My first smoke EVER - Post Mortem


 
R

RVAndersteen

New member
I'm brand new to smoking (other than eating meat that others have smoked) and to using a WSM. Most of the knowledge that I've been able to acquire has come from http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/ - Thanks Chris!

This past Sunday I decided to perform my first smoke. I settled on a pork shoulder with the goal of having some delicious pulled pork. I ended up documenting everything in a Cooking Log / Journal. I actually took what was up on the VWB site and made my own digital variation with formulas/graphs/etc that lives on my google drive. My first cooking log for this smoke can be viewed here (NOTE: There are 3 tabs on the bottom). If anyone is interested, the template is available here.

During my cooking process I definitely hit the "stall" or "plateau". I didn't know it at the time :). I know I probably made some other mistakes, and I'm hoping that those who are more experienced, might be able to offer up some advice.

Below are my own, self inflicted constructive criticisms. Based on my cooking log, are there other glaring mistakes or tweaks that I should be aware of?

THANKS in advance to anyone that takes the time to look at my cooking log and provide any feedback. You'll be happy to know that despite all the shortcomings, the pork was still edible :).

Prep Criticisms:
  • I think I used way too many briquettes in the chimney started and not enough in the chamber. Need to use less in the chimney starter and more in the chamber.
  • Too much wood was used. I threw some more in when I saw that no more smoke was coming from the vent. I called a friend after doing this and he confirmed that you don’t not want white smoke to be billowing out of the top vent the entire time. The wood will eventually smoke out and that’s fine.

Cooking Criticisms:
  • I trusted the top lid thermometer. I didn’t have a digital probe thermo, but have since purchased/ordered one.
  • I checked things too often. I knew this was a potential pitfall and I did my best to avoid it… But after reviewing my log, I think I opened things up way too much and should have just let the smoker do its job. Better prep with fuel, etc would probably have negated the need to tinker with the smoker.
  • I experienced the “stall” and didn’t do a good job of understanding what to do / not do. I immediately wrapped it in foil (before I googled and discovered the stall). This probably was a good idea, but then after googling it, the advice was to let it cook through the stall. So I removed the foil and let it go. In the end, I needed to add the crutch back and wrap it with foil to finish at a decent hour. I should have added more fuel and let it continue to cook through the stall.
 
First, I think you are a bit to hard on yourself. Your first smoke is always going to be rough, so much to think about, everything is all new, and if your like me your always second guessing.

The good news is that if you change just one thing about your process, I think you will be very pleased with the results. That one thing, and you have already identified it, is you need to get your finishing temperature above 190. You will be amazed at the difference in the final product! I always try to finish somewhere between 195 and 205 (for a pork butt) Lower and it will not be tender, higher and it will be mush.

The second piece of advice, which is also something you identified and it will help you get above 190 quicker, is to wrap in foil once the meat gets above 155. By 155, no more smoke will be absorbed and your crust should be established. Once you wrap in foil, the stall will be minimized so you can get to 190 quicker.
With regards to the fire, there is a lot going on there, and your approach under different weather conditions will very. To master that, just keep practicing, taking good notes, and have fun!

Bottom line is your on the right track, just remember to have fun with all this, and you will have mastered this in no time.
 
I agree with your assessment - let it cook right through the stall. Almost hate to admit this but on my early cooks where I vastly underestimated the time I did have to oven finish the butt. Ya do what ya gotta do sometimes.
 
Don't be hard on yourself. I find I am my own worst critic and that everyone else enjoys the results. Good luck and have fun with it.
 
Thanks for the feedback thus far. I didn't mean for that post to see so 'woe is me' as it must've come across. I'm just a data driven person and I want to understand the low points and improve :).

For the foil... It sounds like I can wrap it during the stall or let it cook out. Is the only difference the amount of time it will take to cook? Are there other advantages/disadvantages to wrapping in foil (more moisture, etc)?

Also, the minion method is pretty well documented, but after a fire is started, how many chimneys/briquettes can one expect to add to a 10 hour 225 degree cook? I know it will vary based on many factors. I'm just curious if it's normal to add another chimney full mid cook or not, etc.

Thanks!
 
Sooooo... How did that first smoked shoulder finally taste when it was done? Like everyone has said , the first few times you cook on the WSM might be a bit hectic , but the more you cook on it , the more relaxed you will become. So how was the pork?
 
Frank H said:
Sooooo... How did that first smoked shoulder finally taste when it was done? Like everyone has said , the first few times you cook on the WSM might be a bit hectic , but the more you cook on it , the more relaxed you will become. So how was the pork?
Click to expand...

It was not very tender and a bit dry. To be honest, it tasted better for lunch today after being reheated in the microwave :).
 
Congratulation on your cook, RV ! Good job !

RVAndersteen said:
For the foil... It sounds like I can wrap it during the stall or let it cook out.
Click to expand...
If you do wrap it, wait until the bark has fully set. This will be more of in the middle to late stall. Once you can not scrape it off with your fingernail, place some brazing liquid (just a very little... no more than a 1/4 cup) in the foil package and wrap tightly.

