Smoked Veal Brisket

 I ordered a Veal Brisket from the local butcher shop.

It was a lot larger than I expected... online sources suggested it would be 3-4 lbs, but this was 11+ lbs. Consequently, the $20/lb was felt quite a bit more acutely!

 Having said that, it was absolutely delicious, and in my honest opinion, better than normal Beef Brisket. It had less of a beefy punch, with a more subtle almost pork-like flavor, but it was extremely tender. It was quite possibly the juiciest meat I've ever eaten!

 I cooked it two ways. The first piece, which was mostly point, I smoked like a traditional Beef Brisket. I smoked it up to 203F and pulled it off and let it rest.

 

I smoked it with Cherry Wood in leiu of my usual Mesquite because I knew it would have a sublte flavor. 10/10 would eat again! I'm not sure I would pay $20/lb for it again, though.
 

 The second piece was a strip of Flat, and I initially cooked it like a Steak. I had heard you could reverse-sear it to 135F and it would be just fine due to the nature of veal. It was not, at least not when trimmed like a briket. Had I trimmed ALL of the fat off, it would have worked just fine, but as it was, the fat simply did not render Sous-Vide at 135F for 4+ hours. It was still chewy and bad. So, I put it in the oven, brought it up to 205F, and that "saved it" and I ate it just like brisket. It was also delicious!

The remaining flat I put in the freezer... it was too big to cook for my family at this time. Perhaps I'll revisit this topic later on. 

Why Sous Vide?

 Essentially most beef cuts fall into one of two categories: Lean and Tender (Tenderloin, Sirloin, Strip Steaks) and the traditional wisdom is that these are best cooked as rare as you care to eat to preserve that tenderness. The classic issue comes with trying to get good dark crust on the outside without overcooking the inside. So you gently bring the meat up to temp (like in a 225F oven). Then blast it with the hottest heat you can for the shortest time you can, e.g. a charcoal fire or a cast iron skillet.  Sous Vide helps here but isn't essential, it's just a fancy oven and ensures you don't overcook it. You can overcook a Sirloin in an oven by bringing it to 140F instead of 130F but in a 130F Sous Vide bath it will simply never overcook. 

The other common types of meats are Tough and Fatty. These are the classic BBQ meats. Brisket. Chuck. Ribs. Tail. These are fantastic cooked to a done temp of ~205F for hours and hours where the fat the renders and the protein breaks down and you get an extremely tasty, tender cut. Sous Vide can help here if you don't have a smoker or a reliable oven... essentially an apartment dweller without access to other cuts might benefit.

Then you have fatty, tender cuts like a Ribeye. These are delicious pretty much any way you cook them. Sous Vide can help by cooking these longer than you normally would, helping to sofen up and render otherwise unappetizing fat chunks. You cook the roast for hours and hours but keep the temp around 137F. It never overcooks but it renders the fat. It's especially good with Prime Rib. 
Then lastly you've got Lean, Tough Cuts. Your Top Round, Bottom Round, Bottom Sirloin, and Shank steaks are all very lean and very tough. Traditionally these would be ground up. Or tenderized with a mallet. And/or marinated with a tenderizing agent like Worcester. But the Sous Vide offers another option... cook them a long time at a low temp. You can Soua Vide them for 12 hours at 133F and never overcook them, but the long cook time will soften up the protein fibers and you will get a decent steak. It will never be a Ribeye or a Tenderloin, but it will be good.

Today I Sous Vide cooked a London Broil at 133F for 8 hours. Doing it again, I would probably go longer, to get it more tender. 

The meat comes out gray after the Sous Vide step.

 Light up the cheap grill using old briquettes. These might be the hottest briquettes I've ever poured!

 Meat goes on, and all we're looking for is color.

Looks great! Time to take it off and slice.

 

Looks great and tasted fantastic!

 

Pulled Pork on the Weber Summit Kamado

 Pulled pork is easy. 

