So Frustrated....Assistance Appreciated

pmbjr said:
Been following this thread, and I have a few questions?
1- I must have missed it, but who told you not to use Bear Mountain Pellets? (I would like to know the logic behind that. I use them almost exclusively, and they are a top 5 Pellet brand, hands down. Who ever told you different is wrong. Hint very few pellet brands use actual tree bark when creating pellets. you WANT this.)
2- Your steps are very good, with one exception. you already wrapped it at step 6. You don't need to wrap it twice. When you get to step 8, Don't bother trying to unwrap and pull the juice, and then wrap back up.
Just leave it wrapped, put it in an empty Cooler ( Think beach cooler) wrapped in some old towels (like blankets). Leave in there for anywhere between 45min to 4 hours. This is called letting it Rest. THen when ready unwrap it, capture the juice and start "pulling" shredding the pork. The bone should come out clean with nothing on it using just your fingers. The erst of the meat should almost fall apart with your hands.
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Thanks very much....no one advised against Bear Mountain, I just switched over just to try something different, I'm using LJ Cherry today, will see how it works out.
Appreciate the input not to wrap it again, i'll keep it as is, and follow your directions. Thanks again!
 
I have the 590 with the 3 slot vent syste. I was also very disappointed with the amount of smoke flavor my food had with this smoker. I tried several different types of smoker tube that helped some but I still wasn’t satisfied. I finally made some adjustable covers for the vents. That helped a lot. I keep them closed most of the time. There are plenty of gaps for smoke to escape and, because temperature is electronically controlled it still maintains temperature.
 
Uechikid said:
I have the 590 with the 3 slot vent syste. I was also very disappointed with the amount of smoke flavor my food had with this smoker. I tried several different types of smoker tube that helped some but I still wasn’t satisfied. I finally made some adjustable covers for the vents. That helped a lot. I keep them closed most of the time. There are plenty of gaps for smoke to escape and, because temperature is electronically controlled it still maintains temperature.
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Can always get combustion air from the pellet hopper ;)
 
SmokeZilla said:
I like the way you’re going to put the “kick” back into the “butt”!!! As a suggestion, depending on the weight, fat content, and time for eating, you may want to inject. As you select your butt try to get a bone in, and look for something that looks pretty uniform end to end and side to side. If you can’t find one, don’t be shy about trussing it up so it is uniform in size and density throughout. That will assist in keeping the cook even. You can also place the butt fat cap down if you are afraid of burning it but I prefer putting the fat side up on hopes of getting a good melt of fat flavor on the butt. This method does require trimming the cap to about 1/4”-1/2” thickness. ProTip: You can score the fat cap in 1-2” squares but don’t cut all the way to the meat, and the seasonings may have a better chance of penetrating. Also, based on your toast experiment, your hot spots are in the same places as the 3 or 4 I have cooked on. Since you know where the hot spots are, mitigate the heat risk by using an elevated shelf in those areas when you have a full grill and space shortage. As you can see from the top (furthest from the front) row of toast, the highest temps were on either side of the heat deflector and that should have been expected as the fire has it’s first opportunity to rise in that area. Whenever I place anything on my grill I will use a secondary deflector, a fireproof brick of similar crutch to keep the heat evenly distributed. It also serves as a good reminder that those zones and anything in them can be trouble.

Good luck with the butt. Let us know how it turns out.
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I agree with @SmokeZilla . I have injected bone-in pork and also brined for 24hrs is salt, brown sugar, bay leaves and water to cover. That will turn out a great product as well. I use equal parts of salt and brown sugar (cup/cup). I warm it to dissolve the granules, cool, place in a 2.5 gallon ziploc and place in a spaghetti pot to hold all the liquid tight to the pork. 24hrs remove, dry and let warm up to almost room temp. Dry rub and get with the cookin’!
 
