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Smoke Brisket or xxx with Indoor Grill


gbpfan1231
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Let me first explain what I have - In my basement I have indoor grill with a chimney. The grates are stationary and I can move the coals up and down maybe 8-12 inches and it is probably 24 inches wide.

 

I was trying to think of a way to smoke a pork butt or a brisket but not sure how to do it and have some questions. Here are my thoughts then questions.

 

Was thinking of getting a good hot fire going with charcoal and then searing each side and then moving coals to one side and cooking the pork butt low and slow on other side of the grill. I also have mesquite chips and apple chips so was thinking of soaking them and throwing on the coals to get some smoke.

 

Questions:

 

If nothing is covering the meat would it get a smoky flavor? Do I cover with something - maybe tinfoil and have it tented so some smoke and heat gets in?

 

Woudl it be difficult to get the entire pork butt cooked evenly again I don't have it covered so I guess ame question do I need to cover it?

 

What temp do you cook at and how would I know what temp the heat is around the meat? Could I just buy some thermometer and place it by the somehow?

 

Do I use a dry rub or mop or something to keep it moist?

 

Is my idea even worth trying? I have tomorrow off and will be doing yard work and only have gas grill for outside and thought this may be something interesting to try???

 

Pork Butt or Pork Shoulder or Brisket or ?????

 

Thanks in advance for any suggestions. I know - go buy a BGE.

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Not sure about smoking meat indoors (basement) and sounds perhaps dangerous, but, that's not my call. If I'm you, I go and buy an upright barrel smoker at Lowes/Home Depot for forty bucks and this will have your lid, two levels of grates, water bowl in bottom for moisture content, and thermometer to insure your optimal heat. They work great with whole chickens and butts.

 

With the grill or barrel smoker (whichever you use), fire your coals in a large aluminum cooking pan (usually are rectangular) and once white hot/no flames, load your device with these coals. About an hour in to slow cooking, fill pan again with coals, burn to white hot, and then load the device again with nice hot coals and check water. Water is critical for the moisture in meat. If you use barrel, you will have all these things and a thermometer that should read, "low, ideal, high" You'll want ideal heat, and that's about 200 to 225 F.

 

An eight pound butt will take a about six hours this way and whole chickens will take more like three hours this way. If you get barrel you will put butts on bottom rack and birds on top rack, as they will come off first.

 

Also, when you cover your device, DO NOT PEEK!!!! Don't peek at meat during cooking, as you lose ALL your ambient heat as soon as you raise lid to look. And you can't tell anything about those meats by "looking". Just trust the coals and time allotment. As long as there are no flames, you can't burn these meats, but rather, maybe just lose some of the outside crust. Center will always make it, even if you pass out and wake the next morning!! Done that , but that's for another lesson!

 

As for smoke, when at lowes/home depot, use hickory smoke chips/chunks after they are soaked in water for half hour. Take chunks out of water (ten chunks, i.e.) wrap in tin foil, punch holes in top of tin foil, and then lie them on top of hot coals. This pack of chunks will last twice as long because they never burn, just get hot and smoke. Two packs for the duration of smoking will be plenty. No mesquite, wild wood like that with pork or chicken. Too strong.

 

Use a rub that is simple for the first go. I recommend using salt, pepper, brown sugar, and cheyenne pepper (a little!), dump liberally into your aluminum pan, roll your butts and chickens in the concoction and rub with your hands on the meat to make it stick and get good coverage (good coverage is how much "bark" you want on the meat!) I like medium bark (doesn't completely cover meat), but I know it's there!

 

And then you are set to take your pan and start your coals. Letting your meats rest for the thirty or forty minutes before starting the smoking will help work in the fats and flavors from seasoning, smoke, and coals.

 

Use self lighting coals - NO GODDAMN LIGHTER FLUID!!!! The fluid residuals will be in your meat. Yuck!

 

Good luck and be safe. Enjoy.

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Thanks!!

WellI tried it - by the way it is an indoor grill with a full chimney so it is not like I was using an outdoor grill indoors.

 

It actually turned out great. I had a tough time keeping the temp - I was hoping to do a lot of yard work but spent a ton of time trying to control the heat.

 

Took about 8 hours but really tasty and really good bark and the sandwich was awesome!!

 

Will do again when weather is not nice so I won't mind tending it more.

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