Smoking on the Weber Summit Kamado is easy. 

So with this setup it's very difficult to mess up!

I will show you the method I used for this cook, but I often change up my method. The single most import factor for any smoked meat, including pulled pork, is Time and Temp. Make sure you cook it for long enough and get it hot enough to pull apart easily. This will can take anywhere from 5-12 hours depending on the temperatures and method you use. (If you think it's "done" after three hours, its probably not, it definitely needs more time to break down.)

 I started with a Boneless Pork "Boston Butt" Shoulder from Costco. They are cheap, uniform, and readily available. You can also use a bone-in pork shoulder. You can also use the Picnic cut, which is the lower part of the whole shoulder, or the "pork neck" cut, which is sort of a half Boston Butt popular in Europe.

 I like to score the fat. This ensures a crispier final product and lets more seasoning and binder and smoke and flavor down into the meat. This isn't necessary, especially for Pulled Pork, but I like to do it. I find I have more bit of tasty bark in the final product if I do this.

I generally use a Binder and Rub. Binders are "controversial" right now in that many people say you don't need them, and they're right that you don't need them, but the Binder allows you to add another layer of flavor, and also allows more seasoning to stick to the meat. I like to pick a Binder that complements the flavor profile I am using. Yellow Mustard is "standard" but the subtle tumeric hints don't really stand out against a typical aggressive seasoning, and the dominant vinegar notes are lost and sweated away during the cook. So like to use Hot Sauce if I'm going for a Spicy Rub, a sweet BBQ Sauce if I 'm going for a Sweet Rub, and Spicy Brown Mustard if I'm going for classic Barbecue Flavors.

This Pork seasoning I picked up has a lot of brown sugar and sweeter notes, so I used Sweet Baby Rays, the sweetest BBQ sauce I can think of, as my binder. (Later on we will balance this sweetness with a more aggressive smoke.) 
 

 One benefit of the boneless Pork Butt from Costco is you can fold it open and get seasoning inside this. Always do this when you have the opportunity. I dry brined this, meaning I left it in the fridge uncovered overnight. This helps draw more flavor in. When used without a binder, this can also dry it out and reduce your cook time. With a binder, your cook time will probably remain the same.

 

One reason I like the Weber Summit Kamado is that I can fit whole logs or wood splits into the base. This allows for an aggressive smoke profile. What you see here is a Mesquite Log, my personal favorite wood.

 

Simply place in the log in the Summit and cover it with coals.

 I am using Kingsford Professional Briquettes from Costco because they're what I have. I also like to use Natural Lump, which for most brands produces a subtle campfire flavor. Extruded Charcoal is good also; it produces no flavors at all and lasts especially long. 

I am using the Baskets from Slow and Sear. They replaced by aging, rusted, warping Weber Charcoal Baskets. They are much thicker, made of durable 304 Stainless Steel (instead of Chromed Stainless Steel), and a little bit taller. But they still fit in the base. They do NOT fit on the "second rack" under the grill grate since they are designed for the Weber Kettle, but they do work for me here.

I am using them as "void space" for a full 16-20+ hour Brisket cook I either would not use them at all, or I would use them filled with coals. But here I am using them to keep the coals and the log together for what I assume will be a shorter 5-10 hour cook.

 Not pictured is me placing a firestarter under some of the coals and lighting them directly. No chimney today! I want a lower, slower fire. Instead of my usual 275F-325F which I usually do for pork, I am doing a lower 225F because I don't want the brown suger in my rub to burn. In retrospect I absolutely could have done 250F-275F just fine, and it probably would have worked better. Sometimes you can go too low and dry the meat out without cooking it fast enough, like a food dehydrator.

 We put the deflector on, put a drip pan on, and put the pork on. I like to use a water bath with every cook, so I filled it with water. I find it helps maintain even temps. Part of the pork flap is falling off to the side; a balled up piece of foil will keep it next to the full butt for even cooking.

