OT: tips for smoking some meats this weekend
Howdy, I'm having a BBQ Saturday for what would have been my big brother 50th bday, he passed away unfortunately a few years ago, so I wanted to ask for some tips on smoking some meat I picked up. I bought some pork belly, London broil and some TRI tip. My buddy is bringing a big smoker and some wood over. I'm pretty new to this as you can tell, so any tips or advice would help!!
No joke, there is a tremendous amount of good BBQ content on this site-- you came to the right place! If you go to the search bar and plug in "smoked" and "BBQ" you will find a ton of pings.
Here's one of the articles specifically on Tritip.
Awesome thanks!
1. Close MGoBlog and head to AmazingRibs.com. Meathead Goldwyn has posted a tremendous amount of free barbeque content.
2. Hit up Joe Pichey (@gobluebbq on Instagram). When MGoBlog had willing (and food-based) sponsors, he made regular barbeque posts here.
Sorry to hear about your brother, but here are my recommedations:
1. Slow and low! A good smoke will take some time at a low temp to make it work
2. Select good meats for a smoker. I've never smoked tritip or London broil, so I'm curious if a smoker will enhance the flavor in these cuts. Smokers are good for meats that generally tougher/sinew-y.
3. Spend time getting a good seasoning for the outside/bark.
I could go on, but start here.
I agree with #2 here. Never smoked London Broil or Trip-tip (Tri tip is great for carne asada!). Pork Belly is good smoked, but it's "different" and - for me - requires a bit more work. I like to finish is on the grill over open flame to get a good char and break down the fat a bit more.
I would recommend the tried and true pork butt/boston butt/pork shoulder. Its an easy to smoke piece of meat and is hard to screw up. I would also suggest a brisket. This cut does take a bit longer... mine cooks for 12+ hours then rests for 3, but is very good.
Hit up websites for Big Green Egg or Traeger, they tend to have some easy to cook and good recipes.
Good luck and have fun!
These will be great options for you on the TriTip and London. Reverse sear. I've never done a London but the TriTip will be up to "time to sear" temp within an hour. Enjoy!
https://www.meatchurch.com/blogs/recipes/reverse-seared-tri-tip
The only tip I have is smoke 'em if you got 'em.
Menu sounds delightful.
Pork.. Belly? Or Pork butt. If you're making food for a large group, the easiest thing to smoke is a boston butt. low and slow
Agreed! I'm no expert, but I feel the pork butt is the most perfect cut for a smoker. I can't even imagine how you'd cook this cut any other way.
Pork belly is THE BEST cut for smoking. It is fatty and unctuous and almost impossible to screw up. Smoke it till it reaches 190 degrees and then finish it in a broiler to get the skin nice and crisp.
If you have not tried it, you are really missing something.
Bought some belly recently and am actively debating how to cook it soon. Sounds like just smoking it (and the broil seems a nice touch) is the way to go.
Make cross cuts on the skin and put your favorite rub on it. Smoke it skin side up at your favorite temperature until it reaches 190 to 195 degrees. Put it in the broiler skin-side up and cook it till the skin gets nice and cracklin' (10 to 15 min). But you need to keep your eye on it as it can burn quickly. It should be around 200 to 205 degrees at this point.
You don't want it to get much higher than this as they start falling apart. Around 195 to 200 degrees they hold together while melts in your mouth.
Seriously, if you love fat, it does not get any better than this.
Also, once you reach the desired internal temp (195ish), wrap it in foil and then some towels and then put it in an empty cooler to let it rest for exactly one hour. Once I started doing this it pulled apart like butter. It makes the bark a tad less crispy but is well worth the trade off.
Yep, If your cooking for a large crowd go with Boston pork butt. Pork Belly is tricky the fat cap can totally render out and just be blah, and no way I would mix smoking beef and pork at the same time. Different temps, different chips/pellets.
In my opinion the trickiest part is getting your grill/meat level temp right (low and slow) and then keeping it there. If you happen to be using a pellet smoker or similar then temp control should be much easier. But charcoal and wood take some babysitting.
My advice is: get your favorite fermented corn beverages good and cold, get your meat prepped with a good rub, set up your fire and then sit and relax nearby with a brew in one hand and an eye on the meat level thermometer.
