Hi all, In the near future I'm going to be buying this offset smoker: Website if anyone is interested: https://www.bbqspitrotisseries.com.au/flaming-coals-offset-smoker-bbq I envision cooking even just the simple things on it like sausages/burgers etc so it will be used frequently - but intend to have big cook ups as well with lots of ribs and brisket too. Loving all things Texas BBQ I'm asking for any helpful tips on how to make it as Texas as possible, and even your own personal tips and tricks that are favourites. For starters any cookbooks or bbq books which give me as much info as possible would be highly appreciated! To even just your favourite rubs, sauces, flavoured woods to smoke with etc etc. Unfortunately it's going to take a couple of years to save up to the point I'm financially comfortable paying for all 4 years of college - so I want to ensure these next long couple of years I can remind myself what I'm looking forward to! Thanks in advance Clutchfans it'll be greatly appreciated!! EDIT: I did forget to mention that even though I've mentioned ribs and brisket, considering the size of this smoker I am 100% open to suggestions and would love to hear if there's anything else I'd be able to whip up for a gathering of 15 people or so.
Went to Johnny Trigg's BBQ cooking school a few weeks ago. Gives all his recipes and rubs. His ribs are almost too sweet to eat more than a few, though. Too much going on to get into what I use on my ribs and brisket but will post later.
http://www.pbs.org/show/bbq-franklin/episodes/ http://www.pbs.org/show/steven-raichlens-project-smoke/episodes/
I wish I had this book 10 years ago when I started to get serious about BBQ and got on a cook-off team: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1607...6_SY340_QL65&keywords=aaron+franklin+bbq+book I got it over Christmas and it's already started changing my cook-game, especially good section on BBQ pit styles and how to modify your store bought smoker.
Yeah...even Downtown Snipers might need a slight modification. Hey Sniper, do you have a picture of the inside? That's an awesome looking smoker, but some of those designs have a flaw where the firebox enters the meat chamber. They need a deflector plate/baffle, to prevent the radiant heat from hitting the meat. In a pinch, even thick foil can work. You want to make sure your meat in the shade, so to speak.
Who uses cook books anymore. I'm serious! What you will find is plenty of books contradicting themselves and you spent a lot of money to just have a better understanding of all various ways to do it....which you can get free on the internet. I use to tell everyone about bbcuen dot com or something...one of the first and biggest community sites. I can't see to find it now. Guess don't have the name right. @Behad what was that site you shared with everyone? It had a phonetic spelling rather than proper spelling. Anyhoot, will post if I can find it....will have alternative ways to do same thing, and has a good Forum to search as well.
I agree to a point, the Franklin book is worth every penny though. Maybe most of it is on the interwebz but it's been a goldmine for me and I'm fairly experienced.
Also, another tip about Recipes, cookbooks and wives tales. The best advice I ever got (thx @Behad) is to know your smoker....spend as much effort on knowing the smoker as knowing prep and recipes .... ie. knowing temp ranges throughout the box and how much fuel it needs and how fast it rises and drops on re-stoking, etc. You will find alternative recipes and methods (and smoker design even) that are only different for reasons of Ease and Cost. These can impact Quality, but not necessarily. Cost for me mainly means fuel and meat cost. Ease is a more complex topic. Can mean total time, initial meat prep and smoker management when cooking....and overall focus on consistency....reproducibility/repeatability ... which greatly reduces Party BBQ stress. Simplicity vs Complexity: While true that methods focusing on Ease and lower Cost can still make a restuarant-quality BBQ, but might prevent you from ever achieving maximum quality....it is also true that the more complex methods don't mean they will achieve the ability to reach higher quality. Lot of BS complexity out there that seems to just add to mystique and myths to make you feel like you are unlocking secret methods that only the few know about...whereas they have little to no impact and waste of time. Key over time for me is to keep the variables down, so you can learn what works and doesn't. Simplicity wins, imo. Fire mgmt much more important to master. So remember, variables that add complexity also make it more elusive to figure out what variable has the biggest impact. So, if your goal is to seek the elusive Top Quality ****, be as wary of weird sounding magical tricks and unneeded complexity as you are wary of Ease/Cost cutters like High Temp first then low,,,finishing in ovens,,,,prepping in boiling water,,,,cooking part of time in foil, etc.
