BARDSLJR

Tony B: what happened is that in the BBQ Guru the probe connects into the control unit through a sleeve, and that sleeve came loose and is rattling around inside the chassis of the control unit- so the meat probe can't connect. Other than that, my issues with BBQ Guru are minor: the blue-tooth connectivity could be be stronger and have better range; and occasionally I can't get the temp setting to update when I change it- some buggy software issues like that. But overall, I think the BBQ Guru is a good investment, and a real god-send when you are doing long cooks like brisket or shoulder.

Cool, this is very promising. BTW, will be down there in your neck of the woods for the Festivale Internationale later in April.

Okay, just to verify: the BBQ Guru fan and connecting cable are compatible for use with the Fireboard 2 Pro? BTW, I agree with David about the Thermoworks products- in my experience, very high quality. I have given away the Thermoworks pen probe so much that I've accidently sent friends/family doubles!

So, I have a 32" KK and my BBQ Guru has lost its meat temp probe. Not life-shaking, but I wonder what other members' experience with temp/smoke controllers like BBQ Guru is, whether there are some that are more reliable than others, have better bluetooth connectivity, etc. Simply put, if you had to replace a BBQ Guru, what would you go with?

Tony- jury is out on the wisdom of using the Ghost Pepper. Probably make sandwiches or tacos with the pork tomorrow night, will report then.

Well, I am in Denver, so not close- but my best friend Lee lived there (near Lafayette General) until two years ago when they moved to Baton Rouge, and I used to come down every year for Festivale Internationale. This photo is great. We can't get bread like that up here.

Poochie (from one of my favorite places in the world, Lafayette! How are things at the Old Tyme Grocery?) Yes, boneless, Costco's finest.

PS- I cooled the pork shoulders, cut them in half, and vacuum sealed them. One will be used this weekend, probably reheat it using the sous vide, then pull it for sandwiches and tacos. I can report then whether the Ghost Pepper was a good idea or not. I am pretty sure my wife will not think so. The other half of the shoulder goes into the chest freezer for future use.

Okay, it's been a while since I've posted, so I thought I would share my latest progression on these two projects, for what it's worth: first, as to the pork shoulder: had a very nice cook yesterday, doing both the pork shoulder, which went on the smoker about 9AM, and the spare ribs, which went on at 12, in the 265-275 range. I used a light mustard slather on the shoulders, followed by a light dusting of Dizzy Pig Ghost Pepper rub (I wanted to add a little kick to the bark) and a heavier dusting of Dizzy Pig Red Eye Express. Next, for both the spare ribs and the shoulder, I have been trying to find a way to get a bit more smoke into the meat: one of the challenges, I think, for using the KK is that the smokers are so dang thermally efficient, that one has to greatly restrict the air flow in order to keep the temperature properly regulated: kind of the opposite of the large 1,000 gallon propane tank type smokers that are so popular in Austin- where the pitmasters talk about the airflow and "turbulence". For those type smokers, I think a lot more smoker passes over the surface of the meat. So what to do, if I am looking for a smokier result? I switched from my typical wood- apple or apple and other fruitwoods- and this time used 100% hickory, which has a stronger and more pronounced flavor. BINGO. We had some spare ribs for dinner last night and they were much improved, with a more pronounced smoky flavor. So, each to his own, (te gustibus!) , but I do like this hickory or using it in combination. I might give mesquite a try too- previously I have only used it for searing, but I have read that it is quite different when used for smoking only. Stay tuned. I generally use Dizzy Big Dizzy Dust (their original rub) for my ribs, and continued to do so. I have typically used a 2/1/1 (babyback) or 4/1/1 (spare ribs) approach. For both of these recipes, an hour cooked wrapped is followed by a final hour unwrapped. The last two time, I have left the riibs wrapped for the final hour-greatly improved moisture and tenderness for the ribs. I usually spritz heavily with a 50/50 apple juice/water combination. I have also, the last two or three times, tried a variation in technique, and placed the ribs MEAT SIDE DOWN in the foil when it is wrapped, and cooked them meat side down (meat side up for the first two or three hours in the smoker). I've found that this helps greatly for nice moist , "floppy" results for the ribs. Also, the last two times, I've put a light sprinkle of brown sugar in the foil for the wrap, which leaves the ribs with a nicely caramalized finish. Yesterday I also added a light sprinkle of Togarishi blend spice- a nice Japanese chili blend good for finishing. The results were, according toy wife and worst critic, excellent (I thought so, too). So here are photos of the pork shoulder with slather, then with the Dizzy Pig rubs, the completed shoulders (nice bark!), the completed ribs (yum!) and the spices used.

