http://archive.aweber.com/sm-newsletterThe Smoking Meat Newsletter from Smoking-Meat.comMon, 21 May 2012 11:45:56 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/sm-newsletter/DxXcE/h/My_Smoking_Meat_Book_Now.htm The long awaited book Smoking Meat: The Essential Guide to Real Barbecue is now available for ordering on Amazon.com. Apparently we had a lot of pre-orders and Amazon shipped out all of the books they had last week.. they will have more on Wednesday according to the website. This book contains a lot of information on HOW to smoke meat, cheese, vegetables, etc. as well as a ton of tips, recipes and tutorials. Some of the recipes are my own and some of them were sent in by members of the forum and only slightly modified for the book. You really need to have this book in your home library and it also makes a great gift item. Don't forget that Father's Day is coming up soon and this would make a great gift for Dad;-) Go ahead and order now before they run out again! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1770500383/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8andtag=smokingmeat-20andlinkCode=as2andcamp=1789andcreative=390957andcreativeASIN=1770500383 Note: My (2) recipes that I sell online and in the newsletter are not included in the book. Important Links: Newsletter Archive Order Jeff's Recipes Smoking Meat Forums Have a Great Day!! Jeff PhillipsMon, 21 May 2012 11:45:56 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/sm-newsletter/1wd.N/h/Here_s_How_to_Smoke_a_Chuck.htm Website version of this newsletter at http://www.smoking-meat.com/january-2011-smoking-a-chuck-roast.html January 20, 2011 / Issue 82 January 2011 Smoking Meat Newsletter Hello friends and welcome to a brand new year chock full of my favorite smoking recipes and tips on cooking outdoors. With it being so cold in a lot of areas and this being January, many of you might not think of smoking meat right now but I would like to encourage you to get out there and make it happen. If you're thinking that I'm crazy and it just isn't going to happen then you're not alone but there are lots of gas and electric smokers that do make smoking in the winter time a whole lot easier and more attractive. When I do smoke meat in the cold of winter, I try to cook things that get done a little quicker and things like briskets and pork shoulders that take 12-16 hours or longer just aren't on the menu quite as often. Enter the chuck roast.. a beautiful piece of beef with plenty of fat marbling to handle the heat and still remain moist. Even better, the cuts are fairly small and you can cook one in 4-6 hours. A little longer cook time may be required if you are wanting to pull the meat instead of slicing it. By the way.. As usual, I opted to use of my very own rub recipe and sauce recipe in smoking this chuckie and it was so full of flavor that I can't imagine not using it the next time I do this recipe. If you do not have my rub recipe and/or sauce recipe then I recommend that you take the time to order that now.. like many other happy customers, you will be extremely glad that you did. Order Recipes | Read Testimonies Last months Newsletter: Smoked Ham and Smoked 3-2-1 Ribs Smoking a Chuck Roast (Chuckie) What you'll need for this recipe: 2.5 - 3 lb Chuck Roast 1/4 lb butter Yellow mustard Jeff's rub recipe and sauce recipe What to Purchase You'll want to look for a chuck roast or perhaps a chuck arm roast with plenty of fat marbling in the meat. It might even say chuck pot roast depending on where you go to purchase the meat. Most of the cuts will probably be around 3 lbs so just find the one that looks the best. If you are needing more meat, just smoke 2 of them at the same time. How to Prepare Preparation is super easy in most cases although I did take the time to inject this one (something I almost never do for beef and pork). Remove the chuck roast from it's package and lay it in a cake pan or even on a cookie sheet while you get it ready to smoke. You are going to want to add my rub to the roast before you smoke/cook it so you have a couple of options, You can inject it and rub it like I did or you can just apply the rub to the outside. Want to inject it? Here's how.. I decided to inject the chuck roast with 1/4 cup (1 stick) of butter and 3 Tbsp of my rib rub. Place the butter and rub in a microwave safe container and heat until the butter is melted and bubbling just a little. Remove and stir the ingredients together until the brown sugar and salt are dissolved (about a minute of stirring should do it). Put the mixture back into microwave for about another 15 seconds or until the butter/rub is bubbling again. The other ingredients in the rub will not dissolve very well but the flavors will be released into the butter when they get hot. Stir the mixture briskly for about 30 seconds and you should be good to go. Strain the mixture through a fine screen if possible to prevent the rub from clogging your injector. The no-splatter screen that you use while frying will work great. Save the rub for later. Insert the needle at a 45 degree angle and inject the rub flavored butter into the chuck roast about every inch or so moving the needle around to make sure you get as much liquid into the chuckie as possible. When you are finished injecting, scoop the rub that was removed from the butter onto the top of the chuck roast and spread it out over the entire top and sides of the meat. You'd rather not inject the roast? That's ok;-) Here's how to apply my rub to the outside to add a ton of flavor.. Use some regular yellow mustard, like you'd use on a hotdog and squeeze out about 2 Tbsp onto the top of the meat and rub it all over the top, sides and bottom so that you have a thin, even layer all over. Pour about 1/4 cup of my rub onto the top of the roast and massage it in real good. That's it! You're ready to smoke that baby! Set the roast aside and go get the smoker ready. Smoking the Chuck Roast Depending on whether you have a charcoal or wood smoker or if your smoker is electric or propane, get it going and allow it to preheat to 210-225 degrees. Once the temperature is holding steady and thin wisps of smoke are coming from the top of the smoker, lay the roast right on the grate. For this recipe, I used a mixture of 70% mesquite and 30% hickory since I wanted a really nice and robust smoke flavor. Feel free to use any wood that you like such as cherry, pecan, oak or if you prefer a lighter smoke flavor, apple would be a great candidate. Keep the smoke going for at least 3 hours if possible and maintain a temperature as close to 225 degrees F as possible. Monitor the temperature to make sure it does not get out of hand as you don't want the rub to burn. I like to smoke at around 210 when I have plenty of time as this ensures that the rub does not burn and it gives the meat more time in the smoke. This does add a considerable amount of time to the process but it is well worth it in my opinion. Use a digital probe meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat to monitor the temperature of the meat while it cooks. You are looking for a temperature of about 190 -200 degrees F. Pull the meat out of the smoker when it's done but don't get antsy 'cause it's not done yet.. what happens next in the tenderizing step is very important for this cut of meat and in my opinion, makes all the difference in the world. Important Smoking Information Recommended wood: Mesquite, Hickory or a mix of the two How long to apply smoke: At least 3 hours Finish temperature of meat: 190-200 Degrees F Best smoker temperature: 210-225 Degrees F Smoker time required: 4-6 hours Tenderizing the Chuck Roast Follow these steps: Wrap the roast in a double layer of name brand heavy duty foil. Wrap it in a thick towel Place it in a size-appropriate ice chest or drink cooler. Fill in any remaining space with more towels, pillows or blankets Close the lid. Let the meat sit in the ice chest for at least 2 hours and 3 would not be a bad idea. This is an essential part of the process and I figure it into the cook time just as I do the rest of the process. If you don't have an ice chest, don't fear. You can also place the double foil wrapped meat in the oven on the warm setting (About 170-180 degrees) for a couple of hours to get a similar effect. During this time in the ice chest or in the oven, the meat is not increasing in temperature but it is being tenderized and while the chuck roast is safe and can be eaten without this important step, if you can be patient enough to wait it out, you will be glad you did. Serving the Chuck Roast Slice the roast as best as you can, it may be so tender that you have to slice it thick, that's ok. Make up a batch of my delicious barbecue sauce and serve it warm on the side for dipping. In the picture at the top you may note that we served the meat with my wife's bean soup which is perfect on a cold January day but it is good in just about any way you can imagine.. even on a sandwich if you desire. Enjoy the flavor of the smoke and your hard work and don't forget to let me know if you enjoyed this recipe! My Recipes My recipes are something out of this world when it comes to flavor and turning something pretty good into something extremely amazing. I created these recipes more than 7 years ago and they are still the best thing out there. The WOW factor is off the charts! It still continues to amaze me when I taste it on things like turkey, ribs, brisket, pork shoulder, chuck roast.. you name it! You will be amazed as well and I just can't recommend enough using my recipes on this chuch roast as it adds something that you just won't get anywhere else or in any other way. My recipes are well worth the price that I'm asking and when you are the star of the neighborhood, you can just smile and know that it was so worth it. Here's a few testimonies that I have received recently from folks just like you who wondered if they should do it but are now so glad they did: ********************************************* Jeff, All I can say is, WOW!!!! I have been reading your news letters for over a year and I Just now purchased your rub recipe. I have used it on steak and chicken legs on the grill so far. Both times I have people say that it was the best steak or chicken they had ever had. I can't wait to smoke something with it. Great job, you are THE MAN!!!! Chris ********************************************* Jeff,I tried your rib rub recipe on some fresh pork ribs, It was a huge hit everyone loved it. This was my first time using a rub, the flavor was awesome. Although there wasn't much leftovers, it was even better the next day. Well worth the small price. I would recommend everyone to try it. The recipe is perfect, I won't change a thing.I look forward to try the bbq sauce next. Thank You!!! Pete ********************************************* I have to admit I was skeptical that the recipes were worth paying money for. But I haven't had a single complaint, in fact my woman says the baby back ribs are the best yet with your rub and sauce. Thanks for your web site. Keep it up! Charles ********************************************* I just wanted to let you know that I bought your recipes for your rub and your sauce about a year ago. I have now had the chance to use them on just about every kind of meat imaginable and wanted you to know they are FANTASTIC!!!! Money well spent!!! James ********************************************* I purchased your rub recipe and have delighted friends and family with its great flavor. When they ask me for the recipe, I tell them to go to your site and purchase. Something this awesome deserves compensation to the inventor!!! Thanks for all of the smoking tips! Gary ********************************************* It had been a while since I had fried chicken tenders for my family. I decided to throw in a couple of handfuls of your rib rub into the flour. I salted and peppered the chicken as usual, breaded the chicken in the flour/rib rub combo and then fried the chicken. My family thought it was delicious! Kynda ********************************************* Well! Thank you everyone! You deserve the very best and it is completely within your grasp! Only $18.95 and worth every penny. Not only do you get the best rub and sauce recipe available, you are supporting this website and helping to make sure the bills get paid so we can keep on doing what we do to teach thousands and thousands of people across the world the art of smoking meat. If you want to amaze your friends with something super special.. order the recipes today!! It's a small price to pay for such a big WOW!! Order Recipes | Read Testimonies Note: My system is automated which means you should get a download email within MINUTES of ordering..check your spam/junk folder first then contact me to get the recipes sent to you as an attachment. In Closing Thank you for being a part of the smoking meat family which includes the newsletter, the forum, the smoking-meat.com website and many other resources that we try to provide to help you and countless others learn this great art. A HUGE thank you to all of you who support the site by purchasing the recipes and other products that we sell. Until next time.. keep smoking and God Bless. Jeff PhillipsThu, 20 Jan 2011 10:13:27 -0500http://archive.aweber.com/sm-newsletter/139OB/h/Your_Dec_2010_Smoking_Meat.htm Website version of this newsletter at http://www.smoking-meat.com/december-2010-smoked-ham-and-321-smoked-ribs.html December 16, 2010 / Issue 81 December 2010 Smoking Meat Newsletter Hello friends and welcome to the December edition of the smoking meat newsletter. With Christmas coming in less than 10 days, I want to make sure that all of you are prepared for the cooking part of the holiday and for this reason, I am presenting a double feature newsletter where we will be talking about smoking the traditional ham as well as smoking up some mighty tasty 3-2-1 spare ribs! Some of you may have put your smokers and grills away for the winter but for those of you die-hard smoke addicts like myself who enjoy hugging a warm smoker on a cold winters day, this newsletter is for you. When I think of Christmas.. I can't help but think about that big ham all smoked up and sitting pretty on the table with the friends and family just itching to tear into it. For this joyous occasion, I have decided to cover some basics on smoking an already cooked ham. Normally I use a bone-in ham but today, I will be using a boneless ham that is already cooked and according to the label it's already smoked but as you and I both know, we can add a lot more smoke flavor and make it even more delicious. And we'll get to doing just that in a moment. By the way.. This ham recipe and the 3-2-1 rib recipe requires the use of my very own rub recipe and sauce recipe. If you do not have my rub recipe and/or sauce recipe then I recommend that you take the time to order that now.. like many other happy customers, you will be extremely glad that you did. Order Recipes | Read Testimonies Last months Newsletter: Smoked Cranberry Brined Turkey Smoking the Christmas Ham What you'll need for this recipe: Precooked Ham bone-in or boneless Yellow Mustard Jeff's rub recipe and sauce recipe Honey What to Purchase I always purchase a bone-in ham and sometimes one that is spiral sliced but this time I chose to do a small-sized boneless ham. In my opinion, the bone-in spiral sliced hams turn out better if you are using a rub on the outside. The boneless ham did slice up very nicely and the smaller size made it more convenient to