Good luck and enjoy!
I like using the recipes on Meat Church, but I have a pellet-fed Traeger which is easier to manage. Meat Church does have videos for pellet and non-pellet smokers so check them out.
The tri-tip and London broil are not gonna be good being slow smoked. Cook those more like a steak - medium rare and well seared. The pork belly will be great as burnt ends. But go get a Boston butt, you can thank me later. Pull it around 200-205 and let it rest (tightly covered) for at least an hour. Give yourself a good 10 hours to smoke it, and then rest. Smoking meat right takes the whole day, but it’s so worth it!
This right here. Pretty hard to screw up a butt. Need to start at some point in the middle of the night if you want to serve it the next day.
Phrasing?
April 27th, 2023 at 10:48 PM ^
You don’t need to ruin your night though. Big cuts like a butt or brisket can handle (and benefit from) a really long rest, so if you’ve got an oven or an electric smoker that can hold below 170, cook the day before and let it ride at 150-160 overnight and take the guesswork out of it. As long as you keep it above 140 you’re safe almost indefinitely, and the day of you can focus on your collards and creamed corn, or even -gasp- hang out with your guests (if you’re not an introvert like me).
Sorry to hear about your brother man, I lost my little brother a few years ago tragically. He came in the USMC 8 years after me and drowned after saving 2 kids stuck in a rip tide.
1. I been smoking meats allot over the years slow and low. I always smoke everything at 225 and I prefer hickory wood for everything.
2. Never smoked a London Broil I’m interested on your feedback on it.
3. Large crowds for me I either smoke a pork butt or brisket and use apple juice in the drip pan and spray it squirt bottle with apple juice every hour.
wow! So sorry about your brother, especially while trying to save 2 kids. I hope he has a school named after him.
You bring up a good point on your #3. Spraying the meat during the smoke it important. Apple juice is my favorite, but I know people use vinegar as well. Definitely something to look into.
Thanks man.
low and slow. Experimenting is really the best way to find out how to smoke meats in a way you "like" it. Some methods might give you too much smoke taste and others too little.
Planning on smoking some pork shoulder I've got brining as I type. Using the core brine recipe in the link.
https://heygrillhey.com/cider-brined-pulled-pork/#wprm-recipe-container-3493
you might want to marinade the london broil. Soy sauce, lemon, and garlic work well for me.
The tri tip will smoke pretty good. I usually season with garlic and rosemary.
Hickory works on both pork and beef. So that would be a good wood to use for smoking
Save smoking your weed for later. Trust me on this.
Sorry to hear about your brother.
I would agree with most others here in regards to the Pork butt. Just make sure you have plenty of time to get it finished for the party. Also, I would recommend having some food for backup. I only say this because my first few times smoking meat did not turn out so great. Not trying to discourage you, just a heads up.
Have fun. Smoking meat can easily become an addiction.
I've smoked some tri-tip, but only ones from Costco that were pre-marinated. What you want to do is smoke it for 1.5-2 hours at ~225 and take it out when it's ~10-15 degrees from your desired temperature. Then, transfer to a pre-heated grill to sear both sides for 3-4 minutes per side, which will get you to your desired final temperature.
For seasoning, I found a recipe for a dry rub that I liked and have modified it over time. Now, I make a huge batch and apply it to most meats that I smoke. Some people stick to salt and pepper. Paprika and garlic are common ingredients in rubs. Someone else mentioned garlic and rosemary. I did a leg of lamb, once, with those, olive oil, and a few other things and cooked with a reverse sear like above. I think that would work really well on a tri-tip.
A reverse sear for tri-tip or London broil is a GREAT idea! Those cuts are very lean, especially the London broil, and don’t lend themselves to being smoked for hours on end like a fatty, tissue-y pork shoulder. They will dry out and become 2x4 hard if you treat them like ribs!
I miss the mgobbq posts even if I was never going to make any of them.
Those posts were fun, but very opinionated. For example, I feel that front searing your steak is better than searing on the back end. That's just my opinion and what works best for me, but there are some back searing zealots who came down pretty hard on my opinion.
Someone should check the temperature in Hell, we agree on something. 😆
We agree on something!!!?? Ha!
