Just Bought My First Smoker... what next?

[DavidJohnson101]

I bought a Masterbuilt 40" new generation electric smoker and while I do a lot of grilling I've never smoked anything. I'm excited to learn and is the reason why I am here. I want to take my outdoor cooking to the next level.

My question is this... where the heck do I start? What should I smoke first? Is there a beginners cut of meat I should start with?

 

[marubozo]

Start with a pork butt. It's cheap. It's nearly impossible to mess one of those up as they are very forgiving. Although they do take a bit of time to cook. But you can literally cover a butt with almost any type of rub, throw it into the smoker, and come back 8-14 hours later and have some of the best BBQ you can stick into your mouth. Nothing fancy required and as long as you cook it long enough, it will be incredibly moist and tender.

 

[gettinbasted]

Pork butt. Darn near impossible to screw up.

 

[Redleg71]

Go buy a cheap pork shoulder or two at the grocery.

Brine (soak) it for at least 6 hours or overnight in a solution of apple juice and kosher salt.

Use a simple dry rub to coat the meat before placing in your smoker

Cook at 225-250 degrees with some apple wood chips till internal temp reaches about 190 degress or fork tender.

Enjoy!

 

[SmokinJohn]

What they've said. Pork butt or shoulder......

You could also try tri-tip. Less time to cook, and the worst you could do is carbonize it.

 

[deguerre]

At least one fatty (In addition to...) on the first smoke is the law.

 

[NickTheGreat]

My first smoke was chicken. Turned out "okay." Second was brisket and third was a butt.

I like brisket a little more personally, but butts are far cheaper. Both teach you the lessons of long term smoking and both are quite tasty.

 

[K-JUN]

At least one fatty (In addition to...) on the first smoke is the law.

Yes a fatty would be nice.

 

[dajogejr]

Pork butt... nearly impossible to screw up...as said time and time again here.
Get a packer pair at Sams club for 20ish.

Trim the fat cap down to 1/4 thicknes, (learning how, what and where to trim comes later)...

Rub the butt in regular old mustard. Yes, Mustard. The enzymes in mustard help break down the meat a little...but more importantly, it helps the rub stick to the butt.

225 to 250. At 190 internal temp start poking it and when you can poke it...and it has the consistency of Jello, pull it off and wrap it.

I like a plastic/seran wrap first, then foil. Buy Heavy Duty Foil.

Place in a cooler with towels, wait 2-3 hours, then pull it.

Being an electric smoker, you should be able to maintain a pretty consistent temp fairly easily.

 

[unfoundfred]

I always start a new season with a pork butt and a slab of ribs to fine tune keeping the cooker between 225 and 240. Practice is delicious.

 

[BB-Kuhn]

I have the 30". Pork butt works really well in them. Ribs are easy, but don't come out "amazing" like on a charcoal or wood cooker.

Chicken is super good and easy in these too. My main tip is to not oversmoke - it's actually easy to do in the electrics.

For chicken, add a load of chips when you add the meat. Don't refil the chips after this first load. It's more than enough.

For pork butts, you can add chips for the first few hours of a cook, but once the internal temp clears 130-140 there's no point in more smoke - it won't do much good and it could leave the food with a sour bitter taste.

Honestly, as almost everybody here will attest to - practice. You won't turn out the greatest Q the first cook (or 5), but im guessing the first few mistakes will still be delicious if not amazing.

Welcome and good luck!

 

[LIBBQ]

I am hoping practice makes perferct cause I rendered my first perfectly fine butt inedible and trash. Going to try again this weekend. Low and slow is how I need to go.

 

[Teltum]

LIBBQ - Did your cooker runaway on you?

If you are new to the BBQ game that is a common occurance. Most of the people on here who get new toys normally run them once with nothing in them to figure out how they control temps.

Someone has the how to tell stuff is done. For Butts and briskets - it is when they are probe tender (185+). Chicken is USDA temp in the thick bits of the Thigh and Breast. Ribs... When they pull back from the bone some way (really hard to get a temp with a probe due to bones).

 

[LIBBQ]

I basically ranaway from the smoker! I set the Bradley way to high and Ron Popeiled it, set it a forget it. Bad idea. I didn't want to hijack the OP's thread, but hopefully my bad experience will be a learning one for someone else.

 

[Teltum]

DavidJohnson101 - One of the front leg roasts (butt/shoulder) of a pig are some of the best beginner Q for long cooks. Ribs, brisket and chicken are all "more" challanging to smoke due to added quarks in their cooking.

 

[DavidJohnson101]

I appreciate all the advice, makes the new guy feel welcome. Pork Butt it is, I'll throw in a fatty as well, see how that all goes down. I will keep everybody updated, I can't tell ya how pumped I am!

 

[Desert Dweller]

I remember my first smoker more than my first girlfriend. Just get to cookin...

 

[DavidJohnson101]

I remember my first smoker more than my first girlfriend. Just get to cookin...

Will do, I ain't skeered! Saturday morning here I come!

 

[dwfisk]

Cool, just remember the fatty won't take that long. If your schedule has you up early to get the butt started, you could probably have the fatty for breakfast or brunch, just to get the day off to a good start!

I appreciate all the advice, makes the new guy feel welcome. Pork Butt it is, I'll throw in a fatty as well, see how that all goes down. I will keep everybody updated, I can't tell ya how pumped I am!

 

[buttburnersbbq]

Pork Butt is the way to go. But they have changed the name to a " pork roast " Still ask for pork butt.