Grilltreats said:
I place mine in cold and smoke at 275° for three hours without opening the lid. I then rub on some Q and go another 30 minutes to an hour with no wrapping. Mine get plenty of smoke but I use Lumber jack 100% hickory and I sealed my lid with a thick gasket from Amazon made for a Vision grill that helped to hold in smoke longer and evened out the grate temps more. There is also more smoke coming out of the drip chute and getting on the meats. Not a RT endorsed idea, but it clearly is better for grate temps and smoke flavor. I have had my 700 for five years now. You can also put some dry wood chips/chunk on the heat deflector plate before lighting that will generate more of the smoke flavor you are probably used to to get you through the transition woes. I went through this coming from a Kamado Joe ceramic lump charcoal cooker. The pellet grills have lots of smoke flavor, but it is a much cleaner smoke and takes time to adjust to.
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Can you send me a pick of the gasket material that you used? I have been thinking about doing this to my 590. Indiana winters can get really cold and windy. I want to try and save as much heat as I can. I haven’t let the snow stop me from smoking yet. I think this would really help with pellet consumption also for those cold days. Thank you
 
Jim6820 said:
@SmokeZilla has it right…and, he started smoking meat 20 years after I did. :ROFLMAO:
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Man you guys must have gotten some tough meat to be smoking it this long. I had a brisket that went 17 hrs and I thought it was a tough cookie. But nuthin like you guys have experienced.
 
Just a quick update as many of you were so helpful following my first post with all my issues :)

- I've made 2 pork butts and about 10 more racks of ribs since I last posted, and I'm happy to report, while they're far from being great, I'm starting to get more consistent, and people are enjoying the taste more.

- I've ditched Meat Church rubs and have replaced with Killer Hogs the last few smokes. It sucks, as I spent a lot of money on the various Meat Church rubs, but my palate and others I cook for seem to be more towards sweet than salt with their meats, and the Meat Church rubs come across as very salty and peppery imo. Interested in trying some of the other Killer Hogs stuff, as the feedback has been great.

- Up until yesterday, for my ribs, they've been fall off the bone when cutting them, which i didn't want. Yesterday was the first time, when I've but them, the meat stayed on the bones and you could actually eat them off the bone. I think i've been keeping them cooking wrapped for too long, as yesterday I really focused on the temps, and found that in less than an hour wrapped, the ribs went from 170 to 200....I've been keeping them on and wrapped for over 2 hours previously. Total cook time was about 4 hours which seems low at 225, but it is what it is i guess.
IMG_6592.jpg
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- I use a smoke tube now, which really pumps up the smoke flavor, and people seem to like it. I also have been using LJ Hickory, and love it.

Some pics from yesterday.....so addicted to this....can't imagine how much fun its going to be when i start getting good :)
 
Tequila King said:
I've ditched Meat Church rubs and have replaced with Killer Hogs the last few smokes. It sucks, as I spent a lot of money on the various Meat Church rubs, but my palate and others I cook for seem to be more towards sweet than salt with their meats, and the Meat Church rubs come across as very salty and peppery imo. Interested in trying some of the other Killer Hogs stuff, as the feedback has been great.
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Interesting, as I’m using up/dumping my other brand rubs, including recteq, and moving to Meat Church rubs entirely, other than Boar’s Night Out White Lightning for steak. Matt at MC talks about which of his rubs are salt-forward or sugar-forward on his YT videos. Anyone thinking about the MC rubs, might be worth a call to them beforehand if you have a sweet/savory preference.
 
Tequila King said:
Just a quick update as many of you were so helpful following my first post with all my issues :)

- I've made 2 pork butts and about 10 more racks of ribs since I last posted, and I'm happy to report, while they're far from being great, I'm starting to get more consistent, and people are enjoying the taste more.

- I've ditched Meat Church rubs and have replaced with Killer Hogs the last few smokes. It sucks, as I spent a lot of money on the various Meat Church rubs, but my palate and others I cook for seem to be more towards sweet than salt with their meats, and the Meat Church rubs come across as very salty and peppery imo. Interested in trying some of the other Killer Hogs stuff, as the feedback has been great.

