First two smokes in..... I have some learning to do.....

[Music Junkie]

I pulled the trigger on the GMG Daniel Boone. I like the unit itself, and it seems to work good so far. Only a couple of things to gripe about. Food thermometer went haywire during second cook. It started jumping all over the place, and became worthless. Luckily I have a back up. Its a digital unit that sends the temps to a receiving unit that can be up to 200 feet away. Works well. I have a call in to GMG to see about a replacement probe. We shall see how they respond. I also noticed that the grill temp is off by about 20 degrees or so. I tried two separate thermometers that I have used quite a bit and they have always been quite accurate. They both read 246, when I had the grill set for 225.

The cooking process still went well, once I made adjustments for those issues.

I have done two tri tips, some chile stuffed/bacon wrapped chicken, and some jalapeno/chipotle sausages.

First tri tip I cooked until it reached 143 and then took it off and wrapped it for 20min and then dug in. It was rather plain tasting, albeit with a nice smoke ring and tones of juice. It was also a little rare for my liking (not a bloody guy). That may have had something to do with the thermometer being faulty.... I used the same rub as I do when I grill on gas, but I think the juices might have washed away some of the rub. The second one I cooked I applied a coat of mustard and then applied the rub quite liberally. That one ended up being TOO seasoned. I will have to keep experimenting until I find the right combinations. I wan to try injecting, but am not sure which injector to get. Looks like the stainless steel ones might be the way to go.

The chicken and the sausage came out wonderful!

Even though it has not been a huge success so far, I am excited about learning more and getting better at this. It is CERTAINLY different than grilling on coals or gas. I am really enjoying going back and reading a lot of these threads, as they really provide quite a bit of info to help steer a newbie in the right direction. Thanks for all the info you members provide!

 

[scooter]

For your tritip instead of mustard try some balsamic glaze or Sriracha (90% of the heat will have burned off by the end) as your glue or both. Pull it at 145 (since you like it more medium) then let it rest uncovered for 10 mins. Before you pulled it get your gasser up as hot as it will go. Throw the tri on the raging hot gasser (or raging coals even better) for a couple mins each side to get some marks and brown it up a bit. Tent it (don't wrap) for 20 mins.

Don't forget to take pics so we can see what you're doing.

 

[armyguy209]

I'm with scooter on this one. I have done many tritips on pellet grills, and while they come out ok, they are just so much better after you've taken them off and thrown them on a high heat grill to get some searing.

 

[Music Junkie]

Thanks guys. I really appreciate the input. I have been cooking tri tip on the gas grill and webber kettle for years, and they come out pretty amazing. I usually keep the grill at about 400 and place the tri tip on the upper rack. The rub gets caramelized and delicious. I like the idea of tossing it on and searing it at the end. I also love the idea of a balsamic glaze or sriracha.

Question for you guys..... Do you ever inject? I don't know that it would be all that necessary on the tri tip, because it usually comes out pretty damn juicy. However, I know on things like brisket, many people do. If you do, what injector do you use, and what do you usually inject? I bought a POS the other day, to give it a try, and it kept clogging up with only Worcestershire sauce and granulated garlic.... Would love to hear what others are using.

Thanks again for the help! I'll make sure to take some pics as things progress. I tried to upload some form the first smoke, but I could not get them to go (I need to verify the size limits).

Cheers,

MJ

 

[armyguy209]

I use the Spitjack injector kit that comes with the case and several different types of needles. Hands down best marinade injector I have used. It is a bit pricey though.

As far as injecting tritip, sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. I like using a marinade I get here at Smart and Final. I was put onto it by someone else and it is really good. I always inject and then throw the rub on. No real need that I see to let it sit but everyone has there preference.

Glad you are happy with your GMG.

 

[scooter]

We use something like that Spitjack in competition. Very precise injector. For home use I use the below Cajun injector for about $10. It's sturdy enough to last for years.
I don't inject tritips, in fact, I don't inject anything outside of competition BBQ. I do marinade my tritips though, just don't inject them.

 

[Music Junkie]

@ armyguy209: That spitjack looks awesome.

