Interesting looking cooler. Where did you pick it up? Any specifics you’d want to share around what you will change up? And like Juice, I’d be interested in your dry rub recipe.
The cooler is just a Coleman 24 can Party Stacker that I then took a 2-3/8 inch hole saw to so that the Anova fits right in without having to use the bracket. (If you can't find a 2-3/8 inch hole saw bit, I did another one before this for a friend with a 2-1/4 inch and a whole hell of a lot of hand sanding with some 180 grit sandpaper.) As far as what I'd change for next time, I had added some pink curing salt into my rub to try and make an artificial smoke ring since I did the initial smoke on an electric smoker and it did start to cure the meat a bit, which is why it came out so pink, as opposed to the regular looking color of brisket. Also could've been a bit more generous with the second application of the rub after pulling it out of the bag and should have done it before I put it back in the fridge as opposed to right before going into the oven for the final finish. Regarding my rub recipe; it's definitely not the traditional salt & pepper rub that's typical of Texas style brisket, but I've found it gives a great color and bark for traditional brisket. 2 tablespoons paprika 3 tablespoons cocoa powder 3 tablespoons salt 2 tablespoons garlic powder 2 tablespoons onion powder 1 tablespoon black pepper 1 tablespoon dried parsley 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/4 teaspoon hot chili powder (I usually use ancho)
Ha... it made so much sense that I figured it was an actual product and was pissed that I couldn't find it. Nice hack.
A piece of advice for anyone thinking about making one: take the lid off, flip it over and then take the bracket that attaches to the Anova, place it where you want the hole, trace it out and drill through the bottom. That way if there are any marks or chips, they can't be seen from the top.
I might just try to do a slow, angled cut so that I can make a plug out of the cutout, so when not in use with the sous vide it is still a reasonable cooler. Or use some kind of rubber gasket... who knows.
I wish I would have done that as well, but I've got a random collection of various coolers of different shapes and sizes already, so I'm not too worried about it. However, if you do come up with something to use as a plug or fill-in, I'd be interested in the details.
I actually ditched all of my old coolers when I last moved across the country, so am looking at picking up a new one... figured it could do double duty, which is why I'm thinking about how not to sacrifice it totally. I'll keep you posted with anything I come up with.
Pellet grills. Anyone have one? Would you recommend them? I am looking at the lower end of the spectrum because Florida is pretty harsh on grills. I was looking at the Pit Boss Austin XL. I am going into it with the expectation that it will last 4 years. Any thoughts on this approach?
Ive been waiting for this question for a while. Im firmly against them. I spent 500 last year on a GMG Daniel Boone to find out they don't ever reach near the smoke flavor of an offset. To even get to a 3rd the taste you have to extend the cook for hours at 150 with an extra pellet tube in the chamber. Florida might help you in pellet burning efficiency with warmer outside temps. You notice a large jump in consumption when the temperatures dip, the recommended solution is a friggin welding blanket (first time I used one I got off amazon I had the fibers in my hands for days). You got to buy a cover, I haven't but I've heard it doesnt fix the issue, store it inside, or just run through every last pellet at the end of you smoke. Moisture causes the pellets to expand into regular old saw dust that can turn to cement in your auger. I don't have room to store inside. It clogged so bad in this spring I had to remove the whole hopper and auger pipe to dislodge the jam, there is no easy way around this it is a pain in the fucking balls. I called Green Mountain hoping to get tips on easier removal, the csr just offered to send me a whole new hopper/auger (which working in customer service in a similar product company means they know it's a huge issue but don't have an answer or solution). The only real upside is the set it and forget it nature over a traditional offset that has to be tended the whole cook. Which it really isn't since the pellets can bridge in the hopper leaving the auger to run dry below and you don't notice until you walk out and see it running but the temp is way below what you set it at. I'm sure there are similar digital set ups on the electric fridge style smokers, which I plan to try next and sell mine at a cut rate price just to be rid of it.
I smoked a turkey the weekend after Thanksgiving on my Big Green Egg. I actually dont recommend it whatsoever. The bird dried out way too quickly, even after basting the shit out of it and i just didnt like the taste of it. Baked turkey is much better.
What temp? Poultry likes hot and fast smoke, I smoke three turkeys a year and have never had dry turkey.
I did it at 300 for 3 hours, 14 lb bird. It seemed like the internal temp went from 145 to 175 in the last half hour and then all of a sudden it was over done.
Did you do any type of a brine ahead of smoking? I had the same issue as you did the first time I ever smoked a turkey and then found afterwards that even the store-bought turkeys that come pre-brined turn out a lot better if I give them a soak overnight. Plus it tends to help with the flavour as well.
Yeah, I did a brine with a combo of water, vinegar and cider with a lot of salt and other spices in a 5 gallon bucket for about 8 hours. I think I just have to get the right groove down, it was my first time smoking a bird of any kind and my first ever cooking a turkey.
So, not sure what your working space looks like on your egg, but if you don't care too much about final appearances pre-carving, I would also recommend trying a couple of different methods; specifically spatchcocking or vertical roasting (think beer can chicken, but don't actually insert a can of any sort). Every turkey I make these days I use something similar to this to prop the bird up. The reason I like this is that it creates a convection-oven style of cooking where it cooks from both the inside and outside at the same time and helps keep temperatures even throughout the bird.
Smoked mine this year at 325 I think 4.5 hours brined and injection marinated. Hit 165 at the perfect time for dinner (given I had just guesstimated the temp cooking time) and came out super juicy. Last year in my uncles offset same thing but higher temp and ended up taking it off in a time crunch and finishing it in my oven. Terrific.
Definitely not actually on Thanksgiving day, but sometime in the future, I want to try smoking at a bit of a lower temp (250-275) so I can get a longer smoke to it without going over the temp then trying to finish it off by flash frying it in a deep fryer so I can still get that extra crispy skin. That's the one drawback to my custom smoker, in that it has a full length water pan, so you really can't get the temperature hot enough to really dry out and crisp up for cooks like this.
Anyone have thoughts on dual grills? We're in the market for a grill and to me the vast majority of the grills I see in the big box stores are way overpriced for what we need. I saw the one in the image as I was headed into Home Depot listed for $350 which is about half the average I'm seeing around here for similar sized gas only grills and wonder if they're worth it. Keep in mind I am not a serious BBQ/smoker guy.
In my opinion, grills that are designed to be great at both, are good at neither. Figure out what you want (gas, charcoal, smoker, whatever) and get something specific for doing just that. You don't need something super elaborate, but you need something well-built. Get the best you can afford so you don't have to replace it after like a year. But don't fall for the bells and whistles and that crap. You need it to cook meat. A side burner is nice to have on a propane grill. Make sure the brand has good support as far as replacements for pilot lights, burners, etc. when those inevitably break. You don't need a wifi capable rotisserie that'll wipe your ass and fuck your wife when your steak is done. If what you're seeing is half the price of everything else you're seeing, there's likely a reason for it.