Pulled Smoked St Louis Ribs
Pulled Smoked St Louis Ribs - These smoked St Louis ribs were "fall off the bone" and not "bite off the bone". Therefore, in order to make it easier to eat, I decided to pull the ribs. Either way the ribs were to die for! I topped the ribs off with a side of Cole Slaw and fried shredded Brussels Sprout in order to make it a scrumptious low-carb meal.
- Peel off the membrane from the back of the St Louis rib racks
- Rub the ribs on both sides with roasted garlic extra virgin olive oil
- Moderately dust the ribs with "Pete's Western Rub" (page 169 of my cookbook, The Wood Pellet Smoker and Grill Cookbook)
- Preheat your wood pellet smoker-grill to 180ºF using cookinpellets.com Premium Perfect Mix wood pellets
- Smoke the ribs for an hour at 180ºF
- Bump the pit temperature to 250ºF and cook/smoke the ribs for an additional 4 1/2 hours
- Rest the ribs for 15 minutes
Smoked Dry Rubbed Tri Tip Steak
Smoked Dry Rubbed Tri Tip Steak - Over the last few decades I've cooked and been part of cooking hundreds if not thousands of Tri Tips either at home, on the road with my RV, and as a member of the Ripon Quarterback Club serving Tri Tip sandwiches at the local high school home football games. The club still grills 200 to 400 lbs of Tri Tips a game depending on the expected size of the crowd. We grilled the Tri Tip according to classic Santa Maria methods. Either way, the results are simply delicious!
Oddly enough I have never known a Tri Tip Roast to be called a Tri Tip Steak! But who knows why Costco has chosen to calling it a steak instead of a roast. No matter what Costco chooses to call these roasts I have smoked/cooked them in a multitude of ways but no method is easier than just a straight smoking recipe. When picking my Tri Tips I never buy anything below choice grade. That's why I always purchase the majority of my meat Costco. It's hard to beat their quality and price.
While checking out the label I noticed that Costco is being quoting USDA guidelines for Tri Tip internal temperatures ... They recommend grilling the product to a minimum internal temperature of 160ºF ... yes, you read correctly - 160ºF! What a waste of good meat that would be. Most people cook their Tri Tips to a temp of 130º - 145ºF. I prefer 145ºF which is perfect for our family as the photo below shows.
But if you choose to go beyond an internal temperature of 145ºF then I highly recommend you cook your Tri Tip as a "Trisket" ... a Trisket is basically a Tri Tip cooked like a Brisket and is taken to an internal temperature of 200ºF. Try it sometime and you'll be surprised just how delicious it is!
When it comes to smoking a Tri Tip my smoked Dry Rubbed Tri Tip Steak recipe is as simple as it comes.
- Start by using Choice Tri Tip Steaks (Roasts) - about 2.5 lbs each
- If you don't purchase peeled Tri Tips then trim the fat cap off and any silver skin
- Rub the Tri Tips with roasted garlic extra virgin olive oil (glue for dry rub)
- Season the Tri Tips moderately with my Pete's Western Rub (page 169 of my cookbook, The Wood Pellet Smoker and Grill Cookbook)
- Wrap the seasoned Tri Tips in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours
- Preheat your wood pellet smoker grill to 235ºF using cookinpellets.com Premium Perfect Mix wood pellets
- Used my MAK Grills 2 Star General equipped with the MAK Mobile
- Smoke the Tri Tips at 235ºF for approximately 2 1/4 hours till the internal temperature reaches 145ºF
- Rest the Tri Tips loosely under a foil tent for 15 minutes before slicing against the grains
- Be aware that Tri Tips have multiple grain directions
Like I said ... "Easy Peasy"
Maple Smoked Pork Butt Roast
Maple Smoked Pork Butt Roast
Maple Smoked Pork Butt Roast - Try using cookinpellets.com Premium 100% Sweet Maple wood pellets when smoking your next Pork Butt Roast. Yes, you can take a Pork Butt to 205ºF, Foil - Towel - Cooler for 3 -4 hours, and pull the butt for succulent pulled pork sandwiches and/or a multitude of delicious recipes. However, every once in a while you should try smoking/roasting a Pork Butt to an internal temperature of 187ºF.
Why 187ºF you ask? Because it's the magical internal temperature for carving a Pork Butt. At 205ºF it does not lend itself anymore to being sliced - But at 187ºF the fat has started to render and it's not only perfect for slicing against the grain but the juicy results are exquisite and the roast is past the dreaded stall which occurs around 150º to 160ºF. At around 160ºF the roast isn't yet tender.
As you can tell from the image below, the results are not only visually stunning but the roast is extremely moist. You also don't need to spend 14 plus hours smoking/cooking this roast. Instead, my recipe takes approximately 5 hours.
