Temperature Setting Basics

After I purchased my large Big Green Egg®, I was itching to start immediately, but I was also a little worried that I would ruin expensive cuts of meat.  To be honest, I did ruin a couple before I finally figured out how to run the Egg.  Looking at the Egg, you would think it would be the easiest thing in the world to use.  After all, it is just a giant ceramic vessel with two vent openings to control the temperature, what could be easier.  People have been cooking with this method for a thousand years.

My Setup

I have a Large Big Green Egg® ("BGE") that I purchased from my local organic butcher.  The BGE is only sold through authorized sellers so this means you need to find an authorized seller near you.  These are also heavy and very breakable, so it is best to have it delivered if you can.  My authorized seller delivered the BGE and set it up for me right on my deck.

Lobster/Clam/Mussel Bake

As much as I like pork goodness, there is no meal on this blog as good as a lobster, clam, and mussel bake.  This also happens to be one of the easiest meals to make and it will feed an army.  For this meal we used a fire pit and cooked a couple dozen lobsters, 4 dozen clams, and 3 dozen mussels.  The food tasted just like the beach based lobster bakes from my childhood.

Pork Belly

Pork belly is amazing because it is basically thick bacon that can be cooked so that it has the perfect combination of juicy fat and a crispy bacon outside.  Pork belly also is a great vessel to absorb your favorite flavors.  Below is a picture of the meat side of a 10 pound pork belly.

Pork Butt

Pork butt is fairly straightforward to cook except for the cooking time.  If you read the post on brisket you will understand "the stall."  This is a period of time when either evaporation or rendering of fat causes the temperature to hold still rather than raise.  This stall seems to completely depend on fat content.  Therefore, as with brisket, you should make sure that you add an extra 4-5 hours to your estimated cook time to account for the stall.

Pork chops

Pork chops are best if brined.  However, since pork chops are already salty, I usually only brine them for 4 hours rather than overnight.  I also do not add any rub to my pork chops.  See my earlier posts for brine recipes.  Reduce the brine time appropriately if you are using a more concentrated boiled brine rather than a simple cold mixed brine.

Baby Back and Spare Ribs

Next to smoked wings, ribs are my favorite meat to smoke.  Not only because they are delicious, but because they are easy to cook.  With ribs, you cook to a certain time, rather than temperature.  This means no guesswork as to when your meal will be done. 

CHICKEN WINGS

All chicken should be brined and rubbed prior to cooking to get a moist delicious bird.  I have included simple brine and poultry rub directions below.  If you want a crispy skin it is imperative that you thoroughly dry the chicken and then add olive oil to the skin.  Your best bet is to air dry the chicken uncovered in a refrigerator for at least 4 hours prior to adding the olive oil and after removing from the brine.

CHICKEN (Whole, Breast and Thighs)

All chicken should be brined and rubbed prior to cooking to get a moist delicious bird.  I have included simple brine and poultry rub directions below.  If you want a crispy skin it is imperative that you thoroughly dry the chicken and then add olive oil to the skin.  Your best bet is to air dry the chicken uncovered in a refrigerator for at least 4 hours prior to adding the olive oil and after removing from the brine.

Au jus

Ingredients

              1 tablespoon unsalted butter

              1 cup Vidalia onion minced

              4 cloves minced garlic

              14 ounce Beef Broth

              2 cups water

              2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

              2 teaspoons non-iodized salt

              2 beef bouillon cubes

Add 1 tablespoon butter to saucepan, heat on medium-high until melted.

Add minced onions, cook 2-3 minutes until onions are translucent.

Add minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the rest of the ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Strain and discard onions and garlic.  Serve warm.

Steaks

While there is really not much better than a good prime rib-eye steak, Waygu tri-tip is definitely my favorite.  If you are up for a treat, I have included the directions to cook a good Waygu tri-tip or Waygu NY strip below.  

Bone-in Ribeye Roast / Prime Rib

For best results, dry the roast for 1-2 days in a refrigerator prior to smoking.  Place uncovered in the refrigerator on a rack, over a cookie sheet.  Cover with paper towels and replace towels when the towels become damp.  This will dry the outside of the roast.  After 1 day, coat with Worcestershire sauce, add rub liberally, and put back in the refrigerator for 1 day.

Fried Turkey

Yes, I know that fried turkey is not barbecue.  However, it is so delicious I could not resist adding fried turkey to the blog.  

You are going to need a 30-quart pot and burner.  Please use a pot that you are only going to use for this purpose because you will never get it clean again.  You will also probably need at least 3 gallons of peanut oil.

Use an organic turkey that is not prebrined.  Most turkey fryers will not handle a turkey over 8 pounds without spilling oil and causing a fire hazard.

FISH

The one thing you need to know about smoking fish is that the fish can absorb way too much smoke.  Be very careful not to add too much smokey flavor to your fish.  With that being said, when done right, smoked fish is fantastic. 

I have provided a few of my favorite recipes below.

Vegetables

I have not found a vegetable (or fruit) that does not taste better when smoked on the grill.  Whether you are making some of the best home fries you have ever tasted or adding a slight smoke taste to your bruchetta, I promise making vegetables in a smoker will be faster, easier, and tastier.

BRISKET

Brisket may be the most difficult cut of meat to cook.  However, with a little practice your brisket will turn out juicy and tender.  The real difficulty with brisket is that it is very difficult to predetermine the correct amount of time it needs to smoke.  As a general rule, brisket is supposed to cook for about 1 hour and 15 minutes per pound.  However, due to what is known as the "stall," brisket generally ends up taking much longer.  Waygu brisket is very lean and will take 45 minutes to 1 hour to cook per pound.  This is because the meat is very lean and because there is less fat, the stall takes less time to cook.  For prime or choice brisket you can expect about 1 1/2 hour per pound, plus a few hours or more stall time depending on fat content.  If you plan in at least 4 extra hours to account for longer smoke times you will not disappoint your guests by making them wait hours for the brisket to finish.

Cold and Boiled Brine Recipes

I have listed a few simple cold and boiled brine recipes below.  I will add further recipes at a later date.

Brine Times

I use the following guidelines for brine times.  These times are for the more concentrated boiled brines.  For the less concentrated cold brines, double the times below.

Meat                            Brine time

Whole turkey              12-24 hours

Turkey breast              4-6 hours

Pork chops                  4 hours

Whole chicken            3-4 hour

Chicken breast            4 hours

Shrimp                         30 minutes

Fish filets                     1/2 hour

I have added some dry rub recipes below.  The recipes below can be changed to suit your taste.  For instance, substitute smoked paprika for paprika to add more smoke flavor, and add more cayenne pepper to add more spice.

BRINING BASICS

If you are going to cook lean meat, you need to brine.  Poultry, pork, ribs, roasts, and shrimp will end up extra moist as the result of brining.  There are two types of brines: wet brines and dry brines.  Brines are simply a salt and water mixture.  The salt solution causes the meat to take on more moisture from the brine.  A dry brine is simply a dry rub.  Dry rubs do not cause the meat to take on more moisture, but they do cause the meat to retain moisture when they are cooked.  Because of this, wet brines are best for really lean meats, whereas dry rubs are best for less lean meats.