😀😀
Pork belly is a lot of fun. If you got a big one, you can cut it into smaller (not too small) pieces and then hit ‘em with different seasonings. I always do a chunk with some Asian flavors, freeze it, and then use it for some killer ramen later.
My favorite for Tri-Tip is a copycat of Cardiff Crack, which is a very popular version from the San Diego area. The linked recipe is for the marinade. See above for how to smoke it.
https://glorifiedhobby.com/burgundy-pepper-tri-tip/
Have fun!
Let me ask my wife ….
Don't use too much salt or seasoning. Less is more, too much is too much. I'd recommend a brine in a large bag or pot overnight first. Just Google a mild overnight brine ratio. If you brine it first don't use salt in your rub. Don't use a strong sauce your first time, either. Play it safe.
For longer smokes you'll want to spray the outside periodically so it doesn't dry out or toughen up, it keeps the surface cool, moist, and generally regulates the cooking. I sometimes coat it in a thin layer of mustard for a similar effect.
Wrap it in foil around halfway through a longer smoke, put a little sauce, butter or fat in first. It doesn't need smoke the entire cook, just the first few hours. Don't go higher than 250, under 180, or think it can be done fast. Just let it ride.
The pork belly, I'd recommend cutting the skin first before prepping, 2" squares or bigger for your first time, with the sharpest knife you have. It's far denser than the meat, so it can be tricky to handle, and if it gets crispy skin it can break off when cutting it after cooking.
Shorter smokes you can use whatever wood you want, if it's longer than 3 hours a strong flavored wood like mesquite or fruit woods can taste too strong or acrid from it. Switch to a nut wood or oak.
Sorry about your brother. :-)
Get them curing now if they're not already! Salt penetration is huge in smoked meats. Kosher or sea salt, NEVER IODIZED.
Ideally you want them unwrapped in the refrigerator and salted for a few days before smoking to develop a pellicle on the surface of the meat. That will make the smoke particles stick better on the outside and give you the much sought after pink ring under the surface.
The London Broil will be the most difficult thing to smoke without it getting tough, and it will take the longest. If I were in your shoes I'd smoke it at 225 for a few hours and then transfer it to a covered pan with some braising liquid in a 225 degree oven. Brining it beforehand is the best bet to keep it from drying out when cooked.
The pork belly is what I'd bank on to be the most delicious. You want to cook it fat side up so the fat bastes the meat and dissolves the connective tissue underneath. It's done when you can stick a fork in it and rotate it 180 degrees. Obviously, get one with the skin still on. It's also stupid delicious if cooled and then seared in a cast iron pan later.
Pork butt/shoulder is the single easiest cut of meat to smoke, I'd definitely recommend that over one of the London Broil or Tri tip.
The best bet for the seasoning on the meats is to stay simple. Kosher salt, black pepper, done. Leave the supplementary flavors to the sauces, maybe Carolina vinegar-style and a Texan mustard one. Maybe a horseradish one like MD-style pit beef too (which would be a much better use for the London broil).
Apple, cherry, and hickory would be the woods I'd use to smoke the meats.
Reverse searing is blasphemy and inherently makes the meat not barbeque by definition. As mentioned, be sure to let the meat rest before slicing and serving, you don't want your hours of hard work to turn into a dry mass of sadness because of impatience.
Have fun!
To crutch or not to crutch. That is the question.
Pork belly - Google Pork Belly Burnt Ends. Absolutely incredible and fairly easy. To summarize you cut the belly into 1-2 inch cubes, smoke for an hour or two and then move to a foil pan, add sauce and butter and sugar and then smoke for another 2 hours or so. Outside of curing/smoking bacon (which you'll need a week to do) probably the best thing you can do with pork belly
Tri-tip - cover with your favorite rub and then smoke til medium rare (130-135). Should take less than an hour. If you want a better crust on it, you can take off 5-10 degrees sooner and then finish over direct heat (grill or cast iron skillet on stove)
London broil is too lean to smoke. You should marinate and then grill hot and fast to medium rare (130-135 degrees)
Pork Belly Burnt Ends are a crowd favorite when we have BBQs. Meat church has a great video on it
I have a meme on my phone that says when you put my meat in your mouth you will want to swallow... it has a picture of a grill / smoker so I think it has to do with smoking low and slow
April 27th, 2023 at 10:57 PM ^
Smoked meatloaf
I've made dozens and dozens of variations of this one. Make your first to recipe and then experiment with spicier, etc. I make 3-4 of these at at time with variations. I like to have 3 days for this. Day 1, mix up your loafs and put in the fridge under saran wrap overnight. (I have colored toothpicks I put in them to differentiate (Red=spicy, green=pickled, etc.) Cook day 2, into the fridge overnight, reheat day 3 and serve. You can cook the same day you mix, but do not serve the same day you cook.
