Ryno656

Luckily my family is easy to please Then again, bbq will please most anyone

thanks all. yeah my first one so i was a bit uneasy at first, but everything went smooth other than relying on my own noggin

So we were having a small get-together this year for Thanksgiving and I decided to go away from the traditional turkey since we're more partial to ham and beef, anyway. I went to Costco on Tuesday night, grabbed a 14lb prime brisket (before trim), and prepped it late Wednesday night with only salt and pepper around midnight as the smoker came to temp. Threw it on the Big Joe fat side down (to add another layer of protection from the heat below) at 1am at 225 and let it go. I woke up around 7:30 and the temp apparently held steady, but it did so at 215 so the stall was a bit lower than I've heard elsewhere -- it stalled around 148 instead of 160-165ish. No problem, I opened the top vent and brought the temp to 285 and the internal temp started to creep up a for a few hours, but we were planning on eating around 2-3 so I needed to speed it along soon if it didn't break the stall. A couple hours later, around noon, I realized there was no way it was going to be done in time, so I wrapped in foil and threw it back on. About 2:00 it was probing tender at 208 and ready to pull. Wrapped in a couple towels, placed in a cooler, and made the short 40 minute drive to the family feast. All in all, I should have thrown it on about an hour earlier and set the temp at 250 instead of 225. I feel like it dropped to 215 for too long so at the stall the fat didn't render as well as I was wanting, but everyone thought it was amazing, and I'm not really going to complain for my first time. It was moist and juicy, I just made a few noobie mistakes/oversights this time, but can't wait to smoke another! Pics below:

My first two bags of KJ Big Block both had a strong chemical smell. Do they all smell that way, or did I just get incredibly unlucky at the roadshow with the two bags I grabbed? No other brand has had a strong smell. I like Rockwood a lot, Royal Oak has done great as well. Both have no odor to them.

What lump are you using? Looks like a great size. If it’s the KJ Big Block, does it give off a chemical odor? The two bags I got from the roadshow a few months back both have a terrible smell to them, so I resorted to using other brands (Rockwood and Royal Oak). These other brands haven’t smelled so I’m afraid to go back to the KJ lump, unless I just had terrible luck with my picks, which I’m hoping (assuming?) is the case. Great looking pork butt, can’t wait to see the finished product!

i use these, easy to wash and can handle hot grates and food very easily. anything hotter than about 400* and you can start to feel it after a few seconds, though. so they're not used to move around coals or anything, but i'm really enjoying them so far. Link: Amazon Link

I got up early yesterday and threw a pork shoulder on the kamado for the first time. I've cooked a number of spare ribs, beef ribs one time, and a lot of hot & fast cooks -- burgers, fajitas, chicken, etc. I'd have to say this was one of the best (and easiest) long cooks I've done. Process: Got up at 5am, started the kamado and seasoned the butt with some Mongoes rub (it's a family friend's rub, he doesn't market or sell it -- but he should!). Once the Joe was up to temp, I threw on a few pieces of apple wood and one piece of hickory, let it roll for 30 mins or so then put the butt on, fat cap up (i'll probably put it down next time to get some more bark). Then, just waited for a few hours before taking a peek at the future prize. I spritzed with apple juice/apple cider mix and basted with cola once every hour starting at the 4-5 hour mark. I let it rest for about 2-3 hours wrapped in 3 layers of foil, one towel, and inside a cheap styrofoam cooler. I had the joe running at about 275 but wanted it a bit lower so around 2-3 hours in I tweaked it down to 240-250 and let it ride the rest of the way. Butt was 9lbs and took right at 9 hrs to cook. We had a side of beans and corn (forgot the greens this time -- oops :)) but didn't get any pics of that. My better half said it was the best cook yet, so hopefully I'll get to do it again soon. At any rate, enjoy the pics!

yeah, i put a drip pan under my beef ribs last weekend and they came out great, so what little heat was coming up directly through that gap was now pushed around the drip pan. much better results when cooking at 260+

I spritz but no sauce

Cooked some beef ribs for the first time yesterday, and they turned out fantastic. Started the Big Joe around 9am, seasoned the ribs and they went on around 10:30-10:45 after the Joe had settled in and soaked around 250-275 for a while. Temp ranged between 250-275 and settled in at 260 for most of the cook, but I did add some more chunks of post oak about halfway through since I added the first few when the grill was getting settled (so they burned off) -- rookie mistake. Spritzed with apple cider vinegar and apple juice at about the 5hr mark, just a couple times (every 45 minutes or so). Cooked for about 7-7.5 hours and probed right about 205 and buttery soft. Took them off and let them rest for 30-45 minutes while we prepared side dishes. Will definitely be doing this again! One thing I'd change is the 'coarse pepper' I purchased (Fiesta brand). This stuff was a bit too coarse for what I wanted and I'll go with a finer grain next time, but everything turned out great regardless. Also, I bought these at a local butcher in Austin, TX (Salt and Time), they were about 4.25lbs

great looking wings! pour one out for the lost soldier...

Did you purchase the display model? The display is the one that comes with the wok/cast iron grate. The others (in a box) just come with the starters and cover.

I took a couple photos last night, should there be this big of a gap between the deflector plates? You can see the deflector plates are pushed together completely by looking at the corners of it

So how does one get the Jr display model? Is it just a reduced price? When I bought my Big Joe at Costco a few months back they still had the deal with the Jr

Thanks guys, I figured I couldn't be the only one, and it's such a minor issue. Drip pan with a bit of moisture is a good idea as well. Thanks all