Silver Skin
Large cuts of meats such as butts, tenderloins, ribs etc have a thin membrane surrounding the muscle called silver skin. Unlike collagen, silver skin does not dissolve during the cooking process and should be removed. If left intact, it will toughen during the cook.
The removal process can be somewhat daunting but with practice it will become “second nature”. Simply slide the blade of a very sharp knife under the membrane working along under the silver skin trying not to remove too much meat.
When it comes to ribs, the silver skin is opposite the meat side. Using a knife will not effectively remove the membrane. On the wide side of the rib, carefully slide a knife under the silver skin and try to pry it up so you can grab it with your fingers. You will need a paper towel to help grab the membrane so it won’t slip out of your fingers. Pull the skin back off the rib.
How to Remove the Membrane on Pork Ribs
There is a “rubbery” membrane on the backside of pork ribs. Competitive Pitmasters will always remove this membrane prior to cooking. Leaving the membrane intact will make a well cooked rack of ribs mediocre. The membrane adds nothing to taste and tenderness and only distracts from it. Also removing the membrane allows seasoning to come in direct contact with the meat.
To remove the membrane can be frustrating. Place the ribs on the counter meat side down. Slide a knife under the very end of the membrane at the widest part of the rib. It’s only necessary to pick up an edge of the membrane enough to grab with your thumb and forefinger. With a paper towel grab hold of the membrane and tear back to the narrow end of the rack. Many times only a portion of the membrane will pull off so you have to start the process over to remove the remainder.
Sounds like a lot of work but if you want your guests to have a first class BBQ experience it is well worth it.
How to cook on a BBQ 42
Your BBQ 42 will cook some of the juiciest, moist and tender chicken you ever had. But, the BBQ 42 is not limited to just chicken, it will equally cook chops, steaks, wings etc., anything that will fit in the “clamping rotating grate”.
Want a big direct cooking grill for dogs and burgers then just pull up the charcoal pan to midway on the BBQ 42, hang up the top half of the grate and you have a large charcoal grill.
Here’s how to cook on the BB 42-
Remove the grate.
Load enough charcoal in the cooker to have one layer of briquettes touching each other.
Briquettes provide an even heat over lump.
Then spread a few more coals lightly and evenly over the first layer.
Rake the coals into a pile in the center and light with a torch or chimney.
Allow the coals to burn for about 30 mins. or until you noticed they are well lit.
Spread the coals evenly across the bottom making certain that the sides have coals.
Re-install the grate and spray the inner part of the grate with vegetable oil.
Load the grate with chicken. Start from the center and work towards the sides.
You should get about 40 lbs. of chicken on a full grate.
Season the chicken right on the grate.
Clamp the grate.
Don’t leave the 42 unattended. It cooks very hot!
You will have to turn the grate every 1 ½ mins. or as needed.
You have a choice to cook with the lid up or down.
Lid down will give you a little more smoke and lessen the cook time.
Cook time will be somewhere between 45 to 50 mins. or when the internal temperature of the chicken reaches between 170 to 180.
Flare ups-
It’s best to trim your chicken as you would any other meat removing fat.
Fat isn’t necessary to achieve juicy, moist chicken.
If the 42 flares up close the bottom vents and close the lid. Starving the 42 of air will stop the flare up. DO NO CLOSE THE VENTS ON THE HOOD. KEEP THEM FULL OPEN AT ALL TIMES.
Lard Have Mercy
Roasting a Pig on a TS Series Smoker
If possible, place the smoker in an area where it is somewhat protected from the wind. Also away from anything flammable.
Coat the cooking grate with spray cooking oil.
Remove the cooking grate from the smoker and place the pig on it.
Optional-inject the butts and hams with a mixture of apple juice, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper and garlic salt.
Rub the skin of the pig with vegetable oil.
Wrap tinfoil on the feet, snout and ears.
Load the fire box with about 20 lbs. of charcoal.
Light the charcoal and once you have a good burn throw in a couple of logs.
Fully open firebox vents.
Allow approximately 45-60 mins. for the smoker temp. to reach 300 to 325.
Ideally when the smoker reaches 325 place the pig and cooking grate in the smoker.
