# I'M BACK! Daughter's Wedding - My 1st to cook for: Planning, Smoking, Q-View (HUGE success)



## forluvofsmoke

My oldest daughter is getting married in June, and by request of herself, and many others (I heard a lot of comments like: Dad, you're cooking for the wedding, right?) [I have 5 kids, 3 still @ home], I was volunteered to cook the meats. Well, I already was planning for it in the background before being asked, assuming correctly as to how this would transpire. I began more serious planning a couple weeks ago by listing what I wanted to cook, planning for a smaller wedding of around 100 in attendance, per my daughter. In reality, I'll have enough meats cooked for over 150 (just in case she under-estimated on her invitation list, and they all show-up...lol!!!).

Today (03-26-13) I made a trip to our nearest Sam's Club for cases of brisket, pork butts and baby backs (1 case each) and 10 whole chickens (2 of which went into the smoker for dinner immediately after returning home, as 8 will be smoked for pulled chicken for the reception dinner). So, with all the changes I went through in my planning, I thought it would be a good idea to share exactly how I'm putting this together, just so anyone on the fence about doing a similar event can get some creative thoughts going and figure out how they can do it themselves...it may seem overwhelming, but you need to keep it simple, while covering the basic needs from a food service stand-point. Also, with no money being paid to you makes for less restrictions regarding food service equipment...doesn't have to be NSF approved, as some of mine won't be either (roaster ovens, in specific), but I will practice necessary hygiene and related prep and cooking food safety.

Oh, just to clarify, I was originally planning for on-site smoking and grilling, with the purchase of 2 more larger vertical smokers, but the thought of the stress of trying to get nearly 100lbs of meats cooked and out of the smoker at my desired time for resting, pulling, slicing and serving fresh out the cookers just didn't seem like a good road to travel. So, I'm cooking everything ahead of time, freezing and reheating to serve in roaster ovens, instead. That idea came to me with a great deal of relief, as I was not fond of the idea of cramming 15 slabs of baby backs into one smoker on rib racks and smoking for nearly 8 hours to get them done due to over-crowding.

Anyway, while the birds for tonight's dinner were getting happy, I assessed my weights on 3 of 5 brisket and 6 of 10 butts, decided the weights would yield at least as much as what I wanted and prepared to get the butts started smoking tonight while the 3 briskets lay in my Q-Fridge until my next days-off work when they will meet their fate as well. The 15 slabs of baby back ribs and 8 birds went to the super-chill to wait for their ride down smoky lane another day in a few more weeks, or a couple months if I want to wait that long...I've got plenty of time to get this finished. The remaining butts and briskets? Well, I have a reunion coming up in July and could smoke 'em up for that, assuming I can wait that long without a personal pulled pork or brisket smoke...uh, probably not very likely, but I can restock for the reunion in event that I can't resist the urge...LOL!!!

I also grabbed up disposable items such as dinner, appetizer and cake plates, flat-ware, a case of decent, heavy-weight napkins, stainless serving spoons, tongs, etc. Oh, did I mention that I am coordinating the entire meal? OK, now I did...sides will be prepared the day before, except for the wicked beans (a spin-off of Dutch's recipe), which will be cooked on-site while reheating the meats. Why get all this stuff purchased so early? To get it off my "must do list" so I can focus on more important things, an have time to rethink my supplies if anything drastic changes are made before it's too close to the due date, that's why...nothings set in stone, so this allows me to add if I desire.

The venue chosen by my daughter is 140 miles away from my home (in her college's town), so transport of food and necessary items for final prep will be much easier than doing all the cooking on-site, by far. Also, the venue (chosen just a couple days ago) won't be a good choice for outdoor cooking, as it's an Elk's Lodge banquet room with a full working kitchen (very nice venue, IMHO), so overall I feel that my decision a week ago to cook ahead of time is best...not best for the quality of the finished products, IMO, as ribs, pulled pork with a great bark and pulled and sliced brisket are best served fresh from the cooker, but, this will still be do-able for much better eats than you can pay for to have done on-site...I mean, seriously, who wouldn't like Bbq more than (almost) anything else for a summer wedding reception dinner? Huh? Most of the guests in attendance will be new to my Q, although word has spread far and wide of my abilities, so I'm sure they'll be looking forward to it, and I'm confident they'll enjoy partaking in something I LOVE to do!!! Not to focus the entire event on food, as it's my daughter's wedding...it's her and her soon-to-be hubby's day, hopefully to be filled with many enjoyable memories. BTW, her all-time favorite is pulled chicken, so I already planned on that, just for her, and when she heard today that I had all the good and most of the supplies on hand and ready to roll, she was pretty excicted.

SO, WHERE"S THE Q-VIEW?!?!?!?!? Alright, you talked me into it...LOL!!!
Tonight's yard birds, just to get the Smoke Vault back in the groove, as she's been a bit lonely for most of the winter...325* with apple and pecan chunks and 46* at start-up, dropping to 34* in the 2.25 hours it took for them to get happy. Prep consisted of on of my favorites, KISS...rinsed, rubbed liberally with olive oil after drying off, then dry rubbed with Lawry's Poultry Seasoning and Dry Rub (just because I needed something quick, and it's pretty tasty). Olive oil for aiding in crisping the skin, along with a dry smoke chamber. These came out pull-able, fall apart tender, and I wasn't even shooting for that...can't wait to smoke the birds for pulled chicken!!!:

Around 140-150* internal in the thighs here:













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I could have went to 350*, maybe 375* for even darker browning of the skin, but for the pulled birds, they won't have skin anyway, so I'll probably stick to what worked tonight for these birds...why fix what already works just fine as is, right? Just some quick down and dirty shots of the platter on my desk chair so I could get after my butt smoke:













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I could tell from handling them that the skin was fairly crisp...I've had a bit better in the past with a few extra tricks and higher smoke chamber, but no complaints from the family.

SHESH!!! I musta been in a heckuva hurry...no pics of the breasts...not even one!!! Not like me at all...
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






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No pics of the cut/pulled birds, as I was too busy to get butts in the smoker for an all-nighter...(WHAT?!?!?!)...yep, been smokin' 'em up already...I have one more day off work and my main focus with my spare time right now is the wedding, so why wait?
And, here's the start of my pulled pork (46lb-10oz pre-trimmed, per my digital scale)..trimmed off the fat-cap and most exposed membranes and other fat on the sides/bottom for a leaner meat with a bit less picking through when pulling it in about 30 hours from this point in time. These are bone-in butts, not injected or tampered with in any way, so the 40-140*/4-hr guideline is null, as these are intact whole muscle meats...piece a cake...er, uh, pulled pork (in about 28-30 hours from now):













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I think they look good enough for one of my favorite pork rubs...Hawg Heaven...(recipe wiki)...minus the apple powder, 'cuz I'm going to add a solution of apple juice, vinegar and water in the roaster oven for reheating...toss it up a bit before serving and viola!!!:













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Into the Smoke Vault 24 @ 10:30PM Mtn Time...ambient temp of 29* and falling, chamber temp of 240* with a heavy smoke up front provided by cherry, apple and pecan chunks and a dry smoke chamber (pea-gravel-filled water pan with foil drippings catch over pan):













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I did some rotation of the butts after 1 hour for more effective pasteurization of the meat's surface due them touching together when I loaded the smoker...I definitely had some concerns over that after looking over the pics (smoker loaded by LED headlamp in the dark), and decided to take action and remedy this as best I could. The last pic, when I dumped to the puter to view, told me I had a potential problem, and I've never loaded the Vault up quite like this before, so I quickly realized that it was time for implementing some corrective measures. I'll stick 'em for internals @ 10 hours or so...or when ever I get around to it if I head off to slip between the sheets...no hurry on internals, as this will be a long smoke, I expect...crowded smoke chamber, heavy load, no foil butts? Yeah, long smoke...thinkin' over 24 hours, for sure.

I should be able to get some eyelid inspections in soon, I hope before sunrise...just keeping temps stable in the Vault for now, as this heavier load is taking longer for thermal absorption rates to drop off, so dialing the burner back every hour for a while longer than normal is to be expected. This is where the watt-burners have an advantage, but I think this heavier load would zap the chamber temps pretty hard-core with an electric smoker, unless it's had some extra juice pumped into the box via an add-on heater element with a separate power cord...maybe a stock unit with 1,500 watts could pull it off OK...dunno.
5.75 hours into the pulled pork smoke, and counting...notice the heavier browning on the right...time for a 180* grate rotation...that's why I'm not in bed yet...never loaded this rig this heavy before, so it changes baffling effects, heat flow, hot/cold spots...never know how a smoker will react to a change like this, so, you do a bit longer than usual babysitting if you want it smoked as best as you can smoke it with all your skills, knowledge and the equipment you have on hand at the time...that's always my goal, and this smoke is of very special importance to me:













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Now I'm thinkin' bed soon...been cruisin' pretty smooth in 240* range for the past 90 minutes or so, weather is clear and calm, even have a full moon to gaze at, and temps will stabilize back to where it was after the grate rotation, no problem there...no other foreseeable issues on the horizon at the moment...I like it!!!!!!!!!!!!

I must be a dedicated Daddy...I haven't eaten dinner yet and it's just a couple hours from sunrise now...thinkin' dinner's not an option anymore...pulled chicken and egg breakfast scramble would be in order, though.
OK, so at this point you may be wondering just what I've actually planned on doing? Here's my updated list (a rough draft, subject to change as dictated by guest list):

FOOD LIST AND COOKING PLANS

3:16 AM 3/27/2013

***Initial planning for ~100 guests and attendants, expandable to 120+, with full-working kitchen, banquette room, no outdoor on-site cooking allowed***

Pork Butts, case @ Sam's Club - need min 45lbs (min 25lbs cooked weight);

Baby Back Ribs, case - need 15 slabs for 2 ribs per person (~31+lbs pre-smoked);

Beef Brisket, whole (packer), case - need ~45lbs ( min 25lbs cooked weight, pulled point, sliced flat);

Chickens, whole - need 40lbs (25lbs cooked weight, smoked & pulled);

***min 75lbs smoked meats + 15 slabs smoked baby back ribs***


WICKED BEANS (triple batch - 32.4lbs):

Bush's Best Regular Beans - 7lb, 5oz - 3

Pineapple, crushed, 20 oz - 3

Ro-tel diced chilies and tomatoes, 10oz - 6

Bacon, hickory smoked, 1lb pkg - 3


BREADS:

Dinner rolls: 8-9 dozen

Home-made slow-raised buns (similar to large hamburger buns), 4-5 dozen [48-60 sandwiches];

_________________________________________
SALADS (approx 51lbs):

***Pasta Salad, 12b:

***Creamy Potato Salad with H/B Eggs, 15lb (no mustard, guest can add mustard if desired);

***Creamy Cole Slaw w/carrot - 12lb;

***Rice, Whipped Cream & Fruit Cocktail Salad, 12lb;

***Garden Salad w/Romaine lettuce, 15lb;

__________________________________________
CONDIMENTS:

***Butter, unsalted, 1lb box - 3

***Margarine, 1lb tub, 2;

***BBQ Sauce, 2-3 varieties - 1 qt each;

***Mustard - 2 pint bottles;

***Ketchup  - 1qt;

***Horse Radish - 2 lg bottles;

***Ranch Dressing, Italian Dressing, French Dressing - 1qt each;

__________________________________________
APPETIZERS AND GARNISHES:

***Various Crackers, tortilla chips, potato chips - 15lbs;

***Salsa - hot, medium, mild - 3 quarts;

***Ranch dip, french onion dip - 6 pints;

***Fresh Sliced Vegetables (buy a few days ahead);

***Smoked Sharp and Extra Sharp Cheddar and Pepper-Jack Cheeses;

__________________________________________
COOKERS AND ACCESSORIES:

Electric roaster ovens, 16qt with high-domed lid - 5;

Extension cords, 12AWG, 25ft - 2

Power-strip, 15amp - 2

Large roll 18" aluminum foil;

Large roll 18" plastic wrap;

Bus Bins (for ice-bath of cold foods on buffet table) - 6;

Bar Mops (for condensation from cold food bins) - 20;

Cooking utensils: spoons, tongs for meat and charcoal, spatulas, meat handling tines (for pots/pans, grills/smokers);

Serving  spoons and tongs - minimum of 6 each;
___________________________________________
EXPENDABLES , CLEANING, AND HYGIENE:

Ice, cubes, 20lb bags - 5 (3 for transport of food in coolers);

Dinner plates, large divided - 120;

Plates, small (appetizer, cake) - 250;

Tableware, full sets - 120;

Cake forks - 150;

Heavy-weight napkins - 400 (have case of 1,200);

Paper towels - 3 rolls;

Dish washing liquid soap, quart bottle - 1

Wash cloths and nylon scrub brushes;

Hand sanitizer, large pump bottle - 1

Nitrile gloves, powder-free (for food prep/handling) - 1 box of 50 prs
Catch ya on the rebound with pulled pork...maybe sooner if something comes up along the way that's worth noting....TIC-TOC__TIC-TOC...see ya ASAP!!!

Thanks for peekin"!!!

Eric

OK, I've edited this post twice, and I'm too tired to add any more that I've overlooked, or correct the rest of my typos...hope it's somewhat legible and you can understand it all so far...LOL!!! NIte all!


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## werdwolf

WOW!!!

Congrats on the upcoming wedding.

Definitly a better choice to pre cook and be able to have less stress and spend some more time making memories.


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## pgsmoker64

Eric, everything looks and sounds awesome!

You have your work cut out for you.  Congrats on the wedding!

Bill


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## chef jimmyj

Nice plan and Congrats on marrying one of Five off...You have a lot of wiggle room on the meats. A total of 12oz of the three main meats plus 2 Ribs is a HUGE Portion. I think you can plan on leftovers and sending all the Old Folks home with Doggy Bags. But for things like this it is always better to Stuff 'em Full then send them home Hungry...Best of Luck...JJ


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## forluvofsmoke

10.5-hr update...internal temp check and a couple pics.


Chef JimmyJ said:


> Nice plan and Congrats on marrying one of Five off...You have a lot of wiggle room on the meats. A total of 12oz of the three main meats plus 2 Ribs is a HUGE Portion. I think you can plan on leftovers and sending all the Old Folks home with Doggy Bags. But for things like this it is always better to Stuff 'em Full then send them home Hungry...Best of Luck...JJ


Thanks JJ. I didn't post the numbers on portion sizes, but that's how it came out for me, too. I should have extra to add to the amounts if the head-count goes up, other than ribs, so it work out nicely. And, the rib count was a perfect 2-per @ 100 in attendance. I thought if everyone likes ribs (some don't), they'd all have a nice little portion for their enjoyment, with a wide variety for everyone's tastes. I definitely won't mind leftovers, but as you say, you just never know how many will be big eaters, and a buffet can attract quite an appetite in most folks, so I'm not taking any chances.

My oldest boy is already married and I have 3 to go after this round, so the nest is getting a bit roomier all along...LOL!!!


werdwolf said:


> WOW!!!
> 
> Congrats on the upcoming wedding.
> 
> Definitly a better choice to pre cook and be able to have less stress and spend some more time making memories.


Thanks Doc! Yeah, I was already stressing about how to pull it off if I cooked on-site at a different venue which would have allowed outdoor cooking, and after deciding to cook at home and freeze for reheat, my daughter even expressed her approval...that was before we even had a venue reserved...she knew I'd be so busy with 3-4 large smokers running, plus a pit for char-grilling chicken quarters right before the dinner (on top of having 12.5lbs of pulled bird), to be able to mingle and spend Q/T with her...it just wasn't a good recipe for success and a fun time.


PGSmoker64 said:


> Eric, everything looks and sounds awesome!
> 
> You have your work cut out for you.  Congrats on the wedding!
> 
> Bill


Thanks Bill! The work end of this won't be too bad, with most of the time spent cooking/preparing at home, transporting food and gear to the venue the morning off the wedding...should be a snap...and I have just short of 3 months to get the meats smoked...yeah, this will be an easy task.
Well, I woke 5 minutes before my 8:30 alarm after getting about 3 hours of shut-eye...felt a bit groggy, but I was fine after being on my feet for about 10 minutes to do final cleaning of temp probes and checks....especially considering I was driving for 4 hours yesterday, and being on my feet in stores for about 5 hours yesterday. Oh, speaking of temp probes, I found that 2 of my Bradleys are dead...won't power-up, even with fresh batteries, so not sure what I got there, but since I'm just reheating on site, I can get by with one, but won't have a back-up other than a couple analog direct reads to check reheating progress with...not the best situation, so I'll be looking for replacements.

Oh, I'm sure I forgot to mention the coolers I had meats in when I hit the highway to return home: a 150qt marine and a 70qt...40lbs ice in the larger and 20lbs in the smaller...was a darn snug fit to layer in ice with all the meat, but I'm notorious for packing 10lbs of crap into a 5lb bag, so I got away with it just fine...LOL!!! I did have a rude awakening when trying to load the new 150qt and had to run and buy the 70qt at the last minute. I also have another older, identical 150qt and several smaller ones which I can use for transport of food, so I won't have any issues there.

The venue is providing non-alcoholic beverages (daughter's request) and the rest of us on both sides agree that a sober wedding is the way to go, for obvious reasons...too many hard-core drinkers out there that don't handle themselves and their booze very well. Anyway, the plan was for someone else to bring sodas, iced tea, kool-aid, whatever, but this will be easier on all of us involved.
OK, back to the pork butts...temps from upper left to lower right (not clockwise)186*, 171*, 176*, 174*, 168* (a smaller one I put in center to slow it down), and 178*...so, they're sort of all over the place, but with a load like this I knew it would happen no matter how much I tried to even things out, and I'd rather have one or two come out at a time then all 6 at once...been into spots like that before, and scrambling to get a whole smoker full into foil for resting isn't my idea of fun. The upper left butt was the biggest surprise to me when the probe slide in like a hot knife through butter, especially with the temp reading I got...I figured it would be at least 195*, but I didn't poke around too much because it was oozing juices out the probe hole with the probe still in the meat...I get this every time I run with a dry smoke chamber, btw.













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The second through forth pics are another classic camera operator's boo-boo. I'm still not sure if it was the camera strap or the digi-probe cable dangling in front of the lens there (because I know the probe isn't in the meat, but don't know if I set it down or was holding it???), but I un-capped my lens after upload to the 'puter and the lens didn't have anything visible on it, and the out-of-focus object has enough reflection of light and image resolution that it must be a few inches away.Looks like a probe cable to me, though. Just another sign of sleep deprivation? Probably...I make some pretty weird mistakes when I don't get enough sleep, like not taking pics while waiting for the inserted probe to get a stable reading (huh???..not normal for me, but then I usually place enough probes to leave them in after I decide to poke for temps...don't have enough for that today) but I don't beat myself up over it...just learn from it and move forward.

So, I'm thinkin' pulled pork coming from at least 2, maybe 3 butts in about 7-8 hours...TIC-TOC__TIC-TOC...

Thanks all!

Eric


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## smokeamotive

Lookin good so far Eric! But you've got your work cut out for you! Weddings can be so stressful. But it looks like you've got a good plan of attack. A couple of questions though. If you have this much time, why 6 butts at a time? Why not cut it in half and have an easier smoke and maybe a little more sleep? Also noticed that there was no smoked Mac and Cheese on your menu??? I know you've got alot to do, but this would be and awesome addition to your menu.  Good luck! will be watching this one.


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## forluvofsmoke

Smokeamotive said:


> Lookin good so far Eric! But you've got your work cut out for you! Weddings can be so stressful. But it looks like you've got a good plan of attack. A couple of questions though. If you have this much time, why 6 butts at a time? _*(1)*_ Why not cut it in half and have an easier smoke and maybe a little more sleep? _*(2)*_ Also noticed that there was no smoked Mac and Cheese on your menu??? I know you've got alot to do, but this would be and awesome addition to your menu. Good luck! will be watching this one.


Hello, fellow smoker! Yeah, I think the bulk of the stress for me is already over, because I'm feeling really confident in the plan now...I was stressing out for the first few days before I decided to cook at home, 'cuz I'm a 6-hr/night sleeper and was only able to get about 3-4hrs/night. Then it all came together a few days later and I was back to normal sleep patterns again, so that pretty much told me what I should be doing...an easier path for accomplishing all of this and still having great eats for the party. Getting the bulk of the purchases for the dinner out of the way all in one day was another relief, as well. Just need to store it all for longer than most would like to.

Great questions, which I can explain my somewhat unconventional methods as follows:

(1) I'm working with a heavier load in the smoker for several reasons: I work a 4-on 2-off schedule, which allows me enough time for a long smoke if I start it early enough on my first day off; meat freeze and thaw times are an issue, as I only have a 4.2 cf fridge just for my own cooking, and this smaller unit causes space issues when dealing with larger pieces, and especially larger numbers of frozen meats. Crowding causes very long thaw times which can cause it to push the envelope on safety regarding total time thawed before being fully cooked. I'm not a huge fan of the running water thaw on large pieces (too long of exposure time to above 40* water on the surface...maybe a food safety issue, which I'm trying to avoid for obvious reasons). So, by doing this all in one batch for the pulled pork, I avert the thawing issues for the butts and briskets all together. I have used a cold water bath for starting a thaw in the past, but only if I can have a probe for water temp monitoring with the alarm set for 40-41*F, and start with ice water, if possible so it's a fridge-temp, but stirring the water often to remove the chill from the meat faster, allowing the bus bin (what I water-bath thaw meats in) to release some of the cold to the room and let the thawing meat keep the water well-chilled. This cycle is pretty much self-sufficient in keeping the meat at a safe temp, but with a faster thaw than in a fridge due to water being more efficient for thermal convection than air...gotta be there frequently to do all this, and then, finish the thaw in the fridge anyway. So, I'm playing a juggling act of sorts, with the butts smoked up right away, the briskets just waiting in a thawed state for my next available time to smoke (have plenty of time according to the "sell-by" date...over a week yet), with the ribs and whole birds being the easiest and least time consuming to deal with for thawing going into the freezer for a later date in several weeks, as time permits me to get those smoked. It seemed like the best approach, given the circumstances.

