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2023 Cormani McClain CB Commits to Colorado

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SWFLHurricane said:
I was at the Led Zeppelin concert in 77 at the Old Sombrero in Tampa....5mins into the concert it started raining, and Zeppelin left the stage and didn't return....crowd of 65,000 started rioting....National Guard was called in. The next day Governor Graham banned Zeppelin from Fl.
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My brother went up there for that concert, said it was great while it lasted. Also mentioned some lightning.

On a related note, shortly thereafter, my father drove a taxi and picked up Jimmy Buffet from the Grove Hotel and took him to the Orange Bowl for a Monday Night telecast for a Dolphin game. He mentioned to him the concert. Buffet said when there's static in the air, it's dangerous for the performers with all the wattage from the stage. He said he's felt static from the mics himself.
 
passitback said:
I'm flirting with an offset smoker this summer.

I purchased a Weber Smokey Mountain and am still figuring her out, working on keeping my temperatures steady, best types of charcoal, etc.

Ultimately, I will never use charcoal (or pellets) to smoke foods. That is the goal. Smoking meats is one **** of a fun challenge. An absolute labor love. I enjoy every aspect of the process of cooking / grilling / smoking.

I plan to purchase a 250 gallon drum and take it on the road to comps down the line.
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I think a drum may be my next purchase, but I have long-term plans of building a small pavillion with an outdoor kitchen on my property, so an offset is the ultimate goal. Just not enough time right now or for the forseeable future.

I'm not pro or anti pellet/charcoal/wood, everyone's situation is different and I'm glad there are options for us to explore and tailor to our needs.

Someone asked me if I could cater their wedding for 150 people a few years ago. I was flattered as **** but my grill can only hold one big brisket or maybe two smaller ones, but that's really all I need it for right now.

Gotta post some pics of your cooks now, we're taking this thread to new heights lol.

Pork belly burnt ends:

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NorthEastCane said:
My brother went up there for that concert, said it was great while it lasted. Also mentioned some lightning.

On a related note, shortly thereafter, my father drove a taxi and picked up Jimmy Buffet from the Grove Hotel and took him to the Orange Bowl for a Monday Night telecast for a Dolphin game. He mentioned to him the concert. Buffet said when there's static in the air, it's dangerous for the performers with all the wattage from the stage. He said he's felt static from the mics himself.
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I believe it....it definitely was raining with some lightning. We got the F outta there before the craziness started. I had a 72 Bonneville then. We piled in, and headed back to Ft Myers...Lol
 
Baba Yaga said:
I think a drum may be my next purchase, but I have long-term plans of building a small pavillion with an outdoor kitchen on my property, so an offset is the ultimate goal. Just not enough time right now or for the forseeable future.

I'm not pro or anti pellet/charcoal/wood, everyone's situation is different and I'm glad there are options for us to explore and tailor to our needs.

Someone asked me if I could cater their wedding for 150 people a few years ago. I was flattered as **** but my grill can only hold one big brisket or maybe two smaller ones, but that's really all I need it for right now.

Gotta post some pics of your cooks now, we're taking this thread to new heights lol.

Pork belly burnt ends:

View attachment 222370
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NIIIIIICe. I made some pork burnt ends this summer, also made some poor man's burnt ends. I needed better belly and chuck!

I'll begin posting pics soon.

Those look sweet. SPG, some rub, and the usual (butter, honey, bbq)? Or do you go a different route.
 
passitback said:
NIIIIIICe. I made some pork burnt ends this summer, also made some poor man's burnt ends. I needed better belly and chuck!

I'll begin posting pics soon.

Those look sweet. SPG, some rub, and the usual (butter, honey, bbq)? Or do you go a different route.
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...
 
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passitback said:
NIIIIIICe. I made some pork burnt ends this summer, also made some poor man's burnt ends. I needed better belly and chuck!

I'll begin posting pics soon.

