Rather than post results I am going to try doing this live-blogging style.
First off, the menu. I do not have recipes per se, just lists of ingredients (which change) and moods (ditto).
Brisket. Choice, local, whole packer, dalmatian rub. I don't do anything special though I do use a bit of fresh-ground pepper along with the kosher salt and pre-course-ground pepper. Smoked with post oak, which is not native to Oregon but smells like barbecue did when I was growing up in southwest Louisiana. One started at 18.5lbs the other at 11.5lbs.
Small Potatoes Salad. Fire-roasted red, purple and yellow small potatoes, chunky pepper bacon, chopped pickled cherry peppers, sour cream, red pepper flakes, Greek yogurt, dijon and yellow mustard. Approximate ratio: 3 parts yogurt, 3 parts sour cream, 1 part dijon, 2 parts yellow
Blackberry Cole Slaw. Shredded green and purple cabbage, fresh blackberries, dried pineapple bits, crushed lemon-candied almonds, parsley and lemon zest tossed with fresh blackberry-poppyseed dressing (plain yogurt, honey, olive oil, fresh garlic, blackberries, raw apple cider vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, poppy seeds)
Pinto Beans. Chunky bacon (normally would also have leftover smoked meat but there was a recent freezer tragedy), Walla Walla sweet onions, fresh garlic, diced dried ancho chili, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, pinch of cayenne
The Night Before
I got out Mister Lahey (my YLW), gave him a thorough cleaning and oiling, installed my new propane log lighter and tested it out. I also took the log grate out and stomped it flat. I set up logs for the morning and crumple a couple of strips of butcher paper (currently using uncoated white which is cheaper from Amazon than pink and I didn't have time to order from ABCO last time I was out) along the log lighter.
I cooked the chunky bacon (3lbs or so, from Ponderosa Provisioners) for the beans on cookie sheets at 380F. I will collect the rendered fat for sauce. I use the two middle racks and have two ovens so four sheets of bacon at a time. I have a similar amount of chunky pepper bacon for the potato salad that will be prepared tomorrow.
I sort, rinse and soak the beans with the spices, onion and garlic. I picked this up from the Franklin book; I used to soak in just water.
I sharpen my knife and set up the brisket trimming area for the morning: large cutting board, nitrile gloves, trash can. The briskets are on ice in a foam cooler (an old shipping container from Creekstone) on the front porch. Even though we have two fridges and a deep freeze space is at a premium because we have six kids. Besides, I think they are a bit easier to trim if they have been on ice.
I fill up my dalmatian rub shaker. I like the capacity of this shaker (formerly a Costco pepper container) but I thought the holes were a bit small last time so I decided to mod it a bit.
This Morning
I set my alarm for 5a, woke up a few minutes before. In the past I have run down and got the charcoal chimney started and then started trimming but that's no longer necessary thanks to log lighter so I went down to McDonald's and grabbed a sandwich and coffee. I got back, pulled the smoker out of the garage, lit it up, set up a potato probe on the grate in between where the points of the briskets will be.
Go inside, trim briskets, shake on the rub, set them up on boards (actually a cutting board that was dropped and broke in half) to bring down to the smoker. Go check the temp on the smoker. It's very hot (on purpose as I wanted to burn off any cooties from the log lighter) so I let it cool down for a few minutes, sip coffee.
At 7:15a the briskets go on. The smoker was at 300F, I am looking to cook around 275F, so it was just about perfect once the lid was shut again.
Around 9:30a I slice up the bacon that was prepared last night and throw it in the beans, putting them on a stove burner on high. I will drop them to low once they start looking bubbly, about 20 minutes.
More to come.
First off, the menu. I do not have recipes per se, just lists of ingredients (which change) and moods (ditto).
Brisket. Choice, local, whole packer, dalmatian rub. I don't do anything special though I do use a bit of fresh-ground pepper along with the kosher salt and pre-course-ground pepper. Smoked with post oak, which is not native to Oregon but smells like barbecue did when I was growing up in southwest Louisiana. One started at 18.5lbs the other at 11.5lbs.
Small Potatoes Salad. Fire-roasted red, purple and yellow small potatoes, chunky pepper bacon, chopped pickled cherry peppers, sour cream, red pepper flakes, Greek yogurt, dijon and yellow mustard. Approximate ratio: 3 parts yogurt, 3 parts sour cream, 1 part dijon, 2 parts yellow
Blackberry Cole Slaw. Shredded green and purple cabbage, fresh blackberries, dried pineapple bits, crushed lemon-candied almonds, parsley and lemon zest tossed with fresh blackberry-poppyseed dressing (plain yogurt, honey, olive oil, fresh garlic, blackberries, raw apple cider vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, poppy seeds)
Pinto Beans. Chunky bacon (normally would also have leftover smoked meat but there was a recent freezer tragedy), Walla Walla sweet onions, fresh garlic, diced dried ancho chili, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, pinch of cayenne
The Night Before
I got out Mister Lahey (my YLW), gave him a thorough cleaning and oiling, installed my new propane log lighter and tested it out. I also took the log grate out and stomped it flat. I set up logs for the morning and crumple a couple of strips of butcher paper (currently using uncoated white which is cheaper from Amazon than pink and I didn't have time to order from ABCO last time I was out) along the log lighter.
I cooked the chunky bacon (3lbs or so, from Ponderosa Provisioners) for the beans on cookie sheets at 380F. I will collect the rendered fat for sauce. I use the two middle racks and have two ovens so four sheets of bacon at a time. I have a similar amount of chunky pepper bacon for the potato salad that will be prepared tomorrow.
I sort, rinse and soak the beans with the spices, onion and garlic. I picked this up from the Franklin book; I used to soak in just water.
I sharpen my knife and set up the brisket trimming area for the morning: large cutting board, nitrile gloves, trash can. The briskets are on ice in a foam cooler (an old shipping container from Creekstone) on the front porch. Even though we have two fridges and a deep freeze space is at a premium because we have six kids. Besides, I think they are a bit easier to trim if they have been on ice.
I fill up my dalmatian rub shaker. I like the capacity of this shaker (formerly a Costco pepper container) but I thought the holes were a bit small last time so I decided to mod it a bit.
This Morning
I set my alarm for 5a, woke up a few minutes before. In the past I have run down and got the charcoal chimney started and then started trimming but that's no longer necessary thanks to log lighter so I went down to McDonald's and grabbed a sandwich and coffee. I got back, pulled the smoker out of the garage, lit it up, set up a potato probe on the grate in between where the points of the briskets will be.
Go inside, trim briskets, shake on the rub, set them up on boards (actually a cutting board that was dropped and broke in half) to bring down to the smoker. Go check the temp on the smoker. It's very hot (on purpose as I wanted to burn off any cooties from the log lighter) so I let it cool down for a few minutes, sip coffee.
At 7:15a the briskets go on. The smoker was at 300F, I am looking to cook around 275F, so it was just about perfect once the lid was shut again.
Around 9:30a I slice up the bacon that was prepared last night and throw it in the beans, putting them on a stove burner on high. I will drop them to low once they start looking bubbly, about 20 minutes.
More to come.
Attached Files
Comment