 Now comes the easy part. We keep the top and bottom vents cracked and we just let it ride at temp the whole way. I was aiming for 225F the whole time and that's essentially what I got. It may have spiked to 250F or as low as 200F but pork can take the variation. Again, in retrospect, I should have aimed for a little bit hotter, in which case I'd have cracked the vents a little bit more open, but the grill held the temperature I wanted at the time, for pretty much the entire time.

 A few hours in and everything is looking fantastic. Despite my best efforts, part of the seasoning is darkening faster than I'd like, but there's nothing I could have done to prevent that except use a different seasoning.

 Later on I added some wings, as an appetizer for dinner. I'll do a post on those later. At this point I really should have wrapped the pork since the bark was set. But, I chose not to, and the pork still turned out fantastic. 

Both are coming along nicely.

 Under a 275F fire my pork would eventually have hit 205F-206F and been ready to pull off. But at the <225F heat I was going, it was done at around 190F. The trick is to go by feel. It probed extremely tender, and at 11 hours in I knew any further I'd be drying it out. So I pulled it off and shredded it up. My favorite method for shredding (after seeing it on American's Test Kitchen) is to put it in a blender with additional seasoning, juices from the cook, and a pinch of MSG. This results in every bite of pork having a great, juicy flavor. 

Since I never wrapped, I was unable to preserve the juices (and a TON of fat rendered out) so this pork was slightly dryer than I am used to. It was still delicious, and VERY smokey. Might have been the smokiest pork I've ever made. 

 The Pork is so smokey and meaty that it really needs a sweet sauce to balance it out. I normally don't use Sweet Baby Rays but this smokey Marlborough Pork really benefited from the sweetness it added.

 The next day we look at the fire, and see a good portion of the log is still intact. Probably could have smoked on that for another 3+ hours! The Summit really allows you to smoke for a LONG time if you use a proper setup.

Smoker Tier List

 

 

This tier list of smokers will probably ruffle some feathers.

Charcoal Grill Tier List

•  This is based on Charcoal Grills, only. Although Smoke and indirect functions were taken into account, I am not listing dedicated smokers, like Barrel Smokers, Weber Smokey Mountains, or Offsets.
•  I am including things like, Versatility, Durability, Ease-of-use, and Value.
•  I have not used all of these grills. In fact, I do not believe I have used most of these. This is based off of reviews that I've read, watched, and seen, as well as my own experiences.
• This shouldn't be used as a buying guide. If you want any assistance with picking out a new grill, comment or reach out.  

Were Vintage Grills Better?

 

Short answer: No.

Long answer: 

 I recently purchased the Woodland Brazier.  It markets itself, "FOR THE BEST IN BARBECUING" and features an ADJUSTABLE 3 position GRATE

 

It cost me $30 at an antique store, which I thought was a pretty good deal considering it has obviously never been used and still has the original packaging.

Rest assured, this is a collector's item and I will not use it myself... at least, not without taking extreme care to ensure that the charcoal does not damage the paint job. 

It is VERY basic. One could accomplish the same with with a stainless steel cookie sheet over a campfire. Or a few coals in a Cast Iron Skillet they don't mind ruining the seasoning on. Or a stainless steel pan they don't mind warping.

If you watch videos of how to grill from the 1950s-1960s, the instructions explain that the griller has to constantly baste the meat. Because if they don't, it will burn, being so close to the coals.

Probably the neatest, most "advanced" feature on the Brazier is the 3-position grate system. This allows for cooking over the coals in roughly 1" increments, allowing for close direct heat, medium direct heat, and far direct heat. (I'll be doing a post later on as for why controlling direct heat is important.) But aside from that, the Brazier has almost no features of convenience.

 

There is no charcoal rack, which would allow for better airflow under the charcoal. 

There are no vents, which allows for better airflow into the charcoal and over the food, and ideally out a lid vent.

