# Anybody cooking this weekend ?



## TomCrump (Nov 2, 2019)

I know that much of that state got snow, this past week, but I wonder if any one is planning an outdoor cook over the weekend.

I have company coming, from Ann Arbor, and I plan to throw a sirloin tip roast into the WSM, for Sunday dinner. 

This will be my first attempt at colder weather cooking. It will be interesting to see how it turns out.


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## sawhorseray (Nov 2, 2019)

I've got a rack of baby backs I pulled out of the freezer yesterday to thaw, going to fire up the SQ36 either today or tomorrow for the smoke. It'll be in the 80's here both days, so there's that. RAY


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## jcam222 (Nov 2, 2019)

Amazingly I have no outdoor cooking planned for this weekend. Next weekend will be buckboard bacon, Canadian bacon and probably some beef short ribs. I’ll end up making some indoor cooking project this weekend I am sure.


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## Sowsage (Nov 2, 2019)

Ive got a couple things in the works now. We got a dusting of snow yesterday early morning and temps have stayed down below freezing until the sun comes up. Did an over night cook on my UDS last night.(ill be posting that later) No problems. It uses a little more fuel in the cold months but once it gets to temp it stays nice and steady. Wind is its only enemy!


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## fivetricks (Nov 2, 2019)

Going to do a quick version of chef Jimmy's char sui bb ribs when I get off work :-)

You guys in TC got a lot more snow than we did it sounds like. The UDS don't care about snow and cold though. She just performs


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## TomCrump (Nov 2, 2019)

Actually, the snow didn't stick in the immediate TC area. The Bay kept things warm.

When we went out for dinner last night, I did see cars that were covered in snow. My guess is that they were from areas 10+ miles out from The Bay. 

I'm looking forward to this weekend's cook. I'll place the WSM just outside my garage's service door. The garage is heated, and my friend and I can watch TV in there. I can also work on rehabbing my 19 year old Weber Kettle.


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## AmericanSmoker30 (Nov 2, 2019)

Not near the snow but some chickens will be brined tonight and smoked tomorrow!!


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## Nole4L (Nov 2, 2019)

Going to experiment today with a new way (or at least new for me) to cook ribs.  Dry loin back ribs a la "Rendezvous" in Memphis.  They cook for about an hour 18 inches directly over coals.  I'm just doing one rack to test this.


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## mushroomboots (Nov 2, 2019)

TomCrump said:


> Actually, the snow didn't stick in the immediate TC area. The Bay kept things warm.
> 
> When we went out for dinner last night, I did see cars that were covered in snow. My guess is that they were from areas 10+ miles out from The Bay.
> 
> I'm looking forward to this weekend's cook. I'll place the WSM just outside my garage's service door. The garage is heated, and my friend and I can watch TV in there. I can also work on rehabbing my 19 year old Weber Kettle.





TomCrump said:


> I know that much of that state got snow, this past week, but I wonder if any one is planning an outdoor cook over the weekend.
> 
> I have company coming, from Ann Arbor, and I plan to throw a sirloin tip roast into the WSM, for Sunday dinner.
> 
> This will be my first attempt at colder weather cooking. It will be interesting to see how it turns out.



WSM?


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## mushroomboots (Nov 2, 2019)

Planning on cold smoking salmon for the first time using a smoke tube and pellets. If anyone has any great ideas about what smoke flavor to use or anything else I would just love to hear it. Have fun all!


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## TomCrump (Nov 2, 2019)

"WSM" is a Weber Smokey Mountain. Mine is the 22.5" version.


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## Johnny Ray (Nov 2, 2019)

M
 mushroomboots
 - stands for Weber Smokey Mountain. It’s a vertical bullet style smoker. Very nice smokers. 

No cooking for me this week end. Refurbishing a lodge sportsman cast iron grilled that I have neglected. 

Tuesday I’ll be smoking 8 turkeys for our local food bank. 

Johnny Ray


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## sawhorseray (Nov 2, 2019)

mushroomboots said:


> Planning on cold smoking salmon for the first time using a smoke tube and pellets. If anyone has any great ideas about what smoke flavor to use or anything else I would just love to hear it. Have fun all!



