Brisket, Butt & Beans for WORK! (maybe spares for family) Qview heavy

[forluvofsmoke]

This is my first chance to show the local field and office employees just what I can do with a smoker.

A little history behind my excitement:
About 8 years ago, I was the safety coordinator for our area (part-time as needed, along with my regular duties). I was responsible for incident reporting/investigations, etc., and I did the monthly safety meeting/employee training gig and I would do my best to put on a grilling session as it was all I had time for (top sirloins, fajitas. etc).

Last Thursday our Lead Mechanic informed me that we would be having a safety meeting on the 6th @ 4:00 PM. He said the District Manager was having trouble getting a deal going with the new motel's steak-house for a meeting dinner. He told me to give the manager a call if I wanted to do a Bbq (they'd buy the groceries, I'd get the leftovers).

So, I callled the man and explained our idea. He went nuts (in a good way)! He said that would be MUCH better than Subway sandwiches. I wrote up a list of items needed and handed it to the mechanic who was more than happy to take care of me. He's had some of my Bbq already, so maybe there was something behind his mention of me doing the meeting meal? Naw, really?

All I will put into it is a few hours of my time, less than a gallon of propane, some smoke wood, and about $0.75 worth of rub ingredients, and a couple foil steam pans which I'm going to not use much any more after my next Bbq equipment order comes in about 10 days.

The mechanic picked up the goods lastnight, brought them to work today, and I picked it up at 6:55 am. At 7:30 the Butt was smokin'! The Brisket was trimmed, seperated and joined the Butt 20 minutes later.

This is by no means a massive amount of food, as there will only be 15-18 attending the meeting. I'm sure we're all gonna enjoy it much more than the Bbq PP & PB we had last fall at the local (now out of business/closed) Bbq joint. That stuff was terrible...I wouldn't serve that to my dogs.

It's gonna be a GREAT DAY!!!!!!!!! I've been having fun since I started this gig last week...it'll only get better!!!!!!!!!

I didn't get pics of the butt after unpacking/rubbing...but we've all seen our share of nice butts by now, right? Heh-heh-heh

I'll take a vote from the family and see what they want for dinner tonight...I was thinking a couple of slabs of spares I have in the freezer would do just fine (quick thaw in cryovac package).

So, here we go!

The goods:

7.52 lb Butt & 10.91 lb Packer:


Trimmed out, seperated and rubbed:


And we all know what this means...musical fruit:


Getting happy with Hickory @ 225~235*:


I'll keep the progress coming with more later.

I have 3 full tanks of propane, plenty of smoke wood and nuthin' but time! LOL!!!!!!

Thanks All!

Eric

 

[oneshot]

Oh are those beans gonna be awesome!!!! I can taste them already!!!!

Ya oughta get a promotion and raise otta this......

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Thanks, yeah, it'll all be good eats. Not looking for a promotion though...got the best job in the industry already...I'm my own boss for the most part, and make any decisions in the field on the spot...I rarely ever need to speak to a supervisor, as I have alot of experience with my job (15 years now).

As far as a raise, they pay great for what I do...best pay and benefits of any of our competitors...I really like my job, and feel very fortunate to still be working.


Here's the update:

The I/T on the flat was coming on hard and strong at first...had me a bit worried that it might stall at a much higher temp. I had it smoking up on the hotter rack on top, so that it wouldn't baffle the heat from the 2 other pieces (the flat being the largest surface area of the 3). It's running @ 250* + up there, but she'll be OK.

With a lower stall temp (147*), it should be really tender by the time it comes out at 170 or so for brasing in a steam pan. I'm happy about that for sure.

I haven't probed the Brisket Point yet, as it's on the cooler rack position, 2 spaces above the water pan...it'll be along for a brase about the time I pull the flat as well.

It's going great so far.

The butt is slowly inching towards the 140* mark, and should hit at about 4 hours.

Note: the timer for the Butt (the probe on the left) wasn't started until about 10 minutes after hitting the smoke...forgot...better late than never?

Internals of the Butt & Flat, respectively:


Don't they look purty?:




I'm glad to be smoking again today...yesterday was a nice experience with my first brined yard bird...today, I get to cap-off my days off with another nice one for the family, and one for the boys at work!

I think that brisket is the KING of beef Bbq, so I thought it would only be fitting to treat the guys to two things I really love to smoke and eat.

Next time, spares or BB's? We'll see...

