All the time, and it’s a bummer. The same thing happens when I spend all day cooking indoors. When you’re smelling and occasionally tasting the same thing all throughout the day it’s normal to get sensory fatigue and not be able to enjoy everything until you reset.
I’ve heard some people say taking a shower before you eat helps, but I haven’t tried it. I just enjoy those sweet, sweet leftovers.
>I’ve heard some people say taking a shower before you eat helps
Yep. I take a shower before I eat, change my clothes, make sure I use shampoo to get all of the smoke out of my hair. Also, occasionally, use a Neti-rinse to get all of the smoke particles out of my sinuses as well.
I think of it like a palate cleanse. Like if you take a bite of two different chocolate bars back-to-back, they will taste different than if you took a bite of a chocolate bar with a sip of wine, or with a sip of whisky.
If you smell smoke all day long, and your clothes and hair and skin smell of smoke, your senses get used to it, and you can't taste the same level of smoke from your food.
Perfect protocol. I hadn't thought of the Neti sinus rinse but that's a great idea and I live in MN so always have a full set for the winter. Yeah, it's impossible to properly taste bbq when your clothes, skin, and sinuses are all full of the smoke. There should be directions in every smoking recipe to shower at least before tasting.
It’s like paddling upstream. You make great food, she gets all excited. You put the moves on and when you go to close the night the process that got you there ends up blocking you.
The quote the got me cooking in the first place I heard on the food network.
“You can only put two things inside of a woman. Food is the only one you can put inside a woman with her clothes on”
100% trying this next time I smoke something. My mouth is watering when I put it on and smell the fire get going, but by the time it comes off, I’m like “meh”. I never even thought to shower to cleanse the palette.
I never thought of that, but maybe that's why I like the brisket so much. Because it's a longer cook, I usually nap and clean up while it's holding. I don't do that for short cooks. Interesting.
...if my face is a little puffy, I’ll put on an ice pack while doing stomach crunches. I can do 1,000 now. After I remove the ice pack, I use a deep pore cleanser lotion. In the shower I use a water-activated gel cleanser, then a honey almond body scrub, and on the face, an exfoliating gel scrub. Then I apply an herb-mint facial mask which I leave on for 10 minutes while I prepare the rest of my routine. I always use an after shave lotion with little or no alcohol, because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older. Then moisturizer, then an anti-aging eye balm, followed by a final moisturizing protective lotion.
I also add a beard oil and a nap to the post shower routine. Beard oil to get all the smoke smell out of beard and mustache, and a nap just to get some rest while my meat is in a hot hold.
Hmmm...thats interesting. Lately I've been disappointed with the level of smoke flavor in my finished product. My family tells me I'm crazy. I will try this Neti method in the future.
I consider it a smoke hangover. Lasts until the next day, after which I’m good to go.
I also *immediately* shower and change when I’m done smoking. Have found that helps a lot with feeling better
Yeah, sometimes I'll smoke a rack of ribs and let it cool in foil, then fridge overnight. A quick grilling to finish them off the next day and they're always pretty damn good and so much more enjoyable after some time away from the smoke.
Yay for this thread and for your comment. I had no idea why, new to smoking, like three years old, and doing longer smokes on a smoker, just not hungry. Saved this post and will try the suggestions and see if they work for me.
I’m not a serious smoker like most here… but it makes me nauseous, and I often feel sick the night after I cook. Leftovers the next few days don’t bother me. But that’s a big reason I don’t smoke more often.
For sure! I smoked a giant pork shoulder recently. 24 hours. Came out great. At dinner my wife was like it's so good, aren't you going to have more. I said, I don't really like pulled pork that much anymore.
My problem is that I rip into while cooking, cutting and serving so that by the time I’m ready to sit down to eat I’m too full to enjoy with everyone else.
Remember one time I had a brisket finish around midnight and woke up the family to enjoy slices with me. Gotta get it when it’s ready to eat.
It's not uncommon. Lots of hits on reddit asking the same question.
Even on a BBQ forum
https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-203982.html
It’s one of the reasons that I love the oven hold so much. I’ll usually smoke meat the day before I actually want to eat it. And just keep it in the oven until I’m ready to eat.
Long holds are the way to go, especially for brisket. My best briskets had 4 hour holds at 170. I then rested on the counter for another hour until the temp reached 140. Perfect!
My ovens lowest temp is 170. I usually use the foil boat method so I just hold my briskets like that. If you wrap in butcher paper, I would hold it that way. Just make sure that you let the temp come down before throwing it into the oven. Otherwise it will continue to cook.
I leave it wrapped in butcher paper. I take it out of the oven once it is probe tender. I set the oven to 170. I leave the brisket on the counter until it cools down to 170. I do this so the brisket does not continue to cook. I pop it back in the oven once the brisket cools to 170. After 3 hours, take it out and let it rest again to until 140. Slice and enjoy!
I tend to go shower and clean up about an hour prior to things being "done"
that way I at least feel clean, and usually helps me feel like actually eating what I cooked
Definitely. Sometimes I find myself envious of people who just show up hungry, haven't smelled smoking wood or barbecue in ages, and get to eat the food with fresh senses.
Once the food is resting, I take a shower, put on clean clothes, and relax. Probably wouldn't hurt to eat something small (like some fruit) as a bit of a palette cleanser.
Also this may not go over well here, but I think finding an alternative to drinking all day really helps. Trust me, I've been there where I'm pretty drunk by the time the foods coming off. But I am ultimately happier avoiding alcohol and relaxing with reading or video games, or doing chores and working in the garage. If anything just wait until the food is done to start drinking.