Your temperature is going to drop because of putting on the cold pig.
Don’t worry. Once the pig starts to warm up your temp. will come back up.
Maintain about 300 degrees on the gauge.
Maintaining temp. will be accomplished by either slightly closing the vents to lower temps and opening to raise temps.
Once adjusted it should stay at 300.
Add charcoal and wood as needed to maintain 300 degrees.
When the meat temp. reaches at least 185+ (higher like 190+ is OK) by using an instant read thermometer ( not dial ones-they can be off 25 degrees) your ready to remove the pig. Test the temp. both in the hams and butts. If the temps vary bring the lowest temp up to 185+ and don’t worry about the high temp.
You need at least two people to remove the pig.
Place a table close to the smoker. On it have the board you plan on placing the pig. Check that the feet are not stuck.
Carefully lifting the head and the butt and also trying to support the trunk move the pig onto the board.
You can also leave the pig on the grate for serving.
Double wrap the pig with heavy duty tinfoil.
Cover the pig with a blanket.
Allow to rest at least 1 hr.
The pig will stay hot for at least 3 hrs. and warm for several.
Garnish with greens and cut up fruit of varying colors.
Rule of thumb:
1 hr. for every 10 lbs. of pig.
Allow “wiggle room” of 1.5 hrs. in case the cook is taking longer and also to give the meat time to rest.
Plan 1lb. of charcoal for every LB. of pig. Again on larger pigs you may need less.
Lard Have Mercy
Roasting a Pig on a PR Series Cooker
If possible, place the roaster in an area where it is somewhat protected from the wind. Also away from anything flammable.
Coat the cooking grate with spray cooking oil.
Remove the cooking grate from the roaster and place the pig on it.
Optional-inject the butts and hams with a mixture of apple juice, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper and garlic salt or as we do, Pro grade Butcher Pork Injection.
Lightly rub the skin of the pig with vegetable oil.
Wrap tinfoil on the feet, snout and ears.
Remove the roaster drip pan.
Fill pig roaster with 3/4 lb. of charcoal per lb. of pig spread evenly across the length of the roaster.
If you have a gas roaster preheat to 300 degrees.
If you have a gas roaster with a charcoal insert, place about 8# of charcoal in each trough, light and you can add a couple of small chunks of wood for smoke.
Bring the roaster up to 300 degrees.
Light each end of the laid out coals (do not light everything).
If you have a few pieces of wood (6”x6”) put them just in front of the lit coals.
Replace the drip pan and close the lid.
Fully open the top and side vents.
Allow approximately 45-60 mins. for the roaster temp. to reach 300.
Ideally when the roaster reaches 300 place the pig and cooking grate on the roaster.
Your temperature is going to drop because of putting on the cold pig.
Don’t worry. Once the pig starts to warm up your temp. will come back up.
Maintain about 300 degrees on the gauge or less. Exceeding 300 runs the risk of a dark pig.
Maintaining temp. will be accomplished by either slightly closing the vents to lower temps and opening to raise temps.
Once adjusted it should stay at 300.
Optional-2 hrs. into the cook take steel or wooden rod about 4’ long and push it through one of the bottom vents on each side of the roaster 2 times. This helps to knock down some of the ash on the coals. Do this periodically.
When the meat temp. reaches at least 185+ (higher like 190+ is OK) by using an instant read thermometer ( not dial ones-they can be off 25 degrees) your ready to remove the pig. Test the temp. both in the hams and butts. If the temps vary bring the lowest temp up to 185+ and don’t worry about the high temp.
You need at least two people to remove the pig.
Place a table close to the roaster. On it have large pieces of tin foil draped over the table so you can envelope it over the pig to keep it hot. Ideally it is best just to leave the pig on the cooking grate. Moving large pig is risky, but if you have to take it off the grate:use a pizza piel, slide it carefully under the trunk of the pig to loosen it from the grate. Check that the feet are not stuck.
Carefully lifting the head and the butt and also trying to support the trunk move the pig onto the other surface.
You can also leave the pig on the grate for serving.
Double wrap the pig with heavy duty tinfoil.
Cover the pig with a blanket.
Allow to rest at least 1 hr. or so.