(2) I actually had been tossing that idea, until the pre-cooking plan came together. I decided with all the cold side dishes and wicked beans that we would have more than enough, but the major deciding factor was smoking first, freezing and then reheating...I felt that it would be difficult to get the mac cooked to a very aldente' state so that it wouldn't get mushy during reheating, plus the tending/stirring to avoid scorching in a cooker when reheating a large quantity...these thoughts became sort of a thorn in my side, and so I just opted to not make it...one less thing to figure out how to make it work well enough for a really good finished dish.I know not everyone's meals are all perfect, but working with a sure thing makes the pulse and BP cuff more friendly at the end of the day...ha-ha! (I don't have cardio-vascular issues, but don't want to start) I'm sure it could be done, and done well, but that's one dish I haven't made yet...
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





...(I know, are you kidding?!?!?!...LOL!!!)...so, no mac & cheese in the plan right now...I would have loved to do it, though. I also was considering that being it's a summer event, more cold side dishes may be more appetizing due to the warmer weather...sure, we'll be indoors, air-conditioned, but it got me thinking along those lines. Now that I've written this response, I'm already rethinking it...what would it take to get a great mac & cheese from a pre-smoked dish to come out right after reheating...can't be THAT bad. Just need another roaster oven to reheat in...that would be six hot food items, all totaled. Definitely considering it again through...thanks for getting my thinking cap on again...
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Thanks again!

Eric


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## woodcutter

_*Now that is Smokin'!!* _


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## samantha marie

I am really excited for this DAD!!!! Looks awesome already!!!!!! Can't wait for the wedding day to roll around!! 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Thanks again!!!! :)

~Sam


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## becca

WOW Eric!!! Sounds amazing!!!


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## JckDanls 07

Eric..  to begin with..  I believe you were "Voluntold"..  not volunteered to cook..  :biggrin:

As for the food..   I just drooled all over my keyboard....  AGAIN

grats on marrying one of em off....


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## forluvofsmoke

Update: Pull Pork, as promised...


JckDanls 07 said:


> Eric.. to begin with.. I believe you were "Voluntold".. not volunteered to cook..
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 Thanks brother! Actually, regarding the volunteering, there may have been a bit of subliminal persuasion involved, but I wouldn't have minded if that were the case...been in a cooking slump for quite a while and the prospects of doing something this challenging was a great boost for my morale. I'm cooking a lot again, it feels GREAT!!!


Samantha Marie said:


> I am really excited for this DAD!!!! Looks awesome already!!!!!! Can't wait for the wedding day to roll around!!
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This put me off balance for a second or three...the screen name was a dead give-away, Sam! Thanks! Enjoy!

(for the record, this is my lovely daughter!!!)


Woodcutter said:


> _*Now that is Smokin'!!* _


Thanks! Having a blast with this whole adventure, so far!


Becca said:


> WOW Eric!!! Sounds amazing!!!


Thanks you!
OK, back on topic here...

I had 3 butts come out between 196* and 200* flat, so the lower right, the upper right and the upper left were foiled at the 14-hr mark, which is probably among my shortest pork butt smokes to date...fooled me all the way, being the smoker was so crowded, and the butts literally in domino position just waiting to topple over when shrinkage during cooking really got hard-core (was the only way I could stand them on edge and stay that way). They stayed put just fine.

The 4th through 6th butts came out in the 194* to 198* range @ 16.5 hours. The first 3 went into towel wraps and the second batch went into the "O" @ 170* for 30minutes, then I just shut it off. I rested the towel wrapped for just over 4.5 hours, so the second batch in the "O" only got about 2 hours...pulling made no difference between the two...all were fall apart tender, only being held together by the fantastic bark I created. Both sets were way to hot to handle with nitrile gloves for pulling, but I managed.

Yield was not what I expected, as I had a ton of shrinkage and I did a very clean pull...if it wasn't meat or bark it got bounced from the pork pull in' party. I don't like eating mushy, fatty tissue or collagen in my pulled pork, so I don't expect anyone to eat it either...call me fussy if you like, but that's me.

Here we go!

First one out of the foil for pulling...wakey-wakey!!!













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Lots of shrinkage, as indicated by the separation of the outer muscle layer from near the bone (bone @ 6 o'clock and to the left):













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NICE!!! Broke the bark away form the bone and this is was greeted my tired eyes:













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Pulling complete, and here's the everything I removed from the meat...fat rendered out pretty nicely, and most of the collagen was melted-down as well...gotta love it:













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Alrighty then..now would be a good time to cover your keyboards and grab some paper towels for your monitor...LOL!!!

...final warning...













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This is a new 13qt bowl we bought for salads for the reception dinner...glad we grabbed 'em, 'cuz we didn't have a bowl quite this big in the house 'til now...it was full with the 5th butt...I didn't back down though...:













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And the yield shortage...I planned for 25lbs minimum, so I gotta couple more butts to smoke after I get my briskets in waiting finished smoking and into the freezer. So, the 46+ lbs precooked butt weight yielded this...ouch, but I actually have 6 more in the freezer (two from an earlier purchase that I never got around to smoking):













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I (we) tasted some samples just for giggles...great bark even after a foiled resting (will soften some when reheated, but will still offer great texture variations), super-tender, mild smoke with just a really nice back-ground against the rub and pork...moisture was very good as well. Oh, speaking of bark, I poked a hole through the first layer of foil on the 5th butt out of the smoker and I had to get another big sheet torn off to get it contained right away before heading into the house. I determined before the second layer went on that it was the bark, not the bone poking into the foil...crazy-hard, crispy, crunchy...I actually laughed when the foil punctured, thinking, oh man, this is a killer bark if any could be.

Were all in for a treat come June with this one...got my thinking cap on for a finishing sauce to reheat this pork in which should be a great way to bring it all back to life after being induced to sleep for more than 2 months...nope can't tell ya yet, 'cuz my recipe isn't finished...simple, but a great addition to what's already in this pulled pork. I'll tell ya with the final post after the wedding.

Hope you're enjoying the ride so far!

I'll be back in about 5 days with the brisket smoke (4 days on starting in the AM), maybe the night of my last day on shift, depending on how everything is moving along.

Until then, great smokes to all and to all a good night!

Sleep well, Sam! Daddy's got it handled...LOL!!!

Eric


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## samantha marie

I never have had a doubt Dad!! :) You have always been an amazing cook!!! :) Love you!! I shall sleep well with all the cooking being covered!! Thank you!!

~Sam


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## bmudd14474

Eric that is one heck of a smoke you got going on. I know everyone will love it.

On the Mac and Cheese if you do the No boil it will reheat great and you will have no problem with it. Just sayin = ):drool :biggrin: :yahoo: :sausage:


----------



## forluvofsmoke

bmudd14474 said:


> Eric that is one heck of a smoke you got going on. I know everyone will love it.
> 
> On the Mac and Cheese if you do the No boil it will reheat great and you will have no problem with it. Just sayin = )


Thanks Brian! Yeah, I'm still considering the mac & cheese...mentioned it to my wife a bit ago, and she didn't say much of anything, but I quickly noticed that look in her eyes, as if to silently say " What, you don't think you have enough to do? You don't think we'll have enough food?" You know the look...the one that shuts you up and makes you rethink your statement to possibly get a better response, including some vocalization...LOL!!!

I may cut something back a little on sides, or just add a good size portion of mac & cheese, get an extra roaster oven to handle the reheat, and just go with flow and let it happen...she won't mind. If it ends up being a larger amount of leftovers, I'm cool with that because I'll know for sure that if anyone leaves hungry, it was their own fault...too many different meats and sides planned for this for anyone to not find several things they like to eat. I think she's just worried I'm over-doing it...putting too much on myself, but I seem to thrive on, and enjoy, occasional controlled chaos (not habitually or frequently), and I have plenty of time to bring quite a few changes on board if I need or want to.

Coordinating and project planning is something that was part of one of my former jobs, and I was quite capable and enjoyed doing it...give me paper and pen or a computer and just step back and watch me go to work...I know how to make things happen when I want them to. This event is really not much different to me...getting things rolling from the start is the tough part...once a few things begin to fall into place, the rest seems to come easy for me...making a plan that's reasonably flexible while achieving your main goals is the key, IMHO. For me to get this much going this soon is actually a great start, and I even put off the trip to buy meats for 6 days just so I could take care of other things I needed to do on the same trip, all in one day. I have little else to purchase, except roaster ovens for reheating. I have a good source with plentiful supplies of the exact roaster ovens I want at reasonable prices, and I plan to order these in April. A few items that can't be stored long-term like fresh vegetables will come later in the game, but no worries there, either. It will all fall into place when the time comes...one piece at a time, the puzzle will be complete, and on time.

Thanks again, Brian...I just may go for it (mac & cheese).


----------



## bmudd14474

forluvofsmoke said:


> bmudd14474 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Eric that is one heck of a smoke you got going on. I know everyone will love it.
> 
> 
> On the Mac and Cheese if you do the No boil it will reheat great and you will have no problem with it. Just sayin = ):drool :biggrin: :yahoo: :sausage:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks Brian! Yeah, I'm still considering the mac & cheese...mentioned it to my wife a bit ago, and she didn't say much of anything, but I quickly noticed that look in her eyes, as if to silently say " What, you don't think you have enough to do? You don't think we'll have enough food?" You know the look...the one that shuts you up and makes you rethink your statement to possibly get a better response, including some vocalization...LOL!!!
> 
> I may cut something back a little on sides, or just add a good size portion of mac & cheese, get an extra roaster oven to handle the reheat, and just go with flow and let it happen...she won't mind. If it ends up being a larger amount of leftovers, I'm cool with that because I'll know for sure that if anyone leaves hungry, it was their own fault...too many different meats and sides planned for this for anyone to not find several things they like to eat. I think she's just worried I'm over-doing it...putting too much on myself, but I seem to thrive on, and enjoy, occasional controlled chaos (not habitually or frequently), and I have plenty of time to bring quite a few changes on board if I need or want to.
> 
> Coordinating and project planning is something that was part of one of my former jobs, and I was quite capable and enjoyed doing it...give me paper and pen or a computer and just step back and watch me go to work...I know how to make things happen when I want them to. This event is really not much different to me...getting things rolling from the start is the tough part...once a few things begin to fall into place, the rest seems to come easy for me...making a plan that's reasonably flexible while achieving your main goals is the key, IMHO. For me to get this much going this soon is actually a great start, and I even put off the trip to buy meats for 6 days just so I could take care of other things I needed to do on the same trip, all in one day. I have little else to purchase, except roaster ovens for reheating. I have a good source with plentiful supplies of the exact roaster ovens I want at reasonable prices, and I plan to order these in April. A few items that can't be stored long-term like fresh vegetables will come later in the game, but no worries there, either. It will all fall into place when the time comes...one piece at a time, the puzzle will be complete, and on time.
> 
> Thanks again, Brian...I just may go for it (mac & cheese).
Click to expand...


Eric,

I understand what your saying about the mrs thinking you are doing too much already but I agree with you about having more than enough so that people don't leave hungry. 

I know you mentioned "Roaster" for reheating. Have you considered getting chafer dishes for serving. Then all you have to do is put the finished product in Catering trays and warm in the ovens at the venue. This way you don't have to worry about electrical cord from the roasters. Just a thought. Also the ovens will prob give a more consistent temp for the warming. 

I can't wait to see this all unfold. Also Congrats on your Daughters wedding. I know it will be a special time. With I was closer because I would offer to help you with it. I have 2 little girls that I will have to do the same thing for one day and hope I put it together as good as you have already.

Brian


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## diggingdogfarm

Looks good!

Is there an abridged version? 

:icon_eek:

~Martin


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## daveomak

Hey Eric, evening and congrats.... Sounds like this shin-dig will be a lot of fun......   enjoy....  Dave


----------



## woodcutter

> I know you mentioned "Roaster" for reheating. Have you considered getting chafer dishes for serving. Then all you have to do is put the finished product in Catering trays and warm in the ovens at the venue. This way you don't have to worry about electrical cord from the roasters. Just a thought. Also the ovens will prob give a more consistent temp for the warming.


I know from experience you will find out how well the place is wired when you plug a few roasting ovens in. Often it ends up that you need extension cords to break up the draw from more than 2 roasters per circuit.


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## zahlgren

Everything looks awesome so far! Congrats to you and to you, Sam.  Hope you all have a very happy day!


----------



## forluvofsmoke

zahlgren said:


> Everything looks awesome so far! Congrats to you and to you, Sam.  Hope you all have a very happy day!


Thank you!


bmudd14474 said:


> forluvofsmoke said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> bmudd14474 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Eric that is one heck of a smoke you got going on. I know everyone will love it.
> 
> 
> On the Mac and Cheese if you do the No boil it will reheat great and you will have no problem with it. Just sayin = )
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks Brian! Yeah, I'm still considering the mac & cheese...mentioned it to my wife a bit ago, and she didn't say much of anything, but I quickly noticed that look in her eyes, as if to silently say " What, you don't think you have enough to do? You don't think we'll have enough food?" You know the look...the one that shuts you up and makes you rethink your statement to possibly get a better response, including some vocalization...LOL!!!
> 
> I may cut something back a little on sides, or just add a good size portion of mac & cheese, get an extra roaster oven to handle the reheat, and just go with flow and let it happen...she won't mind. If it ends up being a larger amount of leftovers, I'm cool with that because I'll know for sure that if anyone leaves hungry, it was their own fault...too many different meats and sides planned for this for anyone to not find several things they like to eat. I think she's just worried I'm over-doing it...putting too much on myself, but I seem to thrive on, and enjoy, occasional controlled chaos (not habitually or frequently), and I have plenty of time to bring quite a few changes on board if I need or want to.
> 
> Coordinating and project planning is something that was part of one of my former jobs, and I was quite capable and enjoyed doing it...give me paper and pen or a computer and just step back and watch me go to work...I know how to make things happen when I want them to. This event is really not much different to me...getting things rolling from the start is the tough part...once a few things begin to fall into place, the rest seems to come easy for me...making a plan that's reasonably flexible while achieving your main goals is the key, IMHO. For me to get this much going this soon is actually a great start, and I even put off the trip to buy meats for 6 days just so I could take care of other things I needed to do on the same trip, all in one day. I have little else to purchase, except roaster ovens for reheating. I have a good source with plentiful supplies of the exact roaster ovens I want at reasonable prices, and I plan to order these in April. A few items that can't be stored long-term like fresh vegetables will come later in the game, but no worries there, either. It will all fall into place when the time comes...one piece at a time, the puzzle will be complete, and on time.
> 
> Thanks again, Brian...I just may go for it (mac & cheese).
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Eric,
> 
> I understand what your saying about the mrs thinking you are doing too much already but I agree with you about having more than enough so that people don't leave hungry.
> 
> I know you mentioned "Roaster" for reheating. Have you considered getting chafer dishes for serving. Then all you have to do is put the finished product in Catering trays and warm in the ovens at the venue. This way you don't have to worry about electrical cord from the roasters. Just a thought. Also the ovens will prob give a more consistent temp for the warming.
> 
> I can't wait to see this all unfold. Also Congrats on your Daughters wedding. I know it will be a special time. With I was closer because I would offer to help you with it. I have 2 little girls that I will have to do the same thing for one day and hope I put it together as good as you have already.
> 
> Brian
Click to expand...

You know, I did consider chafing dishes at one point, before I knew we had a venue with a kitchen, but this kitchen may already have them...I'll have my daughter check with them about that...would be a lot easier without power requirements for the roaster ovens. Buy a case or 2 of chaffing fuel and that would set me up for the buffet. I'll also need to know how many/size/type of ovens they have (convection, regular electric or gas, so I know if I can use multiple racks for reheating) so I can figure out if I can reheat everything in their ovens at the same time, and maybe I can get by with just 1 or 2 roasters instead of reheating everything in the roasters. I agree on more stable temps in an oven...roasters aren't much different than an electric skillet or even a smoker, as they cycle on and off...temp differential between power-on and power off is the issue...if the thermostat is not designed for close tolerances in the roaster, they will have wider temp swings...that's where food scorching can occur more easily. I know you can use multiple racks with convection ovens, but I don't know of any professionally equipped kitchens with anything other than gas ovens and range-tops....we'll know what we're dealing with soon, I hope.

Thanks, yeah, this will be a fun time for all, I'm sure. Thanks for the offer, as well. Hey, when you get around to putting your 1st wedding meal together you can fall back on this thread for some ideas and tips on what to check on or watch for without any hands-on experience, though, that's part of the reason why I'm posting all of this, so others can get their larger meal planning for a similar event up and running. This one will be a lot different for me than my family's 1st family reunion back in 2010,as that was out doors with limited electrical, under a pavilion for food service, so this wedding will bring a bit of a learning curve for me, as I still have some unknowns to deal with. Before this is all over, I'll have a list of things that went well and those that did not, and what I would do differently on the next round, so, you'll have some more info on the specifics in the end.


DiggingDogFarm said:


> Looks good!
> 
> Is there an abridged version?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ~Martin


Thanks Martin! Unfortunately, when I'm posting all the gory details, I don't leave much out. But I might condense this down when it's all finished with the highlights and key info and post that as a separate thread, maybe a Wiki...that way just the pertinent info could be read and used for reference if others would like it that way. This thread is bring up some good discussions and offering me some options that will help me, so I'm happy to have everyone along for their input as well...first time for anything always leaves room for improvement, and anything I can catch early will make the day of the wedding that much easier. I guess I never looked to see if anyone has done something similar to this in a thread here on SMF...something which would provide a good baseline of do's and don'ts for an event such as this, but I can pull a lot from this thread for just that when it's done.


DaveOmak said:


> Hey Eric, evening and congrats.... Sounds like this shin-dig will be a lot of fun......   enjoy....  Dave


Hi Dave! Thanks! It should prove to be a great day for a celebration!


Woodcutter said:


> I know you mentioned "Roaster" for reheating. Have you considered getting chafer dishes for serving. Then all you have to do is put the finished product in Catering trays and warm in the ovens at the venue. This way you don't have to worry about electrical cord from the roasters. Just a thought. Also the ovens will prob give a more consistent temp for the warming.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I know from experience you will find out how well the place is wired when you plug a few roasting ovens in. Often it ends up that you need extension cords to break up the draw from more than 2 roasters per circuit.
Click to expand...

Oh yes, that was one of the first things that went on my list when I first decided to go with reheating on site...plenty of length of extension cords in heavy gauge as well...I have lots of them. I do have concerns about the cords being strung along a wall to different circuits though, and I figured no more than 2 roasters per circuit, but I'd still have do do circuit tests while cutting breakers to find the individual circuits in the banquette room...PITA, but would need to be done in order to not come back from the ceremony and find half or more of the roasters were dead, and that food would be trash-can material IMO, because even with probing for temps, you'd need a data-logger to determine if the danger-zone time/temp was in line or not. I don't want to take that chance.

Thanks again, everyone, for your responses...much appreciated!

Eric


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## s2k9k

Eric, Congratulations on the Wedding and I wish all the best to your daughter and your son in law!

This is one heck of a write up and I'm sure can really help others who are planning their first big party!

The butts look Awesome!!! That is some incredible juicy pork and amazing bark!!!

I can't wait to see the briskets and ribs and see it all come together for the Grande Finale!!!


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## cooknhogz

WOW what a thread. It would take me a week to type that much....lol


----------



## forluvofsmoke

S2K9K said:


> Eric, Congratulations on the Wedding and I wish all the best to your daughter and your son in law!
> 
> This is one heck of a write up and I'm sure can really help others who are planning their first big party!
> 
> The butts look Awesome!!! That is some incredible juicy pork and amazing bark!!!
> 
> I can't wait to see the briskets and ribs and see it all come together for the Grande Finale!!!


Thanks Dave! They'll appreciate that!

I hoped I could put something together from this that would be helpful for others to kick off an event like this.

The pulled pork came out as I expected, with a dry smoke chamber...between that and 240* temps, man that bark kicked into over-drive. It's a little darker than I wanted, but it isn't scorched at all. The smoke is lighter than* I* like, but I wanted it lighter so the guests don't think it's over-powering. Using a dry smoke chamber from the start helped me keep the smoke flavor lighter...always works that way, but if I want a heavier smoke I run a wet smoke chamber for at least several hours on larger cuts of meat, then let the water evaporate out of the drippings foil catch, and it rolls right into a dry chamber to do all the great things I like to see in/on my meats.

The briskets will go in on the evening of the 1st of April (no foolin' for me on this one...LOL!!!), or the afternoon of the 2nd. I still have a couple more butts to smoke to get my full 25lbs of pulled pork, so that will come in a couple weeks, then the birds for pulling and baby backs. May seem like a lot to do, but I have a couple months of breathing room, so no worries from me. Hopefully my brisket smoke will yield closer to what I want and not fall short on cooked weight. That's where starting all of this early is to my advantage...if something doesn't work out quite like I planned I can make changes accordingly, and still have time to do it all. Same thing goes for the ribs...if it looks like there will be quite a few more than 100, I can grab a couple more slabs of BBs and smoke 'em up to go with the original 15 slabs....pulled chicken as well.

I'll do my best to get some pics of the appetizers and dinner buffet before we dine properly on all of this the afternoon/evening of the wedding. Maybe I'll get pics of each dish in the kitchen, then a couple from a distance of the whole buffet layout...that should give everyone a good perception of the food and set-up. I'll probably get some of the reheating process, equipment, etc, so others will know what they can get away with if they have a full kitchen to work with like we'll have for this new adventure. I've never been in a professional kitchen before, so this will be very cool!!!


Cooknhogz said:


> WOW what a thread. It would take me a week to type that much....lol


Thanks, yeah, I only type with 2 fingers per hand, so I'm not quick either! LOL!!! Believe me, I make more mistakes in one sentence than I care to see...I probably spend more time fixing typo's than actually typing...ha-ha-ha!!!

Eric


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## scootermagoo

DUDE!

At this point, you are the bravest SOB I know! HUGE responsibility!

Props to you for having the cajones to take on such a monumental task!  Awesome!


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## cwalk

I concure


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## toby bryant

Eric, WOW!!!!  Congrats on your daughter's wedding. I am sure everything will be awesome.


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## forluvofsmoke

Toby Bryant said:


> Eric, WOW!!!! Congrats on your daughter's wedding. I am sure everything will be awesome.