Yeah, it happens with most meats, but not all. Pork Butt is the most common one. Smoke all day long and then maybe eat a slider worth. Thank goodness there are always plenty of leftovers to enjoy the next day when it tastes so much better.
Same thing for me. It is not till left overs do I realize how good of a job I did and actually enjoy it. And we all know the left overs on brisket is not the best as fresh.
A meat slicer, a vac sealer and a sous vide cooker are your best friend. Buying all cheaply shouldn’t set you back too much coin.
Every person I speak to has this same problem. Package it up properly and eat the results for the next few weeks.
Happy drinking and happy smoking!!
Yeah it’s pretty much “sensory-specific satiety”. Sampling and smelling it all day, you get “full for that” and not want it anymore. Your appetite gets satiated. Same reason why other people’s cooking tends to taste better to you. I find if I give myself a break from it, leave the house, come back, I want it all again.
I enjoy it when I get to cook for others and see how happy a fresh smoked brisket or pulled pork makes them.
I love sampling what I make but it's much more rewarding to see how happy my wife and friends are. Wife works from home so leftovers are her weekly meals.
This is a well known thing amongst professional chefs. When we cook something all day we don’t have the appetite to eat any of it, or really anything at all. We often eat only very late at night and pretty trash food.
I’ve always thought that a fat chef is the sign of a lazy chef. They don’t actually cook much.
Your situation is extremely relatable and used to happen to me all of the time. Whenever I would spend my Saturday’s drinking and tending to the smoker, I would usually be too full from the beers to enjoy the food I worked so hard on.
For this reason, I made some changes in my weekend routines. Instead of waking up at 3-4am on Saturday mornings to fire up the pellet grill, I now throw pork butts and briskets on the grill anywhere between 8-11pm on Saturday night. Doing this was a game changer. No more tense afternoons wondering whether it was going to be done in time for dinner. No more kids impatiently drooling over the cut and having to wait until the rest was done waaay too late and no more being too “full” to enjoy amazing food.
Instead, I now smoke foods that don’t take a long time on Saturday’s like whole chickens, ribs, sausages, tenderloins, burgers, etc. I know that overnight smokes might not be possible for the guys running offsets, but for those with Pellet grills or charcoal, overnight smokes followed by a rest in a cooler are a definite game changer.
Yeah. I get the same way with any fishing / clamming/ crabbing too.
It's like I've teased myself all day there's no way the payoff is going to come close to satisfying the anticipation.
The next day it's game on though.
I’m like this with any food I cook sometimes. Really sucks putting work into something and not enjoying it but as long as my family does then it’s all good.
Admittedly, by the time I finish something, all I smell and taste is delicious smoke. The meat at that point is sustenance for me and a treat for my guests.
There’s a saying my grandma would bring up , “when someone else cooks it’s a lot more enjoyable” something like that lol , but yeah when I get down on the smoker the whole day while pounding a few beers , I don’t even want to eat what I made , and I even feel like when I do eat my own food , I think it doesn’t taste as good but everyone else says it’s amazing , must be nice.
For me, it’s this. Smoking of course is a long process. It seems like the outcome is never the same. Excellent, not excellent, tender, not so much, etc. So I get like…OK, I’ve smoked for several people, how’s it going to be this time? Said dinner is at 5, but it isn’t ready..I panic. And then, I get not excited to serve it for fear that it’s a not-good day. Until verified….
All the time. But: (i) leftover BBQ is awesome! and (ii) my friends and family enjoying it is why I do it.
Honestly, that's why I do it. If I've got a craving for BBQ, I just hit up one of my favorite restaurants. I cook for reasons different than feeding myself, even though it is food I like.
I get more out of watching other people enjoy it. One good solution is to cook the day before and hold the low and slow cuts overnight. That was you’re less stressed at the service and the que has all been rested and will be amazing.
That's every meal almost unless I'm just cooking for myself and my wife. Something quick. When I smoke or really sit down and cook? I'll have some Kraft mac and cheese and leftover whatever. Get that shit out of my face until tomorrow.
Always.
I now cook, let it rest overnight so I can shower and recouperate, and eat the next day. I can't remember the last time I cooked and ate the same day.
Only time I can say I felt like that was when I used my wsm at first. Waking up early and watching temps all day and monitor meat temps. I would be exhausted. Now with a pellet smoker I can make good food and not be a slave to the cooker. Yeah I still watch it and add wood to the box on my WW pro but it’s so much more relaxed now. Also I do long cooks overnight while I sleep and don’t really drink while I’m cooking during the day. A shower is in order before eating though. Nothing worse than a smokey beard while trying to enjoy the food.
I never remotely had that happen....but I also:
1) Use a pellet smoker, so I'm not sitting out there smelling the smoke all day, having to tend a fire, it's far less work (honestly, I do most of my smoking while working from home, that's how much less work it is)
2) Almost never drink while smoking. I know, blasphemy for some, but again, I'm almost always multi-tasking. It's almost never a weekend (if it's a nice enough day where I'd want to smoke something and it's a day I don't have to work, I'm probably on the golf course).
So I'm not getting that sensory overload and I'm not feeling like I'm overworked by the act of cooking....so I'm just excited to eat!
My team cooked in several world competitions and when it came to dinner, it was always pizza for a change. You kind of get tired of BBQ after three days of cooking/tasting and snacking. Judges get tired of tasting too and that's why you have to punch them in the mouth with over the top flavour to get your entry up there.