cook and to serve. How to Prepare Hams are very easy to prepare.. I normally just mix up a batch of my rub recipe and after applying some mustard to help it stick, I pour on about 1/2 cup and rub it all over the ham so that it is completely covered. Leave the rubbed ham on the cabinet and go get the smoker ready. Smoking the Ham Depending on whether you have a charcoal or wood smoker or if your smoker is electric or propane, get it going and allow it to preheat to 225 degrees F. Once the temperature is holding steady and thin wisps of smoke are coming from the top of the smoker, lay the ham directly on the grate. I recommend a really hearty smoke like mesquite, oak, hickory or pecan for ham but you can also mix some fruit woods in with one of these. I used a ratio of 75% mesquite and 25% apple. Keep the smoke going for a full 3 hours and maintain a temperature as close to 225 degrees F as possible. I usually do not monitor the temperature of pre-cooked hams since you are just getting them to a good eating temperature while adding some extra smoke flavor. Glazing the Ham Many folks like to glaze hams when they are almost finished cooking or even during the cooking.. I usually do this about 30 minutes before the ham is finished especially if the outside has taken on a dry look. You want food to taste appetizing but you also want food to look appetizing and a little barbecue/honey shine to the outside of ham will give you a major boost in flavor as well as looks. Make a batch of my barbecue sauce if you have my recipes and mix about 1/4 cup of my thick barbecue sauce with 1/4 cup of honey (heat the mixture in the microwave for 15-20 seconds to help it mix better). Brush this barbecue honey mixture liberally onto the top, sides and bottom of the ham about 30 minutes before the ham is finished or at the 2-1/2 hour mark. After 30 minutes in the smoker at 225 degrees F it will be picture perfect and taste like the best thing you ever ate. Serving the Ham What can I say.. slice it up already and let the eating commence! Traveling with the Ham No problem if you are taking the ham to grandma's house a few hours away. Wrap the ham in a double layer of name brand heavy duty foil. Wrap it in a thick towel Place it in a size-appropriate ice chest or drink cooler. Fill in any remaining space with more towels, pillows or blankets Close the lid. Keep the lid closed and the ham will stay piping hot and above 140 degrees F for 3 to 4 hours. My Recipes My recipes are something out of this world when it comes to flavor and turning something pretty good into something extremely amazing. I created these recipes more than 7 years ago and they are still the best thing out there. The WOW factor is off the charts! It still continues to amaze me when I taste it on things like turkey, ribs, brisket, pork shoulder, you name it! You will be amazed as well and I just can't recommend enough using my recipes on the ham and the ribs as it adds something that you just won't get anywhere else or in any other way. My recipes are well worth the price that I'm asking and when you are the star on Christmas day or any other day, you can just smile and know that it was so worth it. Here's a few testimonies that I have received recently from folks just like you who wondered if they should do it but are now so glad they did: ********************************************* After way too long, I finally shelled out a few bucks to get your recipes for the rub and the sauce. I rubbed some ribs for a Halloween party, and they instantly disappeared after I cut them up. Luckily, I got a couple ribs to see exactly how good the rub was.. ..My only regret is not getting the recipes sooner and really impressing my wife. Thanks much, Jeff. Paul in Fayetteville, NC ********************************************* Jeff,I tried your rib rub recipe on some fresh pork ribs, It was a huge hit everyone loved it. This was my first time using a rub, the flavor was awesome. Although there wasn't much leftovers, it was even better the next day. Well worth the small price. I would recommend everyone to try it. The recipe is perfect, I won't change a thing.I look forward to try the bbq sauce next. Thank You!!! Pete ********************************************* I loved your rub by the way. Your BBQ sauce was well received as well. Thanks!! Dan ********************************************* I would like to say that your sauce recipe is the best I have ever had.I keep a jar in my fridge to be ready for anything. Tim ********************************************* I purchased your rub recipe and have delighted friends and family with its great flavor. When they ask me for the recipe, I tell them to go to your site and purchase. Something this awesome deserves compensation to the inventor!!! Thanks for all of the smoking tips! Gary ********************************************* Well! Thank you everyone! You deserve the very best and it is completely within your grasp! Only $18.95 and worth every penny. Not only do you get the best rub and sauce recipe available, you are supporting this website and helping to make sure the bills get paid so we can keep on doing what we do to teach thousands and thousands of people across the world the art of smoking meat. If you want to amaze your friends with something super special this Christmas or anytime for that matter.. order the recipes today!! It's a small price to pay for such a big WOW!! Order Recipes | Read Testimonies Note: My system is automated which means you should get a download email within MINUTES of ordering..check your spam/junk folder first then contact me to get the recipes sent to you as an attachment. Christmas Spare Ribs.. 3-2-1 Style As is the custom at our house, we have ribs for Christmas. I normally do these dry rubbed with my rib rub recipe right on the grate with my sauce served warm and on the side however, I have had so many emails from readers asking how to get the ribs more tender that I decided to take this opportunity to show you the method we call 3-2-1. Let's go through the process of buying and preparing the ribs and I'll explain the 3-2-1 in the cooking portion of the instructions as that is where the magic happens that makes the ribs fall-off-the-bone tender. I must say that the 3-2-1 method is not for everyone.. some will tell you, and rightfully so, that according to KCBS and other judging standards, the 3-2-1 ribs are overcooked and that ribs should be eaten less tender so that they are not overcooked. I whole heartedly agree that this is correct when you are being judged by a certified barbecue judge. When you are being judged by family and friends, the 3-2-1 method is a great way to go and might just win you the gold medal. What you'll need for this recipe: 1 or more racks of spare ribs Yellow mustard My rub and sauce recipes Heavy duty aluminum foil Apple juice Purchasing the Ribs When buying spare ribs, I look for ones that are nice and red and don't have an abundance of large fat pockets. You do want to see quite a bit of fat marbling in the meat as this will help keep the ribs moist while they cook. I also look for spares that have an even thickness all the way across as much as possible as this will help them to cook more evenly. Many of today's ribs at the supermarket are injected with a salt water solution and while this is not completely detrimental to the ribs, it is not ideal. If you can use a butcher and get ribs that are all natural and/or minimally processed, they will be so much better. I also look for ribs that have not been frozen if possible.. although I do use ribs that have been frozen sometimes, I prefer the fresh if possible. Remove the Skirt/Flap Ribs are a little bit daunting to prepare for folks who are inexperienced but really it's not that bad if you will follow a few simple tips. First, be sure to remove the flap or skirt on the bone side of the ribs. Lay the ribs bone side up with the bones in front and closest to you. You will notice a strip of meat that runs along the length of the ribs in the meaty area above the bones. Pull up on this flap of meat and use a very sharp knife held at a 45 degree angle to remove/cut it off. Don't throw the strip of meat away as it can be placed in the smoker and cooked along with the ribs. It will be tasty and ready to eat in about 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Removing the Membrane Next, will be removing the membrane which is a thick plastic-like covering over the bones. Most restaurants do not remove this but in my opinion, it keeps the smoke from being able to penetrate into the meat as well and produces a higher quality product by not forcing your guests to deal with it while they eat. Use a sharp knife or other sharp object to peel up a corner of the membrane from the bone. Then when you have enough to grab.. use a paper towel or perhaps some clean catfish skinning pliers to grasp the membrane and pull it clean off. Pull it carefully but firmly to completely remove it from the ribs. If it tears, no worries, just try again. Adding the Flavor With the flap removed and the membrane gone, we are now going to apply some flavor to the ribs via the use of a dry rub. I use my very own rib rub recipe and I highly recommend that you do the same. If you have my recipe then you will need to mix up a full batch of the rub. You may also be able to find a decent store bought rub however, most of them are salt based and you will want to make sure that you don't overdo the rub or it will be too salty. My rub recipe is created to be applied liberally and never becomes overly salty. I use to add the rub as it was but in recent years, I have started using yellow mustard on the ribs to help the rub to stick a little better. Apply a thin coat of regular yellow hot dog mustard to both sides of the ribs. Use your hands or better yet, a shaker bottle to apply a nice liberal but even layer of rub to the bone side of the ribs. Let the ribs sit for about 10 minutes if possible to help the rub to mix with the mustard so it will have it's full sticking capability. Turn the ribs over to meaty side up and once again, apply an even coat of the rub to the ribs, not caked on but thick enough so that you can no longer see the meat. Leave the ribs right there on the counter while you get the smoker ready. Preparing the Smoker Regardless of what kind of smoker you have, get it going so that it can hold a steady temperature of 225 degrees F. I recommend using cherry, mesquite or pecan wood for smoking the ribs.  Once the smoker is holding steady, place the ribs bone side down directly on the grate and close the lid/door. Smoking the Ribs Note: Ribs are NOT cooked to any hard temperature or time .. they are done when they get tender enough and not a second before. Be willing to deviate from the estimated cooking time if they are not tender enough. The 3 The 3 in this method is the first 3 hours where the ribs will be directly on the grate and taking on the smoke flavoring from the wood that is smoking. Leave the door closed during this step and just make sure the heat stays as steady and close to 225 degrees F as possible. The 2 The 2 is where the ribs get tender. Once the initial 3 hours are over, Wrap each rack of ribs in a large piece of heavy duty aluminum foil and just before closing it up, pour about 1/4 cup of apple juice or other liquid such as beer, water, Dr. Pepper, etc. into the bottom of the foil. Close up the foil around each rack of ribs and lay the wrapped ribs back on the grate for 2 hours. The 1 The 1 in this method stands for the final hour in cooking the ribs. When the 2 is complete, remove the foil wrapped ribs from the smoker, remove the foil and place the ribs on the grate with NO foil for their final hour. To sum it up more concisely: 3 hours directly on the smoker grate Then.. 2 hours wrapped in foil on the smoker grate Then.. 1 final hour unwrapped and back on the smoker grate to finish up How to Serve the Ribs Let the ribs rest for about 10-15 minutes for best results then lay them bone side up and slice and serve immediately. In Closing Thank you for being a part of the smoking meat family which includes the newsletter, the forum, the smoking-meat.com website and many other resources that we try to provide to help you and countless others learn this great art. A HUGE thank you to all of you who support the site with your donations and by purchasing the recipes and other products that we sell. Until next time.. keep smoking and God Bless. Jeff Phillips ©2010 Smoking-Meat.com Thu, 16 Dec 2010 09:08:08 -0500http://archive.aweber.com/sm-newsletter/1mhHl/h/Your_Nov_2010_Smoking_Meat.htm Website version of this newsletter at http://www.smoking-meat.com/november-2010-smoked-cranberry-brined-turkey.html November 11, 2010 / Issue 80 November 2010 Smoking Meat Newsletter Welcome folks to the November 2010 issue of the smoking meat newsletter and as promised this is the Thanksgiving issue where we always talk about smoking a whole turkey. I do want you to know that this year, I have added a wonderfully tasty twist to the turkey and, as always, it is best when done exactly the way the recipe is written and you need not worry as I have put in a number of hours to test this to make sure that it works. Now with Thanksgiving 2010 looming upon us and many of you dying to do a test run before the big day, let's get started with the main attraction! By the way.. This turkey recipe requires the use of my very own rub recipe using my shake and smoke method to get the rub up under the skin. If you do not have my rub and/or sauce recipe then I recommend that you take the time to order that now.. like many other happy customers, you will be so glad that you did. Order Recipes | Read Testimonies Cranberry Brined Smoked Turkey First things first The first thing that you must do in preparing for this recipe is to find a good turkey. I cannot recommend enough the use of a fresh, minimally processed bird with no solution added. Sometimes these are hard to find but so worth the trouble to search one down. Perhaps the yellow pages could be your friend in this endeavor. For one of my test turkeys, I used a pre-frozen turkey with 8% solution as a worse case scenario. I have to make sure that this recipe is great even in a less than perfect turkey. What size of turkey you purchase is up to you and based on how many folks you will need to feed. Turkeys will usually feed 1 person per raw pound. i.e. a 12 pound bird will feed 12 people so purchase accordingly. I do recommend buying 2 smaller birds rather than 1 large bird if you are feeding more than 12 people. Once you have the turkey in hand.. Brining the Turkey AS the name implies, we are going to brine the turkey this year with cranberry juice. Not water with a little cranberry juice in it but with straight cranberry juice. Well I say cranberry juice, the pure stuff is hard to find and most bottles marked as cranberry juice 100% juice is usually part cranberry, part apple, part grape, etc.. I opted to use the cranberry-pomegranate mixture by Ocean Spray with no sugar added. The cranberry-pomegranate juice was very cranberryish with a lot of tang which is what you would expect and I was hoping above hope that the flavor would show up in the end result. Why cranberry juice? it just came to me in a moment of great illumination really;-) Cranberry and turkey just go together so why not? Place the turkey in a food safe container large enough to hold the size of turkey that you purchased and make the brine below: 4 64-oz bottles of Cranberry-Pomegranate juice (Ocean Spray brand) 2 cups of