Thanks Toby! The food should be great eats for everyone,,,lots of variety to choose from, and I'm probably not finished with the list yet either...thinkin' on adding some steamed veggies just for what if, but we'll see...the garden salad will have lots of fresh veggies in it, so maybe not. Gotta wait 'til I know for sure what the kitchen at the venue has for equipment before I plan too much more. For now, I'll just be smokin' up my meats and cheeses until I know more.


ScooterMagoo said:


> DUDE!
> 
> At this point, you are the bravest SOB I know! HUGE responsibility!
> 
> Props to you for having the cajones to take on such a monumental task!  Awesome!









    Thanks! Ah, it's not too bad to put together, but then I do have a family reunion under my belt already from 2010...around 45 the first day and closer to 55 or 60 the second day...3 meals/day...that was a chore, but it worked out nicely. I coordinated the event and had some help from siblings to get things rolling for the site (out of state from my current residence) and some of the food prep/cooking...I did most of the meats. Planning for another in July this year as well, but I'll be doing meal items which won't require quite as much attention so I can mingle more...didn't get much time for that in the 2010 reunion, so I'll play things out a bit differently on this next round...live and learn, right?.

For this wedding, with doing all the meat cooking in advance and prep of sides, the bulk of the work will be out of the way. Setting up for the meal at the venue will be easier to plan once I know pretty much what I have to work with there...shouldn't be too bad to put together the buffet, though. I figure a couple hours to get all the food stored in the fridges and the reheating started...figuring out times/temps in the cookers so everything comes out about the same time will be a little tricky due to the larger amounts of food to reheat, but I'll figure it out. Clean-up when the guests are gone won't be my idea of fun, but it will be worth it.

Thanks again!

Eric


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## forluvofsmoke

BRISKETS ARE SMOKIN'!!!

I had a slight dilemma to overcome this morning...how to fit 3 med/large briskets into the Smoke Vault 24. I had decided that cutting the flat off of the point so I could place 2 points on the bottom grate, then a third point on the 3rd grate position with another heavier flat, then, 2 flats on top grate position would allow enough space for shrinkage without grate contact from the meat below...should work our pretty well. I trimmed the first packer pretty lean, along with the second flat, which both went on the top grate. The remaining 2 points were trimmed lighter along with the 3rd and final flat, so there will be some leaner meat with more smoke flavor, and some with more fat, although I can trim the fat off easier after smoking as well.

Weather is great today, with calm winds. It was a windy bugger last night when I planned on starting this, but had some pressing issues to tend to and put off the smoke until this morning. The first brisket went in around 9:45 AM, the 2nd @ 10:20, the 3rd @ 10:45. I did not prepare or rub before firing up for the smoke...hitting it on the fly this morning, as it worked out easier that way for time and work space...prep one, rub it, get it into the smoke...now I'm just dialing temps back for thermal absorption drop-off and keeping tabs on smoke output.

Smoking @ 225 with water in my foil drippings catch, pea-gravel filled water pan, cherry and mesquite chunks, and hickory chips. The hickory chips should be the dominant flavor due to higher smoke output from them up front, and I'm adding some fresh hickory chips periodically. I'll give 'em about 6 hours of smoke before I let things settle in for the evening. I have one more day off, so a late night to get the last point out for resting and pulling won't be an issue. Oh, and no-foiling to complete cooking...want some bark on that meat...it will soften from reheating, but will still offer that texture variation.

Dry rub is SPOG, with ratios of 1 part each of dried minced garlic and course ground onion from chopped/dried, then 1/2 part each of course ground black peppercorn and kosher salt. KISS should work well, and I don't want to alter the already great, strong flavors of the beef brisket...lots of older folks will be attending this event and I'm sure they will appreciate this being simpler, as not many get to eat brisket often...it's like a delicacy around here. I will add Au Jus during reheating for the meal, so that will offer a more natural flavor to the beef as well...should make for some great eats!

Oh, due to reheating, I'm going to yank 'em out a bit lower temps than if I were serving straight out of the foil. So, for the sliced flat, I'll probably be shooting for closer to 170-175* internal temp, but also probe for tenderness before foiling to rest...same for the point for pulling, only these will go to around 185* or so instead of 200*...pulling won't be as easy, but I don't want the meat to get mushy after reheating...I want that nice tender chew when serving...my first time to attempt this, so I'll let you know how it all works out in the end.

I had a bag of approx. 12lbs of trimmings when I finished dropping 'em all into the smoke and got started cleaning up my kitchen, but that's to be expected.

Rubbed and ready...the first point, with a light fat-cap...should get some nice crispy bark on this fella:













1.JPG



__ forluvofsmoke
__ Apr 1, 2013






The first flat...pretty lean for deeper, more uniform smoke penetration and less to trim off for packaging to freeze it all up...should have a nice bark as well, especially with a dry smoke chamber and no-foil cooking to finish it all up...can't wait to see the smoke ring on these sliced flats...the fat-cap generally reduces smoke reaction quite a bit...we'll see later:













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__ forluvofsmoke
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Here's what my cut-up briskets look like loaded into the Vault...didn't really want to go that route, but I needed a way to fit it all in at one time. The presentation won't change, as it will all be in pans when served, so nothing is lost to looks when it's all ready to eat:













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Should be a pretty easy smoke today for the briskets...the prep wasn't bad, either. I would have liked to do a full point/flat separation vs cutting through the slab in half...it would have yielded slightly more sliced flat, but fitting on the grates was the issue here, and this should provided a bit more even cooking than a full separation can give, short of playing with hot/cold spots on the different grate positions in the smoker...been there, done that, too.

TIC-TIC---TIC-TOC

Back later as this progresses!

Eric


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## forluvofsmoke

7:30 PM Update...

I did a grate rotation on everything, except the 2 flats on the upper grate, to even out cooking a bit. The first flat to go in on the upper left is sitting in the lower 140* range @ 9.75 hours in...slow going...I did let the foil drippings catch run dry after about 7 hours (only had to add to it once) when the smoke was starting to thin out a bit, so with a humid smoke chamber for smoke reaction, then dry for moisture retention in the meat and development of bark, this should be one of my best brisket smokes for a very long time (I just learned about changing the smoke chamber humidity last spring). Lookin' tasty already, and we're a LONG way from finished..still red juices on the top of the points, so they'll be riding it out for many hours...sometime in the early AM, I suspect:













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Easy does it from here on out...the Vault's been chuggin' along with a nice and smooth 225* chamber temp all day, with only one tweek when I had sunshine hitting the cabinet...I'll be bumping it back up now as it's cooling down outside...hit a high of 74* today (about 15* above the forecast). They're browning up nicely, but I don't want to push temps higher and get these too dark, as they have quite a while until they're ready to come out and rest.

Wish I could have started this last night, but either way, it will work out for another great brisket smoke.

Back later with more!

Eric


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## samantha marie

Looks awesome DAD!!!!!! :)


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## forluvofsmoke

Update...flats are out, rested and two are sliced...sorry if you experience a long page upload on this segment...it's a doozer...pics, tips and where I'm taking you with the sliced flats...it'll be worth it.


Samantha Marie said:


> Looks awesome DAD!!!!!! :)


 Good, glad you're enjoying the ride...been a blast for me, so far...wait until you see THIS!

I had one of the upper grate flats (right side) come out @ 170* with 12 hours into the smoke...probed semi-tender, just like I wanted for the reheat, so it came out for foiled.towel-wrapped resting.

Nap-time, little friend...this one had the least amount of the point muscle still attached from when I cut the whole packer in two...pretty uniform in thickness:













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The 14-hour mark rolled around to greet me with the second and  third slicing subjects both at/near 170*, probing felt like where I wanted as well, so they into the foil for their nap.

I moved the upper-left flat towards the right, as it seemed to be a bit warmer on that side...remember, the upper right was the first to go in and one of the last flats to come out:













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Second slicing subject:













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A look at part of the point muscle here @ 4-5 0'clock:













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...and again, @ 6 0'clock...the fat layer between top and bottom is the give-away:













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And, the third and final slicing subject...a little less point muscle still attached, but relatively uniform in thickness as well:













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Overall, I feel all three cooked very evenly throughout, so the slices should be very uniform after reheating, and should get slightly more tender, given a couple hours reheating time...couldn't have came out much better for I was shooting for on the flats. As long as I do the reheat as planned, this should be as good of texture for serving as I can get the sliced flat from this brisket for this reception dinner. I'll have to remember this method for smoking (cutting the whole packer in half), because it looks like it worked perfectly for what I wanted. If the fat layer between the point/flat rendered out a lot, I may not even trim any fat away...we'll see.

Here's your DROOL ALERT...cover the keyboards and grab your paper towels again...just gotta do that so the rookies here don't trash their gear and blame me for it...LOL!!!

>

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The moment of truth...watch for the smoke ring (or minimization under any fat...another reason to trim lean) and glistening juices when you open pics to a new tab to zoom-in.

Nap-time's over (2 hours resting)...meet my favorite carving knife...orientation of the flat is the point-end, or where I cut the point/flat apart, being on the right...to find the muscle grain, knowing that the flat grain runs lengthwise the whole packer brisket (point runs across), was simple...start slicing where I cut the point/flat apart by cutting that heal off first and following the same line of cut to the opposite end for a cross-cut giving the most tender bite and chew...when in doubt, just look for the small fat layering which separates the two muscles where you cut the packer apart (it may not be easy to find the cut after smoking/shrinkage from cooking)...how much easier could it be though, right?:













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The heal (top slice) shows the fat layer separating the point and flat muscles down lower in the slice...flat muscle grain running with the slice...think I'll just leave it as is, and the next couple slices had even less fat, of course...happy with this, so far:













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View from heal-end (where the point was cut off) towards the flat...second and third slice showing their slight fat layering:













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Opposite heal-end...lighting/color showed up better to see the smoke ring here...happy with this as well:













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Well, my carving knife and skills have served me well, yet again...nice, even slices @ 3/8-1/2" thickness...again, just the way I wanted for reheating and serving purposes...:













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Did I mention JUICY? (just in case you forgot to zoom-in...LOL!!!) I found very little, if any, juices on the board, so the resting time and rate of temperature drop was adequate in all respects...not super-hot for handling, but pretty warm still. I found a small amount of rendered fat on the board when I cleaned it up to wait for the second flat for slicing. I did take a part of the left heal that fell off when I was bagging to weigh and freeze...the thicker portion of it...smoke is dead-on...great match for the simple rub and the stronger flavors of the brisket...not overpowering, so those newer to Q won't be shocked and want to never eat Q again (I like to go easy on the newbies if I think there will be any dining on my eats). GREAT bark, and moderately tender chew beyond the bark. The rub has a nice little kick from the extra dose of garlic, while the pepper is right there behind it, then, the subtle and slightly sweet flavor of the onion bringing in it's share of the profile, and just a slight hint of salt...with a AU Jus drenched reheat, the overall flavor profile will be slightly saltier...dare I say this rub is perfect at this point in time for my overall plan to serve it?...I think everyone who has had brisket, and most new to it as well, will enjoy it! Another big hit is near completion, and my smoking list is shrinking.

This flat yielded 2lb-5oz...the remaining flats are larger, so I should have somewhere between 8-9lb (I think), to go along with the pulled points...not sure about the yield on the pulled points yet...I'll keep a tally on it so I know if I'll have as much as I was shooting for, though...don't want to be short, but I have 2 more packers in the freezer and 2-1/4 months left to get everything in order, comfortably.

Let's see if any fat cap reduced the smoke reaction on the second or third flat, shall we?...not that it matter a whole lot, as there will be plenty of flavor to go around after the reheat mingles things up a little bit more...just for curiosity's sake so others can see what the fat cap can do to smoke reaction.

Second flat to go under the knife...approx 2.5 hours resting..OK, this one I had to inspect for a bit to find the fat layer indicating my cut for slicing...irregular shape and shrinkage had me guessing...where is that fat layer? Ah, there we are:













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Oh, before I forget, I decided to get a shot of the foil right after dropping the flat onto the board...notice it's mostly rendered fat and coloring from smoke and rub, with a few small droplets of water (quite possibly only condensed water vapor during resting/cooling), if you look closely...no added liquids for this resting:













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Hah!!! I nailed it! Grain is as I expected it would be after searching for the fat layer, so I just got after it...btw, orientation on the board is the same as the first so you can follow along, however, this flat was positioned in the smoker upside-down, as in the point flap is on top instead of bottom as was the case with the first sliced flat...should easier to find that flat-cap I'm looking for on this one, I think:













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The irregular shape made for some interesting slicing through the heavy bark when I got to the far left end, as indicated by the crumbs you see there...not over-tender, but the transition into the heal-end at an angle was quite challenging to break through the bottom bark...the smaller crumbs at the top are from heavy bark as well...not perfect, but, not being eaten right now, either...and so it goes:













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OK, looking for those thin fat-cap section and lack of smoke ring..there's some visible here, but let's move to the rest, where it really shows up...look at the top of each slice in the pics below ...you'll find several (if not many) light layers of fat, just in a short space...look under that for a smoke ring...none...period...at least I couldn't see it in my pic-viewer on my PC...open to a new tab and zoom-in on those spots...that will tell you the rest of the story:













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2lb-7oz yield with second flat...the third is the largest, so maybe the sliced flat will make enough for the total cooked brisket weight (25lbs) I'm shooting for...liking what I see so far though...no serious worries about this part of the smoke.

Just weighed the third flat in foil...3lbs-2.9oz for total of 7lbs-14.9oz...I think that will fall short with the pulled points, but it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings...more packers in the freezer, thankfully.

The points (pulling subjects) appeared to be in med-low temp stalls with the mid-right being @ 151* and the two on bottom both in a holding pattern @ 155* @ 12 hours into the smoke (14-hr check is 165/165/163* and a 16.5hr check of 165/171/166*..another high-temp stall...nice!!!), so pulled point may be mid-late morning after a decent rest for them (creeping up on 2:30 AM now). That translates to a long night for me, but I'll live through it...not my first rodeo (and won't be my last), as many of you long-time members here already know.

I gotta slice, bag and get final weights on the third flat and get ready to yank one of the points foiled resting, as it probed pretty darn tender at 171*, but will it pull at that temp if rested adequately? Dunno...thinking another ~5*, though, before I go for it. Here;s the possible stumbling block with points: they have a lot of inter-muscular fat, which when still cooking, or relatively hot, will show little to no resistance to a probe when poking around for tenderness...the muscles could still have a lot of connective tissues that have not yet melted away quite as much as I want them too...could make for a somewhat tougher pull than I'd like to try my hands at, especially when it's going to be fairly hot even after several hours of resting. The side benefit of not having them all that tender is a more forgiving reheat the day of the wedding for serving...it would require a bit longer heating at a higher temp to finish cooking them, is all. Take them to 180* or so instead of the standard minimum of 165* for reheated PHF (potentially hazardous foods). Or, I could hold them at higher temps (slowly cooking the pulled point even further) when getting final preps done for serving the meal. So, as you can now see, there are several ways I could get around them being not quite as tender as I would like them to be, based on how tough the pulling is. Ah, what to do, what to do...OK, play it safe, go with the original plan of ~185*, but I may drop that to 180* and have a somewhat happy medium, without dropping off of the original target temp too much. My first gut instincts are usually correct with these types of things, so I don't want to start second-guessing this late in the game, and then later on wish I had left it alone...so leave it alone is what I'll do (almost...heh-heh).

The last installment for this segment (pulled brisket flat) appears to be on Tuesday, possibly early-mid afternoon (MDT). Time to get ready for more foiling though...slice that last point...busy smoke, with lots hitting me late tonight, but I like 'em that way when they do run late...keeps me awake so I don't botch-up something...LOL!!!

TIC--TOC----TIC--TOC...

Back ASAP!

Eric


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## forluvofsmoke

One last set of sliced flat pics revealing something I forgot to account for, 'cuz I'm getting rummy from lack of sleep already...a couple little lessons to learn from, anyway.

Oh, and on top it all...OUCH!!! First mistake of this smoke was just discovered when I went outdoors to drop the last sliced flat into my freezer...a CLASSIC for all of us propane smoker users...we've all done it, at least once...yeah, you know what it is...chamber temp was 110* and the probed brisket point dropped at least 5* on internal before I found that the flame was out and the tank was empty (BIG 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





...meant to change it this afternoon to avoid this scenario, got busy, forgot), (have two more ready to go). By the time I got the chamber temp back to 225* (about 3 minutes with a 10 second LPG tank swap), it dropped another 3.9*, so I'm looking at an extra ~hour (+) to make up the difference in temp drop and to re-establish what I had for internal temps...man, that zapped the heat right out of those points! Last dial-in of the burner a few minutes ago showed it dropped at least 10* internal.

So, this gives me some more time to post before grabbing my 500ft X 18in roll of foil again...about 3-4 more hours...but I do need to dart outside frequently to get that sweet spot again with chamber temps and dial the burner in to hold it there...over-tired means mistakes in the making...LOL!!!...live/smoke and learn.

OK, back to the final sliced flat...and why I took these pics...wasn't going to, but, thought I'd share a couple more things...dang I'm tired, too...can't type anymore, but I'll try my best.

Can you tell which way the grain runs on this flat?













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Are you sure?













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Here's the point's muscle grain, running against the back of the blade of my carving knife:













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Here ya go...a little better view...I had to lift up the point-grain to determine it's direct, just to figure out which side to start slicing from...I'll show you why in the next sets:













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This was the point which I trimmed the least...so the fat layering over the point was still there, and that caused me to look at two fat layers on intersecting sides...(which is which here, really???):













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And, here's another thing I hadn't thought about doing, but because things happened this way with this flat having some additional fat, it may be just what some folks like on their sliced brisket, so I figure I'll leave this as it is, and with a little more variety, I can't go wrong with this smoked brisket portion of the buffet.

Just a couple of them have a heavy layer, but if anyone asks me for it, I'll have some for them:













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Here's the rest of this flat's story...well, the rest of my story about this flat: I forgot about the extra fat, so the actual lean meat weight is a little less, plus, I didn't compensate for the foil's weight (maybe less than an ounce) which I'm not worried about, but I'm tired, and these are the kins of mistake you can make when you're tired...silly little things, but he empty LPG tank is a biggy, time-wise...could have been worse...I could have fallen asleep...
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





...so posting here is what saved my brisket point smoke.yet another reason to document the big or long smokes here, so I can't fall asleep.

OK, I think that's it for this whole sliced flat adventure now...LOL!!! What a ride I'm having! Ah, ya gotta love some extra challenges now and then, right?

Pulled point coming...sometime today, I hope, 'cuz I gotta get up for work @ 4:00 AM Wednesday and build up for more cash-flow so I can do my share of spending to boost the economy...LOL!!!

Later!

Eric


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## forluvofsmoke

Pulled points at last!!!

I fell short on my overall planned yield, but again, as with the pulled pork, the pulled points are very clean, and my sliced flats (except for the last one) are very lean trimmed as well. Total for the points was only 7lb-11.9oz, along with the ~7lb-14.9oz (-the foil) = 15-lb-9oz. Knowing this now, early, I have 2 more packers in the freezer which will be very close to making my mark for desired finished brisket weight, so that will get smoked up in the next couple of weeks.

I did run out of steam late in this smoke and foiled the points a bit early, just so I could get a 2-hour nap while they rested and got 'em pulled, bagged, weighed and frozen right away when I woke up. The largest of the 3 was a bit tougher to pull, and I knew it would be, but I was done in. So, final temp for the big fella was in the lower 170* range, while the other two were just under 180*...they pulled great.

One last peek before they go into foil and towels for rest:













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The remains of the first pulled point...a couple small pieces meat still in there that I missed, but it's a clean pull to dine on for everyone:













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When I weighed this first pull, I knew I fell WAT short on my target weight for the finished brisket...this was 2lbs-5oz, or something like that (didn't bother to write this first weight down, knowing I had more smoking ahead of me yet). All I need to do is duplicate this smoke one more time with 2 more packers, which will be easy after doing 3, and I'll be ready with the brisket end of this project:













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All three points are pulled and ready for final weights after bagging...I think you can notice the finer strands of meat on top here as well...from the tougher pulling subject, which was the largest with a lower finished temp...it worked out, but did require extra time and effort:













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So, around 180* seemed to be the magic number for a decent pull...at least it's close to the minimum finished temp I feel I could get away with and still have reasonably tender, yet firm pulled point for reheating. Whether or not the smoke chamber temp drop I had early this morning had anything to do with this or not is unknown to me. It could have caused enough internal temp drop which may have allowed a bit more melting of collagen for an easier pull vs just getting straight to 180* without temp issues...dunno...you decide. I am almost convinced that it would be detrimental, if it had any effect on the outcome. The only thing I have from this which makes me think otherwise is the ease of pulling with two finished @ ~180* vs the largest one @ around 172*...doesn't really say a lot to back anything, though.

I did sample a few small, but long pieces with some bark at the very end...firm, but tender with a nice, strong, but smooth beef flavor as expected, nice smoke as well, and the rub was simple enough to go nicely with the point, as well as the flat. Some may think that the point and flat taste a bit differently and I would have to agree. When you eat enough brisket you will notice the subtle differences, and I believe it has to do with the high amount of inter-muscular fat in the point vs the leaner muscle of the point (flat, man I'm tired)...fat adds flavor...so it would stand to reason that the point should taste better. I have been doing burnt ends for so long now, and little else with the point, so I may have forgotten that flavor, but it's definitely worth not making BE's now and then to get the full experience of a packer brisket....this should make for some great eating for any brisket enthusiasts at the reception dinner.

Alrighty then, I think that's a Rap for the brisket....I'd say stick a fork in me now, 'cuz I'm done, but I'd be lyin'...LOL!!!

Cheese is smoking for the past ~60 minutes now (started @ 10:15 AM MDT)...I'll get that up when it's ready for aging to mellow out for a couple months before the wedding...Extra Sharp and Sharp Cheddar, along with Pepper-Jack...should be a great addition for the appetizer layout!

Join me later this afternoon for that...see ya then!

Eric


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## Bearcarver

OMG!!!!----I'm glad to see you're still hammering out Awesome Smoked Goodies, Eric!!!!

You're still my Hero!!!!

This is gonna be a mess of Outstanding food at this wedding!!!

Thanks for showing all of this!!!