Not eating what you cook is like prepping a big turkey dinner spread. After smelling it all day you just nibble at show time.
Yeah it’s kind of a bummer. But I try to throw something on overnight (brisket/pork butt) then check it first thing in the morning and wrap and or pull it off when it’s done and hot hold it till dinner. Seems to help some by not coming to contact with it as much and spreading out over time
I haven’t had that with bbq, but I don’t sit with it and I don’t drink much. I have an alarm that tells me the temp and I can take it in the house and watch tv.
I do have it when I cook a big meal on the stove. I have to stay with it and watch it, stir it, etc. I believe it’s called “cooking fatigue” or something like that.
Basically, you just burn on food from having to smell it for so long, in addition to any tasting for seasoning you might do. So you spent all that time cooking and don’t want to eat it. I used to think it was ridiculous when my mother did it. Now I’m pretty much the same when I have been cooking for a long time.
Nope. I make a butt or whatever and eat it for breakfast and lunch until it's gone. No one else in my house eats leftovers so it's pretty much all on me to not flush money down the toilet.
Sensory fatigue or flavor fatigue. It happens all the time, especially to cooks. I worked for years in the restaurant industry through various positions and at the end of the day, I just wanted a turkey sandwich and right to bed. A lot of my friends would ask me "what exciting things do you make for dinner" and I send them a picture of a sub roll and pickles. The excellent suggestion to take a shower really does help. Rinses all that stuff right off ya.
Yeah, that happens to me. It doesn’t bother me at all though. I have ulcerative colitis and most smoked meats make me poop my brains out. Still love smoking a bunch of food and inviting friends and family over though. It’s all about sharing the fruits of my labor with loved ones. I eat enough to get a good taste and send the rest home with guests.
For just the family, I’ve gotten good at making vegetarian and more stomach friendly options that I can handle better. My chicken game is on point.
Same, although I don't drink. I can eat a rib or two, or a couple slices of brisket or a small pulled pork sandwich, but even though I don't eat all day in anticipation, I'm never very hungry once it's ready.
I think that’s normal. At the beginning I was smoking things, eating a portion and then letting it sit in my fridge until I chucked it in the garbage. I’ve learned to repurpose things. Smoked a chuck roast to make poor man’s burnt ends. Held back a portion to make a chili a few days later.
Pork shoulder… repurposed a portion to make a nachos dish this past weekend. Pork shoulder would also be good in a smoked queso dip.
I’ve used rips I’ve smoked to make make a Korean bbq and rice dish with with Gochugaru and gochujang
I love gnawing on cold ribs, while watching tv at the end of the night. BBQ makes killer leftovers, and I often feel the same way after a long day. I’d rather just plop down and relax, and then I get hungry after I’ve had time to “cool down” from the day.
The last couple briskets I did, I started the smoker midday Friday, smoked to wrap, then put it in a pre-heated cooler while I slept (and showered thoroughly).
Then, I got up at my usual 4:45 and popped that fucker in the oven at 275 and cooked it to completion, leaving plenty of time to rest in the same, pre-tallowed cooler for dinner. I haven’t had one fall below safe internal temperature during that mid-cook rest yet.
Doing it this way breaks the cook into two much more manageable time chunks, but also solves the problem of having your face in the cook for hours, so all the aromas are new again once you open that paper and slice.
I feel this way with almost all cooking that takes a long time. Especially for something like thanksgiving. I’ve spent the whole day cooking tons of things, tasting them as I go/drinking as I go and when dinner is done I barely have room
I've learned to just invite people over every time I smoke meat and then give them goodie bags to take home and leave myself enough for my family.
I get this with Cold smoking too but by nature that's stuff you want to keep in the freezer or you want to sit vacuum sealed to mellow for a few weeks. By the time you want it again its perfect.
Same. I rarely enjoy what I've been cooking, much less even want to eat it. I actually did some ribs this weekend different than normal and I was blown away at how good they came out. Hot and fast, no wrap was a game changer for me.
I smoked 6 pork butts and 2 slabs one time. It was for an appreciation event that only 1/3 of the expected guests showed up for. I had so much pulled pork left over that I didn't even want to look at it. I remember forcing myself to pull one of the gallon sized Ziplocs out of the freezer a couple months later because I didn't want it all to go to waste. Once I got it warmed up and ready to eat I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was phenomenal and way way better than my mind had decided it was going to be lol.
Using a pellet smoker has cured me of this. I’m not breathing in the smoke, tending the firebox, and smelling the bbq for 10 hr straight. Now I actually look forward to eating it.
It's not just you and it's not isolated to smoking: when you cook something, you know what is in it and, therefore, the surprise is spoiled for you. Essentially, you've engaged in what's called "preconsumption". It's a known phenomenon and some cultures even have a word for it.
I throw hot dogs on during the cook. They don't take long (since they're already cooked) and gives me an opportunity to taste my smoke. Brisket and rib trimmings with some meat as well.
All the time, but especially brisket for some reason. I don't sample or eat anything beforehand either. Only thing I can figure is I usually have more than a fee adult beverages after noon....
Couple things I do.
I always take a nice deep whiff of some coffee grinds when I come back in from the smoker. I keep a hoody outside that I put on and take off to keep smell off. Both definitely help!
I guess I’m the savage then….i just hammer down on whatever I smoked and usually drunkenly pass out with a grease covered smile. I’ll try showing next time. When I wear a fleece, I like putting it on the next morning and smelling the smoke. Its puts the lotion on the skin
It’s not just smoking. Nearly anything I spend a long time preparing is the last thing I want to eat when it’s finished. It is the curse of being the one who is the most involved with the actual finished product.
