My first smoke

[ronnyballgame]

9 am, and I have been up most of the night tending to the fire. Mostly my fault for starting at 11 pm, but the family needed some time.

Started out waiting for my CB Bandera to cool down. I have not mastered the Fire control (but I got some great tips from the FC Thread) at all, so I had to get the temp town from 275*-285*. That took a while. I got it to 225*, and put my 5 Boston Butts on (4 with Spicewine Hen n Hog Dust and one with a Carribean Jerk spice I got from The Spice House in Milwaulkee)

I got some pointers from Spice and Sidekick, with cooking and fire. Everything was going great. Although the temp was moving up and down, it stayed between 215*-230* for the first four hours. At 3 am I wrapped the butts in foil to finish. They were at about 145*-150* at that time.

The next five hours have been absoulte h**l. Maybe not for you regular smokers, but for a first timer, it has been frustrating. My temps have been good (until the last hour and a half, when I cannot get them to quit fluctuation, and for the past two hours, the temp of the meat has only risen 3*. (wait, just moved 4*) Most of them are now at 190* and I am going to take them off to sauce them and let them sit an hour in the smoker and then sauce them again.

Let me know if I am way offbase with this, but I just do not understand why the temp has not risen much. I would have thought that it would rise steadily.

Sorry about rambleing. I just want some feedback on my temps. I used one hell of a lot of charcoal (both lump and Kingsford), and wish that I had cleaned out the ash at about 5 hours, like one of threads I read said to do. Also, what do people use to clean those out. Take the ash tray out and put it in a metal bucket? This has been an interesting experience, to say the least. If there is one thing that I learned, start this in the morning.

I appreciate all the help from everyone. Gotta sauce my butt(s).

ronnyballgame

ps I wish I had pics, but my digital camera crapped out on me two days ago. I guess that maybe I can get the D50 that I have been coveting

 

[jpw23]

Congrats on the first cook........where are the pictures? I guess temp control is a matter of learning your smoker......I'm just now getting mine under control and can predict somewhat how it will react. Just keep cookin' and it will all come together.

 

[jgh1204]

Make sure you have good airflow. As the charcoal goes to ash, that buildup plays havoc on your airflow. Airflow under your fuel is just as important as the airflow over it.

After 4 or 5 hours, I have to periodically remove ash from under the grate. The legs on my firebasket are 2" and it does not take long to get 1 to 2 inches of ash.

If you are using the ash tray and charcoal grate that came with the bandera, chunk that sucker and either make you a better fire grate or call spicewine.

 

[The_Kapn]

Ronny,
Arn't first cooks fun???:lol:
Sounds like you did a lot of stuff right and the rest is just part of the learning curve.
See my comments below FWIW.

I assume you have raised the firegrate and installed a baffle of some sort?
I also assume your cooker temps were measured at the shelf level. Whole different discussion there.

The single best thing you can do is to install a firebasket. I use a home-made hunk-a-junk and get 5 to 6 hours from the first load with little, if any, adjustments to air flow. Like on cruise control. I think Spice may still be selling them. You can also use a fire ring from a WSM for about $35 or so.

Thanks for the report.

TIM

9 am, and I have been up most of the night tending to the fire. Mostly my fault for starting at 11 pm, but the family needed some time.

Started out waiting for my CB Bandera to cool down. I have not mastered the Fire control (but I got some great tips from the FC Thread) at all, so I had to get the temp town from 275*-285*. That took a while. I got it to 225*, and put my 5 Boston Butts on (4 with Spicewine Hen n Hog Dust and one with a Carribean Jerk spice I got from The Spice House in Milwaulkee)
FWIW, those butts would have cooked just fine if you had put them in at 275 and then continued to fine tune the temp on down to where you want it. No problem at all and many of us cook above that temp with great success. Just personal preference.

I got some pointers from Spice and Sidekick, with cooking and fire. Everything was going great. Although the temp was moving up and down, it stayed between 215*-230* for the first four hours. At 3 am I wrapped the butts in foil to finish. They were at about 145*-150* at that time.
Good move. Many of us wrap at the point where the bark looks right, but you can work on that later. 145 -150 will work, as will 160-170 as a starting point for sure.

