Little help for a new guy (sorry, it's kinda long)

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IlliniQ

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Let me start by saying I'm VERY new to smoking. I have done a few chickens on a gas grill with indirect heat a little metal smoker box full of soaked chips, but I have never smoked anything over charcoal. I'm excited to get started, though, and I'm really enjoying everything I've been reading on this forum so far! Also, this post is rather long...I tend to ramble a bit... :sorry:

My wife got me a brinkmann gourmet charcoal smoker (seems to be essentially the ECB I saw at Home Depot, but with a bit of an improved set up for the coals). I fired it up empty just to get a feel for how it would behave in the cold (I live in the Chicago burbs) and how well I could keep the coals going. Seemed fine, but I only kept it running for about 2 hours so as to not waste too much charcoal with no meat on the grate.

I have a 7 lb boston butt in the fridge that I was planning on using to inaugurate my new smoker, but temperatures are dropping sharply and we're looking at snow in the area. I'm not sure that trying to keep the smoker at the optimal temperature for 10-12 hours is the smartest idea given my complete lack of experience.

As a backup plan, I'm thinking of either doing a slab of spare ribs (i have a rib rack). However, when I picked up the butt, my butcher also showed me a 3 lb pork "roast" which he said is basically the first piece behind the shoulder. It looked fairly well marbled, not as lean as a typical loin. Has anyone had any luck smoking one of these? Seems like it might take less time, and I might have more success in the crummy weather - I suppose that also leaves me less margin for error since it's smaller.

If anyone actually read this far down (Thanks!) do you have any suggestion as to what would be a good first try for me. I'm pretty comfortable cooking in general, and I realize I could always move something to the oven to finish it, but I'd really like to do it all outside if possible. So...should I suck it up and stick to the butt? Do the spare ribs (thinking the 3-2-1 sounds like a solid place to start)? Or, the boneless "roast" from the shoulder?

Thanks in advance for any tips - Looking forward to many weekends wiht the smoker!
 
Hard to go wrong with a pork butt ( shoulder). They are not sensitive to the temp they cook at. Anywhere from 225 to 300 is a good starting point. I'd suggest you make an expanded metal coal basket and do the minion method to get the most extended time from that smoker. I'd use wood chunks not chips for your smoke flavor, but that's me.
 
Yep. Use the chunks, a few spread amongst the unlit coals, on the butt. If there's room, as that "roast" is from the shoulder, no reason you couldn't smoke that as well, and it would be done a wee bit sooner. Good luck keeping temps on the ECB (Former unmodified ECB assassin - yes, I killed my original with a VW Rabbit - don't ask...)
 
I agree with ebiJack. Toss that butt on with some of your favorite rub, and let it go! Google the minion method he talks about, and it will help with temp control. The butt/shoulder is very forgiving, and you can be high or low on temp and it will still be fine. Maybe wrap at the 160 degree mark or so, and pour some apple juice mixed with some bbq sauce over it. Run it to 195ish if you want to slice, 202ish if you want to pull. You'll have a great time on your first cook......have fun!!
 
ebijack said:
Hard to go wrong with a pork butt ( shoulder). They are not sensitive to the temp they cook at. Anywhere from 225 to 300 is a good starting point. I'd suggest you make an expanded metal coal basket and do the minion method to get the most extended time from that smoker. I'd use wood chunks not chips for your smoke flavor, but that's me.
Click to expand...

I agree. I just did one on Friday and they are not sensitive to temp, so if it varies it won't matter much.
 
Butt for sure. They are very forgiving of temp swings and are really hard to mess up. Get a bone in. Cook until the bone wiggles loose easily (normally around 200 degrees internal).

One recommendation for the ECB... There are a ton of mods that can be done (bottom damper, top damper, sealing holes, etc), but the one that I think is essential is putting a charcoal grate in the bottom. Without it, the charcoal will quit getting air as it burns out (since there is nowhere for the old stuff to drop) and will snuff itself out. The easy way to put the grate in is to get 4 s-hooks and hang it from the air holes in the charcoal pan. You can also install some bolts as a dhelf, but the s-hooks are quicker and easier.
 
