Here is six pounds of beef brisket:

Pat the meat dry with paper towels.  Don’t neglect this step.

By the way, the white lines on the meat in this picture are from the sun shining in through the kitchen window.  Sunny fall day here in Des Moines.  Here is the Memphis Dust which is the rub I use.  The shaker is great for applying evenly to the meat.

I sprinkle the rub on both sides of the meat and rub it in nicely.  Finished product shown with sun shining on it through the window.

Lay a sheet of aluminum foil flat like this:

Add a small pile of wood chips of your choice.  I love apple.  I would have used hickory for this but I didn’t have any so apple it is.

Pile o' apple chips

Do not soak your chips in water.  Leave them dry like Meathead says. Place another sheet of foil over the top and fold over all the edges to seal the chips inside.  Here is a close-up of the corner so you know what I’m talking about.

Here is another shot of the whole chip pouch.  If you look closely you can see slits cut in the top to let the smoke escape.

Now let’s set up the smoker.  First, here is a shot of Old Smokey.

And here is a shot right down from the top.  You can’t see it in this pic but there is a metal tray that sits immediately on top of the electric heating element.  The chip pouch is sitting on this tray.

Next, add the drip pan (with about a cup of water) and the grate.

Next comes the main attraction:  six pounds of beef brisket with rub.  Notice that the fat side of the meat is up.  As the fat melts it will seep into the meat and keep it moist.

The probe from my electronic meat thermometer is fed through a hole in the side of the smoker and into the thickest part of the meat.

Now it is time to shut up the smoker.  Remember that this one seals tightly.  My neighbors hardly know anyone is smoking.  For this, I will set the thermostat to my favorite smoker setting:  medium low.

This should keep the inside temp around 225 or so.  The goal is to get the meat to about 195.  Supposedly, the temp climbs rapidly to about 145 then slows down as the heat is absorbed by the melting of the collagen and fat.  It struggles to get through the 145-165 range and then climbs normally again.  If a person is patient and doesn’t raise the temperature of the smoker during this range he is rewarded with tender juicy brisket.  If not, it can be like shoe leather.  Or so I’m told.  Until you actually do it, you don’t know what to expect yourself.

In any event, this got up to about 166 and had been on the smoker several hours.  At this point, some people take the meat off the smoker and finish it in the oven.  I just turned the smoker up to medium.  The temp immediately began to climb.  I took it off at 199.  I snapped a nice photo of the finished brisket but for whatever reason the camera didn’t cooperate when I uploaded it to the computer.  Oh well.  Anyway, here is a shot of slabs o’ brisket:

After taking it off of the smoker I let it sit for about ten minutes then sliced it up.  Very juicy and moist but not as much flavor as I would like.  It could also stand to be slightly more tender.  Next time I will use a bit more rub and leave it in the frig overnight before firing up the smoker.  Also, I think I will start earlier and see if the meat temp will come up at the medium low setting before I turn it up.  Nevertheless, it was very good eating, especially with a little BBQ sauce on top.

I also added some of the beans then thought better of it.  I left these beans in the pot but didn’t add the rest until the broth was further along in the cooking process.  The original recipe called for 4 pounds of dried great northern beans.  I used a total of five 15 ounce cans.

I simmered the shanks for about an hour and a half.  Then I removed them from the pot and added the rest of the beans, 1 T beef soup base, 2 T ham soup base, and all the pulled pork from yesterday’s smoked pork roast.  I added 3 cloves of garlic and this simmered for about an hour while I diced up 6 cups of potatoes, and 3 cups each of carrots and celery.   Add to this a large onion chopped fine.

I bagged the veggies, cooled the broth, and put it all in the frig.  Today after work the pot went back on the stove.  When it began to simmer I added 1/2 t each of basil, allspice, and thyme; 1 1/2 t curry, 2 t pepper, and 1/4 c molasses.  Next, add all the veggies except the potatoes.  Simmer for another 25 minutes and add the potatoes.  When the taters are just about done add 1 cup of Cabernet and the secret ingredient.  That would be 2 cups of eggnog.  Really.  Heat through and serve immediately.

Pot looks like this:

Sorry I don’t have more pictures but I just got wrapped up in the process and forgot to take them.  This soup was fabulous.  Here is what it looked like.

Mostly, this is what it looked like.

Today we are smoking a pork roast.  But we are not going to be eating a smoked pork roast so this is just a plan, easy task.  The meat will be used as pulled pork for another recipe that I will post in a couple of days.  Here is our starting point:

As you can see, we have about four pounds of pork butt roast.  I am simply going to dry this off with paper towels and place it on the smoker.  No rub, no nothing.  I am using apple wood chips which I have enclosed in foil and cut a slit for the smoke to escape.

