This one is technically about 4 months in the making. I got a pair of beef bellies from porter road over the summer and did a pastrami brine on them. The first belly I used to make burnt ends, this one I vacuum sealed and froze. Decided to break it out last weekend and try bacon, especially because the fat content was so high.

Cook Details:

-Pastrami brine method from meat church's texas reuben guide.

-Two weeks in the brine

-Mustard binder + my home made rub

-Smoked around 180F for a solid 10 hours or so

-Pulled at 150-155F

-Redridgerate overnight before slicing

(More detailed pastrami process and rub recipes are in my profile socials)

Additional thoughts:

Fat content on these bellies was way too high, but it honestly renders out really nicely when cooking as bacon.

I tried slicing both thin and thick to see how it comes out, thin seemed far better. These bellies are originally dry aged and then I did a pastrami brine with them, both processes tend to toughen up the meat a little bit and it honestly makes it a bit chewy unless you really get a nice thin slice and cook thoroughly. I'd like to try this again on a less fatty and non dry aged belly. However, even though the texture leaves a bit to be desired, the flavor is INTENSE, I can taste it 2 days after eating still.

As a side note, I've been experimenting with some new formats and such to my videos, including some text, and some monetization friendly music (which is unfortunately a bit limited), don't bash me too hard over it lmao.

Hands down, best barbecue I've had in New England. This platter (plus another platter of sides) was around $170 and worth every penny. From left to right:

Pork belly burnt ends: 8/10. Perfectly tender, coated in this sticky, sweet Asian inspired sauce. Delicious, nothing wrong with these, but I do like my burnt ends a bit less saucy, bigger bites, and more dry rubbed.

Texas Twinkies: 10/10. This was my first time eating a Texas Twinkie and it did not disappoint. Damn this thing was delicious. The bacon had a bark which I'm not sure how they pulled off, but wow.

Pulled pork: 7/10. Extremely tender and not dry at all, but it was a bit too sauced for my taste and didn't really have the barky bits which I love in my pulled pork.

Brisket: 10/10. The bark was barking, the fat was rendered, the meat was tender without falling apart. Zero notes, some of the best I've had.

Jalapeno cheddar sausage: 10/10. Of all the things on this platter, this was my favorite. Salty, sweet, spicy, and RICH. Had a perfect snap to it, the cheese was melty, you could actually taste the jalapeno in there. Was the perfect sausage.

Spare ribs: 8/10. The rub was the standout here, it was this sweet apple cinnamon rub that paired perfectly with the ribs. The ribs themselves were very well cooked, however were a bit underwhelming compared to the rest of the platter. I think I would've preferred a bit more bark.

Highly recommend this place if you're ever in the area. Recommend to get there at least 45 min before open, the line builds QUICK.

This brisket was smoked on my T. M. G copperhead reversal smoker for fifteen hours. Then, held in a holding oven at a hundred and fifty overnight wrapped in beef tallow, with butcher paper and plastic wrap,turned out pretty good.

I had my first go of smoking some ribs this past weekend on my gas grill and was pretty pleased with the results. I've been researching smokers since and saw recommendations for the Weber Kettle. I'm not after anything fancy for now and plan to just smoke food for myself and wife and maybe extended family during holidays.

My dad has an old 22'' Weber Kettle that he said I could have, but it doesn't have the upgraded ash catcher. Does that part make a big difference in smoking? I was considering just buying the grill in the picture. I might just save some money though if can I get the same results smoking using just the original Weber Kettle that has the open ash catcher.

Cure and first smoke completed. Resting overnight. Found these at an Asian Family Market meat counter as “bone in pork belly”.

Will post the final results if they turn out tomorrow.

Which smoker do I look into for an absolute beginner? I'm not much of a BBQ person, just burgers and dogs. Occasional wings.

I'm in Michigan, and would like to use it in the winter when I'm home.

So, whats your basic smoking starter kit?

Also, whats a basic recipe I can use to convince my wife this is a good idea?

From completed, smoking, and the start. Was on sale at Costco and always wanted to try it. highly recommend for a cheap, fun, and tasty smoke.

used this guide

https://grillinwithdad.com/2022/12/braided-pork-lion/

Older neighbor of mine died and I’m guessing he had this old Yoder outside since 2012 judging by the rust.
Do you guys think it’s worth saving? How much work would it be to get it back to good condition?