kosher salt Mix the brine a gallon at a time (2 bottles + 1 cup of kosher salt) if necessary and pour it over the turkey until the bird is completely submerged. I was fortunate to find a small 9 lb bird and it fit into a 2-1/2 gallon zip-loc bag for brining. Once the brine is covering the bird, place the bird in the fridge for 8-10 hours or overnight. What if you don't have room in the fridge? Great question! You can, in a pinch, place the turkey in an ice chest with a tight fitting lid, make enough brine to cover the bird, throw in about 8-10 lbs of ice and close the lid. If you keep the lid closed securely, it should stay cold enough all night. I do recommend that you drop a digital probe meat thermometer in the water to monitor the temperature and make sure that it stays below 39 degrees for safety purposes. Won't the ice dillute the brine? Yes, just a little but while I could get scientific about it and add more salt to compensate, I never do and it always comes out great. If it's not broke then don't fix it is the motto I use with that. Adding some Flavor When the brining process is complete, rinse the bird really well under cold water to remove any excess salt on the surface of the meat. Try not to laugh when you realize that the cranberry juice has turned the bird completely pink. If the bird is 10 lbs or less, Place it in a 2-1/2 gallon zip-loc bag and pour about 1/4 cup of vegetable or canola oil over the turkey then about 1/2 cup of Jeff's naked rib rub from the recipe that you purchased. Close the bag and shake or roll it around to completely coat the turkey with the oil and rub mixture. This allows the rub to get all over the outside of the meat as well as up under the skin and creates some really tasty eating for later. If your bird is larger than 10 lbs then it may not fit into the zip-loc bag. NO problem, just brush the oil onto the bird then apply the rub by hand making sure to get the spices up under the skin wherever possible. Preparing the Smoker You will want to maintain your smoker at around 225-240 degrees for the entire time. If you are using a gas, electric or charcoal smoker, make sure to have enough smoking wood to last about half of your estimated cook time. I recommend using a mix of pecan and cherry but you will do well with almost any of your favorite smoking woods. Smoking the Turkey Once the smoker is maintaining your goal temperature, place the bird breast side up directly on the grate of the smoker and quickly close the lid or shut the door. Keep adding smoking wood as required to keep the thin blue smoke coming out of the smoker for at least half of your estimated cook time. Note: it is perfectly fine to smoke for the entire time it is cooking as long as you have ample airflow into and out of the smoker. For good smoking action, I recommend about 4-6 fist sized chunks at a time. Once the smoke slows to a stop, add another batch of 4-6 fist sized chunks to keep the smoke going. This is true for most mild to medium flavored smoking woods. If you want to use a strong flavored wood such as mesquite, use a little less than you would other woods as it will produce an equally delicious but stronger flavor than other woods. When is the Turkey Done Cooking? We like to estimate the time that is required however, it is not time that tells us when the turkey is done, but rather temperature. Use a digital probe meat thermometer to monitor the temperature of the turkey while it is in the smoker. Once the turkey reaches 161 degrees in the thickest part of the breast, remove the bird from the smoker. The temperature will continue to rise for several degrees even after it is removed from the smoker to get you up to the recommended 165 degrees F for poultry. Estimating Your Cook Time You can usually get real close by figuring on about 30-40 minutes per pound depending on how you hold your heat. A 12 pound bird can be expected to take around 7 hours while my 8 lb bird took just shy of 5-1/2 hours Super Tenderizing the Turkey Once the bird is out of the smoker and you have time, consider wrapping it in foil and allowing it to sit untouched for about 30-60 minutes. During this time the turkey will maintain temperature and will tenderize for melt in your mouth goodness. This step is not a necessity but well worth the time required. Resting the Turkey Once the turkey has sat wrapped in foil for the allotted time, remove the foil and let it rest for about 15 minutes before carving. If you must skip the wrapping in foil step due to time constraints then go straight into the 15 minute resting period once it is removed from the smoke and before you carve it up. My Recipes My recipes are something out of this world when it comes to flavor and turning something pretty good into something extremely amazing. I created these recipes more than 7 years ago and they are still the best thing out there. The WOW factor is off the charts! It still continues to amaze me when I taste it on things like turkey, ribs, brisket, pork shoulder, you name it! You will be amazed as well and I just can't recommend enough using my recipes on the turkey as it adds something that you just won't get anywhere else or in any other way. My recipes are well worth the price that I'm asking and when you are the star on Thanksgiving day, you can just smile and know that it was so worth it. Here's a few testimonies that I have received recently from folks just like you who wondered if they should do it but are now so glad they did: ********************************************* After way too long, I finally shelled out a few bucks to get your recipes for the rub and the sauce. I rubbed some ribs for a Halloween party, and they instantly disappeared after I cut them up. Luckily, I got a couple ribs to see exactly how good the rub was.. ..My only regret is not getting the recipes sooner and really impressing my wife. Thanks much, Jeff. Paul in Fayetteville, NC ********************************************* Jeff,I tried your rib rub recipe on some fresh pork ribs, It was a huge hit everyone loved it. This was my first time using a rub, the flavor was awesome. Although there wasn't much leftovers, it was even better the next day. Well worth the small price. I would recommend everyone to try it. The recipe is perfect, I won't change a thing.I look forward to try the bbq sauce next. Thank You!!! Pete ********************************************* I loved your rub by the way. Your BBQ sauce was well received as well. Thanks!! Dan ********************************************* I would like to say that your sauce recipe is the best I have ever had.I keep a jar in my fridge to be ready for anything. Tim ********************************************* I purchased your rub recipe and have delighted friends and family with its great flavor. When they ask me for the recipe, I tell them to go to your site and purchase. Something this awesome deserves compensation to the inventor!!! Thanks for all of the smoking tips! Gary ********************************************* Well! Thank you everyone! You deserve the very best and it is completely within your grasp! Only $18.95 and worth every penny. Not only do you get the best rub and sauce recipe available, you are supporting this website and helping to make sure the bills get paid so we can keep on doing what we do to teach thousands and thousands of people across the world the art of smoking meat. If you want to amaze your friends with something super special on Thanksgiving day.. order the recipes today!! It's a small price to pay for such a big WOW!! Order Recipes | Read Testimonies Note: My system is automated which means you should get a download email within MINUTES of ordering..check your spam/junk folder first then contact me to get the recipes sent to you as an attachment. November Throwdown at SmokingMeatForums.com This months throwdown category is TURKEY.. imagine That!! To enter and read more details, click here. WIN a Masterbuilt 40-Inch Electric Smoker Would you like to WIN a Masterbuilt 40-inch Electric Smokehouse? Masterbuilt is sponsoring a contest on our forum this month and some lucky person is going to be very, very happy!! To enter this contest, read the rules and follow the instructions at the forum. In Closing Thank you for being a part of the smoking meat family which includes the newsletter, the forum, the smoking-meat.com website and many other resources that we try to provide to help you and countless others learn this great art. A HUGE thank you to all of you who support the site with your donations and by purchasing the recipes and other products that we sell. Until next time.. keep smoking and God Bless. Jeff Phillips ©2010 Smoking-Meat.com Thu, 11 Nov 2010 09:18:55 -0500http://archive.aweber.com/sm-newsletter/W5hh/h/Your_Oct_2010_Smoking_Meat.htm Web version with more pictures and better format at http://www.smoking-meat.com/october-2010-smoked-bone-in-turkey-breast.html October 21, 2010 / Issue 79 October 2010 Smoking Meat Newsletter Hello friends and welcome to the October 2010 edition of the smoking meat newsletter. With the Thanksgiving holiday just around the corner for us Americans, it's all about the turkey and the fixin's. I have to admit that I am not a big fan of turkey or of the white meat in turkey.. just too dry for my taste. Well that used to be the case until I started really getting into brining and learning how to make it moist and delicious even if it was the breast. Just to prove how good the white meat can actually be, I am focusing entirely on the turkey breast in this edition and I will be stepping you through the entire process of choosing, brining and smoking a bone-in turkey breast. Expect to wow your family and guests when you follow these instructions! By the way.. Be sure to order my rub recipe and my sauce recipe for this holiday turkey. As I was cutting through the turkey I smoked for this newsletter, the rub was catching on the blade and getting down into the meat slices as you can see in the pictures. The flavor of the rub on the meat was absolutely incredible and you seriously don't want to miss out on this! Order Recipes | Read Testimonies Smoked Bone-in Turkey Breast Acquiring the Meat There's not a lot that can go wrong here but I do highly recommend that you get the bone-in and not the boneless. To me the flavor difference is day and night. I have smoked these in tandem and everyone agrees that the tenderness, flavor and texture is so much better with the bone-in version. These will come in sizes from around 5 lbs all the way up to 10 pounds or maybe a little more. In my opinion, the 5-7 lb birds are going to be your best bet for tenderness and cooking time. These are almost always frozen especially if you buy them off season so be prepared to purchase them a few days before you need them so you can give them ample time to thaw before brining and cooking them. Note: Thaw time at refrigerator temperatures is about 5 lbs per day. i.e. a 7 pound bird will require about 1.5 days to thaw in the fridge. A 10 pound bird will take around 2 days. Brining - The Most Important Step I don't care what anyone says, after smoking umpteen of these and seeing the difference between brined vs. unbrined, you really owe it to yourself to try brining. There is a ton of argument about what really happens during the brining process and why. Is it osmosis or is it just something else? Personally, I don't care as much about why it happens as I do that it just happens. During the smoking process, even if you keep the heat low and remove the bird just as soon as it is safe to eat, there is still a bit of drying out that takes place especially in the white meat of poultry. When you brine meat, especially poultry, lots of extra moisture somehow ends up getting trapped in the fibers of the meat and you end up with a much juicier and more flavorful bird. It just so happens that brining is way easy and there is absolutely no reason not to do it. Here's how: The night before you want to smoke the bird, simply place 1 gallon of water into a large tea pitcher. Mix in 1 cup of kosher salt and stir until it is dissolved and the water is clear. I also like to add about 3/4 cup of brown sugar but you can white sugar or no sugar if you prefer. You can also add just about any other flavors you like to the water and it will miraculously end up in the meat of the bird. I sometimes add Worcestershire, hot sauce, molasses or even crazy things like liquid crab boil as well. Just use your imagination and if it's something you like then it will probably taste good in the turkey. Place the bird in a large food-safe container made of glass or plastic and completely cover the bird with the brine solution. You may need to make a couple of batches to cover the bird completely. If you are doing a large batch of turkey breasts like I did recently you can even use a large ice chest for the job. Keep the brine iced down and make sure to keep a thermometer in the brine to make sure it stays between 33 and 39 degrees F for safe food handling. If you're just doing just one and it's not too large then you can probably even place it in a large zip-top bag with the brine. Set the bag down in a large stock pot, insert the turkey into the bag and then pour enough brine over the turkey to completely cover it. The pot will keep the bag steady and leak proof overnight in the fridge. Leave the turkey breast in the brine for 8-12 hours for best results. Prepare the Turkey Breast for Smoking Remove the turkey from the brine container and rinse it well under cool water. Pat the turkey dry with a paper towel and set it aside. At this point you may want to make up a batch of my rub as this turkey is going to get five star treatment. If you don't have my recipes, then this may be a good time to get them. The easiest way to apply the rub is to place the turkey down in a large bag and do it shake and smoke style but you can also do the job by sprinkling it on. I place my turkey breast down in a large zip top back and pour about 1/4 cup of canola oil over the turkey. I then place 4 TBS of my rub right on top of the turkey, seal the bag and proceed to lightly shake and roll the bag end over end to completely coat the surface of the turkey with the tasty goodness. The cool thing about this method is that the rub gets inside the turkey, under the skin a little and all over the outside with very little effort. Open the bag to get a good look at the turkey and if you think it needs more rub then by all means throw in a few more spoonfuls and shake it some more. Once you are satisfied that the rub is all over then simply remove the turkey from the bag and set it on a pan for carrying out to the smoker. Preparing the Smoker I take the low and slow very seriously and tend to keep the heat on the low side even for poultry in most cases. 