Disappointed and need help

[rtbbq2]

JJ is spot on. You may not like the strong wood flavor. Try apple, cherry or any fruit wood. Alder is very mild too...My neighbor gave me all his hickory and mesquite wood. He only uses apple and cherry...I personally like the strong smoke flavor. I usually mix them with fruit wood on the same smoke.

 

[puds123]

OK, so this morning I  am trying again.  I have a pork picnic roast with bone in.  I put a rub on it.  Set the smoker for 225 degrees and for 10 hours.  I am using applewood chips today.  It has been in for 30 mins and I have thick grey smoke and not thin blue smoke!!  It has thinned out a little now, but I fear I have have ruined the pork already!!! 

 

[chef jimmyj]

OK, so this morning I  am trying again.  I have a pork picnic roast with bone in.  I put a rub on it.  Set the smoker for 225 degrees and for 10 hours.  I am using applewood chips today.  It has been in for 30 mins and I have thick grey smoke and not thin blue smoke!!  It has thinned out a little now, but I fear I have have ruined the pork already!!! 

 You should be ok. Just add a little wood at a time, 1-2 chunks or 1 handful Chips. Take it to 165-175*F IT, put it in a pan with  1-2Cups Apple juice, cover with foil and put it back in the Smoker without smoke and finish cooking to an IT of 205*F. Let it rest 30 minutes or in a cooler covered with towels up to 5 hours and then pull it...JJ

 

[puds123]

So this piece of Pork has been in for 7 hours and the inside temp is still only 144 degrees.  Should I put foil on it or keep waiting?  I am guessing that I should think of doing the burgers for dinner tonight!

 

[s2k9k]

How big is it? It's probably in it's stall. Better get the burgers ready, it could be a long while before it's ready. Don't foil it yet, wait for 165*, don't crank up the heat to try and make it go faster, just be patient and ride it out.

 

[puds123]

It is only 3.5lb.  Picnic Pork bone in.  It has been at 144 for about 2 hours now!!  :-(

 

[s2k9k]

Yea it's in the stall, just leave it alone and ride it out. With the small size of it it should start climbing again soon, but you can never tell with these things. Just make sure your smoker temp stays steady and wait for that 165* before you foil it. Hang in there! The stall is one of the hardest things for new smokers to get used to. It drove me crazy and was hard to learn the patients thing but now I'm glad I did. It makes everything taste so much better.

 

[puds123]

LOL  Ok....be patient......that means have a glass of wine and chill out huh??  :-)

 

[s2k9k]

LOL  Ok....be patient......that means have a glass of wine and chill out huh??  :-)

See you're working on being a Pro already!

 

[puds123]

 

[puds123]

So finally it has just started to move.....inside temp is now 147.......think it is going to be a long night to get it to 160!!!  Decided to put a pork roast on the bbq for dinner - that was done in an hour!!

 

[s2k9k]

I'm glad you waited it out, you will be glad you did too! Do you have a probe in it or are you checking it yourself?

 

[eman]

Almost sounds like you are cooking at a lower temp than you think. Have you used a known accurate thermometer to check your cooking temps???

 

[rtbbq2]

The almighty stall has hit another smoker......Miller time...in my world...

 

[i is a moose]

Well, I will perservere and hopefully will end up with something that I can feed to my boyfriend and family on Saturday without going for takeout!!  It is frustrating as I know I can cook - I do a mean beef tenderloin on the bbq that will melt in your mouth, but this has defeated me!!  I will not be beaten!!  LOL  Thanks for the tips.  I will let you know how it turns out on Saturday.

I like to watch these for reference. I also watch them when I'm bored, or feel like drooling over some Q.

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I disagree with his statement that a whole bone-in shoulder is too big to slow smoke, we've all done it and know it's entirely possible, but he gets the science and techniques right.

Hope this helps!

 

[stovebolt]

 It would appear to me that your smoker is not as hot as it is telling you it is. I agree with eman on that point. If you have a digital therm, stick the probe through a chunk of spud with a couple of inches sticking out and place it beside the meat and see what your temp actually is. If you don't have one of those you need one. You could use a mechanical oven therm, leave it in for about a half hour and then open the door and read it quickly to get a good idea. 

 Once you get your temp established, cook the pork to about 165, double wrap it in foil (or use a foil pan covered with foil) with about a half cup of liquid (I like apple juice), and cook until internal temp of at least 195 for a large item or maybe 200+ for a smaller item that cooked faster. Rest it for a while (hour or so if you have the time) and it should pull very easily.

 Be sure to post and brag a bit when you get a winner.

 Chuck

 

[tjohnson]

puds, morning...  What type of wood are you using ???? and how much ????

Using chips, 1/4 cup at a time is adequate and should last 1/2 - 1 hour...   If using chunks, 1 chunk and it should last 2 hrs or so.... 

In either case, don't add more wood until the smoke is gone...

Some woods are really powerful and very little should be used.... using mild wood with a little mesquite,(5 %) for instance, would give a good smoke.... 

Thin blue smoke is what you should be generating.....   Dave

 

I LOVE this pic!

Masterbuilt and Cajun Injector Smokers are very easy to over smoke in

Too many chips or using wet chips will cause creosote

Todd

 

[puds123]

Thanks for all your help.  I finally got the inside temp to 165, but that was at 11:30pm - 12 hours after I started it.  I took it out of the smoke and wrapped it in foil and went to bed.  I pulled it this morning, but it was dry and I only ended up with enough pork for about 4 sandwiches.  I just added bbq sauce and we ate it.  It was ok - not billiant and I have to say that I don't think that it was worth the 12 hours of cooking for the meal that I ended up with.  Anyway, I did learn how much smoke I can tolerate and that was a good thing to learn.

I am thinking brisket next.......

 

[s2k9k]

That does seem like a long time for a 3.5lb roast. What are you using to monitor your smoker temperature? Like eman said, there's a chance your smoker isn't at the temp you think it is.  

 

[puds123]

I am using the digital thermometer that is on the unit and the probe thermometer that is also on the unit. So getting to an inside temp of 165 in 12 hours at 225 is not normal? Maybe I will have to check the thermometers.