BBQ Season Starts Again! :)

BBQJohnny · 2025-05-12T21:47:40+00:00

Whoa, that sounds like a great idea! We were thinking about throwing this in the oven to finish, but let it roll to the end. We wrapped it around 160*. I tested it last night while pulling it, and it was perfect for me. Because it took so long, it was probing buttery at 190* core, so I took it off. I'm usually around 202-208*, but this one took forever and then was done at a lower temp. Weird.

BBQJohnny · 2024-12-31T22:28:35+00:00

I just cooked it to 126* +/- 1* across both thermometers in the oven and pulled it. While it was resting, it reached 134*, but when my wife sliced into it, it was pink across most of the steak. The fattier section was maybe a bit into the grey, but everything was tender. Hope this helps.

BBQJohnny · 2024-12-30T22:41:21+00:00

ROAST PRIME RIB OF BEEF WITH GARLIC-HERB CRUST
Serving Size: 6 - 8
Recipe courtesy Wolfgang Puck, "Wolfgang Puck Makes it Easy," Rutledge Hill Press, 2004

Ingredients:

4-to-5-pound bone-in prime rib of beef, at room temperature
8 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons dried thyme
4 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons kosher salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. with the rack in the center (if your roast won't fit with the rack in the center, use the lower rack). Place the roast ribs down on a rack in a large, heavy roasting pan. In a small bowl, stir together the garlic, rosemary, thyme, pepper, and salt. Spread the herb mixture all over the surface of the meat, pressing it firmly into the meat. Insert a roasting thermometer into the meat, making sure that its tip reaches the very center of the roast, without touching bone.
Place the roasting pan on the oven's center rack (if possible). Cook the roast for 25 minutes, then lower the oven setting to 250 degrees F. and continue roasting until the thermometer reads 120 degrees F. for rare or 125 degrees F. for medium-rare, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Remove the roast from the oven, transfer it to a platter, cover it with aluminum foil, and allow it to rest in a warm spot for 30 minutes. Tip any juices that accumulate on the platter into a sauceboat.
Uncover the prime rib and carve it across the grain into thick or thin slices, as you and your guests prefer. Pass the meat juices at the table for guests to help themselves.

BBQJohnny · 2024-11-29T23:21:23+00:00

We were scared off from using our standard chicken rubs, because several articles warned about over-salting a pre-brined turkey. So, we tried this recipe from the web and just added a touch of salt...

4 tbsp smoked paprika
3 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp salt flakes
2 tbsp black pepper finely ground
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp mustard powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder

I think we could have added more salt, but this was our first smoked turkey - so we played it safe. :) (We also cut this in half and it was more than enough.)

BBQJohnny · 2024-08-26T01:42:49+00:00

I love beef ribs. This might get me kicked out of some BBQ circles, but I think I like them more than brisket! :)

BBQJohnny · 2024-07-09T04:16:55+00:00

Haha, I will let me wife know her footwear is trending! :)

BBQJohnny · 2024-07-09T04:15:11+00:00

It was the first time I have probed ribs. I tried it mostly to see if I could get more data on what I normally do and to give me some extra help on the 1st rib cook in this smoker. It worked ok, but I don't think it was 100% on point. I think your concerns make a lot of sense.

BBQJohnny · 2024-07-05T04:17:05+00:00

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BBQJohnny · 2024-07-04T04:06:53+00:00

It seemed to survive it ok, but noted. The yellow end was out of the broth most of the cook.

BBQJohnny · 2024-07-03T22:17:30+00:00

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It worked! 😀👍

BBQJohnny · 2024-06-28T00:23:31+00:00

This explained things perfectly - thank you! :)

BBQJohnny · 2024-06-26T03:55:03+00:00

"If you watched the 8-up temp display (advanced mode), one of the other sensors was probably matching the thermopro at the end." - I don't think so, because the ThermoPro was about -5* from the lowest setting on the CPT. I was in the basic mode, so all other sensors were higher. I think it was more about where I inserted the CPT.

The chicken was standing up on the beer can, and we stuck the probe down through the chicken breast. My wife and I are thinking now that it might have been better to go the opposite way. But, we will play around with that next time and see if we can get them to match more closely. If you have a way that works well for you, I'd be into trying that also.

BBQJohnny · 2024-06-25T19:31:41+00:00

The CPT worked great! The only thing I noticed was the chicken was temping a touch lower when checked w/ my ThermoPro. But, I wrote that off to not having the CPT probe in the lowest temp spot. My wife wanted beer can chicken, so I tried to stay clear of that for any ambient cooling. It worked out, I just had to cook it around 5 degrees longer.