225 -240 degrees is what I recommend and adhere to to make sure the sugar in the rub does not burn. If you are one of those who absolutely must have crunchy skin on the bird then do what you must but to me, it's all about the meat being moist and the rub on the outside not being burnt. Prepare the smoker for cooking at 225-240 degrees F and be sure to have enough smoking wood to keep the smoke going for about 4 hours or so. Smoking the Turkey Breast Once the smoker is clicking along at around 225-240 degrees F, place the turkey directly on the grate breast side up. At around the 3 hour mark, you will want to insert a digital probe meat thermometer into the breast of the turkey to begin monitoring the internal temperature. I highly recommend about 3 hours of cherry and 1 additional hour of pecan for some amazing flavor. Rest and Tenderize Once the breast reaches about 161-163 degrees, remove it from the smoker and immediately wrap it in a thick layer of heavy duty foil. Place the turkey in a small ice chest or just wrap it in a couple of thick towels and lay it on the counter for about 30-45 minutes. An hour would not be a bad thing. Do not skip this step if you can help it.. lots of wonderful things happen during this time.. the meat gets more tender and the juices that were forced to the surface during the cooking process, redistribute throughout the meat. Serving the Meat Grab a sharp piece of cutlery and cut some tender pieces of that breast off of each side of the bird. Stop for a moment to marvel at the beautiful smoke ring just before you sit down to enjoy a wonderful meal with family and friends! My Recipes Folks.. I never stop amazing myself at how good my rib rub and barbecue sauce recipes are on various kinds of meat. Whether it is ribs, brisket, pork shoulder or even something simple like chicken or chops, every time I use my rub and sauce I am blown away by the flavor all over AGAIN! I always think to myself, I sure hope everyone can try this.. it is too good to go through life never having experienced this! I am not being dramatic.. just try it and you will join the ranks of those who know if I'm lying then I'm dying! This stuff is Fan-flavor-tastic and you need it in a bad-bad way;-) Here is a few testimonies from other folks who decided to go for it and are glad that they did. Be sure to send my your testimony once you try it and realize that you have just tasted of HEAVEN. --------------------------------------------------- hey Jeff, I bought your recipes the rub and sauce and they are the best, I can't stop eating the sauce it is by far the best sauce I ever had,again thank you very much for sharing it with me. --------------------------------------------------- I received your rub recipe on Thursday, and had family coming for the weekend. On Friday, I made up a batch and Saturday was the six hour smoke over lump mesquite charcoal. Everyone raved about the ribs. My wife who has never liked spareribs as well as other members of the family who are not big on meat, absolutely loved them. My wife ate the rest for dinner the following night. The entire clan was very impressed. My 10 year old niece, who is a rib fanatic and eats ribs every chance she gets when eating out, exclaimed they were the best in the world. They were truly amazing. I can't wait to try the rub on beef. --------------------------------------------------- When I first saw the rub ingredients, I didn't think it could live up to its reputation. Boy, was I wrong. This is great stuff and the proportions were perfect. I can't wait to try the sauce! --------------------------------------------------- Jeff, Your rub and sauce recipes are great. Cant wait to try them on everything! --------------------------------------------------- For quite some time now, when I bring my own smoked barbecued baby back ribs to potlucks, or serve them in my home to guests, I frequently hear These are the best ribs I have ever eaten!, or something similar. But I have now purchased your recipes, and this past holiday weekend, invited guests over for a BBQ, using your recipes. I could tell that these racks of ribs were going to be different than my own after I first checked on them in the smoker. Plain and simple, they even looked a lot better than my own. Your rub recipe gives them such a professional appearance! While I agreed that you don't really need to cover ribs with sauce before eating these ribs, I couldn't wait to taste them after I smothered them in your BBQ sauce. I was pretty satisfied with my own BBQ sauce recipe, so I have to admit I was a bit skeptical about changing sauce recipes! But I have to say, the ribs I made this weekend with your recipes, blew my own recipes out of the water! My guests were equally impressed! My husband was also very skeptical about my buying a recipe. He always raves about my ribs anyway, so in his way of thinking, How can you improve something that is already perfect? Well, he has changed his tune after eating the ribs made with your recipes. They were simply outstanding! Thank you so much for sharing these recipes! --------------------------------------------------- I must say your rib rub is the best! LOVE IT! --------------------------------------------------- You deserve the very best and is is completely within your grasp! Only $18.95 and worth every penny. Not only do you get the best rub and sauce recipe available, you are supporting this website and helping to make sure the bills get paid so we can keep on doing what we do to teach thousands and thousands of people across the world the art of smoking meat. If you want to amaze your friends with something super special on labor day.. order the recipes today!! It's a small price to pay for such a big WOW!! Order Recipes | Read Testimonies Note: My system is automated which means you should get a download email within MINUTES of ordering..check your spam/junk folder first then contact me to get the recipes sent to you as an attachment. New Menu System at Smoking-Meat.com We have been doing some construction at the site especially on the link organization. Phase 1 is complete which consisted of moving the links to the top with a drop down menu to make it easier to find what you're looking for. Phase 2 which which is just around the corner, will include placing regular text links to the main pages at the very bottom of the pages or at the left of the page under the eCourse sign-up box. We are still debating that one to see which makes the most sense for iPhone and other mobile browsers. At any rate, pardon the dust and we'll try to keep the mess picked up as we go;-) In Closing Thank you for being a part of the smoking meat family which includes the newsletter, the forum, the smoking-meat.com website and many other resources that we try to provide to help you and countless others learn this great art. A HUGE thank you to all of you who support the site with your donations and by purchasing the recipes and other products that we sell. Until next time.. keep smoking and God Bless. Jeff Phillips ©2010 Smoking-Meat.com Thu, 21 Oct 2010 09:27:56 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/sm-newsletter/10DcO/h/Your_September_2010_Smoking.htm Website version at http://www.smoking-meat.com/september-2010-smoked-pork-steaks.html September 23, 2010 / Issue 78 September 2010 Smoking Meat Newsletter Hello friends and welcome to the September edition of the smoking meat newsletter. I have been asked several times over the last few weeks about pork steaks and I realized that I have never written a newsletter about these wonderful pieces of meat. This month I am going to show you exactly how to smoke up a batch of these for your family and/or friends using my rub and just a few hours of time on your hands. Let's get right into this before I get any hungrier;-) Pecan/Cherry Smoked Pork Steaks Ingredients: 6-8 Pork Steaks (may be labeled as pork blade steaks) 1/2 cup Canola oil (substitute yellow mustard if desired) 1 batch of Jeff's Naked Rib Rub (see My Recipes below) Purchasing the Pork SteaksWhen I went to the local grocery store the other night to pick out some pork steaks, I noticed that they were labeled pork blade steaks. It does not matter if they are labeled a little different than just Pork Steak as long as they have plenty of fat marbling and it looks like they were cut from the pork butt (some of the pieces have bone in them). The meat has a lot of fat marbling in it which makes it a perfect candidate for slow smoking. The steaks are usually cut at about 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick and should run anywhere from $0.99 - $1.59 per lb in most places across the United States. This is basically the same meat as the country style rib just cut into steaks instead of into logs. Preparing the Pork SteaksYou won't need to fuss too much over these.. they are quick and easy and something that want take long to prepare or cook. I like to use my own rub on these and they just taste like something that you shouldn't be able to afford.. really, really good!! Put all of the steaks in a large zip-top bag or maybe use a couple of large bags if you are doing quite a few of them. Pour some canola oil into the bag along with 1 heaping TBS of my rub per steak. I did 6 steaks so I did 6 heaping TBS of the rub and then threw in another one for good measure.. I just couldn't help myself!! They smelled so good at the moment that I wanted to just grab one and eat it right then and there but I resisted the urge and just did a good shake down on the bag to get the oil and rub all over the steaks. Roll the bag(s) end over end and side over side a few times to coat everything real good and then put the bag in the fridge for a couple of hours to let that rub and oil turn into a gooey mess of absolute goodness on the surface of those steaks. Almost Ready to SmokeRemove the steaks from the fridge and lay the steaks out flat on a large platter or cutting board and sprinkle a little more rub on both sides of the steaks if you like. (I did some of these a while back and omitted this step and more than one person at the table said they would like to have had more rub on the steaks.) My rub gets nice and gooey on the meat when it sits for a few minutes and creates a really nice bark that is like candy when it's finished. You might find yourself just eating the outsides if you're not careful. Set the steaks aside and go get the smoker ready. Preparing the SmokerThe steaks are very forgiving and if you want to cook them fast you can do that, I will caution you that this could burn the rub and so I don't recommend rushing them. For best results, prepare the smoker for cooking at around 225-240 degrees and use a wood that is fruity but has a good solid flavor. I recommend cherry or even a mix of pecan and cherry would be perfect. Once the smoker is up to temperature.. you're good to go. Go get them steaks! Smoking the Pork SteaksI recommend placing the steaks right on the grate if at all possible for at least the first half of the cooking time. keep the smoke going steady for a couple of hours as well and then you can stop applying smoke if you are using a gas, electric or charcoal smoker. At 225 degrees you can expect the steaks, depending on the thickness, to take about 3-4 hours to reach 165 degrees. They are tender enough to eat at this point however if you want to really take them to that fork tender state of deliciousness then you might consider wrapping them in foil or put them in an aluminum foil pan with foil over the top and let them cook for an additional hour once they reach 160-165 degrees F. Serving the Pork SteaksServe up the steaks just as soon as they get finished to your liking and give folks a little of my warmed sauce on the side for those who like to dip. Enjoy the moment!! My Recipes Folks.. I never stop amazing myself at how good my rib rub and barbecue sauce recipes are on various kinds of meat. Whether it is ribs, brisket, pork shoulder or even something simple like chicken or chops, every time I use my rub and sauce I am blown away by the flavor all over AGAIN! I always think to myself, I sure hope everyone can try this.. it is too good to go through life never having experienced this! I am not being dramatic.. just try it and you will join the ranks of those who know if I'm lying then I'm dying! This stuff is Fan-flavor-tastic and you need it in a bad-bad way;-) Here are a few testimonies from other folks who decided to go for it and are glad that they did. Be sure to send me your testimony once you try it and realize that you have just tasted of HEAVEN. --------------------------------------------------- hey Jeff, I bought your recipes the rub and sauce and they are the best, I can't stop eating the sauce it is by far the best sauce I ever had,again thank you very much for sharing it with me. --------------------------------------------------- I received your rub recipe on Thursday, and had family coming for the weekend. On Friday, I made up a batch and Saturday was the six hour smoke over lump mesquite charcoal. Everyone raved about the ribs. My wife who has never liked spareribs as well as other members of the family who are not big on meat, absolutely loved them. My wife ate the rest for dinner the following night. The entire clan was very impressed. My 10 year old niece, who is a rib fanatic and eats ribs every chance she gets when eating out, exclaimed they were the best in the world. They were truly amazing. I can't wait to try the rub on beef. --------------------------------------------------- When I first saw the rub ingredients, I didn't think it could live up to its reputation. Boy, was I wrong. This is great stuff and the proportions were perfect. I can't wait to try the sauce! --------------------------------------------------- Jeff, Your rub and sauce recipes are great. Cant wait to try them on everything! --------------------------------------------------- For quite some time now, when I bring my own smoked barbecued baby back ribs to potlucks, or serve them in my home to guests, I frequently hear These are the best ribs I have ever eaten!, or something similar. But I have now purchased your recipes, and this past holiday weekend, invited guests over for a BBQ, using your recipes. I could tell that these racks of ribs were going to be different than my own after I first checked on them in the smoker. Plain and simple, they even looked a lot better than my own. Your rub recipe gives them such a professional appearance! While I agreed that you don't really need to cover ribs with sauce before eating these ribs, I couldn't wait to taste them after I smothered them in your BBQ sauce. I was pretty satisfied with my own BBQ sauce recipe, so I have to admit I was a bit skeptical about changing sauce recipes! But I have to say, the ribs I made this weekend with your recipes, blew my own recipes out of the water! My guests were equally impressed! My husband was also very skeptical about my buying a recipe. He always raves about my ribs anyway, so in his way of thinking, How can you improve something that is already perfect? Well, he has changed his tune after eating the ribs made with your recipes. They were simply outstanding! Thank you so much for sharing these recipes! --------------------------------------------------- I must say your rib rub is the best! LOVE IT! --------------------------------------------------- You deserve the very best and is is completely within your grasp! Only $18.95 and worth every penny. Not only do you get the best rub and sauce recipe available, you are supporting this website and helping to make sure the bills get paid so we can keep on doing what we do to teach thousands and thousands of people across the world the art of smoking meat. Order Recipes | Read More Testimonies NOTE: My system is automated which means you should get a download email within MINUTES of ordering..check your spam/junk folder first then contact me to get the recipes sent to you as an attachment. Newsletter Archives All of our past newsletters are archived at the website for your convenience. If you need to know how to smoke brisket, ribs, meatloaf, cheese, fish, pastrami, etc. then I have probably produced a newsletter about it some point. See the last 6 years of newsletters here. Join us on Facebook and Twitter If you enjoy staying connected with