Apple. Check out Smokin' Al's lox recipe if you need any pointers, I used it making lox last week and it's absolutely perfect. RAY

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/homemade-lox-with-recipe-steps-plenty-of-q-view.106029/


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## SmokinAl (Nov 2, 2019)

Well we have a cold wave down here. I actually don't have the a/c on right now, and the high today should only be about 85, but it's going down into the high 60's or low 70's tonight, so I'm going to keep the house open & the a/c off. But after tomorrow it's going back into the high 80's & I'll probably have to shut the house up & turn on the a/c.
Al


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## SmokinAl (Nov 2, 2019)

I agree with Ray, apple goes really good with salmon. The salmon really picks up the smoke & something heavy like hickory or mesquite will give it too much smoke flavor.
Al


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## atomicsmoke (Nov 2, 2019)

SmokinAl said:


> Well we have a cold wave down here. I actually don't have the a/c on right now, and the high today should only be about 85, but it's going down into the high 60's or low 70's tonight, so I'm going to keep the house open & the a/c off. But after tomorrow it's going back into the high 80's & I'll probably have to shut the house up & turn on the a/c.
> Al


That is mighty cold. Almost the temperature when landlords in Florida turn on the heat (60). Stay safe brother.  :-).

Up here we still enjoy drive-with-windows-rollled-down weather.


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## civilsmoker (Nov 2, 2019)

Just back from a 2 mile walk with the wife and dog at 21 degrees and when warms up to 28 or so I will be heating up the copper pot with mesquite to do a beef chuck for shepherd pie and dip Sami’s!  

I do tons of “cool” weather smoking!


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## atomicsmoke (Nov 2, 2019)

Big cook planned today - working on three (4?) stations: chicken parts on the smoker, lamb lolipops on the grill, pork hocks in the oven (after SV).


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## eddiememphis (Nov 2, 2019)

Nole4L said:


> Going to experiment today with a new way (or at least new for me) to cook ribs.  Dry loin back ribs a la "Rendezvous" in Memphis.  They cook for about an hour 18 inches directly over coals.  I'm just doing one rack to test this.



This is the way I do ribs when camping. Rub and place the rack right over hot charcoal 'till about done. Cut 'em, sauce 'em and put them back on to crisp 'em up. I called them Mountain Bones... guess I need to change the name now.


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## Nole4L (Nov 2, 2019)

SmokinAl said:


> Well we have a cold wave down here. I actually don't have the a/c on right now, and the high today should only be about 85, but it's going down into the high 60's or low 70's tonight, so I'm going to keep the house open & the a/c off. But after tomorrow it's going back into the high 80's & I'll probably have to shut the house up & turn on the a/c.
> Al


Al - I'm on the other coast of Florida.  It's getting down to mid 60's here.  Might need to break out the long underwear.  ;-).


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## Winterrider (Nov 2, 2019)

mushroomboots said:


> Planning on cold smoking salmon for the first time using a smoke tube and pellets. If anyone has any great ideas about what smoke flavor to use or anything else I would just love to hear it. Have fun all!


As others stated, Apple is a very good choice. Have also used Pecan and Alder with good results on basically any fish.


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## SecondHandSmoker (Nov 2, 2019)

Just got done prepping a PB for an overnight smoke tonight.
We're in the upper 70's and lower 80's for highs and in the low 50's overnight down here.  A lot of the neighbors have their doors and windows open during the day so I don't want to smoke them out.


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## Steve H (Nov 2, 2019)

Tomorrow I'm putting two homemade corned beef roast in the smoker for pastrami. Using eye of round so they , I hope, come out like lunch meat.


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## Smokin' in AZ (Nov 2, 2019)

Yep, Ray definitely smokin' weather now in southern Arizona, Fire'em up!!!

Just marinated a couple of pork tenderloins (Pecan Honey Cabelas Rub and Rosemary and Cracked Pepper) for the smoker tomorrow for diner and leftovers for sammies. Now what to do for sides.....

John


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## thesmokindogs (Nov 2, 2019)

Yes I am! We had 65 mph wind gusts, torrential rains with flooding and a 30° temperature drop. But I'm braving the cold and smoking away. 

My last batch of ABTs went like proverbial hotcakes and my wife found a farmers market in Erie PA that had an 8 quart basket of jalapeños for $9. 107 whole peppers! Most of them are huge! 

