I get excited about a smoke. Picking the recipe, shopping for ingredients, firing up the grill, controlling the temperature & smoke, (drinking the beer) ... But many times, I think the result is 'Meh.' It doesn't help that my wife is only slightly interested in my effort.
Does anyone else sometimes think their results are underwhelming? Or is just because I don't get enough feedback?
Lonestar Grillz 24x36 offset smoker, grill, w/ main chamber charcoal grate and 3 tel-tru thermometers - left, right and center
Yoke Up custom charcoal basket and a Grill Wraps cover.
22.5 copper kettle w/ SnS, DnG, BBQ vortex, gasket and stainless steel hinge kit.
Napoleon gas grill (soon to go bye bye) rotting out.
1 maverick et-733 digital thermometer - black
1 maverick et-733 - gray
1 new standard grilling remote digital thermometer
1 thermoworks thermopen mk4 - red
1 thermoworks thermopop - red
Pre Miala flavor injector
taylor digital scale
TSM meat grinder
chefs choice food slicer
cuisinhart food processor
food saver vacuum sealer
TSM harvest food dehydrator
My wife is not a bbq fan either. I also like my beer when BBQing. So I feel your pain.
My only thoughts on this is maybe your into the beer too much.
Ask me how I know. 😔
Trust me I know. 😬
It happens. 😁
But all is good if the final product is tasty.
I do enjoy my beer. But even if I've had several, sometimes I still think 'This was a lot of effort for not much.' Still, I'll try some 'dry' cooks, and see how the results are.
I dunno much, truly...
But...
I do know this:
Yall surely cain't mention Beer that many times, in any post, an not expect me to jus happen to 'happen by' lol
Cooking gadgets
Weber Summit Charcoal Grill Center
Weber Summit Platinum D6
Blue Rhino Razor
Dyna-Glo XL Premium Dual Chamber
Camp Chef Somerset IV along with their Artisan Pizza Oven 90
Anova WiFi
Thermometers
Thermapen Mk4 - ThermaQ High Temp Kit - ThermaQ Meathead Kit - ThermaQ WiFi - ThermoWorks IR-GUN-S - ThermoWorks Signals & Billows - ThermoPop -ThermoWorks ProNeedle - ThermoWorks TimeStick Trio x2 - and a Christopher Kimball timer - NO, I do not work for ThermoWorks...I just like their products.
Other useful bits...
KitchenAid 7-qt Pro Line stand mixer
A Black & Decker food processor that I can't seem to murder
A couple of immersion blenders, one a "consumer" model & the other a "high end" Italian thing. Yes, the Italian one is a bit better, but only marginally
Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus 8-qt + accessories like egg-bite & egg holders
All-Clad pots & pans, along with some cast iron...everything from 7" Skookie pans to 8.5qt Dutch ovens
Weber GBS griddle, pizza stone, and wok
Knives range from Mercer to F. Dick to "You spent how much for one knife? One knife?!" LOL
Is this for all cooks or just specific dishes? I know it took me several tries years ago to get anything close to what I wanted in a brisket. Not terrible...but not what I was expecting based on what I’d had in restaurants.
I’m sure feedback could also play some part in that... But with few exceptions I think I’m the better cook amongst my friends & family so I don’t really solicit accolades if you know what I mean. OTOH, it is pretty cool to have people get truly excited about something I’ve cooked.
Does she have a favourite? Perhaps you could bring her onboard with that.
My wife barely likes BBQ. My 7 year old son loves my ribs and pulled pork so I make it for him. My wife will eat it and is complimentary of it but would be just as happy if she never had it again.
She likes steak, Tr-Tip, Bavette, pork chops, and chicken. Brisket and beef ribs not at all so I never make those.
She is the baker in the family so we have great desserts. She also make great slaw and potato salad.
Doesn't really address your comment. I do feel like my BBQ is just ok
Hmmmm....tsk, tsk...No wife here, but my cat (Smokey Joe) climbs an rubs all over my smokers, an begs an pleads fer me to git offa my lazy arse, an make some BBQ fer him to share with me...
Reckon I'll haveta look into gittin me one them there wife kinda thingies... Or Not.
Last edited by Mr. Bones; September 6, 2020, 06:23 AM.
Also, though: it is a well known phenomenon, discussed here several times, that sometimes cooking all day makes you less interested in eating the final product. It happens to me more when I do a really involved meal, with lots of prep and many dishes.
I think that's the root of it. I've developed an interest in cooking, so my wife steps aside and lets me do everything.
OT: Where I've enjoyed a good dish at a restaurant (or food truck) I make a point of letting the cook know it was good. 👍
I think the amount of pre-cook work amps up the expectations too many notches. That's why I select recipes by the amount of ingredients. My best steaks (ribeyes of course) are from the frying pan or the gas grill. The only ingredient added is Tony Chachere's. Anything that takes more work than that is alright......I guess.
I've only been at this for about a year now. I've had failures (i.e. inedible), and I've had mehs and somethings that I would eat every night if I could.
The mehs outweigh the amazings, to be sure. For me, a lot is just trying to figure out what I like.
For every cook I do, I give it a one to four star rating:
Terrible.
Not my thing. While nothing went wrong with the cook, it just did not do it for me.
Quite good. Probably will be added to the rotation.
LOVED IT. If I didn't want to make other things, I'd make it weekly.
I've even had a few Steven Raichlen recipes get a two. One of them even got a one.
(Mile-High Pancake....it was like eating drywall.)
Cook for many. Often times after a long cook I am too tired to actually appreciate what I have done. I really love it the next day when I get the leftovers. Everyone else loves my cooks. Cook for the neighborhood once a month for the pat on the back. I promise you it is worth it.
