I am curious how often you guys spend hours preparing a meal and end up being personally disappointed. Even if the rest of the eaters think the meal is good to great.

The reason I ask is... I just spent many ihours to smoke a young cow elk loin. I thawed it all week in a zip-lock that drained the blood. I salted it and left it in the refrigerator on a grate for almost 24 hours. I let it come to room temperature while I was preparing the rest of the meal. Then I smoked (apple wood) it between 200 and 230 until it reached 127. About 2 1/2 hours. Then I let it rest wrapped in foil for at least 30 minutes. It was good, but I expected it to be better.

I did trim all of the silver skin and anything else that looked suspicious.

Really, I am simply curious if all of these fantastic pictures you guys post were as good as they look. My loin would have been a great picture. But I thought it was lackluster. Everyone else said that they liked it, but you never really know what they thought. They were probably happy not to spend the day fixing a meal.

I did make some fantastic scalloped /au gratin potatoes. They will be even better tomorrow.

Take care and thank you for your input.

Yes.

Wife and I were craving a roasted chicken with stuffing and mashed potatoes, etc.

Got a 9 lb roasting chicken, made her mom's special stuffing. Roasted it up like we always do. Pretty as something you see on the Food Network.

Zero taste.

Like if you didn't know you just cooked a chicken, you couldn't tell what you were eating.

Stuffing and taters turned out good

Dogs got chicken in their food for a few days

Personally I like a more robust flavored smoke for game, lamb, mutton... apple, to my palate is mild and sweet...pork, poultry, some fish...otherwise I just can't fault your methods. Around here we have mountain mahogany...a sharp smelling smoke but not bitter like oak. And yes, I am my own worst critic, so am frequently disappointed. I can usually tell whether folks really like it or not by watching them go for second helpings.

It happens all too frequently when I follow a recipe that was presented to me as one that made the gods weep from joy.

Most of the time, when my wife makes dinner.

I feel better knowing that I am not the only one.

Cooked a brisket for a bbq last month that I thought was overdone - bark really heavy and black, certainly not my best effort. At an event last weekend one of the guests from the bbq commented on how great that brisket was.

For last week’s event, I did an easy shrimp pasta salad. Woman who’s hosting the bbq we’re going to today took one bite and said “Make it for my party next week.”

She’s actually one of my biggest fans. A petite little thing, she can pack it away if it’s good. I know I did a good job if she’s going for 2nd or 3rd helpings.

All the time when judging my own dishes. I find I'm much more lenient judging other's cooking.

Ymmv

I have never had much luck smoking deer or elk. Meat is too dark and too lean. A good rub will liven it up. Elk loin is better grilled rare with salt/pepper, spritz with EVO.

My spaghetti sauce comes out differently every time I make a batch. Some of it really sucks

I don't really know not having done it myself, but to me a dry brined loin doesn't seem to me to be a cut I'd smoke.

Tenderloins and backstraps make me think hot grill and a short cook time.

I've not made a really bad one, but I'd like to be more consistent with that too.

I smoke game all the time. Have to pull it early (115 deg) and sear it. You can sear on grill, I prefer a hot steel pan.

Definitely not the only one, it happens to me all the time.

First time I cooked antelope was a disaster. I made it into chili but didn't add any fat. After a long, low temp simmer, the chili was so dry it was hard to swallow.

only on rare occasions am I disappointed in my cooking. I have been doing this for most of my life, profe3ssionally and at home. Working up a new recipe can have some speed bumps, but those don't really count.

Yes, I smoked this bacon wrapped beef tenderloin last fall. Cooked medium rare and it was the toughest piece of meat I've ever chewed on. The dogs ate good for a couple of days.

Listening to the experts, I was under the impression that if the top and bottom bark (char) met in the middle, that was what perfection was all about.

Hyperbole, or your experts weren't.

First couple times I did pheasants and ducks bout 30+ years ago. Then I bought this game cookbook.

I have the same book...

Exactly...Smoker til 115-117 ish...Wrap & rest, then HOTT cast iron
Sear...

Searing it is a great idea.
I will do that on the next one. I have quite a bit of elk to eat before November.

As scientifically as we can, as artistically as we try, often as not the meat is just average. And believe it, I have overpaid for meats and had less than stellar results. I’m no chef, but am a heck of a cook and work hard at it. It’s therapy for me so I’m very tedious and careful w it. But saying that I have stepped on a frog a few times. YMMV.

You can ditch the lantern, Diogenes - we have found an honest man.

Me either. I never had much luck smoking loins of any kind. I like my loins seared and grilled rare or medium rare. Same with any other wild game chop or steak. I save my smoking for pork and poultry. I have smoked venison shoulder then finished it off tender by braising it on the smoker in a covered tin pan. That made some pretty good taco meat.

I made some Pollo Asada this year. It looked great but it was like eating a rubber chicken. I think it was the marinade that caused this. I marinaded over night and I think that was too long. Usually I only use that type of marinade for a few hours. I have made plenty of meals
That just didn't measure up to my expectations.

Yep, this is an excellent depiction of our exact situation !!!!

I am just guessing, but I figure you guys have been on the edge of your seats waiting for the outcome of my smoked loin. I think that I claimed disappointment a bit too early.

I sliced some up after it had rested and ate it with the rest of my meal. It was pretty good, but I did not hear any angels singing. I was disappointed and initiated this thread. I wrapped it back up in the foil and let it cool. Then I wrapped it more foil and threw it in the beer fridge. I forgot about it until today. Holy cow! I don't know what happened, but it has to be one of the best pieces of meat I have eaten in a long time. Moist. Tender. Smokey. Total surprise.

Thank you for all of your I put.

Anyone who does a lot of cooking screws the pooch occasionally, but if you pay attention to details it shouldn't happen often. This is a little off-topic but I have been disappointed a lot lately with dinners at our local restaurants. And it's not just the food it's the service too. It's making staying at home a good idea especially if you want a fine steak.

I have smoked a few things that did not turn out to my liking, you learn what to do and what not to do in those cases.

Especially so, if you like a couple of drinks, with your meal !!

About 1 out of 6 new meals I try fail to impress. Nothing ventured, nothing gained is how I look at it.

Every time my wife pulls a new box from the freezer to make a "homemade" dinner.....

Cooking ain't hard, but when you can mess up an On-cor Meal, just stay out of the kitchen...

No because I know how to cook.

I wouldn't expect a whole red meat loin to be good smoked.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

THIS

Me to there's a tater recipe on page 83/84 that's great ..riced... then there's a rabbit one with sour cream and mushrooms...great with squril to ..even chicken !

Too frequently.

And it seems the more flavor I expect, the more disappointed I am.
Like the OP, others often enjoy it...



A big problem is the hope that every new recipe will become
another of those special meals. So anything less than fantastic is
a disappointment.

Wish I still had my copy, pic was pulled from intranets. Lent it to some one 20+ years ago and never got it back. Not worth paying for a new copy now with the all the interwebs recipes. Still check though when going through used book stores.

I am hard on my own cooking.

Nothing wrong with that.

I've eaten a lot of crappy food made by people who think
if they make it, it's good.