I've been experimenting with smoking more foods in my Weber Kettle grill that I talked about last summer. After Thanksgiving's turkey, Mrs. Graybeard suggested I do something for Christmas. Just at that time, the email barbecue group newsletter I get was talking about prime rib roasts, and literally within an hour of that email we saw an ad from Publix saying they had those on sale at about 30% off. Clearly a message we should smoke a prime rib roast and we found a smaller one (3-1/2 pounds) that came home with us. That was cooked sous vide style (see my Barbecue 401 post) at 132 for 7 hours on Christmas eve, chilled overnight, and then smoked for 3 hours Christmas afternoon. I wasn't very happy with the looks of the bark, but it tasted wonderful, it was incredibly tender, and we got three dinners out of it.
For New Year's she suggested I go to something more conventional and suggested pulled pork from a shoulder we've had in the freezer for a long time. Again, sous vide, this time cooked at 160 for 22 hours and then smoked for another four. This time, I made a more concerted effort to heat the chamber hotter, measuring the temperature near the hunk of pork, and trying to keep it in the range of 280 to 300 because this helps get a better bark. I've been unable to recreate the dark mahogany to black bark I've gotten when not preparing the meats by sous vide, and I'm starting to think it relies on cooking chemistry that the sous vide preparation destroys. Compare this side by side of the virtually black bark on a pork shoulder cooked in my Masterbuilt Electric Smoker, right, with the almost cherry colored bark of Wednesday's sous vide pulled pork on the left.
A complicating fact is that there's also an internal sign of being cooked properly in a smoker, a pink smoke ring within the first quarter inch of the surface. The one on the left has a smoke ring, the one on the right doesn't. Taste wise, the sous vide pork butt is great, but I like that dark bark better. Look at all the pink in this one, once it's shredded a bit. I want both the dark, flavorful bark and the pink smoke ring. As they used to say, I want it all and I want it now.
There's another big set of culinary experiments going on, but I'll have to get to that some other day.
Okay, it all looks wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI've not tried BBQ 401 - combining sous vide with smoking - we've stayed with the more conventional searing when doing sous vide. Perhaps doing it backwards? Smoke first, take it off, then sous vide? You'd get the smoke ring, though I have NO idea what would happen to the bark.
(shrugs in French)
I've done the stove top searing and other than setting off the house smoke alarm a few times, it works great. I like the smoke flavor, though.
DeleteIt's possible that what it needs is a three step process: the sous vide sets the internal temp and "doneness", then a couple of hours at smoker temperature to infuse the outer layer with the smoke flavor, followed by a much higher temp to get the Maillard reaction for the bark.
Thankfully, all the experiments are edible.
Looks great, SiG, but I know what you mean about the bark.
ReplyDeleteI'll be doing bread again on Sunday, this time making a white "Hearth Bread" using a recipe that the flour company recommends.
Between you and me, we can make anybody drool with the aroma!
The story I didn't have time/room to get to will get a few reactions, too!
DeleteDelicious. It's an art.
ReplyDeleteI have done similar trials and found if you use a little black strap molasses in the sous vide and a spice such as Rio before smoking (anything with a bit of sugar would probably work), you can get the bark.
ReplyDeleteI used brown sugar in both of those port butts pictured. The analytical guys say that the reaction is from proteins and sugar melting isn't part of it. I think I have to say my experiments say they're right.
DeleteThe big thing is that this is cooking the interior and exterior differently. It might be as simple as the black bark came from 16 hours in the smoker while the other had three hours.
My Christmas present this year was (and still is) an horizontal offset wood burning smoker. It is of intermediate price. It is a wonderful tool to have. In the first run, I smoked two chickens and half a pork shoulder. Christmas dinner was the next with a prime rib just cooked to rare; this took about 2 hours in the pit. I did some ribs when my son and family came down the day after Christmas. Those got a little over done for reasons not to be mentioned. Next up will be a beef brisket. I am doing this all Texas Hill Country style. That is seasoned with salt and pepper then cooked with an oak fire. The bark has been wonderful, the smoke ring good and the flavor great. I had been using a propane fired vertical pit which just doesn't compare. It is fun to produce good meat.
ReplyDeleteDrJim, you need to try sourdough. It makes even tastier bread.
Now all I can think of is that brisket with some nice sourdough.
Is it the wood pellet/biscuit burning like the Traeger, or burning logs? Either way, they're great! I had a Char Griller (brand) offset smoker that was nearly impossible to get or keep the desired temperature. There are mods you can do if you have that issue.
DeleteThose are probably the best way to smoke briskets and everything, really, but the best brisket I've ever done was sous vide cooked and then into the Masterbuilt smoker for the finish.
Lately, I'm having a tough time finding full packer briskets.
It is a log burner. I have made a few mods. I sealed the cook chamber door and the lid on the fire box. I also put a new bolt on the fire box door "butterfly valve" with a spring to make the valve work better.
DeleteBeef brisket is the national meat of The Republic of Texas! Full packer cut is available at H.E.B. (Herbert E. Butt) Supermarkets in select, choice or prime grades($5+ lb). I think H.E.B. is like Publix from my limited experience in Florida.
My BBQ Bible is Aaron Franlin's "FRANKLIN BARBECUE, A MEAT-SMOKING MANIFESTO". It is more the philosophy of good BBQ than a recipe book.
Not my Publix. Pieces of flats for $9/lb. I got a packer at BJ's Wholesale club in '18 but they stopped carrying since then and just carry flats. I think 7 to $8/lb. There was a butcher shop not far from me that would get them but then they closed.
DeleteI know Franklin's book and reputation, but haven't bought the book. Do you read Meathead and the gang at AmazingRibs.com?
I do not read Meathead or AmazingRibs on a regular basis. I will take a look.
DeleteSorry that you can't get a proper brisket to smoke. I just looked and that prime quality brisket costs $3.49 a pound for a packer cut; a proper sized one for the smoker would be about $50. The select quality is $2.46 a pound, so you would be talking in the $30 range for a good sized one. If you really want to splurge the H.E.B. has trimmed Wagyu for $5.99 a pound.