Help your cook day with these hints:

  • Use a paper towel to remove the silver membrane from meat. Lift a corner of the membrane with a sharp knife and then grasp it using a paper towel. It will come right off.
  • Keep a food-grade spray bottle with apple juice handy so that if your protein starts to dry out, you can quickly get some moisture on it.
  • Rubber food-grade surgical gloves and/or food service gloves are critical to promote cleanliness and prevent bacterial contamination.
  • Put several layers of rubber food-grade surgical gloves on your hands at one time which allows you to quickly remove a contaminated layer and continue to work on another protein or food product.
  • Beer is a wonderful seasoning alternative. Including it in sauces, injections, soups and chili will give your food an added flavor profile. Use malty beers for the most flavor.
  • You can use a gas grill to smoke food if you cook the food indirectly (heat one side and cook on the other side) and use a pellet smoke tube (Amazon.com - $20.00) to provide the smoke. Be sure to rotate the food each hour as there will be hot spots in the grill.
  • Buy commercial grade (wide) aluminum foil as the standard grocery store rolls do not fully cover most meat (Brisket, ribs, pork butt, ham, etc.). You can find it at Sam’s Club and Costco.
  • A digital thermometer is a must when smoking so that the food temperature can be read quickly to prevent heat loss.
  • “If you’re lookin’ the food ain’t cookin’.” Do not give into the temptation of checking your food during the cook. Each time you open the smoker, heat is escaping.
  • Salt is a flavor enhancer. Under-salted food will not reach the flavor potential of the food you are cooking. Over-salting will be unpleasant to eat. Be sure to take good notes and adjust your saltiness during your next cook.
  • Use the “reverse sear” method on thick steaks and chops where you want a nice medium-rare center but still want that charred flavor from searing. At high heat, thick meats are hard to get to the proper temperature in the center and not overcook the outside. Slow cooking the meat will give you a great internal temperature but no sear on the outside. So do both. This is called the “reverse sear” method. Slow cook the meat until the internal temperature is about 15 degrees less than desired and then finish it at very high heat (600 – 800 degrees) to get the preferred searing on the outside.
  • Use a welding blanket (any welding supply store or the Internet) to insulate your smoker on those cold winter days. The welding blanket will not catch on fire or smolder. Simply toss the blanket over the smoker (be sure not to cover any important openings on the smoker) and it will help hold in the heat.