Smoking Tips of the Newbs, By a Newb, For the Newbs


 
My siblings and I bought my dad an 18.5" WSM for Christmas. He's a little overwhelmed but we're trying to ease him into it with several smokes while we're in town for a visit.

For the maiden voyage, we did 4 beer can chickens last night, right out of the box. They were perfectly juicy and fork tender after two hours.

We're doing ABT's and a few MOINKS for Christmas Eve tonight.

We're doing two 15 lb. turkeys (dry-brined with salt) with a compound butter under and on the skin tomorrow for Christmas Dinner tomorrow afternoon.

And finally, we bought two 8.5lb pork butts that we'll rub down tonight and smoke overnight on Christmas night to be served just in time for the Bucs game Sunday afternoon.

Go ahead and try to stop us! We're gonna smoke 'til we drop!
 
I got my WSM 18.5" for Christmas and can't wait to take her for a test drive. Friday will be my first chance and I plan to try a boston butt. Fingers crossed!

Thanks for the great advice.
 
Welcome to the forum both Joey and Paul!
As you can see from this thread alone, great information and terrific tips from new members and members from many years of experience.
Good Luck with your first cooks!
 
Great posts! I have 2 Bostons Butts on right now for tonight. This is the first time firing up the WSM. I can tell already this is much easier that the grill w/ the side smoker box that I usually use. I have one question. What do you guys do to look busy during the smoking process?
 
Originally posted by FPScarpa:
I have one question. What do you guys do to look busy during the smoking process?
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drink beer
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SUCCESS!!

Smoked my first boston butt (5 lb) today on my new WSM and I must say that it turned out great. I read over this forum all week trying to glean as much knowledge as possible before giving it a whirl, so thanks to everyone's input.

I used a rub recipe found in Bobby Flay's Throwdown book, refrigerated it overnight, woke up at 5:45am and fired it up around 6:15am. It took about 9.5 hours until I was satisfied that the temps were right. There was a little bit of a roller coaster ride with the temps, but I managed to keep it between 240 and 265 the whole time.

...and here's the finished product...
Boston Butt
Pulled Pork

My wife made both a mustard and traditional sauce to accompany the pork, but honestly, I could just keep eating it out of the pan.

So, what should I do next? hmm..
 
Joey That looks fantastic!

"My wife made both a mustard and traditional sauce"

Mustard sauce sounds great something your wife can share ? a recipe would be appreciated.

Always on the hunt for new sauces.

And welcome to you all!
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I used mine for the first time yesterday too. I smoked 2 8lb butts. The pulled pork was the hit of the party! People were eating pulled pork sandwiches over the "catered" food. I served it with a vinager BBQ sauce and a spiced rum sauce.
 
Originally posted by Wolgast:
Mustard sauce sounds great something your wife can share ? a recipe would be appreciated.

Always on the hunt for new sauces.

And welcome to you all!
wsmsmile8gm.gif
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Wolgast,
My wife used this recipe from the Lee Brothers Southern Cook Book:

2 cups prepared yellow mustard
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons dried oregano (optional)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Salt to taste

Whisk it all together in a sauce pan over medium heat and then let it simmer for 10 minutes on low. Let it rest for 10 minutes and bottle/jar.
 
Agreed on the bump. Sometimes it is good to go back to real basics. For years I did 20 pound hams at Christmas with a brinkman electric no thermometer anywhere and just went 1 hour per pound and kept feeding hickory onto the burners. Some of the best ham many people ever ate if you can believe their comments.
 
Great thread and thanks for bumping it up. I guess I haven't read back far enough to catch this one. Really sage advice Chad.

I've only been smokin for 9 months and that's been on an ECB and a Char Griller. This Sunday I finally cook with my WSM and it's tough to wait.
One thing I like about Q is that I can still eat my mistakes - and enjoy them. I even resurrected a dry brisket. 30 years of Navy chow will do that to a fella.
 
Thad,

Excellent advice. About the sunlight, I don't think it's just affecting the gauge, but the internal temp as well. It's a black metal bullet, after all. Think about your car in the sunlight, verses in the shade.

Here are the tips I'd add.

13. Try to keep that top vent open at all cost. It will help prevent the creosote from forming, and over-smoking.

14. Keep the lid closed. The meat doesn't need nearly as much messing with as many people think. If I'm doing chicken, I don't open the lid for about 2 1/2 hours. Boston butt, maybe 6 or 7 hours.

15. Don't open the lid to cool down the smoker. While it does let the heat escape, it also lets in a rush of oxygen, which makes the charcoal burn hotter, and defeats the purpose.
 
16. After drinking a few beers during the smoking process, do not remove the meat probe with your bare hands.
 
Wise counsel there, Paul. I would add that one shouldn't lift the top grate bare handed after a few beers either, even if one is going "low and slow."
 
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