I'm trying something a little different with the smaller ones. I left them whole. We had forgotten about a tool my wife bought some time ago. It's a "popper" maker. (I really don't recommend it unless you have absolutely perfectly shaped peppers) It cores and sort of cleans out the insides but it really doesn't work that well.

Anyway I have 41 whole peppers that I have on the smoker now. I'm letting them get a head start for an hour before I put on the halves. 

This is going to be a two stage cook because the rain is moving back in later. We'll finish prepping tonight and I'll cook the others Monday or Tuesday.


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## Hawging It (Nov 2, 2019)

The first weekend that I haven't smoked anything in weeks. The weather is currently awesome. Low 38 high 65. Blue bird skies. Wanted to take a little break and do some scouting for deer. I'm out of pulled pork. I pull, vac pack and freeze. None left. I will most likely cure that situation in the next few days.


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## ofelles (Nov 2, 2019)

just posted a chicken salad here
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/hatch-chile-chicken-salad.291959/


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## thesmokindogs (Nov 2, 2019)

And here's the first round! Two dozen disappeared before I could even get them in the house! I used mostly cherry wood and alternated a little bit of mesquite and maple. 

They taste great but not as spicy as the first ones I did a couple weeks ago.


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## thesmokindogs (Nov 2, 2019)

Steve H said:


> Tomorrow I'm putting two homemade corned beef roast in the smoker for pastrami. Using eye of round so they , I hope, come out like lunch meat.


Man that sounds scrumptious!


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## SecondHandSmoker (Nov 2, 2019)

thesmokindogs said:


> We had 65 mph wind gusts, torrential rains with flooding and a 30° temperature drop.




The things we endure for our passion.

Smoke 'em if you got 'em.


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## fivetricks (Nov 2, 2019)

Wow, those look like they caught a thick blanket of smoke. Yum.

that's the problem with fresh grown peppers. Every so often you get a cropped that may look and taste phenomenal, but doesn't always pack the expected heat.


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## mushroomboots (Nov 2, 2019)

TomCrump said:


> "WSM" is a Weber Smokey Mountain. Mine is the 22.5" version.



Got it.  Thanks for the education.  Sounds like a great piece of equipment; I am a Weber fan.


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## mushroomboots (Nov 2, 2019)

Johnny Ray said:


> M
> mushroomboots
> - stands for Weber Smokey Mountain. It’s a vertical bullet style smoker. Very nice smokers.
> 
> ...



Thanks for taking the time to explain Johnny Ray. I appreciate it. I also appreciate you taking care of your cast iron. Have fun!


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## martin1950 (Nov 3, 2019)

Nothing for me this weekend. Did a "give away" butt the other day and got a little zap off the shelf bracket. Checked all the hardware and tracked it back to
bad underground cable from house to garage. It's gotta stop raining and blowing so this old man can get out there and make repairs.


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## atomicsmoke (Nov 3, 2019)

18h SV pork hocks with cooked saurkraut






Smoked peri peri chicken wings and and legs


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## mushroomboots (Nov 3, 2019)

Steve H said:


> Tomorrow I'm putting two homemade corned beef roast in the smoker for pastrami. Using eye of round so they , I hope, come out like lunch meat.



Sounds good! I've been meaning to try pastrami with some venison meat from my husband's deer. Don't know if it would be any good but dang I love pastrami. I hope yours turns out terrific!  Can I ask where you got your recipe?


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## Steve H (Nov 3, 2019)

mushroomboots said:


> Sounds good! I've been meaning to try pastrami with some venison meat from my husband's deer. Don't know if it would be any good but dang I love pastrami. I hope yours turns out terrific!  Can I ask where you got your recipe?



I followed this:
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/eye-of-round-pastrami-mucho-q-view.242696/
I followed this recipe until you coat with mustard. 
Then for the rub for the Pastrami I used:
2 tbs course ground pepper
2 tbs Coriander
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp onion powder
Mix well. And apply liberally. You want a nice bark of this when done.
Then into the smoker at around 250-275 with hickory until you get to 150-155 IT.  The end result:


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## thesmokindogs (Nov 3, 2019)

OMG! That looks simply awesome! Great job!


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## Steve H (Nov 3, 2019)

thesmokindogs said:


> OMG! That looks simply awesome! Great job!



Thank you!


