Recent content by sirsmokesalot

Have any of your ever smoked venison? I may be getting a hold of a deer shoulder in the next few days and wanted to check before giving this a try. The only thing I do know it that it's a lean cut, so it's probably best not to go much higher than the recommended internal temperature (145 in this...

For this type of meet, I really like Char-Crust (garlic peppercorn flavor). This isn't terribly salty, so it helps to also use koshier salt. I would smoke at 225-250 for around 6 hours. They should fall apart and melt in your mouth.

Locally, I've only been able to find applewood chunks and chips at Barbecues Galore. If you just need chips, you should be able to find them at Central Market, Academy Sports, and even sometimes Kroger. Of course, there are tons of places to buy them online. Hope this helps.

I don't even know where to start! It looks like some of the favorites are grilled and that others are smoked. So I'll assume we're covering both. On the grill: Shish kebab using chicken or shrimp wrapped in bacon. Not the healthiest item around, but WOW!!! I think bacon makes everything...

With spares (St. Louis included), it is possible to get the same tenderness as with babybacks. But it does take longer. I usually smoke them at 200-225 for several hours. At 225, it takes about 8 hours. Obviously, add some time if you cook at 200. Last year for the Super Bowl, I put them on at...

Thanks for the thorough explanation! I never thought of cranking up the temp toward the end to make the skin more crispy, but it looks really good. I'll have to give this a try sometime.

In my experience, this has worked well. This came from checking out various BBQ and cooking sites. I've seen a couple of places that recommended up to 2 days, which seems a little excessive. But most that I have read have recommended anywhere from 8-24 hours. As long as it is not a pre-brined or...

Not a dumb question at all. There are plenty of places to buy temperature gauges. I bought mine at Wal-Mart, though their outdoor cooking supplies may be harder to find this time of year. Most sporting/outdoor stores such as Academy or Cabela's should carry these. Or just go to Google and type...

I would brine for 24 hours and then smoke at 225-250. To be safe, it needs to reach 165 internally. Something to keep in mind is that, if you are smoking at a constant (as opposed to steadily decreasing) temperature, the turkey will rise a few degrees after you remove it from the smoker. Let it...

I've never tried this. I normally smoke mine in aluminum pans with the fat cap, so there's plenty of juice when it's done. Obviously, the are some great BBQers who inject, so this might be worth a try.

I'm with Shannon in KS. Brining make a tremendous amount of difference. The starting point for the brine is 1/2 cup of koshier salt per 1 gallon of water. From there, add whatever you want to flavor it up. Last time I used garlic power and cayenne and was amazed by the difference in taste...

In addition to personal preference, it also depends on the type of wood you use and the meat you are cooking. It seems like leaner meats tend to absorb more quickly and are easier to oversmoke. With a pork tenderloin or salmon, 1 or 2 chunks seems to impart plenty of smokiness for me. On the...

It has been farm raised salmon from the store. I'd like to try wild salmon to see the difference, but this has been tough to find. In response to a previous post (Uncle Bob from Mississippi), I used apple wood and was very happy with the results. Thanks for the tip! Next time, I'll probably...

Normally 10 hours at 225-250, then covered for 2-3 hours at 275. Then leave alone for 1 hour. Smoking untrimmed, fat side up, is great and will keep it from drying out. When the fat renders, it will give the meat a very rich flavor. Some people prefer fat side down, which I'm sure works too. I...

Before this Saturday, I've tried this twice and both were complete failures. The first time, I tried a friend's brine recipe and it was WAY too salty. The second time, it was overdone (my fault). This time, I was careful to monitor the internal temp. By the way, what is the desired internal...