Just a quick question,,,with all the technology out there how many of you smokers and Q’ers use the old smell ,touch ,listen method to figure where you are at with a cook ?
my nose and my ears set me up to really start payin’ attention
just curious
What do you think ?
I am not an experienced person at smoking, but I've grilled for decades and cooked in the kitchen even longer. I use vision, touch, and smell as much nowadays as in past years. But I would not give up my thermometer and fall back on just my senses. I know I get more consistent results when I use a thermometer to confirm doneness.
If I was a chef preparing similar meals every night, I might feel otherwise, but I'm not. One day it might be burgers on homemade buns and the next it might be chuck roast and a sweet corn, cheese, and egg casserole. A good thermometer will ensure all of this food turns out perfect.
I rely on the senses too, but the final test is usually a thermometer for temp, and it really helps to know how hot your barbecue or smoker is running at grill height. Love my Fireboard
I would love to trust my senses. Gave it up, I learned I have very little sense in just about everything. With that said I am not a geek a gawkin at ya either. I use a Thermapen, have a Smoke & Chef’s Alarm. Don’t want computer graphs or read outs. To me, & just to me, that’s not fun, that’s techno work. Some get into that & that’s fine.
I can find very little difference with my senses between a brisket at 195 and one at 203. So many times those last few degrees make a big difference. I have to have my thermometer and one of the little bamboo skewers I use to tell tenderness, to know when it's completely ready.
Exactly, that is the part the skewer plays. I start checking at 195 for tenderness. If it's ready then it's great. I do hesitate to go much over 203. If I don't have the tenderness I want by 207 I just write it off to this is as good as this one is going to get and hope it comes around in the faux Cambro.
it's all senses on ribs, dogs, burgers, and steak.Brisket I use temp to give me an idea to start checking bark formation and color for the crutch; then again when to start probing for tenderness. Butts, fish, and chicken it's thermometers all the way (again except for when to crutch). Oh yeah, just senses on jerky. I ALWAYS use a thermometer to measure ambient temp in my smoker, and a laser thermometer for my pizza oven. I'm sure I'm forgetting something.
Last edited by texastweeter; June 23, 2019, 11:33 PM.
Scotch: Current favorite- The Arran (anything by them), Glenmorangie 12yr Lasanta, sherry cask finished. The Balvenie Double Wood, also like Oban 18yr, and The Glenlivet Nadurra (Oloroso sherry cask finished) among others. Neat please.
About meReal name: Aaron
Location: Farwell, Michigan- near Clare. (dead center of lower peninsula)
Occupation:
Healthcare- Licensed & Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) at MyMichigan Health, a University of Michigan Health System.
The way I view it is I could probably guess pretty darn close how fast I'm driving or what time of day it is simply on hunch and other factors, but technology will save you much heartache when you punch in to work on time, or don't get a speeding ticket....or don't eat overcooked chicken breast. My hunch with "this burger looks done to me" is typically wrong when poked with an instant read, and I will admit it. I use a thermometer as long as I have access to one.
Plus it’s keeps ya from being sick from undercooked food. I use my senses a lot and a temp probe to confirm it. I don’t want to sell something that will get a customer sick. That is why the health department out here requires us to use instant read thermometers
One of the requirements in Nj for the health dept is to have instant read thermometers to make sure your colds are cold and hots stay hot. So ya know your not in the danger zones when serving to the public. If you dont have one when they do a surprise inspection then they will shut you down
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