We Don’t Eat Enough!

[AlphaPapa]

Ok, so that really isn’t true. But, the problem is with what my wife and I eat, I really only get to do about one or two briskets and two maybe three pork butts per year. It sure is difficult to hone one’s culinary skills with so much passage of time in-between cooks. I do keep some notes and that helps. But, by the time the next cook comes around, I feel like I am starting from scratch again. So, it is very difficult to get reliable results. How do you guys deal with this?

 

[Pops]

Look Dude, you need to cook more. It is only my wife and I as well, but I cook up a storm. This weekend, Friday, Salmon on the Blackstone, Saturday, Pork Chops, Sous Vide then finish on the Blackstone, Breakfast this morning on the Blackstone and yes finally today, Outside skirt steaks on the Bullseye!

We cook and either eat during the week or freeze.

I have a 590, Bullseye and Blackstone, use them all!

I keep our freezer stocked and then plan out weekly meals. We rarely eat out, honestly my cooking is better!

I agree you need to cook more to stay in smoking shape, but I may smoke twice a month on my 590, 3-4 times on the Bullseye, weekly on the Blackstone.

If you don't have a Blackstone, you can use the 590 with grill grates for Chicken, Burgers, Steaks, Salmon, etc. I cooked all of this on the 590 before I got the Bullseye and Blackstone.

We only cook briskets or pork butts once or twice a month. Expand your horizons!

FYI, I document all of my first time cooks, once I have it down, i just follow the recipe!

 

[Pacman]

I actually totally get what you're saying. When I used to cook other things, people would say, "You can make this again," except I had no clue exactly what I did. On that front, I now have a notepad in the kitchen to scribble things down. That eventually finds it's way into an electronic document that has now swelled to over a hundred pages. I wouldn't call what I have as "recipes" or a cookbook, but it helps.

On the BBQ/smoking front, I have an easier approach. I bought a Thermoworks Signals multi-probe thermometer. It works great for monitoring temperature, but it also allows you to enter notes and name your various cooking sessions. This lets me keep track of the weight of the meat, the cooking time, temperature, and anything else I would likely want to know later on. A year after getting the new toy, it has already helped dramatically when I'm planning big cooks, expensive cooks, etc. You can view/edit your saved sessions on your phone or on the Thermoworks Cloud website. Here's a summary of some of the cooks I saved.

 

[DenStinett]

I keep an Excel Spreadsheet of all the different things I cook on our Bull
I am constantly making notes and update to it
It's just Catherine an I, but we smoke at least once a week
Load-up the 700, eat one and freeze the rest
6 racks of Babybacks and 4 Chickens last weekend
Lamb Chops and Catfish this weekend
At least 1 Brisket a Month, and a Pork Butt as needed

Here's my "Cheat Sheet", hope it helps:

SMOKED MEATS, TEMPS and TIMES CHEAT SHEET

MEAT

SMOKER TEMP

SMOKING TIME

MEAT TEMP

RUBS OR SAUCES

MISC INFO

Beef Roast

240

2.5 - 3.0 hours

145 -150

Garlic Pepper and Salt Blend + Thyme

From Costco

Beef Ribs

250

6 - 8 hours

190 - 200

Garlic, Onion, Pepper and Salt Blend

or LO @ 12.0 + 2-3 @ 250

Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breasts

250

1.5 - 2.0 hours

160 - 165

Garlic Pepper and Salt Blend + Oregano

From Costco

Boneless Pork Chops

250

1.5 - 2.0 hours

145

Garlic Pepper and Salt Blend + Thyme

Let rest for 10-15 mins

Beef Brisket

U@LO / W@270

Start time 10:00 pm

U@150 / W@200-205

Garlic Onion Pepper and Salt Blend for 24 hrs

U 8 hrs+/- (Paper)W 8 hrs+/- Rest 4 hrs+/-

Beef Jerky

200

4 - 5 hours

N/A

Pepper, Garlic & Onion Powder and Sea Salt

Beef (Ribeye) Steak

400

R=120-125

MR=130-135

M=140-145 MW=150-155 W=160-165

On Sear Kit

Bloomin' Onion

350

45 min - 1 hour

N/A

Avo Oil, Garlic Salt, Pepper and "Salad Supreme"

Burgers Patties

250

0.75 - 1.25 hours

140 - 150

Cheese

60 MAX !

4 hours

**Using Smoke Tube ONLY**

Gouda, Jack, Longhorn, Mozzarella and Muenster

1/4 turn every hour, let rest 10 - 14 days

Coffee

350

25 - 45 mins

N/A

When the Bean cracks

Double Smoke Spiral Ham

250

2.5 - 3 hours

140

Maple Syrup Glaze (last hour)

