Tag: Smokers
Pecan and Oak Smoked Brisket
Pecan and Oak Smoked Brisket
Once considered a cheap cut, brisket is very prized for its flavor and tenderness in the bbq world. It is so popular that restaurants charge upwards to $30lb; even more. It’s even costly at your average grocery store. The best way to purchase a brisket is to buy it whole, untrimmed, still vacuum sealed in the bag. I purchased a whole one, 9lbs, for $4lb from my friends at wild fork foods.com. Best quality you can find for the price.If you purchase an untrimmed brisket, you will need to trim it unless you want to smoke it whole. I wanted just a brisket flat, meaning that I’m going to have to trim it. Any fat on the top muscle side should be trimmed off. I trimmed off 1/3 of the fatty triangle point side of the brisket. It is probably about 70% lean, so I’m going to keep that and grind it for some brisket burgers. But that’s another recipe for another time.This next step is very important and is a huge reason why people’s brisket turn out dry and flavorless. The brisket straight up needs to be brined. If you are concerned about sodium content and fat, maybe you shouldn’t be eating brisket. The brine will add moisture and flavor to your brisket, so after it smokes for hours on end, it will be juicy and not suck. I have no better way to say it. Brine it in a large bin, making sure it’s completely submerged; about 2 hours per lb. Allow it to dry out on a rack in the refrigerator for a day.Smoking brisket is labor intensive. It will take up to 90 minutes per lb at 250 degrees to reach an internal temperature of 200-205 degrees. So my 6lb brisket will take up 9 hours. A 10lb brisket will take up to 15 hours. You will want to use a digital probe thermometer to monitor the temp in the thickest part of the muscle. So when you start your brisket, it most likely will be in the ear;y morning. I through my brisket in the smoker at 7AM. It took 8 hours total to smoke. You will want to let the brisket rest for at least 30 minutes before slicing.Most people enjoy their brisket sliced with bbq sauce on sandwiches, which is absolutely delicious. But there are so many more things you can do with brisket. Get creative. Make smoked brisket tacos. Dice up a couple slices and add it to your omelette. Put it on top of a burger. The answer to your brisket needs is in the cheeba.
Equipment
- large bin for brining
- Electric Smoker
- Probe Thermometer
Ingredients
- whole beef brisket 8-12lbs
Brine
- 1 gallon water
- 1 cup sea salt
- 1 head garlic minced
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
Dry Rub
- 2 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds ground
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
Wood Chips
- 1/2 pecan
- 1/2 oak
Instructions
- Pat dry the whole brisket.
- Trim off the large piece of fat from the top side. Leave the fat cap on the bottom untrimmed. Trim of 1/3 of the fatty triangle point end if you are looking to have just a brisket flat. Save for later use. If not, leave whole and disregard steps 1 + 2.
- Place the brisket in a bin that is large enough to hold it. My brisket was 9lbs untrimmed; 6lbs after I trimmed it.
- Mix together the brining ingredients and pour over the brisket, making sure that it’s completely submerged. Use a plate to weigh it down if it isn’t. Brine for 2 hours per lb.
- Take the brisket out of the brine and let dry on a rack overnight.
- Mix together the dry rub and rub the topside of the brisket.
- Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. Why is the picture of the brisket dark, you ask? Because smoking a brisket is a long labor intensive process. You will want to start it in the early morning. Like 6AM or earlier depending on the size of the brisket.
- The brisket will take up to 90 minutes per lb. You will want to reach an internal temp of 200 – 205 degrees. Use a digital probe thermometer to monitor the temp through the cooking process. My 6lb brisket took 8 hours to smoke.
- Take the brisket out of the smoker when the internal temp is reached. Let rest for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Hickory Smoked Beef Sticks
Hickory Smoked Beef Sticks
If you’re from the Midwest, especially Minnesota and Wisconsin, you appreciate a good beef stick. Every independent meat shop with a smokehouse has their version. It is how they get rid of any beef trim, day old ground beef, dark steaks, etc. Every bit of it becomes either sausage or a beef stick. Ultimately, the beef stick gives that cow a second life. It is a perfect way in utilizing the entire animal’s muscle. If you have all of the necessary equipment to make beef sticks, then get ready for an afternoon project. You will want to use beef no leaner then 80% lean. Even fattier is better. I’ve learned that mixing all of your ingredients in a standing mixer is the best way. It is consistent, easier on the hands, and takes only 2 minutes. Pipe the meat through collagen casings instead of hog casings, and we’re half way there. You can choose to either cut the sticks now to your desired length or leave them whole and cut after smoking. Smoking beef sticks is a slow process. If you smoke the sticks to high of a temp, it will render out all of the fat, leaving your beef sticks dry as an actual stick. I preheat my smoker to 250 degrees. I place my wood chips in and let them light for 10 minutes. Then I place my beef sticks in on the racks. I instantly turn the temp down to 185 degrees. At this low of a temp, you’ll only have to change out your chips every 2 hours. So just once. You will want to check the internal temp at the 3 hour mark. Once your thermometer reads 160 degrees, pull the beef sticks from the smoker. Immediately submerge them in an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Dry them off, and they’re ready to eat. The beef sticks will keep in the refrigerator for 1 week.
