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re: Need some help regarding cooking on a smoker...updates page 6
Posted on 12/28/17 at 10:21 am to Hold That Tiger 10
Posted on 12/28/17 at 10:21 am to Hold That Tiger 10
I use the minion method.
Kingsford blue. Make a bed of unlit coals in the bottom and then light some in the chimney. The amount I light depends on how hot I want to smoke. As few as 8 for 225 and maybe half a chimney for 300.
Dump the lit coals in the middle of the bed of unlit coals, it helps to make a depressed area in the middle. Add a couple chunks of wood and keep your vents wide open until you approach your desired cooking temp. Cut back on your bottom vents but try to leave your top vent wide open.
Good luck have fun.
Kingsford blue. Make a bed of unlit coals in the bottom and then light some in the chimney. The amount I light depends on how hot I want to smoke. As few as 8 for 225 and maybe half a chimney for 300.
Dump the lit coals in the middle of the bed of unlit coals, it helps to make a depressed area in the middle. Add a couple chunks of wood and keep your vents wide open until you approach your desired cooking temp. Cut back on your bottom vents but try to leave your top vent wide open.
Good luck have fun.
0
Posted on 12/28/17 at 10:24 am to Hold That Tiger 10
Follow the instructions here:
LINK
It will turn out great. Practice on a chicken today before the real cook Friday. The good news is pork shoulder/butt is very forgiving. You say you will do a pork roast, but what exactly is the cut of meat? Loin won't make good pulled pork.
It can take a while to finish cooking - read about the "stall" - you must understand this so you don't get freaked out about why your meat temperature is not rising like you think it should.
Do you have an instant read thermometer? Do you have a thermometer to monitor the smoker temperature?
Good luck.
LINK
It will turn out great. Practice on a chicken today before the real cook Friday. The good news is pork shoulder/butt is very forgiving. You say you will do a pork roast, but what exactly is the cut of meat? Loin won't make good pulled pork.
It can take a while to finish cooking - read about the "stall" - you must understand this so you don't get freaked out about why your meat temperature is not rising like you think it should.
Do you have an instant read thermometer? Do you have a thermometer to monitor the smoker temperature?
Good luck.
Posted on 12/28/17 at 10:53 am to ChEgrad
Its a Boston butt I'm cooking.
Yes I have a instant read for the meat. There is a thermometer built into the smoker.
I've read about all I could possibly read last night. Honestly, some of the reading was contradictory so it had me a bit confused. Thats why I came here with questions, because the direct answers to what I was asking was more helpful.
I think I'm OK now. I used about a half chimney of coals, and then added probably 10-12 more coals once I put it in the smoker. Its been on about 45 minutes now and the coals are going at a steady 200 degrees right now. Im going to read up on the minion method and may try it tomorrow.
If I'm understanding correct, once I add to the water bowl (I'll be putting Apple Cider) it will make my temperature rise? Not doing the wood chunks or water bowl today, as I'm just seasoning it.
quote:
Do you have an instant read thermometer? Do you have a thermometer to monitor the smoker temperature
Yes I have a instant read for the meat. There is a thermometer built into the smoker.
I've read about all I could possibly read last night. Honestly, some of the reading was contradictory so it had me a bit confused. Thats why I came here with questions, because the direct answers to what I was asking was more helpful.
I think I'm OK now. I used about a half chimney of coals, and then added probably 10-12 more coals once I put it in the smoker. Its been on about 45 minutes now and the coals are going at a steady 200 degrees right now. Im going to read up on the minion method and may try it tomorrow.
If I'm understanding correct, once I add to the water bowl (I'll be putting Apple Cider) it will make my temperature rise? Not doing the wood chunks or water bowl today, as I'm just seasoning it.
This post was edited on 12/28/17 at 10:55 am
Posted on 12/28/17 at 10:57 am to Hold That Tiger 10
Another thing. I see people mentioning a bottom vent, but I have none. There is just the door for the bottom and the vent is on the lid.