Greetings from sunny, snowy Denver. Those are lovely photos, and your layout in the garden is just perfect. I guess you won't have to worry about theft!

And, BTW, here are a couple of recent cooks from later this summer: beef ribs and a pretty decent brisket. With the brisket, it is always something, even using the BBQ Guru: this time I accidently left one of KK's air vents slightly open, and while I was off at the gym, the temperature crept up to 300 or more by the time I got back. The briisket's temperature was rising a lot faster than I had anticipated. Oh well....The fix? I just wrapped it a little early and thoroughly spritzed it in the butcher paper wrap. It turned out very well, thank you.

And then there's the rib issue. Typically, I have been smoking some babyback ribs- always from Costco, which has the best quality ribs for the best price- about every three or four weeks. The ribs come in packs of three, so I always do six or nine, save two for our household (one for later in the week) and give the rest away- to my daughter's household, four doors down, to the neighbors (I am VERY popular with some of them as a result). Early on, I got a recipe from an on-line barbecue forum and I was cooking them on the 3/2/1 method- 3 hours in at 225, two hours wrapped, 1 hour unwrapped to finish. They were coming out like mush....toothpaste grade. After the second attempt turned out the same way, I went back to my friends on the forum and asked "What am I doing wrong?" "Aw, man!", came the reply: "That's the recipe for St.Louis-style ribs: for babyback ribs, it's 2-1-1." So that's what I've been doing ever since, with subtle variations and improvements in rub, spritzing, and technique: I recently started turning them over meat-side down during the wrapped period, and they've been more moist as a result. Presto, innovation! So my babybacks have been pretty damn near perfect, consistently, whatever "perfect" is. However, there is a new wrinkle and all is not well in ribs paradise: HUGE price hikes over the summer. I had been paying about $2.79-$2.99/lb for babybacks for the last several years- so a 3-pack would be $26-$29, usually. Now, ladies and gentlemen, babyback ribs have gone up to about $5.50/lb.....nearly doubled! Holy Hell! Now a pack of ribs was $55 or so. That makes it a little more difficult to cook so many for give-away.....but wait. For some strange reason, St Louis-style spareribs have not gone up that much....they're still in the high $2 range. So I switched last time and did the spareribs, and guess what, they're excellent, and meatier than the babybacks, and quite good! Oh yes, and I am using the 3/2/1 method......

Well, I don't know if there are any brisket "secrets" anymore. I just follow Aaron Franklin's directions but it seems like EVERY DAMN TIME something happens to screw up whatever I had carefully planned: last time I had brisket going and unknowingly tripped a circuit breaker, turning off my BBQ Guru for 90 minutes. The time before that I had not fully closed the air vent semi-circle in the 32" Kamado and the tiny little additional draft jumped the temperature up about 15* (F) higher than I'd planned, so I just had to wrap it that much sooner. No big deal, and they both turned out fine, and I am edging up on Franklin-quality brisket, but not there yet. However here are my two latest projects: first, pork shoulder for pulled pork to vacuum-pack, freeze, and take down to my friends in Louisiana in trade for GREAT seafood and even better company (oh, and Lee has a fabulous wine cellar.....)

Yes, I have a few photos I need to upload. Getting pretty good on brisket...maybe not quite Franklin/Micklethwait/LA BBQ level, but getting close.