Add Smoke Tube

Double Smoke Turkey Breast

250

2.5 - 3 hours

140

Avo Oil, Garlic, Pepper and Salt Blend

Add Smoke Tube

Hot Dawgs

240

0.5 - 1 hour

140

J-Dawg Cross Cut

1/4 lb Costco, Thawed

Italian Sausage & Brats

240

3.0 hours

160 - 165

Cook until they split-open

Kebobs

LO for 1.0 hour then 400 Until Done

1.5 +/- hours

Beef - 145 & Chicken -165

Salt and Pepper

Kroger Meatballs

350

30 - 45 mins

155 - 160

From Frozen

Lamb Chops

225

1.5+/- hours

145

Ground Garlic, Pepper, Salt and Thyme

Add Smoke Tube, Rest for 10 mins

Meatloaf

225

4 - 4.5 hours

160

Chopped Onion and Mushrooms, 1 Egg/4 lb, Salt, Ground Pepper and Garlic

4 to 1 Beef to Pork

Moink Balls: Bacon Wraped Meatballs

275

1 - 1.5 hours

155 - 160

BBQ Sauce Glaze for last 10 - 15 Mins

Kroger Meatballs, Thawed

375

Raw Meatballs

Onion Bombs

425

45 mins

155 - 160

Recipe Makes 4 Bombs

See Word.doc for Recipe

Papa Murphy's Pizza

425

15 - 18 mins

N/A

Add extra Mozzarella Cheese

Let cool 5 mins

Poorman's Burnt Ends

U@LO / W@250

U-8 hours / W to Temp

200 - 205

Garlic, Onion, Pepper and Salt for 24 hrs

N/A

Pork Belly / Bacon

LO + Smoke Tube

5+/- hours

140 - 150

1/4 cup Salt + 1/2 cup Maple Syrup + 1 tbsp Pepper / 5 lbs for 14 - 21 days

Pepper again before Smoking

Pork Butt

10hrs@Lo + 2-4hrs@250

12 - 14 hours

190 - 200

Garlic, Onion, Pepper and Salt Blend for 24 hrs

Rest for 30 mins

Pork Ribs

U-4.5hrs@180+0.5hr@275 - W-1.0hr@275

6+/- hours

200 - 210

GPS&O Blend for 24 hrs Spray/15 mins@3 hrs

Wrap in Aluminum Foil after 5 hours rest 15 mins minimum

Pork Tenderloin / Roast

250

3.5 - 4.0 hours

145 - 150

Garlic, Onion, Pepper and Salt Blend

From Costco

Prime Rib

2hrs@LO + 275 Untill Done

4.5 - 5.5 hours

135 - 140 (MR - M)

1 tbs of Garlic, Pepper, Rosemary, Salt and Thyme in a cup of Butter per 8 lbs

Let rest 0.5 -1 hour

Salmon & Other Fish

250

1.5 - 2.0 hours

130

1/2 Stick Melted Butter per Fillet

Add Cherry Smoke Tube

Spatchcock Chicken

250 - 450 for the last 30+/- mins

2.5 - 3.0 hours

B/160-165 T/170-175

Avo Oil w/ Garlic, Pepper, Salt

Spray or brush with Avo Oil on the half hour

Spatchcock Turkey

275 - 450 for the last 30+/- mins

3.5 - 4.0 hours

B/165 T/170

Avo Oil w/ Garlic, Pepper, Salt

Spray or brush with Avo Oil on the half hour

Whole Chicken

250 - 450 for the last 30+/- mins

3.5 - 4.0 hours

B/160-165 T/170-175

Avo Oil w/ Garlic, Pepper, Salt

1/2 Apple or Onion in Cavity

Whole Turkey

275 - 450 for the last 30+/- mins

4.5 - 5.0 hours

B/165 T/170

Avo Oil w/ Garlic, Pepper, Salt

Spray or brush with Avo Oil on the half hour

 

[AlphaPapa]

Look Dude, you need to cook more. It is only my wife and I as well, but I cook up a storm. This weekend, Friday, Salmon on the Blackstone, Saturday, Pork Chops, Sous Vide then finish on the Blackstone, Breakfast this morning on the Blackstone and yes finally today, Outside skirt steaks on the Bullseye!

We cook and either eat during the week or freeze.

I have a 590, Bullseye and Blackstone, use them all!

I keep our freezer stocked and then plan out weekly meals. We rarely eat out, honestly my cooking is better!

I agree you need to cook more to stay in smoking shape, but I may smoke twice a month on my 590, 3-4 times on the Bullseye, weekly on the Blackstone.

If you don't have a Blackstone, you can use the 590 with grill grates for Chicken, Burgers, Steaks, Salmon, etc. I cooked all of this on the 590 before I got the Bullseye and Blackstone.

We only cook briskets or pork butts once or twice a month. Expand your horizons!

FYI, I document all of my first time cooks, once I have it down, i just follow the recipe!

Pops,
Thanks for the reply. I apologize that I wasn’t more clear. I do indeed cook others things. In fact, tonight was reverse-seared pork chops and tomorrow night will be ribeyes. I was was mainly referring to the “big” cooks. It just seems like every time I do a brisket or a butt, I am reminded of the song by Foreigner, “It Feels Like the First Time.” I did a brisket about 6 months ago and it was excellent! I did one about a month ago thinking I was improving on what I had learned and it was so-so. Now I have enough brisket in the freezer for four or five months. I had a similar experience with butts.

Tony

 

[mikeporter616]

I use Microsoft Onenote to store both recipes and cooks. I find entering on the phone to be a problem, so mostly do it on my computer. However, it propagates well to the phone to view. Record all of my cooks to improve.

 

[SmokeZilla]

As a suggestion, think a little more creatively. I donate my cooks to a local fire department (our unsung heros) or my senior neighbors. I always put in my disclaimer, “by accepting this food, you are now a part of my experiment, lol. I didn’t invent that idea, I give all props to Harry Soo after I saw what he was doing to keep his skillset sharp.