Thoroughly mix in bowl:
1 LB Ground Beef (raw)
1 (one) Bratwurst - Johnsonville fine, just need some fat (remove casing, mixed into ground beef)
1 (one) Egg
½ Cup Uncooked Oats
½ Cup Milk (if you can save pickle juice, this is a flavorful substitute that kids really like)
1 TBSP Minced Onions
1 TBSP Dried Celery Flakes (optional)
1 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce
1 TBSP Ketchup
1 TBSP BBQ Sauce (Famous Dave’s Rich & Sassy)
1 TBSP A1 Steak Sauce
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Famous Dave’s Rib Rub (sub your own favorite rub to add spice, etc.)
½ tsp Black Pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion & 1/4 cup chopped bell peppers (sub hotter peppers to taste)
Preheat smoker to 235 degrees F, get smoke rolling (hickory) - cannot over smoke - ashtray it, the smokier the better. If you have a shag bark hickory tree nearby and can get some of the bark - this is fantastic for this recipe as it just rolls the smoke.
Cook appox 2.5 Hours (165 degrees in center)
* Smoke one hour in disposable pan, remove and place loaf on foiled rack (can start on foil if preferred, hand-form the loaf- will shed a lot of moisture, so be prepare to catch it)
Do *not*, do *not*, do *not* serve this the day you smoke it. There is a good deal of moisture in this recipe. Smoke the day before and put in the fridge overnight. This will seal in all the juices and smoke flavor will be 10x better the next day. Next day slice and either reheat in the oven @200, roaster, or even mircowave. Will be much better than you can image. You can experiment with sauce on top, etc., but most people seem to like this best without topping.
I rarely smoke one think at a time. I will add a meat loaf in with other items like pork shoulder or brisket and I will often smoke sausage, brats, kielbasa, chicken, and/or turkey at the same time then chop it up, put it in a freezer bag, and add it to Jambalaya/Gumbo.
April 28th, 2023 at 12:46 AM ^
Use charcoal to stabilize your temps along with wood. It takes some practice to use only wood and maintain stable temps. Can depend on moisture in wood, and weather. If no coal, start the fire an hour before so it gets stable as a bed of coals. I usually go with 1-2 oak logs per hour on my Yoder. Start with smaller pieces of wood.
Prep the night before. Let it air dry in your fridge. If you can’t, 20 mins in the freezer will dry out the skin nicely. Drying the skin will let it brown without a searing step.
dry brine the meat. Focus on using diamond crystal salt. Most spices don’t survive and most blends have a lot of salt. If you salt and use a blend, it can over salt. If you use a spice blend with salt, I add half my normal salt. I like a nice pepper crust on beef. Pork seasons well with a mix of brown sugar, cumin, mustard, garlic in with the spice.
Since you have 3 different meats, get a meat temp probe so you can enjoy yourself. That’s a lot to track.
give yourself time. If you are cooking to 195-203. 165 to finish takes forever. If you wrap it, your bark will mush a little. I like to just let it run. Don’t slice your meat until it gets down under 145 or it shreds.
be flexible with your eating time. Eat it when it’s good.
I would smoke the London Broil at 180 until it is about 110 degrees. Pull it rub it with salt and pepper and a little olive oil then Sous Vide it at 129 for about 10-12 hours. Heat the Blackstone up to 550 and sear it for a few minutes on all sides. Should be a very tender medium rare.
I use this method on a lot of cheaper cuts and it turns out tender every time. If you haven't gotten into Sous Vide and you like to cook its a game changer.