Next I placed the roast on the smoker and inserted the probe for the meat thermometer through the hole I drilled in the side of my smoker.

Place the probe so the tip is near the center of the meat like this:

Here is a shot of everything ready to go.  I just have to cover the smoker and turn the thing on:

I have set the thermometer to 190.  We want to make sure this baby is tender.

Then I set the smoker to medium low.  Nice and slow.  I’m not going anywhere and we won’t be using the meat until tomorrow so I’ve got all the time in the world.

Several hours later . . .

The roast was in the smoker about four hours.  I had to turn it up to medium the last 45 minutes or so but it got up to 190.  I took it out and it looked like this:

Once it cooled down quite a bit I pulled the roast apart to make a pile of pulled pork.  You’ll see what for soon.

Start with the Number 9.  Nothing says chili like cast iron:

If you pay close attention to that photo, you can see the spatchcocked, smoked chicken in the upper right thawing out on the counter.  Here is the onion followed by two small Anaheim peppers with a highlighter just for size comparison.

Chop the onion.

Add to the Number 9 which is now over medium heat with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil just waiting for the onion.

While the goodness is developing there, chop the peppers.

Notice the bowl below.  It contains the chopped peppers.  On top in the middle are three garlic cloves that have been run through the press.  Also present and accounted for are one tablespoon of chili powder and two tablespoons of cumin.

Add these to the onions along with a can of diced tomatoes with green chilis.  Save the beans for later.

Cook these together for about three minutes.  I think this is a real important step.

Next, add about a quart of chicken broth.

Once that comes to a boil add a teaspoon of spicy hot goodness, aka cayenne pepper.

Now, while all this was going on, my wife came into the kitchen and asked if she could help.  The only thing I had for her to do was pull the chicken which she dutifully did.

Then she chopped it up and we added it to the mixture.

This simmered on the stove for about an hour at which time I added the two cans of chili beans pictured above.

The pot then simmered for another half hour.  Then it was smoked chicken chili goodness.

Here is my assessment.  I made this last week as well.  Then, I used green pepper instead of the chilis.  This was my only variation.  It had a little too much heat for the little woman this time.  I, too, thought it was better last week.  I may try this again with the chilis but leave out the cayenne.  Or I could go back to the green pepper and leave the cayenne in.  We’ll have to see how I feel that day.  In any event, this is an excellent chili even though I have a reputation for not using chicken in chili.  Very enjoyable on a cold rainy day.

This unit is completely sealed.  It cooks very fast compared to the Brinkman.  It took me several uses before I got the hang of it.  For July 4th, I made the best pork loin ever.  I told my wife that this was not the best pork loin I have ever made, it was the best pork loin anyone has ever made.  Tender, juicy, smokey.  Just fabulous and it was done in about an hour and twenty minutes.  I had no idea how long these chickens would take but I was guessing an hour and a half.

To remove the uncertainty, I purchased an electronic meat thermometer to use with Old Smokey.  I drilled a small hole in the side to thread the probe through.  I just seal this little hole up with a small piece of paper towel during the cooking process.  The thermometer has magnets on the back so I just stick it to the side of the smoker.  When the meat reaches the desire temp, a beeper goes off and dinner is ready.

There are several things to see in the pic above.  First, the thermometer is set to 160 while the meat is showing 42.  I had just completed setup and turned the smoker on when I shot this.  When the “42″ temp reaches 160, the beeper goes off and dinner is ready.  But notice also just to the left of the thermometer you can see where I drilled a hole in the side of the smoker to feed the probe wire through.  This setup works great.  Finally, you can get an idea of how tightly the lid fits on this smoker.  As I said, the unit is completely sealed while it is functioning.  Moisture, heat, smoke are all completely contained.  Your neighbors won’t even be able to tell you’re smoking.

On to the food.  For this particular project I am using Meathead’s Memphis Dust which I made earlier in the day.

This is a Memphis style dry rub.  I have used it to make the pork loin mentioned above and also used it on baby back ribs.  Wonderful stuff.  Begin by patting the chickens very dry with paper towels.

Make sure you get both sides.  Notice the spatchcocking.

My wife had an old Parmesan cheese shaker that I used to sprinkle the rub on the birds.  You could also use a spoon but the shaker is tough to beat.

Applying the rub.

Here is what one side looks like with the rub.

Rub it in a bit.  Make sure to do both sides even though I don’t have a picture showing the underside with the rub.  I let these sit in the frig for several hours before I put them on the smoker.

Set up the smoker.  This unit is electric which I prefer for even heat.  Here is a shot looking straight down from the open top.  The heating element is visible.

