Robert
is Blowin Smoke!
Brethren, do not take this wrong, as I believe that all of your advice is intended to help beginners/newbies out, not hinder them. I have been hanging out here since the about the beginning but did not join until 2009. This is a fantastic community of individuals who share a passion for cooking barbecue and other greats foods as well. And you all readily share tips, techniques and recipes. That's what keeps me coming back daily. While I do not know anyone here personally other than the artist formally known as Toast, I feel like many of you are friends.
Now this is where I go off on my rant:
Telling a newbie to cook until probe tender is a huge disservice to that person. Why? I feel that cooking to the point of knowing when the meat is done by probe tender really only comes with experience. How and when does the newbie know when to start checking for probe tender? If the meat is not probe tender, how often do they need to check. As you slowly turn your piece of meat into a pin cushion what happens to the meat during this probing? Have you ever noticed what happens to the piece of meat when you remove the probe? Moisture immediately starts to run out of the probe point. Wouldn't you think that piece of meat would be better if that moisture remained inside?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZfpwIp7etc
Please reference this video by Malcom Reed of "How to BBQ Right". Please note at the 5:25 minute mark after he wraps the pork butt in foil that he inserts a meat probe connected to a Thermo Works Dot. Also note that he cooks the butt to 200. He doesn't mention probe tender at all. Why? because he knows that at 200 degrees that he is going to have a pork butt that will be able to be pulled with ease.
He is using a tool that will produce predictable results time after time. You can start to pull pieces of meat off a pork butt at 190 degrees or less. But the center isn't going to pull very well until it reaches 195-200, but closer to 200.
Pork is much more forgiving than Brisket. Using the probe method and certainly against better judgement, in competition, I have twice taken Waygu brisket above 210 degrees because the flat did not probe tender. in each case the end result was an overcooked dry, crumbly brisket. Had to turn in slices 3/4 inch thick. Didn't score well at all. I have had practice briskets that never got probe tender and were perfect. 203 is my target temp now.
The first perfect score my team received in competition came in my first year back in 1996 with a brisket cooked to 180 degrees. Pure luck and we didn't know any better.
So, my advice is to invest in a meat thermometer that you can leave in the meat to monitor the internal temp and eliminate the guess work.
Thermoworks Dot is $43.00 and Inkbird 4 probe about $50.00. I don't care what you buy, just get one. Polders used to be about $20.00. No idea if they still make those or not.
I do not want nor intend for this post to become a "white bread" thread as I will not respond.
Rant over.
Robert
Now this is where I go off on my rant:
Telling a newbie to cook until probe tender is a huge disservice to that person. Why? I feel that cooking to the point of knowing when the meat is done by probe tender really only comes with experience. How and when does the newbie know when to start checking for probe tender? If the meat is not probe tender, how often do they need to check. As you slowly turn your piece of meat into a pin cushion what happens to the meat during this probing? Have you ever noticed what happens to the piece of meat when you remove the probe? Moisture immediately starts to run out of the probe point. Wouldn't you think that piece of meat would be better if that moisture remained inside?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZfpwIp7etc
Please reference this video by Malcom Reed of "How to BBQ Right". Please note at the 5:25 minute mark after he wraps the pork butt in foil that he inserts a meat probe connected to a Thermo Works Dot. Also note that he cooks the butt to 200. He doesn't mention probe tender at all. Why? because he knows that at 200 degrees that he is going to have a pork butt that will be able to be pulled with ease.
He is using a tool that will produce predictable results time after time. You can start to pull pieces of meat off a pork butt at 190 degrees or less. But the center isn't going to pull very well until it reaches 195-200, but closer to 200.
Pork is much more forgiving than Brisket. Using the probe method and certainly against better judgement, in competition, I have twice taken Waygu brisket above 210 degrees because the flat did not probe tender. in each case the end result was an overcooked dry, crumbly brisket. Had to turn in slices 3/4 inch thick. Didn't score well at all. I have had practice briskets that never got probe tender and were perfect. 203 is my target temp now.
The first perfect score my team received in competition came in my first year back in 1996 with a brisket cooked to 180 degrees. Pure luck and we didn't know any better.
So, my advice is to invest in a meat thermometer that you can leave in the meat to monitor the internal temp and eliminate the guess work.
Thermoworks Dot is $43.00 and Inkbird 4 probe about $50.00. I don't care what you buy, just get one. Polders used to be about $20.00. No idea if they still make those or not.
I do not want nor intend for this post to become a "white bread" thread as I will not respond.
Rant over.
Robert
