Brisket:
From Hen House cryopacked. Flat end, purchased trimmed.
$4.29/lb., 6.77 lb. = $29.04

Dry Rub:
Leftover dry rub from last week's ribs:

Big Time Barbecue Rub
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tbsp granulated garlic (I used garlic powder)
1 tbsp granulated onion (I used onion powder)
2 tbsp paprika (I omitted since we were out)
2 tbsp chili powder (I used the hot chili powder from Penzey's)
2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tbsp ground nutmeg

Mop
1 1/2 can Schlitz
3/4 of a yellow onion, chopped.
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/3 c Canola oil
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Added all ingredients to saucepan, simmerred for about 20 minutes, removed from heat.

Sauce:
Left over from last week's ribs:

3 cups catsup
1 tbsp Grey Poupon
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 1/2 tsp worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
2 tsp Sririacha hot pepper sauce
1 tsp El Yucateco habanero sauce (the green stuff)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
dash cayenne
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp hot curry
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp honey
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp seasoned salt

Preparation
Brushed a light layer of yellow mustard on entire brisket. Sprinkled about 2/3 cup of rub all over brisket.

Let brisket rest on counter for about 30-45 minutes while I lit coals and the grill got up to temperature.

Equipment:
Weber 18.5" Kettle
Kingsford regular charcoal
Mesquite wood chunks

I couldn't find a proper barbecue mop, so I made my own by cutting a washcloth into strips and nailing it to a wooden spoon. It worked surprisingly well.

Outside Conditions:
High of 86°
Light wind

Cooking process:
6:00 AM
    Lit 1/2 chimney full of charcoal.
    Brushed mustard on brisket.
    Used a bit more mustard on fat side.
    Applied about 2/3 cup of dry rub to brisket.
6:21 AM - Coals re-lit
    They didn't take using paper towels to light.
    Newsprint works a lot better.
6:40 AM - Coals added to grill.
    Grill closed.
    Lower vent directly below coals open about 20%
    Other lower vents closed.
6:45 AM - 250°
    Splashed coals with some water
    Closed vent to about 10%.
6:49 AM - 260°
    About 7 chunks of wet mesquite added.
    Brisket on, fat side up.
6:53 AM - 260°
    Still a bit high.
    Smoking.
7:30 AM - 225°
    Temperature perfect.
    No more smoke.
7:53 AM - 215°
    Added two large chunks dry mesquite.
9:00 AM - 217°
10:10 AM - 200°
    Lit about ten chunks charcoal + 2 pieces wood in chimney.
10:40 AM - 200°
    Added coals.
10:58 AM - 260°
    Added two pieces wet wood
    Splashed coals
11:25 AM - 250°
12:10 PM - 240°
    Added 5 briquettes, unlit.
    This was a bad idea, they never lit.
12:41 PM - 230°
1:31 PM - 214°
    Applied first of the mop.
    Lit about ten coals in chimney
2:25 PM - Temp. Low
    Added coals
    Lit about ten more
2:49 PM - 205°
2:57 PM - 205°
    Mopped
    Added coals
3:15 PM - 250°
4:13 PM - 230°
    Mopped
4:45 PM - 210°
    Lit more coals
5:23 PM - 200°
    Added coals
6:26 PM - 225°
7:02 PM - 205°
    Mopped
    Lit coals
7:27 PM - 200°
    Added coals
8:06 PM - 225°
    Internal temperature of brisket 165°
    Brisket off
    Corn added
8:33 PM - Sliced brisket

Results:
Very nice bark, very tender. It was on for 13 1/2 hours, but was in no danger of being overcooked.

The butcher at Hen House trimmed it very well, I didn't have to trim the fat off after cooking, it had mainly dripped away.

Every once in a while I hit a bit that was a bit oversmoked. I read several articles saying that brisket soaks up smoke like a sponge, and they're not kidding. I think it would have been fine with the initial addition of about six pieces of wet wood and then charcoal from then on out.

Maybe I'll try a different wood next time. I hear fruit woods work nicely.

We served it with tater tots and sauce on the side.