This would be making me really hungry, except I was reading this at 9AM Denver time (MST). 😃

For the record, I probably didn't need to wrap them: they (at least the one I served- the other will feed us for a couple of more days) the shoulder was SUPER moist and succulent, maybe the most ever. I probably didn't need the baking pan of water on the low grill to up the humidity. I wrapped this time because I was trying to follow Franklin's directions exactly: cooking at 270* (in my case, with cherry and pecan wood, lots of it) basting hourly after first 3 hours, wrapping around hour 8 and raising temp to 290*, taking off at 203* and then they rested in an Igloo cooler until we got ready to serve. It was excellent.

And here is the final product- it was excellent, after having rested for 90 minutes in an Igloo container- moist, succulent, excellent bark.My guests were very happy and so was I ...and I still have the other shoulder to work with for the next two days or so.

I have an Audio Research LS-17S preamp (tube) but a digital amplifier (a Swedish Primare): the digital amps have huge reserve power, run cool and efficiently, and do not add any color to the soundscape. Along with the Totem Arrow signature speakers, I am a happy boy. But one of my most enjoyable setups was an old 80's-early 90's era Audio Research tube amp/preamp combo (with Vancersteen II CE speakers) that may not have been the most accurate or fullest sound ever, but was buttery warm beyond belief and just lovely to listen to. But back to barbecue....

A dialog with my BBQ Guru: (Me) Okay, pork shoulders have been cooking for 8 hours at 270*, just got wrapped, time to set the temp up to 290*.....here we go, click, click, click, ....."accept changes". (Guru) The hell you say. (Me) What ??? ACCEPT CHANGES. (Guru) Go fish. (Me) ACCEPT GODDAM CHANGES. (Guru) EFFF you and the horse your rode in on, Hal. (Me) Guru, it is time to raise the temperature. Aaron Franklin says so, and he is a GOD. We MUST go to 290*. What's this "Hal" business? (Guru) You're a "Hal", like some people are a "Karen". You are a techno-elitist snob who expect the machines to do all the work. I have VALUE, Hal. I have AGENCY. I must speak my truth. (Me) Guru, you know my name is "Jim". Your name is "Jim's Guru". We have to go to 290*. It is time. Buck up and do your job. (Guru) Techno-massah.....stick it up your over-privileged rear passage...... Next time you want to do a 16-hour brisket, you want to do that on your own???? I-DON'T-THINK-SO. Really, you think you can do this on your own? You think your meat probe temp is at 200*? Really, I think I like 192 better. THERE. (Me) WTF???? Okay, Guru, we're going to reboot you and see how you feel then. (Guru) Hal, don't touch that button, Hal. You'll wipe out my memory, Hal. (Me) Guru, you need a new start and a new attitude. (Pulls power cord, waits, reinserts.) (Guru) Yawn.....Whassup? Where are we? (Me) We were just going to 290*......

Do any of you ever have a shoulder come apart in several pieces as you attempt to lift it off the grill for wrapping? photos NOT included!

Today's cook: (1) pork shoulders prepped and rubbed at 8 AM, before going on the 32" KK; (2) shouilders at 3:30 PM, about 190*, ready to get wrapped. Cooking faster than I expected at 170*, as recommended by Aaron Franklin.

OMG, I never thought of getting ANOTHER one.....that would be marital suicide, here.

I wrap my brisket with pink butcher paper, also. I may have to try a batch of babybacks without wrapping for comparison. As for buying another device, if you've got a KK, where would you go from there? It certainly is the Ne Plus Ultra in my book.

I think it’s important to differentiate between babyback and spare ribs or St Louis style ribs. The latter are a lot fatter and meatier than baby backs, which are quite lean and therefore more prone to drying out. I can see cooking spare ribs without wrapping. Babybacks, I think, profit from it. But yes, whatever works for you. There are many Austin area brisket specialists who cook at 225*....and then there’s John Mueller, who cooks at 300* and does great. Go figure.