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Any Time is Grillin Time

I finally made it to the end of this thread. I had to replace the keyboard several times. They short circuited from all the drool. I smoked some venison tenderloins cut in fairly thin slices and some whole pork tenderloins this weekend. I know it's not the ideal wood but I used some oak wood scraps from some built in book cases I just made and it still made a pretty tasty smoke flavor. While they turned out pretty good I wouldn't brag about them. The unit I was using is the smallish R2D2 looking unit that you can buy cheaply at most home improvement stores. It went thru a whole small bag of charcoal for this and I wasn't pleased about that. I actually had to use some of the scrap as fuel but that helped the smoking a bit more as well. I will get a picture of the unit I used as well as a picture of the prototype unit I like better that I would have used if I hadn't buried it under so much stuff when we moved here last September. Btw, although I have used propane in the past as a quick grilling method I am a bit of a purist and loathe that for grilling if I don't have to. I am sure it is all in my head but I swear I can taste it.
As far as using aluminum foil to clean the grill: Don't do it. While it does an OK job, it leaves particles of aluminum behind and equates to the difference between bottled beer versus canned beer
 
No foil on the upcoming Hibachi. I was thinking about mixing in some wood chips with the charcoal but I've never done that before.

I don't even know... Can buy a bag of wood chips?
 
Most grocery stores and home improvement stores sell bagged chips. I wouldn't put them directly on the coals since they will eventually catch fire and act as fuel versus smoking once they dry out
 
Bummer on your weather bobby. I hope it works out soon for you.
I bought wood chips many years ago and would place a handful in a smoke box designed to sit in the coals and smolder. I haven't shopped for them in decades but I'm sure they can be had.

@Zigman66 No foil for my cleaning either. Glad you made it through the thread. It's great to have you part of the group. Looking forward to reading your posts! Yep, would like to see pics of your smoker. Venison, something I've never smoked.
 
They make smoke boxes and tubes designed for that. Like I said, if you add them directly to the coals they will burn more than smoke
 
Unforgiven said:
If you are going to add wood chips, I would soak them in water for a half an hour or so. That way they smolder and give off smoke instead of just bursting into flames.
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Back in my smoke box days, I always soaked my chips/chunks before putting them in the smoke box. Even though they didn't have direct contact with flame, they always ignited without prior soaking.

There was a brief time that I was able to buy large chunks of carbonized apple chunks. Charred on the outside made them smolder more than they flamed. They left a great smoke taste to the meat. I haven't seen the product for sale in near 50 years.
They were a great alternative to charcoal briquettes but expensive in comparison.

The quest is for a constant and controllable heat source.. with smoke if possible. Flame is too hot and gives no flavor.
 
olbriar said:
The quest is for a constant and controllable heat source.. with smoke if possible. Flame is too hot and gives no flavor.
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That is the key. I'm sure your local Ace will have smoker boxes (I prefer cast iron) and wood chips. The last one I used on a weber grill was about the size of two tuna cans stacked up. It doesn't take much to add the smoke flavor to a meal, especially when you have charcoal providing the heat.
 
olbriar said:
I'm smoking a borkloaf this afternoon. My traditional meatloaf with the combo ground beef and pork. I'm pretty excited to see how it turns out.
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My local grocer actually sells a ground beef, pork, and veal mix for meatloaf and meatballs, though when I can't get it, I do pork and beef. My wife that hated meatloaf loves it off the smoker.
 
Unforgiven said:
My local grocer actually sells a ground beef, pork, and veal mix for meatloaf and meatballs, though when I can't get it, I do pork and beef. My wife that hated meatloaf loves it off the smoker.
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I've tried meatloaf before and wasn't impressed. After reading up a bit I find that I likely made the mistake of baking it too fast. I'm seeing temps around 225-250° where I baked mine at 350°
Any suggestions before I start this cook?
 
olbriar said:
I've tried meatloaf before and wasn't impressed. After reading up a bit I find that I likely made the mistake of baking it too fast. I'm seeing temps around 225-250° where I baked mine at 350°
Any suggestions before I start this cook?
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I do it right at 225 for 2 hours or until 160 in the middle. I used a Traeger recipe for the smoker first, but I don't follow it beyond time & temp anymore. Oh, and form a loaf on a flat pan, don't use a loaf pan. You want as much of the loaf exposed to the smokey goodness as you can.

Depending on how much meat you have (I often try 2/3 beef 1/3 pork if I mix it myself) you end up with a lot of mix. I often mix enough for two, and just freeze half for another loaf later.
 
Unforgiven said:
I do it right at 225 for 2 hours or until 160 in the middle. I used a Traeger recipe for the smoker first, but I don't follow it beyond time & temp anymore. Oh, and form a loaf on a flat pan, don't use a loaf pan. You want as much of the loaf exposed to the smokey goodness as you can.

