new to smoking from NC

dodgefan67 · May 7, 2011

hey everyone! my name's Jerry and i have grilled out quite a lot, but this will be my first time smoking. i recently got a new grill, the char-griller duo 5050 with the side firebox for smoking. the gas side works flawlessly and i am hoping the other side does as well. got a picnic bone-in shoulder, had the skin on it, cut it off and tossed it, smelled like it had gone bad, hope the rest of it didn't. rubbed some mustard and salt&pepper on it and its sitting in the fridge waiting for tomorrow. its just under 7 pounds

one question i do have, if its ok to ask here, is that i will be gone for about 3 hours tomorrow. is it ok to leave it by itself for that long? other than the obvious "shouldn't leave a fire burning unattended"

fpnmf · May 7, 2011

Welcome!!

Craig

roller · May 7, 2011

Welcome !!!!!1

Bearcarver · May 7, 2011

dodgefan67 said:
hey everyone! my name's Jerry and i have grilled out quite a lot, but this will be my first time smoking. i recently got a new grill, the char-griller duo 5050 with the side firebox for smoking. the gas side works flawlessly and i am hoping the other side does as well. got a picnic bone-in shoulder, had the skin on it, cut it off and tossed it, smelled like it had gone bad, hope the rest of it didn't. rubbed some mustard and salt&pepper on it and its sitting in the fridge waiting for tomorrow. its just under 7 pounds

one question i do have, if its ok to ask here, is that i will be gone for about 3 hours tomorrow. is it ok to leave it by itself for that long? other than the obvious "shouldn't leave a fire burning unattended"

Welcome Jerry!

You want to leave?-----Make sure you get it from 40˚ to 140˚ internal------No big deal after that.

If you come here the next day & tell us you don't know when it got to 140˚ internal, we're gonna say, "We don't know if it's safe to eat".

BTW: I like your Avatar!

Bear

oregon smoker · May 7, 2011

welcome aboard and as above it is critical to get above 140 and know when as Bear indicated.

alelover · May 7, 2011

Hello Kannapolis. I'm over in Concord. Welcome to SMF. Lots of good folks and knowledge here. Learn much you will.

I'm smoking tomorrow too. Will have Q-View later.

dodgefan67 · May 7, 2011

thanks everyone! so as long as it gets to 140 or above before i have to leave, its ok to leave it on the grill? even if the coals and smoke go out? or if it gets to 140 i can take it out? i have to leave at noon, so if i get it in by say 8 and it hits 140 by 11-11:30 i can take it out and it will be done?

boykjo · May 7, 2011

First off dodgefan67 welcome to SMF... IF I were smoking meat on a new grill I wasnt familliar with and had to throw away the skin from the shoulder because I thought it was bad I would rethink things here. ....I would reschedule and be there for the whole smoke and find a piece of meat I would be confident in.........

Good luck and happy smoking

Joe

dodgefan67 · May 7, 2011

Bearcarver said:
BTW: I like your Avatar!
Bear

oh yeah! love Dodge and all things Mopar!

alelover said:
Hello Kannapolis. I'm over in Concord. Welcome to SMF. Lots of good folks and knowledge here. Learn much you will.

I'm smoking tomorrow too. Will have Q-View later.

we have the same grill. thanks for the welcome neighbor! and is there something different about a Q-View post? i have seen some and a friend of mine on here said to check them out, but aren't they just posts with pics?

boykjo said:
First off dodgefan67 welcome to SMF... IF I were smoking meat on a new grill I wasnt familliar with and had to throw away the skin from the shoulder because I thought it was bad I would rethink things here. ....I would reschedule and be there for the whole smoke and find a piece of meat I would be confident in.........

Good luck and happy smoking

Joe

thanks for the welcome joe! well this is my test subject if you will but that is good advice, my first time i should be here for the whole thing, watching and learning. i'm sure i can learn a lot just by being there and watching and smelling how things are coming along..

has anyone else noticed a bad smell when a shoulder has the skin on it? i mean it really smelled like it had gone bad. but when i cut it off and set it aside i didn't really smell it after that, just when i first opened the package. the meat didn't look bad

smokinstevo27 · May 7, 2011

Welcome from a Carolina neighbor. Go Dale!

Fife · May 7, 2011

starbug · May 7, 2011

Welcome sir... not to beat a dead horse but careful with that pork is it doesn't smell right

You want to be careful. Take it easy and I would probably try to tackle your first smoke when you have the time to hang out and enjoy the experience. Glad to see you here and I know you'll enjoy it. Ask anything you like and you'll be sure to get some great advice.

SmokinAl · May 8, 2011

dodgefan67 said:
thanks everyone! so as long as it gets to 140 or above before i have to leave, its ok to leave it on the grill? even if the coals and smoke go out? or if it gets to 140 i can take it out? i have to leave at noon, so if i get it in by say 8 and it hits 140 by 11-11:30 i can take it out and it will be done?

Yes leave it on. 140 is not done. If you are going to pull it it needs to cook to 205. Put enough coals in there to keep it going while you are gone. I agree with the others, this is not a good project for your first time. You should be able to stay with it from start to finish. The other thing I don't like is if I had a piece of pork that smelled bad I would toss the whole thing, not just cut off the bad part.

Bearcarver · May 8, 2011

SmokinAl said:
Yes leave it on. 140 is not done. If you are going to pull it it needs to cook to 205. Put enough coals in there to keep it going while you are gone. I agree with the others, this is not a good project for your first time. You should be able to stay with it from start to finish. The other thing I don't like is if I had a piece of pork that smelled bad I would toss the whole thing, not just cut off the bad part.

Like Al said, plus if you're gone long, it would be good if it didn't fall back into that 40˚ to 140˚ range too.

I have heard of some meats packed in cryovac having a bad smell, but it could also be a problem.

I found this from bballi:

It is a condition of the gas pack from the cyrovac system. To tell if it is rot or cyrovac gas pack, just open it up, wash it and leave it open for 30 minutes in the cooler. It will stop smelling if it is the gas pack and not rock.

BTW: I'm on my 9th Mopar since 1965.

Bear

porked · May 8, 2011

Bearcarver said:
Like Al said, plus if you're gone long, it would be good if it didn't fall back into that 40˚ to 140˚ range too.

I have heard of some meats packed in cryovac having a bad smell, but it could also be a problem.

I found this from bballi:

It is a condition of the gas pack from the cyrovac system. To tell if it is rot or cyrovac gas pack, just open it up, wash it and leave it open for 30 minutes in the cooler. It will stop smelling if it is the gas pack and not rock.

BTW: I'm on my 9th Mopar since 1965.

Bear

I agree wholeheartedly with Bear and Al, they gave you excellent advice. I wouldn't throw a questionable piece of meat on a new smoker and then leave. And as a side note, I've been a MOPAR parts manager at new car dealerships since 1985.

alelover · May 8, 2011

Yes, Q_View is a post with pics chronicling your smoking activities.

dodgefan67 · May 8, 2011

Starbug said:
Welcome sir... not to beat a dead horse but careful with that pork is it doesn't smell right

You want to be careful. Take it easy and I would probably try to tackle your first smoke when you have the time to hang out and enjoy the experience. Glad to see you here and I know you'll enjoy it. Ask anything you like and you'll be sure to get some great advice.

Hey Ray!!! thanks for showing me the site! great place!!

there is a lot of Mopar love on this site too!!

well as far as the smell, i agree, i should probably just toss it and get another one. thanks everyone for the help and welcomes!!! mucho appreciated!

deannc · May 8, 2011

Welcome aboard from the Fayetteville area! Look like Al, Bear and the others have you on track....let us know how your smoke goes today and don't forget the Qview!

beer-b-q · May 8, 2011

Welcome to SMF, Glad to have you with us.

This is the place to learn, lots of good info and helpful friendly Members.

Many of our members have years of experience in smoking meat. They are more than happy helping Newbies learn the art.

We have members who cure there own Bacon, Hams, Jerky, Snack Sticks, Make Their own Sausage, etc. if you want to learn,
this is the place.

Don't be afraid to ask questions of them and follow their advice. You won't be sorry, you will be making great Q in no time at all...

Just remember, when curing your own meats follow the instructions included with the cure to the letter, this is not something to experiment with.

Never use more cure no mater if it is Tender Quick or Cure #1 or Cure #2 than the manufacturer says to use, this can be very dangerous.

Tender Quick and Cure#1 or Cure #2 are not interchangeable, neither Cure #1 interchangeable with Cure #2 or vise versa

Tips For New Members.

Go into your profile and Under Location put where you are.
City & State or Area & State will do. This will help members when answering your questions.
Go to ROLL CALL thread and tell us a little about Yourself (A Name We Can Call You) and Experience & Equipment.
Do Not Post your other questions and smokes in the Roll Call Forum.
Post your questions and smokes in the Proper Forum, Beef, Pork, Sausage, Electric Smoker, Charcoal Smoker etc.
Use the Wiki Section, many of our members have posted great tutorials and instructional threads so take advantage of them.
When you can't find an answer ask plenty of questions, we have some highly experienced members willing to help you.
When posting about your smokes be sure to post plenty of Qview (Pictures) Our Moto, "No Pics, Didn't Happen".
Get a good Probe Thermometer, Don't Depend on the Built in Thermometer in your Smoker (They are notorious for being off).
A good choice for a remote dual probe thermometer is the Maverick ET-732
Remember, We Always Cook by Temperature and NOT BY TIME...
Sign up for Jeff's 5-Day eCourse. Click Here
Don't Take Chances, Always Follow USDA Safety Guidelines When Handling Meat.
If you are wanting to get into curing meat, there are many members here more than happy to help and give good advice.
If you are unsure of a procedure ASK, don't ASSUME, It will make your Smoking experience much more pleasant...

africanmeat · May 9, 2011

Welcome to SMF Good to have you here

You are in the right place the folks here are help full and knowledgeable

Ahron

new to smoking from NC

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