The next five hours have been absoulte h**l. Maybe not for you regular smokers, but for a first timer, it has been frustrating. My temps have been good (until the last hour and a half, when I cannot get them to quit fluctuation, and for the past two hours, the temp of the meat has only risen 3*. (wait, just moved 4*) Most of them are now at 190* and I am going to take them off to sauce them and let them sit an hour in the smoker and then sauce them again.
First off- once the meat is wrapped, it is just heat. Many of us put them in the oven and close down the smoker. Works fine.
In your case, the fire control practice could be priceless and was a good idea, even though it did not work out to your satisfaction. It will help you on future cooks.

Let me know if I am way offbase with this, but I just do not understand why the temp has not risen much. I would have thought that it would rise steadily.
The rate a peice of meat cooks is based on the difference between the temp of the meat and the temp of the cooker. So, if you are approaching 190 on the meat, and your chamber is only 210-215 or so, the cooking rate is very slow. So, just be patient or turn up the temp. Both work well.

Sorry about rambleing. I just want some feedback on my temps. I used one hell of a lot of charcoal (both lump and Kingsford), and wish that I had cleaned out the ash at about 5 hours, like one of threads I read said to do. Also, what do people use to clean those out. Take the ash tray out and put it in a metal bucket? This has been an interesting experience, to say the least. If there is one thing that I learned, start this in the morning.
What is "one hell of a lot"??? I burned 35 # on a 14 hour cook last weekend and consider that about normal for a Dera type cooker.
Keeping the ash load down is imperative!!!!!!!!!!! I failed to do that last weekend and it costs me $$$ :twisted:
I use a sheet metal fireplace shovel--works perfect.
I bought a 10 gallon galvanized can with lid (basic metal trash can). I use it for cooker and fire-place ashes while they cool. Works perfect.

I appreciate all the help from everyone. Gotta sauce my butt(s).

ronnyballgame

ps I wish I had pics, but my digital camera crapped out on me two days ago. I guess that maybe I can get the D50 that I have been coveting

 

[Kirk]

It's OK if the pit gets hotter than 225 too. Butts are very forgiving so don't get too worked up about exact temps, especially for the first cook. I've been doing mine at 300 lately with very good results. And you do know about the temp plateau that the meat goes through, right? Relax and enjoy, it will come out great.

 

[Kevin]

Nothing wrong with a little high temp. I would have put them in at 275. The load of cool meat is gonna drop your temp some anyway. Most of all, have fun. That's what it's all about.

 

[Solidkick]

.....I gave you my number and said you could call, I'd have gotten out of bed and come over and helped, I'm all about cookin', as long as it ain't raining!!:mrgreen: ......sounds like ash build up hurt, I covered that in our PM session, you maybe wrapped a little early..............But you did good, son! Next time you have time to do it again, go for it, it will all come together!

As far as this weekend is concerned remember 4 things.....the meat stops taking smoke at around 140*, they're gonna stick and not move for awhile between 150*-165*, optional foiling of the meat at 165* to help the cooking process, and most of all.....if you get tired....let the oven be your friend....they'll finish just fine there after you've reached the first 3 criteria!

Lump is a good choice to help get the pit up to temp, but you'll find that it burns fast and hot, I recommend a combination of lump and Kingsford, as the Kingsford will give you a better coal bed. Build your fire fairly close to the opening into the smoke box, then on the opposite end, have 8-10 briquettes warming so you can drag them in as your temps starts to drop and you are firing up a new chimney. The optimum cooking temp is 225*-250*, spikes to 275* are ok as butts are forgiving. Leave your stack damper wide open and control your temp with firebox door damper, if it gets too hot open the smoker door. Spray your butts with some apple juice or some concoction of your choice to help keep from drying out.

Hard to say about how much charcoal you'll need because there's a lot of varibles, wind being the biggest. I'd get at least 2 bags of lump and 1 of kingsford, or 4 bags of lump if that's the way you plan on going. Keep good airflow under your coals by clearing the ash after about 4 hours. Letting the butts "warm up" some by setting on the kithcen counter from coming from the fridge will help reduce fuel consumption as well, you no longer trying to cook from an internal temp of 38*-40* to more like 45*-50*.

Yes the firebrick will help, I just have the lava style gas grill briquettes in mine.

