My Maiden Voyage into the World of Smoke

[DubSmoke]

i was plannin on doin a butt soon to, i knew you guys and gals would be a good source of info... but i had no idea it would be to this magnitude. i have only been a member for a few days, and i have leanred more tips, tricks, hints and personal experience stories to help me along on my adventures... and good luck to you JRD, let us know

 

[chambersuac]

Are you brining or injecting? I have had great luck doing both, but prefer injecting now. I just use apple juice and then I spray the butt with it every hour or so. The butt is a pretty forgiving meat when it comes to temps, but remember to cook it until it's done - don't go by internal temp. Cook it until the bone comes out clean (assuming your using a bone in). Also, throw on a couple or more fatties. They can be used as appetizers, especially if your butt takes longer than you planned.

Have fun. Take pictures. Enjoy.

 

[Lake Dogs]

Just your first butt? :mrgreen:

My first half a dozen left a lot to be desired. i would get lucky every now & then and get a good one. Slowly but surely I have switched that around to where I can produce fairly consistent Q, but as I said earlier.. I still manage to screw up a perfectly good piece of meat every now & then.

LOL. No, not just the first. Luckily, I managed to salvage some inside
meat on my first one, but the bark was a disaster. The second butt
was much better, but not good by any stretch of the imagination. I still
have good n bad days. Did have one day where I had to throw away
50lbs of hams. I do love to BBQ a fresh ham or two. This time I'd
fallen asleep; the temps dived. When I woke up, the meat was ruined.
That was for my wedding reception; ran to store to buy hamburger
meat QUICK. 4th of July; burgers went over ok, but wasn't the Q we
were all wanting. Redeemed this past year. Cooked butts for the 4th
(which is my wedding anniversary). Have about 30 folks, folks that I
regard as BBQ afficianados, that swear that was the best pulled pork
they've ever had. Redemption. Had many people going back for
their 3rd and 4th plate.

So, to the gentleman going through that first cook, please please PLEASE
have a back-up plan, just in case it's not presentable to guests. I
promise, we've all been there! There is no shame if it's not perfect.

 

[jrd]

Hey all,

Thanks for the vote of confidence :lol::lol::lol:

Well, I think I got the temp figured out. I was able to maintain a steady temp for close to 4 hours. I was staying around 240 degrees. I figured out that about ever hour and a half I need to stoke the fire box a little and it will not dip or spike too bad. This is the reading from the center of the cooking area.

The great temp gauge read this:

I am glad I got the Maverick! :-D

Here is the mod I did to the fire box:

We got some smoke:

I read somewhere where a guy used some aluminum foil for a gasket to keep more smoke in the cooker I may give that a try in the morning. I am going keep at it until I get it dialed in.

Well, the smoke is on. The meat has been rubbed and is chillin in the fridge. I'll let ya know how it went.

Thanks again,
John

P.S. How long smoke tme for 9.5 lbs?

 

[BBQ Grail]

Got any meat on the baby yet?

 

[landarc]

a 9.5lb butt at that temp, I would think 1.5 hours per lb, roughly, you are looking at 13 hours or so, my gut says more like 11. But, the rule is, it is done when it is done, you can look for a temp stall somewhere around 180/190, If you have a bone in, wiggle the bone at 190 and see if it is real loose. If not, every 20 min. or so, wiggle and remove when loose.

 

[jrd]

Got any meat on the baby yet?

No, I was just learning to control the smoke and the temp.

 

[jrd]

a 9.5lb butt at that temp, I would think 1.5 hours per lb, roughly, you are looking at 13 hours or so, my gut says more like 11. But, the rule is, it is done when it is done, you can look for a temp stall somewhere around 180/190, If you have a bone in, wiggle the bone at 190 and see if it is real loose. If not, every 20 min. or so, wiggle and remove when loose.

Thanks for that info!

John

 

[NorthwestBBQ]

When you do your first cook can you take some pics and post them here? I know I would love to see your work.

 

[JiveTurkey]

You got the firebox modded, that's half the battle right there. Nice box too! Work on sealing any intake leaks and you'll be rockin.

 

[landarc]

Yes, pics are always nice and assure that if you do a good or bad job, you will maximize the feedback you get.

 

[JD McGee]

Brother I'm hoping you learn temperature control tonight 'cause you're going to need it tomorrow! Temperature swings on a new pit are to be expected, the skill helps in keeping the highs and lows not too high or too low. I'd do these three things right away:

1. Buy a decent temperature probe and find within this forum the target temperature for your piece of pig.
2. Keep the meat far from the fire box. Too close to the fire = doom.
3. Don't worry TOO much about temperature swings unless your fire goes out or you're crossing 350° or so. They will even out to a degree (pun intended). OK, four things.
4. Plan to finish the meat early in case it's not done when guests arrive. If it's done to your satisfaction early, wrap it in foil and cooler it while you await your guests. If you're late...

Best of luck and don't forget to tell us how it went - even if it sucks!

Arlin

Sage advice there brother smoker...^^^...good luck with your first smoke! :biggrin:

 

[jrd]

Thanks Guys......I'll let you know how it goes.

John

 

[Arlin_MacRae]

Smoke on, brother!

 

[jrd]

6 hours into the smoke we are at 135 degrees on the internal meat thermometer. Been spraying it with apple juice once an hour since we hit the 100 degree mark. The bark is looking good. Will spray and double foil it when we hit 165, and finish it in the oven. It is 28 degrees here today. Burr. I am looking forward to some pulled pork sammies for dinner!

Thanks again fo all the help!
John