looking for some reassurance? what am i doin wrong?

[gary s]

Let everybody know how the next one goes

Gary

 

[larry shuler]

I seem  to never start early enough with my smokes.  Getting a good bed of coals (with wood only) always takes longer than I remember.  As for the meat, recently all I have been smoking is ribs since they only take 5 to 6 hours depending on if they are baby backs or just the spare.  Always smoke ribs with the 3 - 2 -1 method.  I have smoked pork butt three times very successfully. And I actually smoke a brisket as my virgin smoke.  I had several people who know a little something about smoking meat tell me that the brisket was right up there, and better the some, of the cook-off smokers.  The pork butt I used for pulled pork which was also very, very tasty. (Sorry. Had to toot my horn there.)  I have always, so far anyways, took the pounds of the meat and multiplied it by 1.5 for cook time.  (10 lb = 15 hrs)  Now I would take the 15 hours and only smoke it for 2/3 the time.  Then I would put in the oven at 250-300 degrees for 1/2 of the remaining time.  So 10 lb piece of meat smoke for 10 hours and oven for 2.5 hours.  And a 14 lb piece would be about 14 hours on smoker and about 3.5 hours in oven.  I mainly do this to cut my time down and that is why the range on oven temp is between 250-300.  Oh, and course wrap in foil or in a pan wrapped tightly with foil for the oven.  After "X" amount of hours, you don't really get anymore smoke flavor, so I am told.  I leave it on the smoke plenty long to have a full smoke flavor.

And my first, and only brisket so far, I took out of the oven at 2:30 AM and then had to get it cooled down enough to put in the fridge.  But, man did it taste great.  Next time I will smoke through the night and have ready for lunch or dinner.