WRITTEN BY ANNE GABBIANELLI
“Hmmm, mustard. I never thought of that as a binder on the ribs, and I like mustard,” mused my partner Phil Holmes as he watched various backyard chefs sharing their smoking skills via YouTube. No doubt, Phil is one of those backyard chef wannabes. My man loves the challenge of making something new when it comes to food.
Phil has always been known as the grill master. There has never been a gathering where he didn’t methodically commandeer the grill. I’ve always teased him that in our retirement years, we should have a food truck and call it Phil’s Grillin’. While grilling is still his “job,” he has now ramped up his addiction to smoking.
His meat-smoking career began in his 20s with a small, single rack, charcoal-fueled smoker with a water tray.
“I experimented but primarily smoked a lot of jerky. Then I watched another guy smoke a ham on a similar smoker, and I found that interesting,” he said.
Soon Phil bought a combination charcoal grill/smoker.
“I tried smoking with the heat off to the side with that little smoker,” he said. “I went from a water tray to no water tray, so it was more experimenting.”
That smoker got the most use once we took it to camp. I’d take off on the four-wheeler to a friend’s apple orchard to gather fresh green wood as there is something about the type of wood that gives the meat flavor. I’m pleased to say, we’ve graduated to purchasing wood chunks, which burn slower than chips, and prefer cherry and apple.
At camp, the wind off the lake could be a deterrent, yet Phil kept vigil, regulating the amount of smoke based on the charcoal input.
“Especially with charcoal, you have the wind and outside temperature to deal with as you try to time it out and get an internal temperature,” he said.
Once Phil caught on that many answers to many things can be found on YouTube, that became his source to learn more about smoking. He had conquered the pork and beef, so next on the menu was chicken.
Back to YouTube to study temperature monitoring, which was followed by a few thermometer purchases. He tested more barbeque sauce concoctions, more heating and timing combinations, and the ultimate test: the eating. Personally I found the chicken to be dry, so the task became to retain moisture while smoking chicken.
Phil got brave after a while and tried a slab of salmon. We had it in restaurants, but wow — right out of the smoker, it makes my mouth water right now. As you can imagine, anytime Phil wants to smoke, I suggest salmon.
A few years ago, Phil accepted a new challenge. He went from the charcoal grill/smoker to a propane smoker. A friend loaned him an upright, three-rack beauty that wasn’t being used. It certainly has found the right home with Phil — on loan, of course.
Back to YouTube to learn how to operate a propane smoker with the water tray and yet more ideas for adding flavor to the process.
“I learned you can use orange and apple juice, and all the drippings that land in the tray just get re-circulated through,” he said. “Having a water tray definitely keeps the food more moist.”
There is hope for the chicken, in my mind anyway.
With the new upright smoker in place, we turned our attention to the cooking arena. We hauled out the card table that saw many a card game at Gram’s house and got all the utensils and work gloves laid out along with the thermometers, juice for the water tray, paper towels, wood chunks, pliers for handling the wood chunk pan (Phil uses pump pliers), platters or cookie sheets for the finished product, and a Twisted Tea for the chef. Meanwhile, inside the “real” kitchen, it was time to apply the seasoning mix, either a store bought rub or a combination of spices.
The one thing that hasn’t been in our favor when smoking is the air temperature.
“If the temperature gets into the 30s, you’re done. Even the 40s is a challenge,” Phil said. “You basically need to experiment with your smoker. Things will cook differently on a sunny day than a cloudy day. It will go well with a steady cooking temperature of 300 degrees.”
We are seasonally back in business once again, and Phil is in command at the grill and the smoker.
“I’m really hoping to smoke a brisket some day, but they’re so expensive right now,” he said, contemplating his next experiment.
Perhaps that retirement food truck will be called Phil’s Grillin’ and Smokin’, and you can be sure there will be a side of homemade baked beans — another of his cooking passions.
Phil’s Recipes
“My recipes are pretty simple. There is no exact science to this. Just cook your meat until it’s done!”
PHIL’S BABY BACK RIBS
A rack of baby back ribs
Once thawed and out of the package, pat them dry using paper towels. Coat both sides with any sweet, yellow mustard. Season both sides with McCormick Grill Mates Sweet & Smoky. Place on the smoker rack, and smoke for two hours at 300 degrees.
About an hour and a half in, smother the ribs just on the top with Kraft Original BBQ sauce (it’s the only one to use). After two hours, try to pick the ribs up with tongs and if they break apart, they are done.
SMOKED CHICKEN
Use any size chicken, boneless or bone in, with the skin
If you use a whole chicken, spatchcock it (splitting the chicken open as I learned from watching a YouTube video)
Coat both sides with olive oil as your binder. Season both sides with McCormick Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning. Place on the smoker rack for about an hour and half at 300 degrees aiming for an internal temperature 160-165 degrees.
SALMON
Salmon filet with skin
Season the top of the salmon with coarse black pepper or McCormick Salmon Rub. Place on the smoker rack, skin side down for about an hour at 300 degrees.
Pro Tip from Phil: If you are smoking a variety of meats all at once, the beef or pork goes in the smoker first, chicken second, and fish last. This way all the food will be ready to serve at the same time. Be sure to have your favorite beverage handy and enjoy.
