Smoker Success!

FlySince9

FlySince9

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Huntersville, NC
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Display name:
Jerry
I bought an electric smoker last summer (don't ask me which cause I don't remember but it is one of the better brands) and first attempt didn't go well. Put the cover on, put it away and hadn't touched it again until yesterday when I gave it a try with a couple of chicken breasts. This time it turned out great... I soaked the mesquite wood chips in .... Beer .... Put a pan of water on the top shelf the chicken under that and cooked at 195 degrees for 3 hours, then 230 degrees for 1 hour...
Meat probe temperature went as high as 165 degrees before I turned it off... The chicken was moist and delicious... Sounds like a lot of trouble for a couple of chicken breast, I know... But this weekend I'm gonna try a pork shoulder or something more challenging... Any advice or better methods are welcomed...
 
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my only advice is 1) enjoy, 2) post pics and 3) invite me! dang, I'm not around this weekend.
 
Glad it's working. I've got a number of different smokers and I've smoked just about everything from whole pigs to fish.

Not overly fond of Mesquite but it has its place.
 
flyingron said:
Glad it's working. I've got a number of different smokers and I've smoked just about everything from whole pigs to fish.

Not overly fond of Mesquite but it has its place.
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What do you use? I have applewood and mesquite... Don't know where they came from, Just had them in the garage...
 
Mesquite burns hot and can be bitter, it's good for grilling but a little goes a long way for smoking. Apple, cherry, pecan, and hickory get used a lot in KC.
 
Matthew said:
Mesquite burns hot and can be bitter, it's good for grilling but a little goes a long way for smoking. Apple, cherry, pecan, and hickory get used a lot in KC.
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Hickory is kind of the default wood in most of the eastern half of the country, although applewood is rapidly gaining popularity. Pecan is a milder version of hickory that I particularly like when smoking pork.
 
can you guys give me some tips on the mechanics of this? ie; temperature and time for different kinds of stuff like ribs, chicken, salmon, etc?
 
I mainly smoke chum salmon and use apple. Use a brine of brown sugar, salt and water for a few hours. Then rinse and pat dry. The wife really enjoys it. Smoked king salmon is another of my favorites
 
I use a lot of hickory and some of the fruit woods (apple, cherry, etc...).

For most things, smoking is easy. You want to hold the temperature between 200-250 degrees F. I shoot for about 230. That works for most things (pork, chicken, beef). Some fish is cold smoked, where you keep the temperature relatively low and just use a lot of smoke.

How long really depends on what the size and shape of the meat is. The whole pig takes in the vicinity of 16 hours. Shoulders 10-12. Ribs around 5. Brisket 6. Whole small chickens (5 lbs or so) about 4-6. Get a good instant read thermometer (thermopen works well)
 
^^^
225 is generally a good aim-point.

Typical method for pork butts in KC, different regions do it differently: trim any big fatty parts to an even level, maybe 1/8"-1/4", some people don't trim at all. I like to cut a crosshatch through the fat to help smoke and seasonings penetrate. After you've done a few hundred you'll figure out a couple of other tricks. Add rub, lots of it, let it rest at room temp for a bit, then put it in the smoker with the fat side up. Cook until 165, about 8 hrs. Wrap in foil, put back in, and cook until 185, another 2 hrs. The bone should pull right out. Let it rest at least an hour (covered loosely, so open the foil and be careful of the hot juices), then pull it and mix in as little or as much of the reserved juices from the foil as you want.
 
Some people like the 3:2:1 method for ribs. 3 hrs in the smoke, 2 hrs in foil, 1 hr back on the smoker and at various temps. Ribs are finicky - not enough time and they are chewy, too much time and the meat falls off the bone (overdone). This is a rough method, and might be too long, so check after 4 hrs. If they look like a magazine shoot, they are done. Ribs are usually tested by "feel" vs temp.p, so they are more if an art than other things. I've had better be luck with 3:1:1 and other combinations. Ribs are not my best item, I don't do them very often You should be able to bite into a rib and tug the meat off the bone. There is a narrow window to getting them just right. Go online and look for recipes for your smoker. The next question is: peel the ribs or not? I peel. Pull off the membrane on the bone side, gripping with a paper towel helps.
 