smoking meat, join us as fans at our smoking meat fan page on facebook. We look forward to seeing you there. Go to http://www.facebook.com/smokingmeat and hit the Like button at the top to be a part of this exciting trend. To follow us on Twitter and get occasional tips and tricks about smoking meat go to http://www.twitter.com/tulsajeff In Closing Thank you for being a part of the smoking meat family which includes the newsletter, the forum, the smoking-meat.com website and many other resources that we try to provide to help you and countless others learn this great art. A HUGE thank you to all of you who support the site with your donations and by purchasing the recipes and other products that we sell. Until next time.. keep smoking and God Bless. Jeff Phillips ©2010 Smoking-Meat.com Thu, 23 Sep 2010 09:22:44 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/sm-newsletter/1qTDK/h/Your_Labor_Day_2010_How_to.htm See the website version at http://www.smoking-meat.com/labor-day-2010-smoked-chicken.html September 02, 2010 / Issue 77 August 2010 Smoking Meat Newsletter Hello friends and welcome to my special Labor Day edition of the smoking meat newsletter. I don't always produce a holiday version of the newsletter but I have gotten so many thank you emails from the past editions that I want to throw out a little help to all of you getting ready to do your Labor day celebrating whether that be tailgatin' or in the back yard. Speaking of yard.. this edition is completely dedicated to yard bird. That's right, chicken galore and then some. I have smoked up a whole mess of these birds and I'm gonna show you how I did it 'cause they turned out fantastic!! The (3) recipes in this newsletter are: Smoked chicken breasts Smoked chicken quarters Soda Pop chicken Keep reading!! Newsletter Archive Just before that I want to say that this newsletter is all about chicken, if there is something else that you are interested in smoking for this Labor day celebration, there's a pretty good chance that I have written a newsletter about it and that it is archived on my website. Check out the Smoking Meat Newsletter Archive for all 70+ editions of our newsletters over the last 6 years. Back to the Chicken.. To kick off this chicken party, I chose a small package of all natural boneless, skinless chicken bre@st, a package of all natural chicken quarters, and two all natural whole chickens. By all natural, I mean they were marked MINIMALLY PROCESSED and had less than 4% retained water. The breasts actually had less than 1% retained water. All of the chicken was hormone free, vegetarian fed and seemed to be fairly happy chickens while they lived. You may not be able to find birds this pure in your neighborhood market or store and if you can't then that's ok. I have used the variety that have a bit more of a shady past and they turned out ok but I always try to get the very best I can find just to give me a head start on great flavor and quality. I determined way ahead of time that I was going to brine every bit of this chicken to help me influence the flavor and juiciness of the end product. You don't have to brine them, I do recommend that you try it. It's one of those things that most people try and once they realize what a huge difference it makes, there's no going back. I have had a few folks tell me they can't tell a difference so they don't do it.. not sure about that but I can tell you that brining poultry does something really great for it especially the white meat which is usually dry when cooked on the smoker for long hours. After brining, it is just as juicy as the dark meat. There again.. it is so easy to do that you really need to try it and see for yourself if it is something you might want to continue doing. Having said all that, Let's get started learning how to smoke chicken!! Smoked Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Recommended wood: Orange, Pecan How to brine the chicken breasts (optional but highly recommended) Use a 1 gallon container like a tea pitcher and fill it full of water.. spring or filtered water is best. Add 1 cup of coarse kosher salt to the water and stir until the water returns to clear. This means the salt has completely dissolved. Add 3/4 cups brown sugar and once again, stir until the sugar is dissolved. This is where you can get creative, for the chicken breasts, I added a bottle of Franks original hot sauce to the mixture since I wanted the breasts to be flavored like hot wings.. it sounded good at the moment. Once you get the brine mixture combined and you are through adding ingredients, place the chicken breasts single layered into a plastic/glass container just large enough to hold the quantity of meat that you have. For best results use a container that has a tight fitting lid. Pour the brine mixture over the chicken breasts until the chicken is completely covered, snap on the lid and place the container in the fridge for about 1 hour per pound of meat. My 3 chicken breasts were about 1.5 lbs so I let them go 1.5 hours Once the chicken breasts are finished brining, rinse them lightly under cold water to remove any excess salt and pat them dry with a paper towel. Place the pieces of chicken on a plate and set aside for smoking. Preparing the chicken breasts I usually place my rib rub or even just a salt and pepper dusting on the chicken however, I decided to let the smoke and hot sauce do all of the talking on this batch. If you want to place a rub on the chicken breasts, I recommend applying some canola oil to each piece of chicken then about 1 tsp of my rub. Massage it all over the chicken until the rub and oil are mixed and the rub is dissolved. This will give a better end result at the higher temperatures. How to smoke the chicken breasts Prepare the smoker for cooking at 250-275 degrees. Chicken does NOT benefit from the low and slow mantra that we all pride ourselves on in terms of tenderness. The only reason for cooking chicken at a low temperature is to give it more time in the smoke directly resulting in more flavor. At 275 degrees F, the chicken breasts will take about 1.5 hours. This is plenty of time for the smoke to do some wonderful magic. I sometimes cook them lower and slower but I was pushed for time, so I sped things up and I knew the chicken would handle it with flying colors. Place the chicken breasts directly on the grate for best results. Use a digital probe meat thermometer to test the temperature in the center of one of the pieces. The chicken is done when it registers 165 degrees F. How to keep the skinless chicken breasts moist It is true that the skin on chicken helps to keep it moist while it cooks. The skinless chicken breasts do not have this advantage so you have to help them along while they cook to keep them moist otherwise they will dry out and you'll have jerky on the outside with fairly tasty meat on the inside. This may sound appetizing to some, but trust me when I say it's not ideal and it can be circumvented quite easily. Option 1: Lay half strips of bacon across the top of the chicken breast once it is on the smoker grate. The bacon fat will render and baste the chicken breast while it cooks. Option 2: Brush butter or seasoned olive oil onto both sides of the chicken breasts about every 30 minutes while they cook. Both of these options work pretty well to keep the outside of the breasts moist while they cook. How to serve smoked chicken breasts With chicken breasts, you have a ton of options for serving.. -I like to slice the chicken pieces on an angle into medallions with fancy cheese and crackers. -You can butterfly the chicken pieces and use them on a great chicken sandwich with tomatoes, lettuce, onions, my sauce.. the works -Cube the chicken and let it get cold in the fridge. Use it to top a salad for a really tasty treat that is also very healthy. Use your imagination and you might just come up with something amazing. Smoked Chicken Quarters Recommended wood: Orange, Pecan How to brine the chicken quarters (optional) Use a 1 gallon container like a tea pitcher and fill it full of water.. spring or filtered water is best. Add 1 cup of coarse kosher salt to the water and stir until the water returns to clear. This means the salt has completely dissolved. Add 3/4 cups brown sugar and once again, stir until the sugar is dissolved. I added 1/2 cup of Worcestershire sauce to the mixture for some really great flavor. You could also add hot sauce, honey, molasses, etc. just use your imagination. The only thing to watch for is if you add a sauce or ingredient that has lots of sodium such as soy sauce. I generally use the low sodium kind for my brine or you can reduce the salt in the brine by about a TBS if you know you are adding salty ingredients later. Once you get the brine mixture combined and you are through adding ingredients, place the chicken quarters in a single layer into a plastic/glass container just large enough to hold the quantity of meat that you have. For best results use a container that has a tight fitting lid. Pour the brine mixture over the chicken quarters until the chicken is completely covered, snap on the lid and place the container in the fridge for about 1 hour per pound of meat. My 5 chicken quarters were just under 3 lbs so I let them go 3 hours Once the chicken quarters are finished brining, rinse them lightly under cold water to remove any excess salt and pat them dry with a paper towel. Seasoning up the chicken quarters As most of you know, my rub is extremely versatile as well as tasty and it goes really well on chicken. If you really want to do something wonderful for the chicken, mix a TBS of my rub with a stick of melted butter and inject it under the skin to really get the flavor where it will do some good. You can also just keep it simple and just rub a little canola oil on the outside of the chicken skin and massage in about a TSP of rub per chicken quarter. At any rate, it adds some really great flavor as well as color and texture to the chicken. How to smoke the chicken quarters Prepare the smoker for cooking at 250-275 degrees. As with breasts, the quarters do NOT benefit from the low and slow mantra that we all pride ourselves on in terms of tenderness. The only reason for cooking chicken at a low temperature is to give it more time in the smoke directly resulting in more flavor. At 275 degrees F, the chicken quarters will take about 1 hour This is plenty of time for the smoke to do some magic. I sometimes cook them lower and slower but I was pushed for time in the preparation of this newsletter. Place the chicken quarters directly on the grate for best results. Use a digital probe meat thermometer to test the temperature in the thickest part of one of the pieces. The chicken is done when it registers 165 degrees F. How to serve chicken quarters Chicken quarters are usually served one per person. I recommend having a little of my sauce, warmed and on the side for those who like to dip. My favorite side item with these quarters are smoked sweet potatoes with butter and brown sugar. Smoked Sweet Potatoes To smoke sweet potatoes just place them in the smoker with whatever else you are cooking and they are done when they get soft. Very simple and very good!! Smoked Soda Pop Chickens Recommended wood: Orange, Cherry, Pecan How to brine the chickens (optional) Use a 1 gallon container like a tea pitcher and fill it full of water.. spring or filtered water is best. Add 1 cup of coarse kosher salt to the water and stir until the water returns to clear. This means the salt has completely dissolved. Add 3/4 cups brown sugar and once again, stir until the sugar is dissolved. You could also add hot sauce, honey, molasses, Dr. Pepper, beer, etc. just use your imagination. The only thing to be careful of is if you add a sauce or ingredient that has lots of sodium such as soy sauce. I generally use the low sodium kind for my brine or you can reduce the salt in the brine by about a TBS if you know you are adding salty ingredients later. Once you get the brine mixture combined and you are finished adding ingredients, place the chickens into plastic/glass containers. I can usually fit 1 chicken into a large mixing bowl and this requires 1/2 gallons of brine to cover. Pour the brine mixture over the chicken until the chicken is completely covered. The chicken will tend to want to float so you can just flip the chicken over halfway through the process or you can put a heavy plate or even a clean brick inside of a gallon sized zip-top bag and on top of the chicken to hold it under water. Place the container in the fridge for about 1 hour per pound of meat. I usually just brine whole chickens for 4 hours. Once the chickens are finished brining, rinse them lightly under cold water to remove any excess salt and pat them dry with a paper towel. Seasoning the chickens If you really want to do something wonderful for the chickens, mix a TBS of my rub with a stick of melted butter and use an injector to shoot it under the skin to really get the flavor where it will do some good. You can also just keep it simple and just rub a little canola oil on the outside of the chicken skin and massage in about a 2 TBS of rub per chicken. At any rate, it adds some really great flavor as well as color and texture to the outside of the chicken. How to smoke the chickens Prepare the smoker for cooking at 250-275 degrees. as with the other chicken pieces we have discussed in this newsletter, the whole chickens do not really benefit from the low and slow mantra that we all pride ourselves on in terms of tenderness. The only real reason for cooking chicken at a low temperature is to give it more time in the smoke directly resulting in more flavor. At 275 degrees F, the chickens will take about 2 hours This is plenty of time for the smoke to really put some major flavor into the meat. I sometimes cook them lower and slower but this was a fast paced exercise and with chicken, that always works out just fine. For Soda pop chickens, which is just a spin-off from beer can chickens, purchase your favorite brand of non-diet soda such as Dr. Pepper, Coke, Pepsi, etc. and open 1 can per chicken, drink half of it, and force the can into the rear of the chicken. The idea is that the sugary drink gets hot and steams into the chicken while it cooks infusing a lot of moisture and flavor into the chickens. I used a can of Grapette and a can of Orangette soda for this experiment however, while it was very moist, it did not taste like grape or orange. Spread the legs of the chicken outward to make it balance on the can straight up and directly on the grate of the smoker. Use a digital probe meat thermometer to test the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh and breast. The chicken is done when it registers 165 degrees F. How to serve the chickens Remove the can from the bottom of the chicken and discard. Let the chickens rest for about 20 minutes before carving. Separate the chicken into pieces and carve slices from the breast for those who like the white meat. You can also do like we do around here.. everyone just gathers around the bar with a fork and tears pieces from the chicken. It's pretty barbaric but then everyone gets a little wild about my smoked chicken. My Recipes Every time I use my rub and/or my sauce on chicken at parties and events, it never fails.. I see folks licking their fingers. This may not be something that anyone else might notice but that really means something to me. These people really LOVE what is sticking to their fingers!! Whether it is ribs, brisket, pork shoulder or even something