Oh Happy Day!!!

[icemn62]

Today I got to SMOKE some pork. Okay, I got to experiment with doing a pork butt on my gasser. Had to run an errand across the street from Home Depot. That meant a little walk on the sunny side of the street...Picked up some hickory wood chips, and a smoke box. I have never smoked with Hickory since my very 1st smoke.

Gasser is kept at my parents house since there is no room here at my apartment. Son and I load up, go over and get set up. got the fixins for some Stuffed Peppers, and found at the store some Tony C's Cajun injectible. Thinking to my self, it won't kill the meat, and it should make for a different flavor. Had to get another oven thermometer, I either lost my old one, or forgot it. Set up was cruising along at 250. put on the butt, and went to sit down. 30 mins later came out to check, and the butt is cooking at 300 degrees. fine tune on the knobs give the butt its 1st spray, and go back to the movie I am watching. Can not get the gasser to stay at 250 with meat in it, but will run perfectly at 300. decide to come out and check every 30 mins. a little higher on the knobs, a little lower, a little high. Spray every hour...No problems I am SMOKING!!!

Hits 170. Pull it, wrap it in foil, pour in a little of the juice I use for spray {okay a lot of the juice} seal it real good, and back on the grates. Pulled the Japlapeno peppers, they smell GREAT. 2 hours later probe the butt, and it is softer than butter. every spot I hit and the thermometer just sinks, all in the 200 degree range. 9 - 10 spots and every last one is perfect at different depths. This is a winner, and I did not have to work hard, I smoked on the gasser.

Daughter taste the meat when I get home.....Taste is good, texture is fine...No smoke taste :( Son taste the meat, Taste is good, texture is fine, .....No smoke taste....Wife hates the taste of pork, ...says it is okay....Can not taste smoke....:(

I taste it, and yada yada yada, I have got to work on gettign more smoke into the meat with this technique. I was going for mild, and only added more chips for the 1st 3 hours. Also blended in the last of my cherry wood supply the chips from the bottom of the chunk bag I had.

Will take pictures after it cools, and I pull it, may just cheat and chop it up, if daughter ever stops going into the kitchen and pinching off a bit. $ pinches in last 1/2 hour (I think she likes it!)

Good Bad or not, it felt good to smoke, and now I have a new toy to play with in smoking. Next will be a brisket on the WSM in 2 weeks.

 

[icemn62]

Here is the meat without sauce

 

[icemn62]

The peppers

 

[nmayeux]

Damn Ice that Q looks good! I'm sorry that the pork didn't have the flavor you were looking for, but I am glad that you got to cook! Any ideas for smoking up the gasser?

 

[icemn62]

I think it just went too fast, or the wood types did not mix well. Got the texture I wanted, and I noticed, that people keep going into the kitchen and "sampling" a bit, but I would not call this my best.

 

[bwsmith_2000]

Ice,
You're on to the answer. Everything looks great. As for smoke taste, being an old southern boy, you can't beat hickory. And by the way, smoke with the hickory and stay with it. Remember the thin blue smoke. You will be absolutely amazed at the results. Also, don't forget ...... when the butt hits 160 to 170 degrees, wrap it in heavy duty tin foil while still in the smoker. Then when it reaches 190 to 200, pull it and put it in the cooler wraped in pillows or blankets. Let it rest at least an hour but preferably two or three hours. Bring it out and then pull it. It'll make you like a superman to Superman himself. But, the secret is HICKORY, HICKORY, HICKORY. Seriously, different folks in different parts of the country look for different results. And that's OK. But if you will go with the hickory solution, you'll be happy. And that's a promise from Big Bill..... never led a soul astray.

 

[icemn62]

Bill the funny thing is....I did everything just like in you post. Wanted to foil at 165, but got to it, at 170. Daughter, says she likes it better when I use the charcoal smoker {"smokes it the right way"} I think I could have gone with a lower temp, did not have a chance to calibrate this thermometer as I bought it,30 mins before the cook. May try it again, and use a little more wood chips, or just go get some wood chunks and use those.

Watched the smoker outta the window for some time, and saw a big puff of white smoke, then watched the smoke thin out. Son asked if the fire went out, and I told him "Nope, that is Sweet Blue you are looking at." Chips were smoldering as we did the next spray. Added more, but did not get the smokey taste/flavor I am used to. It could just be I am looking for something that hickory does not give, been some years since I last used this particular wood.