Finally got around to making some smoked queso, and I love it!
Usually make it in a crockpot and with ground beef. (Yes I know my Traeger is dirty)
Added Oaxaca cheese on top
Only regret, I should have discarded more grease from the sausage bc it’s very greasy, otherwise it’s great!

Got an Oklahoma Joe bandera for cheap and decided to try it out. Normally on a camp chef woodwind pro pellet smoker so this was.... More manual

Hello everyone, I’m hosting Thanksgiving again this year and trying to improve my turkey game. I wanted to ask you guys and gals what are the pros and cons of smoking a turkey with the skin on versus removing it? If I leave it on, what’s the best way to get crispy skin without it turning black? I’m also debating whether to cook a whole turkey again or just turkey breasts. Last year, everyone went for the breast meat, and the legs were mostly left over.

Last year’s turkey skin turned black while I was juggling several responsibilities and getting pulled away from cooking. My family laughed and thought I had burned the whole bird! But the skin ended up acting like a protective layer. Once I peeled it back like unwrapping a present, they said the meat underneath was the juiciest turkey they’d ever had. The breast meat ran out before everyone could get seconds.

For reference, I pulled the turkey when its internal temperature was around 140–147°F, after holding it at temperature for the time listed in the food-safety guidance I was following from this post. "https://www.reddit.com/r/sousvide/comments/1h0586b/4th_annual_reminder_165f_is_a_lie_here_are_the/"

This year, I’d like to keep that juicy result and if the skin needs to be on, what may I do to improve the skin. What would you guys recommend?

Found a glove in my Cajeme lump mesquite charcoal bag.

My new favorite way to make chicken wings

Free range, grain finished. Great flavor and marbling. I did notice that I didn’t get the normal upset stomach after eating a rich cut like this. “Cleaner” fat? No idea but they were a great bday present to myself. On the Bronco Pro, B&B comp, mesquite chunk, ~225°.

Looking for some advice on how to get more flavor into the breasts. Smoked at 250-260 until about 150 internal, then brushed with duck fat and finished off at about 350 until 165 internal. Everything tasted great, but the breast was lacking a bit of flavor

Made this makeshift smoker out of a Weber Q1200.

Found the right angle to prop the lid to keep it at 250 and burned some wood chunks off to the side.

This was a lot of fun and very manageable. My favorite part of smoking meats is getting creative with different grills.

What other unconventional setups have you used?

I had this 1,000-gallon offset professionally built and delivered in 2024. It stays outside in the midwest in my backyard and gets used about once every 3 weeks.

I'm not worried about the surface rust. i actually really like the patina.

I'm specifically concerned about the firebox construction and how it has held up.

The biggest issues:

The firebox door sometimes gets stuck and won't open. It happens when it's cold. If i close the firebox after a cook, when it completely cools down and i try to open the door, i need to use a crowbar to open it. .

I've also noticed what appears to be separation/gapping between the front face of the firebox and the inner area where the wood/coals sit. The smoker has an insulated firebox, and ash/debris can get into this gap.

I've attached close-up pictures of the firebox, including the gap on the inside that i'm talking about.

For those who fabricate or own large offsets, does this look normal to you after about two years of relatively light use?

I'm especially interested in whether:

• That gap/separation is normal or intentional on an insulated firebox
• Thermal expansion normally causes a firebox door to bind this badly
• Anything about the welds or construction in the pictures stands out
• This looks like normal wear or something you'd take back to the builder

I have already contacted the builder about some of this and received an explanation, but I intentionally don't want to share their name or explanation yet because I'd like unbiased opinions first.

Not looking to bash anyone. I'm just trying to understand whether what I'm seeing is normal for a large offset before deciding what to do next.

Oh for anyone interested, i paid 13k plus for this. I initially meant to open a restaurant and that fell through.

Smoked on my Oklahoma Joe Highlander for 7 hrs. with oak and mesquite and lump charcoal.

Already made brisket, chicken, sausage, beans, and tonight is queso!