MikeUSMC: "Bury Me in Smoke"

Rajun Gardener · Dec 23, 2019

LOL!!!

Try this for your New Years party snacks!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjEkcY4jbfw&t=508s

MikeUSMC · Apr 5, 2020

Whats up, gang! Been away for a while, but Ive been cooking the whole time

Got a couple of big pic dumps coming up...

I catered my first party, back in January, for a buddy from work. Ended up smoking like 90lbs of meat

2 briskets, 2 pork shoulders, 2 slabs of pork belly, and 20lbs of chicken thighs:

We all had a great time, and he wants me to cater his kids birthday party this summer too
Might end up smoking a whole pig, plus a lot of that stuff too ^

MikeUSMC · Apr 5, 2020

Random competition style chicken thigh pic dump!
(Multiple cooks)

I absolutely love these freakin things!

My go to chicken supplies:

^ Not pictured, but I bought a jaccard a few weeks ago and havent had a chance to use it yet. Looking forward to seeing if it makes a difference or not

The first few times I tried making these, I thought the prep work was such a PITA. But now, I really enjoy it! The end result is TOTALLY worth it when theyre done!

Take my word for it, and mix these 2 sauces (50/50). After the chicken is cooked, dunk them into this sauce combo and throw them back on the smoker for another 5-10 minutes for the glaze to set. So damn tasty!
:cheers:

luvmesump3pp3rz · Apr 5, 2020

that food looks absolutely killer Mike. :cheers:

MikeUSMC · Apr 5, 2020

These were probably some of the tastiest ribs Ive ever made.
Sweet and sticky-icky-icky! :party:

St. Louis cut

Cleaned up

Rubbed

This rub is sweet as hell, and absolutely FANTASTIC on ribs. The rib glaze is out of this fucking world too
(Dump the glaze into the foil during the wrapped portion of the cook)

BOOM

My only complaint with these is that there was barely on meat on the bones! Some of the skimpiest ribs Ive ever seen! :rofl:

Flavor was on point though!

Chorizo857_62J · Apr 5, 2020

Oh My Lord! Lookin' Great!

MikeUSMC · Apr 5, 2020

My birthday was yesterday, so I smoked a brisket overnight Friday night.

First time using B&B briquettes, and I absolutely loved them. Burned for a super long time, and they burn really hot

Compared to Kingsford blue bag:

Been hard to find meat in the stores lately with all the shit going on in the world right now but Restaurant Depot had NO shortage of meat when I was in there the other day. Definitely worth checking out if you know anyone with a membership!

Out of the package:

Trimmed up:

Injected with Kosmos Q brisket injection and rubbed with Harry Soos beef rub

Took about 14 hours:

I also used Kosmos brisket mop during the wrap:

Sliced and diced!

Drunken sammies late last night :beer:

Like always, thanks for looking everybody!
:cheers:

MikeUSMC · Apr 5, 2020

luvmesump3pp3rz said:
that food looks absolutely killer Mike.

Chorizo857_62J said:
Oh My Lord! Lookin' Great!

Thanks, guys! I appreciate it!
:party:

Kevin, we’ve seriously gotta meet up at my house this Summer for some BBQ and beers, man!
:cheers:

MikeUSMC · Apr 5, 2020

Heres some random pics of my BBQ arsenal that seems to be growing by the minute, lol :rofl:

Ive been running out of room for all of my rubs and gadgets and shit so I had to grab a new toolbox to put everything in, hahaha

Ive been almost exclusively using Kosmos Q products for that past month or two. Every single rub, injection, mop, and glaze Ive tried from him are off the fucking hook good! EVERY. SINGLE. ONE.
I HIGHLY recommend trying any of these for yourself if you get the chance. The Ace Hardware up the street from me carries all this stuff, at a cheaper price than I could find online. Some of the stuff at Ace was even cheaper than on Kosmos website too! Ive become a very frequent flyer there lately, lol

New knife set that my amazing wife got me for Christmas :party:

Im in the market for a knife sharpener now. Any recommendations are welcome

Birthday presents from the wife and kids yesterday!
This book is freakin AMAZING. Everything you could possibly want to know about ANY cut of meat!
My wifes calling me a meat nerd now :rofl:

They got me a gift box of Malcom Reeds whole lineup too

Im gonna need a bigger toolbox
:cheers:

boutros · Apr 5, 2020

BBQ toolbox? Who in the hell would not love that? I’ll have to keep an eye out for some of that stuff

Ashen · Apr 6, 2020

Mike. I have that exact same injector in green. I even store the needle inside like that. Did you get yours at a farm supply store too?

If you want to geek out on sharpening I would suggest Waterstones and leather strop with honing paste to finish.

I have heard good things about the Lansky sharpening system , and read great things about edgepro apex system. Don't know much about the electric sharpening options .