Bear


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## sound1

One heck of a project!!  oh, my keyboard says " thx for the warning"


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## forluvofsmoke

Update: cheese is  ready to wrap and mellow for 2-1/2 months...


Sound1 said:


> One heck of a project!!  oh, my keyboard says " thx for the warning"


Hah-ha! Thanks, man of the the "old timers" here know what to do without me saying, but the newer guys...gotta train 'em a little...LOL!!!


Bearcarver said:


> OMG!!!!----I'm glad to see you're still hammering out Awesome Smoked Goodies, Eric!!!!
> 
> You're still my Hero!!!!
> 
> This is gonna be a mess of Outstanding food at this wedding!!!
> 
> Thanks for showing all of this!!!
> 
> Bear


Hey Bear! Thanks for joining us on this most exciting journey! Awesome to see and read of your recovery, and see you're posting here again...missed ya, buddy!!!

I'm looking forward to this wedding with great anticipation...like nothing I've experienced for a very long time...and I'll be pulling all the stops along the way to finishing my preparations for it, that I'm sure.

Again, glad you dropped by for a visit to see what in the world I'm up to with my time lately! LOL!!!













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Just in with the AMNPS and Pit Master pellet blend...love this stuff on everything!!!:













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Smoke just starting roll out of the AMNPS:













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Pepper-Jack on top, Sharp Cheddar in the middle, Extra Sharp Cheddar on the bottom:













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I went inside and my wife peeked out for a minute while I was busy with something and said, hey, isn't your smoker supposed to be smoking? Well, of course I was dumb-founded for a second and thought, no, it didn't, it couldn't have gone out already. Oh yes it did...I forgot to open my lower vents, which I close for most every hot smoke, and just yanked the last of my briskets out several hours earlier, took a 2-hr nap, pulled the points and immediately went after this cheese smoke. So, re-lit the AMNPS and opened the intakes half-way for the remainder of the smoke with no issues...well, except for when I went out to check @ 2.5 hours and had 95* chamber temp...full sun hitting the cabinet...OOPS!!! Yank 'em out to rest for bit before packaging. The cheese did suffer a bit of texture issues, but I'll get over it.













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Bottoms up here...I didn't baffle over the AMNPS, so the one bar of Extra Sharp took the brunt of what little heat the pellets generated, but it sure looks cool...a couple of the bars broke nearly in two when I tried to ever so gently lift them off the grill-topper...BTW, the aroma of the smoke is fantastic!!!:













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I'll see how well it slices up in June...I know it will be a great flavor already with either of the three cheeses, but still, it still gives me yet one more thing to look forward to sharing with everyone. Bring on the smoked cheese lovers!!!

Next smoke is not scheduled just yet maybe the night of Saturday (04-06-13) or Sunday morning, but I'm figuring on more pork butts to fill my target weight for PP...then, probably back to another brisket smoke to get much closer to that target weight...busy, busy, busy...love it!!! Ha-ha-ha!!! OOOH, man, I gotta get my butts out of the freezer to start thawing in my Q-Fridge, ASAP, as in *yesterday*!!!

Great smokes to all!

Catch ya on the rebound!

Eric


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## samantha marie

YUMMM!!!!v So excited!!!! :) Two months lol!!!! Just two months..... seems like forever!

~Sam


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## toby bryant

Looks awesome E! 

x2 on the Pitmasters Choice pellets, I love that blend. You daughter is one lucky gal, looks like the wedding of the century!


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## forluvofsmoke

Update: final Butt Smoke is on @ 8:00 PM MT...


Toby Bryant said:


> Looks awesome E!
> 
> x2 on the Pitmasters Choice pellets, I love that blend. You daughter is one lucky gal, looks like the wedding of the century!


Yeah, the Pit Master is great smoke for everything I've used it with so far. I need to do a few simple mods to my Vault so I can use the Tube or ANNPS for hot smoking, then I'll be set. Chips and chucks are pretty easy to run with in the Vault, but the pellets take a lot of guess-work or estimations out of the equation at times, and the smoke is so smooth and steady...you just can't beat it!

I have no doubt that the wedding will be one of great memories...the food will be a sizable part of the event (as it always is with a gathering of people), so I want it to be the best I can create with the tools and skills I possess. I'll have some help towards the end with side dishes, so it won't be only me doing the food...credits will be due in time. Doing the best I/we can do with what we have, I can look back on this and know I couldn't have done it any better, 'cuz I want the best I can provide for my daughter, especially for her big day. She worked hard to make it this far in life with college courses (will be moving on to University studies for 4-yr degrees), her full-time job while studying (WHAT?!?!?)...yeah, she's a go-getter.


Samantha Marie said:


> YUMMM!!!!v So excited!!!! :) Two months lol!!!! Just two months..... seems like forever!
> 
> ~Sam


...the minute hands are slowly making their rounds on the clock...calendar pages are flipping over...before you know it, you'll be asking yourself what happened to the last 2 months?!?!?! LOL!!! Lots to do until then, so, take it one day at a time. I probably don't say it often enough, but you're doing GREAT!!!
I said final Butt smoke 'cuz I know this will be more than enough to fill my 25lb total quota. We kept a smaller bag (about 3-1/4lbs) for dining on when the first (6-butt) smoke was finished and I knew I wasn't at my mark yet...gotta smoke more, so why not enjoy a little of it now, right? We had to make sure the samples made a good representation of what the pulled pork should eat and taste like anyway...that's my story and I'm sticking to it! LOL!!! Anyway, I only have about 16lbs in the freezer at the moment, and this smoke should get me well above the 9+lbs finished/pulled pork needed. I didn't weigh any of this prior to smoke (approx 30lbs, so I expect another ~12lbs finished yield)...just wingin' it this time around knowing I'll have it covered for sure.

So, this round is pretty much identical to the first pulled pork smoke (rub, smoke woods, method), other than chamber temps are running about 230* instead of 240*, and, I have a bit less pea-gravel in the water pan so my foil drippings catch has slightly more water capacity for just a little longer humid smoke chamber (without adding water) before it transitions into a dry smoke chamber, just so I get a bit more smoke reaction time without tending...should be just the ticket. I decided to slow it down just a tad (lower chamber temp) so I can cruise through the night and they shouldn't be ready to wrap and rest until mid-day. I'll stick 'em for temps in the morning and I may decide to bump to 240* if they're too sluggish and let it ride from there, but I don't have time for a 24-25hr no-foil butt smoke like I've had so many times in the past...gotta make a rode-trip early Monday morning, so that day off work got shot out the window, unfortunately. But, I can get this last pulled pork off the list this weekend, and that was my main focus for this week. Two Briskets are beginning their slow thaw in my Q-Fridge since the butts went into the smoker, so they'll be ready for a smoke on my weekend off in 6 more days. That will get my pulled and sliced brisket quota in line, and then I can move on to pulled chicken and baby back ribs...I left the easy stuff for last...ha-ha-ha!!!

Just a couple pics in good faith...lot's more breathing room in the SV-24 this time around so I could lay the butts in normal orientation instead of tipped up on the cut edges. I tried to place the heaviest portions where I had known warm spots in the Vault, just to keep things cooking as evenly as possible for the duration:













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One last smoker check and I think I'm off for eyelid inspections...the first two big smokes for this event kept me up and kicking with little sleep, and I'm still playing catching-up on that. When I can plan my start times better like this evening, I can usually avoid loosing too much sleep, so I'm grateful for this one kicking-off well. The weather forecast for tonight changed to no precipitation...was 30% chance of rain after mid-night, changing to snow after 2:00 AM...now, with calm/light winds and no chance of precip, the Vault should hold her own just fine through the night. BTW, ambient temps are 49*F right now at midnight...CRAZY warm weather for the first week of April here, and no signs yet of a spring blizzard, either...that will be 4 years in a row if it blows past us again...not normal at all...still have another month or so for it to show...we'll see. Oh, and I did start this smoke tonight with a FULL LPG tank...LOL!!!

Back on Sunday afternoon/evening with our final pulled pork as my meat smoking list grows smaller and smaller! Every smoke puts me closer to being ready for D-Day...er, uh, W-Day...yeah, that's it!

Nite all!

Eric


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## reents

I not afraid to ask but can I please come to the wedding. I am surely one of your long lost relatives. Just Kidding Looks like you have everthing under controll.


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## forluvofsmoke

14-hr Update: 2 butts are foiled and resting, with my last temp probe being DOA...adapting to overcome.


REENTS said:


> I not afraid to ask but can I please come to the wedding. I am surely one of your long lost relatives. Just Kidding Looks like you have everthing under controll.


Ha-ha! I get that sometimes...even had a request to adopt someone a while back...LOL!!! Things are cruising along quite nicely...just a couple speed bumps with meat quantities so far, but I'm overcoming that today and next days off from work (more brisket). Then I can move forward to pulled chicken and baby backs.
I didn't get a chance to check at the local hardware store for replacement digital temp probes since my last smoke (work, work, work, and smoke, smoke, smoke), and wouldn't ya know it, my only remaining probe temp probe set was reading about 50* below boiling-point for my elevation this morning. So, I have zero, nadda, zilsh for getting reasonably accurate and fast internal temps on my butts this morning. I did probe with it anyway, and with adjustments to the reading I can make a close estimation, but that's as good as it gets right now. Problem? Not really...there are other ways to get around this.

In light of this new development, I decided to go to revert to the more old-school methods for checking how done my pork is by looking for shrinkage based on the original placement/position of the butts on the smoker grates, as well as pull-back from the bone and surface muscle separation or tearing...combine that with how it feels when probing and when lifted with tongs (is it trying to fall apart under it's own weight???), and when in doubt, a little tug on the bone to see if it feels like it wants to pop out freely or not.

So, that's what I looked for, knowing only that 2 of the 4 butts were giving a higher reading, I went after them first and did the visual checks...didn't need to do a bone tug at all, as they were sagging badly under my 4" meat handling tines when I lifted them off the grate, confirming the visual checks.

My 12-hr best-guess estimations with corrected readings on internals were (from top left to right, bottom left to right) 180, 187, 176 and 183*. At 14 hours I decided to approach this potential issue (over-cooked pork) with more depth...the touchy-feely method.

Bones are poking out everywhere I look on all 4 butts (which is why most us like bone-in butts, as an indicator, not to mention the less restrictive cooking guidelines being it's intact whole muscle meat),  and I know 2 of them (on the left) are at least 8-10* lower internal from my sub-par temp probe readings), so now what?:













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Look for shrinkage of the cut of meat in general, then give 'em a lift to check for sagging...compare this to what it looked like when they first went in...they're cooked, but have they just reached the reasonably pull-able texture I want for a reheat, or will they be super-tender and too soft after reheating? Can't answer that question, as I've never gone strictly by looks and feel when planning for a reheated pulled pork, so it's anyone's guess at this point. Shrinkage is definitely there:













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So, what's my first victim look like up close and personal...bone at center:













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Muscle separation looks pretty normal for a tender pulling pork...think I called this one just in time...hopefully not too late













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Based on looks and feel alone, the above may be a bit over-done for my intents and purposes, but with the lack of bark attached to the bone, it could be deceiving...I'll find out in a few more hours.

The second victim before I decided to yank it out to rest...just minutes apart from the first one out:













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Yeah, I'm thinkin' this one's gonna pull fine as well...bone is showing nicely and everything felt right up this point, so I'm rolling the dice:













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The bark and outer muscle layer separation look very similar to the first one out, but again, looks alone can be deceiving:













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I did rotate the grates 180* for the last two butts that are still finishing just to find that warmer spot on the right that has appeared in recent smokes so I can push them along just a little.

The smoke chamber temp climbed a little overnight...probably thermal absorption rates with the mass of meat dropping off slowly, and, my drippings foil catch only had about 2 cups of water left to evaporate when I went to bed, just getting ready to transition into a dry smoke chamber. So, with the reduction of water evaporation (water vapor cools it's surroundings) and thermal absorption dropping off, temps will climb, even with falling ambient temps (was 49* last night, 34* this morning @ 8:00 AM). It was cruising @ 230* for quite a while, then this morning was 250*...dialed back to 230*...no harm done as the smoke reaction time was plenty long enough by then anyway, so I have no doubts in them cooking slow enough for the tendering process to be successful, as 14 hours total cooking time with relatively stable chamber temps is more than sufficient time for that. Bark should be very well developed also, and it felt again like the bark was the only thing holding the meat together. Oh, and through it all, I got 5 hours of sound and steady shut-eye last night!!!

The temp probe being dead was just one more minor (for me, anyway) hurdle for this project. I never expected all of this to come off without a hitch (or a few dozen...LOL!!!)...I'd be a fool in thinking that nothing would go wrong, especially with me not being so heavily active in outdoor cooking for the past 6-8 months, and I'm cranking out smoked meats just as fast as I can at this point until I reach the end of my list. I'm sure there will be more unforeseen issues for me to encounter in the coming weeks...we'll just have to wait and see where they lead me when I look for solutions.

So, I sit now in waiting for the remaining two butts to look and feel close to what the first two did...pics of the pulled pork coming ASAP, and I'll let you know how it came out (too easy to pull, tough, or marginal for what I want with this smoke)...and lastly, did I meet my quota (???)...the roughly 40% yield so far threw me off balance, to say the least, so the 2/3 ratio most speak of flew right out the window for me on this project....smoke and learn. I really would like to have a reliable temp probe for the final brisket smoke next weekend, although if I don't acquire one by then (my next day off got eaten up by unforeseen issues and I may not be back in time to hit the stores), probing for tenderness alone can be done...it just isn't my preferred method as you have fat layering between the point/flat, high inter-muscular fat content in the point muscle, muscle grain direction to probe against or with...there's more room for error, anyway...it may take a bit more instinct than I possess for that at this point in the game, simply because I haven't practiced it frequently...but it's a skill that can be further developed.

15.5 hours in and counting...better check out those butts again...back soon!

Eric


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## Bearcarver

Awesome Looking Butts Old Buddy!!!!

Bear


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## forluvofsmoke

Update: final pulled pork smoke is over, done with and freezing...and the best part of all, I was able to surpass my 25lb finished weight!


Bearcarver said:


> Awesome Looking Butts Old Buddy!!!!
> 
> Bear


That's Bear! I duplicated the first smoke for this pretty closely...met my quota and things are getting on track quickly...gotta love it!
Oh, I love it when a plan comes together...even with the death of my only working temp probe, it all worked out fine. I had one butt which took a little more effort to pull and separate, but well worth it because I'll have a bit more chewy texture than some of the rest, and when it all gets mixed together during the reheat, there should be a good balance regardless of heating time or cooker used.

The first 2 butts to come out @ the 14-hr mark...4.5 hours resting...they weren't quite as hot as I would have liked them (approx 145-150*), so I did a fairly quick, but clean pull, bagged, weighed and ran them out to the freezer for placement on a bare shelf for a quick freeze...no issues regarding food safety, as it was less than 1 hour in the danger zone until it began freezing...packages were less than 2.5" thick, so freezing went fast. They were getting stiff by the time the second batch was pulled and ready to chill (-20*F freezer temp...I like my freezers very COLD):













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I'm still tired enough that until I ran the numbers after pulling the first two butts, I thought I'd still be short, until I realized that an average and a large butt were still resting...5lb-15.6oz bagged and I guess I was thinking I needed 12lbs, but only needed less than 9...don't know why I was even worried, 'cuz this will be a lot of food, regardless. I will need a little break from cooking in a few weeks, I can tell...thought processes are getting slow, inaccurate and unreliable already...LOL!!!

The whole bowl:













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The 2nd pair to come out, with 3.5 hours resting, plenty hot enough to get some decent burns through nitrile gloves  (maybe 160*) if I wasn't paying close attention...perfect, for food safety purposes (pull it above the danger-zone, toss it a bit in the bowl to cool faster, bag and pop into the freezer...doesn't get any better:













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The wife and kids begged for some small samples...I never even got around to it before it was in the freezer...
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






...I'm sure it's worthy of the occasion. I think that overall, when mixed together, there will be a nice balance of stranded meat, chunks, and tidbits of bark that I diligently broke-down for good distribution...should be great PP for the reception dinner!

Just wanted to toss those pics in so we could all compare to the first PP smoke...moisture, smoke ring, how clean the pull is, etc (right click and open to another tab is easiest, at least for me). My picture viewer doesn't give good resolution when I zoom in, so this lets me see every detail much more clearly when I post pics on the forums, and I can analyze things that much more easily, and so can others if they desire (in case you wonder why I post so dad-gum many)...(???)...LOL!!!

So, I now have another 14lb-8oz to add to my ~16lb from the first PP smoke for a total of approx. 30.5lbs...plenty enough if I happen to fall a bit short on something else (likely the pulled chicken due to yield percentages I've seen thus far...we'll see). With my final brisket smoke next weekend, I expect about 11-12lbs yield, and only need 8.5, so no worries from me on the 2 main meats...so I'll be back on track for chicken and ribs after the brisket is chillin' for it's 2-month wait.

BTW, when you toss ~30 or more lbs of -20*F meat into a 4.2 cu ft fridge, don't forget to dial the thermostat back, a lot...nearly to the warmest setting...the mass of all that cold meat turns the fridge into a temporary freezer quite fast. You may not want to have anything that's temperature sensitive in there until the meat warms closer to fridge temps for a couple days as well...monitor temps at least twice daily and dial the temp back down as dictated...just a tip...I had slush sodas high up in the door about 4 hours after my 2 packer briskets went in, with dialing back the thermostat....24*F on my thermometer in the door 3/4 way up after 90 minutes into the thaw...BRRRRR!!!

Catch ya next weekend for a rap-up on the briskets! Chicken and ribs should be a SNAP after PP and brisket is knocked off my list.

Eric


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## samantha marie

You are awesome DAD!! Looks absolutely amazing! (I can almost taste it)....

~Sam


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## forluvofsmoke

Samantha Marie said:


> You are awesome DAD!! Looks absolutely amazing! (I can almost taste it)....
> 
> ~Sam


Thanks, Sam! Hey, I don't remember if you were here at home for it when I first made the matching recipes for brined pork butts with Hawg Heaven Rub back in late April 2011, or the second round in early May 2011 (was far superior, IMO), but this may be even better than that was after I get done doctoring it up for the reheat at the reception dinner venue. The main differences between the two versions are that the second round was brined for nearly a week which imparted tons of flavor deep into the core of the meat before it was rubbed and smoked, where this pulled pork is not brined, but instead will have some of the brine flavors added to a finishing sauce for reheating. So, in essence, the flavor profile can be altered during final prep to closely resemble what the original recipe was like, even though the entire process has been changed drastically due to time constraints, fridge space for brining, etc, and I have much easier control over the sodium content when it's finished, as a side benefit...cool, huh?

Anyway, if you missed that second round for the original recipe, oh, I wish you could have been here for that, 'cuz right now, you'd know what you're in for in June. But then I know what you'll make a bee-line towards when the buffet table is open for serving...PULLED CHICKEN!!! LOL!!!

Dad


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## Bearcarver

forluvofsmoke said:


> Update: final pulled pork smoke is over, done with and freezing...and the best part of all, I was able to surpass my 25lb finished weight!
> 
> That's Bear! I duplicated the first smoke for this pretty closely...met my quota and things are getting on track quickly...gotta love it!
> 
> BTW, when you toss ~30 or more lbs of -20*F meat into a 4.2 cu ft fridge, don't forget to dial the thermostat back, a lot...nearly to the warmest setting...the mass of all that cold meat turns the fridge into a temporary freezer quite fast. You may not want to have anything that's temperature sensitive in there until the meat warms closer to fridge temps for a couple days as well...monitor temps at least twice daily and dial the temp back down as dictated...just a tip...I had slush sodas high up in the door about 4 hours after my 2 packer briskets went in, with dialing back the thermostat....24*F on my thermometer in the door 3/4 way up after 90 minutes into the thaw...BRRRRR!!!
> 
> 
> Eric


That's one of the reasons I like having my special "Meat Fridge-Freezer":

I keep my old ET73 in it, with the smoker probe hanging from a shelf (monitoring air temp), and the meat probe I keep in a bottle of water (This one shows the IT of anything in the fridge).

Bear


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## forluvofsmoke

Bearcarver said:


> That's one of the reasons I like having my special "Meat Fridge-Freezer":
> 
> I keep my old ET73 in it, with the smoker probe hanging from a shelf (monitoring air temp), and the meat probe I keep in a bottle of water (This one shows the IT of anything in the fridge).
> 
> Bear


SWEET idea, Bear! The water bottle probe would give a pretty accurate representation of the temp of foods in the fridge without sensing air temp, as it would basically be the average temp of peaks and valleys for the past 60 or so minutes.

What I have right now is a digital hygrometer/thermometer which is a direct reading that can be switched to read peaks and lows for both sensors until you reset either one to clear the memory (you can clear either one, or both to start over with fresh data). This gives a little more concise info than just the current reading like a typical thermo-probe, but not an average temp, which would be a nice piece of info to have. The water bottle temp probe would give a reasonable average over a shorter time period of a couple hours.

Man, wish I had a couple extra digi-probes right now...last one that I _thought_ was working fine ended up reading about 50*F below my normal boiling temp for water the morning of my final butt smoke for this project...bummer. Oh, speaking of temp probes, I went to the local hardware store after I got back from a work road-trip today...none in stock, and they only had one direct read analog pocket thermometer,  so I grabbed it (they're just going through a complete re-vamp of the store right now)...but, it's better to have a couple extra pocket therms and no digital probe than break one or two and be cooking totally by sight and touch...can't have that.

Oh, and guess what? I think we're finally getting our spring snow-storm this year....the past three years have been a dry spring, and we normally get a blizzard every spring.

Our current forecast:

Tonight Snow with areas of blowing snow. Low around 15. Wind chill values between -4 and 6. Blustery, with a north wind around 29 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total nighttime snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches possible.
Tuesday Snow with areas of blowing snow. High near 20. Wind chill values between -6 and 2. Blustery, with a north wind 23 to 29 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible.
Tuesday Night Snow, mainly before midnight. Low around 8. Wind chill values between -5 and 4. Blustery, with a northwest wind 17 to 22 mph decreasing to 9 to 14 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.
Top this off with the fact that I have to go to work the morning...should be a real treat with all the suicide drivers on the highways with a fresh coat of snow-pack, ice and drifted snow...if only they didn't have to re-learn how to drive every time there was snow...(sigh)...the major highway near us had 20 MPH traffic flow an hour ago, and the peak of traffic volume hasn't hit yet...can't wait 'til morning after we get another ~6" of snow with heavy drifting...ha-ha-ha!