simple like chicken or chops, every time I use my rub and sauce I am blown away by the flavor all over AGAIN! I always think to myself, I sure hope everyone can try this.. it is too good to go through life never having experienced this! I am not being dramatic.. just try it and you will join the ranks of those who know if I'm lying then I'm dying! This stuff is Fan-flavor-tastic and you need it in a really bad way;-) Here is a few testimonies from other folks who took the plunge and are proud of it. Be sure to send my your testimony once you try it and realize that you have just tasted of HEAVEN. --------------------------------------------------- Jeff,have tried the Rib Rub and Sauce recipes several times.Simply awesome. Nothing more needs to be said --------------------------------------------------- I have purchased and used your Rib Rub and love it! I recommend your website to anyone who inquires how I transform a raw piece of meat into the slice of heaven currently in their mouth --------------------------------------------------- I am making a lot of the rub for my kids in Tampa, Las Vegas and Denver. It is the best. They have the sauce and rave about the results. --------------------------------------------------- Jeff, I have tried allot of bottled sauces and a few home made ones to......This stuff is GOLD! It was a big hit Labor day.. --------------------------------------------------- You deserve the very best and is is completely within your grasp! Only $18.95 and worth every penny. Not only do you get the best rub and sauce recipe available, you are supporting this website and helping to make sure the bills get paid so we can keep on doing what we do to teach thousands and thousands of people across the world the art of smoking meat. If you want to amaze your friends with something super special on labor day.. order the recipes today!! It's a small price to pay for such a big WOW!! Order Recipe Read More Testimonies NOTE: My system is automated which means you should get a download email within MINUTES of ordering..check your spam/junk folder first then contact me to get the recipes sent to you as an attachment. In Closing I hope all of you have a wonderful Labor day weekend and one that is safe as well. Thank you for being a vital part of the smoking meat family which includes the newsletter, the forum, the smoking-meat.com website and many other resources that we try to provide to help you and countless others learn this great art. A HUGE thank you to all of you who support the site with your donations and by purchasing the recipes and other products that we sell. Until next time.. keep smoking and God Bless. Jeff Phillips ©2010 Smoking-Meat.com Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:17:00 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/sm-newsletter/RDSW/h/Your_August_2010_Smoking_Meat.htm See the website version at http://www.smoking-meat.com/august-2010-smoking-rib-planks-and-chicken-bites.html August 19, 2010 / Issue 76 August 2010 Smoking Meat Newsletter Hello friends and welcome to the August edition of the smoking meat newsletter. I know that many of you are probably not doing a lot of smoking due to the extremely hot weather but if you do get in the mood for something smoked, then something quick and easy like ribs, chicken or even some appetizers are always on the menu. This month, we are going to cook up some baby back ribs but we are going to do them a little different than what you might be used to and we are going to get a little adventurous with the flavors as well. But first.. just a quick tidbit of information: I would like to let you know that the website, newsletter, forum and all facets of this network that I have created over the last 6 years are largely supported by you. When you purchase my recipes and/or other products, send in donations, click on the amazon links, etc., it ensures that this information will continue to flow your way and I will continue to experiment, learn, create and share my findings with you. Those of you who have been subscribers of this newsletter for years may already know this, but with more than 100 new subscribers each and every day, there are no doubt a large group of folks who do not know how this works and I feel it is important to let folks know that these things just don't happen without help;-) To those of you who help make this happen.. I owe you big time!! Well.. enough of that, I am very, very anxious to share a few things with you about baby back ribs so let's get started. Now let's get to the meat of the matter.. (I know.. pretty cheesy pun) Smoked Rib Planks I was laying in bed a while back and it came to me in a flash, why not cut ribs in such a way so that you end up having more meat and less bone? Why not brine the individual planks as I call them and infuse some flavor into the ribs? Would that even work? Well, this led to some playing with food and what I came up with turned out to be really good. Here is how to repeat the process at your house: Purchase the Ribs Purchase 2 slabs of baby back ribs in the 3-4 pound range. I prefer all natural ribs that are marked as MINIMALLY PROCESSED but if you can't find them this way, any of the processed baby back ribs will work. Prepare the Ribs Remove the membrane from the bone side of the ribs, trim a little fat off the meat side if necessary and then proceed to cut them up into individual ribs sort of competition style. Cut the end bone off of the slab right away staying right next to the bone. Make 2 cuts on either side of the next rib bone so that it has maximum meat on either side with a bone in the middle. In doing this, you end up with a rib that is 3 inches wide instead of 1 inch wide and while you end up with fewer ribs, you also end up with more meat per rib and the trade-off is so worth it. Once all the ribs are cut up, you should end up with about 5 planks per slab of ribs or in our case, 10 rib planks. Note: For this experiment, I only brined 6 of the planks. The other 4 were not brined and were coated with my special rib rub entirely. Order Jeff's Rub Recipe and Sauce Recipe How to Brine Rib Planks Note: I was not sure what would work best as far as flavors so I made two different brines.. here are the 2 recipes that I came up with: --------------------------------------- Maple Syrup Brine 1/2 gallon of water 1/2 cup of kosher salt 1/4 cup of Log Cabin syrup Add salt to water and mix until salt dissolves and water returns to clear. Add syrup and stir until dissolved. --------------------------------------- Cajun Brine 1/2 gallon of water 1/2 cup of kosher salt 2 TBS of Zatarains Crab boil (liquid) 2 TBS of Worcestershire 5 Cloves of garlic, crushed Add salt to water and mix until salt dissolves water returns to clear. Add crab boil, worcestershire and crushed garlic cloves to water and stir until well blended. --------------------------------------- To brine the rib planks you will need 2 medium containers with lids, lay 3-4 rib planks into each container and pour the 1/2 gallon of maple syrup brine over the top of the ribs in one container then pour the Cajun brine over the ribs in the other container. Add about 10 cubes of ice to each container to help cool the water quickly then close the lids and place the containers in the fridge for about 1.5 hours. Prepare the Rib Planks for Smoking Remove the ribs from the brine and rinse them well under cool water. Pat them dry with a paper towel then lay them bone side down in a large pan that will fit on your smoker grate. Maple Brined Ribs: I do not recommend putting any rub on these ribs other than a little black pepper perhaps. We will be glazing these when they are done cooking for more flavor and this way the maple flavor can really shine through. Cajun Brined Ribs: I recommend a light dusting of my rib rub on these rib planks but don't overdo it. Since the ribs have been brined, too much seasoning could make them overly salty. Another option would be to make a batch of my rub with no salt and then you can add the rub without fear of too much saltiness. Unbrined Rib Planks: Coat generously with Jeff's naked rib rub. To help the rub to stick better, apply a light coating of yellow mustard as a sticking agent. Smoke the Rib Planks Place the pan of rib planks on the smoker grate and smoke them at 225-240 degrees F for about 5 hours or until they reach the desired tenderness. Note: As you can see here, I came up with some small bits and pieces from trimming the leftover bones and such. I places a rack from my Bradley smoker across the pan then laid the pan of trimmings on the Bradley rack. Sometimes you have to get creative. Finishing Up the Rib Planks The unbrined rib planks with my rib rub can be served immediately or wrapped in foil and held in a warm oven for an hour or two in necessary. Maple Brined Ribs: About 30 minutes before the ribs are done cooking, use a brush to apply log cabin syrup to the meaty side of the ribs. Wait about 15 minutes and repeat for best results. For an added touch, you could also brush on a coat of real maple syrup to kick up the flavor of the maple. Cajun Brined Ribs: About 30 minutes before the ribs are done cooking, use a brush to apply a generous coat of my barbecue sauce to the meat side of the ribs. The sauce goes really well with the Louisiana flavor of the meat. In Summary As always, I cut up pieces of the meat for everyone to try and I am always interested to get the opinions of my wife and our 3 kids. This time it was especially interesting since they have all let me know that my rub and sauce is the only way they like ribs and they claim I have them spoiled;-) I made them all try the maple brined ribs as well as the cajun brined ribs and I of course watched their faces as well as listened to the comments that they made. My wife, as expected, loudly proclaimed that she still liked the unbrined ones with my rub the best. My oldest daughter, who is 14, preferred the Cajun ones with barbecue sauce and my 7 year old boy wants more of the maple ones for breakfast tomorrow morning..LOL My 12 year old daughter just got braces on her teeth and claims she can no longer eat ribs... we'll see if she sneaks and eats some later. The ribs are really tender and I don't think they would be a problem but hey, I am proud of her for trying to follow the doctors orders. I personally still prefer the unbrined ribs with my rib rub but then I wouldn't mind having some of the maple brined version for breakfast either so we'll see if Abi (my wife) took note of that request as she is normally in charge of breakfast. Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites Here is something we do for parties and it's always a big hit. I like to use thigh meat since it tends to not dry out as bad but you can also use breast meat if you prefer. I do recommend that you use a brine if you choose to use chicken breast instead of thigh meat. Enjoy!! Ingredients 1 package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts 1 lb of regular sliced bacon (not thick sliced) Jeff's Rub Wood toothpicks Preparation Cut chicken into small pieces of about 1 x 1. Cut entire package of bacon in half. Make up a batch of Jeff's naked rib rub then pour about 1/4 cup or more into a plate and roll the chicken pieces in the rub making sure they are coated well. After coating with rub, wrap a half piece of bacon around each piece of chicken and push a toothpick through the bacon and into the chicken to hold everything in place. Smoking it Place the bacon wrapped chicken bites directly on the grate or on a pan with some holes in it so the grease can fall through to a pan below or into the water pan of your smoker. Directly on the grate is best. Finishing up When the chicken starts to look done, do a quick test with a thermometer to make sure the chicken has reached at least 160 degrees F. Brush some of my barbecue sauce onto the chicken bites and let the bites stay in the smoker about 30 more minutes for the sauce to caramelize a bit. Alternative method: for crispier bacon, place the bites on a cookie sheet and place them under your oven broiler for 5 minutes. Remove them from the oven, brush on sauce and place them back under the broiler for about 3 additional minutes to caramelize the sauce. Serve the bacon wrapped chicken bites hot with the toothpicks intact. My Recipes Folks.. I never stop amazing myself at how good my rib rub is on various kinds of meat! Whether it's ribs, brisket, pork shoulder or even something simple like chicken or chops, every time I use my rub and sauce I am blown away by the flavor all over AGAIN! I always think to myself, I sure hope everyone can try this.. it is too good to go through life never having experienced this! I am not being dramatic.. just try it and you will join the ranks of those who know if I'm lying then I'm dying! This stuff is Fan-flavor-tastic and you need it in a bad-bad way;-) Here is a few testimonies from other folks who decided to go for it and are glad that they did. Be sure to send your testimony once you try it and realize that you have just tasted of HEAVEN. --------------------------------------------------- I would like to Thank You for the Rib Rub Recipe, I made this for my family and the results were unanimous, everyone said that the ribs were the BEST they ever tasted, and the meat was very tender and moist. I haven't tried the BBQ sauce recipe yet, but I will in the near future. ~ Jerome --------------------------------------------------- Jeff, You truly are the man. Bought your rib rub and your sakes alive sauce and love them both. Keep up the good work helping people like me learn to cook good BBQ with smoke. ~ Matt --------------------------------------------------- Jeff, I was smoking a Boston butt Saturday night for dinner Sunday and decided to try your bbq sauce. I have to say this is hands down the best sauce I've ever had and I've tried a lot of them. Its very easy to make, inexpensive and taste excellent. I will be using this recipe for a long time. ~ Doug --------------------------------------------------- Just wanted to tell you I finally bought your rub and bbq sauce recipe. They were as you said a big hit. Good job. Thanks ~ Marilyn --------------------------------------------------- You deserve the very best and is is completely within your grasp! Only $18.95 and worth every penny. Not only do you get the best rub and sauce recipe available, you are supporting this website and helping to make sure the bills get paid so we can keep on doing what we do to teach thousands and thousands of people across the world the art of smoking meat. Order Recipes | Read More Testimonies NOTE: My system is automated which means you should get a download email within MINUTES of ordering..check your spam/junk folder first then contact me to get the recipes sent to you as an attachment. Newsletter Archives All of our past newsletters are archived at the website for your convenience. If you need to know how to smoke brisket, ribs, meatloaf, pastrami, etc. then I have probably produced a newsletter about it some point. See the last 6 years of newsletters here. Join us on Facebook and Twitter If you enjoy staying connected with smoking meat, join us as fans at our smoking meat fan page on facebook. We look forward to seeing you there. Go to http://www.facebook.com/smokingmeat and hit the Like button at the top to be a part of this exciting trend. To follow us on Twitter and get occasional tips and tricks about smoking meat go to http://www.twitter.com/tulsajeff In Closing Thank you for being a part of the smoking meat family