Learning curve for the newby

[Chiles]

All,
I've been reading posts and have a few questions as well as some questions generated by my own experience. Some one once said there is no such thing as a dumb question so I hope you will all be a little forgiving to this newby.

1. I recently read about food "stalling" at temp. I have had this happen too, where my turkey breasts got to 160 and did not want to go higher. I had to move the location of them and really crank up the heat to get them to temp.

2. When using temp probes carefully placed in the center, what is the temp to remove poultry? The books say 175 to 180. Consumer Reports says that 165 will kill anything bad. What do you guys say? The last thing I want to do is make anyone sick or ruin good meet by overcooking.

3. Buy or make rubs. It seems to me that purchasing good rubs can get expensive. Is making them that much cheaper? When I cook, I fill the grill and find myself going thru lots of rub.

4. After cooking something that you plan to freeze (extra butts, etc). How do you guys let them cool before packaging for the freezer. I've been told that they should go in the fridge within 2 hours, but my experience is putting a bunch of warm butts in a fridge will raise the internal fridge temp too much.

5. (Don't laugh) What exactly is a fatty?

Chiles

 

[Greg Rempe]

Chiles,

Typically the stalls are in briskets and pork butts, because the fat is rendering out of the meat. I've never had that happen with poultry!

I pull my poultry at 165 in the breast or 180 in the thigh

Rubs...more expensive to buy but its convenient to just grab something and put it on vs. taking the time to make it. Although there are many rubs that take just a few minutes to prepare. It's really personal choice in that regard.

Freezing...I let it cool and then freeze it for an hour so the juices won't get sucked out by the Food saver vacuum.

a fatty is a sausage roll that you pop on the smoker. There are many pics of them and they can be prepared many ways...rubbed, stuffed etc...

Here's a link to a thread that has a fatty cook in it...scroll down a bit on the first page to see the sausage fatty!

http://www.bbq-4-u.com/viewtopic.php?t=7471

 

[Bruce B]

Well let's take the easy one first:

#5 - A fatty is a roll of breakfast sausage you would see in the grocery store, such as Bob Evans, Jimmy Dean, Pernells, etc. You take the sausage out of the plastic wrapper, apply rub to the sausage, then put it on the cooker until it reaches an internal temp of 165. Some folks will flatten the sausage and stuff it, then roll it back up and cook.

#1, #2 - Turkey breast - At 160 that breast is done. Take it off let it rest for 20 minutes and eat. I remove poultry of any kind when it hits 160 in the breast and between 175-180 in the leg or thigh. Temperature plateaus usually occur in cuts of meats with high fat contents, like pork butts or brisketts. That is the time that the fat and collagen are breaking down in the meat. In pork butts it can last for up to 3 hours.

#3 - I buy most of the rubs I use.

#4 - I pull, double wrap in foil and then place in the refrigerator.

 

[wittdog]

Basically what Greg said..the stall we talk about typically happens in pork and beef...it's when the collagen or connective tissue starts to break down...typically this happens in the 165* range and can happen at a lower time like 155* this is where the magic happens...a tough cut of meat becomes melt in your mouth tender...When I do butts the 165* stall usually lasts about 4 hrs...sometimes a piece of meat will stall again later in the cook this stall will not last as long and it doesn't always happen...
Rubs I enjoy making my own...I like to play with them and find that it's alot cheaper to make them yourself but there are some good rubs out there for sale even a few on our board
As far as freezing we typically do it the next day

Fattys are great and simple to make

No such thing as a stupid question...that's why we are all here..We love Q and love to talk about it..and take and look at pics of it

 

[DATsBBQ]

Only two things to add to the great answers above.
The first is when you get to the stall (165 to 180), that is the time to foil. That is, if you foil. Personal choice.
The second has to do with rubs. While there are many great rubs available for sale, (think I see a couple on this board ) , I enjoy making my own. I think it goes to a signature taste that sets your Q apart from the rest. Now that could be a bad thing, so think about it.