I find that summer smokes really wipe me out. From the Fall - Spring, when the weather is temperate or even cold, I enjoy it more.
Even though I am retired, I have a summer job. I get very little outside cooking done now during the prime season. Watch what happens to your audience when you offer up BBQ in the winter.
I am fortunate that my wife not only like Q, she likes MY Q. But she is also honest when I don’t quite nail it. But I usually already know that at the time. As others have said already, you win some, you lose some. If it came out perfect every time, it would be boring. Have the fun is working through the challenges to produce great Q.
Now, about the beer. I have a very long and very deep, close relationship with the malted adult beverages. Very long. Very deep. Very close. A must when BBQ is involved! 🍺😎🍻
We are our own harshest critics. I don’t think I have ever produced a dish that I was completely satisfied with yet everyone else seems to love it. I do find it helps when cooking for a long time over a smoker to take a shower before actually eating what was cooked.
I do find it helps when cooking for a long time over a smoker to take a shower before actually eating what was cooked.
That's great advise, I hadn't thought of that. It drives me crazy that I can taste the meat and seasoning flavours but I can never taste the smoke. I have to ask opinions of the smoke taste, which embarrasses me a little but I realise it's because I've had my head in the little COS all day. Gonna give this a try on the next cook, thanks mate
Equipment
Primo Oval xl
Slow n Sear (two)
Drip n Griddle
22" Weber Kettle
26" Weber Kettle one touch
Blackstone 36†Pro Series
Sous vide machine
Kitchen Aid
Meat grinder
sausage stuffer
5 Crock Pots Akootrimonts
Two chimneys (was 3 but rivets finally popped, down to 1)
cast iron pans,
Dutch ovens
Signals 4 probe, thermapens, chef alarms, Dots, thermapop and maverick T-732, RTC-600, pro needle and various pocket instareads. The help and preferences
1 extra fridge and a deep chest freezer in the garage
KBB
FOGO
A 9 year old princess foster child
Patience and old patio furniture
"Baby Girl" The cat
The shower thing is true for me works. Also we tend to nibble and fill up on water or beer as well. After a while your hunger will dissipate too. Then the rush as we pull off service, feed family or friends.
Add all this stuff adds up and like Batman "WHAMO!" And "BOOF!"
I think all the above 👆 people have valid points too. Prep work, expectations, stressing all day, BBQ in the winter etc..
Honestly I wouldn’t put too much stock in the opinions of others. Most people are just happy to be eating and for free. You won’t get the truth from them as they don’t want to hurt your feelings and often times the answers we are looking for requires an understanding of the nuanced question.
Make people pay for food and watch how fast you get opinions and honesty. Charge your family enough and they’ll likely leave you a negative yelp review.
The real truth or as close as we get to it comes from few people.
I actually focus on the meat. You will not notice very many rubs and such on my food. Nail the protein first and the rest is ancillary. Nail by good technique like dry brine, appropriate smoke and cook. Then go from three. Go back to salt n pepper or/and Gran garlic and cumin. Simple but bold. So I suggest revisiting and doubling down on nailing the Protein cook first before making killer sides, sauces and rubs. Back to basics to reacquaint yourself, tastebuds and expectations.
Taste the fire, the grill and the crunchy bark or sear again with a better understanding now.
Sometimes I’m stuck and something I’ve made well and a trillion twelve times seems off or different. I hate that. Just gotta roll with it.
Never tell anyone what you didn’t serve them as that also changes their opinions.
Last edited by HouseHomey; August 31, 2020, 04:50 PM.
I am coming around to this approach too. I had a cabinet full of rubs, now I am down to MMD, a couple of Hank's and some Black Ops. And Montreal Steak. Mostly I just use salt and black pepper these days.
PBCDad I had to spell check it like three time because the word wasn’t coming up🤷â€â™‚ï¸
klflowers The 100% without question of a go to rub is Henrik Hanks rubs. Also Sweet n savory from blues hog and lately Sophia and the Princess Ava like that Honey Pecan from ??? Heaven made? The princess likes the "orange chicken."
Donw -- I'll have to try the shower idea.
I remember the time I went to the grocery store during a smoke, and the customer ahead of me asked the cashier "Do you smell something burning?" I sheepishly said "It might be me."
I think there are a few things that can lead to this feeling:
First, the chef. As others have said, you buy the meat, research what to use, prep the fire etc etc. I think this is more of a factor the more elaborate prep and the cook are. This is also probably more of a factor when you're doing something new because you WANT it to turn out great.
Second, the ingredients. Sometimes you get a piece of meat that is great. Sometimes you get one that's... not. Cutting corners can also bite you in the rear - going for a piece of meat because it's what the store had, etc
Third, not all 'que is equally interesting. To me, pulled pork is ok. Brisket, beef ribs, etc is just more interesting because I get more of the influence of it having been smoked.
Finally, BBQ is a fairly narrow flavor profile. It's basically all smoked meat and the rubs are traditionally a pretty narrow flavor range too. If we ate nothing but a few popular Italian American dishes we might be a little tired of those too. Same if we ate a few popular Chinese dishes or... you get the idea. The way to combat this for me is simply to put BBQ in the rotation and keep it as one of a bunch of flavors I eat.
I couldn’t agree more. Also though (proper English??) "outdoor cooking" I prefer rather than BBQ. Thus expanding the repituoir for more profiles. Still though, a profile.
I used BBQ because a lot of folks here griddle or do skewers etc and those can be almost any flavor profile whereas to me BBQ is southern 'que -pulled pork, brisket, ribs, etc.
Don't get me wrong... I like it or I wouldn't be here, but it's a relatively narrow profile if you do traditional stuff.
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