It went onto the BBQ at 10 AM, along with the
hickory chips. I ignore convention and do not
soak chips in water. My theory is that the
flavor compounds should be transferred from
the wood to the meat as quickly as possible,
followed by a much longer time for diffusion
of those compounds into the meat.

I put the chips onto the coals immediately
after the meat. This is BBQ, so the coals
are at one end of the chamber and the meat
is at the other. I use a rectangular small
Weber.

There is copious smoke, but I restrict airflow
through the intake and exhaust vents. I start
out hot, then reduce the airflow for a long
plateau. It only smokes for about 30 minutes,
after which I reduce the airflow. Here at three
hours, I can put my hand on the BBQ cover and
hold it here.

I'll probably let it go another hour. I'm
getting anxious to see what I'll get. All
I have so far is a little peek through the
exhaust vent holes, and it looks good.
If the coals hold out, I may go longer.

"Mark Thorson" > wrote in message
...
> It went onto the BBQ at 10 AM, along with the

??? What? "It" went on ths smoked meat?????

> hickory chips. I ignore convention and do not
> soak chips in water. My theory is that the

If you don't soak the chips, then you ignore ignorance

> flavor compounds should be transferred from
> the wood to the meat as quickly as possible,
> followed by a much longer time for diffusion
> of those compounds into the meat.
>
> I put the chips onto the coals immediately
> after the meat. This is BBQ, so the coals
> are at one end of the chamber and the meat
> is at the other. I use a rectangular small
> Weber.
>
> There is copious smoke, but I restrict airflow

Hope you like the taste of creosote

> through the intake and exhaust vents. I start
> out hot, then reduce the airflow for a long
> plateau. It only smokes for about 30 minutes,
> after which I reduce the airflow. Here at three
> hours, I can put my hand on the BBQ cover and
> hold it here.
>
> I'll probably let it go another hour. I'm
> getting anxious to see what I'll get. All
> I have so far is a little peek through the
> exhaust vent holes, and it looks good.
> If the coals hold out, I may go longer.

On May 31, 3:04*pm, Mark Thorson > wrote:
> It went onto the BBQ at 10 AM, along with the
> hickory chips. *I ignore convention and do not
> soak chips in water. *My theory is that the
> flavor compounds should be transferred from
> the wood to the meat as quickly as possible,
> followed by a much longer time for diffusion
> of those compounds into the meat.
>
> I put the chips onto the coals immediately
> after the meat. *This is BBQ, so the coals
> are at one end of the chamber and the meat
> is at the other. *I use a rectangular small
> Weber.


I used to soak chips until I realized that doing so didn't make any
difference. As long as you keep the fire low (not TOO low though) and
steady for at least an hour per pound, you should be fine.

Mark Thorson wrote:

Is that a trick to marinate oneself?
--
Vilco
No, non mi sono mai allenato, respiravo di mio

Christopher Helms wrote:
>
> I used to soak chips until I realized that doing so didn't make any
> difference. As long as you keep the fire low (not TOO low though) and
> steady for at least an hour per pound, you should be fine.

Yes, I know just how much to close the vents to
keep the chips from igniting. Unfortunately,
I used too many of them this time. The meat is
oversmoked, in addition to being too dry because
the cut was too lean. This didn't turn out well.
I should stick to ribs, they always turn out well.

I frequently make the error of using too many
chips. I just love seeing all that smoke.

On Tue, 01 Jun 2010 06:47:06 -0700, Mark Thorson >
wrote:

>Christopher Helms wrote:
>>
>> I used to soak chips until I realized that doing so didn't make any
>> difference. As long as you keep the fire low (not TOO low though) and
>> steady for at least an hour per pound, you should be fine.
>
>Yes, I know just how much to close the vents to
>keep the chips from igniting. Unfortunately,
>I used too many of them this time. The meat is
>oversmoked, in addition to being too dry because
>the cut was too lean. This didn't turn out well.
>I should stick to ribs, they always turn out well.
>
>I frequently make the error of using too many
>chips. I just love seeing all that smoke.

Bummer. Sorry to hear this. I know you're returning to smoking so
maybe you just need to brush up on your fire-tending skills.