RVAndersteen said:
Also, the minion method is pretty well documented, but after a fire is started, how many chimneys/briquettes can one expect to add to a 10 hour 225 degree cook?
Click to expand...
Running in the 225 - 275 range, if you start with a full ring, and your unit is well seasoned, you should get at least 12 hours without having to add any coals. Many have far exceeded the 12 hours with a single initial load of coals.

Wishing you Great future cooks with Delightful results !
 
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Foiling just speeds up the cook but as Bob pointed out it has a braising affect on the pork. The only time I have had a mushy shoulder is when I foiled so I don't foil anymore.
Smoke is not absorbed into your meat it is adsorbed meaning it just sticks to the surface of the meat not sure why people think that at a certain temperature no more smoke will stick to it. What will happen is at a certain point your sense of smell and taste will overload so it may not taste as smokey.
 
As an engineer I like numbers and data myself. I have found that bbq is just as much art as science. The meat and fire can act and react differently. Over time you will get a good general feel for what is right. If it doesn't turn out ok just use more sauce. Good luck and have fun.
 
RV: I'm glad this happened, not because I'm happy that you had problems, but because FINALLY I met someone else who's as nerdy and focused as I am about these things. As Bill Clinton said, "I feel your pain." Seriously, though, heed the guidance the folks in this forum offer. Not that you have to follow everything to the letter; but, overall, the advice is sound. I keep notes on my cooks...sometimes. And I still struggle...sometimes. But, as many have told me, take the craft seriously but don't take yourself seriously. Have fun. AND as I like to say, if it's edible then it's not a mistake.
 
Like everyone else I agree you're on the right track. Just keep cooking and tweaking and poking around here (and on virtualweberbullet.com) and you'll learn lots and keep improving. As far as tips go, I've got a few notes:

Starting with 50 lit coals sounds like a lot to me, but then again I'm not sure I actually know how big your smoker is. Regardless, what I tend to do when smoking a butt is to fully load my charcoal ring then add about a layer or two to the bottom of my chimney starter. About half of what's in the starter will be fresh straight from the KBB bag, and the other will come from the top of what I put in the charcoal ring. Once it's lit I let wait until it gets to about 200F before closing down vents to try to level off the smoker temp. My goal is more to slow the temperature rise than to stop it. Since I usually take my pork right out of the fridge to the smoker, which drops the cooker temp, I don't want the cooker to level off before I put the meat on so that I don't have to keep chasing the temp. I find if I slow it, then add a big hunk of meat, it settles nicely on my target temp w/in half hour or so of putting the meat on.

Speaking of target temps, I usually aim for about 235/240F when doing butts, but let it vary (i.e. set my temp alarm on my Maverick) between 225 and 255/260F. I only have the vents to control air flow (not ATC yet) so I try not to let the engineer in me get too hung up on maintaining an exact temp.

For me, when it comes to pork butts I cook more on time and feel than on temperature. I plan on it taking at least 8-10 hours and don't open the lid for at least 6 or 7. That said I don't baste or turn or foil. Obviously the more you open your WSM the longer it'll take to finish your food. But going back to the number of coals, I'm sure to pack the ring so I don't have to worry about running out.

The last thing I'll say is about the thermometer. I cooked for about a year using nothing but the dome therm to track my pit temp. And even now that I have my maverick, I tend to hang the pit probe through the vent for a dome temp rather than a grate temp. Though that may be because I don't have a grommet for easily passing probes through the side, but I digress. I think I was reading Kevin Kolman's Q&A where he mentioned that he uses his therm as a guide as to what's happening inside the smoker, or something like that. Anyway, what I took from that was "don't expect the dome probe to be 100% accurate, but watch it for large variances and act accordingly". As long as your dome thermometer is functioning and is fairly accurate then it can be a good guide as to whether or not you have too much or airflow (rapidly rising temps) or too little airflow/fuel (consistently dropping temps).

Wow I wrote more than I was planning. Hope it helps. And if it doesn't then ignore everything I've said except this.

Keep on cooking and have fun!
 
Thanks again for all the feedback. One other additional point of constructive criticism that I just now realized is that I did not recognize the temperature between the lid thermometer and the temperature at the grate. I think I averaged somewhere around 227 degrees lid temp for the duration of this cook. According to TVWBB Temperature Page, there is about a 12-15 degree difference b/w the lid and the grate. That means I probably averaged something close to 212-215 degrees. Yikes!

So if you are reading this, please take note and don't make the same mistake I did!

Tonight/Tomorrow I'm going to try my first brisket flat. I have some probe thermometers, one for the meat and one to go on grate. Hoping to produce some better results :).
 
RVAndersteen said:
Thanks again for all the feedback. One other additional point of constructive criticism that I just now realized is that I did not recognize the temperature between the lid thermometer and the temperature at the grate. I think I averaged somewhere around 227 degrees lid temp for the duration of this cook. According to TVWBB Temperature Page, there is about a 12-15 degree difference b/w the lid and the grate. That means I probably averaged something close to 212-215 degrees. Yikes!

So if you are reading this, please take note and don't make the same mistake I did!

Tonight/Tomorrow I'm going to try my first brisket flat. I have some probe thermometers, one for the meat and one to go on grate. Hoping to produce some better results :).
Click to expand...

Good luck with the brisket! I've only done one, and haven't had the courage to try again. lol. Don't forget to take photos! (then remember to share them :) )
 
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