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-   -   Question about Smoking in a Vertical (https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=259194)

OklaDustDevil 04-16-2018 12:46 PM

Question about Smoking in a Vertical
 
Apart from a Mak pellet smoker I bought last Thanksgiving, most of my smoking the past 25 years has been on a horizontal offset or a vertical stickburner, both of which have single-layer grill racks for the meat. I know many folks here use smokers with vertical cabinets having multiple grill racks one above the other.

My question is, unless you're cooking multiple pieces of the same cut -- like multiple briskets or butts -- all marinated, injected, and rubbed the same way, with the same spice mixtures, how do you deal with fat, grease, spices, marinade, etc., dripping from a cut higher in the smoker onto a cut lower in the smoker? Do the spices from the higher cuts affect the flavour of the lower? Does it ever "wash off" rubs and spices from the lower cuts? Do you just not worry about it, or do you position things higher or lower based on flavour profile of your spices? (I would think pit temp gradient more likely would determine higher or lower placement in the pit.)

I often use very differently flavored marinades, injections, and rubs on different cuts of meat, but because mine have always been positioned horizontally, one can't drip on another. I'm thinking about buying a vertical pit and want to figure out how to address this issue before I purchase. Thanks for any perspectives you can give me!!

pharp 04-16-2018 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OklaDustDevil (Post 3981850)
Apart from a Mak pellet smoker I bought last Thanksgiving, most of my smoking the past 25 years has been on a horizontal offset or a vertical stickburner, both of which have single-layer grill racks for the meat. I know many folks here use smokers with vertical cabinets having multiple grill racks one above the other.

My question is, unless you're cooking multiple pieces of the same cut -- like multiple briskets or butts -- all marinated, injected, and rubbed the same way, with the same spice mixtures, how do you deal with fat, grease, spices, marinade, etc., dripping from a cut higher in the smoker onto a cut lower in the smoker? Do the spices from the higher cuts affect the flavour of the lower? Does it ever "wash off" rubs and spices from the lower cuts? Do you just not worry about it, or do you position things higher or lower based on flavour profile of your spices? (I would think pit temp gradient more likely would determine higher or lower placement in the pit.)

I often use very differently flavored marinades, injections, and rubs on different cuts of meat, but because mine have always been positioned horizontally, one can't drip on another. I'm thinking about buying a vertical pit and want to figure out how to address this issue before I purchase. Thanks for any perspectives you can give me!!


I cook everything in pans for ease of cleanup. I have stainless wire rack inserts for full and half-size pans. Holds the meat up of the bottom of the pan and then when I am done I toss the rack in the dishwasher and the pan in the trash. It would also eliminate anything dripping on something else.

IamMadMan 04-16-2018 04:12 PM

In my vertical I smoke briskets and butts. Chicken I will do mostly on the kettles just because I like the higher heat (cooking temperatures) on the chicken. Where as with pork and beef I prefer to cook low and slow on overnight cooks while I soundly sleep.

As far as dripping, I keep briskets up high and I have no problem with them dripping on the pork, but I wouldn't let the pork drip on the briskets.

.

sudsandswine 04-16-2018 05:39 PM

I have 3 shelves in my Shirley and have cooked on all three at the same time. The only thought I give to meat dripping is to not have chicken or pork dripping on beef, and to not have chicken dripping on pork.

I've found that what matters most is how far along the meat is....initially none of the meat really releases THAT much liquid, usually not until 150 or 160 at least, then I get more liquid sizzling on the reverse flow plate. If I drop a few slabs of ribs underneath some briskets that are above 160* internal, they're letting out a decent amount of juices and the rub on the ribs hasn't really had enough time to set up and it washes off a bit. If I put both on at the same time the ribs are pretty much done before the brisket really starts releasing juices...as an example.

I dont think that the juices dripping on other meat below it really enhances or detracts from the flavor at all, aside what might get cooked onto the surface during the process...cant put liquid back in the meat so...

I will say that my Shirley seemed to really cook well when it was full of meat (10 briskets then 12 pork butts the next day), I dont have any evidence to support it just what I noticed compared to only having a couple briskets in it...maybe the humidity was higher and or the air flow changed when the shelves were covered in meat.

Happy Hapgood 04-16-2018 06:05 PM

On my 2 rack WSM, I do not like to intermingle the juices either. Plan on doing a Butt and Brisket together on an overnight cook. Brisket on top in disposable foil pan and for ease of wrap when it hits the stall. Butt on bottom because I do not wrap them.

BillN 04-16-2018 07:04 PM

If I am using different flavor profiles I will cook in pans otherwise first out goes on top.

JoshuaJEarle 04-17-2018 04:05 PM

Many times for catering I often put butts, ribs and brisket into the same cooker. I find that by the time you’re worried about drippings affecting other meats you’ll have them wrapped, if you don’t wrap, easy enough to space the racks with pans in between to catch drippings if that turns into a major concern.


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