The pig will stay hot for at least 3 hrs. and warm for several.
Garnish with greens and cut up fruit of varying colors.
Rule of thumb:
1 hr. of cooking time for every 10 lbs. of pig.
Add another 1.5 to 2.0 hrs.to the cook time in case the cook is taking longer and also to give the meat time to rest.
Plan 3/4lb. of charcoal for every LB. of pig. Again on larger pigs you may need less per lb.
Lard Have Mercy
Instructions for Cooking on a Meadow Creek SQ 36
Before doing any cooking you should season the smoker
Lightly spray the interior of the cooking box with vegetable oil.
Light a charcoal fire in the fire box. The best tool for this is a charcoal chimney starter. If you don’t have one, start the coals with paper and/or kindling. DO NOT USE ANY LIGHTER FLUID AND NEVER ADD ANY LIGHTER FLUID AT ANYTIME. This can foul the smoker and cause serious injury.
With the cooking box empty, allow the fire to burn at 225 degrees or higher for about two hours. You only have to do this once. Thereafter you can go right to cooking.
Cooking:
Before putting any meat in the smoker, light the fire in the fire box.
For smoking, bring the temperature up to between 225 and 250 degrees.
Do not put the meat in the smoker until your temperature stabilizes.
The cooking box will be hotter near the fire box than by the chimney. Bigger pieces of meat such as butts and brisket put at the cooler end.
Once you have constant temps, add your meat.
Typical meats for smoking are ribs (both spares and baby backs), pork butts (also known as Boston butts), brisket, sausage, keilbasa, whole chickens and turkeys, pigs, beef ribs, pork loins etc. You can cook multiple cuts and kinds of meats at the same.
Typical grilling meats are those that cook fast such as steaks, chicken parts, burgers dogs, fish, chops etc. (We recommend that you buy your meats at the supermarket to get the best price).
Depending on the meat, it can take for example: ribs-3 to 5 hours (baby backs cook faster), pork butts-7 to 10 hours, brisket-10 to 12 hours.
We suggest cooking with charcoal. Charcoal will add some smoke but for additional smoke you can add a chunk of hardwood such as hickory, oak, apple etc. or moist wood chips. NEVER add soft woods like pine.
The most accurate way to tell if your meat is ready is with a meat thermometer.
Brisket and pork butts-cook to about 200 degrees internal temperature.
Turkeys and chicken to about 180. Stick the probe between the body and the thigh without hitting a bone or if there’s a pop up in the breast use that as an indicator.
Ribs are done when you see “pull back from the tip of the bone and if you can easily tear the meat in between the bones.
We recommend you wrap pork butts, brisket and ribs in double tin foil part way through the cook and put back in the smoker to finish cooking. For the ribs and the butts we add about 4 tablespoons of honey and two tablespoons of brown sugar and then wrap them.
Wrap as follows:
Ribs at about the 1 ½ hours mark, pork butts and brisket when the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees. This helps to keep the meat from drying out. The foil will not interfere with smoking since meat will stop accepting smoke after 140 degrees.
Make sure you season your meats with your favorite seasonings prior to cooking and if you have an injector, inject the briskets and butts. You can inject a mixture of pork bouillon and seasoning for the butts and beef bouillon and seasoning for the brisket.
The beauty of BBQ is each smoker will cook differently. The more you cook the better you will get to know your smoker (kinda like your car). As with any grill weather, temperature, humidity and wind will effect the cook. If you any questions, no matter how simple you may think they are, just call us and we will be glad to help out. We want your BBQ experience to be a successful one.
Lard Have Mercy
Spatchcocking
Spatchcocking, another term for butterflying, is basically cutting the backbone out of a chicken or turkey splitting it in half and placing on the grill skin side up.
Spatchcocking takes a piece of meat that is configured like a football and brings it down to a more symmetrical size providing a more even cook across the entire bird. It also makes crisping the entire skin easier, provides more surface area for seasoning and lessens the cook time.
Spatchcocking is simple and here’s how it works:
Lay the bird breast side down on a cutting board.
Cut on both sides of the spine and remove it.
Spread the two halves apart.
Turn the bird over placing your hands over the breast bone and push down hard, like giving CPR.