Those look sweet. SPG, some rub, and the usual (butter, honey, bbq)? Or do you go a different route.
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I skip SPG on pork burnt ends and go with a good pork rub. Smoke for 4 hours I think before throwing them in a covered pan with honey, butter and brown sugar.

I'm an oddity in that I love to bbq but I really don't care for bbq sauce. I prefer dry rubs and hope I the meat comes out nice and juicy.
 
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Baba Yaga said:
The following has absolutely nothing to do with Cormani...

ben carson t GIF



My man, I trust that you will, but I'll say it anyway: take your time and do your research before buying a smoker.

Pellet grills have become the rage for backyard bbq enthusiasts and that's what I used to make that brisket. BBQ purists will spit on my meat when they learn it came off a pellet grill but IDGAF. It's super convenient and I'm more or less able to set it and forget it once I throw my brisket/pork butt/ribs etc. on the grate.

A traditional smoker requires more time and attention on your part to maintain/adjust temperature, and for a large cut that requires a long cook time such as a brisket, you almost have to be able to babysit the smoker for the duration of the cook. But if you have that luxury and are able to learn how to use one, you'll smoke some killer meat. I love my pellet grill but I'll be the first to admit it doesn't provide as strong of a smoke profile as a stick burner.

There are pro's and con's to both, just take your time and research before pulling the trigger on something.

I'm thinking a CiS BBQ thread in the OT forum is in the near future...


I've never injected, just use a dry rub combo of kosher salt, course ground pepper and garlic powder, then hit it with a beef rub.

A full-packer brisket is a pain in the ***. It's two large muscles connected by a huge chunk of fat. They cook differently and form an uneven piece of meat so trying to get them to finish at the same temp is a tough task in its own right. You've gotta know your grill just as much as the meat.

As far as tips...

1. Learning how to trim a brisket is the most important step, IMO. The extra time spent on the front end will pay dividends. Aaron Franklin and Hey Grill Hey both have good vids on You Tube that cover trimming.

2. Seasoning is personal preference but a simple SPG (salt, pepper, garlic powder) and a good beef rub combo do it for me, no need to throw together 37 different ingredients to do the same thing an off the shelf rub will do. I used to use olive oil as a binder but I don't feel its necessary.

3. Know your smoker. They don't cook like a conventional oven, most of them will have hot spots. Grab a tube of Pillsbury biscuits, bring your smoker up to baking temp and spread them out evenly on your grate. Some of them will probably be overdone after the recommended bake time; those are your hot spots on your smoker. That's valuable intel when your point is cooking faster than your flat.

4. I prefer fat-cap down, it keeps the meat side of the flat exposed to the smoke and keeps it from overcooking and becoming tough or brittle, whereas the fat-cap can absorb that heat and protect the meat above it.

5. Wrapping. You can research the **** out of this. I generally choose to wrap in peach paper after 8-10 hours or when my bark reaches a dark mahogany color. It protects it from absobing too much smoke which can give a bitter taste, and helps speed up cook time by pushing it through the stall. It also prevents the bark from becoming soggy, which tends to happen if you wrap with foil. The peach paper is somewhat permeable wheras foil isn't. Google "Texas crutch".

6. I like to pull mine around 197°-203°, but the real test is if your meat thermometer slides into both the flat and point like a hot knife through butter. If you still feel resistence, it's not done, even if it's at temp. Conversely if you're above 190° and its sliding in and out with ease, you might wanna pull it or risk overcooking it.

7. One of the biggest mistakes people make is not letting their brisket rest after pulling it off the smoker, but ****'s are impatient and wonder why their brisket is dry when they slice it 10 mins after its done cooking. Pull it, set it in a foil pan (I usually do this after I wrap anyway) and let it sit on the counter at room temp for about an hour, but try not to exceed an hour and a half. It will still be hot after an hour, but you don't want the internal temp to drop below 150°

If you must wait longer to serve it, you can heat your oven to its lowest temp for 10 mins, turn it off then throw the brisket inside to keep it hot without continuing to cook it. If you pull your brisket and insist on slicing it 15 mins later, all that steam you see rising out of your meat is juicy goodness escaping. Let it rest!