Brisket is a bit more difficult than ribs. It really needs a lower temperature for a longer period of time. It was a bit tougher to keep the Weber between 200° and 225° than it was to keep it between 225° and 250° like I did for the ribs. By the end it was working well without much tending. I think that's mainly because all the spent coals had formed a nice layer of ash over the lower vent and were cutting off the oxygen supply.

Good stuff. Smoking in the Weber is awesome.

Does anybody want my useless old Char-Broil H2O?

I made these using a dry rub from Chow Magazine and with a sauce very close to my last one. This is the first definite success I've had smoking ribs, and I think that I'll be using the old Weber kettle for smoking a lot more often.

Ribs:
Two racks cryopacked baby back ribs from Hen House.

Dry Rub:
From the July/August issue of Chow Magazine.

Big Time Barbecue Rub
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tbsp granulated garlic (I used garlic powder)
1 tbsp granulated onion (I used onion powder)
2 tbsp paprika (I omitted since we were out)
2 tbsp chili powder (I used the hot chili powder from Penzey's)
2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tbsp ground nutmeg

Combined all ingredients.

Preparation
I tried to remove the membrane from the back of the ribs but was unable to get it off. It really wasn't a big deal, but I need to look into how to do this. Rubbed the ribs with olive oil and patted on the rub. It really mixed with the olive oil and formed a good crust on the ribs. The recipe called for 1 cup of rub for three racks of ribs. I used more like a cup and a half on two racks.

The ribs then rested in the fridge for about four hours. When we got close to cooking time they came out to come to room temperature before going on the grill.

Cooking:
Used the Weber set up for smoking. I got a new hinged grate for the Weber so I could add wood and coals as necessary. I used a disposable aluminum roasting pan as a drip pan. This worked great because I could mold it onto the side of the kettle and get it as far away from the coals as possible. I added about a half inch of Apple juice and about a half a cup of Dewars Scotch to the drip pan.

Coals were lit at about 1:00. I used a chimney starter, full to the top with charcoal. At around 1:20 it was poured into the Weber, as far away from the drip pan as possible. I closed two of the three bottom vents, leaving only the bottom vent directly beneath the coals open. I added a few chunks of wet mesquite to the coals, put on the grill top and put the lid on the grill.

I gave it some time to come up to the temperature it would find. It started too hot, close to 400°, so I closed the lower vent completely. I added some more wet wood and finally the temperature started to come down to around 310°. I placed the ribs on the grill over the drip pan, and put the lid on the Weber with the top vent over the ribs so the smoke would be drawn over the ribs as they cooked. I reclosed the grill, put a glass candy thermometer through the top vent holes, and let it cook. My notes follow:

1:30 - 310°
    Ribs put on grill
1:56 - 310°
    Lower vent opened to 10%.
2:15 - 290°
    Opened lower vent to 25%
    Added a handful of dry mesquite and a few chunks of wet.
2:30 - 280°
3:00 - 275°
    Lit about 8 briquettes in chimney and added.
    Added about 6 chunks of wet mesquite.
    Splashed a bit of water on coals to cool.
3:15 - 290°
4:30 - 300°
5:20 - 305°

Just about perfect. The temperature held steady throughout the cooking process without too much fiddling. The ribs just looked terrific when they came off, and I actually had problems getting them off the grill. They were so tender they would fall apart when I tried to take them off with tongs. When I took them out we weren't quite ready to eat so I put them in a 300° oven to keep warm until we were ready.

Sauce:
3 cups catsup
1 tbsp Grey Poupon
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 1/2 tsp worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
2 tsp Sririacha hot pepper sauce
1 tsp El Yucateco habanero sauce (the green stuff)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
dash cayenne
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp hot curry
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp honey
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp seasoned salt

Served with sauce on the side. I didn't ever brush the ribs with sauce.

Results:
Finally, a success. If I need to remember anything for next time it is to reduce the cooking time a bit. Also, if I really needed to keep them warm, a 300° oven is too hot. I think that helped to burn the ends a bit, but overall they were very good.

