Anyone else notice the KBQ website got a redesign? Seems like better marketing and branding. Noticed it for the first time while showing the guys at the butcher what the KBQ was all about.
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I noticed it this morning. Definitely happened in the last week or so. Looks good.Comment
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Tried using mesquite today, for the first time, on some chicken with a rub inspired by Huskee's rub.
The results were pretty darn good. Bottom poppet only on this run. I probably should have loaded the chicken the other way around with the dark meat towards the rear of the pit.
24 hour dry brine covered, an additional 24 hours in fridge to dry skin uncovered. I really liked the rub but the chili powder walked all over the natural chicken flavor. I will cut that in half next time. And I forgot the 1 tsp baking powder to 1 T of rub, but the skin was still bite through, but could have been crispier. Smoke was good. 4 lbs of chicken to 1 1/2 tsp salt seemed about right.
I added a couple more collectors to this rig but it did not seem to work as well even on high. All the suction went to the first hose in the line cutting off the others. I probably need to add a damper to the first tap to balance the load.
My maximum pit temp at 69 degrees FLast edited by lostclusters; October 6, 2018, 05:44 PM.Comment
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Oh, my rub recipe was: 2 tsp penzeys chili powder, 1 tsp penzeys garlic powder, 1 tsp penzeys onion powder, 1 tsp penzeys paprika, 1 tsp lawry's lemon pepper, 1 tsp ancho chile pepper, and a pinch (1/16 tsp) cayenne.
Next time I am going to half the chili powder and add 1/2 tsp sugar to aid browning.Last edited by lostclusters; October 6, 2018, 05:46 PM.
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Big Old Adirondack Black Cherry
We have a nice cabin in the Southern Adirondacks of NY. Lots of apple, black cherry and maple in this area.
We had a really big black cherry that was starting to die - bugs.... Rather than take a chance on this monster falling over the power lines we hired a local lumber guy with a bucket truck to bring it down.
I asked for some of the wood to keep my cabin warm during the winter AND asked for branches that were 4-5" in diameter for my KBQ.
These guys came in big time! I have just cut and split a bunch KBQ size. Going to be a good winter (and spring and summer!!!)
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The KBQ looks great...and I’d love to play with one...
But here in SoCal...the wood needed to feed that beast (as often as I want to cook) would cost a small fortune. :-(
Wood doesn’t just grow on trees you know! ;-) LOLComment
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My wife's sister Kathy was visiting us from their home state of Indiana.
Well... my wife Linda, was bragging up my Beef Ribs so I naturally had to smoke some before Kathy went back home.
Picked up the 4-rib cryovac pack which is 8 total rib pieces (NAMP 130) and used my good old Weber kettle to sear them.
(Cannot find my KBQ Sear Top and am hoping that the Stainless Steel thief did not get it with my KBQ door and other stuff)
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As a note...
Brisket ALWAYS goes on my Super Sear Station but ribs sear great on the kettle using Kingsford plus Mesquite kindling.
(BTW... I LUV my new Kindling Cracker, ESPECIALLY AFTER I removed the paint from the splitting wedge)
Okay, to start off this cook...
I rinsed and then trimmed the eight ribs up, cut them into individual rib pieces, and then seared them on 3 sides.
Next they were spritzed (to make the rub stick) and rubbed with 3 items only:
Kosher Salt
Fresh Cracked and Sized Medley Peppercorn (Sized to 1/16")
Garlic Flakes
(Note that the physical size of each of the rubs items seems to matter to Aaron Franklin, so I just go with that)
Something to do with the rough surface "catching" more smoke than a smooth surface does?
After the sear and rub, these eight rib pieces went into a pre-heated to 235°F Mesquite fired KBQ.
The smaller, thin ones cooked to doneness perfection in 5 hours and 15 minutes.
The larger thicker ribs needed to go longer with the largest and thickest one finishing at 7-1/2 hours.
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The standard "eaters" proclaimed these to be the "very best beef ribs ever" so I just went with that and posted this cook.
These ribs were judged by the 5-fold test we use for beef ribs and beef brisket.
1) Bark better than the best jerky with explosive flavor?
2) Doneness
3) Smoky flavor without the bad "Mr.Hyde" type of creosote
4) Moistness
5) Beefy Flavor
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Here are some photos I took.
I ran the poppets according to my latest discovery for better flavor, which is full bottom, with a closed top after each wood add... but then to boost that smoky flavor, fairly quickly I switch up and open the top poppet fully, and close the bottom one.
