Horseradish cream sauce. The last one was so good that we really look forward to it.

Bone-in prime rib roasts show up at Costco just a week or so before Christmas. They have short ones as well as full length.

+1

Been our tradition for years. Smoke then sear the bone-in prime rib. BTD this year on a 10 pounder from Morgan Ranch.

 

[Gumby]

I smoked a rack of lamb ribs for the first time this past Saturday. They were quite good. Normal process, except for mixing some rosemary and thyme in the rub and some apricot preserve in the BBQ sauce.

This week, I'll be smoking a turkey breast to bring to the in-laws for Christmas.

 

[CincyDave]

Last brisket of the year. Great smoke ring!

View attachment 47918

Great looking brisket! Do you do a whole packer or just the flat? If whole packer, do you separate point before smoking? I usually separate it before smoking and turn the point into burnt ends.

 

[aja8888]

Sounds like your new smoker has been a big success!!

Yes, the small Camp Chef works great. These pellet smokers are all about the same and the key is meat quality and preparation, correct temperature control and TIME! You have done some really nice cooks and I may venture out past beef soon based on your experiences.

Great looking brisket! Do you do a whole packer or just the flat? If whole packer, do you separate point before smoking? I usually separate it before smoking and turn the point into burnt ends.

I just do a "trimmed up" packer (no separation) and focus on using a Choice or Prime cut. I try to stay less than 12 pounds in starting size, too. My routine is 180 - 200 F for afew hours and spraying with beef stock or apple juice after the bark starts to set. Then raise the temp to 225 F until the brisket stalls (160+), then wrap in butcher paper and let it finish a 204 F or the testing of the firmness shows buttery smooth insertion of a temp probe. I also use a smoke tube filled with pellets for the first three hours or so (until it burns out).

My briskets are bought at Costco or H.E.B. (Texas store) and I try to find Prime grade.

Edit: my seasoning is typical Texas "salt and pepper rub". Maybe sprinkle it with garlic salt if you are adventurous!

Then I wrap the whole thing (including butcher paper) in a towel and put in a cooler for 2 hours.

The burnt ends are great too! I try to follow Arron Franklin's instructions on these briskets, especially for trimming, but I use the pellet grill with fat side up for the brisket.

 

[folivier]

Just thinking out loud here but at our cabin which is at 9400' it takes a much longer time to smoke anything, 18+ hours. So I'm thinking if smoking to the stall then putting it in a pressure cooker to finish. Would that help keep it moist and finish quicker without messing up the bark?
Thoughts?

 

[braumeister]

Bone-in prime rib roasts show up at Costco just a week or so before Christmas. They have short ones as well as full length.

Just bought a beauty this morning. That's our standard Christmas (and Thanksgiving) dinner as well. Perfect for the BGE.

 

[aja8888]

Just thinking out loud here but at our cabin which is at 9400' it takes a much longer time to smoke anything, 18+ hours. So I'm thinking if smoking to the stall then putting it in a pressure cooker to finish. Would that help keep it moist and finish quicker without messing up the bark?
Thoughts?

Would you have it wrapped while in the pressure cooker? I have no opinion on how the pressure cooker would work. Some people finish the brisket in an oven to speed things up getting to the fat rendering temperature (~204 F).

 

[CardsFan]

I picked up some lambs ribs at Aldi's a while back ($2.99/lb). Usually I braise them in the oven. They have a lot of fat so I thought I would give smoking a try.

They came out great. Good smoked flavor, very tender.

 

[audreyh1]

Great looking brisket! Do you do a whole packer or just the flat? If whole packer, do you separate point before smoking? I usually separate it before smoking and turn the point into burnt ends.

Just FYI - pretty much whole packer is the Texas brisket tradition. Flats and burnt ends are more popular in other states.

Salt and pepper rub for smoked whole brisket is also TX tradition.

 

[audreyh1]

I picked up some lambs ribs at Aldi's a while back ($2.99/lb). Usually I braise them in the oven. They have a lot of fat so I thought I would give smoking a try.

They came out great. Good smoked flavor, very tender.

Interesting. I usually just grill rack of lamb. Trim off some of the fat cap first.

 

[OldShooter]

Just FYI - pretty much whole packer is the Texas brisket tradition. Flats and burnt ends are more popular in other states. ...

Me, too, but the point and flat have to be separated for slicing because the grain of each goes different directions. You can't slice properly if they are left together.

I also often take that opportunity to remove some of the fat layer that lies in between the two. It depends on how thick the layer is, but DW does not like the fat.

 

[aja8888]

Me, too, but the point and flat have to be separated for slicing because the grain of each goes different directions. You can't slice properly if they are left together.

I also often take that opportunity to remove some of the fat layer that lies in between the two. It depends on how thick the layer is, but DW does not like the fat.

If you watch Aaron Franklin's videos, he slices the flat first and then just turns the remainder 90 degrees and slices the point next. It works. That's how I do it.

 

[OldShooter]

If you watch Aaron Franklin's videos, he slices the flat first and then just turns the remainder 90 degrees and slices the point next. It works. That's how I do it.

Yup. Lots of ways to do it.

