New Guy From Michigan!

[papab71]

Hey Y'all!

My name's Bryan, and I'm a new smoker from Allegan, MI. I am brand new to the world of smoking. Like brand  new. Like the smoker hasn't even arrived yet (due to a shipping SNAFU with QVC). Like a lot of the new members here, I am getting a new Masterbuilt 30" analog electric smoker from my awesome wife, and I can't wait to get started with this new obsession... ahem... hobby! I love grilling, and have become a better-than-average griller, but I've always wanted to try my hand at smoking meat. Since I found out about the smoker on Christmas Eve, I've been watching YouTube videos, reading Jeff's book, and trying to get as much as knowledge as possible on processes and equipment before the smoker arrives tomorrow (12/30/15).

The "maiden voyage" for the Masterbuilt and I will be smoking a pork butt for pulled pork on New Year's Day. Any words of wisdom or things I should know before getting this baby fired up? I will try to chronicle my day and share with you all.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to making some new friends and learning about this awesome hobby. 

 

[humdinger]

Hey Bryan,

Welcome to SMF from Shelby Township. Glad to have another member from the "mitten" join up!

Sounds like you are excited a rearing to go! That's great. I have smoked about 75 pork butts so let me know if you have any questions because I can tell you tons about it. On the other hand, I am a propane smoker, and I know the Masterbuilts have lots-o mods and tricks other members on this site are more familiar with so you might want to ask them if you have a smoker-specific question.

The most basic tip I can tell you is that finished pork butts hold steady for a really long time if they are wrapped in foil, then towels and placed in a dry cooler, so use that to help you plan. Plan on cooking for 1.5 hours per lb. Most retail pork butts are 8 lbs so plan on 12-16 hours for the cook, plus another 2-4 for resting. In other words, it's FAR more relaxing to finish the meat earlier than it is to rush it because dinner is late and then have a bad product. (More often then not we eat between 3 & 5pm at my house, so that means I start the pork butts around 10 or 11 pm the night before.)

If you have any other questions, I'd be glad to help. Also be sure to join the MI members group. The link is in my signature block below.

-Kurt

 

[gary s]

  Good evening and welcome to the forum, from a cold and dreary day in East Texas, and the best site on the web. Lots of great people with tons of information on just about  everything.

Gary

 

[papab71]

Thanks so much! We picked the pork up tonight (7.66 lbs), so I'm looking at about 12 hours plus resting time. So my question is this: I plan on starting it up when we get home from New Year's Eve festivities at the neighbors (so like 2am). How much do I need to babysit the smoker to keep smoke going for the first bit? Should I just get a blanket and camp out in the living room with an alarm, or can I set it, get up around 8:00 and carry on?

 

[humdinger]

Hey Bryan,

Sorry for the delayed response. Did you get it figured out? How'd it turn out?

 

[papab71]

Turned out GREAT! Took about 7-1/2 hours, and came out juicy and tender and tasted ah-MAY-zing!! I used a rub recipe from a book my wife got me to go along with the smoker- mostly sugar with some salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and I added a dash of Creole seasoning for a little added kick. For the first four hours, I spritzed it with apple juice and Makers Mark every two hours, wrapped it at four, and let it ride til it hit 190F internal temp. I let it rest for about an hour, and shredded that baby up. For my first time, it sure turned out good. Now I'm hooked, and can't wait for the weekend to get here so I can try ribs and a fattie!!

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• papab71
• Jan 6, 2016

image.jpg

• papab71
• Jan 6, 2016

 

[humdinger]

Looks awesome. Sounds like it was a real crowd pleaser. Could you taste the makers mark?