need a little help

[Uncle Bubba]

I have started to use that Jacard meat tenderizer to get the rub into that first inch of bark and allow it to penetrate. Can't say it does much for the smoke ring. I'd take the sand out and see if that makes a difference. It's the only other variable you have changed. At least you'll eliminate that possibility.

If someone has a brine recipe for butts I'd love to see it and try it. Will it make it taste like ham though?

 

[Bruce B]

Bubba,

I've got a recipe for a marinade from Mryon Mixon of Jack's Old South BBQ Team that he used on pork shoulder on the Food Network you can try. I'll post it in the recipe section.

I know you said brine but have you tried injection yet? I've got a good injection recipe from Chris Lilly of Big Bob Gibson BBQ. I'll post it in the recipe section also.

 

[Nick Prochilo]

Bubba,

I've got a recipe for a marinade from Mryon Mixon of Jack's Old South BBQ Team that he used on pork shoulder on the Food Network you can try. I'll post it in the recipe section.

I know you said brine but have you tried injection yet? I've got a good injection recipe from Chris Lilly of Big Bob Gibson BBQ. I'll post it in the recipe section also.

Bruce, have you tryed these?

 

[Finney]

I think everyone has used a variation of Lilly's injection.

 

[Finney]

[quote="Nick Prochilo":27h7emc8][quote="Bruce B":27h7emc8]Bubba,

I've got a recipe for a marinade from Mryon Mixon of Jack's Old South BBQ Team that he used on pork shoulder on the Food Network you can try. I'll post it in the recipe section.

I know you said brine but have you tried injection yet? I've got a good injection recipe from Chris Lilly of Big Bob Gibson BBQ. I'll post it in the recipe section also.

Bruce, have you tryed these?[/quote:27h7emc8]
i've used the lilly injection with good results. it takes a few tries to get the technique down so you don't get streaks but the flavor has always been good. i've even tried replace some of the salt with accent and it still tasted good.[/quote:27h7emc8]
MSG?!?!?

 

[DATsBBQ]

Brian,
You must be one of the lucky ones. MSG is guaranteed to give me a headache.
DATsBBQ

 

[DATsBBQ]

In my youth MSG didn't bother me at all. Used it almost everything. Somewhere along the line it started to get to me. Some folks are fine with it, but it disappeared from my spice rack decades ago and I don't miss it (or the head aches).

I tried the Atkins thing for a year until all the Atkin's friendly products went away. I found that the fake sugars, especially the alcohols don't digest and stick around inside your gut. So, I go with natural sugars when possible, lightly with refined sugars and avoid the nutrasweets, spendas and equal like the plague.

Bring on the Vinegar-based sauces!
DATsBBQ

 

[Finney]

MSG?!?!?

yep, tried it for competitions. msg gets a bad wrap that it doesn't deserve.

I agree... just funning with ya. :!:

 

[cflatt]

this is what I like so much about this board. all kinds of different things to try. When I get back from Vegas I think the first thing I will do is try a new butcher for a different brand of meat. If that doesnt change I may switch back to water from sand just for kicks, though I doubt the heatsink will matter too much. Once I get back to something along the lines of what I am used to, then I will try the injections, but I think I want to try and find what changed that created the difference first. then I will try to make it better from there. thanks everyone for the advice.

 

[wittdog]

I have started to use that Jacard meat tenderizer to get the rub into that first inch of bark and allow it to penetrate. Can't say it does much for the smoke ring. I'd take the sand out and see if that makes a difference. It's the only other variable you have changed. At least you'll eliminate that possibility.

If someone has a brine recipe for butts I'd love to see it and try it. Will it make it taste like ham though?

The cure, "insta cure or prague cure" which are sodium nitrates give the meat a hammy taste. A brine that doesn't include those will not give you the hammy taste.

 

[LarryWolfe]

Did you switch brands of charcoal?

Good thought Yankee boy! :razz:

 

[Finney]

[quote="Bryan S":ilk9fhdi]Did you switch brands of charcoal?

Good thought Yankee boy! :razz:[/quote:ilk9fhdi]
Finally. 8-[

 

[Shawn White]

Smoke ring does not equal smoke flavor. It only forms in the presence of smoke and when the meat is below 140ºF. You can have smoke flavor without smoke ring.

If your cooker was really hot and or your meat much warmer than usual when you started I can see possibly a diminished smoke ring from what you are used to but you should still have at least some. (won't always see smoke ring on fat cap side of brisket or on skin side of picnic cooked with skin on).

If lack of smoke wasn't a problem perhaps what you put on it can hinder smoke ring formation. Like did you rub it with oil, slather with mustard then dump a ton of rub on?

 

[cflatt]

I switched from cowboy to royal oak a couple of months ago once they got it in up here, but I have had much better cooks on it. I can get the BGE lump here but its 22 bucks a bag, plus , doesnt RO make it anyway ? and Humpreys is only 80 miles from the house but no one in my area sells it. I guess I will just keep on using RO as long as i can get it at wally world.

Meat was about 40 degrees when I put it on a 196 degree smoker then let it get up to about 235. No oil, no mustard, and the same amount of rub I always use. I am gonna try a different supplier for the meat next time.

 

[Finney]

RO is a step up from Cowboy, but I guess it could still be part of your problem. You're gonna have to play around with it to get your answer.

 

[LarryWolfe]

Curtis this is my only other guess. What is your wood source? Maybe the wood was very old and burnt too fast, thus not creating enough smoke for flavor or smoke ring?

 

[cflatt]

I am beginning to think it was the meat. I still had smoldering chunks, even after I was in the 170s on the butt. I do need to find a place to get the wood up here, Still finding where everything is. Used to be the farm was only45 mins away....now its 850 miles...so I have been asking around and looking for orchards in the area as well.

 

[LarryWolfe]

I am beginning to think it was the meat. I still had smoldering chunks, even after I was in the 170s on the butt. I do need to find a place to get the wood up here, Still finding where everything is. Used to be the farm was only45 mins away....now its 850 miles...so I have been asking around and looking for orchards in the area as well.

Not sure what kinda wood you want, but Wal Marts have bags of Hickory and Mesquite. I've never had a problem with them and they always have it.

 

[cflatt]

i have been getting the bags of hickory at lowes here. I guess I still have some more "getting used to" this new...northern area.

 

[LarryWolfe]

i have been getting the bags of hickory at lowes here. I guess I still have some more "getting used to" this new...northern area.

I got the bags from Lowes in Myrtle Beach because I forgot the ones from home. The ones from Lowes were not very good. Lots of either HUGE pieces or small pieces and splinters and not as dry as the brands from WallyWorld.