I love to BBQ! Here are some of the spoils of all that work that goes into making real BBQ cooked "Slow and Low". What is slow and low? Well the short answer is, food cooked over indirect heat (usually wood or charcoal) at between 220 and 250 degrees until its internal temp reaches a certain point, then wrapped in foil and allowed to rest for a few more hours. 12-24 hours total cooking time at low temps are not unheard of. The food below was cooked for about 11 hours and allowed to rest for 3 more hours.
A Fatty! Jimmy Dean sausage rolled up with sharp cheddar in the middle and slow cooked over hickory! Delicious, great on a breakfast sandwich. This only took a few hours on the smoker as it is tons smaller then a 9lb butt.
Pork butt after 11 hours on the smoker (200 internal) and 3 hours of rest.
Pulled and ready to be eaten. Its OK that it looks pink. That is the magical "Smoke Ring"! You know "One Ring To Rule Them All, One Ring To Find Them, One Ring To Bring Them All And In The Darkness Bind Them!" Bet you did not know that Tolkien was a fan of BBQ. The original story is actually about pulled pork not some stupid golden ring. His editor made him change it. :)
Pastrami! Basically its corned beef that is soaked in water for a few hours to remove some of the brine, rubbed with cracked pepper, ground coriander and some powdered garlic. It is then cooked until the internal temps reach 180-190. I pulled these off at 183 and let them rest for a few hours before being sliced.
All chopped and ready for a home made RUBEN!!!
The cooker.
True BBQ cooking temperature.
The modification I have made to this cooker made the entire 11 hour process much easier than before. You just cannot rush real BBQ. As a matter of fact I probably should have cooked the corned beef to a bit higher internal temp say 190-195 and next time I will.The mods were taken from the smoke ring website...HERE offset smoker mods and from reading on the Barbecue Brethren website.