I'll probably fire up the SNP for the 2 slabs of pork spares I have nearly thawed-out. I could put them into the Smoke Vault but don't want to crowd it too badly, as I still have a big batch of smoked beans to get going yet.

I forgot to mention, I'll pull the butt (of course), and slice the entire brisket. I've done 2 briskets in the past this way and we loved it! This is my 4th brisket, and counting them up fast! LOL!

Back later with more!

Thanks Everyone!

Eric

 

[fire it up]

Looking good so far Eric. Those guys are going to love it, and hell yeah better than subway.

 

[bmudd14474]

looks good so far. Cant wait to see the finish.

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Oooooooh yeah...gonna be a great time sharing this with the boys!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks!

Thanks Brian!


Well, I didn't look at these labels real close until after the thaw. They are nearly identical twins...0.01 lb difference...weird eh? Maybe it's a good omen of things to come?
No, I'm not superstitious...just tossed that in...
Probably won't see this again for years, if ever! LOL!!!


Got the SNP wisping with Mesquite...target temp of 225~230*:


We love our spares, so tonight's gonna be another tasty dinner @ my house.

Hmm, I wonder if I should do a batch of smoked beans for our dinner, too...
I think I have all the goods...I know I have the smoker space...Hmm...I'll see what Mama wants first...
she's the boss, and we've had alot of smoked beans lately...
I'm only the boss once I start the cook! Heh-heh-heh!
Gotta keep Mama happy ya know.

Back with more later.

Thanks all!

Eric

 

[mballi3011]

Everything looks great I know everyone will enjoy the grub.

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Thanks! I'm just chuggin' along in cruise-mode now...everything is in the smokers.


I had a little hickup when the domestic water in our area got shut down (un-announced) for 3-1/2 hours while I was just getting ready to start more food prep. But that's over and we are back on track, lookin' peachy!

I have quite a bit of meat shrinkage now, so I moved the Point up from the 4th rack position to the 1st rack so it could join it's Flat sibling for the rest of the smoke, and to make room for the beans.

I/T's for the Butt & Flat:


And, the whole crew is getting happy now:


Spares for our dinner tonight @ 2-3/4 hours...pull-back is just starting:


More to follow later.

I think I gonna sample some rib trimmings in a bit....yum-yum!

Thanks for peeking!

Eric

 

[forluvofsmoke]

We have a fast developing storm coming through as I write. I felt I'd be better off to foil what I could, regardless of internal temps. The Flat & Butt were in the upper 160's. All I had time for was a few quick pics, and the SNP still has the ribs on open grates.

The temps on the SNP dropped 50*+ in about 3-4 minutes after the wind and rain started, so I just bumped the valve open a bit by feel and crossed my fingers. I'll sneek back out to check temps, and maybe put the ribs in pans as well, as soon as things cool off out there. We may have another boomer following this one, so it could be an interesting evening.

Here's my reason for foiling up what I could.
This is just before it hit the perverbial fan.
I've seen 'em like this before, not a good sign:






My last ditch effort to save the boy's (and my) safety meeting dinner was pretty quick. About 3 minutes and I was heading for the house. It helps when you have all your supplies close by.

The Point and Flat nestling in for a soak in the sauna with some Pineapple Juice from the beans, and a quick shot or two of water:



The Butt (with same liquids) waiting to return for it's soaking:


They did develope really nice bark all the way (I really like my powdered rubs), and good coloring too. Nothing scorched at all. The pics are a fairly representation of the actual color (the brisket is a bit out of focus), as these are with natural outdoor lighting.

This is gonna be a great feed for the boys...and our's for tonight is coming along nicely as well.

Ah, man, I gotta check the internet doppler radar and see if we have a break in the weather coming yet...SNP/Ribs are getting lonely!

Back later!

Thanks

Eric

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Lucky for me, it was a fast moving storm. Got the ribs panned up and back for a brase.





Wow! What a ride today...fun though.

I figured I'd double up the ribs in a single pan, just to save space. I don't think I can fit 2 full-size steam pans into the SNP...at least I don't remember ever trying. It will take longer to finish, but hey, good Bbq is worth waiting for.

Getting closer to the finished goods!

Eric

 

[cajunsmoke13]

Awesome feast there, looks great. Nice job

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Thanks Cajun...so far the plan is coming together...gotta love it!!!!!!


