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First Time Smoking Suggestions

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Hey everyone,

 

While I am not new to cooking with fire I am new to using a proper smoker. In the past I have always smoked on my gas grill using indirect heat and small wood chips. My Future Father In Law just revealed he has a smoker sitting in his attic begging to be used and we decided the 4th would be the day. I am looking for some first time smoker suggestions but here is what I have tentatively planned:

 

Smoke at least (1) Boston Butt and (1) Large Tri-Tip

Boston Butt: Homemade Dry Rub that is sugar and pepper based

Tri-Tip: Santa Maria Style Annato Oil and Garlic/Sugar Marinde

 

Looking at both these cuts I want to get that great burnt crust and get the center nice and medium rare. We are going to shoot for some hickory wood and try to maintain a temperature of 200-250.

 

Any thoughts, tips suggestions and "first-time mistakes" to avoid? We know its not going to be perfect but we want to have fun and kill a bunch of hours and beers cooking away. I should add that we are probably going to fish on the 3rd and whatever decides to bite will be thrown on with the meat. Any help will be much appreciated.

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For the boston butt, most people use that for pulled pork (it makes the best pulled pork of any pork cut, in my opinion), but you don't want it "medium rare". You actually need to cook it at low heat (220 to 250 degrees) until the internal temp gets to 195 - 200 degrees, which can take upwards of 8 to 10 hours, if not more. At that point, the fat and connective tissue in the butt breaks down so that it can easily be pulled apart. And you'll have great bark if you can keep heat in the 220 to 250 sweet spot for the duration of the cook. One thing that happens with these butts is that they get to a point where the temp stalls out (usually between 160 and 175) before it starts to get up to the 195-200 mark. This stall can last a while, sometimes over an hour or two, before the temp starts going up again. So don't panic during this stage, but make sure you are leaving yourself enough time. I cook maybe 2 or 3 of these a year, and they always come out great by following this basic set of guidelines. There are some guys that are doing one a week and also do BBQ competitions. So maybe they will give you some additional advice!

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Also, make sure you do a dry run with the smoker just to practice keeping the temp in the desired range for an extended period. Keep in mind that if you're doing other meat/fish that cook at different times, you're going to need to be opening and closing the smoker that much more, which is going to cause you to lose heat/smoke.

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Thanks for the tips, I'm sorry I didn't clarify the medium rare definitely cooking the pork all the way through. Would you just dry rub the pork or do you recommend adding any moisture beforehand? My pork is always done in a slow cooker or seared chops. We are planning on starting bright and early on the 4th and cooking all day and I plan on leaving 8-12 hours free for cooking.

 

I'm looking forward to some great Q

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It's not a matter of cooking it all the way through it is a matter of cooking it until the fibrous crappy piece of meat is soft enough to eat. I think you might be better served getting a pork loin or even getting a big pork loin and chopping a roast off of it and taking it, in the smoke, to a medium rare temp. The pork butt will suck as you have planned. A pork roast from a loin will be terrific. YMMV.

 

As an over view remember that real BBQ, the low and slow BBQ, was derived to cook a really crappy piece of meat, like ribs and brisket and butts at a long slow cook until all the connective tissues have broken down. That makes the meat tolerable to eat.

 

 

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Thanks for the tips, I'm sorry I didn't clarify the medium rare definitely cooking the pork all the way through. Would you just dry rub the pork or do you recommend adding any moisture beforehand? My pork is always done in a slow cooker or seared chops. We are planning on starting bright and early on the 4th and cooking all day and I plan on leaving 8-12 hours free for cooking.

 

I'm looking forward to some great Q

 

Seems like you have a plan. Assuming you can get the smoker to run at fairly consistent temperature around 225-250F the rule of thumb is 1.5 hours per lb so an 8lb Boston butt should take about 12 hours.

You probably want another hour to rest it and without knowing anything about the smoker you made use a little more cook time getting to temp. You also lose some time every time you open the lid to peek.