A small hot fire with very thin blue smoke. Cuchulain Libby spoke
years ago about feeling your smoke. If you rub your fingers together
over the exhaust if should feel dry.

Lou

On Jun 1, 8:47*am, Mark Thorson > wrote:
> Christopher Helms wrote:
>
> > I used to soak chips until I realized that doing so didn't make any
> > difference. As long as you keep the fire low (not TOO low though) and
> > steady for at least an hour per pound, you should be fine.
>
> Yes, I know just how much to close the vents to
> keep the chips from igniting. *Unfortunately,
> I used too many of them this time. *The meat is
> oversmoked, in addition to being too dry because
> the cut was too lean. *This didn't turn out well.
> I should stick to ribs, they always turn out well.
>
> I frequently make the error of using too many
> chips. *I just love seeing all that smoke.


Don't give up just because one thing went bad. Step back, ask yourself
what was wrong with this one and make adjustments on the next one.

Christopher Helms wrote:
>
> On Jun 1, 8:47 am, Mark Thorson > wrote:
> >
> > I frequently make the error of using too many
> > chips. I just love seeing all that smoke.
>
> Don't give up just because one thing went bad. Step back, ask yourself
> what was wrong with this one and make adjustments on the next one.

I think the main error was using the wrong cut of meat.
If it hadn't been so heavily trimmed it might have
worked.

On Jun 1, 9:33*am, jay > wrote:
> In article >,
> *Lou Decruss > wrote:
>
> > A small hot fire with very thin blue smoke. *Cuchulain Libby spoke
> > years ago about feeling your smoke. *If you rub your fingers together
> > over the exhaust if should feel dry. *
>
> > Lou *
>
> Interesting... Cuchulain was trolling. I don't believe feeling the smoke
> makes much sense or that he would even be able to detect variations with
> his fangers. Good BBQ is actually somewhat fool proof. *Don't burn it,
> make some smoke and use some fat meat, indirect low heat, give it plenty
> of time. *The BBQ "fanciers" like to make a big rub-a-dub production out
> of it but it is mostly pure BULLSHIT.

For the most part, that's true. Every time I see one of the BBQ fags*
use the word, creosote...

--Bryan

* Not meant as an insult to folks who are same sex attracted

On Tue, 01 Jun 2010 09:33:10 -0500, jay > wrote:

>In article >,
> Lou Decruss > wrote:
>
>
>> A small hot fire with very thin blue smoke. Cuchulain Libby spoke
>> years ago about feeling your smoke. If you rub your fingers together
>> over the exhaust if should feel dry.
>>
>> Lou
>
>Interesting...

I thought so.

>Cuchulain was trolling.

Wasn't his style.

>I don't believe feeling the smoke makes much sense or that he would even
>be able to detect variations with his fangers.

It was his teaching method I think. Maybe bordering on hyperbole. Go
make a fire with thick white smoke and feel the exhaust. Then go back
after it's burnt down and has a thin blue smoke and feel it.

>Good BBQ is actually somewhat fool proof.

I don't think so. But it ain't rocket science.

>Don't burn it, make some smoke and use some fat meat, indirect low heat, give it plenty
>of time.

You make a small hot fire and the smoke is a given. If all that was
required was smoke you could cook with cherry bombs added to a gas
grill.

>The BBQ "fanciers" like to make a big rub-a-dub production out
>of it but it is mostly pure BULLSHIT.

Much it chest pounding which it why I don't read the Q group anymore.

Lou

On 6/1/2010 9:15 PM, Lou Decruss wrote:
> On Tue, 01 Jun 2010 09:33:10 -0500, > wrote:
>
>> In >,
>> Lou > wrote:
>>
>>
>>> A small hot fire with very thin blue smoke. Cuchulain Libby spoke
>>> years ago about feeling your smoke. If you rub your fingers together
>>> over the exhaust if should feel dry.
>>>
>>> Lou
>>
>> Interesting...
>
> I thought so.
>
>> Cuchulain was trolling.
>
> Wasn't his style.
>
>> I don't believe feeling the smoke makes much sense or that he would even
>> be able to detect variations with his fangers.
>
> It was his teaching method I think. Maybe bordering on hyperbole. Go
> make a fire with thick white smoke and feel the exhaust. Then go back
> after it's burnt down and has a thin blue smoke and feel it.
>
>> Good BBQ is actually somewhat fool proof.
>
> I don't think so. But it ain't rocket science.
>
>> Don't burn it, make some smoke and use some fat meat, indirect low heat, give it plenty
>> of time.
>
> You make a small hot fire and the smoke is a given. If all that was
> required was smoke you could cook with cherry bombs added to a gas
> grill.
>
>> The BBQ "fanciers" like to make a big rub-a-dub production out
>> of it but it is mostly pure BULLSHIT.
>
> Much it chest pounding which it why I don't read the Q group anymore.
>
> Lou
>
>
>
>
>