@scooter: The injector I bought looks just like that one, but the needle won't stay in... Maybe it is user error!

As a side, I got an email from Eric at GMG. He is shipping out a new thermometer right now. Hopefully that will solve the problem. I'll have to find something to cook this weekend....lol.

 

[Big Poppa]

I only inject in comp....I prefer the meat flavor

ps you can also buy that injector at farm supplies and vet supplies its made as an animal injector

 

[Music Junkie]

I only inject in comp....I prefer the meat flavor

I don't disagree. A good tri tip is usually fine with just salt pepper and garlic.... I was more curious than anything. Thanks!

 

[Big Poppa]

hey and Im not saying injecting is wrong...its all good as long as you are cooking outside

 

[Music Junkie]

its all good as long as you are cooking outside

You got that right! Good BBQ, good beer and good friends... Tough to top that!

 

[Music Junkie]

Well, smoke #3 is in the books, and it turned out MUCH better, thanks to some great advice from you guys! I truly appreciate the help. This time I rubbed it down with a balsamic glaze, then some cracked black pepper, salt, garlic, onion and a touch of cayenne. I let it sit in the fridge for about 30hrs, and then took it out to let it set at room temp prior to placing on the smoker. I used a southern pecan, which really came out good. Hopefully the pics will show. I took it off at 146, and placed it on my gas grill for about 2 minutes on each side. Then let it sit (tented) for about 20min. It was a little over done, even for me, but it was JUICY and TENDER....yum. Now I know I can take it off at maybe 140, and then let it sit.

Thanks again for the wonderful advice. I can tell already, that this style of cooking is addicting!

 

[68sting]

I just smoked a tri-tip with simply marvelous cherry rub. It was a hit with the family. Did another one for a friend with little Louie's garlic salt but I didn't get to try that one.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[TentHunter]

Here's another tip: For beef, instead of rubbing with regular mustard for glue, I like to use a good coat of spicy brown mustard.

Mustard and horseradish are in the same family of plants. It compliments the beef really well, adding just a hint of that piquant, horseradish essence to the seasoning without taking over the flavor.

It's my favorite glue for beef.

 

[Music Junkie]

A friend of mine uses spicy brown mustard as well. Says he loves it. I'll have to give it a try. I also want to try the Sriracha sometime. The reasons to cook again just keep piling up!

 

[armyguy209]

Just keep your wallet out..Haha. It starts getting expensive being a BBQ enthusiast. Glad it worked out for you.

 

[scooter]

When you pulled it off at 146, did you let it rest 10 mins uncovered before throwing it on your gasser to char? How hot were you smoking it?

 

[Music Junkie]

When you pulled it off at 146, did you let it rest 10 mins uncovered before throwing it on your gasser to char? How hot were you smoking it?

Scooter:

I smoked it at 225. I had been grilling some chicken, so I took it off of the smoker and put it directly on the grill at about 500F. Two minutes each side, then let it sit tented for about 20min before slicing it up.

It was a hit with everyone. Flavor was excellent and juice was plentiful. I sliced it up pretty thin, and sopped up the juice in the plate when serving. It was gone in short order.

I know I can make some other adjustments, and I will. I am just super happy thinking I am on the right track finally.

MJ

 

[scooter]

Needs to rest uncovered 10 mins before you throw it on the hot grill otherwise you'll just be accelerating the cook that began in the smoker. Resting it uncovered for 10 mins out of the smoker stops the IT push and it actually begins to decrease in IT. After the rest the few mins it's getting seared will not advance the IT much further than when you took it off to rest. You'll end up with more pink than what you did if that's important to you.

 

[Music Junkie]

Needs to rest uncovered 10 mins before you throw it on the hot grill otherwise you'll just be accelerating the cook that began in the smoker. Resting it uncovered for 10 mins out of the smoker stops the IT push and it actually begins to decrease in IT. After the rest the few mins it's getting seared will not advance the IT much further than when you took it off to rest. You'll end up with more pink than what you did if that's important to you.

That makes sense. I'll try that next time. That may have left it right where I like it. I don't like it too red in the middle, but a little bit is perfect for me. Thanks!