First smoke?

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

jstylzz

Fire Starter
Original poster
Jun 17, 2013
55
10
Salt Lake City, UT
So I believe that Santa is bringing me my first smoker and I am itching to give it a try.  After seasoning it, what do you all recommend for a first time smoke?  I want to wow the family and put out a great product, but I also want something that I can nail.  I feel confident in my cooking but this is a whole new world for me.  I've read something like bone-in chicken thighs that seem pretty forgiving.  I don't want to go blow $50.00 on a rib roast and have it not come out.

Thoughts?  TIA!
 
I would a chicken... you can smoke a whole chicken in under 4 hours and smoke chicken is great! Do you think this hypothetical smoker will be able to maintain temperatures above 250 degrees?

Pork butt is also hard to "mess up" but also takes much longer. Depends how much time you have. Some smokers need to be broken in with a long smoke so a butt would also let you do that, but since its the first smoker and not everything is "sealed and settled" it might frustrate you more on a longer smoker with a new smoker.

Also if you have a day or morning before food is expected i would suggest firing it up with no food just to learn how it runs...burn some wood in it to season as well
 
Last edited:
I believe it's the ME40...it was on my list and I was a pretty good boy this year 
biggrin.gif


I have heard that the electric smoker don't crisp up the skin on chicken so I would probably have to finish them under the broiler? I have plenty of time to do the cook, just want to hit one out of the park from the start.
 
Hard to beat a nekkid chicken to start with. Its juicy, flavorful, pretty color and just dang tastee!  Forget about that crisp skin at first, concentrate on learning your pit, then expand your horizons to brines and rubs and injections and mops and spritzes, wet or dry, vent positions, etc etc etc..... I say start with the basics so you know what to do. Salt and pepper inside and out, rub on a little oil and learn how the smoker makes the most beautiful smoke before you get all creative. Go really really light on the smoke on this first smoke also. You cam always add more later, but you can over smoke it IMHO. Lastly, its an electric so you need to keep the door shut.

Check your remote meat thermometer with a boiling pot of water. This will show you how close your calibration is. That way you will know what to add to or subtract from the desired temperature you want to smoke at to be right on.

Their is a strong MES ownership represented here, so you'll get plenty of help.

Congrats on your new smoker, you'll really enjoy it.

Don't forget to run a text and cure your smoker before trying to cook anything.

Always remember to enjoy the smoke.

(sorry I didn't mean to get carried away) 
 
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Latest posts

Hot Threads

Clicky