Going BIG on my first smoke

[danmiz]

I posted this on a different forum but would like to get others options. I figure the more I know the better..
Hi all
Me and the wife just moved into our first home and she got me a smokin it #3 for a a housewarming gift. We'll this weekend is our big housewarming party and my 40th bday so I wanted to go BIG with the meal. I have ( 4)7 lbs boston butts for pulled pork and (2)5 lbs briskests that I'm going to slice. What my major concern is smoking time with a full box. Do you think 20 hours at 250 will be enough time? After that's done I'm throwing in the bacon wrapped chicken thighs and ribs. Any help on my timing would be greatly appreciated. Hate to disappoint 50 people with no food.

 

[2010ultra]

honestly im not sure if it matters if you have a full box or just one piece. each piece of meat is gonna cook differently. as long as you keep your cooking chamber consistant. its hard to figure time on all that but 20 hours should be more than enough time. whats your pit?

 

[danmiz]

honestly im not sure if it matters if you have a full box or just one piece. each piece of meat is gonna cook differently. as long as you keep your cooking chamber consistant. its hard to figure time on all that but 20 hours should be more than enough time. whats your pit?

Pit? Not sure what that is?

 

[jasonw]

he means what kind of smoker will you be using?

 

[ristau5741]

Not to burst your bubble here, but it's going to take a few run throughs to learn the in's and out's and idiosyncrasies of your new smoker. You smoker will have a personality, which will grow and mellow once you know the tricks. But first you will need to learn how to tame that wild beast into submission so you can take her for that long smokey ride down the BBQ trail.

 

[mdboatbum]

Ordinarily I'd say you're nuts for planing such an ambitious cook your first time out, but the Smokin' It is about as close to an oven as you're going to get. Main concern is going to be keeping smoke rolling. It's easy to overdo the smoke on those, as most folks feel like they have to reload the box throughout the entire cook. However, I believe 2 or 3 loads should be sufficient. Another option is a dust or pellet smoker like the Amaze-N-Smoker line. Not sure how well they burn in the Smokin' It smokers, as that drain hole won't provide a lot of airflow, but hopefully someone with more knowledge than I will come along and give some input on that. I seem to remember reading someone either enlarged the bottom drain hole or drilled additional holes, but I could be wrong.

I'd do the briskets and butts the day before and reheat, but that's just me. I'd think 20 hours should be enough time, but only just. If you're going to foil, you might save a few hours. Make sure you have a way to monitor temps and you're familiar with probing for tenderness. A bit of reading through the posts here will get you in the right direction.

Good luck, have fun and come back and let us know how it turned out!

 

[geerock]

Well, you're definitely jumping in with both feet. I absolutely agree about doing the butts a day or two early. I actually like pulled or sliced butts after they've had a chance to blend their flavors and smoke a bit. Just reheat. Now this is heresy in most circles, but I would consider this.... get the briskets in the smoker early on your special day and let them get some smoke and bring them to about 160 IT. Then wrap them and get them in the oven to finish at about 200 IT. Even if they finish early, you want to keep wrapped nice and tight and let it rest. Briskets will hold and tenderize real well for hours if wrapped in foil and a blanket or towel and dropped in a cooler. Thats 2 meats down. Now you have the smoker empty to do your other meats in a shorter time. Chicken (marinate or brine to keep them moist) and ribs should be no problem for the rest of the day. But.....new smoker.... new house..... new friends and guests. You're gonna be busy. Hope you learn that cooker real quick.

 

[hillbillyrkstr]

Having never used your new smoker and planning this big if a smoke I certainly wish you good luck! Your gonna need it.

Pork butts take about an hour and a half per pound but if they stall and I'm sure ateady some of them will your adding more time. But since you've planned 20 hours out I think you'll be fine.

Good luck and make sure to post your results and lots of Qview during your first smoke!

 

[oldschoolbbq]

I have to give you credit for jumping in the way you plan .  A few words of wisdom is in order :

Get a "GOOD" probe  thermometer ( if you don't already have one [or two] ) and watch your temps. in the meat (IMT).

Babysit your cook , a big "First" can get ugly quick...watch the smoke, temps. ,color and bark production and do the tenderness test with a toothpick when you get close to take out time, the investment in a instant read thermometer (like Thermoworks  Thermopen).

And lastly , be patient , for as we all know . . .

 

[ron eb]

Go big on first smoke or go home.

 

[danmiz]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I did a 6 lbs butt last night and it took 11 hours and came out real tasty. I have two maverick probes and I'm running the smokin 3 with an auber unit. All the meat should have a probe in it for temp.ill sure post some pics of my success or me getting beat up from all the hungry guest.

 

[demosthenes9]

Pit? Not sure what that is?

With regards to your question in your initial post, when you load up a smoker with a lot of cold meat (thermal mass), it takes a lot more BTUs to get the smoke chamber up to temp.  WIth stick burners, you just add more wood.  With charcoal smokers, you light more coals.  With some propane smokers, you just crank up the dial.

Question is whether or not the Smokin it #3 can put out enough heat from it's element to get that chamber temp up to the 225 - 250 range with all that thermal mass (meat) in the chamber.   If it can, then you shouldn't have any problems and your cook times will be governed by the thickness of the meats in your smoker.   I don't have any experience with it so I can't give an answer.

All that said, there's been some great advice offered about doing some of the smoking in advance.  Definitely not a bad idea.