BDASPNY · Apr 6, 2020

all of that looks amazing!!!

if you need an official food taster id love to apply for that position. :cheers:

Downriver · Apr 6, 2020

Nice! And I agree, there's not a better tasting protein than a smoked chicken thigh done right.

Now it's time to broaden your horizons with cookers. I know you bought that stick burner and it looks like you've mastered it. I think you already have a WSM. How about a cabinet cooker? They're fun, and present a whole different cooking methodology. I like Backwoods myself, but there's a bunch of good ones out there.

Smoke on.

stettoman · Apr 6, 2020

Really beautiful cooks, Mike!

Why do I read these damned threads before I've eaten anything?

Shorerider · Apr 7, 2020

Great looking cooks, mate......as always. To further add to what Ashen has already suggested regarding knife sharpening, can I suggest this:

Much the same principle as an actual Lansky, but this one enables you to flip the knife without unclamping it. I have the older Lansky style which works very well.

bob65 · Apr 8, 2020

Food looks awesome as usual.

I use what is known down here as paper wheels to sharpen my knives. Look them up on YouTube. They are cardboard type wheels that you replace the grinding wheels on a bench grinder with.

Dull knife to shaving sharp in minutes. Sharper than I am able to do with any other method that I have used.

Sent from my SM-A530F using Tapatalk

MikeUSMC · Apr 8, 2020

Thanks for the compliments and knife sharpener recommendations, guys! Ashen and Shorerider, those Lansky type options seem pretty cool and, eventually, Id like to work my way up to whetstones and a stropping block. In the meantime, I think Im leaning towards something like this:

^ That particular one got some great reviews online, and seems very user friendly for someone whos just getting their feet wet in sharpening. Another thing that I like about it is that its extremely portable, and you can quickly suction it down to the countertop or just hold it in your hand to use it. Looks like its pretty foolproof

https://www.bigpoppasmokers.com/frdick-rapid-steel-action-knife-sharpener-with-stand

Bob, I really do like the idea of those paper wheels too! I just finished watching a few videos on them. Id never seen those before. I already have a 6 inch bench grinder and found some wheels online for about $40, which isnt bad at all, IMO. Seems a lot less time consuming too.

Thanks again, guys
:cheers:

Unrelated: I had to get a new phone last week and, apparently, its not letting me use apostrophes or quotation marks in my posts. They show up in the preview, but disappear in the final post.
Its (< IT IS) driving me fucking crazy, lol

MikeUSMC · Apr 8, 2020

DownRiver said:
Now it's time to broaden your horizons with cookers. I know you bought that stick burner and it looks like you've mastered it. I think you already have a WSM. How about a cabinet cooker? They're fun, and present a whole different cooking methodology. I like Backwoods myself, but there's a bunch of good ones out there.

Jeeze, Rick! You gonna sponsor me and send me one?!?!

No, I dont have a WSM though. Just the whiskey barrel UDS and the trailer offset. Much to my wifes dismay (Im not sure if she really knows that Im serious :rofl:

), I do want to get another cooker. I was seriously considering a BGE or a Kamado Joe before I bought the trailer last year, simply for their consistency and reliability. What steered me away though, was the square footage of cooking space. They really dont fit much more meat than my barrel with the 22.5 grate(s). Eventually, Id like to get a pellet smoker, which would finally allow me to get some decent sleep during overnight cooks, lol. Possibly a cabinet style one; who knows?

Before I do that though, Id really like to get (or build) a NICE steel drum UDS. I dont think my whiskey barrel has too many years left in her; air leaks like a mofo, and its tipped over 2 or 3 times on me, over the years. Its so damn top-heavy with the lid, and the lid is like a freakin kite on windy days, lol. Two years ago on Thanksgiving, it was windy as hell outside. Id just taken the turkey off the barrel and started heading towards the front door, while carrying the turkey in the pan. Before I could reach the door, I heard the crash, hahaha. Turned around and it was laying on its side, rolling towards the mulch; little Weber full of hot charcoal and everything. Fucking coals everywhere; inside the barrel and all over my front patio. Water pan spilled fucking everywhere. What a nightmare :rofl:

Another aspect of UDSs that I like is the adjustable top vents, which I dont have on my barrel. I mean, I guess I could change the exhaust pipes out, but... a new UDS sounds a lot cooler

Shorerider · Apr 8, 2020

To be honest, Mike I do most of my sharpening on a sharpening steel. They're quick, and return a sharp edge in a matter of a few passes. F.Dick make quality products, I just finished restoring a 1930's F.Dick butcher's knife.

I have no doubt that sharpener would work well given their history in the business.

As for the UDS, you know it's going to happen sooner or later right? :lol:

Chorizo857_62J · Apr 8, 2020

All I can say is WOW...just WOW!