I did a butt for my first cook and it was great.....but reading here I think it's time to try a turkey breast!
First time low and slow. Cheap meat recommendation request.
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If you can get "corned beef"*, it makes a nice thing to smoke. It's brisket that's been brined. Throw a black pepper heavy rub on it and smoke it and you just made Pastrami.
The nice thing is that Corned Beef is usually much less $ than brisket.
* like for American St Patrick's Day, not the deli kind!
Technically, isn't pastrami made from a different cut?
I think it is important to emphasize that the final smoked result of the cheaper, "corned beef brisket" packages - although technically still brisket - does not share many qualities with a traditional BBQ style brisket.
The corned beef stuff has to be cut really thin, like thick roast beef, in order for it to be manageable.
Having done this, I can attest to it still being delicious...but it definitely isn't the sinful, fatty brisket experience that everyone loves.
I would suggest a whole chicken as a test run, and you want to take the time to learn how to spatchcock the bird. This is a special cutting technique that will allow the chicken to lay flat on your smoker grates.
The corned beef stuff has to be cut really thin, like thick roast beef, in order for it to be manageable.
Having done this, I can attest to it still being delicious...but it definitely isn't the sinful, fatty brisket experience that everyone loves.
I would suggest a whole chicken as a test run, and you want to take the time to learn how to spatchcock the bird. This is a special cutting technique that will allow the chicken to lay flat on your smoker grates.
If you can get "corned beef"*, it makes a nice thing to smoke. It's brisket that's been brined. Throw a black pepper heavy rub on it and smoke it and you just made Pastrami.
The nice thing is that Corned Beef is usually much less $ than brisket.
* like for American St Patrick's Day, not the deli kind!
Yep- beef navel, but the word pastrami (or as Jim calls it, molecular pastranomy) is now used to describe almost anything cured and covered with pepper and coriander seed, from duck to turkey to salmon.
Ain't nuthin' like the real thing, baby.
That's the truth
The thing is, if you get any piece from any animal that has a good amount of fat-tendon-connective tissue, it's a candidate for low & slow.
Try going to ethic markets as most supermarkets are supplied to mass move product. I've got one a few towns over that caters to Caribbean/Central/South American clientèle, so there's things I'm always grabbing to play with and the meat/fish/poultry has stuff like lamb necks and more styles of chorizo and blood sausage than I knew existed!
If you can get it, try Breast of Veal - it's awesome. You can go off grid a bit from regular rubs & BBQ flavors to Mediterranean and marinate it in white wine/onions/garlic(heavy)/fresh parsley, thyme & basil/green olives/olive oil/salt & pepper/red pepper flake/dash vinegar. You'd take the breast and drain off the solids, wrap in foil and do the first half of 6 hours that way, then the rest of the way without.
After the solids have cooled, I retrieve the olives and some of the liquid, wisk it with olive oil, crushed garlic, thin sliced red onion, a dab of dijon mustard and some white balsamic vinegar to taste. When you take the meat from foil at the midway mark, put in some potatoes to the smoker (fingerling type are great or baby any kind). You then toss the potatoes in that dressing and when you put it in there warm, they act like a sponge and get all that flavor into them. Think "german potato salad" but with Med flavors!
Try going to ethic markets as most supermarkets are supplied to mass move product. I've got one a few towns over that caters to Caribbean/Central/South American clientèle, so there's things I'm always grabbing to play with and the meat/fish/poultry has stuff like lamb necks and more styles of chorizo and blood sausage than I knew existed!
If you can get it, try Breast of Veal - it's awesome. You can go off grid a bit from regular rubs & BBQ flavors to Mediterranean and marinate it in white wine/onions/garlic(heavy)/fresh parsley, thyme & basil/green olives/olive oil/salt & pepper/red pepper flake/dash vinegar. You'd take the breast and drain off the solids, wrap in foil and do the first half of 6 hours that way, then the rest of the way without.
After the solids have cooled, I retrieve the olives and some of the liquid, wisk it with olive oil, crushed garlic, thin sliced red onion, a dab of dijon mustard and some white balsamic vinegar to taste. When you take the meat from foil at the midway mark, put in some potatoes to the smoker (fingerling type are great or baby any kind). You then toss the potatoes in that dressing and when you put it in there warm, they act like a sponge and get all that flavor into them. Think "german potato salad" but with Med flavors!