BTW, this storm makes me glad I got my planned smoke done yesterday...smoking in a snow storm in high winds was never my idea of fun...been there, done that.

Thanks for the fridge temp probe trick, Bear

Next smoke is slated for Saturday afternoon through Sunday, 'til the briskies are done.

Eric


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## Bearcarver

You can keep that Spring Blizzard!!

Our cold finally broke----- Touched 80 yesterday---61 this morning------My pellet stove didn't even come on during the night!!! (first time)

Yes that water bottle probe works great-----That fridge is in the basement, and the remote I keep in the Dining room, so I can keep an eye on it. When I have something in there "curing", it stays between 37 and 38, 24/7.

I mentioned this trick before, but everyone seemed to ignore me. Maybe they didn't understand what I was talking about. You're the first to ever reply to it.

Bear


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## samantha marie

forluvofsmoke said:


> Thanks, Sam! Hey, I don't remember if you were here at home for it when I first made the matching recipes for brined pork butts with Hawg Heaven Rub back in late April 2011, or the second round in early May 2011 (was far superior, IMO), but this may be even better than that was after I get done doctoring it up for the reheat at the reception dinner venue. The main differences between the two versions are that the second round was brined for nearly a week which imparted tons of flavor deep into the core of the meat before it was rubbed and smoked, where this pulled pork is not brined, but instead will have some of the brine flavors added to a finishing sauce for reheating. So, in essence, the flavor profile can be altered during final prep to closely resemble what the original recipe was like, even though the entire process has been changed drastically due to time constraints, fridge space for brining, etc, and I have much easier control over the sodium content when it's finished, as a side benefit...cool, huh?
> 
> Anyway, if you missed that second round for the original recipe, oh, I wish you could have been here for that, 'cuz right now, you'd know what you're in for in June. But then I know what you'll make a bee-line towards when the buffet table is open for serving...PULLED CHICKEN!!! LOL!!!
> 
> Dad


WAY COOL..... and YAY PULLED CHICKEN!!!!!! It is my day...so I don't have to share it!!!! :) hahahahahaha!!! lol!!!!!!!

~Sam


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## bmudd14474

Looks great buddy.


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## forluvofsmoke

Bearcarver said:


> You can keep that Spring Blizzard!!
> 
> Our cold finally broke----- Touched 80 yesterday---61 this morning------My pellet stove didn't even come on during the night!!! (first time)
> 
> Yes that water bottle probe works great-----That fridge is in the basement, and the remote I keep in the Dining room, so I can keep an eye on it. When I have something in there "curing", it stays between 37 and 38, 24/7.
> 
> I mentioned this trick before, but everyone seemed to ignore me. Maybe they didn't understand what I was talking about. You're the first to ever reply to it.
> 
> Bear


80*!?!?!? Man! Well, we did have some mid-70's in the last couple of weeks, so I guess we got an early warm snap this spring...the worst part will be remembering that there will be MUD under the drifted snow here because the ground was warm when this crap hit...snow insulates the ground from heat-loss, so the snow melts from the bottom up...been through this many times before, and we had several trucks stuck in mud/snow because of it. The weather today did shut-down schools in the entire area, and some pretty long stretches of a few major highways, so it's baring it's teeth a little. I was able to get my work done today without much difficulty, but I'm used to the crappy roads and weather...if the highways are not closed, I just go gitter done.

As for the probe trick, maybe no-one thought about the possibilities, or felt a need for a better way to track fridge temps. Sometimes, others just aren't thinking on the same wave-length as you...I sense that sometimes myself. I think it's a great idea, I just need to get my hands on a couple of digital probes again.

Eric


Samantha Marie said:


> WAY COOL..... and YAY PULLED CHICKEN!!!!!! It is my day...so I don't have to share it!!!! :) hahahahahaha!!! lol!!!!!!!
> 
> ~Sam


I thought about putting a "RESERVED" label on the pan of pulled chicken, but I don't think your guests will buy it...might have to set the chaffing pan right on your table...LOL!!! Just be sure to grab as much as you want first time up...I'm sure most will go for the other meats, anyway, but a few will find the pulled chicken to be a nice treat, as not very many want to take the time to do it.

I know I haven't made it very often, and you and your sister went after it like it was gold....wish I would have made it more often, but then I did spoil everyone with lots of other smoked and grilled goodies for several years. Maybe I can keep some boneless skinless thighs in the freezer just for when I know you're coming for a visit...pulled thighs are quick and easy, and they are what I got you hooked on to begin with...ha-ha-ha!!!

Dad


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## forluvofsmoke

bmudd14474 said:


> Looks great buddy.


Thanks, Brian!


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## forluvofsmoke

Final Brisket smoke is on!!!

I opted for full separation of these two packers, as I had enough grate space to lay out the full flats and both points, using the forth (jerky) grate for a point. So, this is my ultimate method for prep for a brisket smoke, as it allows the most smoke reaction due to having the most surface area, and with a relatively lean trim, there is little fat to interfere with smoke contacting the meat. That said, I'm off for another great smoke to finish up my brisket stash in the freezer until the June wedding.

I just looked through my pics and realized that I didn't get any trimmed or rubbed pics...took a bit of time to get them both trimmed and separated, so I wanted to hit the smoke ASAP, I guess, and I had just finished a pulled chicken thigh smoke for tonight's dinner and was posting a thread on that for another member and others to reference...when I'm smokin' I'm busy, busy, busy.

Anyway, a couple things I did want to show here...

Four grates for a nearly prefect fit...top to bottom are 2 points and 2 flats from the whole briskets...total weight was approx 29lbs pre-trimmed:













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A good amount of head-space for shrinkage now with single grate-spacing after being separated and the cap trimmed off nicely:













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The thickest point would normally go below the thinner one...tonight I'm expecting the temps will be slightly higher on the 5th (top) grate position than the forth, and this should allow for more even cooking of the two pieces. If it looks like baffling changed the heat flow through the smoke chamber differently than I remember seeing in the past, I can always change grate positions based on shrinkage and color of the meat:













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I placed the heaviest flat cut on bottom to catch a bit more heat and baffle the lower cross-sections of meat above it. Also, both of the widest portions of the flat cuts are on one side, which is below the thinnest and widest sections of the points...this allows for more baffling of the thinnest portion of points so that area will cook more slowly, and hopefully not be overcooked when the heaviest portion reaches my desired finished temp:













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...just a little bit about what's going on here tonight so others can consider this as options for their vertical smokers...bear in mind that this is a 24" wide cabinet, so it can handle up to 18lb whole briskets (two at a time), untrimmed if I choose, but I prefer a better smoke reaction with the extra work right up front before the smoke starts.

The current set-up is as close as I can come to getting even cooking and have all four pieces done at approximately the same time without overcooking much of it, knowing it rarely comes out very close having me scramble to foil and towel wrap them all at the same time. I know there will usually be a fair amount of time cushion, but I don't want them to be spread out for several hours between the first one out and the last. A grate rotation or two along the way may be in order based on shrinkage after they are partially cooked, just to even out the cooking closer for finished times...gotta play with those warmer/cooler spots that most vertical smokers seem to have, and make the best of it...we'll see.

I haven't decided yet if I want to pull or slice the points, as I seem to have quite a bit more pulled brisket than sliced already in the freezer. I'll decide on that when I see internal temps in the morning and see how it will fit into my timing. We're getting some light snow tonight with a little wind to keep things interesting, so I'll play it by ear from here on out...sleep tonight may not be a viable option, but it's my last all-nighter for this event, and we do what we feel we need to do, right?

Rap-up on my (Sam's) last briskets sometime on Sunday.

Thanks to all for riding along so far!

See ya tomorrow!

Eric

EDIT: target smoke chamber temp of 225*, water in foil drippings catch (should run dry in about 5-6 hours), with hickory, mesquite and apple chips for smoke on this round. Start time 10:00 PM MT.


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## forluvofsmoke

Update: Brisket Points and Flats are out, rested and sliced...wet-to-dry smoke chamber comes through for me yet again...

I opted to slice the points after their 14.75hr ride (I wouldn't have thought they would take that long, considering I had a few temp spikes). 180*+I/T when I decided to get busy with foil and towel-wrap, and they seemed to have rendered out quite a bit of inter-muscular fat, so I thought it would add another dimension to the sliced brisket...and being we have mostly pulled meats as well as a larger portion of the briskets pulled due to the way I prepared them before smoking, I felt some extra sliced brisket would be in order.

The flats were lagging behind the points all along by an average of 10* or so since I first stuck 'em for I/Ts @ 6:30 this morning. I did have some temp spikes late last night and early this morning (250-270*), but I did catch a nap from about 3:00 am - 6:00 am, so I'm not completely exhausted. The weather was playing a big role in temp control with this smoke...snow off and on, changing winds...just not ideal conditions, but better than I expected after seeing the forecast. I had my plan, the meat was thawed, so I had to roll with it and deal with whatever came along the way...not too bad, though.

With that, the all-nighters are over for this event...wheew!!! I need a break from that...all-night smokes every set of days-off work for...uh, OK, my days, nights weeks and months all seem to be mixing together at this point...I think 24 days now (4-on, 2-off work schedule). Straight day smokes from here on out until the meat is all done for the wedding reception dinner...
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





I foiled the two points in the same package, overlapping the thinnest portions with the heavy ends riding solo, towel-wrapped and rested for 2 hours. Sliced with the same carving knife I like so much, and here's the result of their long night in the smoke...note: this is with a wet-to-dry smoke chamber with relatively lean point and flat cuts of brisket...

Points are just waking up from their 2-hr nap...1st to go under the knife on the right...the other went back to wraps until the 1st was sliced. I didn't get pics straight out of the smoker with the points, but it looks pretty much unchanged. Notice the signs of a slow weeping of meat juices on the top side...red to pink in color...this is only my second smoked brisket using a wet-to-dry smoke chamber, and I wasn't looking for signs of positive reactions from the brisket for this smoke, but I'm seeing a lot of it with these separated points and flats thus far...I would not have even took notice if it hadn't been so prominent, as this thread is not intended to be about smoke chamber humidity and it's effects on the meat at all:













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Check out the zoom-able pics (if you right-click and open to a new tab you get a quick zoom) for smoke ring, moisture, thickness of bark...I give you sliced brisket point:













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Oh, and did I mention these points had a bark so hard I could not slice the heal? On the left, the heal was approx 2/3 or more of the overall thickness of the piece of meat, and so hard I thought I would slip and cut myself because I was forcing the blade down with both hands trying to break through it...very hard bark...LOVE IT!!!













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Flats are about to come out for a breather after their 18-hr ride through the smoke @ ~180*:













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Upper flat just out...this is 3.25 hours after removing all of the meat (points) above it, so these juices are from this cut, not drippings, and it's still weeping after being just over 180*...can't wait to see how these slices look...I'm wishing this wasn't for a reheat right now, as this will make for very moist sliced brisket flat...mmm-mmm-mmm!!! However, I do feel I have the skills to repeat this smoke, so I'll just have to wait until I can do a personal smoke and find out for myself:













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Lower flat just out...some of this may be drippings from the above flat, but I didn't see signs of streaming liquid coming down over the edges/sides of the first one to come out, so little if any is drippings from above...this one almost appears to bursting at the seams form excessive moisture which it can no longer contain:













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Here's a better color representation of the juices (and bark, btw):













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It is possible that the interior moisture was being held in place for so long from the dry smoke chamber and heavy bark it created that it was just now beginning to release meat juices through the path of least resistance, but at this high of a temperature??? Doesn't seem normal to me, but then using a dry smoke chamber has produced a lot of unexpected results in the past:













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First flat foiled, upper flat in the smoker:













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I really like how these sliced up...a bit too tender for a reheat as I had to slice quite a bit thicker to prevent them from falling apart under the blade, but the bark was slightly softer than the points, tons of moisture for a flat-cut no-foil smoke, and pretty nice smoke ring to boot:













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Last one out...the larger flat cut from the bottom grate:













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These flats came out in excellent shape, other than a tad too tender..but for a personal smoke, I just gotta do it again.

Nuff said 'bout dat!!!

See ya on the 19th (I think) for an 8-bird smoked pulled chicken run!

Eric


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## bmudd14474

Eric that looks done right great. Thank you for taking the time to give so much detail. I know the reception will be awesome. Can't wait till see the chickens


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## forluvofsmoke

Thanks, Brian, and you're welcome for the details. Lots to do and different things to overcome, especially with the meats, but I seem to have gotten into a groove and it's been pretty smooth sailing. The results of this brisket smoke was a little unexpected for me...much better than I had hoped for, overall. I think that sometimes I underestimate my own abilities when faced with a larger project like this one, and I don't let my expectations get too high, so when things work out as good as this last smoke did, it really gives me a push to want to see what the next smoke will bring.

This has been a heckuva project, but it's coming together nicely. Even with having to do 2 extra all-night smokes for the pulled pork and briskets adding an extra 12 days to the smoking portion, I'm way ahead of the game.

The pulled chicken smoke will be a little different than I've tried to tackle before...mostly quantity. I haven't sized things up yet, but I think I'll end up doing 2 - 4-bird smokes (based on weights/sizes compared to the 6-butt smoke that kicked this project off), being head-space between grates with a single grate space may not be enough for the birds, so it would be 8-10 hours to get both batches smoked, not including a little rest before pulling. I didn't like the idea of crowding the Vault on that first smoke...just had to get as much smoked with that run as I could so I'd have less thawing to do. I'll look things over closely before that pulled chicken smoke day starts and make a plan of attack. I could make a 6-bird smoke, but 8 might be pushing the envelope on smoker capacity.

8 yard birds have been thawing in the fridge since I dropped these brisket in last night...5 days...uh, wait, today is pretty much gone, so 4-1/2...and counting for pulled whole chickens. This ones gonna be a lot of fun, and should prove to be an easy method for pulled whole birds.

Eric


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## Bearcarver

Outstanding looking Briskets, Eric!!!------Awesome Detail !!!

I'd say you outdid yourself, but ALL your smokes are Awesome!!!

That's gonna be some reception!!!

Tip: If a Brisket comes out a little too tender to slice as thin as you want it, I like to use an electric knife, because you don't have to put any pressure on it.

Bear


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## forluvofsmoke

Thanks, Bear! This last brisket smoke almost has me wishing I would have smoked only 2 at a time, so I could separate like I did with these two packers. The way these came out is just ridiculous...if only I'd known then what I know now, huh? I haven't sliced the point for so long I can't even remember when it was...we have a thing about burnt ends, and if I don't make 'em I hear about it...LOL!!!. The first batch I smoked will still be really good, but this second round is some primo brisket. What really got me was how moist and tender the flats came out, and I don't think I've ever seen a smoke ring that deep on beef, either. I used to get somewhat dried-out flats (if lean trimmed) by the time they were tender using a wet smoke chamber...wet-to-dry seems to be the only way to go for me now.

Oh, sure, now you tell about the electric knife!!! LOL!!! I didn't even think about using one, obviously, but I'm not sure if we even have one around here anymore, Good thing to remember, though.

Eric


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## daveomak

Those briskets look absolutely awesome.... Great job.....   Did you have smoke going for the full smoke ??   

I think I'm rethinking my method for brisket...   Yes I am.....     Dave


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## rgacat

All I can say is WOW great job you have going here. Thanks for all the pictures and commentary.

Ronnie G.


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## forluvofsmoke

DaveOmak said:


> Those briskets look absolutely awesome.... Great job.....   Did you have smoke going for the full smoke ??
> 
> I think I'm rethinking my method for brisket...   Yes I am.....     Dave



Thanks Dave!

My smoke was heavy for about 3 hours, then turned to thin blue and continued for close to 8 hours total. The foil drppings catch evapoated all the water out  sometime around 7 hours.

If youre interested in llearning more about how to use this method send me a. PM...I'll hook you up to some links.


Eric


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## forluvofsmoke

rgacat said:


> All I can say is WOW great job you have going here. Thanks for all the pictures and commentary.
> Ronnie G.



Thank you, and you're welcome. It's been a fun and productive ride so far...I'm 2/3 of the way home for meats right now...the rest should be a fun way to wrap up the smoking.

Eric


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## toby bryant

Still looking good E!  Are you running out of gas yet? I would be one whooped puppy after the smoking marathon you got going.


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## forluvofsmoke

Toby Bryant said:


> Still looking good E! Are you running out of gas yet? I would be one whooped puppy after the smoking marathon you got going.


Thanks Toby!  
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






   Yeah, I was feeling the effects of too many nights of very little sleep at too short of intervals for that first stretch of all-nighters. I'm on the down-hill side of the slope now with only day-smokes left to finish the meat smoking, and feeling really good with how it's all come out so far. The up-hill part was a kicker, I will admit...gotta have some determination to make it all come together as fast as I pulled it off and not be tempted to blow-off a smoke for a later date and just kick back for some extra R & R. I just had this feeling that if I drug my feet it would come back to haunt me. I'm just sitting here now after getting home earlier than normal from work feeling a little tired, but not exhausted.

I'm ready for the next phase already, and I have another day at work before that starts. Oh, speaking of, I need to take a closer look at my birds and figure out if I can in fact smoke all 8 at once, or do 2 separate batches of 4 for the pulled chicken.

It's still daylight and times a wastin'!!! LOL!!!

I just measured the partially frozen birds to be sure (~4-1/2" high x ~6" wide x 8-8.5" long)...I think I can do all 8 in one smoke. With a single grate spacing, the birds will contact the grate above them, but I'm pulling these birds, so grate marks on top won't matter. All I have to do is stagger 3 birds per grate, and stagger the opposite on the next grate. If this works out, I think I could fit *twelve* if I had to!!!

I like the sound of this already...pulled whole chicken smoke starts in about 37.75 hours, and counting!!!

Eric


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## forluvofsmoke

8-Bird Smoke is on @ 9:30 AM MT!!!

I found out this morning that the look and feel of double-bagged birds when thawing can be quite deceiving. I've been checking them and rotating packages to keep things pretty evened out on the thaw for a few days now. My birds were still partially frozen this morning, with just small amounts of the added broth being liquid, so these are probably in the lower to mid 20* internal temp range right after unpacking.

I didn't plan on rubbing them with anything prior to the smoke so that didn't present any issues. What I did quickly realize is that a single grate space with 3 birds max per grate on 2 grates, and 2 birds on the uppermost grate would not be possible, as the birds were still bulked-up and solid, so they weren't relaxed and flattened-out somewhat which would have allowed me to stagger them on 3 grates.

At first sight and feel of the birds, I noted a problem with my original plan, but it was easily overcome by placement of 4 birds per grate with double-grate spacing to allow for head-space of the birds between grates. This little unplanned condition could just turn out to be a very good condition for achieving an even better finished product that I was expecting to be serving for the wedding reception.

The other side benefit to where this smoke will lead me is based on information in a thread from another member, and the link he attached to it: Understanding Smoke Management, in specific, keeping meats colder internally for loner periods for better smoke reaction, and also in reference to a hot-smoked frozen beef tenderloin and the very impressive smoke ring it produced. I have smoked partially frozen meats and birds in the past, but never really saw any correlation to better smoke reaction being from the meat being colder than fridge temp, but after reading the info in that thread, it makes sense to me. I haven't noticed what some folks caution about with cooking frozen meats, being a drier finished product, so no worries about that issue, even with a higher finished temp for pulling the meat.

With this particular smoke, being pulled chicken as the finished product, and the skin being somewhat hampering to smoke reaction due to it's underlying fats, I decided that a heavy smoke to go along with the cold meats should give me the most amount of smoke penetration into surface meat of the whole birds. Why do I want such a heavy smoke? Because the skin will be discarded when the meat is pulled, so I need it to get a lot more smoke into the meat than I normally would attempt to do, just so I don't toss the bulk of the smoke flavor in trash along with the skin. So, this frozen bird dilemma will actually give em an opportunity to see if this will in fact give me adequate smoke into the meat through the skin and fat...time will tell.

Just so you can see what I saw this morning...lots of frost and frozen broth:













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Just getting everything settled into the Smoke Vault 24...yes that is snow in the foil drippings catch over my pea-gravel filled water pan:













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A mix of chips and chunks of apple for smoke, pre-lit with a LPG torch for a rapid onset of smoke before the birds even began to thaw on the surface...chunks to keep it coming for longer, but I will add more chips frequently for a heavier smoke for much longer than I would normally want to see...I want heavy smoke for at least 3 hours on this round:













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2 hours into the smoke...looking for those birds to relax and flatten-out a bit, as well as any smoke coloring...smoke has come on fast from what things are looking like so far...just as expected...a bit uneven, but I think I'll do a rotation of the birds in a bit and try to overcome that before the meat gets too warm for taking on smoke:













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I underestimated the amount of drippings catch capacity on this smoke, forgetting about how much fat will render out...foil is full and we're only 2 hours into the smoke...OOPS...gonna make for a messy clean-up when the smoke clears tonight:













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I ran the burner on medium/low for about 15 minutes to slowly build chamber temps up to 170-180* for a total of about 30 minutes, then let it climb to 225* over about a 15-minute period. I'll let it ride @ 225* for 2.5 hours, them bump to 250 for a couple hours, then 275* and so on. I will probe a couple for temps eventually, but will wait until I see lots of rendered fat and some shrinkage before sticking them.

Why the slow bump in temps? So the birds will heat through more evenly as they thaw and begin to cook. Also, due to the birds relaxing and probably touching together as they begin to cook, I may need to rotate the birds on the grates so they cook more evenly, but that will come a few hours into the smoke.

I don't expect that these will reach my desired finished temps for resting in much under 8 hours, but I do intend to continue slowly bumping the smoke chamber temps up until they're finished, so that may reduce cooking time somewhat. I just don't want to push the chamber temps too high too quickly and create severely overcooked meat towards the outside while the interior meat finished.

Gotta get those birds rotated, so I better get moving!

More to follow!