which includes the newsletter, the forum, the smoking-meat.com website and many other resources that we try to provide to help you and countless others learn this great art. A HUGE thank you to all of you who support the site with your donations and by purchasing the recipes and other products that we sell. Until next time.. keep smoking and God Bless. Jeff Phillips ©2010 Smoking-Meat.com Thu, 19 Aug 2010 09:15:11 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/sm-newsletter/UMzu/h/Your_July_2010_Smoking_Meat.htm Website picture version at http://www.smoking-meat.com/july-2010-smoking-salmon.html July 29, 2010 / Issue 75 July 2010 Smoking Meat Newsletter Hello and welcome to the July 2010 edition of the smoking meat newsletter. This month, I would like to turn the focus toward smoking salmon. We won't exactly be cold smoking it but we won't be smoking it hot at 225 degrees like we normally do most other meats either. Salmon happens to be a fish that has a lot of oil/fat in it and this produces great flavor and helps to keep the fish moist while it smokes. Trout is another fish, very close kin to the salmon from what I understand that is also considered to be an oily fish and smokes up really nicely. I hear folks say that they smoke everything from catfish to walleye so if you have an opportunity to smoke a fish that doesn't normally get smoked, shoot me an email and let me know how it goes. I am very interested in the results. More on smoking salmon in a bit... Recent Newsletters How to Smoke Country Style Ribs (My favorites) One of my favorite cuts and very inexpensive in most cases. Great for parties or anytime, country style ribs are on the menu in this edition of the smoking meat newsletter. How to Smoke Country Style Ribs Like Smoked Cheese? In May we covered this in great detail. I had so many of you send me emails thanking me for hooking you up with an easy way to cold smoke cheese. In case any of you missed it, you can go read it on the website complete with pictures. How to Smoke Cheese How to Smoke Salmon Preparing the Salmon If you are fortunate enough to have fresh caught salmon, you will want to clean it and fillet it before going any further. If you are like me and it comes wrapped in paper or plastic, I like to give it a good rinse before it goes in the brine. If it is frozen, thaw it in the fridge for about 24 hours before it goes into the brine. Brining the Salmon Brine recipe 1 gallon of cool water (bottled is best) 1 cup of kosher salt 1 cup of brown sugar 1/4 cup of lemon juice (fresh squeezed is best) 2 TBS of Jeff's naked rib rub Pour 1/2 gallon of water into large plastic or glass mixing bowl (non-reactive). Add salt and stir until water is returned to clear. Add brown sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add lemon juice. Place fish in large flat container that is about 3 inches deep and pour the brine over the fish with remaining 1/2 gallon of water making sure fish is completely submerged in the liquid. Use a zip top freezer bag full of ice cubes to keep the salmon submerged if necessary. Brine fish in refrigerator for about an hour per pound of fish minimum. The fish I just smoked was right at 2 lbs and was in the brine for about 2 hours and 15 minutes Drying the Salmon Once the fish is finished brining, rinse the fish lightly under cool water and pat dry with a paper towel. Place the fish on a rack to dry. As the outside of the fish dries, it will form a shiny, slightly tacky surface known as the pellicle. This pellicle serves to seal the moisture in and keeps the white fat from bubbling out of the fish while it smokes making it more aesthetically pleasing as well. This drying process can take as2 hours depending on how much air is flowing around. You can speed up this process by placing a fan so that it is blowing on the fish. For this drying process, I use the shelves from my Bradley smoker and it works like a charm. The fish will be shiny and tacky to the touch when the pellicle has formed properly. Smoking the Salmon I have seen a huge range of recommended temperatures for smoking fish and I don't know that one way is bad per se but I seem to get better results from staying on the low end at around 180 degrees F. Sometimes I start at out at around 150 degrees for the first hour or so then bump it up to 180 degrees for remainder but you can just smoke it at 180 degrees for the entire time to keep it simple. Most of the salmon that I smoke is around 2 lbs and about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. If you have a rack such as the shelves from a Bradley smoker then that is ideal for placing the fish on at drying time and just leaving it on that same rack throughout the smoking time until it is finished cooking. You can also fold up heavy duty foil several layers thick so that it is just slightly larger than the fish you are smoking. spray the bottom of the fish or the foil pad and place the fish on the foil pad for easier transport into and out of the smoker and to make sure that the fish does not fall through the grates. Due to the variation in thickness and smoking times, I recommend using a thermometer for accuracy. The fish is done per the USDA when it reaches 145 degrees F. If you do not want to use a thermometer, the fish is done (probably overdone) when it flakes using a fork pressed down on the meat. You can easily expect this to take around 4-6 hours at my recommended cooking temperature. If you want it done a little faster you can hot smoke it at 200-220 degrees however, I think the taste and texture are not as good as when it is cooked slower. As far as providing smoke for flavor, I like to use apple, cherry, alder, pecan and other woods that are considered to be mild. Heavier tasting woods such as hickory and mesquite can be used sparingly with vents wide open but some folks may not prefer it. Serving the Salmon You can easily serve the salmon as fillets with some seasonal vegetables or another favorite side dish but I personally like to mix the salmon with some cream cheese and chives and eat it on crackers (melba toast pictured at left) as a tasty appetizer. In fact, I am eating some of that right now as I write this newsletter;-) Salmon and Chive Spread 1 - 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened 1/4 c. chopped fresh chives 3 Tbs. lemon juice 1 tsp. ground cumin 1 c. smoked salmon, flaked In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, fresh chives, lemon juice and cumin. Fold in smoked salmon and serve with crackers. Delicious!! Final Thoughts The salmon that I brined and smoked for this newsletter was right at 2 lbs. I brined it for 2 hours and 15 mintues, dried it for 2 hours then smoked it for 6 hours at 180 degrees. The pellicle was not formed completely and I went ahead and started smoking it due to time constraints. As a result, you can see the white fat oozing out of the fish. Not a big problem but it doesn't look good and can be prevented with a little patience. My Recipes Folks.. I never stop amazing myself at how good my rib rub is on various kinds of meat including EVEN salmon! Whether it is ribs, brisket, pork shoulder or even something simple like chicken or chops, every time I use my rub and sauce I am blown away by the flavor all over AGAIN! I always think to myself, I sure hope everyone can try this.. it is too good to go through life never having experienced this! I am not being dramatic.. just try it and you will join the ranks of those who know if I'm lying then I'm dying! This stuff is Fan-flavor-tastic and you need it in a bad-bad way;-) Here is a few testimonies from other folks who decided to go for it and are glad that they did. Be sure to send your testimony once you try it and realize that you have just tasted of HEAVEN. --------------------------------------------------- I would like to Thank You for the Rib Rub Recipe, I made this for my family and the results were unanimous, everyone said that the ribs were the BEST they ever tasted, and the meat was very tender and moist. I haven't tried the BBQ sauce recipe yet, but I will in the near future. ~ Jerome --------------------------------------------------- Jeff, You truly are the man. Bought your rib rub and your sakes alive sauce and love them both. Keep up the good work helping people like me learn to cook good BBQ with smoke. ~ Matt --------------------------------------------------- Jeff, I was smoking a Boston butt Saturday night for dinner Sunday and decided to try your bbq sauce. I have to say this is hands down the best sauce I've ever had and I've tried a lot of them. Its very easy to make, inexpensive and taste excellent. I will be using this recipe for a long time. ~ Doug --------------------------------------------------- Just wanted to tell you I finally bought your rub and bbq sauce recipe. They were as you said a big hit. Good job. Thanks ~ Marilyn --------------------------------------------------- You deserve the very best and is is completely within your grasp! Only $18.95 and worth every penny. Not only do you get the best rub and sauce recipe available, you are supporting this website and helping to make sure the bills get paid so we can keep on doing what we do to teach thousands and thousands of people across the world the art of smoking meat. Order Recipes | Read More Testimonies NOTE: My system is automated which means you should get a download email within MINUTES of ordering..check your spam/junk folder first then contact me to get the recipes sent to you as an attachment. Newsletter Archives All of our past newsletters are archived at the website for your convenience. If you need to know how to smoke brisket, ribs, meatloaf, pastrami, etc. then I have probably produced a newsletter about it some point. See the last 6 years of newsletters here. Join us on Facebook and Twitter If you enjoy staying connected with smoking meat, join us as fans at our smoking meat fan page on facebook. We look forward to seeing you there. Go to http://www.facebook.com/smokingmeat and hit the Like button at the top to be a part of this exciting trend. To follow us on Twitter and get occasional tips and tricks about smoking meat go to http://www.twitter.com/tulsajeff In Closing Thank you for being a part of the smoking meat family which includes the newsletter, the forum, the smoking-meat.com website and many other resources that we try to provide to help you and countless others learn this great art. A HUGE thank you to all of you who support the site with your donations and by purchasing the recipes and other products that we sell. Until next time.. keep smoking and God Bless. Jeff Phillips ©2010 Smoking-Meat.com Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:29:09 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/sm-newsletter/1ES.G/h/Your_Special_July_4th_2010.htm Website picture version at http://www.smoking-meat.com/july4th-2010-smoking-brisket-and-other-topics.html July 1, 2010 / Issue 74 July 4th, 2010 Smoking Meat Newsletter Hello and welcome to this special holiday edition of the smoking meat newsletter. The American Independence day is coming up in a few days and many of you will be celebrating this grand occasion with barbecue, fireworks, and lots of watermelon. With an event like this, I want to make sure that all of you are armed with the best information you can get so you can make this celebration the best and tastiest event ever. I have received some questions from many of you via the Facebook fan page which I plan to answer in detail to make sure nothing is left to the imagination when it comes to the food preparation. I do want to remind all of you to stay safe as you play with your fireworks and make sure the kids do the same. This is not a regularly scheduled newsletter however, I have had a ton of questions regarding the meal preparations for the 4th and wanted to try and answer some of those questions in hopes of helping you get through the day with confidence and end up with a deliciously prepared meal. Before we get too deep into the questions, just remember that my rub and sauce will absolutely make the day go better with a burst of flavor on ribs, brisket, pork shoulder and any number of other things. If you have not ordered the rub and sauce recipes, then go ahead and do that now to make sure you have them on time. Note: you should receive an email with a download link just as soon as you order.. if you don't see it pretty quick then just shoot me an email and I will send it as an attachment in an email. Here's how to order: Order Recipes | Read Testimonies Questions and Answers My number one question has been concerning brisket and how to get it tender and juicy.. This is something that I have written about before but I will go over it again just to make sure you understand that this is not nearly as difficult as it has been made out to be. To start with, pick out the most tender brisket you can find. If the brisket is just wrapped in plastic, you can check the flexibility of the brisket by bending it. The easiest bender is the most tender.. you could almost make a rap out of that phrase but I digress.. Do NOT get rid of all the fat.. that's were a lot of the flavor is. I know some folks trim all the fat and if you get great results that way then go for it but if you are still learning to cook briskets, leave the fat cap on entirely. Score the fat cap.. make cross cuts into the fat cap along the length and width of the brisket and then diagonally. Only make the cuts through the fat down to the meat. This will allow the rub and/or marinade to get to the meat a little better. This will also allow the smoke to get to the meat better without sacrificing the flavor, juiciness and protection that the fat cap offers the brisket. Add a rub to the brisket.. did I mention adding a rub? If you don't do anything else, add a rub mixture to the brisket, one that you like. I use my Jeff's naked rib rub and I think you should to but the main purpose is to add something that will compliment the natural flavor of the brisket. It's a thick piece of meat, you are not going to cover up the flavor of the meat so don't be scared to be generous with the rub. To make it stick better, rub some regular yellow mustard all over the brisket then pour on some rub and massage it into the brisket. Show it a little love and it will love you back later by becoming really tasty and juicy during it's time in the smoker. Some folks inject marinade into their briskets.. I don't generally do this myself but I do know that many competitions are won using this method. I say that very lightly since what is served at competitions is now always what I would fix for my family at home. I won't get into that but you can catch my drift. Competition and home cooked goodness may be two entirely different things. Just want to let you know that injecting is certainly an option if you care to do that. What you inject is up to you, equal parts of Worcestershire, beer and melted butter is always a great flavor if you care to try it. Otherwise, most of the store-bought injection marinades are also pretty decent and the main purpose is to add a little juiciness to the center of the meat. I have my own tricks for making the brisket juicy that I will share in this article so don't feel like you have to inject the brisket to make it juicy.. it's just an option and I don't want to leave anything out. Prepare the smoker for about 230 degrees. I know the trend recently has been to smoke at much higher temperatures but I am not conforming to that way of thinking personally. I think there is something almost magical about the the low and slow methods that have been practiced for decades and I just can't seem to get the same results at the higher temps. If you can do that, then go for it. I don't judge, I just tell you how I do it. Use a good robust wood for this cut.. it's a big piece of meat and it can handle some big smoke flavor. I almost always use mesquite, pecan,hickory or oak for large pieces of meat like this and it never lets me down. If you have a favorite fruit wood, feel free to mix it in at a ratio of 1:1 such as mesquite and cherry or pecan and oak, etc.. Here's a trick you don't want to take lightly.. if you follow my instructions, it will be the juiciest brisket you have ever eaten and/or served to your guests. 