The most tender slice is made perpendicular to the grain. The toughest slice, like a slice of rubber bands, is when the slice is parallel to the grain. Slicing the point and the flat together inevitably results in one or both of them producing slices that are at an angle to the grain. I am a KCBS judge and have never seen a turn-in box with slices that aren't perpendicular. An angle cut will cost the team in tenderness points.

 

[audreyh1]

Me, too, but the point and flat have to be separated for slicing because the grain of each goes different directions. You can't slice properly if they are left together.

I also often take that opportunity to remove some of the fat layer that lies in between the two. It depends on how thick the layer is, but DW does not like the fat.

No, and traditional TX BBQ places don’t separate them for slicing either. Once they slice the section with mostly flat, they simply turn the whole thing 90 degrees and slice through both layers. This is my favorite part, the double layer of meat with a nice fatty part in between.

As aja888 says Franklin gives a good demonstration in his brisket videos.

 

[Stormy Kromer]

I'm grilling venison top loin on my pellet stove this evening. A stand by recipe that is my go to. A piece of whole top loin about 10" long from this year's deer, well trimmed. It would be considered NY strip if it was beef. Seasoned with an olive oil rub followed by a coating of dry Au Ju powder, ground S&P and Lawry's. Seared hot on the grill and finished to about 125 degrees, let it rest for one drink and slice about an inch thick.. Serve with mushrooms simmered in butter & kitchen bouquet. Homemade French onion soup and a baked potato. Both from the garden. Can't wait.

For Christmas I am going to try my first brisket. I am following the Traeger instructions. I will put it on the pellet stove just before bed time on Christmas eve on 180 degrees and will finish it off in time for dinner on Christmas day. Planning on 16 hours total. Garden sweet corn & carrots with homemade corn dodgers on the side. My buddy down the road has bees and gives me the best honey I've ever had, makes tremendous honey butter for the cornbread. After that a slice of homemade pumpkin pie made with pumpkins from my garden & brown eggs from the neighbor's hens with grandma's pie crust recipe (flour, lard a little salt and water, it gets as thin as a newspaper). I'll let you know how it turns out. I'm kind of nearvous. I've never done a brisket before.

For me the two best things of ER would be taking the time to be able to raise, harvest and cook the best food possible. Next would be to set my own sleeping schedule ( how else could I get up twice to add pellets to my grill cooking brisket overnight?) I have it good. Hope you all do too.

Merry Christmas.

 

[CardsFan]

Interesting. I usually just grill rack of lamb. Trim off some of the fat cap first.

Clarification: I am talking about lamb breast plate with ribs, not a rack of lamb. It is not always available, and is quite inexpensive, though with all the fat and bones, not really "cheap" per serving

I would never think of smoking a rack of lamb

 

[audreyh1]

Clarification: I am talking about lamb breast plate with ribs, not a rack of lamb. It is not always available, and is quite inexpensive, though with all the fat and bones, not really "cheap" per serving

I would never think of smoking a rack of lamb

OK - thanks for the clarification. I have never seen the other available.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

Clarification: I am talking about lamb breast plate with ribs, not a rack of lamb. It is not always available, and is quite inexpensive, though with all the fat and bones, not really "cheap" per serving

I would never think of smoking a rack of lamb

I bought a few of these at Aldi in the recent past. Eventually I tried it stuffed and rolled. You remove the ribs/cartilage with a knife, then pound it, stuff it, and roll it up before roasting. Definitely worth trying at least once. It took me two times to get the hang of it. Here are two videos to demonstrate:

 

[audreyh1]

Very interesting. I have never seen that. Very interesting videos!

We eat a lot of lamb loin chops, rack of lamb, shanks and the occasional leg.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

Very interesting. I have never seen that. Very interesting videos!

Yeah, I wonder what usually happens to breast of lamb? That is, why don't I (almost) ever see that in stores?

We eat a lot of lamb loin chops, rack of lamb, shanks and the occasional leg.

About the same for us. However, we more frequently have shoulder chops. My local coop grocery store has (evidently ) small batches of lamb; I say "small batches" because you can almost reconstruct the animal by looking through the packages. I often find a cut priced as a shoulder chop that is practically a rib chop. So I cook that like a rib chop (i.e., quick pan sear).

For tougher shoulder chops, I vary between still just pan-searing (and being resigned to chewing the tough-but-flavorful result) or braising them.

 

[audreyh1]

Well the US imports most of their lamb, so I’m not surprised that I haven’t seen it in stores. Costco carries mostly Australian lamb.

HEB however carries domestic US lamb, but I’ve only seen racks, shoulder, ground and shanks there.

I love lamb shanks and the Instant Pot is great for them. The pressure cooking does a great job of breaking down all that connective tissue.

Shoulder I occasionally use as stew meat for Indian curries. Any stew is a good candidate for Instant Pot, I haven’t tried curries in it though. I should, as pressure cooking is a common Indian cooking method.

 

[Gumby]

I'm in the middle of smoking a turkey breast to take to the in-laws for Christmas. I brined it overnight in apple cider. Using hickory wood. I also have a chicken breast in the smoker for our traditional New Year's Day brunch of smoked chicken and butternut squash hash next weekend