 

[Gary in VA]

#1 I agree with what everyone has said... i'll just add... stalling sucks.. especially at a competition when you think things ain't gonna get done

#2 140 kills all bacteria... but, poultry really ain't done there... i get poultry to 165 normally, but have pulled turkeys off at 160 in the breast before without problem

#3 I make some.. I buy some... It depends on what i am looking for and if i want something different. I love to try new rubs.. so i buy alot of different ones and the wife gives me different rubs on occasions. If you want to make your own and you know you will be using alot.. make big batches.. same with sauce.. hey.. it freezes

#4 here is where i differ.. If i am doing a large cook of butts or briskets.. I pull or slice then foodsaver and put right in the freezer. my theory is cool it down as fast as possible. then reheating is just boil in bag and serve. never had a "lack of moisture" problem.

#5 A fatty is as described and shown above.. but also a nice breakfast a couple of hours after starting an early morning cook.. or for competition (if remembered to be tossed on at the right time).. hint.. buy good sausage.

 

[Nick Prochilo]

Chiles, first thing, like you said, there is NO such thing as a stupid question. The folks around here love to answer them so always ask away!

Everybody seems to have hit it right with the answers. Poultry is exactly what Bruce said. As for rubs, some I buy, some I make, some I buy and doctor! If you cooking a whole lot at one time, I personaly wouldn't want to waste a lot of meat with a bad homemade rub. Start with a rub you think will taste good and cook a piece or two on one of your cooks. Then add or subtract from your rub and try it again in small portions on your next cook until your happy with the results, then let her rip after yoy have perfected your rub! I've had cooks where the damn rub cost almost as much as the meat! As for the fatties, don't get caught up in just breakfast sausage. They are good but I much prefer to use Italian sausage squished out of the casing, stuffed to my likeing, rolled and smoked. I'll take that any day over breakfast sausage. I don't foil my butts, they have plenty of fat to keep them moist but I do foil my briskets. My food cools wrapped up on the counter for a little while, then into the freezer.

 

[Captain Morgan]

#2 140 kills all bacteria... but, poultry really ain't done there... i get poultry to 165 normally, but have pulled turkeys off at 160 in the breast before without problem

Right, it's safe at 140, but imho, needs more cookin for better
taste and texture

 

[Gary in VA]

[quote="Gary in VA":1l46pwwx]

#2 140 kills all bacteria... but, poultry really ain't done there... i get poultry to 165 normally, but have pulled turkeys off at 160 in the breast before without problem

Right, it's safe at 140, but imho, needs more cookin for better
taste and texture[/quote:1l46pwwx]

Agree totally..

 

[Aaron1]

137 is the kill point for trich,165 for salmonella.
Aaron

 

[Chiles]

Whew,

That stalling information helps a bunch. All this time I thought I was doing something wrong.

I have cooked with and without foiling butts and think that foiling at 160 is more to my taste. The meat seems to be more moist on the outer egdes and also appears to "steam" in its own juices.

I have read that meat absorbs most of its smoke in the first three or four hours depending on heat. Any concurrence?

Chiles

 

[DATsBBQ]

137 is the kill point for trich,165 for salmonella.
Aaron

I have an old roasting thermometer that you stick in the meat and leave it in for the entire cook (designed for ovens). It has the "Old" recommended temps with lines for various types of meats. Anyway, 180=Poultry! Don't know why I keep that thing in the drawer

 

[Finney]

Nothing more to add here.

But.....
You can actually get a "stall" or even a reduction in temp when you've cooked ALL the moisture out of the meat. Its garbage (or a really big piece of jurky) at that point.

 

[wittdog]

A wise man told me today that “We are all going to the same place it’s just a matter of how we get thereâ€

 

[Finney]

Mike is correct.... meat will take on smoke flavor as long as it is in the presence of smoke. Correct about the smoke ring, also.

 

[Unity]

4. After cooking something that you plan to freeze (extra butts, etc). How do you guys let them cool before packaging for the freezer. I've been told that they should go in the fridge within 2 hours, but my experience is putting a bunch of warm butts in a fridge will raise the internal fridge temp too much.

That sounds like you talking whole butts. If it's butts for pulled pork, you should pull when they're still warm/hot. What I do is pull, package in meal-size units, and freeze. I usually get by with Ziploc freezer bags with the air squeezed out, 'cause pulled pork doesn't last long around here. For longer storage you may want to use a food saver. By the time it's pulled and packaged, I think it's cool enough to go into the freezer.

--John 8)