Eric

_*EDIT:*_ I forgot to mention that these bird do not giblets in the cavity. From the test smoke I did at the start of this with the same birds, they only have the neck fat and skin fat packed into the cavity, so they should retain moisture quite well when finished at higher temps for pulling.


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## Bearcarver

WOW!!!

First time I ever saw anyone "Smoke a Flock" of chickens!!!

Get 'em, Eric!!!

Bear


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## forluvofsmoke

2.25-hr Update...bird rotation on grates...


Bearcarver said:


> WOW!!!
> 
> First time I ever saw anyone "Smoke a Flock" of chickens!!!
> 
> Get 'em, Eric!!!
> 
> Bear


Oh, we're gettin' 'em, all right!

2.25 hours in after a 180* rotation of all birds, I swapped the grate positions from upper to lower...definitely needed this as the lack of smoke shows that once they relaxed from thawing on the grates they were too close together for heat and smoke to flow easily:













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I should get a bit better smoke to more of the meat now, and more even cooking as well. I'll probably do another rotation or two before this is over.

Next is to dump the drippings from the foil water-pan liner into a catchment as it's now full, otherwise I suspect a grease fire will ensue and destroy this part of my smoke. I definitely need to remember to build up the sides of the foil drippings catch if I do a lot of birds again.

On to that drippings issue now...back later!

Eric


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## forluvofsmoke

3hr Update...

Color seems to be looking better overall, now...a repeat pic from the initial smoking @ 2 hours..fairly dark coloring on top and bottom in many areas...with only a few small spots which could indicate any caramelizing of the surface, but again, this was with lower average chamber temps than the past 45 minutes...:













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...and at 3 hours, being 45 minutes after rotating birds and grates, still rolling a heavy smoke...:













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The wings could be caramelizing already, but I think most of the rest of the coloring is from smoke reaction. If so, these birds are going to get a good dose of apple goodness on the skin and that translates to more smoke getting inside to the meat.

Temps have been creeping up closer to 250* now, so it's possible that part of this coloring is from caramelizing of the skin from heat as it cooks, but I don't think it will happen quite that soon at these temps, even though the heat is a bit higher near the cabinet and door on vertical smokers. That said, the only reasonable explanation for the darker coloring on the very top and bottom of these birds is lots of smoke and good temperatures and humidity to allow it to collect on the skin of the chickens.

So far so good...gotta do a cal-check on a couple of thermometers and do the stick 'em test soon to be sure we're cooking properly.

Later!

Eric


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## s2k9k

You wouldn't notice if I plucked one of those wings for a snack would you?

They are looking Delicious Eric!!!!


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## forluvofsmoke

4-hr Update...


S2K9K said:


> You wouldn't notice if I plucked one of those wings for a snack would you?
> 
> They are looking Delicious Eric!!!!


Thanks Dave! LOL!!! No, I wouldn't miss it...would be a GREAT snack, even without any rub or finishing sauce, I suspect.

These birds are coming along so nicely...much better than I expected. I stuck a couple of breasts and thigh and hit the upper 140* range, so I'm confident that everything is over 140* at this point...no worries if they were injected with the broth solution. Oh, forgot to mention this, but these birds are the Pilgrim's Pride label from Sam's Club, enhanced with broth.

Just a couple quick shots after checking temps...if you look close on the lower right bird, you'll see a small wet spot where the wing joint is pointing towards the breast (back/ribs)...that's a puncture wound from checking temps...it slowed down right away, but it had a small stream going for a bit...I want to minimize the puncture damage to avoid any more moisture loss:













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Think I'll do another grate and bird rotation now to keep them cooking evenly...smoke is still coming on pretty well, so I won't miss any opportunity to get more smoke flavor. I'll play it by ear, but I think a bone tug on the legs and wings should tell me when they're ready to rest before pulling...as long as I can feel the joint separate, or almost separate, will do, as the skin is pretty tough already, so that would otherwise hamper with the feel for texture just by doing a light tug on any bones. This is a little different than tenderness checks on pork butts, briskets, chucks and other cuts, even if you do have a bone to tug on. The skin on these chickens will not allow for a lot of movement...hopefully I don't tear the skin before they're ready to pull, as the punctures from the thermometers was immediately running juices out and down the sides of the birds, so I don't stick or tear the skin any more that necessary, just to preserve those precious juices.

I decided to let the chamber temps ride in the 250* range for now as it seems everything is cooking nicely and I don't see the need to push them any harder...in fact letting it run a bit slower like it is will be better for the overall evenness of cooking in the end, due these being partially frozen when they hit the smoke. The wings and legs mostly seem to have stayed tucked in fairly well too, so that will help them not cook too quickly as well...couldn't find a roll of butcher's twine this morning to tie everything in nice and snug, so I crossed my fingers and went for it.

Rotations are in order again, so, gotta go!

TIC--TOC----TIC--TOC...

Eric


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## forluvofsmoke

4.5-hr Update...

I just couldn't resist sharing this with everyone. After rotation of the birds, rotating and swapping grate positions, I did a double-take and my second look revealed this...upper grate of birds...(I wanted pics to analyze this much closer, anyway, as this smoking method is slightly modified from what I've done before):













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Lower grate:













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Beautiful coloring, the skin is just starting to shrink and tighten up nicely now, but do you believe this coloring is mostly caramelizing? Of a no-rubbed bird? No butter, oils or any kind of fats, and no spices/herbs or even any salt what-so-ever? Is it from the broth enhancement? Possible, yes, but likely? No. I don't get birds this dark at these lower temps without pulling some tricks to enhance the browning and crisping of the skin. Sure some of what we see here is caramelizing, but most has got to be smoke...I LOVE it!!!

Still rolling a fairly heavy smoke and 240-250* chamber temps. These might just come out around the 7-hr mark...we'll see after I do some bone yankin'...

I'm one HAPPY smoker, here!!! And to think I'm gonna toss this skin...(insert a HUGE sigh here)...wishin' this wasn't for a reheat or pulling right about now, but I'll know exactly what to do next time for a personal bird smoke. Who'd of thought semi-frozen smoked yard birds would look like this...and they're not finished yet, either! I certainly won't sweat a frozen bird ever again...just pour on the smoke and watch the magic begin!!! LOL!!!

So, in a couple of hours I'll be able to see just how well the really cold meat and a bit slower start-up with a heavy smoke works out for these birds. I've done similar things in the past with ribs, butts and brisket, but never really pushed the limits on temps and smoke output too much, so I'll be curious about this smoke. If I see a lot of pink smoke ring under the skin will be the dead-ringer...I almost can't wait to pull these birds!!!

See ya with the rap-up later!

Eric


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## Bearcarver

Toss the skin????

Toss it this way!!!

Bear


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## forluvofsmoke

Bearcarver said:


> Toss the skin????
> 
> Toss it this way!!!
> 
> Bear


LMAO!!!

Hey Bear, I just had a "wait a minute, rethink this" moment and you just gave me an idea for an option: I can keep the skin until after the birds are pulled and taste few samples and decide of the smoke flavoring came through to the meat enough or not. If the meat seems a bit shy on smoke overall, I may be able to rough-chop the skin and toss into a food processor to break it down into smaller pieces and toss with the meat before freezing. The only concern I would have with doing that would be that the skin will get a leathery texture after reheating, so the pieces would need to be pretty small. Also, getting a good balance of the smoke flavor from the skin without going overboard, so do a little mixing in of processed skin and have another taste. Could be a little trial and error involved, but I have no problem with that...samples are the chef's spoils of battle right??? LOL!!!

With new methods come new possibilities...

Thanks, brother Bear!

Eric


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## Bearcarver

Works for me!!!

Grind it very fine-----Mix it gradually.

Don't worry about "Too Smoky" with the stuff you toss my way!!!

Bear


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## bpopovitz

Just saw this thread, and I am completely and totally flabbergasted.  Holy Smokes.  Congratulations on the wedding. 

WOW, just WOW.


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## forluvofsmoke

Update: Birds are out and resting for the pull...


bpopovitz said:


> Just saw this thread, and I am completely and totally flabbergasted.  Holy Smokes.  Congratulations on the wedding.
> 
> WOW, just WOW.


Thanks! We're not done yet, either! Ha-ha-ha!!! Great ride so far and no real regrets, so what else could I ask for, right?


Bearcarver said:


> Works for me!!!
> 
> Grind it very fine-----Mix it gradually.
> 
> Don't worry about "Too Smoky" with the stuff you toss my way!!!
> 
> Bear


Yep, fines as I can get it...as long it's too small to change the texture, it will work out great. I'll see if I need to do that shortly...birds are out and resting after a 5.75-hr ride.

I figured if it's smoked, you'll eat it!!! (as it reads over my avatar)
OK, with a little luck, my smoke in the meat is on target. I did a light tug and twist on a couple wings and the joint popped loose and the skin began tearing rather quickly, so I knew I had tons of shrinkage based on the skin's tightness alone, which also can be an indicator of the level of doneness, but the joints separating so easily was the biggest factor. I didn't even check the thigh/leg joints as the legs looked shrunken quite a bit, too. No worries about tenderness...too tender for reheat, maybe, but I don't think so much that it will turn mushy...once I get started pulling I'll have a better idea, though.

So, in preparation for yankin' 'em all out at the same time, I grabbed a bus-bin, lined with intersecting layers of 18" wide foil, all the way up the sides and with a good amount of overlap on one end of each piece and headed to the Vault to retrieve my trophies for the day.













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First to come out, upper grate...but before I lay them down to sleep...:













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...I wanted to show you how easily the wing joints separated a few minutes earlier:













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4 birds are out, 4 to go...:













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...next???













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Hmm...color is off a bit here, more of an amber hue...flash must have switched to auto between pics and was supposed to be a forced-flash...anyway, the gangs all present and accounted for...:













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...and resting peacefully...I bundled it all up snug and rolled the corners up to help prevent leakage into the bin over the foil edges, but I expect some, as I didn't form and roll the edges to make a larger single piece of foil...I didn't bother to insulate these as it's a large mass of meat all in one package, so residual heat will keep things pretty hot for decent amount time to redistribute the juices before I commence with pulling. If this were just one or two birds, yeah, I'd definitely do a towel wrap for resting:













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...sleep well, my friends.

I'll give these a good 90 minutes to rest, I suspect (going by touch of the heat from the foil, or lack thereof, to be specific), then split the skin and roll it away so I can pull the meat away from the carcass more easily...wings form the breasts, legs from the quarters, then thighs from the carcass, and lastly, breasts from the carcass...or something like that...LOL!!!

So, no internal finished temps? Nope...didn't want to loose any more juices form the birds after getting reasonable assurance that I made it through the danger-zone time/temps of 40-140*/4-hrs. I should have checked these for texture (bone-tug/twist of the wings/legs) earlier than I did, but I was busy posting and checking a few things out here on the forums, so I blame all you SMFer's for it they fall off the bone when I cut the skin loose and roll it back...(!!!)...just kidding, I enjoy every minute I spend here with all of you.

Pulled whole chickens, samples for taste and texture, then a decision if I need to add finely chopped skin to the mix for additional flavor as well as what to add to the final liquids for reheating....all to follow ASAP!!!

Eric


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## bpopovitz

I had the honor of smoking for my nephews wedding, did pulled pork, fatties, ABT's a bean salad and a frozen fruit salad.  That ended up being our gift to him.  Smoked it all a week ahead of time and transported to Kentucky from the Indianapolis area the night before, my greatest regret, I didn't document it as well as you have.  Hats off to you, when you look back the smiles and full bellies MORE than make up for the time involved.


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## forluvofsmoke

Update: 8-bird smoke is over and pulled...


bpopovitz said:


> I had the honor of smoking for my nephews wedding, did pulled pork, fatties, ABT's a bean salad and a frozen fruit salad.  That ended up being our gift to him.  Smoked it all a week ahead of time and transported to Kentucky from the Indianapolis area the night before, my greatest regret, I didn't document it as well as you have.  Hats off to you, when you look back the smiles and full bellies MORE than make up for the time involved.


Ah, that would be quite a gift from an uncle, I'd say. It is a lot of work, but then, it's that labor of love, with a passion for food that keeps it so enjoyable, I think.

Yeah, the documentation here on the forums is bar none the best way to share the experience with others, as well as be able to look at what I did, how it all came out, and what I would change if given another opportunity to put a similar event together. It's all a learning experience with every smoke, and the bigger projects like this can present you with many obstacles, as I found out early. It does make me look forward to sharing this all with my daughter and her husband, and their guests. It should be a memorable part of a very memorable and special day for  the newlyweds.
I ended up resting all these birds for close to 2.5 hours, as they were plenty hot enough for some good burns to the gloved fingers, so once I started pulling I went swift and smooth. I did notice the first bird pulled more easily and was slightly drier in the breast meat, while the rest for the most part, pulled with a bit more effort, but I did not find any suspect areas (under-cooked), as it all looked a more pale color and juices were clear. There will be some variations to the level of doneness and textures it will give for eating, which I expected, but most of it seemed slightly firm after pulling, so the reheat shouldn't be too difficult to keep it from overcooking...more forgiving, if you will...bonus, IMHO.

I was somewhat surprised not to find any smoke ring, but then again I have seen that in the past with skin-on birds, while skinless can yield a light but deep smoke ring if conditions are right for it. As for the flavor and aroma of the heavy apple smoke for most of the duration of cooking, it seemed nearly perfect. Not harsh, not wimpy...very nice balance and flavor, and so, the skin did in fact get left out of the toss in the end (I'll send it ya , Bear! LOL!!!). BTW, I grabbed a small piece of the skin and chewed it up just for giggles, and it had what I thought was a strong flavor at first, being concentrated on the surface, but after a few chews, it still seemed smooth and slightly sweet, which indicated to me that the smoke was soaking through the skin quite a bit. The lack of smoke ring is due to the nitrogen-dioxide not being able to penetrate the skin.

I passed a few small samples of pulled meat around to anxious family here after pulling most of the birds, but I did grab a couple small pieces of white and dark meat earlier, from the interior areas inside and just under the skin, for myself to judge the outcome. I think it will bring on an even nicer, smoother smoke flavor from the pulled chicken, once reheated. That said, I don't feel it will need much to enhance it, other than some salted butter, melted and mixed with lemon juice, some fresh ground black pepper, and that's about it. As is, the meat had no salt other than from the broth it was soaking in, which seemed very low, but was still nice with just smoke. KISS method should do a fine job of finishing this all up for a great eating pulled chicken.

OK, where are  the final pics!?!?!?!? I did discover that pulled chicken, with little to no contrasting colors is a difficult subject to photograph...lighting and flash settings are tough to get a handle on, and this is one of the firsts for this camera having pulled light meat chicken, so bear with me...found the best representation from many sub-par pics...here we go...

First one out of the foil...still have that gorgeous color and most of the tightness of the skin, you could pinch a few small areas and see a bit more shrinkage from slightly looser skin, so carry-over temps likely had a role in continued cooking with these birds during resting...your nap time's over buddy, time to meet your maker:













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Not sure how this will look when you zoom-in, but this is the driest off all the birds pulled...mostly just the dark meat here...large pieces in a 13 qt bowl:













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EDIT: the first whole bird is pulled...light and dark meat combined:













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Just in case the moisture isn't visible from the harshness of the flash refection on the nearly empty S/S bowl...no flash under CFL lighting:













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OK, I hammered out the rest of the seven remaining birds before taking final pics...hope these zoom-in alright...these look much better...oh, I did have mostly juices in the foil (little to no fat, about 2 cups total) from resting and poured it over all the pulled chicken after taking these pics and tossed it lightly before bagging to freeze, so I was able to put a little more natural moisture and flavor back into the meat. Best of all, I got a nice, clean pull, which was a very important factor to me:













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WOW!!! Just thinking back on this from the start a little bit...really not a difficult smoke at all...just keep it pretty heavy and steady for at least 4 hours or so, and be sure the drippings catch can handle all the initial moisture from the birds, and later on, the rendered fats. Of course checking doneness by tugging a bone or two is somewhat of an an acquired skill, but not that difficult to learn...similar to checking your ribs with a bone tug, only you're giving it just enough force to pull a joint apart if it's very tender. Feeling for less resistance, but not separating the joint when it's a bit less tender, and so on...it could be taught without a lot of time, I guess. I have only used that method a handful of times, as I generally rely on thermometers, but also, rarely do pulled birds, so lower finished temps (minimum of 165* or so) don't give an easily separated joint with a bone tug, if that makes any sense.

I didn't weigh this out, but from the fullness of the bags and heft alone, I estimate a 35% yield from the ~36lb starting weight for approx 12.5-13.0lbs pulled chicken...lots of bone and fats with yard-birds, and these were plumped-up with broth, also. I don't feel the need to make more, even though I've fallen short on weight, because I have so much other meats that we should have enough still for close to 140 people, and with the last looks at invitations, there should be no more than a bit over 100...no worries...the chicken pan may come up empty earlier, but there's plenty of other meats to dig in on.

The amount of smoke flavor and aroma seems dead-on, so that definitely is not a concern for me at this point...once reheated, it should meld into the meat even more. I am glad I had the opportunity to read the thread I linked earlier on this chicken smoke, as it explained a lot of what I had been doing for a few years already, only now I have a better idea how to make things come out even better, and the very cold meat going into the smoker was just another benefit with what could have otherwise been a blind experiment.

I think there were some other parts of this smoke that I wanted to recap regarding the overall smoke/cooking method, but I''m just too tired right now. I may have some time in the morning to look this over closer again to refresh my memory...I'll post whatever comes to mind of importance to duplicating this smoke, so others can try it the same way I did today, if they desire. I know I want to do it again, too, so if I miss anything, it could hurt my future smokes a little, as well as potential smokes for others...I'll get on it in the morning.

Three meats down, and one to go...next round is, last but not least, 15 slabs of baby back ribs!!!

See ya in about 6 more days for BBs!!!

Eric

OK, I did just edit a lot of this due to typo's and left-out info, so it should make better sense now, I hope...I also hope not too many have read it already, sorry...it's time for eyelid inspections.

BTW, I ditched the knife altogether after the first pulled bird, as all I had to do was tear away a wing or leg quarter and lift the skin to remove...most came off with little resistance, except on the smallest parts of the wings where the meat was cooked very well and the skin was bound to the meat a bit more. It cut the time involved for final processing enormously to just get after it and skip the formalities.

EDIT: regarding not checking internal temps as a final check before removing from the smoker, and going by looks and feel, bone tug/twist, etc, would not be recommended for those new to cooking whole birds, and I would not use this method for birds intended for cutting apart, as there is no reasonably effective manual gauge for doneness (such as tug/twist of bones for joint separation) until the birds reach very high finished temps when connective tissues have softened more than would normally be seen. This method is very similar to checking for doneness with pork shoulders for pulling, and can be very effective for either meat or poultry. Final check should be done with internal temps of the breast meat and thighs as a minimum, but for those more experienced, it can be done safely with birds intended for pulling (do not use this method for birds intended to be cut-up, finished at lower temps). My main reason for using this method for these birds was to minimize loss of internal moisture as much as possible, being they were intended for pulling which can cause more natural moisture loss due to a much higher finished temp, which causes the risk of internals not being at least above the minimum recommended by USDA to be far less than normal. This was a risk assessment on my part, but again, not for those with little experience. When in doubt, check internal temps, and always check temps for birds to be cut-up instead of pulled.


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## rgacat

Sleep well my friend you have earned it. Can't wait for the BB's.

Ronnie G.


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## forluvofsmoke

Update: checked out the venues today...


rgacat said:


> Sleep well my friend you have earned it. Can't wait for the BB's.
> 
> Ronnie G.


Thanks Ronnie, and yes, I do need some sleep...LOL!!! Got a much needed trip out of the way today, so I can breathe easier now, too.
Good news:  got to visit my daughter and her fiance today and we had a look at the banquette room, kitchen, equipment, etc, and spoke with the manager about the meal plan and reception so she's in the loop, and to look at available options to make it all come together. It's a shared kitchen with another smaller party that day (kitchen adjoined by separate banquette rooms), but we'll have use of 2 of the 3 Vulcan gas ovens (large enough for full size pans with room to spare...thinkin' 30" inside width), and they have 3-4 large roaster ovens. For food service, they have a quad steam table and 2 singles (for full-size pans), for a total of 6 hot dishes (we possibly need 7 due to the BB's [I don't think 15 slabs of sliced BB's will fit in one pan], but if the other party needs a couple, I can serve from the roaster ovens). There's also a large ice maker, so if I run short on ice, that's covered. There's a very large island food prep table (approx 12ft x 4ft) with hardwood top and a decent accompaniment of pots, pans, cutlery and cooking accessories...it's equipped to handle cooking various feeds for over 200 people per sitting, so I think there isn't much that I wouldn't find in the kitchen, but little of the that will be needed unless we do the cold sides onsite.

We only need to decide if we want to prep the cold sides at home and transport, or prep onsite after transporting the raw food the day before. Most of the raw goods for cold sides could be purchased just a mile or so away after unloading the bulk of the coolered thawing meats and other items the day before, as we can come in a day early for decorating, banquette room set-up and stocking the food and/or final food prep...they have no issues with that. I can keep coolered food on ice if fridge space were an issue at all, but right now it shouldn't be...either way, good to go. This is going to be a piece-a-cake!!! Well, maybe I shouldn't say that so early, right? But I have coordinated outdoor meals from coolers and just a 4.2 cu ft fridge for a group of about half this size onsite before with little more than a make-shift, but functional kitchen under a pavillion. Just about anything is possible with a little creative thinking and keeping safe food handling practices in mind.

That said, I don't need to purchase roaster ovens to reheat with and serve from (which is a minor expense, but that much less bulky gear to transport), and the two available ovens will work out great for reheating and finishing of the baby back ribs. I think we're going to be set-up nicely for the final prep and meal service, so that's one more thing to check off my list...can you see the 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






 ??? Ha-ha!!!

Eric


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## toby bryant

That is some fine looking yardbird E!  Looks like everything is coming together nicely. I am sure the wedding will be a spectacular event.


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## forluvofsmoke

Toby Bryant said:


> That is some fine looking yardbird E! Looks like everything is coming together nicely. I am sure the wedding will be a spectacular event.


