Home Cookin' The BBQ/Smokers/Smoked Meats Thread...

daxx said:
ugh...

I'm going nuts trying to figure out how to smoke meats without making too much smoke. I've read that some people make smokers out of clay pots and hot plates, where as others buy prefab machines that work well but cost about $150 and still make smoke. I have a gas bbq on my balcony and I've never had any issues with the neighbors and cooking food on it. The adding of smoke will (at least I think) tip them off that I have a bbq, and I really don't want to get rid of it any time soon. Some people say there's a way to "cold smoke" and use soldering irons, but I'm looking to cook up some pork butt and make my own pulled pork. These things would never work for this application.

In my apartment we have absolutely NO ventilation. The hood over the stove just blows hot air right at your face instead of outside. So an indoor stove-top smoker probably won't work. I'm thinking of experimenting with making a sealed box and two ports on it with airlocks like you'd have for brewing... just a little bit bigger. One at the top and one at the bottom. This way the smoke exits but has to go through a medium (probably water) and traps some of the smoke. I'll probably put this outside so it doesn't stink up the apartment. Is this nuts or is there a chance it will work?

Thoughts?
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Just a suggestion but living in a condo i went with an electric smoker. HOA won't allow wood burning or charcoal so an electric with cherry/applewood wood chips is my only option. Did some tri tips last week that were a hit.
 
Okay, so my smoker arrived and after much-ado, it is up and running. Seasoned it by grilling a pound of bacon. Ran it through the paces with a tri-tip rubbed down with pink salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and some paprika. Smoked for an hour at 240F then seared a nice crisp bark using my gas grill turned up hotter than all get out.

Homemade pico de gallo, salad and brown rice to compliment.

The family ate it up. No leftovers is a good sign that I got it right. Forgot to take pics, but could not believe the smoke ring after such a short cook. Pellet cookers rock.
 
Not sure if anyone has tried this but it seems perfect for small batches when you don't have a yard or the space for a real smoker.

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The Smoking Gun? | Williams-Sonoma

I'm a big fan of sous vide ribs but I always miss the smoke flavor despite the perfect doneness and texture.
 
leftwngr said:
Okay, so my smoker arrived and after much-ado, it is up and running. Seasoned it by grilling a pound of bacon. Ran it through the paces with a tri-tip rubbed down with pink salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and some paprika. Smoked for an hour at 240F then seared a nice crisp bark using my gas grill turned up hotter than all get out.

Homemade pico de gallo, salad and brown rice to compliment.

The family ate it up. No leftovers is a good sign that I got it right. Forgot to take pics, but could not believe the smoke ring after such a short cook. Pellet cookers rock.
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people still get constantly surprised when I say that tri tips need no more than an hour to smoke, as compared to 6+ hours for a pork butt, 2-3 hours for baby back ribs, etc.
 
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Safe to eat beef medium rare whereas rare pork may land you in e.r. :)

Took it to an internal temperature of 117 on smoker then up to 135 after searing.

Heard tri tip called the poor man's prime rib. I dig it because I can start cooking when I get home and family can have a good dinner at a decent hour.
 
I read that not everyone is familiar with tri tip and how great it tastes and how easy it is to cook it. is it safe to call tri tips mostly underrated?
 
BeerMan said:
I read that not everyone is familiar with tri tip and how great it tastes and how easy it is to cook it. is it safe to call tri tips mostly underrated?
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underrated outside of California? Yes. No doubt. It was made famous out here though, so I'd imagine more people have had it.

Cooking is a different story though. To cook it right, you need to be able to cook at two different temperatures. I used a smoker first then seared it to finish on a gas grill. I've had plenty of poorly cooked tri-tip that ends up tough and not so exciting on flavor (I can thank my brother for that) because it was just cooked like a steak over one heat. There are those grills with adjustable racks for the coals where you can raise and lower them to adjust the heat. Tri-tip was made for that.

dang... now I feel like cooking one tonight.
 
Tri tip isnt even available in most states thats why it gets under rated. When my sister lived in boston and tried to get some no one had even heard of it.
 
leftwngr said:
underrated outside of California? Yes. No doubt. It was made famous out here though, so I'd imagine more people have had it.

Cooking is a different story though. To cook it right, you need to be able to cook at two different temperatures. I used a smoker first then seared it to finish on a gas grill. I've had plenty of poorly cooked tri-tip that ends up tough and not so exciting on flavor (I can thank my brother for that) because it was just cooked like a steak over one heat. There are those grills with adjustable racks for the coals where you can raise and lower them to adjust the heat. Tri-tip was made for that.

dang... now I feel like cooking one tonight.
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I cook it the same way as you described above. smoke tri tips til the IT reaches above 110, then sear both sides. the temp should reach between 130-140 by then, making it slightly medium rare.

here's a helpful tip on cutting/slicing the tri tips if anyone desires one so: cut across the tri tip at the midway point, turn the cut halves 90 degrees and slice the meat perpendicular to the first cut. this second step cuts across the grain and makes the pieces easier to chew on.

notbob said:
Tri tip isnt even available in most states thats why it gets under rated. When my sister lived in boston and tried to get some no one had even heard of it.
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you know, I read somewhere that tri tips go by different names in certain areas of the country/world. could that be it? whichever way, they are still underrated
 
Flippin amazing. I had some trouble getting the temp right to start but it still came out great.
 
notbob said:
Flippin amazing. I had some trouble getting the temp right to start but it still came out great.
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I have yet to master that as well. tried starting with 20 coals in the can, getting them all to start ashening, before dumping the coals into the basket where the rest of the unlit coals wait. and wait. and wait. it can get frustrating at times. I read that the trick is to leave all the bottom vents wide open just to get the smoker going quickly. it's all about the timing on when to close the vents partially or completely in order to keep the temp from shooting up too fast or to get the temp to stay within your preferable range.
 
BeerMan said:
I cook it the same way as you described above. smoke tri tips til the IT reaches above 110, then sear both sides. the temp should reach between 130-140 by then, making it slightly medium rare.

here's a helpful tip on cutting/slicing the tri tips if anyone desires one so: cut across the tri tip at the midway point, turn the cut halves 90 degrees and slice the meat perpendicular to the first cut. this second step cuts across the grain and makes the pieces easier to chew on.



you know, I read somewhere that tri tips go by different names in certain areas of the country/world. could that be it? whichever way, they are still underrated
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So i found out today that tri tip is part of the sirloin. They butcher the cows a bit differently in other states and it doesnt yield the tri tip cut.

Is this really a Tri Tip?

Is that the big bad beef rub on your tri tip beerman?

I am gonna make a couple this weekend.
 
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