After weeks of rain and strong winds I took advantage of the brief reprieve to do some Teriyaki Jerky in the OBS and a smoked Tri-Tip on the MAK 2 Star.

Picked up 10 lbs of ¼” sliced, against the grain, Top Sirloin marinated with Teriyaki from my Butcher and refrigerated it overnight

Used 4 racks with Frog Mats along with 4 inverted Bradley Jerky racks

Into the OBS at 140º for an hour with NO smoke.  Bumped to 150º for 1.6 hours with Hickory Smoke (5 bisquettes).  Bumped to 175º till done.

While the Jerky was smoking/dehydrating I fired up the MAK to smoke a Tri-Tip which I chose not to do the day before cause the winds were gusting to 40 mph.  Since wind is not my friend, I didn’t want to anger the smoking gods … Here’s a shot of the Jerky smokin in the OBS and the Tri-Tip smokin in the MAK 2 Star

Used some Roasted Garlic EVOO on the Tri-Tip for glue and rubbed with Fagundes Seasoning.  Wrapped in plastic wrap and into the fridge overnight.  But due to the wind it stayed in the fridge for 2 nights.  No harm … no foul.  Seared the Tri-Tip on the 465º MAK grill for 5 minutes and then set the temp to 225º.  Pulled the Tri-Tip when the IT reached 145º and FTC for 20 minutes.  Used my handy dandy new slicer for the money $shot 

While I was slicing my Grandchildren swung by and I offered half the Tri-Tip for their dinner which my Daughter-in-law eagerly accepted.  The oldest Granddaughter loves my smoked products and I readily fed her some samples.  But the youngest Granddaughter would not try it until she watched her sister devourer sample after sample.  Finally she said … “Papa, can I try some?”.  Well, that was the beginning of the end for that Tri-Tip.  She couldn’t get enough!!  Brought a tear to my eye to see them enjoying it so much.  They took their portion of the Tri-Tip home and there’s a few slices left for a sandwich for the wife and I  That’s what smoking meat is all about for me.  Watching them and friends enjoying it so much makes it all worth while

First set of racks were put in the OBS @ 10:20 AM and the last pieces of Jerky came out of the OBS @ 9:50 PM …

Have placed an 80L Cabela’s Commercial Food Dehydrator on my wish list.  Maybe for my Birthday or Christmas 

Found a nice sale on a Boneless Beef Chuck Cross Rib Roast – 4 lb @ $1.99/lb – so I decided to try Braising the Roast in the MAK.  Elevated the Roast in a pan and used some Coors Light.  Used some Roasted Garlic EVOO for the glue, seasoned the Roast with a liberal amount of Fagundes Seasoning, cut some slits and inserted some chunks of garlic.

Set the MAK on SMOKE for 45 minutes using Apple wood BBQ pellets.

Setpoint to 325ºF after the SMOKE till Internal Temperature reached 150ºF.

Rested the Cross Rib Roast under a tent foil for 20 minutes.  Granted 150º might seem high to some but it works for SWMBO and I.   All in all, nice way to take a cheap cut of beef and turn it into a enjoyable meal.

Of course this ain’t Yo Mama’s Meatloaf … It’s Smokin’ Pete’s Meatloaf    😉  I first discovered this recipe on the Bradley Smoker Forum and added my own touches.  Visit the Bradley Smoker website for great Products, Recipes, Videos, News, Support, and the best Smoking Forum on the Internet.  I’ve owned their Original Smoker since 2007!

Threw together 1½ lbs of ground beef, 1 lb of pork sausage, sautéed some onion, green/red/yellow peppers, a couple of eggs, healthy amount of chopped garlic, bread crumbs, tomato sauce, and Fagundes Seasoning.  Unfortunately I rarely measure anything so you’ll just have to wing it.  I not only throw tomato sauce in the Meatloaf but as you’ll see I also coat the top.

Mixed everything well, you gotta use your hands, formed, and shaped ready to go in a 250ºF preheated Bradley Original Smoker (OBS).  Note the small cavity on top of the loaf.  That’s where the tomato sauce will be applied.

Applied a total of 2 hours and 40 minutes of Oak smoke using Bradley Bisquettes made from Oak Jim Beam Barrels.  After an hour I removed the Meatloaf from the OBS and separated it from the pan.  At this point the Meatloaf was firm enough to stand on it’s own.  Applied tomato sauce in the cavity, inserted meat probe and back into the OBS till an Internal Temperature (IT) of 160ºF.

Pulled the Meatloaf when IT hit 160ºF.

First time smoking a Meatloaf and I was curious to see how Oak smoked tomato sauce would taste.  Turns out it’s great

The money $shot … a few slices of Jim Beam Oak Smoked Meatloaf, Asparagus, and Faux rice with a creamy beef gravy … If you haven’t tried smoking a Meatloaf yet … what are you waiting for?  Yum, Yum …