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## thesmokindogs (Nov 3, 2019)

thesmokindogs said:


> And here's the first round! Two dozen disappeared before I could even get them in the house! I used mostly cherry wood and alternated a little bit of mesquite and maple.
> 
> They taste great but not as spicy as the first ones I did a couple weeks ago.
> 
> View attachment 410122


Just finished prepping the last 7 dozen ABTs and got them in the smoker. 

GO BILLS!! Sorry, just had to say that.... 

A lesson learned I thought I'd share about these two batches. I'll preface it by saying that I'm on disability so money's always tight. My wife makes a decent income but we're always looking for bargains.

But in the area of ABTs in particular we both made the mistake of letting price get the best of us on bacon. Since everyone's favorite meat is nearing $8 per 12 oz package and I had 214 ABTs to make, seeing a name brand (initials are JD) for $2.99 per pack pretty much sealed the deal. MISTAKE!

Those had to be irregulars or whatever the term is. First off, there were only 9 or 10 slices per package. The thickness of the slices from one pack to the next was radically different. Even worse, the thickness also varied within the same package! And I don't mean by a little either. One slice could be 3/16" thick but the next one was so thin it fell apart trying to separate it. It dramatically slowed my prep time.

Yes, $30 for enough bacon definitely beats nearly $100 but having dealt with the aggravation I just don't know if it was worth the savings. 

But there's a happy ending because the finished product came out fantastic!

I think next spring I'm going to make a concerted effort to find pork bellies on sale and make my own! It's got to be a little cheaper and I can definitely control the thickness!

Thanks for reading my mini-rant!!


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## ofelles (Nov 3, 2019)

Senate Navy Bean soup with ham
SRF bone in ½ ham smoked a 2nd time












Diced for the soup






Finish and ready to eat!


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## TomCrump (Nov 4, 2019)

My sirloin tip turned out well, but, because of visiting friends, I was too busy to get pictures. The WSM performed well in the 40 degree temps. 

I'm glad that some of you posted pics of your cooks.


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## martin1950 (Dec 28, 2019)

Just a little 3 1/2# Chucky


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## mushroomboots (Dec 28, 2019)

mushroomboots said:


> Thanks for taking the time to explain Johnny Ray. I appreciate it. I also appreciate you taking care of your cast iron. Have fun!



AND your generosity towards the food bank!


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## mushroomboots (Dec 28, 2019)

Steve H said:


> I followed this:
> https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/eye-of-round-pastrami-mucho-q-view.242696/
> I followed this recipe until you coat with mustard.
> Then for the rub for the Pastrami I used:
> ...


Steve, I meant to ask you how this had turned out. Is this your photo below? It looks incredible. I also wanted to thank you for directing me toward the recipe


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## Johnny Ray (Dec 28, 2019)

mushroomboots said:


> AND your generosity towards the food bank!


Thank you for your kind words. The need is great in our area. I try to give back and serve whenever I can. Very humbling.
Johnny Ray


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## RiversideSm0ker (Dec 28, 2019)

Yikes snow and 20 degree temps! No thank you. It was in the upper 40s yesterday and I was pretty freaked out. I just can’t imagine that kind of weather. We’re back in the 60s today. Now that feels like Cali. Good luck and stay warm. 

G


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## Steve H (Dec 28, 2019)

mushroomboots said:


> Steve, I meant to ask you how this had turned out. Is this your photo below? It looks incredible. I also wanted to thank you for directing me toward the recipe



That's my photo and cook. It was fantastic.  And you are welcome.


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## mushroomboots (Dec 28, 2019)

Johnny Ray said:


> Thank you for your kind words. The need is great in our area. I try to give back and serve whenever I can. Very humbling.
> Johnny Ray


You are more than welcome. If only there were more people like you in this world, I think we could really resolve some things. I've been a nurse for a number of years now and I'm blessed to not have many needs. There was a brief time in my life however when I had to use a Food Bank, truly, and thank God it was there. I knew then that I would not starve because of the kindness of others. Humbling indeed. You're a good man Johnny Ray. Wishing the best to you and yours during this coming year


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## TomCrump (Mar 30, 2020)

It was misty and a little windy yesterday, but I decided to fire up my Weber Summit and smoke some kielbasa. It was a quick and easy cook, and the meat turned out well.


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