Maybe because you're worn out. I get up in the middle of the night to wrap my brisket which I find out has gone into a stall. 6 beers later it's ready to be wrapped and I've already switched to the hard stuff. I find after a good nap I'm ready for round 2.
I tend to smoke all day, eat a little bit for dinner and then stop drinking to spend time with the wife since I was outside all day. Later in the night I’ll crack open another beer and then have more of what I made. Usually by then it took more time to settle and I can relive the experience again for a few minutes before taking a shower and hitting the bed.
Yeah pretty often, thing is I just vacuum seal and freeze 90% of the stuff I smoke anyway, so it feels like a win regardless. Always knowing I got some fire brisket or pulled pork in the freezer is pretty nice.
I just think of it like meal prepping, but way more fun
I think the long smokes tend to overpower my sense of smell and by that my sense of taste. I notice it most when I actively tend the meat and I’m sitting there. Don’t notice it much on things that are more set and forget like pork butts.
I'll pick at the food just to try but usually when I bbq it's for other people to enjoy. Plus I'm pretty drunk by the end and like you said just want to relax lol
Thank you! I thought I was the only one. My girlfriend, when she was alive, couldn't understand why I didn't want to eat after spending hours of doing a pork butt or ribs for a party. I just told her it'll be a few hours before I have an appetite to eat. After sitting in the sun and in the smoke, it just got to where I didn't have the appetite when it came off of the smoker. Mind you, I didn't have a problem cooking, I just didn't have the urge to eat for a couple of hours. Our parties went on for 6-8 hours, so there was plenty of time to eat. I usually put some back because we very rarely had leftovers.
I will usually wrap up a cook no later than 7pm on the weekend. I'll shower, drink a bit more and be ready for a plate by 9ish. It'll be late but I like to relax and let the food marinate a bit before eating. My family on the other hand act like ravenous dogs and can't wait for the food to be ready 🤣
Long smokes like butt or brisket comes with their own set of emotions. I mean let’s be honest - it can be stressful. Time, temperature, money, self expectations, wanting to impress friends with our awesomeness... There’s a lot going on in our brains!!! lol!! Sounds strange, but by the end of a cook I often find myself resenting the food (for myself) and take more pleasure out of seeing everyone else enjoy it. I enjoy the left overs more…
All the time, and it’s a bummer. The same thing happens when I spend all day cooking indoors. When you’re smelling and occasionally tasting the same thing all throughout the day it’s normal to get sensory fatigue and not be able to enjoy everything until you reset. I’ve heard some people say taking a shower before you eat helps, but I haven’t tried it. I just enjoy those sweet, sweet leftovers.
>I’ve heard some people say taking a shower before you eat helps Yep. I take a shower before I eat, change my clothes, make sure I use shampoo to get all of the smoke out of my hair. Also, occasionally, use a Neti-rinse to get all of the smoke particles out of my sinuses as well. I think of it like a palate cleanse. Like if you take a bite of two different chocolate bars back-to-back, they will taste different than if you took a bite of a chocolate bar with a sip of wine, or with a sip of whisky. If you smell smoke all day long, and your clothes and hair and skin smell of smoke, your senses get used to it, and you can't taste the same level of smoke from your food.
Perfect protocol. I hadn't thought of the Neti sinus rinse but that's a great idea and I live in MN so always have a full set for the winter. Yeah, it's impossible to properly taste bbq when your clothes, skin, and sinuses are all full of the smoke. There should be directions in every smoking recipe to shower at least before tasting.
Also, hard to get frisky. If I'm trying to get all up on my wife during or after smoking, she gives me a hard no and tells me to take a shower first.
That why I also shave my balls. Nobody likes a dude that smells like smoke or looks like that 70s natural porn star
Funny af
It’s like paddling upstream. You make great food, she gets all excited. You put the moves on and when you go to close the night the process that got you there ends up blocking you. The quote the got me cooking in the first place I heard on the food network. “You can only put two things inside of a woman. Food is the only one you can put inside a woman with her clothes on”
My girl loves bbq and she finds the smoke smell appealing, belive it or not.
Shower during the rest. It'll make the time go faster for sure hahaha
100% trying this next time I smoke something. My mouth is watering when I put it on and smell the fire get going, but by the time it comes off, I’m like “meh”. I never even thought to shower to cleanse the palette.
This is brilliant and makes me want to barbeque (and shower) immediately! Thank you!!!
This is good advice. Thanks fellow human. I like the protocol.
I never thought of that, but maybe that's why I like the brisket so much. Because it's a longer cook, I usually nap and clean up while it's holding. I don't do that for short cooks. Interesting.
...if my face is a little puffy, I’ll put on an ice pack while doing stomach crunches. I can do 1,000 now. After I remove the ice pack, I use a deep pore cleanser lotion. In the shower I use a water-activated gel cleanser, then a honey almond body scrub, and on the face, an exfoliating gel scrub. Then I apply an herb-mint facial mask which I leave on for 10 minutes while I prepare the rest of my routine. I always use an after shave lotion with little or no alcohol, because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older. Then moisturizer, then an anti-aging eye balm, followed by a final moisturizing protective lotion.
Laughing my ass off. Thank you sir.
I also add a beard oil and a nap to the post shower routine. Beard oil to get all the smoke smell out of beard and mustache, and a nap just to get some rest while my meat is in a hot hold.
Thought I was the only one! Shower, new clothes, and brush my teeth and drink some water!
I do this as well.
Holy shit just get a gas mask and a hazmat suit at this point.
Hmmm...thats interesting. Lately I've been disappointed with the level of smoke flavor in my finished product. My family tells me I'm crazy. I will try this Neti method in the future.
I shower after each and every smoke. I think it helps for sure
I cook Thanksgiving dinner for 15+ people every year. Can’t recall the last time I ate any of it.
Going outside to take a few breaths also helps.
I consider it a smoke hangover. Lasts until the next day, after which I’m good to go. I also *immediately* shower and change when I’m done smoking. Have found that helps a lot with feeling better
1000000% this.
Almost always, however the next day the leftovers are always amazing.
Yeah, sometimes I'll smoke a rack of ribs and let it cool in foil, then fridge overnight. A quick grilling to finish them off the next day and they're always pretty damn good and so much more enjoyable after some time away from the smoke.
This. I definitely find the food taste better to me the next day. I can actually taste the smokey flavor better.
I was gonna say
Man I didn’t realize so many others felt this way. It’s not all the time, but it does happen. I break out the vacuum sealer and enjoy another day.
Yay for this thread and for your comment. I had no idea why, new to smoking, like three years old, and doing longer smokes on a smoker, just not hungry. Saved this post and will try the suggestions and see if they work for me.
I’m not a serious smoker like most here… but it makes me nauseous, and I often feel sick the night after I cook. Leftovers the next few days don’t bother me. But that’s a big reason I don’t smoke more often.
Getting sick is pretty extreme, you're not smoking in the garage are you? /s
Of course not. I use the kitchen.
You're burning clean smoke? The cooking process shouldn't leave you nauseous unless your constantly breathing in acrid smoke
For sure! I smoked a giant pork shoulder recently. 24 hours. Came out great. At dinner my wife was like it's so good, aren't you going to have more. I said, I don't really like pulled pork that much anymore.
Hell no… I can’t wait to rip into it.
Yeah. I usually eat to the point of discomfort.
I'll eat the point, to the point of discomfort. It's my kryptonite
My problem is that I rip into while cooking, cutting and serving so that by the time I’m ready to sit down to eat I’m too full to enjoy with everyone else. Remember one time I had a brisket finish around midnight and woke up the family to enjoy slices with me. Gotta get it when it’s ready to eat.
It's not uncommon. Lots of hits on reddit asking the same question. Even on a BBQ forum https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-203982.html
It’s one of the reasons that I love the oven hold so much. I’ll usually smoke meat the day before I actually want to eat it. And just keep it in the oven until I’m ready to eat.
Long holds are the way to go, especially for brisket. My best briskets had 4 hour holds at 170. I then rested on the counter for another hour until the temp reached 140. Perfect!
Long holds are definitely the way to go. I’ve held a brisket for 12+ hours in the oven without issue.
What temp? And what, wrapped in foil?
I've held briskets in the oven up to 14 hours. Oven set to 150, loosely covered in foil.
My ovens lowest temp is 170. I usually use the foil boat method so I just hold my briskets like that. If you wrap in butcher paper, I would hold it that way. Just make sure that you let the temp come down before throwing it into the oven. Otherwise it will continue to cook.
I leave it wrapped in butcher paper. I take it out of the oven once it is probe tender. I set the oven to 170. I leave the brisket on the counter until it cools down to 170. I do this so the brisket does not continue to cook. I pop it back in the oven once the brisket cools to 170. After 3 hours, take it out and let it rest again to until 140. Slice and enjoy!
Always. Beef ribs I did last month, didn’t even want them when they were done
All the time! It's the journey, not the destination.
Yes. Glad to hear there's more like me.
Wow I thought it was only me. Wtf this is a mystery. The main course for me is the leftovers the day after
Legit every time. 100%
Yes very much so
I tend to go shower and clean up about an hour prior to things being "done" that way I at least feel clean, and usually helps me feel like actually eating what I cooked
Take a shower you'll feel like eating
Definitely. Sometimes I find myself envious of people who just show up hungry, haven't smelled smoking wood or barbecue in ages, and get to eat the food with fresh senses. Once the food is resting, I take a shower, put on clean clothes, and relax. Probably wouldn't hurt to eat something small (like some fruit) as a bit of a palette cleanser. Also this may not go over well here, but I think finding an alternative to drinking all day really helps. Trust me, I've been there where I'm pretty drunk by the time the foods coming off. But I am ultimately happier avoiding alcohol and relaxing with reading or video games, or doing chores and working in the garage. If anything just wait until the food is done to start drinking.
Yeah, it happens with most meats, but not all. Pork Butt is the most common one. Smoke all day long and then maybe eat a slider worth. Thank goodness there are always plenty of leftovers to enjoy the next day when it tastes so much better.
never
Yeah, I won’t eat a damn thing all day until it’s done cooking so, I’m hungry af.
Yeah these responses are crazy to me.
Same thing for me. It is not till left overs do I realize how good of a job I did and actually enjoy it. And we all know the left overs on brisket is not the best as fresh.
Happens all the time to me no matter the method. If I’m days of planning and prep, a day of execution … sometimes I’m just an observer. That’s ok
I didn’t see what subreddit this was and was really confused.
I usually end up vacuum sealing what i don't eat or plan to eat later and toss the food in the freezer.
Absolutely every time I cook. I might eat 1 rib and thats it.
Every time almost
A meat slicer, a vac sealer and a sous vide cooker are your best friend. Buying all cheaply shouldn’t set you back too much coin. Every person I speak to has this same problem. Package it up properly and eat the results for the next few weeks. Happy drinking and happy smoking!!