You are not the only one Lou. I feel/felt the same way.

If you can't have joy from talking about what you like, with people that
feel the same, than that usenet group is no longer good for you.

I like several of the folks on the a.f.b group, but too many more are
just spending their posts with hate. That makes me too sad to even post
there.

Bob

Mark Thorson wrote:
>
> Christopher Helms wrote:
> >
> > On Jun 1, 8:47 am, Mark Thorson > wrote:
> > >
> > > I frequently make the error of using too many
> > > chips. I just love seeing all that smoke.
> >
> > Don't give up just because one thing went bad. Step back, ask yourself
> > what was wrong with this one and make adjustments on the next one.
>
> I think the main error was using the wrong cut of meat.
> If it hadn't been so heavily trimmed it might have
> worked.

I just tried lightly pan-frying my assumed mistake,
and it's really good. I'll have to watch myself
very carefully to avoid gout. It's much better chilled
than hot, and it doesn't seem dry at all today.
It seems juicy. I'll have to re-think my earlier conclusions.

On Tue, 01 Jun 2010 20:08:14 -0700, Mark Thorson >
wrote:

> Mark Thorson wrote:
> >
> > Christopher Helms wrote:
> > >
> > > On Jun 1, 8:47 am, Mark Thorson > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > I frequently make the error of using too many
> > > > chips. I just love seeing all that smoke.
> > >
> > > Don't give up just because one thing went bad. Step back, ask yourself
> > > what was wrong with this one and make adjustments on the next one.
> >
> > I think the main error was using the wrong cut of meat.
> > If it hadn't been so heavily trimmed it might have
> > worked.
>
> I just tried lightly pan-frying my assumed mistake,
> and it's really good. I'll have to watch myself
> very carefully to avoid gout. It's much better chilled
> than hot, and it doesn't seem dry at all today.
> It seems juicy. I'll have to re-think my earlier conclusions.

Maybe it just needed to rest overnight!

--
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

sf wrote:
>
> Maybe it just needed to rest overnight!

More likely I needed to rest overnight.

The day I made it, it seemed oversmoked and dry,
but that was eating it hot, inside a sourdough
bagette. Yesterday and today, shredding it and
pan frying really helped a lot. Today, I grilled
some onions and pan-fried them before throwing
the shreads in. That worked very well too.
Because it's so smoky, it can be used almost like
a spice to transfer flavor to other foods.

Bob Muncie wrote:
> On 6/1/2010 9:15 PM, Lou Decruss wrote:
>> On Tue, 01 Jun 2010 09:33:10 -0500, > wrote:
>>
>>> In >,
>>> Lou > wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>> A small hot fire with very thin blue smoke. Cuchulain Libby spoke
>>>> years ago about feeling your smoke. If you rub your fingers together
>>>> over the exhaust if should feel dry.
>>>>
>>>> Lou
>>>
>>> Interesting...
>>
>> I thought so.
>>
>>> Cuchulain was trolling.
>>
>> Wasn't his style.
>>
>>> I don't believe feeling the smoke makes much sense or that he would
>>> even
>>> be able to detect variations with his fangers.
>>
>> It was his teaching method I think. Maybe bordering on hyperbole. Go
>> make a fire with thick white smoke and feel the exhaust. Then go back
>> after it's burnt down and has a thin blue smoke and feel it.
>>
>>> Good BBQ is actually somewhat fool proof.
>>
>> I don't think so. But it ain't rocket science.
>>
>>> Don't burn it, make some smoke and use some fat meat, indirect low
>>> heat, give it plenty
>>> of time.
>>
>> You make a small hot fire and the smoke is a given. If all that was
>> required was smoke you could cook with cherry bombs added to a gas
>> grill.
>>
>>> The BBQ "fanciers" like to make a big rub-a-dub production out
>>> of it but it is mostly pure BULLSHIT.
>>
>> Much it chest pounding which it why I don't read the Q group anymore.
>>
>> Lou
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
> You are not the only one Lou. I feel/felt the same way.
>
> If you can't have joy from talking about what you like, with people
> that feel the same, than that usenet group is no longer good for you.
>
> I like several of the folks on the a.f.b group, but too many more are
> just spending their posts with hate. That makes me too sad to even
> post there.
>
> Bob
Sad? There is more to life than Usenet. Turn off your computer and go
check it out.

On Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:08:35 -0400, Larry >
wrote:

>Bob Muncie wrote:

>> I like several of the folks on the a.f.b group, but too many more are
>> just spending their posts with hate. That makes me too sad to even
>> post there.
>>
>> Bob
>Sad? There is more to life than Usenet. Turn off your computer and go
>check it out.

He's a weirdo. How can you "like" someone here. I like posts and
posting styles but I don't know anyone to actually like them.

Lou

Lou Decruss wrote:
> On Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:08:35 -0400, >
> wrote:
>
>
>> Bob Muncie wrote:
>>
>
>>> I like several of the folks on the a.f.b group, but too many more are
>>> just spending their posts with hate. That makes me too sad to even
>>> post there.
>>>
>>> Bob
>>>
>> Sad? There is more to life than Usenet. Turn off your computer and go
>> check it out.
>>
> He's a weirdo. How can you "like" someone here. I like posts and
> posting styles but I don't know anyone to actually like them.
>
> Lou
>
At least he's gone - for now.

On Thu, 03 Jun 2010 19:07:50 -0400, Larry > wrote:

>Lou Decruss wrote:
>> On Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:08:35 -0400, >
>> wrote:
>>
>>
>>> Bob Muncie wrote:
>>>
>>
>>>> I like several of the folks on the a.f.b group, but too many more are
>>>> just spending their posts with hate. That makes me too sad to even
>>>> post there.
>>>>
>>>> Bob
>>>>
>>> Sad? There is more to life than Usenet. Turn off your computer and go
>>> check it out.
>>>
>> He's a weirdo. How can you "like" someone here. I like posts and
>> posting styles but I don't know anyone to actually like them.
>>
>> Lou
>>
>At least he's gone - for now.

He's been gone here for a long time.

Lou

On Fri, 04 Jun 2010 09:03:25 -0500, Lou Decruss wrote:

> On Thu, 03 Jun 2010 19:07:50 -0400, Larry > wrote:
>
>>Lou Decruss wrote:
>>> On Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:08:35 -0400, >
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>> Bob Muncie wrote:
>>>>
>>>
>>>>> I like several of the folks on the a.f.b group, but too many more are
>>>>> just spending their posts with hate. That makes me too sad to even
>>>>> post there.
>>>>>
>>>>> Bob
>>>>>
>>>> Sad? There is more to life than Usenet. Turn off your computer and go
>>>> check it out.
>>>>
>>> He's a weirdo. How can you "like" someone here. I like posts and
>>> posting styles but I don't know anyone to actually like them.
>>>
>>> Lou
>>>
>>At least he's gone - for now.
>
> He's been gone here for a long time.
>
> Lou

he seems to bounce back and forth like a hyperkinetic ping-pong ball.

your pal,
blake

Lou Decruss wrote:
> On Thu, 03 Jun 2010 19:07:50 -0400, > wrote:
>
>
>> Lou Decruss wrote:
>>
>>> On Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:08:35 -0400, >
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> Bob Muncie wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>> I like several of the folks on the a.f.b group, but too many more are
>>>>> just spending their posts with hate. That makes me too sad to even
>>>>> post there.
>>>>>
>>>>> Bob
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> Sad? There is more to life than Usenet. Turn off your computer and go
>>>> check it out.
>>>>
>>>>
>>> He's a weirdo. How can you "like" someone here. I like posts and
>>> posting styles but I don't know anyone to actually like them.
>>>
>>> Lou
>>>
>>>
>> At least he's gone - for now.
>>
> He's been gone here for a long time.
>
> Lou
>
True.