Second-Hand Smoker

[iamclarkkent1]

Hey Everyone,

I'm Chris from Brandon, MS. I work as an Electrical Engineering Physicist for a Raytheon radar manufacturing facility. My avatar is the apron my wife made me for Christmas.

I'm new-ish to smoking - I've had experience but only as a second-banana in the process (my dad and one of my college roommates were occasional smokers). I've actually built my own smoker using a cardboard box and an electric cooking eye. It was cheap, but difficult to maintain any constant heat. In either case, I am a pretty decent cook and have mastered the art of home-frying. All the grilling I have done in the past has been on gas, not charcoal.

I just bought a Brinkmann 810-5301-6, Smoke N Grill Vertical Smoker and am planning to have some friends over on Saturday for my test-run...so I'm kind of jumping in the deep end.

I've been doing some research on the forums and trying to put a timeline together for my first smoking experience. Please let me know if anyone has any suggestions.

Meat: 8.5 lb Butt, 2 racks ~3.4 lbs each St Louis Ribs.

Guests arrive at 6:30 Saturday, but I have to be finished cooking by 4:00.

First: Modify the charcoal bowl.  I've seen people drilling 10-15 ~1/2" holes in their bowls to allow ash to "shake" out during the smoking process so the coals won't drown.

Second: Cure the smoker. Light the coals and allow it to cook, empty, for 2 hours.

Third: I've heard 1.5-2 hours per pound for the Butt, so that's around 15 hours.  I plan to have it rubbed by Thursday night, let it set overnight for Friday, and throw it on the bottom rack of the smoker at about 1 am Friday night (Saturday morning).  This would mean starting my coals around 12:30 Friday.

Fourth: Check every 2 hours or so?

Fifth: Throw the ribs on the top rack of the smoker in a rib rack around 10 am for the 3-2-1 method.

Sixth:  Remove all the meat, place in a serving tray with foil covering it, inside an ice chest around 4 pm.

Seventh: Pull around 6:30 when my guests arrive.

Does anyone have any tips or thoughts? Honestly, everything written above is as hypothetically ideal as I could get it.  I'm an extreme novice when it comes to coals and have no idea how many pounds I may need for a 15 hour smoke.

 

[jrod62]

:welcome1:

 

[s2k9k]

Hi Chris! 

 to SMF!!! We're happy to have you! 

The last butts I smoked were about 9# each and they went almost 19 hours at 225*. 

I think 15 hours might be pushing it for you, I would probably give it some more time. If it gets done early it will stay hot in the cooler for hours but if it's late you will have some hungry people staring at you, not a good feeling!

 

[iamclarkkent1]

Thanks for the welcome, Ed and Dave!

Dave, also thanks for the advice. 19 hours makes me feel a little better, since that would be 9 pm vs 1 am.

Also, 225 would be a good temp to maintain for the entire smoke, both the for the 3-2-1 ribs method and the butt?

 

[s2k9k]

Yep 225* is pretty much the target temp around here!

 

[brdprey]

welcome chris! have you thought about splitting them butts in half? may lower your smoke time a bit.

 

[iamclarkkent1]

S2K9K - 225 it is.

Hey, brdprey! Thanks for the welcome.

I haven't considered splitting...I only have two 17" diameter levels to work with and was planning on reserving the top rack for the ribs. 

The meat is a pretty flat cut, so I think it would split pretty evenly.  My only concern is would I have to cut through the bone? And how much space should I allow between the meat?

If I make it an even cut...can I assume the time would cut in half?

 

[smokinhusker]

I don't know about cutting through the bone etc, but even if they get done early, wrapped in double foil and bath towels in a cooler with no dead space, they will hold temp for quite long time. 

Remember low and slow...patience is a virtue and you gotta have it when smoking butts and briskets. And if you're lookin you're not cookin! Opening the smoker to take a peek will increase your cooking time.

 

[oldschoolbbq]

Chris , as you have noticed , 225° is the average temp. for Butts . Also , we preach 'cook to IMT', however , you can estimate at 1.5 hrs. to 2hrs. per pound of Butt , reserving extra time for stalls . Since the 'cooler holding' will keep it hot for ~ 4-6hrs. , this would be the (IMHO)  best route to take .

I would not cut the Butt , especially if it has a bone ; cook it to 200° Internal Meat Temp., pull out of the smoker and it should do this:

 Nice Bark  , nice ring , and (as you see) very tender and juicy. Here is a shotof a multiple cook:

Oh,yes.

 to the Forum...

Have fun and...

 

[JckDanls 07]

Welcome to the forums and your new addiction... Do you by any chance have a probe thermometer as the factory therms on smokers are usually WAY off... As far as your ribs I would not advise finishing early and trying to cooler them.. they do not fair well doing the cooler deal... change your time so they are done about 5:30 or so and just put them in a foil pan and covered on the counter to rest for 15 minutes or so before serving... Sounds like it's gonna be a long night as you will not get any sleep worrying about your temps as it will be challenging to keep them steady @225` your first time out... GOOD LUCK

 

[scarbelly]

Hello and 

to SMF - glad you joined us  - The gang has given you some great advice - good luck and have fun with it 

 

[iamclarkkent1]

Everyone,

Thanks for all the welcomes and the fantastic advice.

I've been up Q-sitting most of the night...with of course the accidental "oh man, did I turn my alarm off?" to rush outside to adjust my temp.

As soon as I unboxed my ECB, I immediately made most of the mods found on the http://www.smoking-meat.com/modify-brinkmann-ecb-smoker.html Brinkmann page - the extra grate in the charcoal pan, the airflow holes in the pan, and of course, the upgraded Grill thermometer.  Strangely, I've sat at IDEAL this whole time...that thing made me sick the first time I saw it. But it was pretty awesome unboxing something new and immediately drilling value into it.

I think the coolest part about it was that I had no problem getting to temp, I just had to make sure I was back down to 225, but without a lid regulator, I basically just shoved a stick in between the lid and the body and propped it open as much as needed to maintain.



oldschoolbbq...pictures like yours are one of the reasons I like this site so much.  It's like BBQ porn.

I got a probe and the IMT was sitting at 135 at 7:30 this morning. I think my next step is to wrap (or double wrap?) it when it hits around 145?  Wrap and then throw it back in the smoker and continue to cook it until it hits 200 IMT?

JckDanls 07, taking your advice and waiting to start the ribs until around noon.  I was planning 10 to let them rest, but if it's not a good idea to do that, I can adjust my schedule today and make sure they come out right. So, noon, 3-2-1, done by 6?

Oh, and my first Q-view: