Another cooker throwdown (surprised results)

[jkief]

I was just going to combine this with the rib thread that I was going to post later today. However, the results were surprising and thought it needed its own explanation. Picked up a skin on pork belly yesterday.
Process: scored the skin and rubbed the meat side. Seran wrap and refrigerated overnight. Put on at 9 this morning.
Setup: MAK and Yoder set at 235 with competition blend lumberjack. Assassin running 225-245 with hickory. Meat side down and sprayed skin every 45-60 minutes. Fried skin at 350 until crispy. I ran low to render the fat and dry the skin so I could fry it afterwards.
Results: Pulled at 12:45.
MAK had a darker bark on meat side. Bark was a little tough. Probed at 201 when pulled from pit.
Yoder and Assassin had a very similar bark color on the meat side. They both probes around 190-193.
Impressions: My wife, son, and I all agreed. We liked the tenderness of the MAK better. Should have let the other 2 go another 30 minutes or so. We all liked the flavor of the Yoder better. Wife and son said the MAK was good, just kinda plain.
Assassin picked up too much smoke.
What I would do differently: Lower the MAK to 220 maybe to keep from overdoing the bark and putting more flavor into the belly. I would remove the skin and run the Assassin at 275. It likes to run hotter, I believe. Ribs are on now.

 

[ttkt57]

Keep these throwdowns coming! Great stuff! Oh, and put a space between your pics. I keep getting these weird optical illusions and can't tell when one cooker ends and the next cooker begins! Ha!

 

[rwalters]

Awesome stuff going on in your backyard buddy!

 

[jkief]

Update...after sitting on the counter for an hour and a half, the smoke profile on the Assassin really mellowed out. Still like the Yoder flavor better but Assassin would be a close second after mellowing out. Wife and I agreed that the one off the Assassin would be better on a sandwich!!

 

[rwalters]

What would you say it was that made the flavor preferred from the Yoder? My buddy had a ys640 for a good while. They do put out good food, but it was always less smoky than my MAK... at least to our palates.

 

[jkief]

What would you say it was that made the flavor preferred from the Yoder? My buddy had a ys640 for a good while. They do put out good food, but it was always less smoky than my MAK... at least to our palates.

We were surprised as well. As a stark contrast to the burgers, we found the Yoder had more smoke penetration, but it was really clean smoke. I think part of it as well, was the bark on the MAK was getting tough vs flavorful. The texture and moisture was better on the MAK for sure. I’m going to have to run a probe up there to see what the temp is on the top grate.

 

[jkief]

Man, the Yoder chews through pellets...Both started with a full 20lbs this morning at 0900. This is what is left this evening after both cooks...

 

[jzadski]

Another great post. I really like seeing the differences between the cookers and you do a fine job of it.

 

[Dweverett]

Great series of posts! Keep them coming!

It will be interesting to see if the top shelf on the MAK is running hotter than you think. The harder bark and higher finish temperature would both point that direction.

 

[jkief]

Great series of posts! Keep them coming!

It will be interesting to see if the top shelf on the MAK is running hotter than you think. The harder bark and higher finish temperature would both point that direction.

That’s my thought process as well. To be transparent, I was spritzing the pork belly and ribs every 40-60 minutes. So I’m wondering if the MAK was over compensating to keep temps stable. However, the lack of pellet consumption on the MAK makes me think maybe not. Confusing for sure. I’ll see today.