Thanks Toby! The pulled birds were actually pretty easy to do...just a little time-consuming to pull the meat, but once I got rolling it went pretty fast. I kinda planned the birds and ribs for last so I'd have the long smokes done before I ran out of energy...the longest smokes and the most pre-smoke prep or finished processing work out of the way sooner...think I made a good call on that, 'cuz I was a bit slow getting going this morning, knowing I had just 2 more smoke runs to make for the ribs. I think I'm about whooped...well not yet, but loosing some steam anyway.

I have a pretty good idea how to bring this all together now after seeing the kitchen at the venue, the banquette room and food service equipment available for buffet dining. Takes a little more of the edge off not having to wonder what I'll be able to do, but instead be able to do final planning for reheating and service well in advance...I can breathe much easier for sure. There was some mention that a couple of guests wanted to bring side dishes as well, so if I can find out what and much will help me decide if I need to cut-back on something or maybe make a change...still plenty of time for that end to take shape yet, so no worries. Meats are almost finished, and that's what I wanted done early so the rest of the food and planning can fall into place with much more ease.

Round one of the ribs is in the Vault...gotta get that update rolling.

Back in a short!

Eric


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## forluvofsmoke

9 slabs of Baby Backs are in...

I decided to break this smoke up over 2 days instead of trying to push for 2 batches in one...I'm getting worn-down a bit at this stage of the game, and have plenty of time to finish the meats, so I'm taking it easy today with 9 slabs, and tomorrow I'll smoke the last 6 slabs. I was pretty slow out of the gate this morning, so I didn't think it would be a good idea to try to run a marathon today, and this will give me extra time to look for pull-back and shrinkage on individual slabs more closely than if I were running against the clock to do 2 smokes in one day....time to slow-down and relax more now.

So, why not grab all my rib racks and slap all 15 slabs into the Vault for a single smoke? Cram 8 slabs on one grate and 7 on the next with double-grate spacing? Too much crowding...uneven cooking, lots of grate rotations to even things out and too much room for error. Happiness is a full smoker, after all, but there comes a point where too much crowding just makes things more difficult to manage and the finished product consistency ends up suffering in the end, so I'm not going to push the limits when I don't really see a need to, and make it tougher on myself by complicating things to get it done. Backing off and keeping it reasonable will give me much more opportunity to keep the finished product how I want it to come out for reheating, and that's a top priority towards the end of smoking these baby backs...texture when reheated...don't want them falling off the bone or having a tough chew, either. I won't have an opportunity or the equipment to set the bark on open grates prior to serving, so I need the meat a bit firmer to hold itself together, while still having a nice, lighter chew...that's my goal anyway.

I would probably shoot for 4 hours of smoke for fully-cooked, yet not quite tender, but with a decent load like I have today, cooking can slow down a bit, especially with opening the chamber to look for pull-back before I do tenderness checks, as well as grate rotations to even out cooking as much as possible as indicated. Some slabs may be cooked to my desired tenderness while others may be lagging behind, so I need to watch for these signs to avoid overcooking, especially for reheated ribs. I may be looking at 6 hours to smoke these up the way I want them to come out, but I've never smoked 3 slabs on 3 grates before (that I recall), so time will tell the rest of that story.

So, onto my first rib victims...

Just a couple pics of the dry rub coming together this morning...I ground the tart cherries, then gave the dried red bell peppers a couple of quick pulses and tossed them together for a second grind before adding much of the other spices:













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Second grind here...I added the cumin, rosemary, oregano during this grind...:













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...a total of 3 grinds once everything except kosher salt was added to get a good blend before tumbling in the container prior to rubbing the ribs.

*EDIT:* forgot to mention that the rub is the same as for the pulled pork, Hawg Heaven Rub, without apple...will add a bit of apple cider or apple juice during reheating to bring that into the mix of the overall flavor profile.

9 slabs rinsed and ready for dry rub:













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I laid all the slabs meat-side up in the bin, rubbed 3 slabs at a time in the bin and went straight to the smoker grates:













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Time for smoke...I pre-lit the chunks and chips of apple with a torch to get the smoke coming on heavy up front from a cold smoke chamber and let the temps slowly climb to 150* for the 1st 15 minutes, then bumped to 200* for another 30 minutes, then hitting 225* at the end of the first hour, where they will ride for the duration:













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To get the flames to go out, I just cranked the burner on high for a minute and closed the door...no oxygen + no fire...:then bumped the burner setting back for a slower climb with chamber temps:













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90 minutes in with chamber temps around 220* and I decided to grate position swaps and rotations.

5th grate up...coloring is showing it's suffering the effects of baffling from all the other slabs beneath it (still lots of pink meat on the surface and little signs of weeping juices onto the surface), so it's going to the lowest position I'm now using, being the 3rd one up, and also a 180* grate rotation...we'll get the cooking evened-out better this way:













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4th grate up looks pretty normal for what I've done with smoke and temps thus far, so just a 180* grate rotation for these fellas:













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3rd grate up (lowest position I'm using) looks nice as well, but I know it's catch a bit more heat that the rest, so these are going up to the top (5th) grate position to slow them down just a bit, and again, a 180* grate rotation:













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The gang's all settled in for some more smoke and heat...plenty of moisture in the foil drippings catch over my pea-gravel-filled water pan yet, so smoke reaction will still be about as good as I can get without dropping chamber temps, but I started cold and took an hour to reach 225*...that's pushing low temps enough, IMHO...upper grate looks much darker here due to the sunlight hitting the lower grates:













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I'll likely do a couple more grate position changes and rotations before these come out, as indicated by coloring, juice pooling on the surface, pull-back/shrinkage, etc. It's easily do-able, but you just have to pay attention to the signs and act accordingly...a peek every 60 minutes or so will tell you what and if anything needs to be done, but with grates loaded up like this, you don't want to just check chamber temps and smoke out-put and call it good to go, 'cuz you're not good to go at all with a vertical smoker and large amounts of the grates covered with meat. Heat baffling from the lower meats will bite you in the hinder.

That's it for now...I'll be back with more towards the finish...just some peeking and tending to do for a few more hours now, until I like what I see and feel on those slabs of ribs. Easy smoke, though, and right now I definitely need easy...I'm one tired boy, but a happy smoker! LOL!!!

See ya ASAP!

Eric

EDIT: ribs went into the smoke at 11:00 AM MT.


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## Bearcarver

Great Start on the Ribs, Eric !!!!

Any more weddings, and you're gonna have to get one of those smokers with the rotisserie built in !!!

Be Back !

Bear


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## forluvofsmoke

6-hr Update...5 slabs are out...


Bearcarver said:


> Great Start on the Ribs, Eric !!!!
> 
> Any more weddings, and you're gonna have to get one of those smokers with the rotisserie built in !!!
> 
> Be Back !
> 
> Bear


Thanks Bear! Oh man, you know I actually had drawings for several designs of rotisserie smokers a couple years ago when I was planning on building my own mobile BBQ concession rig. Would have been sweet to have even a smaller one right about now, or better yet, when I started this project 4 weeks ago.
I did 30-60 minute rotations on grates and grate positions until I had about half of them looking and feeling like I wanted. So, they came out to cool before going into the sub-zero chill-o-vator for their 2-month wait. The time spent with the cabinet door open definitely increased cooking time, but I had to keep things cooking smoothly as best I could. Can you imagine what it would have been like to maintain this smoke with all 15 slabs loaded onto rib racks smoking away at the same time? I don't wanna go there...this was much easier to pull off without any issues.

Nice color from the rub and smoke, with a decent bark, which of course will soften-up during the reheat, but will also aid somewhat in holding them together if any are in fact over-cooked after the reheat.

First look at the top grate:













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Stacked 'em up a bit for closer look at pull-back...looking for about 3/16-1/4", then it's time for a bend-test of the slab...:













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4th grate up:













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3rd grate up:













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These 4 didn't make the grade for pull-back and bend-test so I'll give them another hour and check 'em out again...bend-test was too much sagging for these, and one still had pink juices on the surface, so it's still weeping a lot...not ready yet...probably just above med-well internal temps right about the time I was looking them over, but I don't check internals...just an observation from what I see with chops and pork steaks:













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Finish gettin' happy, my friends...baffling shouldn't be much of an issue now with 2 slabs per grate, so these should pretty much take care of themselves, now:













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Now, be honest...doesn't this make you wish you had a knife and a plate right about now? Or, just skip the knife?!?!?! LOL!!!













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These BB's should work out great for a reheat and finish onsite...thinkin' about 3 hours or so in a 230-240* oven should do the trick...stand them on edge in a covered steam table pan and let it happen.

5 slabs of BB's are out, and 4 to go...6 more slabs go into the smoke in the morning and when they're ready, I'm done smoking meats for this event. Then. it's working out a few more details for final planning and we should be set for the reception dinner.

Back shortly!

Almost 7 hours for the last 4 slabs, so I gotta do some more peekin' and tweekin'...

Eric


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## forluvofsmoke

7-hr Update: last 4 slabs of round one BB smoke are finished...

This worked out nicely with only having 2 sets to rest at a time...actually, it would have been more of a rush to package for freezing after resting if they all came out at the same time, but still do-able.

Just a couple quick pics here after I dropped 'em into the bin to bring inside...looking at pull-back...all slabs passed the bend-test so I knew they were just about dead-on where I wanted them...chine-bones showing here...yes, I left the membrane attached for additional moisture retention and a stiffer slab prior to reheating, and it should glide right off after reheating before or after slicing into portion sizes:













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I feel pretty confident that I nailed the texture for all of the ribs rather closely, for the amount of reheating and finish cooking time I'm planning on, based on ceremony time and reception dinner timing, as well as oven temps. I just need to get them heated through and give 'em a little more push to get slightly more tender, so it should work out nicely.

Oh, and the rub and smoke? I know the rub will be good, as it's one of our all-time favorites for pork, and my choice of smoke (straight apple) I felt would be best for those who don't eat a lot of Q, as well as those who enjoy it regularly...mild, slightly sweet and reasonably smooth...I can't go wrong with the rub and smoke. The aromas from the ribs when I brought them inside to rest was not strong at all...subtle smoke with a little hint of the rub and pork soon to follow, so there should be just a good amount of smoke without being overwhelming to anyone (some can't tolerate much smoke). I can duplicate the temps, times and smoke output pretty close in the morning...no problem there.

There probably won't be much going on with tomorrow's smoke, other than a bit easier with more space between slabs and the cabinet, having only 2 per grate on 3 grates,with less baffling of heat...I expect that it should be pretty trouble-free smoking, though. I'll drop a couple finished pics in for good faith, if nothing comes up.

Been a long haul so far, but the meat smoking is almost finished in just under one month...not bad, not bad at all...I'm lovin' it!!! Soon, I can focus on more ideas/changes for sides, final food prep, set-up of the buffet, etc...the rest is all down-hill from here and it should be a pretty smooth trail.

Thanks for riding along, everyone! Been a blast sharing good smoke with ya!!!

Eric


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## daveomak

_Oh, and the rub and smoke? I know the rub will be good, as it's one of our all-time favorites for pork, and my choice of smoke (straight apple) I felt would be best for those who don't eat a lot of Q, as well as those who enjoy it regularly...mild, slightly sweet and reasonably smooth..*.I can't go wrong with the rub and smoke. The aromas from the ribs when I brought them inside to rest was not strong at all...subtle smoke with a little hint of the rub and pork soon to follow, *so there should be just a good amount of smoke without being overwhelming to anyone (some can't tolerate much smoke). I can duplicate the temps, times and smoke output pretty close in the morning...no problem there._

Eric my dear friend..... you have been smokin' grub for a month, darn near 24 hours a day..... and doin' a mighty fine job I might add.....   I'm just not sure you are the go-to-guy for telling if something is smokey or seasoned lightly by using your nose.....

Hey, when I smoke for 12 hours, I can't tell if something is smokey...  to me, my clothes smell like pasture petunias and bride says, "throw that stuff in the laundry"  .....    Just sayin' ......   
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





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## forluvofsmoke

DaveOmak said:


> _Oh, and the rub and smoke? I know the rub will be good, as it's one of our all-time favorites for pork, and my choice of smoke (straight apple) I felt would be best for those who don't eat a lot of Q, as well as those who enjoy it regularly...mild, slightly sweet and reasonably smooth..*.I can't go wrong with the rub and smoke. The aromas from the ribs when I brought them inside to rest was not strong at all...subtle smoke with a little hint of the rub and pork soon to follow, *so there should be just a good amount of smoke without being overwhelming to anyone (some can't tolerate much smoke). I can duplicate the temps, times and smoke output pretty close in the morning...no problem there._
> 
> Eric my dear friend..... you have been smokin' grub for a month, darn near 24 hours a day..... and doin' a mighty fine job I might add.....   I'm just not sure you are the go-to-guy for telling if something is smokey or seasoned lightly by using your nose.....
> 
> Hey, when I smoke for 12 hours, I can't tell if something is smokey...  to me, my clothes smell like pasture petunias and bride says, "throw that stuff in the laundry"  .....    Just sayin' ......
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Thanks Dave!


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## forluvofsmoke

Update: 2nd round of BB's are out...

No issues today at all with this smoke...nice weather: calm winds, no rain or snow with a high of 71* (so far). At 3 hours in I did a grate position change to even out cooking a bit, and that was it. 4 hours in and they all looked like what I wanted for pull-back...bend-test was good, so they're soon to land in the freezer and wait until June along side the first batch...ah, 15 slabs of BB's in wait.

4 hours in...need to look them over a bit closer:













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They're happy, I'm happy...













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...EVERYBODY is happy...except the family..."are you sure these are for the wedding and not tonight's dinner???"

No sliced pics of the ribs until the reception, as these are staying whole until then...I know, the suspense! LOL!!!

So, that concludes the smoking end of this planning for the big day. And, now, I can relax more and look into all my options for sides, final prep and food service. Sure was a fun ride, though! I think my Smoke Vault needs a break...I've never passed that much meat through a smoker in one month...EVER.

Any sides we do will be posted later sometime as well.

Back within the next couple of months...yeah, I had all this time for smoking and crammed into one month, but, that will be to my advantage, for sure...things can slow down now, and I have lots of time to carefully think things through. Later!

Eric


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## Bearcarver

That's Great, Eric !!!

Now take a freakin' break, and rest up for the big event !!!

Bear


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## forluvofsmoke

Oh Bear, if you only knew...I'm not dragging too bad anymore, but those all-nighters back-to-back with every pair of days off work took it's toll. I find myself wanting to do eyelid inspections after being awake for only about 6-8 hours for the past couple of weeks, but I pull through it...hope that wears off soon, though. In any case, it was worth the effort to get this all done early in the game and be able to kick-back a lot more now and just look things over from here on out.

Eric


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## s2k9k

71*?? I bet you were sweating!!! Happy you are finally getting some good weather!

The ribs, as does everything else, looks Awesome!!!!

Happy to see you are done with this phase but am going to miss the awesome updates!!! Get some rest and relax, you have a lot more work coming up shortly!!!

BTW  learned a few good things I am going to try from your great detailed scientific posts!!! Thanks!!!


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## forluvofsmoke

Ha-ha! Yeah, it topped out at 74* today...funny thing is, we still have some snow drifts to melt away yet...white stuff's almost gone, but for how long, is the question. We might still see more before the lawn mower gets fired-up.

Thanks Dave, I did have some pretty good smoke going for this...not everything worked out exactly as planned, but I came close enough to be able to work through and make it happen.

I do try to drop in as much of my thoughts, ideas and possible solutions to problems as possible along the way. It seems like if I don't post it, it will be forgotten later on. So, I probably drop in a lot more than I realize while I'm thinking out loud through the keyboard, and on some of these longer smokes there seems to be a lot of time for thinking. Glad you found some useful tips here and there...that makes it all worthwhile, IMHO.

But hey, it ain't over 'til it's over!!! LOL!!! Still have to get this all heated and served yet, so I'll post how that comes together, and of course sliced rib pics and the rest of the buffet lay-out. Clock is tickin', calender pages are fippin'. Looking forward to seeing this all come together in June...man, what a sight it will be...and a great way to help see my daughter off on her journey through a whole new life. The anticipation is a bit more than I can describe, but I already feel a great sense of satisfaction, knowing I could get this far in this short of time.

Later, bother Dave!

Eric


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## toby bryant

Dang E!  You sure making me tired, and hungry!  Ribs look great, you better get a little rest. The big day will be on you shortly, then you have to wave your magic wand and get all that fine looking grub to the guests. Congratulations again, I am sure it will be a day your family won't soon forget. Get some rest bro!

Toby


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## forluvofsmoke

Thanks Toby! I just hope I don't feel like I have to use that magic wand the day before the wedding when we arrive to start setting everything up! LOL!!! I do still want to have some back-up for reheating just in case, so I'm still considering having 3 roaster ovens of my own on hand. Other than that, I think with what I've seen of the reception venue, kitchen, etc, things should come together without a lot of head-scratching. Of course I'll still be a little apprehensive until I see everything up and running for reheating, but I also know that I will be more at ease as time passes. I have over 7 weeks to think about the whole event and any other possible issues that might show their teeth long ahead of time.

Things are still soaking into the ol' brain yet, so I just gotta settle in and see what comes next...lots of time yet before the big day. Took me almost 2 hours to get to sleep last night...not normal for me...I just gotta get relaxed again at this point...the rest will come. I didn't think I'd notice much stress from doing all of this, but I think it's a little different than if you were to do it for someone else instead of your own daughter...lots going on all in a matter of less than 4 hours...handing over my daughters hand in marriage, then serving all that I've created over this past month (as well as what's yet to come on the menu) for a celebratory meal and hope I do it up right...
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





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...it will work out fine...just gotta keep a cool head and stick to the plan.

Eric


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## mr t 59874

Eric, What a absolutely wonderful thread, very informative which will be beneficial to most anyone planning for a large group or even the beginner.  Everything looks absolutly delicious.

Thank you so much for taking the time to compose such a nice thread.

Tom


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## forluvofsmoke

Update: we have newly weds!!!!



Mr T 59874 said:


> Eric, What a absolutely wonderful thread, very informative which will be beneficial to most anyone planning for a large group or even the beginner.  Everything looks absolutly delicious.
> 
> Thank you so much for taking the time to compose such a nice thread.
> 
> Tom


Thanks Tom! I'm still catching my breath (so to speak) the morning of the second day after, and trying to collect my thoughts from what seemed like a very fast-paced event, so maybe I just need to get started writing and hopefully it will all come back to me.
I haven't had the time to do a journal or diary once we hit the road to set-up for the reception and ceremony venues. It has just been a very busy time for 3 days until we got home yesterday evening...3 days of controlled chaos for approx 8 hours of celebration. As you probably can imagine, just getting anything more than 3-4 hours of sleep each night was a challenge, especially sleeping in a strange room and bed. I will say this: if you take on an event like this, being the father of the bride, things can swing both ways regarding stress levels...it can remove you from the idle time where you may be thinking about nothing but giving your daughters hand in marriage...this was probably a big plus for me, as I had so little time to dwell on anything other than food that I handled everything else just fine. And, while I made final checks on cookers and just finished slicing the cheeses to head to the church, I was still in street clothes...had to toss on the tux at the church like everyone else did, but I was only there for less than 10 minutes to see my daughter before the wedding ceremony.

Everyone was busy doing their part and I charged myself with the entire set-up of reheating (including troubleshooting electrical issues), buffet layout, and final checks of reheat progress before and after the wedding ceremony. My daughter-in-law put the garden salad together for me when I realized I was pushing the clock about 2 hours before the ceremony, so I was still able to see when I wasn't going to be able to handle things alone. If i didn't have to do so much troubleshooting for my electrical requirements for the roaster ovens, I could have done the rest alone, but we do what we must...don't forget to ask for help if you need it...keep things in perspective and be able to realize that when it's crunch time it's probably too late for plan "B"...suck up that lump in your throat and do what it takes to make things happen. I did have my moments of stumbling trying to get things on track, but managed to keep things under control in the end. I found myself so busy until the ceremony that I didn't have much time to think about why we were really doing all of this, being my daughter's wedding, but when I did take brief moments to ponder solutions to issues I was encountering with the food, it allowed me to look at the big picture and give me the energy to continue moving forward and make everything work out. I could not allow this to fall apart, no matter what it took, so it made my creative side show a few times before I left the reception venue to get to the church (only 2 blocks away, thankfully). The outdoor ceremony was moved due to...yep, rain...it happens, but my daughter was thinking of this possibility far ahead of time and had a back-up plan.

I did run into issues with cookers on site. The venue had 3 parties going that day/evening, and their main ovens were all in use, so I had to make due with one small oven for reheating the ribs, then deal with electrical requirements for the roaster ovens which needed to be spread out a bit to avoid circuit overloads. I had one roaster with the baked beans in a separate kitchen, the ribs in another area of the kitchen, then, the pulled chick, pulled pork and brisket (3 separated roasters) on the buffet table. This was the best plan I could come up with after finding out what I could get away with in the banquette room...and yes, I did trip circuit breakers repeatedly, while trying to spread out the load over different circuits in the room, which probably took over 6 hours to determine what would work the day before. My roasters pull 1,450 watts each, so 5,800 watts total...three of these pull at least as much juice as an electric water heater...
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





For transport of the meats, I simply placed all the meats into coolers just before the road-trip, as tightly packed as I could the morning *26 hours* before the reheat, no ice of course. I had to remove meats from the cooler to get them thawed enough to load the roaster ovens for reheating. I managed my reheat timing based on the amount of meat, and when I checked temps an hour before serving, the brisket was 176-178*, which would have continued to cook it slightly, as I planned. So, I dialed the roaster back to 150*, along with the pulled pork and chicken when they reached at least 165*. The 150 qt marine cooler had the bulk of the meats and cold sides, with a 70qt that had 10 slabs of BBs along with some salad ingredients. The garden salad was prepped approx 5 hours ahead of serving time on-site, and the cheese was sliced and covered on trays about 3 hours before service. I left approx 14lbs of pulled pork in the freezer, along with 5 slabs of BBs. I took all of the brisket, but could not fit 7.5lbs into the roaster for reheating, so I iced it down after it was fully thawed...gave some to family, and ate some last night after we got home...and yes, it is very good...
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





What we ended up with for hot food on the buffet table was a 16-qt roaster completely full of brisket, another 3/4 full of pulled pork, the 3rd was 2/3 full of pulled chicken, 2 - 1/2-size steam table pans of sliced baby backs, and the forth roaster 2/3+ full of beans.