 

[smokemack]

Good looking meat my friend.
Before I got my smoker, I "smoked" on the gasser several times, foil packets and soaked chips, never got the flavor I craved. I always assumed because I couldn't keep the meat on as long as I needed to in order to get the flavor I desired. I found some Hickory and Mesquite "infused" ceramic type briquettes at The Home Depot (pic below). They worked very nicely on the gasser for the first few short cooks. My guess is that they were designed for long "smokes" on the gasser. I recommend giving them a try next time you fire up the gas. Please, let us know how the next attempt works out.
Good eating!

 

[cajunsmoker]

Good looking Q iceman,

Sorry, the flavor wasn't as intense as everyone wanted.

I had the same problem a while back when I put a butt on the BSKD with a brisket on the shelf under it. It seemed to cooked ok, but not much smoke taste.

Keep experimenting. Don't blame the hickory. Hickory should give a very good smoke taste.

 

[joed617]

Nice looking smoke Gary, You have some good advice above. I, I should say the wife likes the charcoal smoke as long as she dosen't have to tend to it. We usually use cowboy charcoal and oak for our smokes and at times some apple smokes too. I live in the city and live in a cond on the first floor and when I smoke I drive the neighbors crazy with the smell of the food cooking. I have noticed recently that I have been invited to "cook-outs" and ask if I could bring someting from the smoker and when I ask them what would they like they tell me that the Pulled pork I smoke would be great.. <they have tasted it and have been told it's the best they ever had>. Wanted to say that sorry that you didn't get the smokey flavor you wanted. It's great to experiment how else would be find new recipes. Great Pics

Joe

 

[Dutch]

Gary, Nice pic's of the Pulled Pork. Looking at some of the peices of meat, it looks like you had a nice smoke ring. I haven't foiled a butt at 170 yet-I let it get up to 190 then foil it and place it in the cooler. I keep refilling the wood box with hickory when it needs it through out the entire smoke.

 

[icemn62]

Update, the original smoke was done on a Saturday, Did not eat the leftover on Sunday. Monday breakfast was a pulled pork sammy. Still no smoke in the taste, but this is some good meat. Now looking for a Doc. Pepper marinade I saw some time back for Brisket, which will be the next cook.

 

[willkat98]

Gary

Any change it went through the 100-140 range too quickly and maybe a light "sear" kept out the flavor?

Just guessing, but it looks good.

Was it a butt, or a picnic?

And attached is a DrP marinade for you.

 

[icemn62]

I was telling somebody at work about the results, and I am thinking that I just cooked it too fast, and did not use enough wood while doing it.

It was a small butt.

 

[roksmith]

I'm with Dutch on this one...when I do pork shoulders, I roll smoke over it the entire time. Not worried about the meat drying out..and that's the only reason I wrap anything in foil.

I did run into a similar thing when I used my propane grill as a smoker..looked great..tasted..ok..

I think I needed to roll more smoke as well....only refilled the smoke box about 3 times over 8 hours.

oh well..live and learn

-Rock-

 

[dave11]

I never can get very much smoke flavor out of my grill either. On my smoker I can, but not the grill. Here is why I think why. Smoke needs to pass over, under, and around the meat. And it must flow. On a bbq grill, the wood chips(or chunks) and the meat are pretty much on the same level. This means that the smoke is not moving "around" the meat. Instead, I belive most of the smoke is just flowing out of the grill. This is just my opinion, I could be wrong.

 

[joed617]

hi Dave, I get great smoke from my weber kettle grill. I also use cowboy charcoal in that as well. For me it depends on what I am cooking, how long the cook is going to be. If a short cook I'll use chips, If a longer cook I'll use chunks. Usually the longer cooks are done in the smoker and shorter cooking time is done on the grill. I usually get a great smoke.


Joe

 

[roksmith]

Shoot, with Cowboy charcoal, you don't even need wood chips or chunks to get good flavor...that's what cowboy charcoal is..

I think the problem comes in when cooking with gas.
Seems you have to work a little harder to get the same smokey flavor when you are not cooking with something that will add the flavor for you.

 

[dave11]

Hi guys,and yes thats what I mean. With a gas grill, the burners are a lot closer to the grates, as opposed to the charcoal grill, where the charcoal sits a lot lower than the grates. The air flow is better on a charcoal grill than that a gas grill too. I dont know if his gasser has a vent on top or not , but Im willing to bet not. Therfore, the smoke cannot pass over the meat like it should. Again, this is only my theory, and Im not saying it cant be done.

 

[icemn62]

I was pictureing my Gasser while reading your post, and I think you may be right. It is designed as a grill not a smoker. I got a little flavor, not the BANG I was hoping for.