Nice job on the door!
Easy recipes? Meat loaf is great and very easy. You can do it in a pan and it can take HUGE temp swings while you get your settings dialed in.
Any kind of chicken dark meat works well. Boneless skinless thighs are simple. If you do skin on, keep the chamber temp over 300F for crispy skin.
Brats, or any kind of sausage is fun and fast.
If you're feeling ambitious, try "Pepper Stout Beef" (see below. You can leave out the jalapenos if so inclined)
Don't buy into the Kingsford Koolaid. They work, but are less dense and can be more unsteady. Home Depot Embers, Royal Oak Ridge, or WalMart Expert Grill (all three are the exact same stuff, actually), is a denser briquette and will hold temps for hours.
Pepper Stout Beef
Ingredients:
4 lbs chuck roast
Kosher Salt and pepper
Onion powder
Garlic powder
3 bell peppers. (I used 3. Red, Green and Yellow)
3 Jalapeños ( Can use fewer for less heat)
1 lg red onion
6 Garlic Cloves (Crushed)
1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce
12 oz bottle of Guinness Extra Stout
Directions:
1. Fire up the smoker to a medium level smoke 250-275°F.
2. Cover the chuck roast with SPOG. (Salt-Pepper-Onion powder-Garlic powder) (I use a 2-2-1-1 parts combination. Using teaspoons is a little light, tablespoons a little heavy. So I use Tablespoons and have some left over).
3. Smoke the roast for about 3 hours with hickory wood or until the internal temp hits 165°F.
4. When the roast is nearing the first target temperature cut up the peppers, onions, jalapeños and garlic. Add to an aluminum pan along with the Worcestershire Sauce and Guinness. Mix em up and let them wait for the meat.
5. At 165 degrees, its time to add the meat to the veg. Seal tightly with a double layer of HD aluminum foil.
6. Crank up the smoker, grill, or oven to 325°F and let go for about 3 hours.
7. After about 3 hours the meat should be fork tender and the veggies will be soft and juicy. Go ahead and shred the beef into the veggies and mix it up.
8. Once the meat and veggies are all mixed up, its time to put everything back uncovered in the 325°F smoker/grill/oven for about 30 minutes until the juice reduces by half. Or you can put it all in a Dutch Oven on the stove and reduce there, which is what I do.
9. After 30 minutes grab a ciabatta, tortilla, french roll or just a fork and go to town.