The Chow recipe called for one cup of dry rub for three racks of ribs, and I used quite a bit more. More like 1 1/2 cups on two racks of ribs. Although I think it might be nice to do, I'd definitely need to reduce the amount of salt in the dry rub. A few of them came off kind of salty.

Overall I'm very happy, though. The Weber kettle worked a whole lot better than I expected it to. The temperature stayed steady, which I think was my downfall with all my previous smoking attempts.

I'll be making ribs again soon.

Sunday, June 6, 2006

2 cups Catsup
Juice from 1/2 Lemon
1 tsp Extra Hot Horseradish
1 tsp Worchestershire Sauce
1 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper (multicolor peppercorns)
1 tsp Hot Curry Powder
1 tsp Dry Mustard
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Sriracha Hot Sauce
1 tsp El Yucatero Habanero Sauce
1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke

Had this sauce over chicken. This is by far my favorite BBQ sauce I've made so far. I forgot to add honey and vinegar, and I wonder if I really need them. The lemon juice might be enough tart, and I really don't like my sauce sweet.

First Chili of the fall 2004 season.

4 lb. Beef - cubed
1 whole Onion
3 cups Chicken Broth
1 can Stewed Tomatoes
1 can Tomato Sauce
3 cloves Garlic, pressed
1 tsp. Chicken Granules
1 tsp. Beef Granules
2 tsp. Korean Chili Powder, fine
2 jalapenos, sliced

Saute onions in some oil briefly, brown beef. Add rest of ingredients and simmer uncovered for one hour. After one hour, add:

2 tbsp. Chili Powder
5 tsp. Cumin
4 Tomatillos, chopped
1 tsp Goya Adobo
2 Serrano Peppers, chopped
6 oz. Beer, Boulevard Pale Ale
Salt to taste

Stir and simmer additional 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, add:

1 tsp. Korean Chili Powder, fine
1 Habanero Pepper, chopped
1 tbsp. Chili Powder
1 tsp. Seasoned Salt
1 tsp. Garlic Powder

Simmer an additional 30 minutes.

Results:
I accidentally turned the heat up for the last simmer, so it dehydrated more than I had hoped it will. I used beer to add liquid to the mixture, but it was still a bit too thick for my tastes. Next time I'd add more tomato sauce at the beginning, and if I need to add liquid, use Guinness rather than Ale. Skip the seasoned salt, Adobo and Garlic Powder, and add some pressed garlic in the last dump.

As for the beef, stick to stew beef next time.

Brisket:
From Price Chopper vacuum sealed.

Dry Rub:
None

Sauce:
2 c. Catsup
1 T. Seasoned Salt
1 T. Hot Curry
1 T. Paprika
1/2 t. Cinnamon
1/2 t. Mace
1/2 t. Black Pepper
3/4 t. Cayenne Pepper
1 t. Goya
1/2 c. White Wine Vinegar
1 T. Cumin
1 T. Honey
1 t. Louisana Habanero Sauce
1 t. Cholula
1/2 t. Liquid Smoke
1 T. Lemon Juice
1 t. Hot Dijon Mustard
1/4 t. Prepared Horseradish
1 t. Chicken Granules
1 t. Onion Salt
1 t. Garlic Powder

Equipment:
Char-Broil H20 Smoker (The Red One)
Kingsford regular charcoal

Outside Conditions:
High of 83°
Light wind

Cooking process:
7:45 AM: Charcoal lit
8:15 AM: Brisket in smoker
3:15 PM: I've been fighting it all day. I've used most of a twenty pound bag of charcoal, and have barely been able to keep the temperature at the bottom of the ideal area. I've put the last of the charcoal on, and will be removing the brisket to finish in the oven shortly.

