Pellet Grill Jerky

Cabela's had their Jerky Blaster on sale for 50% so I went ahead and pulled the trigger.  Just received it yesterday so I had to try it out.  Here's what it looks like.

The Jerky Blaster comes with all the tools for making jerky and snack sticks!  Four nozzles, funnel and plunger for loading, and two brushes for cleaning. 

For my jerky, I used one of Hi-Mountains Seasoning/Cure mixes in Mesquite flavor, also from Cabelas.  Here I am mixing up a 3 lb. batch.

Ready to shoot some Jerky!

Loading up the tube was incredibly easy with the included funnel and tamper.  I used some of my wife's cooling racks for the jerky.  Hopefully I won't be sleeping on the couch for that one.  Here's the jerky, shot on the racks.

I smoked this on my Yoder Smokers pellet grill at 200 degrees for an hour and a half.  Here's what the first batch looked like.  I  used the single strip nozzle on this one.

For the second batch, I used the dual strip nozzle.  This made strips wider and thicker which I liked.  It also made for shooting out the jerky twice as fast.  Here's what that batch looked like.

Overall, I was very pleased with the ease of use and the quality of the Cabela's Jerky Blaster.  The quality jerky seasoning from Hi-Mountain coupled with the great smoke from the Yoder pellet grill made some excellent ground-meat jerky.  Hope everyone has a blessed New Year!  See you in 2011 and keep on smokin'.

Christmas Prime Rib

I had a chance to cook a prime rib for our Christmas dinner this year.  Here's how it all went together.  I started with a 6 lb. standing rib roast, rubbed with some olive oil.  The roast was rubbed down with a generous amount of Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic Seasoning and some John Henry's Brisket rub.

Standing Rib Roast rubbed in olive oil

Rubbed in Garlic Garlic and John Henry's

I smoked the prime rib for two hours at 225 degrees on my Yoder Smokers pellet grill.  After two hours, I cranked up the grill to 325 and finished it off until it was a good medium (around 150 degrees).

Smokin' away on the Yoder

I let it rest for about 45 minutes wrapped in foil and then carved into it.  Here's how it looked.

This was a real treat for our family for Christmas.  It was served with a horseradish sauce consisting of some mayo, prepared horseradish, and some whole grain mustard.  We will definitely be doing this again.  Hope you all had a blessed Christmas!  See you next year!

Yoder Day

I had the chance to hang out for a few hours with Joe Phillips and Don Cary from Yoder Smokers this week.  Watching them in action is a real treat.  They were smoking briskets, chicken, pork butts, and even a deer shoulder.  Got some great smoking tips and insight into what's coming down the pike with their pellet grills.  They have some exciting stuff planned for sure.  Here's a few pics from the day.

Joe checking the temp of the brisket.  He sure smokes a mean cut of meat!

One of the briskets ready for foil.  This one was a winner for sure!

Yoder Smokers Pit Stop

My grill is back!  Thanks to Andy and Eric from Yoder Smokers for making the trek down to Derby to make sure I'm back to cooking.  My baby looks a little bit different on the inside now.  Here's what is new.

They added the baffle/bulkhead in the center to really harness the airflow and make sure it is going in the right direction.  This has really helped getting my grill up to higher temps during these colder months.  The thermocouple (or temperature probe) was moved as well out of the turbulent air to give the grill some rock solid temperature readings.  Here's a closeup...

Thermocouple to the right of the fire pot

I also got a new set of wheels and their new dome thermometer.  Yoder Smokers really goes the extra mile, literally and figuratively, to make their customers 100% satisfied.  If you are in the market for a new grill or smoker, I'd recommend giving them a look above anyone else.  They have the best customer service of any product/company I've come across.

Brisket - Round III

This is my third try at smoking brisket on my Yoder Smokers YS-640 pellet grill.  The last time was excellent, and this smoke was no exception.  This cook I tried John Henry's Texas Brisket rub.  The rub added some great flavor, but not quite as strong as the Plowboys Bovine Bold I typically use.

I fired up my YS-640 to 225 degrees at around 11:30pm and in no time I was off and smoking.  The Yoder held temps very well over night in the cold.  I foiled my brisket at 170 degrees internal.  The brisket was pulled and placed in the cooler to rest at 205 internal.  By lunch time the next day, we had a very moist and tender brisket.  Here's how it looked.

I'll be without my grill for a short while as the Yoder is going in for a "Pit Stop" to receive some upgrades.  Stay tuned and I'll be back for more in a few days!  Keep on smokin'!

Sugar Maple Smoked Baby Back Ribs

It was a frigid day in Kansas this past Sunday, so what do you do?  Smoke some meat.  This time I smoked a rack of baby back ribs for my family using BBQr's Delight Sugar Maple pellets.  The night before the smoke, I rubbed down a rack of baby backs with some Coon Creek Rub and some extra brown sugar.  Coon Creek has become a staple of mine for ribs and pork butts.  Thanks to my friends at All Things BBQ for recommending this to me early on.  It's been a hit at our house.  Be sure to swing by their store if your in the Wichita area or check them out on-line at www.atbbq.com for all your BBQ supply needs. 

On the day of the smoke, I fired up my Yoder YS-640 pellet grill to 225 degrees.  The ribs get smoked using 2-2-1 method, meaning 2 hours in the smoke, 2 hours wrapped in foil, and 1 hour (or until done) unwrapped and basted with BBQ sauce.  The Yoder was rock-solid during the entire process as usual.  Temperatures held very stable given the cold temps outside.  Here's how they turned out.

I want my baby back baby back baby back...ribs!

Great smoke ring and very moist!

All that was left after all the carnage!  Finger lickin' good ain't just for chicken anymore!

Next weekend, I'm smoking brisket again with a new rub by John Henry.  Stay tuned and I'll share all the meaty, juicy details with you.  Keep on smokin'!