Got my ribs out of the pan...the brasing helped pull-back quite a bit...they looked much better when I opened the tent for a peek, so chow time is in about 20 minutes. Can anyone make it in time?!?!?!?!? LOL!!!!!!!!





Firming them back up @ 235~240*:




I'll get the finish for the ribs (tonight's dinner here at home) done first and posted.
The Brisket, Butt and Beans are still in the Vault...I'm getting a great smoke on the beans as planned.
I gave 'em stir about 20 minutes ago and they had a nice dark color on top.
So, I got that mixed in and we'll get another one formed before I pull everything and get pics of PP and SB & Smoked Beans.

Thanks for lookin'!

Eric

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Check this out...bones come out clean:




There's my famous smoke ring again

:


Plated next to Rice-a-Roni w/fresh sauteed mushrooms:


They ended up with a 4-2-0.75...I really like the foiling method since I started doing it. Seem like extra work and materials, but it's worth it to me.

It's coming up on 9:00 PM here, so, I'm gonna get me some...I'm HUNGRY!!!!!!!!

Thanks!

Back with the finish on the Butts and Brisket later.

Eric

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Been a long day, but a fun one...any time I can spend in my outdoor kitchen with the thin blue is always a pleasure.

Today, I had the added benefit of doing a good smoke for 2 different meals/2 different groups...I hit a couple small speed bumps along the way, but, it's been a great ride through the thin blue today.


Heres what I pulled out for the crew at work tonight:






These bad boys got a healthy dose of Hickory for nearly 4-1/2 hours.
They'll be smokey good for sure.



I re-tented and towel wrapped the meats for an hour, pulled the Butt, then sliced the Brisket. The Point and Flat had some burnt ends, and the rest was almost too tender to slice.

I left them in the steam pan for twice as long as I did with the last 2...worked OK though.
Point:


Flat:




In a half-size steam table pan:



The Butt was a snap to pull. All the tougher tissues were gone...just melted away. I just pulled the bone out and tossed the meat like a garden salad with my large-tined meat forks...heh-heh, never even broke a sweat. It's been awhile since I've burned a butt...now I remember why I like 'em so much!

The bone came out clean:


Pulled:





They are all happily chillin' in my Q fridge for the night.

I'm confident the meal on meeting day at work will be a big hit.

I'm looking forward to doing a different batch of meats for the next one.

Who knows...this may just become a tradition at our quarterly safety meetings.

I'll let ya know how they like it....should be quite a nice feed for the boys.

Thanks Everyone! It's been fun, and now I'm done!

Eric

 

[rivet]

Beautifully done all around! What an excellent post and demonstration on multiple meals.

 

[backcountry]

I don't even know what to say... Great post.

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Thanks, Rivet! I really enjoy posting these progressive qviews...lots of stuff comes up that I can document for reference later, for all to review. I had a really good time doing this smoke, as always.

Thanks! I have a blast putting qviews together. Nuthin' like a good smoke to share here with all my buddies!!!!!!!!

Eric

 

[forluvofsmoke]

I had a few company reps talk with me on the cell phone yesterday and today before our meeting. They were really anxious to have my Bbq, as word got around over the weekend what I was planning.

The meeting dinner today was nothing short of fantastic. Rave reviews from everyone. After we ate dinner, a bunch of the guys were commenting about it, and they all expressed their thanks and applauded me for putting on such a great feed.

The division manager said he knew everyone liked it because he's never seen them eat that much food. He drove 4 hours each way for this meeting and said he would of been here just for the Bbq, if he didn't need to be here for the meeting.

It was a unanimous decision by the division manager, the district manager, the field supervisor, safety coordinator, mechanics and drivers (16 out of 16) is that I am wanted to do a BBq for the next quarterly safety meeting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Man, I'm excited!!!!!!!!!

My earlier observation about the possibility of it becoming a tradition for our area is very real.

I just had to share my success with everyone here...BTW, here's the remains of our dinner:

Smoked Beans:


Sliced Brisket (left) and Pulled Pork (right):



Normally I would have been sad to not have leftover Q...today there was just enough left for one serving, even of the sides brought by the mechanic who did the groceries for me. Everyone was about to pop buttons from their shirts from the bulging bellys, and alot of them said they ate WAY TOO MUCH. I really like that! It tells me that I did a pretty dood job for the boys...even figuring out how much they would eat.

Anyway, I feel jacked up tonight...it great!!!!!!!

I'll post the next burn I do for the boys in about 3 months...see ya there!

Thanks all!

Eric