My Weekend Smoke

[vlap]

I am getting started on my weekends smoke now. Went out for lunch and picked up a cuban sandwich, ice tea and 12.5lb brisket. Going to put a rub on it tonight and tomorrow night I will start smoking it.
Here is the first of many qviews to come.


Im looking forward to this smoke. A long night ofsmoking with my dog , a good book and a bottle of jack. The jack being for spraying the brisket down of course

Now somehow it seems odd to be sitting at work taking pictures of my meat. Probably a policy against that somewhere.

Ok the meat was rubbed down with a small amount of jeff's rub( I didn't go heavy since I want to really taste the beef) Rubbed and wrapped.




This morning at 4am got a full chimney going with cowboy lump.




Still struggling to keep up a good heat in the smoker but the plateau has been breached and temps are rising! More picts to come.

 

[flagriller]

Looks good, I'll bet it will really turn out great!

 

[fatback joe]

Have fun.

I picked up 2 briskets at lunch, but they are going in the freezer.........they just looked like good ones, so I grabbed them.

 

[cowgirl]

Looks good Vlap.
Hmmmm, that cuban sandwich and a bottle of jack sounds good too!

I had popcorn for lunch.

 

[reflect]

I am sure there is ;).

Take care,

Brian

 

[squeezy]

Help me out here ... what is a Cuban sammie?

 

[vlap]

A cuban sammie with a good bowl of black beans and hot sauce! YUMMY!!!!

Cuban sandwich is a variation of a ham and cheese originally created by Cuban workers, either in Cuba or in Ybor City[1], Tampa, Florida. Later, Cubans brought it to other communities in southern Florida, particularly Miami and Key West, Florida. The sandwich is made with ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, mustard, and sometimes salami on Cuban bread.[2]Ingredients

While there is some debate as to the contents of a “true†Cuban sandwich, most are generally agreed upon. The traditional Cuban sandwich starts with Cuban bread. The loaf is sliced into lengths of 8-12 inches (20-30 cm), lightly buttered on the crust, and cut in half horizontally. A coat of yellow mustard is spread on the bread. Then roast pork, glazed ham, Swiss cheese, and thinly-sliced dill pickles are added in layers. Traditionally, the pork is marinated in mojo (a Cuban garlic/citrus marinade) and slow roasted.
The main regional disagreement about the sandwichâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s recipe is whether or not to include salami. In Tampa, Genoa salami is traditionally layered in with the other meats, probably due to influence of Italian immigrants who lived side-by-side with Cubans and Spaniards in Ybor City. [10] [11] In Miami, salami is left out.
In Key West, mayonnaise, lettuce, and tomato are usually added. These additions are often available in restaurants in Tampa and Miami, but are frowned upon by traditionalists there.[12][13]
When assembled, the sandwich is lightly toasted in a sandwich press called a plancha, which is only somewhat similar to a panini press but without grooved surfaces. A traditional Cuban sandwich is never made with a panini grill. The sandwich remains in the plancha until the bread is crisp and the cheese is melted, the press both heats and compresses the sandwich which is then usually cut into two diagonal halves.




Cuban Sandwich
1 loaf Cuban bread*
Prepared yellow mustard
1/2 pound baked ham, thinly sliced
1/2 pound roast pork, thinly sliced
8 thin dill pickle slices
1/2 pound Swiss cheese, thinly sliced
* Italian or French bread may be substituted.
Slice the bread horizontally to open. Spread a thin layer of mustard on top and bottom halves of bread. Arrange ham, pork, pickle slices, and Swiss cheese evenly over the bread. Cover the sandwiches with the top halves of the bread. Cut into 4 sandwiches.
Sandwich Press: Grill sandwiches in a hot buttered sandwich press until flat, bread is browned, and cheese has melted. Remove from heat; cut each sandwich in half and serve immediately.
Waffle Iron: Turn over metal plates to the flat surface. Place sandwich in hot buttered waffle iron, close cover, and grill for 3 minutes on each side.
Griddle: Place sandwich on a hot griddle, and position a heavy iron skillet or bacon press on top of the sandwich. Flatten the sandwich to about 1/4 of it original size. Grill the sandwich for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
George Forman Grill: May also be used.

 

[vlap]

Ok people. I need your assistance. This brisket is a big ol chunka meat. My brinkman verticle may not have the shelf space to hold the entire thing. Is there any detrimental effect if I slice it in half?
I will try to keep a similar thickness in both pieces of meat so that the individual pieces cook in a similar time.

Any thoughts?

 

[vlap]

Also does cutting it down to 2 smaller pieces have an effect on cooking time?

 

[cowgirl]

When I cook a whole 15 to 18lb brisket, I like to cut it in half anyway...I pull the smaller flat out of the smoker before the larger piece.

Also, sometimes when doing a whole brisket, I like to cut off some of the fat from the top of the large end and place it on top of the flat....helps keep it moist.

 

[deejaydebi]

If you sepate the point from the flat I bet it'll fit in there nicely. I had to do that to all my briskets in my ECB or use a bent rib rack and curl it until it shrinks up some.

I like the point best Qued and sliced or puled and the flats for pastrami. I'm pretty sure you know how to separate the meat but for our newbies that don't I have a kind of guide on my Pastrami page:

http://www.deejayssmokepit.net/pastrami.htm

 

[vlap]

Deb, Have I ever told you that you just plain ROCK! Thanks!!! One of these days I hope I can repay you for all these good recipes. Need a good creme brulee recipe?

 

[vlap]

Cowgirl.. Thanks for your reply. I feel like I can move on with the brisket now. Any difference in cook time when splitting it?

 

[walking dude]

my last one wouldn't fit my brinkman.........so i put a rib rack UNDER it.........not quiet like dj's..........then when it shrunk up enuff..........took the rib rack out and let the brisket lay flat......like debi said.....after it shrinks up

now this is NOT the 4 rib rack "rack"..........a 2 rib rack "rack".......so it would only take up the center part of the grill rack..........folded up just nitce..........

or like they have said here........seperate the point from the flat........tho i would put a temp. probe in each.........to find which one reaches your set temp, for what you want to do with it........and pull each off at its perfect temp..........

jm2cw

d88de

 

[vlap]

Dude...I appreciate the input! Thank you sir!

 

[walking dude]

SIR????????

d88de looks around the room................WHO YOU CALLING SIR??????


lmao.............j/k


last time i was called sir, they spelt it cur..........heheheheh......

vlap.......take lots of pics.......what a monster.......did one just this last weekend......using the rocks like i mentioned in the other post......doing dutch's encillada's tomorrow with some of the left overs........smokebuzz hopefully be down for it..........

good luck kind SIR.........heheheheh..........just busting again.....

d88de

 

[deejaydebi]

Vlap -

That actually sounds good! I've never made creme brulee but I've been hearing about it a lot lately. One day I'll come to collect ...

a big ole hug hon!

BTW - the points make GREAT burnt ends!

 

[cowgirl]

Vlap IMO, the flats don't take as long.....could just be my smoker.


Mmmmm Debi, burnt ends are my favorites.

 

[moltenone]

how do the burnt ends come about?would you please xsplain this.

Mark

 

[squeezy]

Boy! ... when I ask a question, I get an answer sometimes!
Thanks for sharing.

Reminds me a little bit of the Muffeleta sammie I had in New Orleans ... love to revisit that sometime ....