I know, a purist would use charcoal but I had one of those smokers before and it was just too hard to maintain an even temp and nearly impossible to adjust the temp.  This one is not only electric but it also has an adjustable temp setting.  We will start these chickens on medium low.

You can use whatever wood you prefer for smoking.  Here, we are using maple.  There is a story behind this.  I went to the store to get some chips a year ago.  I was in a great hurry.  I must have seen the “aple” and thought I was grabbing apple chips which is what I had come for.  Not until I got home did I realize I made a mistake.  But this is all I had left at this time so maple it is.  Bad idea.  I should have tossed the maple and taken the time to go get some apple.  Oh, well.  Live and learn.

Maple was a mistake. Don't use maple.

At the suggestion of a friend, I am wrapping the chips in foil which he says produces more smoke flavor.  Here is a shot of the foil pouch with a slit in the top. for the smoke to escape.

Meathead says not to soak your chips in water.  I believe him, especially for this smoker. The chips are placed on a tray which sits directly on the heating element.

Once the chips are in place, insert the drip pan.  I add just a cup of water or so to keep the meat moist.

As you can see the first rack sits directly over the drip pan.  Place the chicken skin side up.  Add the second rack and repeat.

Click to enlarge; you can barely see the chicken on the bottom rack if you look closely.

Insert the meat thermometer into one of the breasts.  We will be shooting for 160 degrees.

Seal the lid tightly and plug in the smoker.  Then go grab something cold to drink.  I recommend this if you can find it.

Here is a look at the finished product:

Total smoking time was 2 hr 15 min.  I took them out at 161.  They should have stayed in a little longer, maybe even to 170.  They were extremely juicy but I had to zap them in the microwave to eat them.  I do keep a smoking journal so I can always refer back to what I have done.  Keep in mind that there is a difference between BBQ and grilling.  If you don’t know the difference, watch this video clip.

You may have caught that in Alabama they have a white BBQ sauce.  Here is a shot of Meathead’s Alabama White BBQ Sauce:

It’s actually pretty good but will take some getting used to.  Good luck with your smoking.

These didn’t come with any giblets but if yours do, remove them from the cavity.

Place the chicken back side up on a flat surface.

Using a poultry shears or a good sturdy kitchen shears, begin at the neck and cut all the way down along the side of the backbone.  This will take a bit of effort and there will be crunching of bones.  (In best Gollum voice:  “Ooo, those crunchable bones-zes!”)

Halfway:

It should look like this when you are done.

Next, you will cut all the way down the other side of the backbone.  I start this from the tail end as it is easier for me as a right-hander.

Now, the backbone should be completely removed.  Toss it or use it for chicken stock.

Next, there is a bone in the breast that needs to be dealt with.  I am pointing to it here with a knife.

There are different ways to handle this.  Some folks just flip the chicken over and press down crisply with the heal of their hand to break it.  That doesn’t seem to work for me.  With the shears I make a small cut down each side of the bone in a V-formation.

Once you make this cut, use your thumb to slide down along the full length of the breastbone.  Here are two views.

When you get it all the way out it will look something like this.

Notice this “bone” is actually part bone and part cartilage.  With this removed, use a knife to make an incision about an inch long on each side like this:

Slide the legs through these holes so it looks like this:

Or this:

Notice the wings are also tucked under.  The chicken will now lay flat and is ready for cooking.  Here is a video clip of how it is done.  You can find more spatchcocking videos on YouTube but the previous one is the best.

My wife and I have been invited to the home of some friends to watch the game.  They are one of these “house divided” couples.  Because Iowa State lost, she has to wear a nasty looking Iowa Hawkeye shirt to church tomorrow.

This couple likes natural healthy foods so I thought I would bring my black bean hummus.  I am making a quadruple batch.  Here is the recipe for a single batch:

• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
• 2 T lemon juice; buy the lemons and squeeze ‘em
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

Here are my beans.

Drain the beans and reserve the liquid.  You will need some of it to thin the mixture a bit.  Here are my drained beans in the food processor.

Add all the other ingredients on top of the beans.  I juice real lemons.

I peel the garlic and use a press.  You can mince it or even put it in the processor first and process it by itself.   I show these cloves with the lemon for size reference.

Here is everything in the processor ready to blend.

Process until it is the desired texture.  Add some of the reserved bean liquid to thin it out a bit.  I used several tablespoons for this batch.  Not too much as you still want a nice thick pate.  I like to leave it just a bit “lumpy” to give it a bit more texture.

Here is the final product in the bowl it will be served in.

We will be serving it with these:

This is a quick, easy, nutritious, and delicious snack.