🔥 Meat Lab

Smoked meats, curing projects, dry aging experiments, cook logs, and gear reviews.

🪵 Smoking

Brisket

Texas-Style Post Oak Brisket

Simple SPG rub, post oak smoke, and a long overnight cook.

🕐 14 hrs 🌡️ 250°F 🪵 Post Oak
Pork

Carolina Pulled Pork

Bone-in pork shoulder with mustard binder and tangy vinegar sauce.

🕐 12 hrs 🌡️ 225°F 🪵 Cherry
Ribs

Competition St. Louis Ribs

3-2-1 method with a sweet heat glaze.

🕐 6 hrs 🌡️ 275°F 🪵 Hickory

🧂 Curing & Charcuterie

Curing

Bresaola: 60-Day Dry Cure

Eye of round, cured and hung. From raw beef to Italian charcuterie in your garage.

🕐 60 days 🌡️ 55°F 💧 75% RH
Curing

Duck Prosciutto

The gateway charcuterie project. Salt-cured duck breast, hung for 2 weeks. Impossibly easy, absurdly good.

🕐 14 days 🌡️ 55°F 📉 30% loss
Curing

Homemade Bacon: Maple Bourbon

Pork belly, curing salt, maple syrup, bourbon. Cold smoke for 8 hours. Never buy store bacon again.

🕐 7 days cure 🌡️ Cold smoke 🪵 Apple

🥩 Dry Aging

Dry Age

45-Day Dry Aged Ribeye

Home dry aging with a dedicated fridge, salt block, and fan. The nutty, concentrated flavor is worth the wait.

🕐 45 days 🌡️ 36°F 📉 18% loss
Dry Age

90-Day Bone-In Strip Loin

The long game. Three months of controlled decomposition for a funky, blue-cheese-forward flavor profile.

🕐 90 days 🌡️ 35°F 📉 32% loss
Dry Age

DIY Dry Age Fridge Build

How I converted a $200 used fridge into a dry aging chamber with a fan, salt tray, and temp controller.

💰 ~$350 total 🛠️ Weekend project

📓 Recent Cook Log

Overnight Brisket — Prime Packer

14.5 lbs
Weight
250°F
Pit Temp
16 hrs
Total Time
203°F
Pull Temp
Post Oak
Wood

Started at 10 PM, wrapped in butcher paper at the stall. Pulled at 203°F when the probe slid in like butter. Rested 2 hours in cooler. Point was absolute money.

Full Cook Log →

🛠️ Gear Picks

Thermometer

ThermoWorks Thermapen ONE

★★★★★

One-second readings. Non-negotiable for every cook.

Smoker

Oklahoma Joe's Highland

★★★★☆

Offset stick burner that punches way above its price.

Monitor

FireBoard 2 Drive

★★★★★

Wi-Fi probes with fan control. Sleep through overnight cooks.

All Gear →