To your final question, the more mass, the less air movement within the smoke chamber, so yes you do add cooking time. Be sure to rotate front to back and top to bottom if all you are cooking is butts, never cook chicken above any pork or beef products, chicken always gets the bottom if you are cooking more than one meat.

the bandera generally cooks at a rate of about 1 to 1 1/2 hours per pound at 225*- 250*, depending on the outside conditions. So a 6 lb pork butt generally is done somewhere in the 7-9 hour window, but I've had them go as much as 12 hours as well. I suppose Jay told you to cook to an internal temp of 190*-195* and then let them rest in a dry cooler....

I think I answered all your questions! Best of luck!

PS: you can master this pit, the first bbq competition I ever cooked I used my 'dera to cook the pork and brisket, we took 2nd in pork and 3rd in brisket. You've just got to learn what it will do.....

 

[Ron_L]

.....I gave you my number and said you could call, I'd have gotten out of bed and come over and helped

Now there's a true Brethren! You're a good man, Kick! I hope we can meat in person one day.

Ronny... It really does sound like your first cook went fine. Yeah, you had some nervous time with the fire, but that's part of the learning curve.

I wanted to emphasize one thing the Tim said.

The rate a peice of meat cooks is based on the difference between the temp of the meat and the temp of the cooker

Once you foiled the butts, the bark color isn't going to change (much), so it perfectly fine to crank up the pit temp to get them to cook faster. Remember that any meat will go through a plateau where the temperature will stick for what can seem like forever. This usually happens in the 160 degree range, but it depends on the specific piece of meat. Waiting for the meat to break through the plateau can be a lot like watching paint dry!

Now go and enjoy your pulled pork!

 

[racer_81]

I use a sheet metal fireplace shovel--works perfect.
I bought a 10 gallon galvanized can with lid (basic metal trash can). I use it for cooker and fire-place ashes while they cool. Works perfect.

Now that, that is a good idea.

 

[cabo]

Ok, it’s after 7pm your 1st cook is done, you got great advice from some seasoned vets, sounds like you did most of the things right, your camera is on the fritz so no pics………..So what about a report… Did it taste good??? When’s the next cook??? And what did you learn???

Uhhh, am I being too pushy?????:wink: Sorry, but inquiring minds want to know!!!:biggrin:

 

[kcquer]

You've gotten some great info from the Brothers already. I wanted to add one little note about ash buildup. Accumulated "ash" not only contains dead ash, but also a lot of still burning embers. Those little embers are what will frustrate the bejeepers outta ya late in a long cook. Those embers will eat up most of the air coming into the firebox and starve the main fire.
Rake or scoop out the ashes as the KPN suggests and you'll have no more problems later in the cook than you do early on.

Sounds like ya did a great job on an ambitious first cook!! Congrats and happy eating.

 

[FatDad]

Ok, it’s after 7pm your 1st cook is done, you got great advice from some seasoned vets, sounds like you did most of the things right, your camera is on the fritz so no pics………..So what about a report… Did it taste good??? When’s the next cook??? And what did you learn???

Uhhh, am I being too pushy?????:wink: Sorry, but inquiring minds want to know!!!:biggrin:

Be patient Cabo...take a shot and have one for me too !!
I am curious also.

 

[ronnyballgame]

So, the dinner was great! I ran out of time before I left to the family gathering this weekend, so I put them in a cooler and pulled them when I got the the parents house. Mixed in a little bit of Blue Collar sauce from Spice and everyone loved it. I have a bunch left over for lunch for me (and a small country). I appreciate all the advice that I got from all the Brothers here and the different fourms that I have researched to make sure that I (kinda') knew what I was doing. Special thanks to Solidkick and Spicewine for thier help.....

 

[Arlin_MacRae]

Rock on, bruddah. Congrats on your first!

 

[jt]

Ronny, you did fine. Kick is an awesome brother - helped me out on my first cooks as well. Even gave me the steel for my baffle & heat shield. Call him at any hour of the night :twisted:.

As the brothers have said - the Bandera's are fuel hogs and cleaning out the ash is imperative. I still use the little ash pan that came with mine (gotta go see Spice and have a custom one made!) and I just grab it with my welder's gloves, dump it and slide it back in. You'll get more ash with charcoal rather than all wood so play with your ratio's to find something you're comfortable with.