Posted on 12/28/17 at 11:10 am to Hold That Tiger 10
Well I guess you dont have to worry about adjusting you bottom vents then.
Posted on 12/28/17 at 11:12 am to Hold That Tiger 10
I would cook with a fruit wood to start. Mesquite can be harsh. Apple and Pecan are great starters as is Cherry.
Posted on 12/28/17 at 11:14 am to Hold That Tiger 10
Do you have an instant read or a probe? The temperature gauges on smokers are notoriously inaccurate. You need a probe that will give you the internal temperature of the meat (the outside temp from an instant read doesn't matter nearly as much) and an accurate temperature inside the smoker.
Like These
Like These
This post was edited on 12/28/17 at 11:15 am
Posted on 12/28/17 at 11:21 am to VABuckeye
Probe.
Are you suggesting that I shouldn't trust the temperature gage built in to my smoker for telling me the temp of my smoker?
Are you suggesting that I shouldn't trust the temperature gage built in to my smoker for telling me the temp of my smoker?
Posted on 12/28/17 at 11:23 am to VABuckeye
I'll second the Maverick recommendation.
Posted on 12/28/17 at 11:37 am to Hold That Tiger 10
Use a chimney charcoal lighter to start charcoal. Soak chips in water for a while and add them on top of the lit coals to make smoke. Use a smallish charcoal fire and add a briquette or two as time goes by to keep a small fire going. Add chips when smoke stops. You don't want a chip fire, so don't use dry chips or add to many at a time. Keep temperature in the smoker at 22-20 if you can. If there is a place for a catch pan between the coals and the pork roast, use it with some water to catch the drippings, which will make a big hot fire if they drip down on the coals.
season the roast with pepper,, garlic and salt. If you have a dry rub, that is fine, too, nut I would keep it fairly simple and it will be fine. Cook to an internal temperature of maybe 190-195. Wrap in foil and hold the roast for twenty minutes when you take it off the smoker, before slicing or pulling.
season the roast with pepper,, garlic and salt. If you have a dry rub, that is fine, too, nut I would keep it fairly simple and it will be fine. Cook to an internal temperature of maybe 190-195. Wrap in foil and hold the roast for twenty minutes when you take it off the smoker, before slicing or pulling.
Posted on 12/28/17 at 11:45 am to MeridianDog
I'm guessing using a combo of my mesquite wood chunks, and maple wood chips would be a bad idea?
You suggested soaking wood chips. Should I soak wood chunks as well if that's what I use?
You suggested soaking wood chips. Should I soak wood chunks as well if that's what I use?
Posted on 12/28/17 at 12:01 pm to Hold That Tiger 10
quote:
do I start it with charcoal and then add wood chips as I go? Or do I just use wood chips
- should I go and find wood chunks, instead of wood chips?
My wife found me an Oklahoma Joe’s reverse smoker this past summer. It’s been awesome. Here’s what I like to do, and the method has been perfect.
1- Collect fallen limbs from the pecan trees behind my house and cut them to fit pieces into the fire box.
2- Buy a small bag or charcoal or Mesquite chuncks at the grocery store.
Pecan wood takes a while to dry out enough naturally to start a fire with it alone. Therefore, I throw some coals or dried store wood chunks into my fire box, a couple pecan chunks on top, add lighter fluid, and get that fire going.
Once it’s nice and hot, another yard pecan chunk, let it simmer down, then throw the meat into my large barrel. Add nothing but my found yard pecan chunks and sticks during the rest of the cook, as the coals/store chunks are hot enough to light the pecan.
Drink beer, keep your temp between 200-250, and enjoy your food.
Posted on 12/28/17 at 12:04 pm to ragincajun03
So I've been sitting around 200 degrees for 2 hours or so now with just the charcoal I used to start.
Do you think tomorrow when I'm actually cooking and have added the cider and wood chunks by now that it would get me into the 225-250 range? Or should I start with a bit more charcoal than I did today?
Do you think tomorrow when I'm actually cooking and have added the cider and wood chunks by now that it would get me into the 225-250 range? Or should I start with a bit more charcoal than I did today?
Posted on 12/28/17 at 12:35 pm to Janky
Chimney starters are good and you don't have to put all the lit charcoal in the smoker.
I just arrange the charcoal in my BIg GEEEN Egg open the vents and use 1/2 of one of those fire sticks, 20 min and ready to go.
Chimney.
Fill it with LUMP charcoal, put one sheet of newspaper crumpled up and light. It will be
Hot with glowing coals in about ten minutes.
Never use lighter fluid.
I just arrange the charcoal in my BIg GEEEN Egg open the vents and use 1/2 of one of those fire sticks, 20 min and ready to go.
Chimney.
Fill it with LUMP charcoal, put one sheet of newspaper crumpled up and light. It will be
Hot with glowing coals in about ten minutes.
Never use lighter fluid.
Posted on 12/28/17 at 1:07 pm to Hold That Tiger 10
The wood chunks igniting on top that same size bed of charcoal will raise your temperature a bit, theoretically in the optimal smoking range.
Remember, long and slow.
Remember, long and slow.
Posted on 12/28/17 at 1:09 pm to Hold That Tiger 10
quote:
Are you suggesting that I shouldn't trust the temperature gage built in to my smoker for telling me the temp of my smoker?
I'm not suggesting I'm telling. Get a probe that has an input for internal food temp and internal smoker temp.
Posted on 12/28/17 at 2:21 pm to Hold That Tiger 10
quote:
I've been sitting around 200 degrees for 2 hours or so now with just the charcoal I used to start.
Do you think tomorrow when I'm actually cooking and have added the cider and wood chunks by now that it would get me into the 225-250 range? Or should I start with a bit more charcoal than I did today?
You need more.
Err on the hot side. The Boston butt can handle higher heats.
Posted on 12/28/17 at 2:46 pm to Hold That Tiger 10
If you haven’t done so already season the inside of the smoker. Spray the inside down with cooking oil (Pam). Smoke it with the temp up to at least 300 for two hours. While your doing this look any spots that leak heavily. You can get some high heat food grade silicon to seal up those spots. That will help you control the temp during a smoke. Also I would invest in a pro temp thermometer. Also ditch the maple wood hips. For B.B. use a combo of hickory and apple or cherry.
LINK
LINK
This post was edited on 12/28/17 at 2:48 pm
Posted on 12/28/17 at 3:09 pm to lsufan1971
quote:
If you haven’t done so already season the inside of the smoker. Spray the inside down with cooking oil (Pam). Smoke it with the temp up to at least 300 for two hours.
Did this earlier today. I didnt have as much charcoal as I thought so it ran at about 200 for 2 hours. Think that's good enough? Or should I go get more coals and do it again? And if so, do I need to rewipe it down with cooking oil?
Posted on 12/28/17 at 3:14 pm to Hold That Tiger 10
Once again thanks for the help and advice guys. My nerves are eased a little, and I'm ready to try it out tomorrow.
Here's my plans.
-already have the pork marinating. Will be all set for tomorrow.
- 8:30 am- begin lighting the coals (will do a little bit more than I did today. Or do the same amount, but add unlit coals to the bottom of the pan).
By 9 I should be about ready to roll. Ill add 4 wood chunks to the lit coals and add my cider to the water pan. Let it work for a bit and make sure my temp is at a steady 250 and then throw the pork on.
Figure it should be done by 5-6.
Here's my plans.
-already have the pork marinating. Will be all set for tomorrow.
- 8:30 am- begin lighting the coals (will do a little bit more than I did today. Or do the same amount, but add unlit coals to the bottom of the pan).
By 9 I should be about ready to roll. Ill add 4 wood chunks to the lit coals and add my cider to the water pan. Let it work for a bit and make sure my temp is at a steady 250 and then throw the pork on.
Figure it should be done by 5-6.
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