Rookie Errors "What are they"

[DaChief]

Man! I've done all these screw-ups. Probably time was the biggest one for me. An awful lot easier to rest in a cooler for a while than trying to rush things up while you've got 25 people standing around wanting to eat and all the other sides are done and on the table.

[WineMaster]

Ive been making Q for a few year now and it always seems that the first of the season is well lets say "Not My Best" that is why I wanted a refresh now so I dont have to share 25lbs of crappy Q with the neighbers dog that I hate.

P.S. He eats it all Then Throws up. Dont know if its the bad cookin or he is just a puss. Either way I Win.

Cheers Dan

[gstanle]

Wow,

I'm feeling a little paranoid. Have you guys been monitoring my Q-ing? Sometimes I think that if there's a mistake to be made, I'll be the one to make it :)

[Bigmista]

Originally Posted by Single Fin Smoker

Last weekend I blew a butt something terrible.

Must resist...not woodpile...

[G$]

Originally Posted by backyardchef

Not planning enough time.

Yes. Get done early. Gettign done "late" is not really an option.

[DaChief]

Originally Posted by Bigmista

Must resist...not woodpile...

[WineMaster]

With "Time" being one of the most seen problems isnt a Butt done at 170 degrees and if pulling or chopping you could extend cooking time in the cooker by 2-3 hours before 190 or so.What Im trying to say is, on a lot of Que, Isnt there a pretty big window from when it gets done, Till the time that its overdone. This said, knowing that your not too hot or throwing any or little smoke to the meat?

[backyardchef]

Originally Posted by WineMaster

With "Time" being one of the most seen problems isnt a Butt done at 170 degrees and if pulling or chopping you could extend cooking time in the cooker by 2-3 hours before 190 or so.What Im trying to say is, on a lot of Que, Isnt there a pretty big window from when it gets done, Till the time that its overdone. This said, knowing that your not too hot or throwing any or little smoke to the meat?

I don't know about the 170 temperature. I tend to take mine up to 190-200 or so for pulling (or when the bone will come out clean) and for slicing, maybe 185 or so....not a real precise number for that.

I've also seen butts hang around 160 for alot longer than expected before the temperature starts to rise. I think that's why alot of people will say not to go by just temperature and/or time, but by feel and the way the meat reacts to the touch and how easily a probe will slide in and out. Once you get a feel for that, you can fine tune things.

Each cut of meat cooks at it's own pace and behaves differently than the one before, which is why things like temps and times are a general guide and not precise. I think that has alot to do with it being art and not science....

[Bigmista]

Originally Posted by backyardchef

Each cut of meat cooks at it's own pace and behaves differently than the one before, which is why things like temps and times are a general guide and not precise. I think that has alot to do with it being art and not science....

Well said.

[WineMaster]

Is that why Alton Brown has never done a BBQ Show?

[RichardF]

Originally Posted by WineMaster

Is that why Alton Brown has never done a BBQ Show?

I guess you missed the famous flower pot Q episode. Alton checked the butt with a fork to see if it was done, no internal temp needed.

" Begin checking meat for doneness after 10 hours of cooking time. Use fork to check for doneness. Meat is done when it falls apart easily when pulling with a fork..."

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci..._23019,00.html

[Brauma]

Great thread guys.

My biggest mistake was waiting too farking long to get a smoker. I shouldve made the jump to a smoker years ago.

And once I got mine I was trying to make sure that I had everything perfect before I did my first smoke. I bet I put it off for 2 weeks. Finally after Troutman threatened to come down here and kick my ass did I give it a go and you know what? It came out great! Pork Butt that is.

Jump in and learn from your mistakes. Have fun.

[gstanle]

Lets hear from the judges out there.................

What mistakes do you see when judging a contest?

[gstanle]

The first time I cooked on my WSM, I got the temp up to 230 at the top grate (probe run through a 1/2 potato) & 250 in the dome (candy therm in exhaust vent). It stayed there perfectly for the longest time without me having to do anything.
I began to worry that something was wrong. It just didn't seem right that the WSM would hold such a consistent temp for so long without me having to do anything.
After about 2 hours, and way too may trips out to the smoker to see what the temps were, I convinced myself that it was going to start dropping soon, and I needed to do something.
Rookie mistake: I lit a chimney of coals, and when ready put about 8 to 10 of them in the WSM. This shot the temp up to 275. I then fought with getting the temp back down and getting it to stabilize again.
Lesson learned: If it ain't broke, don't fix it !!!

[jacob]

Not allowing the smoker to go above the cooking temp I actually wanted. TO give enough time to add the meat before I lossed valuable heat.