First Smoke ever...Any reccomendations?

[mrwizardgi]

I have learned two fairly significant things by being on this board:

1. I could be arrested for child neglect for as much time as I could spend on here if I wanted to.

2. No matter how much I read and research I will not get anywhere unless I finally get moving and actually try smoking something (meat that is...).

So, here are my questions:

What to smoke? I want to start small and cheap (we don't have tons of $$ and I'd hate to ruin a good slab of meat). I have a small roast I bought from the store intending to put it in the crock-pot. Is that smokeable? I wouldn't be out too much if turns out crappily.

The difference between lump and briquettes...I have briquettes lying around. Can I use them or should I just go and buy a bag o' the lump?

The rest...I'll just figure out on my own I guess. I have lots of ideas from what I've read on here, but as always I'll want to try my way first so I can fail miserably rather than admit that the tried and true methods are the best methods.

Thanks for the input!

J-

 

[richtee]

Ya can smoke just about anything, but the general consensus on easy smokes seems to be a Boston/pork butt. really hard to mess them up.

Sure..use the bricks up. Then move on to lump...hotter and much less ash, and probably a better flavor. Watch out for the ash buildup, and keep your smoke thin and blue!

 

[mrwizardgi]

Thanks Richtee! I thought of one other thing...

I don't have a chimney starter, but I am using my Char-Griller gas grill that has the sfb. Can I use the side gas burner somehow to get the coals started then throw them in the sfb? Otherwise what is the best way to get the coals started without using fluid? Thanks again for the input!

J-

 

[camocook]

I agree on the pork.It is very forgiving. A good choice for just starting out.

 

[richtee]

Yes indeedie! You can pile some on a grate and set it right over the burner... GOOD CALL!

 

[teeotee]

Yep, pork butt is real easy, just follow meows sticky in the pork section.

Or ... recently i've been doing a few beef chuck roasts. They cook a lot like a pork butt, maybe a little longer but they pull just the same. I use the same method as for pulled pork. Turned out great at least three times now.

Whenever you do go to buy chimney i'd recommend this one made by weber.

Good luck on the first smoke .

PS ... if you haven't already done so, you can always use the seasoning run as a practise smoke. Can see how the temp comes up, stabilses, what happens with the vents at different openings.

 

[mrwizardgi]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I'm going to fire her up soon and see what I can do! Wish me luck!

J-

 

[luv2camp35]

I made my own chimney by using a large metal coffee can and some coat hangers.

You can follow these instructions that I used to make mine.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-...rcoal-Chimney/

Once you put your coal/chunks in the can just set it on the side burner and get'em fired up.

It will not hold as much as the commercial version but I only use it to pre-start my wood chunks for quicker smoke generation.

 

[1894]

First off , Jump right in

If you need a test run to see how your smoker holds temps and what works to get the thin blue smoke outta it , give'er a test run. No risk , not much investment , and great , stress free , practice for getting used to your smoker

Give that there roast a go , search the threads and find similar roasts and see what to shoot for. Helps make a plan to go by , just try and KISS

Charcoal starters , I grabbed one at wallyworld for under 10$ , it worked but it was small and only had air holes at the bottom. Could use a drill and some holes like the one teeotee showed.
Got one like that for 18$ and the extra $ was a good investment.
You got the side burner , probably don't make much difference

pix of each :







Main thing though , Sorry for the starter side track , Shoot for a range for temps and try to keep the average in there

I still use 200 - 250 , with practice it will get narrower.
Tough to do , but relax , if you are getting frustrated , grab a cold one , stop in here , and let the cooker and meat do what they do.

 

[mrwizardgi]

Thanks for the links and ideas. I love instructables! Well, I got 'er up and started. The roast isn't huge, so we'll see what happens. *fingers crossed*

J-

 

[pineywoods]

You may want to pin or wrap some bacon on that roast if it doesn't have much fat they tend to get dry. Are you going to slice the roast?

 

[mrwizardgi]

Bacon: Don't have any on hand, but I'll remember that for next time for sure.

Cutting: Before or after?

 

[pineywoods]

Are you going to slice it to eat or are you going to try to pull it?

 

[mrwizardgi]

oh, sorry...*blush*

I'm not for sure...Recommendation?

 

[pineywoods]

Personally I think I'd smoke it to about 140* if you like rare 150* if you like med and 160* If you like well done. When you take it off the smoker wrap it in foil then wrap that in a towel and place in a cooler for about an hour to let the juices redistribute and then slice it for dinner. After dinner slice the rest as thin as you can for sandwiches

 

[mrwizardgi]

So I'm like a little kid who can't stop picking his nose even though he's been told to over and over again. I can't keep my head out of the smoker or the sfb even though I know I should. So far:

The temp gauge on the grill seems to be consistent with the 'on grill' thermometer I bought from Lowes. There have been no discrepancies between the two in the last hour and a half...I'm hoping that's a good thing.

The temp has stayed between 210-250 fairly consistently as well. I had one point where it spiked at 300, but never got hotter than that. I may have started with too much charcoal, but I don't know.

I decided to do a little mop on top of the rub I used...I hope that's an ok thing to do. I'm trying a little experiment with the flavors to see what happens.

Lastly, I am burning through wood chips like no other. I bought a bag of the cheapest apple chips I could find and a handful lasts about 10 mins. at best. I soaked them and wrapped them but I can't seem to get them to last. Suggestions?

Thanks again for all of the help and ideas. I'll keep updating as I go.

Peace,

J-

 

[rwc565]

Quote:What to smoke? I want to start small and cheap (we don't have tons of $$ and I'd hate to ruin a good slab of meat). I have a small roast I bought from the store intending to put it in the crock-pot. Is that smokeable? I wouldn't be out too much if turns out crappily. Quote

Since you have a roast, make French dips. Smoke it for about an hour, then put in an aluminum pan and then cover with foil.cook until done. The internal temp will depend on your cut of roast. A chuck roast will be done at around 145-150. Save the juice that collected in the bottom of the pan. Add 3 cups of McCormicks Au Ju to that.Slice the roast into thin slices, put them in the pan of au ju and keep warm until ready to serve. Put the sliced roast on toasted french bread and serve with a cup of the au ju. Very good!

 

[rwc565]

Do a search for glued2it's french dips. He has pictures and better instructions.

 

[mrwizardgi]

Thanks for the rec. on the french dips. Sounds tasty fo' sho'.

The temps are now fluctuating a bit. I think the last time I added coals I didn't put enough on and the temp dipped below 200 for a bit. I added more coals and opened the damper all the way, took a shower and the temp was a bit over 250. I closed up the damper a bit and hopefully I can get 'er back down a bit. The temp on the roast is getting near 145-150 now. The wife likes things well done so I may wrap it up and pull it off in a little while.

Next question: How much smoke is too much smoke? It seems I can get it rolling out then it quits...where is the happy medium?

Oh, BTW This is the first thing I've cooked with this grill even though it really is a gasser...First smoke on a hybrid virgin grill. If I get things finished up I will take a few pics and post (if I have time and my girls will let me)! c-ya!

J-

 

[1894]

Sounds like you are doing fine , remember , just starting out shoot for an avg temp range , you got that down pat

How much smoke , youve read it before , but thin to win , if you can still smell smoke so can your meat , you don't need to see it pouring out .

Foil, rest , save those juices , and enjoy that roast