I've been lurking here for a while and have been wondering whether I'm
grillin' or bbqin' when I cook my meat (ribs, butt, brisket) by a
combination of smoking in a Luhr Jensen Lil' Chief Smoker
http://tinyurl.com/3dl9p for a few hours and finishing them on my Weber
Genesis grill with indirect heat (low & slow). The Jensen instructions
suggest that "for every hour in the smoker reduce grill time by 10%".
They call this "smoke-flavoring" and I've always been happy with the
results. The wood chips it uses are actually more like sawdust. They
sell a good variety (mesquite, apple, cherry, alder), but I'm mighty
partial to good ole hickory, though. I'd be interested to hear comments
from any of you who might use this method and am prepared to hear the
worst from those of you who might consider this method a blasphemy.
Thanks, Art in Florida

No comments?? None??

This is true smoking,and is followed by cooking, as it should. I have a
Luhr Jensen and swear by the same method. I think you have to cure most
meat with a dry rub or with brining with fowl and fish, if you're going
to leave in at that low a temp for a long time. I have brined
Turkey,smoked for 12 hours following,and cooked in the Weber following.
I'm interested that you cold smoke red meat for a long time without any
spoilage. Do you dry rub or salt to combat this? How long do you leave
brisket in the smoker at what temp. before putting it into the Weber?
Luhr Jensen is clear about fish and fowl, ut not at all clear about red
meat.
Cheers,
Kent

Toni and Art wrote:
>
> I've been lurking here for a while and have been wondering whether I'm
> grillin' or bbqin' when I cook my meat (ribs, butt, brisket) by a
> combination of smoking in a Luhr Jensen Lil' Chief Smoker
> http://tinyurl.com/3dl9p for a few hours and finishing them on my Weber
> Genesis grill with indirect heat (low & slow). The Jensen instructions
> suggest that "for every hour in the smoker reduce grill time by 10%".
> They call this "smoke-flavoring" and I've always been happy with the
> results. The wood chips it uses are actually more like sawdust. They
> sell a good variety (mesquite, apple, cherry, alder), but I'm mighty
> partial to good ole hickory, though. I'd be interested to hear comments
> from any of you who might use this method and am prepared to hear the
> worst from those of you who might consider this method a blasphemy.
> Thanks, Art in Florida
>

Kent H. wrote:
> This is true smoking,and is followed by cooking, as it should. I have a
> Luhr Jensen and swear by the same method. I think you have to cure most
> meat with a dry rub or with brining with fowl and fish, if you're going
> to leave in at that low a temp for a long time. I have brined
> Turkey,smoked for 12 hours following,and cooked in the Weber following.
> I'm interested that you cold smoke red meat for a long time without any
> spoilage. Do you dry rub or salt to combat this? How long do you leave
> brisket in the smoker at what temp. before putting it into the Weber?
> Luhr Jensen is clear about fish and fowl, ut not at all clear about red
> meat.
> Cheers,
> Kent
>

Doesn't seem to be any tradition of cold smoking red meats, that I know
of, other than for jerky, and the plate, aka belly, for pastrami. The
belly is brined before it's smoked, and then, after smoking, steamed to
cook it immediately before serving or at least before slicing, in the
traditional method of making pastrami as best I've been able to figure
it out.

I've never brined anything, but I do use a dry rub on the meats. Perhaps
I misled you when I said that I threw stuff in for a "few" hours. I get
the smoke going real good before putting the cold meat in and I get the
second pan of chips going on a hot-plate about 5 minutes before the
first pan is played out. Each heaping pan full lasts around an hour. For
cornish hens, I use 1 pan; ribs and small fowl, 2 pans; butt, brisket,
and large fowl, 3 pans. I have no idea what the actual temps are but, I
believe, it's supposed to get up to 165=B0 in the smoker.

So far (KNOCK WOOD) nobody has died from this method, but I do have some
concerns when I go the 3 pan route. You know, when I first bought the
Weber, I called their customer service number and asked the guy for
suggestions on how to best achieve low cooking temps. He wouldn't even
give me the time of day since Weber's official stance on "low & slow"
(at that time, anyway) was that "it's too dangerous". Art

If you look at the Luhr Jensen cookbook that comes with the smoker, they
suggest vat or immersion brining of both fish and fowl. Their brine
recipes contain far too much salt for my taste. I use 1 oz of salt/quart
of solution. I do this routinely with all fowl, especially if I am going
to smoke a turkey for 10-12 hours. I have also done this with pork roast
for added flavor and moistness with success, never with beef, though I
suppose I will have a go at it some day. I don't think the Luhr Jensen
gets much over 150F, nor is it intended to. To smoke salmon you a temp
lower than 150F.
Cook furiously,
Kent

Toni and Art wrote:
>
> I've never brined anything, but I do use a dry rub on the meats. Perhaps
> I misled you when I said that I threw stuff in for a "few" hours. I get
> the smoke going real good before putting the cold meat in and I get the
> second pan of chips going on a hot-plate about 5 minutes before the
> first pan is played out. Each heaping pan full lasts around an hour. For
> cornish hens, I use 1 pan; ribs and small fowl, 2 pans; butt, brisket,
> and large fowl, 3 pans. I have no idea what the actual temps are but, I
> believe, it's supposed to get up to 165° in the smoker.
>
> So far (KNOCK WOOD) nobody has died from this method, but I do have some
> concerns when I go the 3 pan route. You know, when I first bought the
> Weber, I called their customer service number and asked the guy for
> suggestions on how to best achieve low cooking temps. He wouldn't even
> give me the time of day since Weber's official stance on "low & slow"
> (at that time, anyway) was that "it's too dangerous". Art