July 6

An Epic Feast of Prime Rib, Ham Loaf, Jalapeno Poppers, and Other Goodies on “Big Black”

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This spring we loaded Big Black, my decked out Meadow Creek TS250 tank smoker, with a variety of different meats for a picnic my friend was hosting about 15 miles from my house.

Here is a mouth-watering collection of photos to show you what this sweet rig can crank out...

“Absolutely the best and easiest to use cooker I have ever used! 140# pigs, chickens, brisket… I have used it for all. Highly recommended.”

- Steve Kwasnik -

Menu List

1

15 Racks of Loin Back Pork Ribs

To cook these, we removed the membranes on the back, seasoned them with Meadow Creek Black Pepper Brisket Rub, and arranged them meat-side up on the smoker. 


Once they had the color I was looking for, we wrapped them in aluminum foil meat side down with brown sugar, apple juice, and some barbecue sauce. Then we put them back on the smoker until the meat pulled off the bone easily without falling apart. Not all the ribs finished at the same time. Once they were ready, we unwrapped them and set them back on the smoker meat side up with a glaze of sauce for at least 15 minutes.


To serve the ribs, we sliced them into single-bone pieces and tossed them into a small ice chest that we had disinfected and lined with foil. We transferred them from here to the chafing pan as needed.

2

Gourmet Baked Beans

We mixed up a big pot of beans similar to the recipe I used in this post:

Beef Ribs and Baked Beans on the BX25 Smoker


We cooked them in half-sized pans on the bottom grate, catching some rib drippings. They were a delicious addition to the meal.

3

7 Loaves of Gene Wenger's Ham Loaf

Earlier this year, I discovered ham loaf and wrote about it on the blog here:

Smoked Ham Loaf on the Meadow Creek SQ36 Smoker


We simply removed the loaves from the packages, seasoned them with Kosmos Cow Cover, and cooked them on grilling racks. As they were finishing on the smoker, we glazed them with Meadow Creek Barbecue Sauce. Finally, we sliced them like meatloaf for serving. 

4

40 Jalapeno Poppers

To make these, we halved 20 jalapenos, removed the membranes, filled them with cheese, and wrapped each one with a full slice of bacon.


To make the cheese mixture, we shredded mild yellow cheddar cheese and mixed it with cream cheese and a good dose of Butcher BBQ's Grilling Addiction.


Next, we just set them on the smoker grate until the bacon was well-cooked. They were fantastic!

5

Boneless Rib Roast (Prime Rib)

I purchased a prime grade boneless beef rib roast from Sam's Club. It certainly was a beauty!


For the rub, I seasoned it with Kosmos Cow Cover and an extra layer of salt and black pepper. I put it on the smoker first thing in the morning, and it finished within several hours, so I held it in a full pan covered with foil inside an ice chest until it was almost time to eat. Before slicing and serving, I took it out and set it on the BBQ42 to sear it.


Sadly, I cooked it beyond medium rare by mistake while prepping some of the other food. I was relieved how well it turned out, thanks to the excellent marbling through the entire cut.

6

Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Tenders

We wrapped 20 pounds of thawed chicken tenders with one slice of bacon each. Then we grilled them on the BBQ42 chicken cooker with the rotating sandwich grate and sliced them into small pieces.

7

Sausage Links

We cooked 6 pounds of mild Italian sausage links and 5–6 pounds of apple maple sausages on the BBQ42 chicken cooker. The fire was extremely hot and they cooked within about 15 minutes. We removed them from the grill and put them in half-sized pans covered in foil until it was time to eat. Before serving, we sliced them all into 1–2 inch pieces.

“I have had a Meadow Creek TS250P for a year. It is my third smoker and by far the best! It has an insulated stainless steel fire box and a stainless steel warming drawer. With three stainless steel racks and a stainless steel rib rack that holds 27 sides of ribs, I can smoke all the meat, ribs & salmon I want for my sons & their families, as well as for my bride of 55 years at one time. It is very efficient with the wood that is burned & hold temperatures extremely well.


Everyone that sees it is very impressed with the quality of the workmanship of the smoker. The stainless steel shelves on both sides of the barrel make it very easy to place tools and my sprayers in close proximity to where they are needed and to remove the smoked food when it is ready. It is my third smoker, but also the last one I will ever need. The ash tray makes cleaning the ashes easy, and the removable racks much easier to clean. This smoker is a real WINNER!”

- Leonard S Tibbetts -

Just looking at the photos makes me want to go fire up the smoker right now and do this all over again. I was pleased with how most of the meats turned out, but as it usually goes, it’s hard to do everything perfect every time when you have so many different meats to coordinate at one time.

Here is "Big Black" before the cook, ready to hook up and leave...

It rained quite a bit while we were cooking, but a couple of canopies saved the day.

The serving table

Are you dreaming of starting a catering or vending business? Or simply ramping up your capacity for cooking for friends, family gatherings, and charities?

Our tank smokers offer an excellent presentation for on-site cooking.

A mounted BBQ42 chicken cooker on the front of the trailer adds a nice touch and multiplies the usefulness of your trailer by making it easy to cook with direct and semi-direct heat while you’re finishing the meats in the offset smoker.

We also offer some really sweet upgrades, such as the stainless steel work shelves, insulated firebox, and trim package (aluminum wheels and stainless stack), which make it easy to deck out a rig that’s right for you.

Click here for more stories, videos, and photos of "Big Black", the customized TS250 tank smoker.


Tags

bbq smokers, Big Black, tank smokers, ts250 smoker


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