1. Place rubbed brisket in aluminum pan fat side up and place in smoker. Let it smoke for 2 hours. 2. Flip brisket to fat side down and smoke for another 2 hours. 3. At the beginning of the 5th hour, return brisket back to fat side up and cover the entire top of the pan with foil. 4. Continue to cook the brisket until the thickest part of the meat reads 200 degrees. There may come a point when the temperature comes to a standstill.. this is the famous brisket plateau and is completely normal. Just be patient and don't give in to the temptation to turn up the heat. 5. Once the meat reaches 200 degrees, carefully remove the brisket from the smoker and set it on the counter to cool for 20-30 minutes. 6. Remove brisket from pan and set on cutting board. Tent some foil over the top to keep it warm for a bit. 7. Pour the juices from the pan through a grease separator or you can just pour it into a container and place it in the freezer. The fat will solidify at the top and can then be removed. This fat can be saved for flavoring other dishes like beans or soups or it can be discarded. Set the juice aside. 8. Go back to the cutting board and use a long sharp knife to separate the flat from the point. There is a layer of fat that runs right through the center of the brisket.. just follow this layer all the way through the meat until the two parts of the brisket are separated. 9. Spend a little time removing any large chunks of fat and anything else that looks inedible. 10. Slice the brisket across the grain in 1/2 to 3/4 inch slices. Cooking the brisket this way should yield a very tender brisket so you will probably need to slice it fairly thick to keep it from falling apart on you. Note: watch the grain on these briskets as it changes directions several times. 11. Lay the pieces overlapping in a serving dish in the same order they were sliced for aesthetics. 12. Reheat the juice that we set aside earlier in the microwave.. just enough to get it nice and warm. 13. Pour some of the juice over the brisket and call everyone to come and try it. 14. You will be lucky if you get a piece at this point so you might want to grab yourself a couple of slices and set them aside before everyone comes running. 15. Enjoy the moment! How Often and How Long to Add Wood ChipsThis is sort of like saying how long is a string. It really depends on what you are cooking and what the estimated cook time is. I generally recommend that the smoke continue for about half of the estimated cook time of until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 140-145 degrees. For a 12 hour brisket, I would add wood chips every time the smoke stops coming out of the vent and I would continue this process for about 6 hours of time. If I was cooking a whole chicken, that would take about 4 hours and I would keep the smoke going for about 2 hours minimum. Remember, as long as you have a good amount of airflow into and out of the smoker, there is nothing wrong and it could even be beneficial flavor-wise to continue smoking the meat for the entire time. Remember that traditional smokers use wood splits and logs for heat which means the smoke is going the entire time and the flavor of the meat cooked on one of these all wood smokers is amazing. Using Water or Other Liquids in the Water PanIf you have a water pan then use it.. my simple recommendation. I don't buy into the notion that it magically makes the meat any more juicy, however, I do think it makes the air more humid inside of the smoker which stands to reason that it could possibly decrease the drying effect of the heat on the meat. The 212 degree steam from the water pan also works to maintain a more even temperature in the smoker and is believed to decrease the large temperature spikes that certain smokers are known to experience. My theory.. it can't hurt, It could help, so why not?! Smoking Ribs - How to Get Them TenderOk.. everyone's version of tender is different so I recommend you forget about temperature when it comes to ribs and just leave them in the smoker until they get as tender as you like them. In general, you are looking at about 5 to 5.5 hours for baby backs and 6.5 to 7 hours for spare ribs. Don't worry about how far the bones stick out of the meat and don't worry about the time or the temperature. Just check them every 30 minutes or so after about the 5th hour by pulling 2 of the bones in opposite directions. This will give you a good idea of how tender they are. You can also pick up one end with some heavy duty tongs and if they start to break in the middle, they are pretty darn tender. I do recommend removing the membrane and then rubbing them down with some rib rub. Spray them about every hour with fruit juice. I made some the other day and I sprayed them every hour with a mix of cherry and grape juice by Juicy Juice. I could tell a difference in the flavor from the juice that I had sprayed on them. Very tasty indeed. Time Vs. TemperatureI also had a ton of questions regarding how long to cook certain meats.. I will give you a table that will help you to estimate the time however, smoking meat requires that you FORGET about the time and cook by temperature alone. Brisket can be estimated at 1.5 hours per pound however, it's just not done until it reaches 190-200 degrees no matter how long that takes. Make sure your digital instant read thermometer is calibrated properly. Stick the probe down in a glass of ice water and it should be around 33 degrees F. You can also place the probe in some boiling water and it should read 212 degrees or very close to that unless you are at very high elevations and in that case, it should read whatever your boiling temperature is for your elevation. To reiterate, When smoking meat cook by temperature, not by time. Table of estimated cook times for various meats/veggies: Type of Meat Smoking Temp Time to Complete Finished Temp Brisket (Sliced) 225°F 1.5 hours/pound 180 degrees Brisket (Pulled) 225°F 1.5 hours/pound 195-200 degrees Beef Ribs 225°F 3 hours 175 degrees Pork Butt (Sliced) 225°F 1.5 hours/pound 175 degrees Pork Butt (Pulled) 225°F 1.5 hours/pound 190-205 Whole Chicken 250°F 4 hours 165 degrees Chicken Thighs 250°F 1.5 hours 165 degrees Chicken Quarters 250°F 3 hours 165 degrees Whole Turkey 12# 240°F 6.5 hours 165 degrees Turkey Leg 250°F 4 hours 165 degrees Turkey Wings 225°F 2.5 hours 165 degrees Boudin 230°F 2.5 hours 165 degrees Breakfast Sausage 230°F 3 hours 160 degrees Fatties 225°F 3 hours 165 degrees Meat Loaf 250 -300°F 3 hours 160 degrees Meatballs (2 inch) 225°F 1 hour 165 degrees Spare Ribs 225-240°F 6 hours Done when tender Baby Back Ribs 225-240°F 5 hours Done when tender Smoked Corn 225°F 1.5 - 2 hours N/A Smoked Potatoes 225°F 2 - 2.5 Hours N/A Prime Rib 225°F 45 min/lb 130 degrees (med. rare) How to Smoke Chicken Breasts that are Juicy and TenderChicken breasts by default are a very lean meat and as such are going to be less juicy than say a thigh or leg however there are a few things you can do to keep it from drying out during it's time in the smoker. You can always brine the meat as outlined at http://www.smoking-meat.com/brining-meat.html or you can inject it with melted butter or olive oil however, I have found a method or two that seems to work for me. My first method involves wrapping the breasts in a piece of cheese cloth and keeping it moistened with butter while it smokes. This more or less takes the place of the skin and allows the smoke to penetrate through while holding in a lot of the moisture. Another method is to wrap each breast in a couple strips of bacon. The bacon will render or melt while it cooks and keep the breast moist. You don't have to worry about more fat, most of the fat drips off but it does a great job of keeping the breast from drying out. The greatest thing you can possibly do is to not overcook the breast. All chicken is officially safe to eat at 165 degrees according to the USDA. use a digital probe meat thermometer to test one of the breast pieces at it's thickest point while it cooks. Just as soon as it reaches 165 take it off of the smoker. As you probably already know, the meat will continue to cook and can raise a degree or two even after you remove it from the smoker. By removing at exactly 165 degrees F, you will notice that it is more juicy and flavorful than if you cook it to the old recommended temperature of 180 degrees F where it will be dry and tasteless and resemble something used to make a pair of good work boots. Smoking SteaksSomeone asked about smoking steaks.. although smoking meat low and slow is a wonderful process, some things just work better on the grill and steaks are one of these things. This does not mean you can't infuse some smoke flavor into the meat. Wrap a handful of dry wood chips up in some heavy duty foil making sure it is completely enclosed. Use a fork to make 2 sets of holes in one side of the wood chip package. Lay the wood chip package on the grill directly over the flame on the grill with the fork holes facing up when you cook the steaks. You will notice a nice smokey flavor in the steaks. You could also cold smoke the steaks for 30 minutes before grilling them by using a smoke generator such as the smoke daddy or the A-Maze-N-Smoker to infuse some really good smoke flavor into the meat before grilling them. Smoke Daddy - http://www.smokedaddyinc.com/ A-Maze-N-Smoker - http://www.amazenproducts.com/ I own both of these products and they work really well for this type of application. Smoking BratsThis is a 4th of July favorite and they do so well.. Super easy but just remember to not overcook them. Smoke them at 225 degrees for no more than 2 hours and they are done. Any more than this and they will get tough on you. I have some ready for the holiday as well.. I have cheese brats and original and those are going to taste so good with pecan/cherry smoke. Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Sausage Fatties These are every bit as good as they sound and if you have not tried them.. OMG!! I can't even start to show you how to do them in this newsletter but fortunately I have a complete write up on them where I show you how to weave the bacon and perform the whole process. It's not hard and you will love them. See the picture tutorial at http://www.smoking-meat.com/january-2010-bacon-wrapped-stuffed-sausage-fatty.html Using a Propane Smoker - Getting the FlavorWhen using a propane smoker, it is best to use wood chunks and a thin walled box for holding the chunks. Turn the heat on high to get the chunks to smoking. If you have to leave the door ajar slightly to keep the inside of the smoker from heating up too much during this process, that is fine. Once the chunks are smoking real good, latch the door shut and rest assured the smoke will flavor the meat. I tend to get about 1 to 1.5 hours of smoke with a full smoke box of chunks. Each smoker will vary but the important thing is to give it the heat it needs to get them to smoking and then you can lower the heat to maintain the smoke and the proper heat in the smoker. If you are having a really hard time getting the smoke flavor in your meat, try using dry hickory or mesquite chunks with some dry wood chips mixed in. I do NOT recommend soaking the wood chips or chunks before using them in the smoker. If the chunks are catching on fire then find a way to reduce the oxygen to the chunks by wrapping them individually in foil with a few small holes to let the smoke escape or by covering some of the holes in the smoke box to allow less oxygen in. My Recipes Folks.. I never stop amazing myself at how good my rib rub is on various kinds of meat. Whether it is ribs, brisket, pork shoulder or even something simple like chicken or chops, every time I use my rub and sauce I am blown away by the flavor all over AGAIN! I always think to myself, I sure hope everyone can try this.. it is too good to go through life never having experienced this! I am not being dramatic.. just try it and you will join the ranks of those who know if I'm lying then I'm dying! This stuff is Fan-flavor-tastic and you need it in a bad-bad way;-) Here is a few testimonies from other folks who decided to go for it and are glad that they did. Be sure to send my your testimony once you try it and realize that you have just tasted of HEAVEN. --------------------------------------------------- I would like to Thank You for the Rib Rub Recipe, I made this for my family and the results were unanimous, everyone said that the ribs were the BEST they ever tasted, and the meat was very tender and moist. I haven't tried the BBQ sauce recipe yet, but I will in the near future. ~ Jerome --------------------------------------------------- Jeff, You truly are the man. Bought your rib rub and your sakes alive sauce and love them both. Keep up the good work helping people like me learn to cook good BBQ with smoke. ~ Matt --------------------------------------------------- Jeff, I was smoking a Boston butt Saturday night for dinner Sunday and decided to try your bbq sauce. I have to say this is hands down the best sauce I've ever had and I've tried a lot of them. Its very easy to make, inexpensive and taste excellent. I will be using this recipe for a long time. ~ Doug --------------------------------------------------- Just wanted to tell you I finally bought your rub and bb sauce recipe. They were as you said a big hit. Good job. Thanks ~ Marilyn --------------------------------------------------- You deserve the very best and is is completely within your grasp! Only $18.95 and worth every penny. Not only do you get the best rub and sauce recipe available, you are supporting this website and helping to make sure the bills get paid so we can keep on doing what we do to teach thousands and thousands of people across the world the art of smoking meat. Order Recipes | Read More Testimonies NOTE: My system is automated which means you should get a download email within MINUTES of ordering..check your spam/junk folder first then contact me to get the recipes sent to you as an attachment. Don't Like Using Paypal? Order via Google Checkout Here Newsletter Archives All of our past newsletters are archived at the website for your convenience. If you need to know how to smoke brisket, ribs, meatloaf, pastrami, etc. then I have probably produced a newsletter about it some point. See the last 6 years of newsletter here. In Closing Thank you for being a part of the smoking meat family which includes the newsletter, the forum, the smoking-meat.com website and many other resources that we try to provide to help you and countless others learn this great art. A HUGE thank you to all of you who support the site with your donations and by purchasing the recipes and other products that we sell. Until next time.. keep smoking and God Bless. Jeff Phillips ©2010 Smoking-Meat.com Thu, 01 Jul 2010 09:52:56 -0400