But this has no lid, which would allow for smoking and indirect cooking. 

I have an $8 clearance grill from Target that has all of these things. 

 It also has a carrying handle, foldable legs, and a sturdier grate. 

The grate on the Woodland Brazier is a single coiled piece of metal spot-welded to a second, bent piece of metal. 

In nearly every respect the $8 Grill Smith [MADE IN CHINA] is a superior grill. 

But there's something about the Woodland Brazier that harkens back to a simpler, happier, more optimistic time. It was made in New Rochelle, a suburb of New York City. Its bright colors show an optimistic post-war mentality. The future was bright and fun. 

From a historical, I find this grill interesting. For literally millions of years, people have been cooking over fire. People have been cooking over fire since before they were people. Pre-human proto-hominids were cooking before Homo Sapiens even evolved. At every point in history, people were cooking over fire, all over the world, in every civilization, daily. Ancient Egyptions, Ancient Romans, Ancient Mesopotamians, Ancient Native Americans, Ancient Chinese, Medieveal Peasants, during the Renaissance, and before the Industrial Revolution, people were cooking over fire everywhere all the time. Grilling and smoking wasn't special, it was just "cooking." It wasn't until the Industrial Revolution and the invention of the gas oven and the electric oven that people forgot how to cook with fire. It wasn't until around 1900 that, suddenly, Grilling and Smoking became primitive and old-fashioned. It wasn't for another 40-50 years that it was then re-discovered as a unique, special outdoor thing practiced by only enthusiasts. And what did these enthusiasts, these consumers, these New York City dwellers do? They had to buy a product to cook over fire, they had to buy a product to do what humans had been doing for nearly a million years. 

And the Woodland Brazier wasn't unique, there are a lot of "grills" that are extremely basic and do little more than hold a grate over some coals. The most advanced ones included a rotisserie. 

But the best grills in the 1950s had lids, vents, and allowed for precise temperature control. Those better products still survive to today, those brands like Weber and PK Grills, mostly unchanged from the original.

Two Steaks One Way, Sous Vide then Grilled

For Friday night dinner I decided to cook up some steaks. I was out all day and so I sous-vide them while I was out. 

One was a Wegmans Strip Steak

One was a Tenderloin Filet from the Butcher.

 I dry-brined them in the fridge, salt only, for about an hour beforehand. I did not want to over brine them.

 

I sous-vide them for 133F, which I have found is a good temp for a perfect Medium-Rare. I ended up having them submerged for about eight hours total, which I believe was too long. In the future I think I will stick to 4 hours maximum for steaks. 

When they were done, they looked just fine, grey and unappetizing but extremely tender, which is what you want from a Sous-Vide cook. I patted them down with paper towels and let them come to room temperature before coating them in black pepper. I fired up the small grill for a sear. I re-used standard Kingsford charcoal for this. It re-lit just fine (but last time was a very short cook) though I'm not sure I could use them again.

I seared both until they had a nice, dark, blackened crust and plenty of browning where there wasn't black. The Interior temp never went above the original 133F, so this really was Textbook Medium Rare. I was surprised that the interior was a solid pink as opposed to red. Perhaps the long sous-vide?

 

Anyway, the Steak tasted fantastic from NEARLY all perspectives, except one. The flavor was great, very beefy, well salted but not overly so, and enough pepper for a slight kick. It was EXTREMELY tender. The filet nearly melted in my mouth and the strip steak had a pleasant "bite" but no real "chew" at all. We were happy with the steaks. 

Except that I personally felt they were too dry. My wife did not agree with me, though she remarked that the Tenderloin was actually too tender for her tastes.

So I think they were sous-vide for too long. That accounts for the extreme tenderness, and it accounts for the dryness. I had heard that overcooking in the sous-vide step can dry out all of the juices, and that's how I felt. Next time I would sous vide for less time, OR serve a long sous-vide steak with a sauce, or at least melted butter. NEXT TIME!