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[ghuns]

Cooked a little for a friend who was throwing a party. Some queso, couple butts, armadillo eggs, and 90+ wings.

 

[BillsCamino]

Cooked a 8+ lb Mexican Pulled Pork butt per Matt Pittman's recipe yesterday.
Made great tacos !

 

[SmokeZilla]

Well, it’s been a day… Last night we received several inches of rain in my part of Kentucky and my RT-340 was caught without its cover and today displayed a er-3 error code when I went to use it. So, pork belly burnt ends on the Bullseye and major pit fire! The burnt ends were fine and all was good, but it was exciting for awhile!
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Greg,

Were you able to determine what caused the fire? The burnt ends look great. Did putting the cover on extinguish the flames or did you have to take a more aggressive tact? Seems like you snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Well done.

 

[Greg Jones]

Greg,

Were you able to determine what caused the fire? The burnt ends look great. Did putting the cover on extinguish the flames or did you have to take a more aggressive tact? Seems like you snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Well done.

What caused it was stupidity on my part. I normally smoke the burnt ends on a perforated sheet pan, on either the 340 or 700 where the drip pan catches the grease. When I went to fire up the 340, it threw up an RTD probe error, so I put them on the Bullseye. No drip pan in there, so there you go. There wasn’t a lot of grease in there and the fire wasn’t that hot, so I left the lid open and let it burn out.

 

[chadinsc]

cooked some more home made pizzas on the bull. my 3.5 year old really like helping with the toppings! he loves pizza days! i typically cook them 12min at 500. these accidentally went 14 at 500 but was still really good. 13 may just be the sweet spot!

 

[C. Keeper]

cooked some more home made pizzas on the bull. my 3.5 year old really like helping with the toppings! he loves pizza days! i typically cook them 12min at 500. these accidentally went 14 at 500 but was still really good. 13 may just be the sweet spot!View attachment 16903View attachment 16904

Looks great!

 

[NavyHSKR]

Made some legs tonight in the Bullseye.

 

[SmokeZilla]

What caused it was stupidity on my part. I normally smoke the burnt ends on a perforated sheet pan, on either the 340 or 700 where the drip pan catches the grease. When I went to fire up the 340, it threw up an RTD probe error, so I put them on the Bullseye. No drip pan in there, so there you go. There wasn’t a lot of grease in there and the fire wasn’t that hot, so I left the lid open and let it burn out.

I admire your ability to take responsibility. I applaud your sharing of the truth. All readers be aware, he‘s doing a PSA for us all. Your lessons learned become our launch pad for success.

Appreciate your candor.

 

[IPlayWithMeat]

cooked some more home made pizzas on the bull. my 3.5 year old really like helping with the toppings! he loves pizza days! i typically cook them 12min at 500. these accidentally went 14 at 500 but was still really good. 13 may just be the sweet spot!View attachment 16903View attachment 16904

Your dough and crust look especially awesome!

 

[Jim6820]

cooked some more home made pizzas on the bull. my 3.5 year old really like helping with the toppings! he loves pizza days! i typically cook them 12min at 500. these accidentally went 14 at 500 but was still really good. 13 may just be the sweet spot!View attachment 16903View attachment 16904

That looks good enough to eat!

 

[Pacman]

After FedEx doing me wrong a few weeks ago I got my hands on another 16.4 lb Wagyu brisket (way bigger than needed). SPOG at 200 overnight and wrapped after an incredibly long stall for a total cook time of 16 +/- hours. I bumped the temp to 275 after wrapping in pink paper. Not an amazing smoke ring (should've trimmed a tiny bit tighter), but everything else about this brisket was sublime. You could cut it with a fork, but it was still juicy and survived bending.

So help me I had the meat sweats!

 

[Jim6820]

After FedEx doing me wrong a few weeks ago I got my hands on another 16.4 lb Wagyu brisket (way bigger than needed). SPOG at 200 overnight and wrapped after an incredibly long stall for a total cook time of 16 +/- hours. I bumped the temp to 275 after wrapping in pink paper. Not an amazing smoke ring (should've trimmed a tiny bit tighter), but everything else about this brisket was sublime. You could cut it with a fork, but it was still juicy and survived bending.

So help me I had the meat sweats!

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Now THAT is a great looking brisket! Beautifully done! After your recent experience with FedEx, I can fully understand the “meat sweats” comment. Enjoy the brisket.

 

[SmokeZilla]

That is definitely on the list. Any tips you want to share? Did you inject?

 

[Pacman]

Did you inject?

I did inject with some beef broth in the flat, but it was really just out of habit from past briskets. This was definitely the best piece of cow I've ever cooked, but it was priced accordingly. It will be a special occasion item going forward. Because I cooked overnight I did not spritz, but I still got great bark that survived wrapping.

One thing I noticed about this brisket is that the point and the flat were never more than 8 degrees apart and after the wrap they were exactly the same temp all the way to the end.

 

[Beach Bum]

I did inject with some beef broth in the flat, but it was really just out of habit from past briskets. This was definitely the best piece of cow I've ever cooked, but it was priced accordingly. It will be a special occasion item going forward. Because I cooked overnight I did not spritz, but I still got great bark that survived wrapping.

One thing I noticed about this brisket is that the point and the flat were never more than 8 degrees apart and after the wrap they were exactly the same temp all the way to the end.