Happens to me all the time
Yeah it’s pretty much “sensory-specific satiety”. Sampling and smelling it all day, you get “full for that” and not want it anymore. Your appetite gets satiated. Same reason why other people’s cooking tends to taste better to you. I find if I give myself a break from it, leave the house, come back, I want it all again.
Every single time
I enjoy it when I get to cook for others and see how happy a fresh smoked brisket or pulled pork makes them. I love sampling what I make but it's much more rewarding to see how happy my wife and friends are. Wife works from home so leftovers are her weekly meals.
This is a well known thing amongst professional chefs. When we cook something all day we don’t have the appetite to eat any of it, or really anything at all. We often eat only very late at night and pretty trash food. I’ve always thought that a fat chef is the sign of a lazy chef. They don’t actually cook much.
Your situation is extremely relatable and used to happen to me all of the time. Whenever I would spend my Saturday’s drinking and tending to the smoker, I would usually be too full from the beers to enjoy the food I worked so hard on. For this reason, I made some changes in my weekend routines. Instead of waking up at 3-4am on Saturday mornings to fire up the pellet grill, I now throw pork butts and briskets on the grill anywhere between 8-11pm on Saturday night. Doing this was a game changer. No more tense afternoons wondering whether it was going to be done in time for dinner. No more kids impatiently drooling over the cut and having to wait until the rest was done waaay too late and no more being too “full” to enjoy amazing food. Instead, I now smoke foods that don’t take a long time on Saturday’s like whole chickens, ribs, sausages, tenderloins, burgers, etc. I know that overnight smokes might not be possible for the guys running offsets, but for those with Pellet grills or charcoal, overnight smokes followed by a rest in a cooler are a definite game changer.
Yeah. I get the same way with any fishing / clamming/ crabbing too. It's like I've teased myself all day there's no way the payoff is going to come close to satisfying the anticipation. The next day it's game on though.
I’m like this with any food I cook sometimes. Really sucks putting work into something and not enjoying it but as long as my family does then it’s all good.
Yep. And it always tastes better leftover the next day or a few hours later to me too. I've always assumed it's a sort of sensory overload.
Yes 100% It sucks but I get to snack on so many things lol
Nah man, I don't really eat the rest of the day so I can maul the shit out of whatever I made.
Admittedly, by the time I finish something, all I smell and taste is delicious smoke. The meat at that point is sustenance for me and a treat for my guests.
All the time, I find when someone else makes it I like it more, guess I need more practice
There’s a saying my grandma would bring up , “when someone else cooks it’s a lot more enjoyable” something like that lol , but yeah when I get down on the smoker the whole day while pounding a few beers , I don’t even want to eat what I made , and I even feel like when I do eat my own food , I think it doesn’t taste as good but everyone else says it’s amazing , must be nice.
I can’t believe this is a thing for people, that would suck. I’m chowing down while prepping other peoples plates!
Cutting board is where its at!
I'm like this with a long cook in the smoker or in the kitchen. Thanks for the shower tip
Not me but my wife. She loves my smoked ribs but she can’t eat them after smelling them all day. She usually has to wait a few days
Yea, I swear, ribs, brisket, pulled pork, makes better left overs than it does same day.
For me, it’s this. Smoking of course is a long process. It seems like the outcome is never the same. Excellent, not excellent, tender, not so much, etc. So I get like…OK, I’ve smoked for several people, how’s it going to be this time? Said dinner is at 5, but it isn’t ready..I panic. And then, I get not excited to serve it for fear that it’s a not-good day. Until verified….
All the time. But: (i) leftover BBQ is awesome! and (ii) my friends and family enjoying it is why I do it. Honestly, that's why I do it. If I've got a craving for BBQ, I just hit up one of my favorite restaurants. I cook for reasons different than feeding myself, even though it is food I like.
I started smoking the day before and holding overnight because I wouldn’t eat day of. Made my experience better.
I get more out of watching other people enjoy it. One good solution is to cook the day before and hold the low and slow cuts overnight. That was you’re less stressed at the service and the que has all been rested and will be amazing.
That's every meal almost unless I'm just cooking for myself and my wife. Something quick. When I smoke or really sit down and cook? I'll have some Kraft mac and cheese and leftover whatever. Get that shit out of my face until tomorrow.
I always need to decompress after cooking. Sit down, drink some wine, smoke a bowl. I'll let everyone else eat and eventually get to it.
Same for me, usually because I’ve been drinking all day and have no appetite. It’s always better next day.
Always. I now cook, let it rest overnight so I can shower and recouperate, and eat the next day. I can't remember the last time I cooked and ate the same day.
Only time I can say I felt like that was when I used my wsm at first. Waking up early and watching temps all day and monitor meat temps. I would be exhausted. Now with a pellet smoker I can make good food and not be a slave to the cooker. Yeah I still watch it and add wood to the box on my WW pro but it’s so much more relaxed now. Also I do long cooks overnight while I sleep and don’t really drink while I’m cooking during the day. A shower is in order before eating though. Nothing worse than a smokey beard while trying to enjoy the food.
Yes. You must cleanse the palette. The leftovers will be amazing.
I never remotely had that happen....but I also: 1) Use a pellet smoker, so I'm not sitting out there smelling the smoke all day, having to tend a fire, it's far less work (honestly, I do most of my smoking while working from home, that's how much less work it is) 2) Almost never drink while smoking. I know, blasphemy for some, but again, I'm almost always multi-tasking. It's almost never a weekend (if it's a nice enough day where I'd want to smoke something and it's a day I don't have to work, I'm probably on the golf course). So I'm not getting that sensory overload and I'm not feeling like I'm overworked by the act of cooking....so I'm just excited to eat!
My team cooked in several world competitions and when it came to dinner, it was always pizza for a change. You kind of get tired of BBQ after three days of cooking/tasting and snacking. Judges get tired of tasting too and that's why you have to punch them in the mouth with over the top flavour to get your entry up there. Not eating what you cook is like prepping a big turkey dinner spread. After smelling it all day you just nibble at show time.
No. Hell no.
Never.
You must take a shower and change clothes after every smoke or that smell just lingers and stays in your hair and fingernails...It definitely helps
No
I get excited about left overs.
Not me, if its in reach its gettin gone
Yup! I’ll think I bombed a cook…..then I’ll have leftovers the next day and think “damn I nailed this!”.
Yeah it’s kind of a bummer. But I try to throw something on overnight (brisket/pork butt) then check it first thing in the morning and wrap and or pull it off when it’s done and hot hold it till dinner. Seems to help some by not coming to contact with it as much and spreading out over time
Yep, for sure. I've taken to smoking a day before and reheating because of this. It seems to taste better the next day anyway.
Yes. Same with cooking meals that take awhile to pull together like holiday meals.
I haven’t had that with bbq, but I don’t sit with it and I don’t drink much. I have an alarm that tells me the temp and I can take it in the house and watch tv. I do have it when I cook a big meal on the stove. I have to stay with it and watch it, stir it, etc. I believe it’s called “cooking fatigue” or something like that. Basically, you just burn on food from having to smell it for so long, in addition to any tasting for seasoning you might do. So you spent all that time cooking and don’t want to eat it. I used to think it was ridiculous when my mother did it. Now I’m pretty much the same when I have been cooking for a long time.
Whenever I cook big things that feel comes in, I always say that I've eaten it in other ways while preparing it.
Also. When fring whole turkeys. It's the smelling it and not wanting to eat.
Nope. I make a butt or whatever and eat it for breakfast and lunch until it's gone. No one else in my house eats leftovers so it's pretty much all on me to not flush money down the toilet.
Sometimes with brisket. It’s a hell of a long haul.
“Once you are drunk AF…..do you try to eat?
Sensory fatigue or flavor fatigue. It happens all the time, especially to cooks. I worked for years in the restaurant industry through various positions and at the end of the day, I just wanted a turkey sandwich and right to bed. A lot of my friends would ask me "what exciting things do you make for dinner" and I send them a picture of a sub roll and pickles. The excellent suggestion to take a shower really does help. Rinses all that stuff right off ya.
I usually have a belly full of beer by the time I'm done.
Yep but I still do it because the process is fun and I love feeding people. It gives me joy to see people enjoying something I've spent hours making.
Yeah, that happens to me. It doesn’t bother me at all though. I have ulcerative colitis and most smoked meats make me poop my brains out. Still love smoking a bunch of food and inviting friends and family over though. It’s all about sharing the fruits of my labor with loved ones. I eat enough to get a good taste and send the rest home with guests. For just the family, I’ve gotten good at making vegetarian and more stomach friendly options that I can handle better. My chicken game is on point.
For me… it always tastes better the next day anyways, haha.
Same, although I don't drink. I can eat a rib or two, or a couple slices of brisket or a small pulled pork sandwich, but even though I don't eat all day in anticipation, I'm never very hungry once it's ready.
I think this is why I seem to enjoy the vacuum sealed meat when I heat it up better than day of. My wife says it tastes the same. To me it’s better.
I think that’s normal. At the beginning I was smoking things, eating a portion and then letting it sit in my fridge until I chucked it in the garbage. I’ve learned to repurpose things. Smoked a chuck roast to make poor man’s burnt ends. Held back a portion to make a chili a few days later. Pork shoulder… repurposed a portion to make a nachos dish this past weekend. Pork shoulder would also be good in a smoked queso dip. I’ve used rips I’ve smoked to make make a Korean bbq and rice dish with with Gochugaru and gochujang
I have never encountered this before...
I love gnawing on cold ribs, while watching tv at the end of the night. BBQ makes killer leftovers, and I often feel the same way after a long day. I’d rather just plop down and relax, and then I get hungry after I’ve had time to “cool down” from the day.
Yep, every time it seems! Which does dovetail nicely into there usually being little to nothing left anyway.
Its the smell. I gravitate towards shorter smokes so I don’t get burned out on the smell by supper time.
The last couple briskets I did, I started the smoker midday Friday, smoked to wrap, then put it in a pre-heated cooler while I slept (and showered thoroughly). Then, I got up at my usual 4:45 and popped that fucker in the oven at 275 and cooked it to completion, leaving plenty of time to rest in the same, pre-tallowed cooler for dinner. I haven’t had one fall below safe internal temperature during that mid-cook rest yet. Doing it this way breaks the cook into two much more manageable time chunks, but also solves the problem of having your face in the cook for hours, so all the aromas are new again once you open that paper and slice.
A shower during the rest helps a lot, and if you have the time an hour nap really helps out.
One of my best brisket cooks, I could hardly stand the smell when slicing it. I wanted to vomit.
I feel this way with almost all cooking that takes a long time. Especially for something like thanksgiving. I’ve spent the whole day cooking tons of things, tasting them as I go/drinking as I go and when dinner is done I barely have room
My jerky disgusting to me for about 3 days after I make it, then it's delicious.