I would also have a finish sauce for the pork so you may want to try one like this that Little posted a while back-

1 quart cider vinegar

12 oz SweetBaby Ray's BBQ Sauce

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 T red pepper flakes

2 T salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp celery seed

2 T Worchestershire sauce

Juice of one lemon

1 T chipotle powder

1 tsp dry mustard

1 T onion powder

 

simmer a little until it pulls together

"I have ... put a lump of ice into an equal quantity of water ...  if a little sea salt be added to the water we shall produce a fluid sensibly colder than the ice was in the beginning, which has appeared a curious and puzzling thing to those unacquainted with the general fact."- Joseph Black

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It's not a matter of cooking it all the way through it is a matter of cooking it until the fibrous crappy piece of meat is soft enough to eat. I think you might be better served getting a pork loin or even getting a big pork loin and chopping a roast off of it and taking it, in the smoke, to a medium rare temp. The pork butt will suck as you have planned. A pork roast from a loin will be terrific. YMMV.

 

As an over view remember that real BBQ, the low and slow BBQ, was derived to cook a really crappy piece of meat, like ribs and brisket and butts at a long slow cook until all the connective tissues have broken down. That makes the meat tolerable to eat.

 

^^^^^^^^

with ScottO on this one. that loin roast will work great with the other cuts you mention to the doness you describe. from your post, the smoker in your future FILs attic, i get the feeling its probably a bullet type water smoker, am i warm?

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Thanks for the updates guys, I honestly have never even seen the smoker. I actually may try to get it from him this week and test run on saturday for some friends. The goal was to do the pulled pork low and slow for some burnt ends and pulled pork sandwiches.

 

As far as sauce goes I make homemade sauce every few months with the drippings and some bourbon from ribs i do between my gas grill and the oven.

 

Thanks for all the tips and tricks, I'm hoping to do this more often.

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If you can get your hands on that smoker prior to the fourth, cook some chickens on to to get a feel for it. Every smoker is different and chicken is forgiving, cheap and quicker to cook. Oh yeah, jot's pretty dang good and juicy in a smoker - plus like the pork loin, the thermometer will be register when it's done (as opposed to butts, brisket and ribs that will be done based on feel not temp)

 

 

that tri -tip sounds great and my understanding that is another cut that is done at temp and not feel - but I have yet to cook one so verify that .

"... let it go - lets move forward."

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You've got a lot of good advice here already.

 

I inject pork butts with a solution of salt, sugar and juice as follows (enough for two butts):

 

3/4 cup apple juice, cherry juice, fruit juice -- whatever you have around.

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup table salt

2 Tb Worcestershire

 

You can inject right through the cryovac that the pork butt comes in. I do this the day before I cook them.

 

Enjoy and have some great eats.

"Depend not on fortune, but on conduct."

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Thanks for the great advice, I am going to try and get the smoker this week and get some practice this weekend. Any suggestions on wood selection? I know that seems like a dumb question but I have always bought mixed bundles. Now that I am dedicating a specific smoke flavor to the food I wasn't sure about selecting, sourcing and judging the wood quality.

 

The injection sounds great, I've never injected any cuts before. I think that may be some fun.

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Boston Butts are the most forgiving of meats. It is hard to mess one up as long as you get the internal temp to 200-205*. You can inject, rub or not. Me, I use the Neely's(Food Net and Memphis BBQ joint owners) rub and then use a mix of 4 parts apple juice and 1 part cider vinegar spray and spray every hour or so. 250* smoker and just let her cook.

Fly Tyin Nut!
David
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BTW, I am on the fence about injecting pork butts. I haven't noticed a difference in results when skipping the injection. Cooking it to the right tenderness, the rub and the sauce make up such a huge factor in the final product that I can't tell the difference Even before saucing.

 

any thoughts on the value of injecting?

"... let it go - lets move forward."

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Watch the salt! Only injecting I do is during competitions with stuff not meant to be eaten! and apple juice. Plenty of moisture in the meat when cooked right and you can layer flavors with rubs and sauces. I avoid salting all my pork products on the inside...one bad hammy experience was enough for me. S

 

 

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