Equipment
- standing mixer
- sausage stuffer
- Electric Smoker
- large bin
- Probe Thermometer
Ingredients
- 7 lbs 80% lean ground beef
- 2 1/2 tbsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp ground mustard
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp celery seed
- 1 1/2 tsp pink curing salts
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 cup ice water
- collagen casings
Wood Chips
- hickory wood chips
Instructions
- Add the ground beef and spices to a standing mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed for 2 minutes, slowly incorporating the ice water. Let rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before stuffing.
- Pipe the meat into the collagen casings.
- Let rest for 30 minutes before smoking.
- Place the beef sticks on the racks of your smoker, making sure that they don’t touch each other.
- Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. Let the wood chips light on fire and smoke for 10 minutes. Place the beef sticks in the smoker and turn the temp down to 185 degrees.
- Smoke for about 4 hours until the temperature reaches 160 degrees.
- Once the internal temp is reached, immediately transfer the beef sticks to an ice bath in a large bin to stop the cooking process.
Polska Kielbasa
Polska Kielbasa
In Polish, kielbasa simply means “sausage.” What we consider to be kielbasa in America is called Polska Kielbasa wedzona in Poland. This particular version of polska kielbasa is very similar to the Polish government’s official recipe. Yes, Poland has an official recipe.There are a few things that make kielbasa, kielbasa. Kielbasa is always smoked; specifically with cherry wood. The only place you will find raw kielbasa is at a Polish deli in Poland. Kielbasa is usually around 70-80% pork, with the rest being beef. The main flavor profile of kielbasa comes from garlic and marjoram. Salt, sugar, and black pepper accent the sausage. Lastly, all kielbasa is cured using pink curing salts. This adds what I like to call “hamminess” to the sausage.Grind the meat on the fine grinding plate. Mix in all of the seasonings. Then mix in ice water to help the fat bind to the meat. Stuff through the stuffer using hog casings. Make each kielbasa about 18” long. Tie the ends of the casing together to make loop. Let dry in the refrigerator overnight before smoking.When ready to smoke, preheat the smoker to 250 degrees. Tie the kielbasa to the top rack with twine to allow them to hang. Place all of the kielbasa in the smoker. Let the wood chips ignite and smoke for 10 minutes. Then drop the heat down to 185 degrees. You will want to smoke the kielbasa low and slow so you don’t render out the fat. Repeat this process one more time. The kielbasa take about 3 hours to reach an internal temperature of 155 degrees. Once finished, place the kielbasa in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. Drain the water, then let cool more in the refrigerator overnight. Kielbasa can be grilled, pan fried, and even broiled. They’re great sliced and sautéed with sauerkraut, served with a whole grain mustard. You can either wrap any extra kielbasa in freezer paper or even vacuum seal them down, storing in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Equipment
- grinder
- sausage stuffer
- Electric Smoker
- Probe Thermometer
Ingredients
- 4 lbs pork shoulder cubed
- 1 lb chuck cubed
- 2 tbsp sea salt
- 1 tsp pink curing salts
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp marjoram
- 2 tsp sugar
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 cup ice water
- pork casings
Wood Chips
- cherry wood
Instructions
- Grind the pork and beef with the fine grinding plate on your grinder.
- Thoroughly mix in by hand all of the dried spices. Then mix in the ice water. Put the sausage in the refrigerator until you are ready to stuff it.
- Pipe the sausage in the casings through the stuffer, making each kielbasa about 18” long. Tie the ends of the casings together to form a loop. Let your kielbasas dry out in the refrigerator overnight.
- Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. When ready to smoke, tie your kielbasa to the top rack with twine so they can hang during the smoking process. Once all of the kielbasa are hung and the smoker is at 250 degrees, place them in the smoker. Let the wood chips get lit for 10 minutes, then turn the heat down to 185 degrees.
- Change out the wood chips every 90 minutes until the sausages reach an internal temperature of 155 degrees.
- When the kielbasa reach temp, cut them from the twine. Immediately place the kielbasa in an ice water bath to stop them from cooking.
- Drain the ice water. Let the kielbasa sit overnight in the refrigerator before use.