Brisket:
From Price Chopper butcher

Dry Rub:
Leftover from Ribs

Sauce:
2 c. Catsup
1 T. Seasoned Salt
1 T. Hot Curry
1 T. Paprika
1/2 t. Cinnamon
1/2 t. Mace
1/2 t. Black Pepper
3/4 t. Cayenne Pepper
1 t. Goya
1/2 c. White Wine Vinegar
1 T. Cumin
1 T. Honey
1 t. Louisana Habanero Sauce
1 t. Cholula
1/2 t. Liquid Smoke
1 T. Lemon Juice
1 t. Hot Dijon Mustard
1/4 t. Prepared Horseradish
1 t. Chicken Granules
1 t. Onion Salt
1 t. Garlic Powder

Equipment:
Char-Broil H20 Smoker (The Red One)
Kingsford regular charcoal
New Braunfels Mesquite Wood Chunks

Outside Conditions:
High of 96°
Very little wind

Cooking process:
Charcoal lit at 9:00AM
Brisket in smoker at 10:00AM

Brisket:
From Hy-Vee. Unseasoned, from the butcher.

Dry Rub:
None

Sauce:
I modified the sauce from ribs last time

1 tbsp. Seasoned salt
1 tbsp. Chili Powder
1 tbsp. Cumin
1 tbsp. Curry
1 tbsp. Paprika
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Mace
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
2 cups Catsup
1/2 cup Vinegar
1 tbsp. Honey
1/4 cup Molasses
1 tsp. Cholula Hot Sauce
1 tsp. Sriracha Hot Sauce
1/2 tsp. Liquid Smoke
1 tsp. Hot Dijon Mustard
Juice from 1/2 lemon

I reduced the amount of molasses, but I don't think it's necessary at all. Other than that, it came out pretty good, if a bit hot.

Equipment:
Char-Broil H20 Smoker (The Red One)
Kingsford Match-Light charcoal (to start)
Kingsford regular charcoal (for adding)
New Braunfels Mesquite Wood Chunks

Outside Conditions:
80-90° F., a bit of wind.
It's warm enough to have the smoker on the porch now.

Cooking Process:
I lit the charcoal at around 10:00AM, and the brisket went on at 10:30. I really though I used enough charcoal to light, but the temperature never really got up. I added a bunch more charcoal, and as of around noon it's ideal. I'm adding wet hickory chunks every hour or so.

Just took it out at 5:40.

Results:
Tough and stringy. Temperature was a problem again, but I think mostly due to poor monitoring. I let the coals die down again. I definitely didn't use enough charcoal to start it, again. Next time, add what you think is more then add a bit more after that. I'd say keep the pan full 2/3 of the way up. I also cooked on the top grill rather than directly over the water pan. Next time, either wrap in foil or put on the lower grill, closer to the steam pan.

I made these ribs from a recipe I found here. I modified the sauce a bit.

Ribs:
From Hy-Vee. Pork Baby Backs, two and a half racks. Very meaty.

Dry Rub:
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Paprika
1/4 Cup Salt
1/4 Cup Celery Salt
3 Tbsp. Onion Powder
3 Tbsp. Chili Powder
2 Tbsp. Cumin
2 Tbsp. Black Pepper
2 Tbsp. Dried Mustard Powder
1 Tbsp. Cayenne Pepper

Mixed all ingredients. Sprinkled on ribs at about 8:00PM the night before cooking.

Tips for next time: I don't know that I really like Celery Salt that much. This is the first time I've cooked anything with celery salt, and I really don't like the smell. I still have some of this rub left over, so I'll probably use it again, but the next rub I make probably will not have as much celery salt. Maybe I'll try some Garlic salt instead. You can never go wrong with Garlic.

Sauce:
1 Tbsp. Seasoned Salt
1 Tbsp. Chili Powder
1 Tbsp. Cumin
1 Tbsp. Mild Curry Powder
1 Tbsp. Paprika
1/2 Tsp. Ground Allspice
1/2 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp. Mace
1/2 Tsp. Black Pepper
1/2 Tsp. Cayenne Pepper
2 Cups Ketchup
3/4 Cup Dark Unsulphered Molasses
1/2 Cup White Wine Vinegar
1 Tbsp. Honey
2 Tsp. Cholula Hot Sauce
1 Tsp. Huy Fong Sriracha Chili Sauce

Mixed dry ingredients in bowl, added wet ingredients and attempted to mix. It didn't mix. Put on stove and heated until lightly simmering, removed and refrigerated.

