Wild Firebrand

Space Boy was visiting last weekend and we decided to smoke some meat because when I smoked meat the weekend before he got here, I only took *some* pictures during the stages. So, here’s a mismatched collection of images with instructions on how to smoke meat. This is less a recipe and more a process, but you’ll get the ‘smoking’ point. hahahaha — i’m punny!

I’m using an upright smoker your dad bought me for my birthday last year. The “steps” or “process” for smoking is rather simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. The “practice” of smoking meat is a commitment until it becomes an artform.

It’s kinda like T1D in that, if the heat is too high — you have to take steps to lower it. If the heat is too low — you have to take steps to raise it. So, you’re constantly babysitting the smoker thermometer to keep it consistent — over many hours. Obvs, for a brisket, it’s basically 18 hours, but you can do a turkey breast in 3 and ribs in 2. So, imma show you the turkey and ribs we did.

Start here. With a charcoal chimney (or two — like I do) and LUMP charcoal — not briquettes. LUMP! Scrunch some newspaper in the bottom and light it on fire. Wait for the charcoal to turn WHITE on the top of that chimney.

Almost there, but not quite. Then take both chimneys (if you did two) and put them in the side burner of the smoker. (If you’re using a standing grill, either create a ring around the center — where you will put your meat; OR put the charcoal on one side of the grill and use the other side for your meat…..but bc your dad bought me a fancy smoker, I get to use the side burner.)

Ok, that pic shows I got a little impatient and put the coals on before they were completely ashed over, but whatever. It’s NOT a GOOD idea to ONLY use LUMP charcoal. You need wood — dry wood — to keep the heat and smoke the meat. So, you’ll want to put the wood on top of the charcoal. Use mesquite, or hickory, or cherrywood, or applewood — whatever, you want both chips — for fast heat, and chunks for slower heat, and logs for longer heat. I use all three to smoke my meat — it gives me options and therefore more control over that temperature.

It’ll blaze in the beginning until the fire catches. But after an hour (or more) — of adding charcoal, adding chips, adding chunks, and adding logs — layering, eventually, you’ll get a healthy heat.

You’ll know it’s ready when the white smoke is gone and the ‘blue’ smoke — the kind you can’t see except that it ripples the air and makes it look like your contacts are fuzzy — like the pic below. THAT’s when it is ready for meat.

The thermometer helps too! (EVERY SINGLE skilled smoker will tell you to get a meat thermometer that has an app that attaches to your phone so you can monitor the temp — and they’re right, but as Space Boy says, “It’s not that deep” when we are just doing it for fun and friends and family.) But still. 275 Degrees is your target.

Ok, back to the kitchen — while your fire is burning to the right temperature, there’s a lot of ‘sitting around’ so use that time to prep your meat. (As you know, I like to brine our turkey so for smoking, I soak it overnight in apple juice with salt and then pat it dry before smoking it.) For ribs, I take them out of the fridge before I start the fire so they have time to get to room temperature. Once I’m back in the kitchen, I remove the silver skin from the rib rack — and if I’m using the stand up smoker, I cut the rack into two.

I like to coat the ribs with honey — I especially like using spicy honey with interesting flavors.

After the honey, I rub both sides with whatever dry rub sounds good to me or I have on hand or I got from a farmer’s market or combo loco or whatever. BUT — and you all know I have made this mistake many times — WATCH OUT FOR HOW MUCH SALT is in the rub. Be careful. I usually don’t add brown sugar, because I use honey and your dad isn’t a huge fan of “sweet meat” but the spicy honey plus a rub works well for us. Rub both sides and let the ribs rest a bit.

Rub the turkey breasts too (I used a citrus lime rub on these three) — leave the netting on them to keep them together. Remember, the turkey takes 3 hours so it goes on an hour before the ribs do — once the heat is burning blue at 275 degrees, you can put the turkeys in the tower.

You see that drip pan there at the bottom of that tower — I poured the salted apple juice brine into it so it releases vapors of flavor while it’s smoking and keeps the meat moist.

Seal the tower and leave it alone while maintaining that temp. If it’s not hot enough, add layers of wood/charcoal. The larger the wood log/chunk/chip, the slower the heat increases, but the longer the duration lasts. To reduce temps, slowly close the bottom vent, but not all the way or you’ll kill your fire (as you know, fire needs air to live #astrologyFTW).

Keep babying that fire — keeping it hot enough but not too hot — maintaining that 275 degree temp.

When it’s time — add the ribs to the tower — which OF COURSE, I didn’t get a picture of, but I put two halves on a rack. I had 4 halves.

Space Boy did, however, get a pic of the cribbage board while we babysat the temp. #mommasonfire

Anyway, once the turkey reaches the internal temp of 160 degrees (I know because i put a meat thermometer in my pocket and checked the turkeys after 3 hours), pull them out of the smoking tower. Then cut the strings off the breasts, but don’t carve them yet. They need to rest.

Check the ribs — if the meat has PULLED back (or shrunk inward) from the bone, they’re ready to get out of the smoker. While the tower is open, throw some hot dogs on there.

These weren’t quite ready yet so I put them back on, but didn’t take a pic when they were ready — you can see the meat pull off the bone a little with the rack on the right. That one was ready.

Once they ARE ready and you’ve pulled them out of the tower……LET THE MEAT REST!!!! Seriously — let the meat rest. Like a sleeping toddler — don’t wake the baby — let it rest.

See — I tried to get a picture the first time, but it the ribs were all gone by the time I got there and by the time I tried to eat, the turkey was gone too. BUT LOOK at that SMOKE RING!!!

Add barbecue sauce if you want, but we eat them without the sugary coating. Mostly.

MMMhhmmmm — so juicy! Go get the hot dogs too.

Serve with Momma ChaCha’s Potato Salad — and MeMe’s Cabbage Salad if you can get some!! Your momma likes baked beans too, but I think me and the red head are the only ones who do.

You can smoke anything you want to, fam. It’s pretty simple; but not easy — and it takes practice to perfect it into an art form. But, it brings people together — and while you babysit the thermometer and tend the fire, you can share a lot of time with the people you love. SO MUCH. Your momma loves you enough to smoke the meat! MWAH!!