For cold sides: approx 22qts of garden salad with romaine, carrots, onion with bacon bits and shredded cheese on the side with dressings (forget what else now). 5qts creamy cole slaw, 6qts tropical fruit salad, 10qts creamy potato salad, 3qts pasta salad (all rested in ice before, during and after serving).

*EDIT:* For additional carbs we had my daughter-in-law's homemade rolls (approx 140 ct, her grandmother's recipe...these rolls are stupid-good...to say they are addictive doesn't even do them justice), a nice variety of crackers and chips, salsas, hot sauce...oh my gosh, it was a lot of good food.

Beverages were 1/2 & 1/2 lemonade/tea, and lemonade. The only thing I didn't think of (probably due to it being a summer event) was coffee, which was requested by a few folks after the meal...so, that said, don't forget your coffee!!! LOL!!!

Leftovers with approx 75 in attendance: 6qts creamy potato salad, 2qts cole slaw, a ton of garden salad (approx 14qts), 1/2 a roaster of brisket, 1/2 a roaster of pulled pork, 1/4 roaster of pulled chicken, maybe 18-20 ribs and 1/2lb of smoked sharp/extra sharp cheddar (pepper-jack was gone, which made me wish I would have sliced it first...sigh).

I was a bit disappointed in how the meats held at temp in the roasters, as some of the meat was drying due to needing more frequent rotation to get away from the sides where the heat source was located, but I also have to realize that this was the first time I used these (brand new), so I knew there would be a learning curve. What did seem to help was the fact that I had far more meat than was needed, so by taking from the center, the drier meats could easily be avoided. I also could have used a bit more liquids to compensate for this, but was being cautious about diluting the flavors of the dry rubs used on all except for the chicken, which were naked birds when smoked.

The bride and groom are very grateful for everyone's efforts in pulling together and making this day such a memorable event...they were pleased, and that's what counts the most...I'm still sitting here, somewhat in disbelief, that it all worked out as well as it did, right down to the ceremony, which was beautiful.

I did get a lot of compliments from guests, young and old, and many were interested in the smoked cheese as well as the meats. The smoked cheese was like having a plate of gold sitting on that buffet table, but really, there was nothing that wasn't good eating. Even the morning of, employees at the venue and others who were there for a reunion in an adjacent banquette room came in to visit briefly and commented on how nice the decorations looked, the buffet table set-up, etc, the aromas of the food (reheating) and asked if I was was a caterer. When told that I was the father of the bride, a few jaws dropped...one said I was lucky to have the opportunity and be capable of doing this for my own daughter...that really made it hit home, and I do feel honored that the couple would allow me the privilege to do this for them on the biggest day of their life. It really is a big deal, I just tried to stay humble and focused on doing the best I knew how.

Oh, the night before, I got to the motel at around 12:30 am, and by the time I got to bed it was nearly 1:00 am. I'm laying there, almost asleep, when I had this strange feeling that I would come up short on food...something that there would be a high demand for, like maybe the pulled chicken, or the BBs...and extra 60 people show up unexpected...something just didn't seem right. After a few moments of mild panic which quickly brought my pleasant thoughts of sleep to a screeching halt, I realized that it was just those last-minute nervous "oh, crap!!! something's wrong!!!" moments, and dismissed the whole thing and reassured myself that there was no possible way that I could run our of food, and was asleep soon afterwards.

One of the main things to consider which I had to deal with head-on is being able to remain somewhat flexible in how you can reheat the meats or cook other hot side items. I had very limited options to make this happen, and this caused a very real and urgent need for finding a solution the morning of the wedding...not a lot of time, so I was getting a bit panicky now and then when plans "F, G & H" didn't work. Keep a cool head and work on the problem until you find a viable solution...then test it out as soon as you can so you know if it will work or not...don't ever assume.

Be sure everyone involved in the planning is on the same page, and if any changes are made, everyone effected knows of these changes...we had a minor glitch about 10 minutes before food service due to not being informed of a change in who was doing the beverages, so yes, I'm speaking from experience. Work it out, learn from it and move forward.

Lastly, don't expect perfection...that's not gonna happen...people who do this (catering) for a living rarely achieve perfection (I've never seen it, unfortunately), and you don't do this for a living or a side business, or you probably wouldn't be reading this. Just realize that what you put into an event like this will be directly reflected by what you get out of it, and I'm not speaking in terms of money, time and sweat...it's what comes from the heart. Give it everything you've got and you will not be disappointed in the outcome.

In hopes that this helps others make the decision to take the plunge, or, encourage them to do a little more research before they take on the challenge, my best wishes to all. Don't just walk away feeling overwhelmed and deny yourself the opportunity...you may regret that decision later. This was a milestone for me...something I'LL NEVER FORGET...I would hope that everyone who has the opportunity will step up to the plate, if for no other reason than to have a chance to put together a great meal for your loved ones on their big day. I can sit here now and say I have no regrets.

As I recall, I made mention of sliced pics of ribs when they were finished smoking, and when it was all said and done, I probably wouldn't have grabbed the camera if it weren't for that statement...just way too much going on...so, to fulfill that promise...these two pans were piled high...for reheating, I crowded all 10 slabs into a full-size liner covered with foil and a cup or so of apple juice in a 260-270* oven for ~5 hours...chine-bones down, cut tips up:













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Wish I could have taken more pics of the buffet line, but many eyes were on me and a few others who stepped in to help as finishing touches were made releasing the food to the wedding party and guests. Someone who was there may have take some pics...if I get word of this I try to make them available.

I just realized something: even with several good bottled sauces on the buffet line, very little condiments were used except for salad dressings (the sauces had little use)...it must have been good BBQ, even if it was reheated!!! Overall, my experience throughout this event has been humbling...some things I thought I knew didn't always take me where I wanted to be, so it kept me thinking and looking for better ways to get what I wanted to see...never a dull moment. And, with the amount of leftovers, I knew that my secondary goal was met...NO ONE LEAVES HUNGRY. The primary goal being make great Q, of course, and I'm reasonably certain that goal was met with ease...if it wasn't worthy of the occasion, I didn't want to serve it...just me.

Anyway, that's the bulk of what my memory has stored from this event at this point in time which I thought others may be interested in. I will add more if anything pops into my tired brain. I'm still recovering from this most joyous celebration, so as the excitement begins to dissipate more, I should be able to remember more details...eventually I would like to break this all down into an easier to to use format of do's and don'ts to write a Wiki for future reference. I do have a lot to do for the next month or so which will likely prevent me from doing the Wiki for a while, but this extra time will also allow me to jot a few other things down before then so the Wiki will be more complete from the start, including things I may do differently if given the chance again in the future.

If any questions come up, don't hesitate to ask...we're all here to learn, and believe me, this event had many lessons to be learned and I'm still picking things up as days slowly pass.

Best wishes and great smokes to all!

Eric


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## daveomak

Eric....... that's cool......    all turned out GREAT !!!!!   Congrats to the father of the bride...... and everyone else....     Dave


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## mr t 59874

Congratulations to all, glad you survived.

Tom


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## s2k9k

:congratulation_graphics_2:

I'm happy it all came together as good as it sounds, I bet it was even better! 
It is Awesome you were able to do this for your daughter!!


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## woodcutter

Congratulations on a job well done!!


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## papacurtis

Way to go Eric!  Awesome thing you did for your daughter. I'd cut out my kidney with a butter knife and smoke it for my little girl (19) if she asked me. Can't imagine the stress you endured doing this. I do Xmas day dinner every year at my house, for 30 plus peeps. I drive myself nuts wanting everything to be just right and the fear of not having enough food? Omg! Sleepless!  Glad you made it thru, and congrats on the new son in law.


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## forluvofsmoke

Mr T 59874 said:


> Congratulations to all, glad you survived.
> 
> Tom


Thanks Tom, yes. I did survive. I will say I had a few moments when things were looking bleak regarding electrical requirements, but I quickly realized that was the only real issue I had to work out...once that problem was solved I was on a roll...just had to keep a cool head. Stress level wasn't bad...well after getting all the hot foods cooking/reheating that is. Keeping myself busy while everyone else was doing their thing actually kept my stress down, I think.


DaveOmak said:


> Eric....... that's cool......    all turned out GREAT !!!!!   Congrats to the father of the bride...... and everyone else....     Dave


Thanks Dave! I'd do it again in a heartbeat...OK, hold that thought...I need about 6 months or so to make sure I have all of my faculties back in order, then, I'd do it again...LOL!!!

Eric


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## forluvofsmoke

S2K9K said:


> I'm happy it all came together as good as it sounds, I bet it was even better!
> It is Awesome you were able to do this for your daughter!!


Thanks Dave! If it weren't for the fact that I'm my own worst critic, I'd probably be break-dancing right now, but I have hinted to the family about what they thought of it all, even before we left to go home, and they said they heard of no complaints and all was good, so I have to keep that in mind, along with a few things I know I could have done better, but for a buffet set-up for an expected ~100 people, it's not a bad first run. I'll try to remember to pat myself on the back once in a while...
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	






Woodcutter said:


> Congratulations on a job well done!!


Thanks...it did have me sweating a few times at the reception venue, but it did all come together pretty well in the end. I knew the precooked meats would work for what I intended, as long as I did the final prep according to plan. I'm sure there will be many t5hings I learned from this that I will take with me if I do something like this again...great experience to see first-hand what it really takes to make it happen.
Food for thought:

For anyone considering using a caterer, do your homework and see what types of meals they are willing to do, and if possible, speak to some of their customers...if they are good at their job, they will be worth what you pay for their fees, as it is a lot of work and there is a lot going on once the meal service begins, as well as what you don't see behind the scenes. But before you consider a caterer, also consider what your food would be like in comparison, and would you rather have BBQ you made or something else. Some catering groups take pride in their food, some don't, so it's a risk you have to weigh. I've eaten catered meals and none of them impressed me...the food was not very good quality, either in terms of freshness or prep/cooking methods. Maybe there are few in my area who offer good meals compared to other areas...dunno. Anyway, check out your potential catering group before you sign the dotted line.

Eric


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## s2k9k

You better pat yourself on the back!!! You deserve it!! You did a lot of work and put your heart into every minute of it and for only one reason.....your daughters most special day!!!! I'm sure she is very happy and proud of you and for that you really deserve a big pat on the back!!!
Anyone can hire a caterer but not many are willing to put forth the effort to make a special day even more special the way you did!!!


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## forluvofsmoke

PapaCurtis said:


> Way to go Eric! Awesome thing you did for your daughter. I'd cut out my kidney with a butter knife and smoke it for my little girl (19) if she asked me. Can't imagine the stress you endured doing this. I do Xmas day dinner every year at my house, for 30 plus peeps. I drive myself nuts wanting everything to be just right and the fear of not having enough food? Omg! Sleepless! Glad you made it thru, and congrats on the new son in law.


Thanks Curtis! Yes, when you're planning a cook for larger groups it is more difficult to estimate accurately just how much of everything you will need, so playing it safe with extra is your best choice. It does relieve a lot of stress when you know you won't run out of food...that's got to be the worst feeling to have hanging on your shoulders, not knowing and being in suspense for days until after you've served your meal. Getting everything perfect...that would be nice, but is not always possible. I have found that if I cook meats that I have good results with and duplicate those methods, I will have the best I can offer on that particular day.Do what works well for you, then don't have to wonder if you might have made a bad decision in an attempt to make changes with something, unless of course when your rolling with the advice of a trusted source.

For all of these smoked meats I made for this event, I used the wet to dry smoke chamber...was that a brave move on my part? Depends on what you know about the method and what it is capable of. I have used it enough up to this point to have reasonable confidence that I would not get better results with any other methods I've used in the past, so, I rolled with it...and it has yet again not failed me.

Hmm, I must be tired, 'cuz I missed quoting you with the others! LOL!!! Time for some eyelid inspections..still playing catch-up here, I guess.

Later!

Eric


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## sound1

WOW,, Nicely Done!!  I have been out of town (and off the site) for a couple weeks, come back to see your final accomplishment. 

Like you said, most caterers will never add the love that you did and will just dish the food out... and they will never be nearly as self critical of the product they are putting out. Even on one of my best cooks, I still question myself and think of thing that I might change the next time, whilst everybody eating the stuff totally loves it.

Take some time to relish what you just pulled off, give yourself a BIG pat on the back!!  (
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





not too big a pat, wouldn't want to see ya break your arm 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





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## forluvofsmoke

S2K9K said:


> You better pat yourself on the back!!! You deserve it!! You did a lot of work and put your heart into every minute of it and for only one reason.....your daughters most special day!!!! I'm sure she is very happy and proud of you and for that you really deserve a big pat on the back!!!
> Anyone can hire a caterer but not many are willing to put forth the effort to make a special day even more special the way you did!!!


You know, you're 100% correct about hiring it out...costs more, which is not always easy for many to swing these days, and the time and work involved really does add up. I don't think I could have stayed in the game all the way to the end if were for someone other than family or close relatives...to do it for my oldest daughter's wedding was a real boost in the energy bank. It does remind me of our first annual family reunion back in 2010...lots of cooking for that event, but I enjoyed having the opportunity to share my skills with my extended family, and we all enjoyed the food...that was a potluck BBQ, so others were doing side items, etc, but the whole effort of everyone was combined into some fantastic meals.


Sound1 said:


> WOW,, Nicely Done!!  I have been out of town (and off the site) for a couple weeks, come back to see your final accomplishment.
> 
> Like you said, most caterers will never add the love that you did and will just dish the food out... and they will never be nearly as self critical of the product they are putting out. Even on one of my best cooks, I still question myself and think of thing that I might change the next time, whilst everybody eating the stuff totally loves it.
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Thanks! I think when all the emotional aspects wear off (I'm still having those moments that only a father who has given his daughter's hand in marriage after 20 years of seeing her grow up and make her way into the this big world we live in and call home, will understand), I'll be able to settle down a bit more and realize just what I have accomplished...maybe a quick review of this thread from the start will put things back into perspective for me. It's almost as if everything just happened in the last week, or that the last couple of months was just a dream...but I started planning several months ago, then soon after came the initial bulk food and supplies purchases, and immediately after unloading all of this at home came meat smoking, cheese smoking, meat smoking, and, oh, did I forget that I did A LOT of smoking??? Ha-ha-ha!!! I'll come back around to reality again soon...I hope...LOL!!!

Thanks again, everyone...been a pleasure sharing smoke and good fun with everyone...I hope when this all shakes out that it helps someone learn even just a little bit of what I gained from this experience. I feel I have much more to add about what I learned from this, so a Wiki will definitely be in order...so much to do, so little time.

Eric


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## Bearcarver

Whew!!!   Awesome Eric!!!   Congrats in so many ways!!!

As for learning from this thread???? I've been around awhile, and I still learn from every one of your posts, not just this one.

Thanks Again, Buddy!!

Bear


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## sunman76

WOW... great job, and awsome post...


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## disco

What a great Dad! Your daughter must be very proud of you doing all this great work.

Disco


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## forluvofsmoke

Bearcarver said:


> Whew!!!   Awesome Eric!!!   Congrats in so many ways!!!
> 
> As for learning from this thread???? I've been around awhile, and I still learn from every one of your posts, not just this one.
> 
> Thanks Again, Buddy!!
> 
> Bear


Hey, Bear! Thanks! It's been a fun, enlightening and humbling ride to see this to the end. Nice to know I can pass on some of the experience through it all. We never stop learning, so even if it's just some little thing that tips the scales in our favor, it helps.


sunman76 said:


> WOW... great job, and awsome post...


Thanks!


Disco said:


> What a great Dad! Your daughter must be very proud of you doing all this great work.
> 
> Disco


Thanks, yes, she has expressed her appreciation for my efforts from the beginning, and is to this day, as well.

There was mention of this again this afternoon while my newly wed was here for a short visit (lives here in town for now until she leaves for her masters degree studies). My youngest daughter accepted an engagement just in the last week...(oh no, another wedding!?!?!?...LOL!!!) She said something to her fiance (who was here also) to the effect that her wedding won't be quite as small as her sister's was, with possibly 200+ guests just from his side of the family. It didn't take me but just a fraction of a second to say that I needed at least 6 months to make sure I had my beans together and was fully recovered from this first round before I would commit to doing a second wedding reception dinner. She said no problem, you got a couple years before we'll be ready (she wants to finish her associates degrees first).. WHEEW, that was a close call, though!!! LOL!!!

So, I may in fact be carrying forward with what I learned from this first wedding reception dinner sooner than I thought, only on just a _little_ bit larger scale...like double to triple what I planned for with this first round. Aaaah, I"m a sucker for a good challenge, though...I dare ya to dare me...LOL!!! Time will tell what the future has in store...in reality, I would likely need a cargo trailer for all of my gear and food instead of loading it all into a large SUV, more/larger smokers, more/larger freezers, more coolers (not larger, though, a fully loaded 150qt is freekin' heavy enough!!!!), more food service equipment, and the list goes on, and on, and on.

Uh, this is beginning to sound like an expanding caterer...oh no!!! Well, we do have annual family reunions, so it's not like I wouldn't use any of it after it's debut event...we'll see what happens. I humbly view it as just another path which my passion for cooking and my love for my family and sharing food with them _may_ lead me down. Will I accept the challenge and take that path? We'll just have to wait and see, because it's early in the game and I'm undecided at this point...but then, thinking back on how well this first run came together, what I learned from it, and most importantly, how everyone enjoyed the meal and appreciated what went into it, I can't just say no without very serious consideration...that just wouldn't be right, would it? I may just start gearing up for the 2014 reunion and that would put me closer to what I need for the next wedding...hmm...OK, wheels are turning now...time to start looking for a future cargo trailer...hey, did I just get sucked into another wedding here?   
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





    I have the skills to plan it and cook for it...that's a given...time to just let this all soak in for now...I just don't want to let things get too fast-paced...(remembering: "what a guy won't do for a great smoke").

Time for eyelid inspections now, and, months of pondering...later all!

Eric


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## sqwib

Congratulations and excellent post, gonna have to go over it again.

_Just realize that what you put into an event like this will be directly reflected by what you get out of it, and I'm not speaking in terms of money, time and sweat...it's what comes from the heart. Give it everything you've got and you will not be disappointed in the outcome_.

Dude, speaking from experience, I couldn't agree more!


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## toby bryant

Nicely done E!  I am sure that your daughter and her new husband will cherish the memory of all you did for the rest of their lives. Secondly, your SMF family will be able to learn from this brilliant post for years to come.  I know I have it bookmarked, nice job brother!


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## forluvofsmoke

SQWIB said:


> Congratulations and excellent post, gonna have to go over it again.
> 
> _Just realize that what you put into an event like this will be directly reflected by what you get out of it, and I'm not speaking in terms of money, time and sweat...it's what comes from the heart. Give it everything you've got and you will not be disappointed in the outcome_.
> 
> Dude, speaking from experience, I couldn't agree more!


Thanks, brother! Yeah, that line seemed to be a perfect fit for my experiences throughout all of this...just when I'd think things were turning a bit sour or going sideways on me, even with the crowded smoker at times, it would all come out fine at the end of the day...probably because I just wouldn't give up. And at the end of every day of smoking meats, I could breathe a sigh of relief and know I did the best I knew how, and my best was good enough to meet my expectations. The night before and the day of the wedding was no different, and when we left for the motel, I was still wondering about a few things, but knew I did my best, and slept like a rock that night, with no regrets. I really can't ask for anything more...when it's all said and done, it doesn't get any better.


Toby Bryant said:


> Nicely done E! I am sure that your daughter and her new husband will cherish the memory of all you did for the rest of their lives. Secondly, your SMF family will be able to learn from this brilliant post for years to come. I know I have it bookmarked, nice job brother!


Thanks Toby, I'm sure they will not forget their day, or all of the things we did together as a family to make it happen. My end of it was probably easy compared to what everyone else did for this event, especially the bride...she planned almost everything herself, except for the meal. My part was easy?!?!? Well, OK, walking your daughter down the isle and giving her hand in marriage after spending 12-15 hours with about 4 hours of sleep somewhere between, getting everything set-up for the meal, then seeing to it that the buffet line did it's part at the reception dinner...uh, maybe not easy, but it wasn't as difficult to handle as I thought it would be. To realize that everything went so well after everyone had finished eating didn't really happen for me...there was quite a delay...like, maybe the next day, before it even started sinking in, but at least I did see it through to the end and I feel really good about that. It still makes me sit and think about the whole project from the very beginning now...lots of time and work involved, but I wouldn't have it any other way than to able to put together a custom dinner like this, with all the personal touches, like the pulled chicken which is her favorite of anything I've smoked...OK, I have to scratch that...her favorite is my smoked/dried chicken salami, but for BBQ/hot smoked, it would have to be smoked & pulled chicken.

It just would not have been the same to have the meal catered. I guess it's a mutual feeling of my daughter having me around do all of this for her and her husband, as well as me being willing and able, and to see the outcome for my efforts...it's turning into quite a buzz, like no drug can give you....all of us have a lot to be thankful for.

As for sharing the experience with everyone here at SMF, that's the intent...to pass on what I learned from this, as well as whatever tips and methods I shared during the smokes leading up to the reception dinner, and any issues I dealt with at the venue prior to the meal being served. Hope it gives others some insight on things to watch for...I hope to have a more accurate account of things in a month or so for a Wiki article...that would be much easier to follow.

Take care, and many great smokes to all!

Eric


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## worktogthr

I know I'm a little late...but this was an incredible thread to read...you are my hero haha...my daughter is a year old and I think I would have to start smoking tomorrow to get this done by her wedding day.  Really impressive...I am a rookie smoker and this thread makes me want to clear out every supermarket and butcher shop in town, take a few week off from work and just smoke until I can't take it anymore!  Really learned a lot from reading this...congrats!


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## hopmeister

You did fantastic! Congrats all the way around!


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## jackstraw

Eric, thank you for putting as much effort into this thread as you did on the wedding. I'm doing the food for my daughters wedding also, I only wish I would have found this thread a little earlier. you've convinced me to smoke ahead of time and reheat at the venue. You've been an inspiration as well as a wealth of knowledge, I commend you.


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