Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

With this brisket I did the foil boat method, so leaving the top open.

I've done about 10 pork butts. I have tried peach paper twice. I prefer foil wrap just because it gets through the stall so much faster. BUT, now that I have a pellet grill and can walk away from the grill, I want to start wrapping in paper again vs foil.

 

Right, foil is going to trap all moisture/air and steam the meat, paper will still allow some airflow. Pros and cons to both! I haven’t tried the foil boat, but cooking meat in liquid is braising/boiling, and that might be where your ‘shredding’ issue came from (think pot roast).

 

The foil boat idea came from Chuds. He's pretty famous for his bbq. I drained the bottom of the boat a couple of times, so it didn't really stay braising too long. But I get your point. And definitely going back to peach paper asap.


https://youtu.be/YytF06_1bxs?si=93qRkTlMPX3CX5oo

 

What meat, or what kind of smoker?

Regarding meat - start with chicken wings and/or ribs (3-2-1 method is easy to follow). Chicken and ribs are simple enough, and don't take an eternity.

Re smoker - pellet smokers like Traeger and Camp Chef are objectively easier to work... they maintain the temperature you set... which is convenient, but also takes most of the fun out of it.

There is something about sitting next to smoker all day to tend to the fire, listening to reggae, Steely Dan, and Zydeco with a few cold ones before the cookout guests show up. That, I miss a lot. But if you don't have the time to day drink from 10am to 5pm while tending to the smoker fire (like my every weekend in college)... pellet smokers make sense.

Climate plays a big factor in how often you should check the temp. During Colorado winters, I'd sit next to it all day, making adjustments roughly every 20 minutes.

There's a lot to think about with a classic offset smoker -
- How open should the vents be? Temp too low, open more, too hot, shut to prevent oxygen from stoking to much. (I eventually started placing a little fan on a table at the height of the vent to kick on whenever I wanted to increase the temperature fast).
- When should I add charcoal, wood chunks or chips, or both? Should the wood be soaked, or dry?
- Got too hot? I'd open the lid with a wood chunk to cool it down a hint.

Mind you, this was before I even got smart enough to start using a temperature probe.

All of that additional effort gave the meat something that a pellet smoker could never - it gave it some love! That little extra something that makes Maw Maw's dinners better than anyone's.

 

+1 to this.

Pork butts are SUPER forgiving, but take 12 hours at times. Chicken wings go fast and because of their size, you can try a couple different rubs, cook methods, etc without a huge commitment.

I'd definitely do a butt, but also look at ribs and chicken wings too.

My go to is sausages, as well. One of my favorites. But there's really nothing to those - open them up and throw them on the smoker, and then take them off when they're done.

 

Good point on sausages. I like to smoke some sausages and a duck breast to cook into a gumbo.

 

Smoked 4 racks of ribs this weekend along with 15 leg quarters and some baked beans. Will put some pictures later once I can get them off my phone. Everything came out really good though.

 

I’ve been looking at getting one of these?
And I would like to start off with simple things that are forgiving and help me build confidence in smoking other things

 

Yeah those are great. I'd definitely encourage you to look through Facebook Marketplace. I just bought an $800 (new) Traeger Pro 780 that's lightly used, with a bunch of extras like a cover, spices, etc. for $475 from a nice retired couple.

 

nice congrats on the find. I’ve cooked on these to make carne asada at my friends place.. I really liked it

 

Appreciate it. Yeah, certainly lucked out. Smoked 3 racks of ribs yesterday... so easy. 2 filets last Friday came out perfectly.

I'd like to tackle a Texas brisket next... keep y'all posted on how it goes.

 

Definitely check FB Marketplace, OfferUp and other places like that because there are always people trying to get rid of them. Also, these things go on sale after Father's Day or right before. I got a hell of a deal on my PitBoss Pro Series that way.

For starting out, add Tri Tip to your list of meats. They're great on the smoker and don't take too long. Assuming you're in the 805, I'm sure you'll be doing a lot of that!

 

Pitboss is just as good and cheaper.

 

I still stand by trying a pork butt. If you split it in half, you’re looking at around 4-8 hours (depending on size of the protein and cook temp). There are loads of active people in here willing to help when you’re ready get going!

 

Oh man do I want this KJ Classic II, but honestly my Joe Jr is meeting my needs just fine. It’s just me and my wife and she’s not a big meat eater. This would be overkill for just me

$1,575 Kamado Joe Classic Joe Series II 18" Ceramic Charcoal Grill and Smoker with Cart, Side Shelves, Stainless Steel Grates and 250 Cooking Square Inches in Red, Model KJ-23RHC

https://www.amazon.com/Kamado-Joe-K...98a-4c00-b8a6-7db00f447a6a&pd_rd_i=B01INNA89S

 

I completely agree jump right into a pork butt. They are usually around $25. If you mess up, big deal. You will learn a lot trying. My first one was one of my best ones. Just watch a few videos, do some research.

 

I've been waiting for the smoker to show up in the new building on campus. I finally saw it this morning.

For reference, that door is 7 feet tall.

 

Perfect fit here!

 

I smoked it fat cap up till 165ish, wrapped it in butcher paper and pulled at 205ish. Rested for about 6 hours. I've never tried the boat wrap before. I'll have to look into it.

 

What cooker?
Did you rest in a cooler?