Inaugural smoking on my shiny new 22.5 WSM! Pork butts in real time...help!


 
Alyssa H

Alyssa H

TVWBB Member
Hi! Thanks to all he videos and threads, I got everything going this morning without issues. Only burned myself once...so far. :) It is a beautiful Northern California spring morning for the inaugural smoking!

Two 5-6 pound bone in butts are on and temp is holding steady at about 260 after about 40 minutes. I had to close all the bottom vents to keep temp down but i did read that it will burn hot the first few times, so I guess that's ok. And there is a lot of smoke leaking out under the lid, but I read that it will get better after some "gunk" builds up. Am I correct on both counts?

I'm sending the kids off to school in 30 minutes and fixing myself a Bloody Mary! WooHoo!

Maybe I will try to figure out how to post pics later. Any Gipson how to easily do that from my iPhone?

Stay tuned...please!

Alyssa
 
Your smoker will even out a lot more with usage. There will be some build up of 'smoke' that will seal a lot of the slight gaps that you are seeing now. Just keep your eyes on temps for the first few times, and doing butts will help because of the long times.
Sounds like you are on your way to becoming a pit master....enjoy the obsession !!
To me there is nothing better than enjoying a 'smoke' with a good cocktail (spicey bloody mary's for me !!) or a great beer.....it what its all about.
Look forward to seeing your pic's when you get it worked out.
 
Thanks. Two hours in and holding at 240 with all vents closed and a full water pan. Smoke has stopped billowing.

Have also marked down my weight today at the beginning of this journey, as well as which pair of size 6 jeans i am wearing this morning to hopefully keep me in check should I feel the need to eat ALL of everything I smoke. :) I have plenty of taste testers lined up! Haha!
 
Alyssa, thats funny, I have mine being delivered today.....and your making me want to leave work early!
I have seen these pros use spread sheets and take tons of notes but never seen a posting to take your pants size at the beginning of the journey! Thou I think thats a great idea......well maybe.....good luck and do take good notes and post pictures!:cool:
 
We need pics... I do all my pics from my Iphone then upload them to photo bucket. It's easy.
 
Alyssa H said:
Thanks. Two hours in and holding at 240 with all vents closed and a full water pan. Smoke has stopped billowing.

Have also marked down my weight today at the beginning of this journey, as well as which pair of size 6 jeans i am wearing this morning to hopefully keep me in check should I feel the need to eat ALL of everything I smoke. :) I have plenty of taste testers lined up! Haha!
Click to expand...
finding volunteers to taste test is seldom a problem ;)
Welcome to the addiction
 
Am having trouble logging into photobucket. Working on it. Just finished my first Bloody Mary so maybe that will help.

Ad Greg, what is naughty nurses bbq? Can I join? I'm a real, legit RN. :)
 
I give up....I turned it upside down and it still comes out this way. Must be the iPhone. When I send pics to my mom from my phone they are often upside down too.
 
You'll be hooked in no time. I've had my WSM a little over a month and have used these boards for a wealth of information.

Some of what I've learned:

* Patience grasshopper! Don't get too anxious to take the meat out of the smoker.

* After the first couple smokes, stop checking the thermometer every 15-20 minutes.

* There are two distinct groups of people on these boards: "Water" and "No Water". I've learned both are right, but I have gone the no-water route.

* Off-brand charcoal is "off brand" for a reason. Nothing works better than Kingsford (IMHO).

* Become good friends with you local neighborhood butcher.

* Avoid ANY store-bought meat that has been "tenderized" with an injected saline solution by the manufacturer. Krogers (Ralphs, Fred Meyer, QFC, etc...) sells this "tenderized" pork almost exclusively. It does not smoke well and adds about 10% to the weight of the meat. That 5 lb pack of "tenderized" ribs is actually 4.5 lbs of product and .5 lb of saline solution.
 
Thanks for the tips, Ron!

I have the kingsford competition charcoal and half a pig straight from the farm in my freezer in the garage. Today is cheap grocery store pork though since it is my first attempt. Don't tell the neighbors. ;)

I'm using water today because I am doing things "by the book" the first time. We'll see if I change in the future.
 
Hi Kirk! Looks like we live close. My husband works in SJ. My Boston doesn't usually get up until at least 9 or 10 am. Today she was up at 7 with me and the pork.

Al, I have had that thermometer for awhile. Have been ghetto smoking on my weber genesis with wood chips for a few years. Also have a Thermapen which I love.
 
Question.... It has been four hours now (and I haven't peeked!) Smoker temps have been b/t 230-250. My pork temp probe is already reading 175. Am surprised it is this high already. Where is the stall? I was expecting this to take 10-12 hours. The butts are on the smaller side as 5-6lbs each. Should I expect them to be finished earlier?

And I was planning to wrap at six hours. Maybe I should do this earlier?
 
Your first photo was perfect, the second one,,, I need to stand on my head in order to see it properly. :D
Sounds like you're rolling right along perfectly. When my maverick shows 190 internal on the butts, I'll check them with a wooden skewer for doneness.
Even with the Kingsford Competition, I still get an ash build-up that'll hinder pit temps later on in a long smoke.
I have a metal rod I use to stir the coals gently once the temps start dropping even with open vents.
Let us know how everything turns out and keep posting pics.
 
What!? The picture showed up upside down on my screen! Ugh.

Thanks for the tips. You think I should wrap earlier than six hours?
 
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