FIRST TIMER


 
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KARL K

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Hello all...I am ordering my first smoker (finally) thanks to reading many of your posts the last few days. I have wanted one for many years and felt with the help of you "Pros" I will be able to cook something worth eating. I torch everthing to death on my gas grill and hope with a smoker and some help those days are over. My first of many questions is the following... How long or attempts does it take to make something that is worth sharing with others and what is the easiest thing to make the first time? Watching the snow fall today I don't expect to start for awhile.
Thanks...Karl
 
Welcome Karl! A boston butt is a good choice for your first attempt. Look in the "cooking" tab at the top of the forum page for all the info you will need for sucess! My first smoke was a butt and it came out excellent. Use minion method for firing up the WSM, and use a probe thermometer inserted into the meat. Can't hardly go wrong! Good luck and keep us posted. Lots of great people here and I haven't found one yet that wasn't will to help! /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif
 
Welcome Karl,

My first use of my WSM resulted in some very tasty pulled pork, worthy of sharing with others. I think trying a Boston Butt for your first cook would be a good idea. It's hard to mess up if you follow the easy instructions found on this site. You will have to be patient! It will take a while to cook a butt. The results will be worth the wait. I'm sure others will chime in with their opinions on a good first smoke. Good luck!

Wayne
 
Hey Karl Welcome!!!

The renowned mr Brown is still one of my favorite tastes off teh WSM. If your looking for something that takes a little less time then maybe try some baby backs. Get a little smoke wood (oak for example) and a spray bottle witha little applejuice and try BRITU (but use it lightly it has a lot of salt in there!!).

Temerature control to me is what I love about the WSM you can get a fancy (but very useful) remote thermomether like the Maverick et-30 and have a remote that tells you the temp of both the meat and the fire at grill level and have a level of comfort that your not burning anything or geta couple of the less fancy taylors or poulders and stick one through a potatoe at grill level to give you your temps.

You will soon find that it is alot of fun to experiment on the smoker and few things are not worthy of sharing that you will make, even the first time. Have fun!!!!!
 
Everyone is correct a Butt is hard to hose up. Anywhere from 225 to 350 will work although the higher temps don't like too much suger in the rub. The only mod I've done to my WSM's is the the Brinkmann charcoal pan used as a water pan for more water capacity.

The other thing is if you don't have it a chef style thermometer for internal temp and testing tenderness. It's all about temp and tenderness. Time just gets you in the ball park.

Please don't waste a load of charcoal running it empty. Put on some chicken it's cheap. Kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and some granulated garlic is always a fine rub.
 
I also agree that starting off with the Renown Mr. Brown (boston butt) recipe is a great start. I would recommend you start it first thing in the morning and let it cook until it's done. And to keep the worrying to a minimum, don't plan on pulled pork for dinner. You might get lucky and finish prior, but I wouldn't sweat it.

By starting early you can tinker with the vent settings, fill the water pan, tinker with the fuel, etc. as you'll no doubt have to do your first time.

I'll assume it's pretty cold up there in NY so I'd start a 3/4 full Weber chimney of coals and use the minion method to build your fire. Go ahead and use a full ring of unlit charcoal. Assemble the unit and place the lid on a little askew to encourage more draft to build up the fire. Open all vents fully. Insert a thermometer (weber thermo is great) through the top vent. When it hits 225 put the lid on fully. If the temperature climbs much past 250, you might want to shut the lower dampers a little. Do this a little a time as it takes a little while for the heat to regulate.

It'll be very important to block the wind if there's much of a breeze, especially when it's cold. Also, to be conservative on the time, figure 2 hours per pound. You'll want to let the pork rest for 20-30 minutes after you've removed it before you pull. I like to remove the butt when it hits 190 knowing that it will continue to climb to 195 before I pull it.

One last bit of advice, the internal temperature is going to hit 165 or so and stay there for a LONG time. That's normal and is a good thing as this is the time when the rendering of connective tissue takes place.

Good luck and let us know how it works out for you!
 
Thanks to all who responded...I am looking forward to getting those baby backs fired up. Hope to begin once the weather gets about 50 degrees warmer in the Northeast.
Karl
 
Hey Karl, alot of us don't let a little cold weather get in the way of some good BBQ!!! Its 0 degrees and I'm trying to decide e which night this week I'm going to do pork shoulders???
 
You made a good choice. Make sure you go to the Home Page and click on Operating tips and modifications and check out the measuring temp section there. You will need a thermometer, at least around the top vent area. It doesn't have to be an expensive one. Check it's accuracy using the boiling water method explained there and adjust accordingly. Everything you need to know is explained here on this site, and every one here is good to help you out with your ?'s. Have fun!
 
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