A 8-9 lb whole bone-in turkey breast - add whatever poultry seasoning you want, smoke about 4 hrs until 165. Cover with foil while it rests for 20-30 minutes. Some people like to brine them, but brands like Butterball and Honeysuckle already are injected but the fresh ones from your meat counter will not be. You're welcome.
 
Brats, raw sausages - about 1.5 hrs depending on "girth". Hot dogs (hey, don't knock them until you've tried them), just need to get hot so maybe 30 minutes.
 
the one meat that I go against common methods for smoking is chicken. I detest rubbery skin, so I make my smoker basically a smokey roaster and roast the bird at 325º-350ºF until 180ºF in the center breast or thigh ... usually about 80-90 minutes.
 
You want crispy skin try frying turkey/chicken, and delicious juicy meat. Mmm mmm good! :yesnod:
 
I have fairly good luck "smoking" ribs and whole chickens in the Weber using coal holders for indirect heat, but success with brisket has always been elusive for me.
 
One thing I'll advise against is "water smokers" and the like. The good news is that there's hardly enough water in those pans to make a difference, the other point is you don't want the water. The idea is to smoke things, not steam them. That's why you don't just wrap everything in foil at the outset.

I agree with Matt, 3:1:1 works better for me.

In both the cases mentioned above were foil is applied, this is pretty much just a time saver. There is an oft-misunderstood phenomenon with smoking meets. Once the meat gets to about 165 or so, it starts to give up the water it has in it. This provides some evaporative cooling which "stalls" the heating process. Foiling keeps the cooling from happening and allows the meat to get through that zone and up to higher temperatures. You still want to finish it without foil to maintain the texture of the surface if that's important to what you're cooking.

I say "oft-misunderstood" because some argue that the stall is some sort of chemical reaction involving the fat or collagen. In fact, that's been proven to be bunk. You can put a wet sponge in your smoker and it will stall at the same temperatures.
 
I keep hearing that.... that the wrapping is just to get you through the Plateau, and that it's not required for moist meats.

I've yet to smoke a butt I'm happy with. I have a weber smoky mountain and I've tried both with and without water in the pan. I have a thermocouple on both the grill surface (with a standoff) and in the meat. I keep the temps 225-250.

it comes out dry. And my ribs are... ok... but dry.

I appear to be doing everything I should be, and I get bad results. Help?
 
What temperature do you pull the butt off at? Dry meat tends to indicate overcooking more than anything else.

I'd also calibrate your thermometer, I've seen them all over the place. The one built in to my pig cooker is way off.

Boil water vigousously (presuming you're not at high altitude) and put the probe into it. It should be fairly close to 212 (or whatever the boiling point is at your altitude).
 
190-195F, according to the references I'm following. But it takes forever to get there. Like, a lot longer than the other people I read about.

I have a fairly expensive dual input thermocouple that came recommended. I can try calibrating it, but for the price...
 
To me, cooking over mesquite is like using railroad cross ties soaked in creosote.

I use a pellet stove cooker with usually apple or hickory flavored pellets. Sort of like a convection oven but better.
 
flyingron said:
One thing I'll advise against is "water smokers" and the like. The good news is that there's hardly enough water in those pans to make a difference, the other point is you don't want the water. The idea is to smoke things, not steam them. That's why you don't just wrap everything in foil at the outset.
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The water pan in the Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM) helps regulate a lot of the heat - it acts as a buffer between the meat and the coals directly underneath. It deflects a lot of the direct heat around the sides, so you have to be careful that any meat you have on the grates stays no closer than 2-3 inches from the edges or those parts will be overdone. Yes, it does add extra humidity, but I'm not sure it's quite to the level of steaming it. I haven't tried with and without for a comparison. It also collects grease drippings, prevents them from landing on the coals, and the water prevents the drippings from being burned on the bottom of the pan. It's a pretty easy thing to tell - a quick whiff of the prevailing winds and "Oh, man, somebody's water pan boiled dry!"

We just finished a contest this weekend -

My kitchen, dining room, bedroom, and man cave for the weekend.

My game face.