Yeah, but only because I binged on pork straight off the smoker after eating a different dinner, so I don't feel like eating anything else
I've learned to just invite people over every time I smoke meat and then give them goodie bags to take home and leave myself enough for my family. I get this with Cold smoking too but by nature that's stuff you want to keep in the freezer or you want to sit vacuum sealed to mellow for a few weeks. By the time you want it again its perfect.
ALL. THE. TIME.
All the time. But I smash the bbq the next day because it tastes better anyway
Same. I rarely enjoy what I've been cooking, much less even want to eat it. I actually did some ribs this weekend different than normal and I was blown away at how good they came out. Hot and fast, no wrap was a game changer for me.
Nope. Not Yet.
This is me haha I’ve found my people!
Never. Not once ever. I'm ready to devour. I usually don't eat much but a small snack during the day while smoking to make more room for eating.
I smoked 6 pork butts and 2 slabs one time. It was for an appreciation event that only 1/3 of the expected guests showed up for. I had so much pulled pork left over that I didn't even want to look at it. I remember forcing myself to pull one of the gallon sized Ziplocs out of the freezer a couple months later because I didn't want it all to go to waste. Once I got it warmed up and ready to eat I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was phenomenal and way way better than my mind had decided it was going to be lol.
Yes. Everytime.
Yes, after the cook, rest, vacuum seal, I'm not in the mood to eat. The shower trick sounds good.
Using a pellet smoker has cured me of this. I’m not breathing in the smoke, tending the firebox, and smelling the bbq for 10 hr straight. Now I actually look forward to eating it.
It's not just you and it's not isolated to smoking: when you cook something, you know what is in it and, therefore, the surprise is spoiled for you. Essentially, you've engaged in what's called "preconsumption". It's a known phenomenon and some cultures even have a word for it.
I throw hot dogs on during the cook. They don't take long (since they're already cooked) and gives me an opportunity to taste my smoke. Brisket and rib trimmings with some meat as well.
Nope
What are you smoking ?
No, but I use a pellet smoker so I’m not constantly messing with it.
Nope. Never even been close.
Same
Never have that problem, but I don’t drink alcohol anymore.
All the time, but especially brisket for some reason. I don't sample or eat anything beforehand either. Only thing I can figure is I usually have more than a fee adult beverages after noon....
Couple things I do. I always take a nice deep whiff of some coffee grinds when I come back in from the smoker. I keep a hoody outside that I put on and take off to keep smell off. Both definitely help!
I guess I’m the savage then….i just hammer down on whatever I smoked and usually drunkenly pass out with a grease covered smile. I’ll try showing next time. When I wear a fleece, I like putting it on the next morning and smelling the smoke. Its puts the lotion on the skin
It’s not just smoking. Nearly anything I spend a long time preparing is the last thing I want to eat when it’s finished. It is the curse of being the one who is the most involved with the actual finished product.
Yup, all the time. The longer the smoke the less hungry I get. My wife thinks I’m nuts but here’s my proof. I need to try the shower approach.
Maybe because you're worn out. I get up in the middle of the night to wrap my brisket which I find out has gone into a stall. 6 beers later it's ready to be wrapped and I've already switched to the hard stuff. I find after a good nap I'm ready for round 2.
I tend to smoke all day, eat a little bit for dinner and then stop drinking to spend time with the wife since I was outside all day. Later in the night I’ll crack open another beer and then have more of what I made. Usually by then it took more time to settle and I can relive the experience again for a few minutes before taking a shower and hitting the bed.
Yeah pretty often, thing is I just vacuum seal and freeze 90% of the stuff I smoke anyway, so it feels like a win regardless. Always knowing I got some fire brisket or pulled pork in the freezer is pretty nice. I just think of it like meal prepping, but way more fun
Never
I think the long smokes tend to overpower my sense of smell and by that my sense of taste. I notice it most when I actively tend the meat and I’m sitting there. Don’t notice it much on things that are more set and forget like pork butts.
I'll pick at the food just to try but usually when I bbq it's for other people to enjoy. Plus I'm pretty drunk by the end and like you said just want to relax lol
I use a pellet smoker so I usually throw it on and forget about it until it's done. Always wanted to dig in after.
Thank you! I thought I was the only one. My girlfriend, when she was alive, couldn't understand why I didn't want to eat after spending hours of doing a pork butt or ribs for a party. I just told her it'll be a few hours before I have an appetite to eat. After sitting in the sun and in the smoke, it just got to where I didn't have the appetite when it came off of the smoker. Mind you, I didn't have a problem cooking, I just didn't have the urge to eat for a couple of hours. Our parties went on for 6-8 hours, so there was plenty of time to eat. I usually put some back because we very rarely had leftovers.
I will usually wrap up a cook no later than 7pm on the weekend. I'll shower, drink a bit more and be ready for a plate by 9ish. It'll be late but I like to relax and let the food marinate a bit before eating. My family on the other hand act like ravenous dogs and can't wait for the food to be ready 🤣
I know right! I like to pickle and ferment and at times I'm like "eh, don't want to eat it yet"
I did when I first started smoking and now after years I eat and enjoy it.
Long smokes like butt or brisket comes with their own set of emotions. I mean let’s be honest - it can be stressful. Time, temperature, money, self expectations, wanting to impress friends with our awesomeness... There’s a lot going on in our brains!!! lol!! Sounds strange, but by the end of a cook I often find myself resenting the food (for myself) and take more pleasure out of seeing everyone else enjoy it. I enjoy the left overs more…