Depending on how much meat you have (I often try 2/3 beef 1/3 pork if I mix it myself) you end up with a lot of mix. I often mix enough for two, and just freeze half for another loaf later.
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Excellent! Thanks! Two mistakes... temp and pan. I smoked mine at a traditional oven temp in a traditional glass loaf pan. :)
Now I'm more than excited. My mix is 80/20 from the butcher. I'll smoke it as is. I might well try mixing my own next time and come closer to your one third pork. That is exactly the mix my son uses as well. Thanks again.
 
olbriar said:
I might well try mixing my own next time and come closer to your one third pork.
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I don't stress too much about the exact ratio. I don't even know the ratio of the premix I get (beef, pork, veal), but it's a one 1.25 pound package, so I know I have enough for one small loaf. When I mix it myself I get a 1lb pork and whatever is closest to two pounds of ground beef. So I may be mixing anywhere from 1.75 lbs (a little under 11:4) to 2.25 lbs (13:4) of ground beef. It's smoking, not science. :p

Pro tip from my FIL, a butcher, only buy 80% lean from the grocery store as that is the only stuff ground in store, anything else is factory ground, sealed with nitrogen to keep the color, and may be much less fresh. ;)
 
[QUOTE="Unforgiven, post: 7756184, member: 166826" It's smoking, not science. :p

Pro tip from my FIL, a butcher, only buy 80% lean from the grocery store as that is the only stuff ground in store, anything else is factory ground, sealed with nitrogen to keep the color, and may be much less fresh. ;)[/QUOTE]

I agree.. there is no science or exact way. Tips and reading other ideas help me to formulate my smoking plan that I rarely adhere to. I wing it more often than not. :)

The little mart where I shop and my wife works part time no longer grinds any burger. It is all done at a central shop and transported to all of the stores. Sad way of things. Their ground beef is always excellent however so I've no reason to shop elsewhere. I'm a 85% sort of guy. To me it's the sweet spot. Enough fat for flavor yet not so much that I'm dealing with great shrinkage and a mess of drippings.

I do have a local butcher shop that I frequent. I've tried their beef and though freshly ground it isn't any better than my regular store. Where the butcher shop excels is their brats, sausages, and hot dogs. They are all made in house and are to die for. They are also my go to for prime rib. It's impossible to find such at their quality at my little store. Their steak cuts are about the same at both stores. It's fun to do the butcher shop but it's never at a savings. I'm at the age however that I don't mind paying premium for premium.

I've made myself hungry so I just checked my borkloaf. It's only an hour in but looking good.
 
Unforgiven said:
Plus, when you can cook it, you can cook an entire rib roast / prime rib for what is costs to go out to eat for two. :D
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Cheaper actually... And mine is better. :)

I was very happy with my meatloaf. It took right at three hours to smoke. Very flavorful and tasty. My wife loved it. My youngest daughter was over as it was smoking. She hates meatloaf. She stepped out to see what was on the smoker. I told her it was bork loaf. She called it boarf. :) I couldn't talk her into staying for dinner though she admitted that it smelled good. I will be smoking boarf more often lol.
 
Unfortunately for me my postings here will be sadly infrequent. I pretty much work 6-7 days a week and mostly 10+ hours each day so I will be lucky to smoke or grill more than a few times a month. However, the wife IS starting to see the wisdom of a smoker that can be quickly started and requires very little attention :D.
@olbriar , have you decided which smoker you like better yet? I like that your newer one doesn't go thru as much fuel
 
Zigman66 said:
Unfortunately for me my postings here will be sadly infrequent. I pretty much work 6-7 days a week and mostly 10+ hours each day so I will be lucky to smoke or grill more than a few times a month. However, the wife IS starting to see the wisdom of a smoker that can be quickly started and requires very little attention :D.
@olbriar , have you decided which smoker you like better yet? I like that your newer one doesn't go thru as much fuel
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I well understand how life is limiting your smoking time. How important is employment anyway? :)

Which smoker do I like best is a tough question. Both the Traeger and Green Mountain are fine smokers.

I'm still using the Traeger at my cabin... it's as old as this thread. Though it's high end temp is not suitable for grilling, I'm sure that could be fixed. Other than that, it has seen it's way through countless smokes and still does the job. The cabinet is still in great physical shape and in my opinion is designed better for accessing meats in and out of. I'm not so sure that they offer a cabinet model anymore. I think the Traeger and GM both are similar in design now. My Traeger has the pellet hopper under the hood which takes away grill space. It is a cold surface and grease constantly collects on it's lid. The very next year after my purchase the hopper was moved outside of the cooking area which is far superior. I had trouble with the Traeger the second year of use which was addressed in short order by a Traeger repairman with zero cost to me. That spoke well for brand IMO.

The Green Mountain is easy to use and has a superior start up and shut down cycle to that of the Traeger. It achieves a set temp quicker and does a better job at holding that temp. It consumes pellets at a lesser rate but not by leaps and bounds.
It seems to be built well but it's not a cabinet model which adds a lot of strength. I'm just shy of a year's use so I can't speak for it's longevity. I had one alarming episode (posted in this thread) with the smoker but whatever was wrong it fixed itself.

I'm not sure I'm comparing apples to apples here. Without looking, I'm certain that Traeger has improved their controller unit. My Traeger is pretty old tech. I bought the GM on a whim and did not do a comparison on the two brands and their features before buying. I'm not at all disappointed in my purchase but I can't say that I bought the best model available at the time. Both brands are top contenders / competitors in the mid range pellet smoker market. I'm betting their isn't much difference in what they offer today's consumer.

When the time comes to replace my Traeger at the cabin I will do some serious shopping. I will buy either brand but I can't see shopping beyond them. It will be a comparison of price and features that will make my decision. I have total faith in both brands.

I've never used a stick burner but I will say you will love the ease of a pellet smoker. A lazy man's tool, sure, but it will deliver a great product with little attention. You can set the temp and go about life while the smoker does it's thing. Spritz now and then... wrap time.. finish time... not much too it. They aren't the cheapest fuel source but it's a price I'm willing to pay for the ease of use.
 
@olbriar,
My wife saw short ribs in cryopacs at Whole Foods. It's a national chain, so if they don't stock them regularly maybe you can have someone at the butcher counter order some for you.
 
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