Oh look, it's another new guy.

[Faarg]

Just wanted to stop in and officially say hi and introduce myself. I recently bought a smoker (Masterbuilt 30 propane) and was looking for some tips and advice. A friend of mine referred me here and told me it was the place to go for anything smoking related. And after spending the better part of the last 3 days bouncing around the various threads, I have to agree.

I haven't even opened my smoker (the box didn't contain the water pan or the racks so I'm waiting for those) but I've already: (1) questioned my choice of grill, (2) decided that 3-2-1 is my savior, (3) gone back and forth between pork butt, chicken, wings, ribs, or brisket -- or all of them (chicken on the bottom guys!) for my first smoke, (4) tried to figure out whether I should be buying pecan wood chunks from Mississippi off ebay or get the AMPS -- but not with a gas grill, right?, and (5) considered buying a half cow and a freezer to store the meat. I've also had to stagger the Amazon boxes of gloves, claws, thermometers, etc. between office and home to keep my wife from asking too many questions. It's finally to the point that I'm gonna have to just say it's all a father's day gift and move on.

So, with that being said, thanks for the tips! I can't wait to actually use the grill and figure out what I really don't know. I look forward to spending a lot more time here and hopefully contributing at some point.

 

[bluewhisper]

Welcome to the board! Yeah jump in with questions, also browse the various recipes scattered around here.

 

[yahoot]

Hi Faarg,

We own half a dozen smokers at any given time (long story). Mostly pellet burners, but we have had an electric masterbuilt for a lot of years. It was initially a disappointment - couldn't get enough smoke with the included smolder pan. I am assuming the propane unit is similar, but I haven't ever tried one.

I tried a variety of tubes/mazes with the masterbuilt to get more smoke and they helped, but still not great (todd at amazn is a great man and has given me more than a few samples to test over the years). I also tried a smoke chief smoke generator. It worked ok, but required babysitting and a custom built an adapter to the masterbuilt.

Then Masterbuilt came out with their smoke generator.

My.Oh.My.

This is what it looks like (not endorsing amazon - just an easy place to see it) www.amazon.com/Masterbuilt-20070112-Smoking-Digital-Smokers/dp/B008DF6WWE

You put chips in it, turn it on, open the vents on the masterbuilt (open all the top vents to prevent creosote taste) and watch the smoke pour out. More smoke that multiple tubes could ever dream of making. Don't need Mississippi chips, or anything special - you will get HUGE smoke flavor, plus you don't have to babysit it. We have used it on everything - butts, ribs, chicken, brisket, prime rib, pork loins, PLUS, you can use it to cold smoke delicate things like fish, cheese, and nuts.

Note that for cold smoking, once you get it going (maybe 20 min.), turn the unit off (kills the fan) and smoke will diminish considerably for a more manageable smoke flow. With the fan on, it will oversmoke things like cheese.

 

[gmc2003]

Welcome to the site Faarg, they're plenty of gasser's here who can help you out with any questions you may have. Word of caution - I would stay away from brisket on your first smoke. They can be finicky.

Chris

 

[Faarg]

Thanks for the link yahoot. Unfortunately it looks like it only works on the MES, not the propane version. I'm sure that I'll end up doing some sort of mod once I get more comfortable with the stock smoker.

 

[Faarg]

And I am resisting the urge to start with brisket. Pork butt seems like it's the safest choice for my first few runs.

 

[dcecil]

You will enjoy the pork. It’s it’s a great way to break the smoker in.

 

[Faarg]

So the first smoke was a success! Although I'm still not completely happy with the results. I went with pork spare ribs for my first attempt.

As I read here, the Masterbuilt wasn't great at generating smoke. I fought through some initial heat flare ups when the wood chunks caught on fire and then eventually moved the chunks to the water pan. It worked but wasn't great. So I've got an A-Maze-N tube arriving later today. I went back and forth between the tube and the pan but figured that 3-4 hours of smoke at a time was sufficient. I can reload if needed. And I don't want to give up a whole rack just for the smoke.

It took a while to get the temperature under control but it felt amazing when I was finally able to keep it at a fairly consistent 235.

The other issue was timing. I kept the ribs on about 30 minutes longer than I wanted. I was at a kid's birthday party and had to leave the smoker unattended at times. I left the party a few times to go home but couldn't at the very end. My wife didn't want me to leave without them but they wouldn't leave when I wanted. SoI got back a bit later than hoped, which left the ribs a bit overcooked and also prevented me from putting some sauce on at the very end.

But, overall, a great first effort. I'm already working on my smoke for next weekend. Pork butt is probably the safe call but I'm thinking of taking the leap to brisket.

 

[SmokinAl]

I would definitely go with the butt.
A brisket can be very hard to get right, & until you have a little more experience with your smoker I would stick to the easy stuff.
Al

 

[Faarg]

I would definitely go with the butt.
A brisket can be very hard to get right, & until you have a little more experience with your smoker I would stick to the easy stuff.
Al

Thanks for the tip. Can I pick your brain on a question I have? It seems like most people go 3-2-1 with ribs but I was checking out your rib recipe which has them done in about 4 hours. And then you grill them at high temperature for a short period of time.

The one thing I've noticed is that the IT of the ribs drops after you take it out of the foil. So, with the ones I did this weekend, I hit an IT of 190 when I took them out of the foil, the temperature dropped, and then I went up to -- and past -- 190.

What I think I'm picking up from this is that you are done the first time the ribs hit the IT of 190 (plus a bit extra grilling) but if you want to get the real fall-off-the-bone effect, you should go the extra hour or two that most people use for the 3-2-1. Does that sound right?

 

[SmokinAl]

If you want fotb ribs just take them to 200-205. You would want to take them out of the foil at about 200. Then on to the grill. The extra 10 degrees may take an additional half hour or so.
Al

 

[Faarg]

Thanks.

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

Welcome aboard. I’m already looking forward to your first pictures. Enjoy your journey.

George