How to experiment with less meat?

[Mop]

How do you all experiment? So that the smoking is quick and easy, and you don't have a lot of food.

I'm still a newbie and trying to get good, to create smoked meat that is tasty inside and out (like bacon?).

I did a smoke this past weekend > 1 rack of rib > 2-2-1 method
It was a chore.
8 hours about.
Setup > smoking > monitoring > clean up
And the rib was so so.

Tips/suggestions?
Leave the smoker outside?
Use half or quarter rack, even for 1 smoke? At least I won't have a lot food.
I'm learning to remove anything I won't use during the smoking, so cleanup will be quicker.

I have an MES 230g smoker and use it with A-MAZE-N tray.

 

[Steve H]

First, welcome to the forum! I just use a small amount of meat if I'm experimenting. As far as portion control goes is pretty simple. If a recipe calls for a 5 pound batch. Just reduce the spices accordingly. If your doing just one pound. Then use a fifth of the spices. The amount of the meat is totally up to you. I've fired up the smoker for a couple burgers before. Do a partial or whole rack. Any style of cooking can be a chore. But with proper prep it can be enjoyable. And the results are worth it. I'm hoping you meant to keep the smoker outside while it's being used! Since it is an electric appliance I would recommend keeping it under some sort of cover to protect it from the elements. I leave mine in the garage. And just move it outside to use it.

 

[JCAP]

It will become less of a chore the more you get used to it, especially when you get used to the temp control. For me it is actually fun to learn that stuff but then again I think it’s fun to spend hours in the kitchen making complicated stuff.

I’ve also done small smokes on my propane- a few chicken thighs, a few links of sausage. It doesn’t have to feed a crowd.

I keep all mine outside under cover but if I had an electric one, I’d probably keep that in a shed or garage until I was going to use it. It’d be pretty easy to move outside for the smoke.

 

[banderson7474]

A nice quick smoke is steaks and tri tips. You season them like a normal steak and cook them how you like them. med - 140 internal temp.

That seems like a long time put in for ribs. You could trim and rub the night before so it breaks up the process.

Salmon is a good quick smoke too and man that's delish.

I think the more you do it the more efficient you will become but also think of it as part of the process too. I know if i'm cooking a roast or butt, it's going to be an all day affair so I need to have the day free to put in the time. However, I have a stick burner which requires more supervision than say a nice set and forget electric smoker.