Season both sides, place on the grill or smoker and that’s it.
How to Thaw Meats
As most experienced grillers have experienced, fresh meat is a lot better than meat that has been thawed. There are a lot of juices that are lost when the meat is thawed, and that is part of what helps to keep the meat so tender.
You want to thaw your meat, but you don’t want to encourage bacteria to grow. This is between the temperatures of 41°F to 135°F. You can slowly thaw the meat in the fridge, but if you want to do it quickly then you will want to have it in a water bath. And here is a secret- you CAN thaw in hot water!
Here are some safe methods of making sure you are safely thawing your meat:
- Thawing in the refrigerator: This is the easiest way to thaw meat. Leave it in the fridge in its packaging. It might be a good idea to put it in a pan that will catch any drips. For every four pounds, allow for a day of thawing.
- Cold water baths: you can either fill the sink or a pot large enough to hold the meat and cold water. The meat should be kept in a water tight plastic zip bag, making sure the air is out of the bag. Leave it in the cold water. If necessary, put a plate on top of it to keep it submerged. Change out the water every 30 minutes. Allow for 30 minutes per pound.
- Extreme cold water baths: This method will give you the least amount of purged fluids which would otherwise be good for tenderness. Put the meat in an airless zip bag and put it in an insulated cooler. Cover with cold water. After an hour add a quart of ice as needed, possibly every hour, in order to keep the temperature under 40°F.
- Hot water bath: This is only for thin cuts, however, it has been proven than if you can thaw a 1” thick steak at 102°F in water within 11 minutes, you quickly pass through the zone that bacteria is able to grow, and you do it in a way that doesn’t give them time to grow. Remove the meat as soon as it is thawed. Your thawing times will vary based on how thick the meat is.
If you follow these guides then you should still be able to enjoy juicy meat that doesn’t have any bacteria in it.
How to Reverse Sear your steak
For decades, it’s been taught that in order to cook delicious steaks or chops, the grill has to be fire hot and then you throw the steak down on the grill and char it to death. This technique is called “direct searing.” The only problem is that with steaks or other meats over one inch thick, you can easily either under or overcook them. We may want the char, but we want to make sure the inside is cooked properly as well.
Using the “direct sear” technique is very similar to being on a runaway train. It becomes very tricky to adjust the grilling process once you’re going at a fast speed. The “reverse sear” technique is much more controlled.
How it Works:
You will need to utilize your gas or charcoal grill for indirect cooking. This involves lighting only half of your grill. Place the meat on the unlit side, instead of right in the fire. Close the lid to your grill and make sure to monitor the internal temperature with a digital thermometer (like our Maverick PT-100BBQ, wireless ET-732, ET 735).
By lowering the convection heat, you have brought the train to a manageable speed. Once the meat reaches an internal temperature of 120 degrees (medium 135 degrees), crank up the lit side to “mach speed” and sear the steak by flipping it back and forth to develop that nice golden brown look with the delicious char.
By this time, your internal temperature should be between 130 degrees and 135 degrees (medium 145 degrees), which would make it medium rare. There is no need to let your steak sit; it will only continue to cook from the internal heat. So enjoy it right away!
How to Season Your BBQ Smoker, Roaster or Chicken Cooker
Congatulations on your purchase.
Before you attempt to cook, your cooker should be seasoned.
The seasoning process allows you to “play” with the vents and learn how to regulate the smoker’s temperature.”
Remove the cooking grate(s) and drip pan.
Wash the cooking grate(s) with soap and water and leave out of the cooker.
With a cloth and light cooking oil, rub the underside of the lid, inside of the cooking chamber and the sides of the fire chamber.
On our TS and BX Series you do not have to season the inside of the firebox.
Without reinstalling the cooking grates, start a small fire with charcoal and bring the temperature up to 275 to 300 degrees and hold the temp for 1 ½ hours.
For our TS Series:
In addition to the above, after performing the seasoning process and the firebox is still warm, rub a light coat of cooking oil on the exterior of the firebox. This will help prolong the life of the paint job on the firebox though over time due to the intense heat you will have to lightly sand and repaint the firebox with a high heat paint.