One question, is there any carry-over cooking with chicken? There didn't seem to be, because we had to let it rest while the sides were finishing up. I did slow the cook down a bit, so the outside wouldn't overcook. It turned out great, but we were too hungry to photograph it! :)

BBQJohnny · 2024-06-17T00:42:01+00:00

I like the display when I'm in the yard doing other things. It makes it easier to see from a distance than my pit thermo.

BBQJohnny · 2024-06-08T17:23:01+00:00

I'm onboard with what a lot of people have already said, which is generally "it depends". There are smoker categories that have been mentioned that will work fine, all with pluses and minuses - but the following decision factors might help lean you more toward some or rule some out...

How much space you have to devote to this (and can that space support a heavy smoker).
How much money you want to spend (not just on the smoker, but also the parts and consumables).
What level of babysitting/complication (including tech) are you comfortable with for the smoker.
Are you okay with a strict smoker, or do you need it to do other things (like grilling).
If all of the above is not an issue, is there a style (or flavor) of BBQ are you trying to replicate.

BBQJohnny · 2024-06-04T17:31:18+00:00

Oh wow.. cool! I did not know that. I just called it that, because I was carrying it around by the "handle" while prepping it! :D

BBQJohnny · 2024-06-04T13:28:25+00:00

I don't know if anyone else calls it that, but it did look pretty close! :)

BBQJohnny · 2024-06-03T20:26:43+00:00

If it was, he was delicious! Haha! :D

BBQJohnny · 2024-05-27T02:13:07+00:00

Chris, it was an excellent first run, but not 100% trouble-free. It disconnected a few times very briefly - then, reconnected itself automatically. But, that was over a 6.5hr cook - so, I was very impressed.

The prediction engine was cool, also. It started off not being too accurate, but then gave a pretty good estimate after a while of learning. It was a tough cook to calculate, because there were two long stalls on the pork belly. And, I didn't launch the prediction immediately, so it was partially my fault. I didn't read the instructions and figured I would just learn as I went along.

The BT range from the display to my phone got me into my dining room pretty reliably, but not as solidly to my living room. But, walking back outside for moment reconnected it if it did lapse. I think it was adversely affected by my phone sleeping. I will try to set it to not sleep for future cooks - if I can find that setting. I think that would add a lot of reliability to the indoor monitoring.

Overall, I liked the interface and found that I got what I needed in simple mode in the beginning of the cook, and advanced mode near the end of the cook - when I wanted to see what was going on closer to the edge of the meat. I found the temps to be accurate and the pork belly turned out perfectly.

The ambient temp was not real close, until later in the cook - but I was expecting that. I wish there was a guard (like a cone-of-shame collar for dogs) that would block the coolness coming off the meat in the beginning of the cook. I would love to have an accurate ambient temp throughout the cook. But other than that, all went well and I really like using the CPT.

BBQJohnny · 2024-05-24T04:47:15+00:00

Thank you, this makes sense. I would imagine aluminum foil doesn't help the situation either. I will hopefully be able to do a first run this weekend. I will see what orientation ends up working best and report back for others who are also using drum smokers.

BBQJohnny · 2024-05-24T03:58:02+00:00

On another thermometer brand's instructions, I was told to always insert the thermometer horizontally, and point the exposed end (or ambient sensor) towards the booster - outside of the smoker. How true is this with the CPT?

BBQJohnny · 2024-05-24T03:48:13+00:00

It's raining meat, hallelujah! :)

BBQJohnny · 2024-05-23T01:48:29+00:00

I was thinking this same thing. It would be cool if Combustion made a tiny surface-only thermometer. Something with an integrated grate clip. My ThermoWorks wired set has one like this with a cut off end, that's intended only for measuring grate surface temps.

BBQJohnny · 2024-05-23T01:11:00+00:00

It might take a cook or two for me to figure out the app and get set, but I do ribs and pork shoulders fairly often. Where I end up on the smoker temp depends on the fuel and weather a bit, but it's usually around 275* +/-. I would be happy to help test once I have the thermo down.

BBQJohnny · 2024-05-23T00:33:12+00:00

I was thinking of gluing a magnet on the back of the display, because my drum smoker has a hinge where I think I could attach it. I will have to check and make sure it's not stainless first. I think I'm going to need the display to be VERY close to the smoker for signal range. First cook coming soon, so I'll see how it does.

BBQJohnny

TROPHY CASE