jkief
is one Smokin' Farker
Alright boys and girls....Here we go again. Went to Sams this morning and picked up 3 tri-tips. Injected with my usual beef injection and rubbed down with SPG and Black Ops Brisket rub. One went on the MAK, one on the Masterbuilt, and one on the Assassin. Set temp was 250. They went on at 12:30 and smoked for 3 hours, wrapped for 2 more, and boat until tender. The one on the Masterbuilt came off at 5:45. The other 2 took until 6:10. They got an obligatory 1 hr rest and taste tested. Interesting notes on the cookers. The MAK was running Bear Mountain Hickory pellets and was set at 230. That kept the cooker right at 245-255. The Masterbuilt was running Kingsford with hickory chunks in the hopper. I had to dial the temp to 265 to keep the cooker at 250 on the middle grate. Looks like the Masterbuilt runs low on the middle grate. I didn’t maze the Assassin. Just dumped B&B briquettes in with hickory chunks. Used the pitmaster IQ and it rocked at 250 with no fluctuations at all. Taste test results:
Both boys liked the Masterbuilt best, MAK second, Assassin third
Wife liked Masterbuilt best, Assassin second, MAK third
I liked the Assassin best, Masterbuilt second, MAK third
The Assassin was a bold smoke flavor that complimented the rub, but I will admit it was smoke forward.
The MAK was flavored by the rub, but the smoke was very light on the back end.
The Masterbuilt balanced the smoke and seasoning perfectly. Neither was heavy or forward, just balanced.
Wife said she would like the Assassin better as a chopped beef sandwich or mixed in with something to balance the smoke out more. I’m not so sure. I guess I was just in the mood for a bold smokey beef cut. The Assassin put out a big smoke profile to accommodate. I’m wondering if the smoke will mellow out after a few hours, though. The pork belly off of the Assassin did that last week. It was smoke forward, but really mellowed out perfectly after a few hours. If I had the time, I would have rested longer, but it was getting past our dinner time, so we had to roll with an hour rest. The moisture and texture were all the same, no difference. Wonder if the B&B gave more smoke profile than the Kingsford? Sounds like a charcoal comparison coming soon.
Both boys liked the Masterbuilt best, MAK second, Assassin third
Wife liked Masterbuilt best, Assassin second, MAK third
I liked the Assassin best, Masterbuilt second, MAK third
The Assassin was a bold smoke flavor that complimented the rub, but I will admit it was smoke forward.
The MAK was flavored by the rub, but the smoke was very light on the back end.
The Masterbuilt balanced the smoke and seasoning perfectly. Neither was heavy or forward, just balanced.
Wife said she would like the Assassin better as a chopped beef sandwich or mixed in with something to balance the smoke out more. I’m not so sure. I guess I was just in the mood for a bold smokey beef cut. The Assassin put out a big smoke profile to accommodate. I’m wondering if the smoke will mellow out after a few hours, though. The pork belly off of the Assassin did that last week. It was smoke forward, but really mellowed out perfectly after a few hours. If I had the time, I would have rested longer, but it was getting past our dinner time, so we had to roll with an hour rest. The moisture and texture were all the same, no difference. Wonder if the B&B gave more smoke profile than the Kingsford? Sounds like a charcoal comparison coming soon.
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