I can't get that in Colorado. Curious if it has multiple brisket recipes. What are the cooking times they specify and cooking temps. What I've found from magazine interviews with him is I'm 100% sure he is withholding championship information vs providing more widely usable recipes for Party Briskets that are still stellar, or (like Alton Brown does with many recipes) somewhat dumbing-down (that not the right term) by providing cooking methodologies based on assumed quality of smoker the readers have, and how much time most readers want to put into a brisket..... So, not to say there is anything wrong with not providing info on everything Franklin would do in competition,,,,there are websites that will tell you more. That's my point.
This is my favorite youtube video about brisket. Brisket isn't so much about the technique since I've made quality briskets with cooking temps anywhere from 225 to 400 degrees with cooking time anywhere from 4.5 hours to 18 hours. Brisket is all about knowing when it is ready, both the outside and inside. This is the most important aspect of smoking a brisket.
Good luck downtown. Just a couple of thoughts. I typically use a mix of woods as I find mesquite or hickory alone a bit harsh. I like to mix in pecan, oak, apple or cherry. I vary the mix depending on the type of meat, poultry or fish I am smoking. Don't forget pork butt. Much more forgiving than a brisket. And turkey is great .... it's not just for holidays! Spatchcock it and it goes pretty fast and you can smoke it at 350 degrees. I have a vertical smoker with a water bowl to deflect the heat and I smoke the brisket below the pork butt, so the pork butt bastes the brisket as they smoke. The brisket comes out super juicy and tender, but I am not sure how that will work with your set up. My next project is to smoke a chuck roast. No reason it shouldn't work much like a brisket but faster.... will report back. Happy smoking!
Make sure you can get the proper wood / charcoal in Australia, as well as access to the right cuts of meat (full packer brisket, pork shoulders, etc) I've spent time in Europe (Germany) and it was a real challenge to get charcoal and the right meats....and when I did find the right meats, they were ridiculously expensive.
Me. These are my 3 go to resources, more as reference material and to get ideas for things I probably wouldn't think of on my own Pretty much an encyclopedia of cooking. Wanna make a sauce? You can learn how. This guy is awesome, and I'm not just saying that because I've had beers and grub with him on several non-consecutive occasions. If you're a hunter or are into wild game, check it out. His butchershop/restaurant/school Dai Due in Austin is proper. Love their scientific, trial-and-error way about things. Great resource for new ideas and tweaks to ideas you've had for a long time. Not an expensive subscription either. Recipes and cookbooks are just guidelines, most of the fun is in the customization. I should check out Franklin's, I've watched several of his tv shows, but I like books.
Much appreciated! Checked out a couple of Franklin's videos so far and loving them. Off of one of those videos was another about some guy working 24 straight hours at Franklins.... that's crazy that people like up at 5am to be in the door at 11am for the food. Have any Clutchfans been there? I wish I knew about this place when I was in Austin a few years back. Hickory was going to be the main wood I buy. After watching a few videos from different people I soon learnt about mesquite. I may have to buy a mixed collection of the different woods - which I've seen from a few online stores in Australia - and just go to town with different combinations. I really am looking forward to cooking pork as I love it. I'm not looking forward to the beginning phase where the cooks are terrible though! Good luck with the chuck roast! I've done a little research into buying the right meats and you're right - it is very expensive. Definitely going to be an expensive hobby, which may even delay my goal of getting into one of the colleges in Texas by 6 months. It may be worth it though! Haha feel free to get on one of those ridiculously long flights out to Sydney. I'll even be your Uber driver back to my place for the taste testing! This one has plates which you can put in the bottom of the cooking section which deflects the heat (ie [from what I gather] you put the deflector plates closest to the firebox so it'll hopefully even out the temperature all the way through, as opposed to being drastically hotter next to the firebox... if that makes sense) I found a photo last night - although now it's completely lost to me. However, the firebox is connected to the main unit, and there's a wide open space between the two (if you picture a large Protractor - that's basically what it is). Then in the main unit there's the aforementioned plates which you can line up to your choosing, including one plate which goes on a 45degree angle to cover the Protractor sized hole - and has a few small drill holes to let the smoke come through.