Pork Butt Roast Prep:
- Use a 4 to 5 lb Pork Butt Roast
- Trim off the fat cap and any excess fat/silver skin
- Rub the Butt Roast with roasted garlic extra virgin olive oil
- Season the Butt Roast liberally with my Pork Dry Rub (page 169 of my cookbook, The Wood Pellet Smoker and Grill Cookbook) or your favorite pork rub/seasoning
- Wrap the seasoned Butt Roast in plastic and refrigerate overnight
Pork Butt Roast Instructions:
- Preheat your wood pellet smoker grill to 225ºF using cookinpellets.com Premium 100% Sweet Maple wood pellets
- I recommend using a MAK Grills 2 Star General or if you're tailgating/RVing using a Green Mountain Grills Davy Crockett
- Smoke the Pork Butt Roast for 2 hours at 225ºF using a foil pan with a screen on the bottom to keep the melted grease away from the roast and to keep your grill clean
- Bump the grill pit temperature to 350ºF until the internal temperature of the roast reaches 160ºF
- Cover the roast inside the foil pan with heavy duty foil making sure to keep your food temperature probe inserted in the roast
- Your Pork Butt Roast is ready when the internal Temperature reaches the magical temperature of 187º
- Rest the roast for 15 minutes before slicing against the grain
Apple Mash Smoked Turkey
Apple Mash Smoked Turkey - Enjoyed a wonderful delicious Thanksgiving dinner consisting of turkey, ham, with all the trimmings yesterday with our youngest Son's family and our Daughter-in-law's family. It's an annual tradition that works out for everyone since our Son only lives about 2 miles away from us. It can get plain too crazy on the road these days on holiday weekends!
I always take advantage of the turkey sales around the holidays in order to stock my freezer with a half dozen turkeys in the 14 lb range. We enjoy a smoked turkey every couple of months with all the trimmings but the best part is the variety of delicious leftovers and casserole recipes that we feast and graze on for days - Turkey recipes such as Tetrazzini, Pot Pies, Enchiladas, a la King, Shepherd's Pie, and a slew of different soups.
Turkeys, like all poultry, are virtual sponges when it comes to absorbing different flavors of smoke such as CookinPellets.com 100% Hickory, Premium Perfect Mix (100% Hickory, Cherry, Hard Maple, Apple), Apple Mash, Black Cherry, and/or Sweet Maple Pellets.
Safely defrost your turkey in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days depending on the size of the gobbler. Remove giblet bag(s), neck bones, and trim all access skin & fat. Pat down the turkey with paper towels. Loosen the breast skin and thigh skin in order to rub roasted garlic under and on the skin. Season the turkey on and under the skin with Jan's Dry Rub ( page 168 of my cookbook, The Wood Pellet Smoker and Grill Cookbook ).
Preheat your wood pellet smoker-grill to 230ºF with your favorite poultry wood pellets. For this cook I wisely chose CookinPellets Apple Mash Pellets and my MAK 2 Star. Smoked the 14 lb seasoned turkey for 3 hours at 230ºF before bumping the pit temperature to 330ºF. Finish cooking the turkey until the internal temperature of the turkey at the thickest portion of the breast reaches 170ºF. Rest the turkey under a foil tent for 20 minutes before carving.
Maple Smoked Spatchcock Cornish Hens
Maple Smoked Spatchcock Cornish Hens
Maple Smoked Spatchcock Cornish Hens have a surprising amount of meat on them. I find that half a Cornish Hen is plenty. Served with a side of green salad, Avocado, and hard boiled egg. If you're following a low-carb lifestyle then this meal is ideal since there's no carbs in Poultry - the avocado is loaded with good fats and eggs are your best friend.
CookinPellets Sweet Maple wood pellets infuse a delicious flavorful profile to poultry. CookinPellets never add any fillers like Oak or Alder. They are 100% Sweet Maple Hardwood.
Prep Cornish Hens:
- Four (4) Tyson All Natural Premium Cornish Hens (~ 1½ pounds each)
- Spatchcock the Cornish Hens by removing the backbone and then flattening the breast plate
- Carefully pull back the skin from the breast and legs/thighs
- Rub Roasted Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil under and on the skin of each hen
- Liberally Rub my Poultry Seasoning which can be bound in my cookbook, The Wood Pellet Smoker and Grill Cookbook, under and on the skin of each hen
- Wrap seasoned Cornish Hens with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours
*Note* - According to USDA you're not supposed to wash your poultry. Rinsing raw poultry doesn't kill off any bacteria but instead spreads it all over your sink, hands, and kitchen. Rinsing raw chicken before cooking can increase your risk of food poisoning from campylobacter bacteria.
Directions:
- Configure your wood pellet smoker-grill for indirect cooking
- Preheat to 225ºF using CookinPellets Sweet Maple wood pellets
- Smoke the spatchcocked Cornish Hens at 225ºF for 1 or more hour
- Increase the pit cooking temperature to 375ºF in order to finish the cook
- The higher cooking temperature will crisp the skin of the Cornish Hens
- Roast the Cornish Hens until they reach an internal temperature of 180ºF
- Note : 180ºF internal temperature is recommended by Tyson Foods
- Rest the smoked Cornish Hens for 10 minutes loosely under a foil tent before serving
For planning purposes only: Total cooking time was about 2½ hours - but remember to always cook to internal temperatures!
