hello all. just got a smoker today and smoked my first turkey. it wasnt great but was good.

[bigwills4110]

Just wanted to see if any1 had some good advice on what meats r the easiest to start with.

 

[pineywoods]

Welcome to SMF glad you joined us. One of the most forgiving smokes is a pork butt tho it is a long smoke. Fatties are easy as are ABT's and chicken parts

 

[rp ribking]

What type of smoker did you get? And what Piney said. If ya need some help just ask and make sure to post QView.

 

[tjohnson]

Welcome!

Lots of variables to look at.

Post a few pics, and let us know what type of smoker you're using

Todd

 

[bigwills4110]

 this is my new grill

 

[bigwills4110]

hmm wierd. i posted a pic of my new grill but its not showing it up. anyways i got Brinkmann Smoke N Pit Charcoal/Grill Smoker  .

 

[meateater]

Welcome to the SMF. Glad to have you here. Lots of good folks, great recipes and knowledge. Looking forward to your first qview.

 

[richoso1]

Thanks for joining us at the SMF. Pork shoulders are not a hard task,and as Jerry mentioned, fatties are not tricky. It's all good my friend.

 

[pit 4 brains]

Welcome aboard.

You need to get down in the charcoal smoker section and read up on the minion method and fire basket mods for that smoker. Then take a look at the pork section and read up on pork butts. They take a long time to cook which will give you plenty of practice with the firebox and temp control during the smoke. Do you have at least one thermometer with a wire-type probe? If not, get one or two so you can monitor the temperature of the chamber as well as the meat.

Smokers don't make good food, so don't get discouraged. It takes practice and patients to make good Q. If you look around here you will see something called a UDS. It's nothing more than a modified 55 gal drum and they are great for smoking, once you learn the basics. You have a good rig there and there are plenty of mods you can do if ya want to, but it'll cook well enough out of the box.

Post pics...

 

[bamaboy]

HELLO AND WELCOME,What was wrong with the turkey,dry?.I have been using a similar smoker for a long time with pretty good results,I do at least 1 or 2 turkeys and whole hams a year.did you brine or inject the turkey,use any seasonings.these things will carry the flavor of your finished meat along way.temp control is the most important thing to remember.dont give up on turkey because once you get it just right.......look out

 

[beer-b-q]

 

Welcome to SMF, Glad to have you with us.
 

This is the place to learn, lots of good info and helpful friendly Members.
 

For those of you new to Smoking, be sure to check out Jeff's 5 Day Smoking Basics eCourse.

Click Here it's "FREE" ... 5 Day eCourseE

 

[mballi3011]

First off Welcome Wills to SMF. I would agree with Jerry (pineywoods) and say pork but t is probably the easiest and most forgiving. You'll like it here for there are a lot of really good folks here that would just love to help you with just about anything to do with smoking. Now there are a lot of proven recipes for some amazing things here too. So if you need sign up for the E-Course it's free and it will give you the basics of smoking and some good methods to use also. So the next big thing for you to do is go out and get you something to smoke and if you happen to have any questions just post it here and we will be happy to answer them for you.

Welcome To Your New Addiction    

 

[sqwib]

Ditto on the Butt and the E Course (in Beer-B- Q's, signature)

You can start with a fairly small one, if you don't have the time

Pork Ribs are fairly easy using the 3-2-1 click here

Chili, stew beans and soups are fairly easy enough as well.

Quickies like chicken wrapped in bacon and ABT's are always a great starter and you can munch on these during the smoke.

Bacon wrapped dogs are nice for a quick meal.

Beer can chickens are one of my favorites.

Moink balls are very easy and Quick.

Even Mac N' Cheese is good on a smoker.

One of the things I really have fun with is........ Fatties.

And lets not forget Dutch's World Famous Baked beans, you must try these.

Whatever you choose, the good folks on this website will help you, they have helped me tremendously.

 

[wylie]

Although pork butts are a good choice, I would start with something just as easy, but much much less of a cook time. I would go with chicken thighs. They are hard to screw up and you can see how your smoker is at holding the temps you want. From there you can decide on any mods you might need for a longer cook like ribs or butts. Doing a 12-14 hour cook without knowing what you are working with might get frustrating. Just my 2 cents. Whatever you decide don't expect perfection on your first run. Good luck and welcome to the forum!

 

[realtorterry]

Welcome aboard friend

 

[bigwills4110]

Thankyou all for ur feedback. The turkey i cooked was hard. it stressed me out alot. First, it was my first smoke ever!! My friend has been smoking for a few years now and his food is awsome. like some of the best. Anyways, I dont really know what brine is or means, i didnt really use any coating for it. the turkey has been in the chest freezer for 2 years frozen. so i thought what  better to practice on. I got pics just have to find the damn cable for my cam to get it on my comp. Idk if the smoker im using is good or not. Like the smoking chamber on the side has 2 racks. 1 at the bottom and 1 higher up. not sure if thats where i was suposed to cook it. I did the indirect heat. i cooked the turkey in the big chamber and used hickery and charcole in the fire box. it was very hard controling the heat. i guess because its not very air tight and has a lot of holes and the chamber door doesnt seal smoothly and plus it was very windy. i smoked the turkey for 5 1/2 hours and the probe thermometer said the turkey was at 172 temp. it was pretty tender although i think the meat around the bone wasnt cooked. it was a lil pink. ANyways im going to try to do a ham tom. I have been reading alot and lil more confident on what im doing. thanx every body.

 

[wylie]

A brine is usually a salt and sugar with other additional seasonings mixed in a water solution. You simply mix up the brine and submerge the bird in it, seal it and leave it in the fridge for hours on end. Personally, I usually inject my birds instead. Also, having a turkey in the freezer for over two years probably won't taste as good as a fresh one. Everything you listed could cause problems controlling your heat. If it isn't sealing properly and it is windy this could make a huge difference as you are getting alot of oxygen in there or the heat is escaping. I would have also cooked the bird to 180 degrees and then let it rest for 20 minutes for the juices to redistribute. Lastly, you've probably read it on here before, but what did your smoke look like. If it was white and plumey you had two much smoke. You just want a thin blue smoke. Hope this helps and good luck with your next cook!

 

[dnovotny]

pork tenderloins, or  butts i  found  to be the easiest to  do  the  first  time,,put yellow muster on it  first, throw on a  rub , let it  set over night, put it on the  smoker and watch it smoke   with a cold  beer,,, enjoy,,

 

[dnovotny]

remember,  brining a turkey, chicken and sometimes pork is to get the moisture in the meat  before  smoking  or  you will have  jerky instead,, brine  (rule of  thumb) is  for  ever 1qt. of  water  add 1/4 cup of salt  and 1/4  cup of sugar, you  can  add apple jouice instead of water, add some  garlic, onion powder, ect,, all  kinds of brines  out  there,, don't  be a fraid  to  try  a few...