This is done while watching/monitoring the smoke volume as well as the smoke color from the exhaust.
If the exhaust gets too smoky/thick, I fully close the top poppet and open the bottom poppet fully just until it settles down a bit. Then, right back to top poppet smoke only.
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As you can see by the bottom photo of the KBQ fans, this method produces a clean smoke (Dr.Jeckle creosote) as witnessed by the fan blades.
I feel that this new poppet control method mimics the extreme control that a true pitmaster would have over his or her offset.
You get a clean smoke and fuller flavor without the black sooty smoke that comes from poor fire management, giving you Mr. Hyde creosote.
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Smoke On!
Last edited by BBQ_Bill; November 11, 2018, 10:19 AM. Reason: Clarify that there can be good creosote or bad creosote on smoked meatsComment
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Wow! You are right EdF
Thanks as I just went and read that post.
Don't think I've ever really mentioned why I do beef ribs this way here in The Pit, but right from the beginning, it seemed to make sense that you get more surface flavor from the sear as well as more bark if you pre-cut rather than cook the whole rack and post-cut.
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Now I DO have to admit, the photos of that fresh cut rib after the cook shows off the smoke ring, but then again, according to Dr Blonder, that smoke ring is purely cosmetic, with no increased flavor whatsoever.
BUT, looks are important too!
Personally, I just LUV the way the rub, smoke, juices and spritz blend into a "Candy-Like" surface on the meat.
I tried to show that attribute in a close-up.
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BBQ_Bill Great looking cook. I'm interested in your smoke control. Looking forward to trying your technique.Comment
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hogdog6 when I assemble each KBQ, a 15" x 21" cookie tray is the first item to go inside, right on the bottom. Next my 2 rack holders. When inserted, they sit just inside the cookie tray. Then my water tray slides in two slots above that. I add water to both. The heat and ash from the bottom of the manifold travels in between these two trays with the ash trapped in the water of the cookie tray.
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Ricardo
I smoke my full packer briskets (ALWAYS try for "big-uns" at 15 pounds and up) at 230°F average with no meat probes during the smoke.
I'm only looking for good color Ricardo, which for me is a sort of a very dark mahogany/blackish color with thick bark.
Take a look at my beef rib photos above and you will see when they were starting to get that same good color I want on my briskets.
Then take a look at how they looked when they were finally done.
(After the cook and sitting there on the plates)
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When my color is there, nice and dark... I pull and wrap my briskets.
So at this time in the cook, I am not concerned with anything else at all, just color.
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Go HERE and then advance this wonderful video to the 8 minute and 16 second mark to see my wrapping procedures.
I spritz and wrap tightly with two sheets of unwaxed pink butcher paper because Aaron Franklin does this and it has worked VERY well for me, over and over.
I am basically "sold" on Aaron's method. (And so are literally thousands of others)
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This YouTube video is SO full of excellent information showing how to consistently smoke "killer" briskets, that I have watched it over and over, freeze framed it, examined details and I seriously follow the procedure in it extremely closely.
Temperature in an off-set will run hotter than in our convection smokers and my brisket cooking temperature was developed by watching for the meat to get too hot and start to sizzle.
I just kept spritzing the sizzle and dropping the cooking temperature 5 degrees at a time until it stopped sizzling.
For me, that was 230°F to 235°F average.
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On the other hand...
With no wrap, I believe that you lose more moisture in the meat and the bark is quite a bit more crunchy.
With foil wrap, the brisket gets done sooner and the foil wrapping sort of causes a braising of the meat.
This foil wrapping as you are probably aware is called the Texas Crutch.
To me the foil makes the bark too soft and produces a sort of "pot roast" flavor, which is not what I am looking for in my briskets.
With the spritz and paper wrap, I get a sort of a happy medium crunch on the bark and still retain good moisture in the flats of my briskets.
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I am sure that I am repeating myself now and will bore some of the others, so I will stop going on and on.
Do feel free to ask more questions though, as we are here to help each other.Comment
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Thank you. Excellent information.
I started a bit late in the day. Had a lazy morning. In any case, at 3:30 p.m. eastern time, We placed a full Packer in our KBQ with some baby back ribs. It’s going to be a long evening... but then, it’s usually worth it.