Now, say you're brisket is done super early, like 4 or 5 hours. Double wrap it in foil, then wrap it in an old bath/beach towel and throw it in a cooler. It will still be piping hot 4 hours later. Downside to this is your bark will probsbly lose some of its crisp and it may continue to cook itself in the cooler, but I've used this trick many times and it still turned out great. Still wanna let it rest for a bit after pulling it out of the cooler though.

8. Don't start slicing until you're ready to serve.

9. **** BBQ sauce! If someone needs sauce to enjoy your brisket, you either overcooked it or they're uncultured swine who don't deserve the beefy euphoria you spent the better part of an entire day preparing for them. Au jus from the brisket is perfectly acceptable and recommended, however.

And even if you do everything right, it still may turn out so-so. I swear each brisket I've ever smoked has had its own personality. I've used the same prep methods & cook temp on briskets of similar weight and one took 16 hours while the other took 10. The best one I've ever made was USDA Choice lol. It's not a time & temp deal like most cuts of meat but if you're patient enough to figure out your own method and learn what works for you and your grill, it's very gratifying to watch everyone drooling over your meat at a big gathering.

I know that was a lot and I probably covered some things you already know, but my 3yr old has me pinned down watching Little Einsteins for the last 2 hours so I figured I'd share my Brisket Manifesto with you lol. Feel free to DM me more questions when you decide to try it again. Most importantly, find out what works for you and have fun with it. My way isn't the only way, it just works for me after a lot of trial and error.


For real, pork butt is like that slow horse they let the thoroughbred's beat up on to build their confidence. Smoke one of those for your Memorial Day cookout and your Aunt & Uncle will be telling you how great your pulled pork is, and that you should quit your job to become a BBQ Pitmaster.

Brisket is Secretariat at the Belmont and will humble your *** real quick.
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Agreed with most of your points, a secret pro-tip in terms of injecting…. Take your fat that you trimmed off the brisket, throw it in a tin pan and put it in the smoker next to the brisket, the fat will render into a liquid. Take the liquid fat and pour all over the brisket before you wrap, then save the rest and inject your next brisket with the fat for more flavor.

In terms of seasoning, you can never go wrong with salt pepper and garlic, I also add onion and smoked paprika for the color.

Mad scientist bbq has a lot of really good videos diving into the science of things and some really good tips as well.

I’ve found the longer I let my brisket rest, the better, just towel wrap it in a cooler like you said. I generally go 2-3 hours rest, but there’s no wrong way as long as you’re not cutting into it right away.

If anyone ever puts bbq sauce on my brisket they will never eat at my home again.

Lastly, when you wrap, turn the brisket 180 degrees to ensure both ends of the brisket get the same cook, as some smokers get hotter on one side.

Just Some of my tips and opinions, not telling you how to do it, I seen the pics and yours looks great. Keep up the good work brother.

P.S. -Pellet smokers are the way to go. I can’t be asked to manage a fire all day, plus my bbq is better than most people that use offsets so they can suck it

Also, to anyone interested in buying a smoker, keep an eye on offer up, I’ve bought 4 smokers all in brand new like condition for 150$ or less each time, just takes some patience.
 
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passitback said:
Do you make your own SPG or buy it?

I use Sucklebusters. Then, I'll add another rub for layering. Big fan of Malcom's BBQ Rubs for pork butt and ribs...
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I make my own. There's a restraunt depot nearby so I'll grab a big shaker of kosher salt and coarse black pepper. The garlic powder is trickier bc you gotta find the stuff that is more granular, the powdery stuff will just cake up once you apply it to the meat.

Also a fan of Malcolms, good stuff!
 
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