Tips for next time:
Mix the wet ingredients in the saucepan and begin to heat. Stir in the dry ingredients more slowly so they don't clump. I think there's a bit too much molasses in this recipe, and I went overboard with the hot sauce. Cholula is better than Tobasco, I think, but I think I added just a bit too much. Same with the Sriracha.

Equipment:
Char-Broil H20 Smoker (The Red One)
Kingsford Match-Light charcoal (to start)
Kingsford regular charcoal (for adding)
New Braunfels Mesquite Wood Chunks
Char-Broil Hickory Wood Chips

Water Pan:
Water

Outside Conditions:
30-40° F., Very Windy
I kept the smoker in the garage, and had the garage door anywhere
from halfway to fully open.

Tips for next time:
Too cold. Wait until it's at least 60-70° F. It's March now, I should be able to wait. Hell, we may get a nice day next weekend.

Cooking Process:
The ribs sat in a plastic bag with the rub overnight. I started the wood chips soaking in water at around 10:00AM. I started the charcoal at noon. I used a small pile, about eight inches high, of the Match Light charcoal. When the coals had ashed over, I spread the coals, leaving about a two-coal deep layer on the bottom of the coal pan. I filled the water pan with water, added it, and closed the smoker. I waited for about fifteen minutes for the smoker to heat up to the proper temperature. It didn't heat up like I was expecting, so I added more of the Match Light charcoal. The heat of the coals started to evaporate the fluid out of the Match Light charcoal. It put off a very strong odor, and I was glad that the ribs weren't on yet. After the coals caught, the smoker heated up to the right temperature. After the new coals had ashed over, I put the ribs on at 12:15PM. I added about a cup of the soaked Hickory chips to the coals. They immediately began to smoke. I knew I was going to need to continue to add more charcoal, so I went and bought a bag of regular non match-light charcoal.

About 30 minutes after the ribs went on, the temperature was down too low again. And the hickory chips had fully burned off. I wrapped about another cup of hickory chips in foil and added them to the coals. I added more charcoal, and shut the garage door a bit more. Eventually the heat came back up. I'm guessing that the foil packs smoked for about an hour each, and I had to continue to add them. I was struggling with the temperature all day, and I think it's because it was just too cold outside. I added some mesquite wood chunks (much bigger than the chips) late into cooking. This brought up the temperature a lot, and put off a ton of smoke. Probably too much, as a matter of fact. I put them on un-soaked.

At 6:00PM, I brushed the ribs liberally with my sauce. They came off at 6:30 PM. The meat thermometer was reading 185°. The pages I read said that the ideal tempeature is 160°, so perhaps these were a bit overdone.

The Results:
The ribs were edible. There was a thick outer coating around just about all the meat that was difficult to cut. Maybe it just dried out? Did I let the water level fall too much? I wasn't keeping a great eye on the water. But inside the outer coating, there was good meat. The meat was a bright pink, almost like Ham. It wasn't the greyish brown I was expecting, like when you get ribs at a restaraunt.

But I did eat plenty of them, and they weren't bad. I didn't get sick, so I guess they were fully cooked. I think I may have gone a bit overboard with the pepper sauce and molasses.

Tips For Next Time:
Fix the sauce. A bit too hot, a bit too much molasses. Add some liquid smoke next time. Don't bother trying to smoke in temperatures that low. DO NOT smoke in the garage. There's a delicate balance between enough ventilation and having the door closed enough to keep the temperature up. I probably got CO poisoning. Next time, it'll be a nice day, and the smoker will be on the back porch.

Watch the water leve more closely. Also, add a LOT more charcoal when first lighting. I think that areas of the charcoal pan were starting to go out, and that would be less of a problem if there's a nice layer of coals to start with. Once an area goes out, it takes a while to re-light.

Soak a lot more of the chips, and add a cup in a foil pack about once an hour. Try that next time, then the time after, try cutting back. I don't know that I am, but I think I may be creating too much smoke. We'll see.