Cheers,
Ricardo -
Ricardo depending on size, temperature run, and several other factors, at 13 hours your packer will probably be done or close to being done. There will be liquid in the wrap. You are looking for the meat to "give up" and become floppy. Like a steak, just press and feel the flat up next to the point. The hard center will start to get softer. Pull to rest at room temp.Last edited by BBQ_Bill; October 22, 2018, 05:42 AM. Reason: Just woke up, posted, and realized my math was off.
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BBQ ribs on the KBQ....Attached FilesComment
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I forgot post the results of my wood soaking experiment. This is where I took my scavenged live oak at a moisture level of about 10% and soaked it for seven days, dried it for two days and then burned it in my KBQ. I did this because it is recommended to use wood with a moisture level of 20% - 30% by KBQ and because I was having difficultly tasting a good smoke flavor on my output.
The live oak I soaked had a average moisture level of 25% depending on where it was tested. I must say there was an overall improvement in the smoke flavor in what came out of my KBQ. I used bottom port only. To get good results using the top port as well takes a lot of effort. Because IMHO the top port can not be left open all the time, even only 1/8", as it pulls in gasses from wood that has not burned down enough and has a flavor I do not like. As it was I could not taste the smoke flavor until the day after the cook due to being bombarded by smoke during the cook.
I am starting to try a different technique similar to top port use. I am making sure I can see the opening in the center of the plate that suspends the coals and wood during operation. That way the gases do not get cleaned all the way but more than what would occur using the top port.
I have tried other woods like hickory and mesquite but they were also in the 10% moisture level so I am sure I did not get the full bang out of them.
I am curious about how other KBQers manage their fire and what woods are used to get the smoke flavor they like.Last edited by lostclusters; November 1, 2018, 10:22 AM.Comment
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I’m new to this, but can share that I purchased seasoned oak from a local landscaper that sells firewood. That’s the only wood I’ve ever burned on my KBQ.
My first results tasted bitter, oversomeked and with an unpleasant creosote flavor. I thought it was the wood. I had both poppets wide open. I could have sworn it was quality of the wood. I attributed my results to poor wood selection on my part and moisture content being too high.
After checking with Bill KBQ, he explained a few critical things and I realized that I’ve just made some basic rookie mistakes.
I gave the same batch of oak wood a second try. This time, I closed the top poppet and built a robust layer of lit coals. Sufficient to prevent me from seeing the firebox port holes from where fire and smoke are drawn into the cooking chamber. I resisted the temptation to mess around with the ambers when the KBQ was drawing smoke into the chamber... only messed with it when the fan was off taking a rest.
What a difference. I thought the wood was bad; however, I now know that the wood was just fine. I’ve sence cooked a brisket, pork belly burnt ends, a fatty and a small piece of pork shoulder and results are night and day. Same batch of wood, different results from making adjustments in thickness of lit coal bed, poppet settings and identifying best time to feed, level lit coals or just tend the fire box.
Elegant balanced taste, good smoke without any trace of creosote bitterness nor anything remotely close to what I had in my first trials.
After these most recent cooks, the fan blades are showing light gray - white ash type of residue vs the original black tar kind of stuff I got during the first cooks. Same wood, same pile or splits; however, noticeable different results.
I’m loving this thing. I know I’m just a rookie and I’m probably not the best source of experience to tap into just yet; however, I just want to chime in and share what I have empirically tested and observed.
Cheers,
RicardoComment
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Below is a Copy/Paste from a post by Meathead Goldwyn:
Creosote
Creosote is among the compounds in smoke and it is the Jekyll and Hyde of smoke cooking. On the Dr. Jekyll side, creosote contributes positively to the flavor and color of smoked foods and acts as a preservative, among the reasons that smoking meat was used for preservation before refrigeration.
Dr. Blonder says "Creosote is always present in charcoal or wood smoke, and a few components of creosote (guaiacol, syringol, and phenols) are the largest contributors to smoke flavor.
No creosote, and the meat might as well have been boiled."
On the Mr. Hyde side, "If the balance of the hundreds of chemicals in creosote shifts, it can taste bitter rather than smoky."
---- End of Quote ---
>> Read this whole article by Meathead Goldwyn and Dr. Blonder > HERE
So "good" creosote is what we taste on our smoked meats and without it, no smoky flavor. Wow!
Smoke On!
Last edited by BBQ_Bill; November 1, 2018, 09:31 PM. Reason: Added the Link to this very informative article.Comment
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