- Up until yesterday, for my ribs, they've been fall off the bone when cutting them, which i didn't want. Yesterday was the first time, when I've but them, the meat stayed on the bones and you could actually eat them off the bone. I think i've been keeping them cooking wrapped for too long, as yesterday I really focused on the temps, and found that in less than an hour wrapped, the ribs went from 170 to 200....I've been keeping them on and wrapped for over 2 hours previously. Total cook time was about 4 hours which seems low at 225, but it is what it is i guess.View attachment 17602View attachment 17603View attachment 17604

- I use a smoke tube now, which really pumps up the smoke flavor, and people seem to like it. I also have been using LJ Hickory, and love it.

Some pics from yesterday.....so addicted to this....can't imagine how much fun its going to be when i start getting good :)
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That’s great to hear! I use the Killer Hogs because I can get it at Walmart and I like the taste as well. The LJ char hickory is my go to. Glad you‘re finally getting to enjoy it.
 
Greg Jones said:
Interesting, as I’m using up/dumping my other brand rubs, including recteq, and moving to Meat Church rubs entirely, other than Boar’s Night Out White Lightning for steak. Matt at MC talks about which of his rubs are salt-forward or sugar-forward on his YT videos. Anyone thinking about the MC rubs, might be worth a call to them beforehand if you have a sweet/savory preference.
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Yeah, i really wanted to like MC rubs, but even the "sweet" ones like Honey Hog I still find more salty than sweet. What's crazy is that I love salt, but with the MC stuff, I can't drink enough water after, and just feel like crap.....its odd. I do love Matt's YT's and their entire brand image, just the rubs aren't for this Philly family :)
 
Half the fun of grilling and smoking for me is creating my own rubs and marinades. My goal when creating them is to enhance the natural flavor of the meat, not change it into something different. You can call me “old-fashioned,” but I like the base flavor of the meat I will be cooking

I quit using the commercial preparations years ago and started making my own. When you roll your own, you can make adjustments for your (and, your family’s) individual taste. It does take a bit of trial and error, but the result is worth the effort, IMO.

There are lots of rub recipes available online and in BBQ cookbooks, so that’s a good place to start. Look for spices that you know you like and adjust the quantities in the mix to arrive at what you prefer.

And, the best part is that whatever you arrive at will be a whole lot cheaper to put together than a similar quantity of a commercial rub or marinade.
 
Just checking in, a few more cooks, mainly ribs and getting better. One thing I'm wondering is if my smoker is hotter than what its showing. Reason being is that @225 my ribs are getting to 160-170 in about 2.5 hours, then after wrapping, i'm getting to the 205 range in just less than an hour. Does this make sense?, I'd think at 225 based on what i read, to get to 205 using this method, i'd be looking at well over 4 hours.
 
Tequila King said:
Just checking in, a few more cooks, mainly ribs and getting better. One thing I'm wondering is if my smoker is hotter than what its showing. Reason being is that @225 my ribs are getting to 160-170 in about 2.5 hours, then after wrapping, i'm getting to the 205 range in just less than an hour. Does this make sense?, I'd think at 225 based on what i read, to get to 205 using this method, i'd be looking at well over 4 hours.
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Time is always a guide you take with a grain of salt. If you think your unit is cooking too hot, mount a probe in and check it out.

I would bet it’s fine and you’re placing too much guidance on suggested times. Meat is a protein, all different from one another. It cooks differently and will take different times. Meat is ready when it’s ready, time suggestions are just guidelines that make you totally screw up dinner plans
 
Tequila King said:
Just checking in, a few more cooks, mainly ribs and getting better. One thing I'm wondering is if my smoker is hotter than what its showing. Reason being is that @225 my ribs are getting to 160-170 in about 2.5 hours, then after wrapping, i'm getting to the 205 range in just less than an hour. Does this make sense?, I'd think at 225 based on what i read, to get to 205 using this method, i'd be looking at well over 4 hours.
Click to expand...
The only way you’ll know for sure is if you have an independent (and, reliable) source to check the ambient temperature in the cooking chamber. There are a number of units out there that will do that. It has to be something with a probe designed for measuring ambient temperature.

Many folks here use the ThermoWorks Signals or Smoke units that are available with both meat and ambient temperature probes. They are a little pricey ($170-$250) but are an indispensable tool for grilling and smoking IMO. If you watch the TW website, they frequently have a sale price on some of their units. I’m sure there are other brands that would work as well.

Good luck.
 

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