Relax and enjoy the experience. After 2 hours on the ECB, little more smoke will be absorbed. From that point on, the smoker acts as a charcoal burning oven. It is quite acceptable to do any further cooking indoors in the oven. Many people here do it when conditions are against them for some reason. 17° with wind is not the time to fuss with a new smoker. Happy New Year.
 
What dadsr4 said. Exactly. But the main point, don't worry or overthink too much, and don't chase the temps around. Let that baby ride to it's sweetspot as long as it doesn't get too hot and the butt will essentially take care of itself.
 
I should add that the charcoal grate that fits in the ECB is the one from a Weber 18.5" grill. They are available for about $10 at Lowe's and/or Depot.
 
sliding_billy said:
Butt for sure. They are very forgiving of temp swings and are really hard to mess up. Get a bone in. Cook until the bone wiggles loose easily (normally around 200 degrees internal).

One recommendation for the ECB... There are a ton of mods that can be done (bottom damper, top damper, sealing holes, etc), but the one that I think is essential is putting a charcoal grate in the bottom. Without it, the charcoal will quit getting air as it burns out (since there is nowhere for the old stuff to drop) and will snuff itself out. The easy way to put the grate in is to get 4 s-hooks and hang it from the air holes in the charcoal pan. You can also install some bolts as a dhelf, but the s-hooks are quicker and easier.
Click to expand...

Excellent advice - thanks! I like the s-hook idea.
 
Full Draw BBQ said:
I agree with ebiJack. Toss that butt on with some of your favorite rub, and let it go! Google the minion method he talks about, and it will help with temp control. The butt/shoulder is very forgiving, and you can be high or low on temp and it will still be fine. Maybe wrap at the 160 degree mark or so, and pour some apple juice mixed with some bbq sauce over it. Run it to 195ish if you want to slice, 202ish if you want to pull. You'll have a great time on your first cook......have fun!!
Click to expand...

I read about the minion method - this was what I was planning on trying, glad to hear this is the way to go.
 
Thanks to all of you for the advice and encouragement!

Two follow-up questions...

- Should I inject the butt? (there's something I never thought I'd be posting on the internet...)

- Assuming I'm just smoking one piece of meat, does it matter if I use the top or bottom grate? I'm assuming the bottom grate will be easier to keep warm on a cold day, but wasn't sure if there was a preferred location in the smoker.
 
I would stick with the butt as well. You biggest enemy is going to be the wind rather than the cold. It will work better if you are able to keep the wind off of it.

I would consider the charcoal grate mod that the others mentioned to be essential. Without it, your coals will sniffing out every 2-3 hours. Also, if you are using the water bowl, get a cheap watering can that has a long spout. It makes putting water in the bowl without spilling on the charcoal (or burning yourself) much easier.

IMHO, the mods that Wampus made to his are better than the ones on the Comcast site.

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=104545
 
Don't bother injecting the butt. It has enough tissue within itself to keep it moist throughout the cook. Top grate will make it easier to load/unload and refuel/water and the temp difference in that chamber isn't going to be much.
 
I'd skip the water, just cover the water pan with foil to catch the drippin's. It really is just a deflector. The water may stabilize the temps ( sort of), but your going to use a lot more coals in the long run to keep the water pan warm. IMHO. When I modified my bullet smoker I found using a water pan useless, just use it as a drip pan.
 
ebijack said:
I'd skip the water, just cover the water pan with foil to catch the drippin's. It really is just a deflector. The water may stabilize the temps ( sort of), but your going to use a lot more coals in the long run to keep the water pan warm. IMHO. When I modified my bullet smoker I found using a water pan useless, just use it as a drip pan.
Click to expand...

All good points. The water is a heat sink and is for temp stability. It can make sense for me, in Memphis, because of the milder temps, but even I have not used the water pan in my Cajun Bandit for the last several cooks.
 
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