About a year ago, my love for smoked meats and a desire to dive into the art of smoking led me to acquire a Big Green Egg, a kamado-style grill known for its versatility and efficiency. As a Texas boy at heart, my passion for smoked meats runs deep. Memories of frequenting Dzuik’s Meat Market during my high school years in Texas remain vivid, and my loyalty to their smoked meats hasn’t wavered to this day. It was high time, I reasoned, to channel my inner pitmaster rather than continually splurging on prepared smoked meats.
I’ll be the first to confess: my culinary skills are modest, favoring simplicity over complexity. Yet, smoking meats is anything but simple. It demands patience and a wealth of experience to master—a challenge I was eager to undertake. Brisket, with its tender allure and the nostalgia of brisket sandwiches from my childhood, became my focus. My culinary journey was flavored by my first job at Bill Miller’s BBQ, where I emerged daily, enveloped in the aroma of smoke—a scent that stubbornly clings to everything.
My foray into brisket smoking, albeit limited, has been a learning curve. Preparing a brisket for the next day’s lunch or dinner means starting the process late at night, a ritual that, despite some successes, has proven exhaustive due to the frequent need to adjust the grill to maintain the optimal temperature range of 225-250 degrees. My experiments with different charcoal types and dealing with the unpredictable nature of ambient temperatures have been lessons in patience and perseverance, occasionally ending in overcooked brisket transformed into chop BBQ sandwiches.
The introduction of the Fireboard 2 Drive by Fireboard Labs marked a turning point. This innovative device, equipped with a 20 CFM blower motor, automates temperature control in the kamado grill, promising perfectly smoked meats with less hassle. While I’m still fine-tuning its use, the device has significantly eased my worries about temperature fluctuations, allowing for worry-free overnight cooks, provided the grill is amply fueled.
My exploration into various smoking techniques, including “spritzing” and “mopping,” has evolved into a simpler, yet effective approach: prepare the meat with marinades or sauces beforehand and let it cook undisturbed. The Fireboard 2 Drive, despite its capabilities, struggles with temperature regulation if the grill is opened frequently. Its lid opening detection feature, designed to mitigate temperature spikes, underscores the importance of minimizing lid openings during low and slow cooks.
The device boasts a range of programming options, from accessing cooking profiles shared by other chefs to calibrating the probes for accuracy—a feature I find invaluable, especially when comparing readings with my secondary Govee thermometer.
My inaugural pork shoulder roast on the Big Green Egg was a resounding success. The meat was forgiving, tender, and imbued with a delightful smokiness, complemented perfectly by a coleslaw topping on a brioche bun. The leftovers promised a week filled with pork delights, a testament to the joys and challenges of mastering the art of smoking meats.