DSCN3218 copy.jpg DSCN3226 copy.jpg
 
I suspect that pan would work great even without water in it. I keep a clay plant saucer in my kimodo (with no water) below the grates.
 
flyingron said:
I suspect that pan would work great even without water in it.
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Maybe, with a double layer of thick foil. Otherwise the grease drippings burn, badly.

--

Pork loin: trim off fat and silver skin. Rib rub. Smoke 1.5-2 hrs to 145. Rest, slice, serve. Chicks dig it.
 
That's why I put the saucer underneath, to catch the drippings.

Actually, in the true NC style, we let the fat from the pig drip into the fire.
 
flyingron said:
That's why I put the saucer underneath, to catch the drippings.

Actually, in the true NC style, we let the fat from the pig drip into the fire.
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Oh, my, that sounds good. I love me a good roasted pig. I made the mistake of going to a pig roast with a veterinarian and he pointed out and described each of the muscle groups. I asked him to point to the part that tastes like bacon.

I've seen these used, and tasted the results. They seem to work pretty well:

https://www.lacajachina.com/100_Lbs_Roaster_2_p/lcc-g101.htm
 
FlySince9 said:
But this weekend I'm gonna try a pork shoulder or something more challenging... Any advice or better methods are welcomed...
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I always like to take a shoulder and chunk it out into smaller pieces just because I like burnt ends. Use a good rub with brown sugar in it. Helps with getting a good bark. The oven and foil is your friend. Personally I never smoke anything for more than a couple hours. I let the foil and the oven (usually @ 200°) do the finish work for me after pulling it off the smoker. Low and slow is the way I like do it. ;)

Matthew said:
It deflects a lot of the direct heat around the sides, so you have to be careful that any meat you have on the grates stays no closer than 2-3 inches from the edges or those parts will be overdone.
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That's what I call burnt ends. Many people in these parts crave those delicacies. ;)
 
azblackbird said:
That's what I call burnt ends. Many people in these parts crave those delicacies. ;)
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Ribs and pork loins do tend to hang out close to the edges, I don't want them burned.

Some BBQ places around here have "pork burnt ends". But in KC "burnt ends" mean brisket. The whole brisket gets cooked, then the point goes back in to let it finish breaking down, then it gets coarsely chopped, chunked, or cubed and at many BBQ joints they run out early. Now I'm hungry.
 
I love my Traeger pellet smoker. We have done brisket, turkey breast, tri-tips, you name it. It even gives simple hamburgers a good flavor.
 
charheep said:
Is electric, propane or charcoal better over the others?
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Its about 2 things: heat and smoke.

The heat source can be electric, propane charcoal, or wood. The smoke source can be wood chips or chunks.

My preference for smoking is lump charcoal and wood chunks. You can do it in a charcoal grill on a small scale, too.

For contests, only wood or charcoal is allowed. Pellets are ok, too.

I might be able to tell the difference on gas or electric, but it might be close.

If you have a gas grill, use 2 layers of heavy foil, or 3-4 layers of the thin stuff, and form a tray/canoe thing and set it directly over a burner in a corner. Drop in a wood chunk or handful of chips just before you fire up the grill, let it preheat good and hot to start the wood smoldering, then taste the difference in your next batch of burgers or steaks. Toss the smoke box and drop in a new one every now and then.
 
midwestpa24 said:
I love my Traeger pellet smoker. We have done brisket, turkey breast, tri-tips, you name it. It even gives simple hamburgers a good flavor.
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I would like a Treager. I see a lot of them at contests, too. Some buddies got one and brought it once or twice to a contest but stopped bringing it. They said, "It doesn't travel well." The legs just aren't strong enough to take a lot of rough handling.
 
A trick we learned long years ago with the electric type smokers...Place an unfired clay pot bottom on the heating element before you plug it in. Soak larger pieces of your specific wood for about 24 hours completely covered in water. Fire it up and when it gets close to the desired temp and prior to putting your meat on, start adding the large wood pieces to the clay pot . Add smaller chips to the water tray at the same time. As soon as you put the meat on, as some small, dry chips to the clay pot bottom and smoke away.

I've got a pellet smoker now and the oldest boy has discovered it...I think I'm going to have to buy pellets by the pallet load now.
 
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