I did a 14lb one from SRF a couple weeks ago. My experience was about like yours. It was 14 hours at 225 the entire way. The point and flat stay darn close in temperature. The final product was great.

 

[Jim6820]

On the SRF briskets, how much trimming is required? Do they come reasonably well trimmed to start with?

I ask because I have not ordered directly from them…yet. Wild Fork is another possibility, but you have no choice over the weight and I prefer briskets in the 10-12# range when I can find them. I did contact WF and ask if there was a way to specify a weight range and was told “not at this point, but we are working on that possibility.”

When I was at Costco the other day, I looked at the stack of briskets they had in the meat case and they were completely untrimmed. Most were in the 18-20# weight range with very thin flats and looked like they would be about half that weight when properly trimmed. I passed on them.

Unfortunately, I have lost my local specialty butcher shop where I could get beautifully trimmed and well-marbled briskets in the 10-12# range. He lost the lease on the property he was renting (the store will be torn down and replaced with apartments…yuck!). Hopefully, he’ll find another storefront, but it has been about six months and that hasn’t happened.

My last brisket purchase was from US Food’s ChefStore and I was unimpressed. There was no grading information on the packaging and while I was able to get a 14# brisket, it needed significant trimming as well. The end result of that brisket cook was not great.

I guess my local butcher, Shawn, has me spoiled. Suggestions anyone?

 

[Pacman]

YMMV, but the last two Snake River Farms briskets I ordered (and cooked) were reasonably well trimmed. I still took "a little off the top" and squared up the entire cut to not have any loose bits. All of the silver skin except one small patch had already been trimmed. Part of the fat cap was over a half inch thick, but it only took me about 15 minutes from start to finish my prep. I have easily spent twice that long on other briskets and I can't say the time difference was because I'm getting better at trimming and prepping!

(When they're in stock) I do like being able to pick my brisket size. I prefer a 12 - 14, but this time around all they had was 16 up to 22 pounders...and I was impatient.

 

[Beach Bum]

I agree on the trimming needed. In retrospect, I think I overdid my trimming a bit. Next time I would do less.

We have a WF store fairly close and another under construction within two miles. I want to try their brisket.

 

[SmokeZilla]

On the SRF briskets, how much trimming is required? Do they come reasonably well trimmed to start with?

I ask because I have not ordered directly from them…yet. Wild Fork is another possibility, but you have no choice over the weight and I prefer briskets in the 10-12# range when I can find them. I did contact WF and ask if there was a way to specify a weight range and was told “not at this point, but we are working on that possibility.”

When I was at Costco the other day, I looked at the stack of briskets they had in the meat case and they were completely untrimmed. Most were in the 18-20# weight range with very thin flats and looked like they would be about half that weight when properly trimmed. I passed on them.

Unfortunately, I have lost my local specialty butcher shop where I could get beautifully trimmed and well-marbled briskets in the 10-12# range. He lost the lease on the property he was renting (the store will be torn down and replaced with apartments…yuck!). Hopefully, he’ll find another storefront, but it has been about six months and that hasn’t happened.

My last brisket purchase was from US Food’s ChefStore and I was unimpressed. There was no grading information on the packaging and while I was able to get a 14# brisket, it needed significant trimming as well. The end result of that brisket cook was not great.

I guess my local butcher, Shawn, has me spoiled. Suggestions anyone?

I have cooked more Costco Prime Whole Packer Briskets than I want to admit. I made friends with our local department manager (after he saw me frequently buying many Briskets, Tomahawks, Spinalis Dorsi/Ribeye Cap (a.k.a. The King of Steaks) ribs and other proteins) and he shared their delivery schedule with me. (Trust me, no one should be maxing their Executive Membership rebates by mid year on meats without a restaurant.). I make sure to get there as the truck is unloading and hang out until they start stocking the cooler. I have had some great picks. Especially flats that are 4–5” thick (not including the fat cap). Sure, they are backyard trimmed by Costco but I like to do the final trimming and have the bonus fat left over to grind and add to the somewhat lean ground beef Costco sells. It‘s a win-win for us both. Once you get used to trimming and salvaging, it is very hard to look back. If/when the trimmed fat overwhelms the deep freezer, I also render it and use the oil for french fries and binder for other things.

Just my thoughts, smoke on!!!

 

[Jim6820]

I have cooked more Costco Prime Whole Packer Briskets than I want to admit. I made friends with our local department manager (after he saw me frequently buying many Briskets, Tomahawks, Spinalis Dorsi/Ribeye Cap (a.k.a. The King of Steaks) ribs and other proteins) and he shared their delivery schedule with me. (Trust me, no one should be maxing their Executive Membership rebates by mid year on meats without a restaurant.). I make sure to get there as the truck is unloading and hang out until they start stocking the cooler. I have had some great picks. Especially flats that are 4–5” thick (not including the fat cap). Sure, they are backyard trimmed by Costco but I like to do the final trimming and have the bonus fat left over to grind and add to the somewhat lean ground beef Costco sells. It‘s a win-win for us both. Once you get used to trimming and salvaging, it is very hard to look back. If/when the trimmed fat overwhelms the deep freezer, I also render it and use the oil for french fries and binder for other things.

Just my thoughts, smoke on!!!

I guess I need to cultivate a better relationship with my Costco meat department manager.