Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

I was going by the Thermoworks blog on it for reference. We'll see. We might be having hamburgers tonight if not.

This Inkbird thermometer is pretty cool. I can monitor the temps from my office across the house.

Picked up a few more supplies, and it is on the grill. First time brisket, first time snake. Here's hoping.

 

Flats are tough to do, they dry out very easily. Good luck to you.

 

Yeah even though it's "just the flat", it's still part of a brisket which I know as a 10+ hour cook.

Always cook to temp. I don't trust when people or recipes say "cook for 6 hours" - SHENANIGANS. Cook to 195°, check it at 75% of the recommended time so you know. And very few recipes even mention a stall. Let alone explain it even briefly.

That stuff all sounds cool but I just want the meat

 

Exactly

 

Really was just looking for a ballpark to gauge, not a specific time. I guess in retrospect I should have started it this morning and it could have rested longer in the cooler.

 

My cheat method: smoke it on the grill into the stall, then pull it and do it in the oven. When I do a butt I usually start it around 8PM, smoke it to about 11ish, which is usually into the stall. Pull it into the oven in a roast pan at 225°, usually get up around 5-5:30 to check it again. I have a natural gas oven at home. Better in the winter because the kitchen heats up. Not sure what the timeframe is for you here, though. My bark is usually not quite as good, but at the same time, I'm a heathen and I'm okay with losing that. Bring on the shredded pork. TACOS!

 

I've got a butt in the freezer that will either have me do the traditional way (in the crock pot) or experiment one day. I'm super novice at this, the only thing I've done so far are some baby back ribs that turned out really tasty but a bit tough. This is a step up, but we learn by failing. I told my wife to get some hamburger if this doesn't turn out.

I think I got my ambient temp stabilized and the brisket is slowly rising. I'm aiming for edible this first time out.

 

never smoke something from frozen.

https://www.barbecue-smoker-recipes...e no no though,should be at room temperature.

 

Pork butts/pork shoulders (same thing just different names) are just about impossible to screw up.

One general way is to rub it with yellow mustard (this helps the rub stick but will not taste like mustard) rub with your choice of rub and put in the smoker .. can take anywhere from 8-12 hours (again.. always go by temp and not time frame) and take it until the IT is 204F. This will make the bone pull out cleanly and the pork to fall apart easily.

One suggestion I always recommend to new smokers is to get a notebook and take notes on each and every thing that you make. When making something again.. refer to your notes especially for things you didn't like and want to change.

 

Wasn't planning on it. But you can do it like that in the crock pot.

 

Yep. Pork butts are pretty hard to meds up. DC have some good instructions. Instead of using mustard as a base for the rub to adhere to I started using hot sauce like Frank's, etc. Gives it a nice little kick.

 

Definitely - I do corned beef from frozen in the instant pot/pressure cooker every so often. Just don't want you to end up something for smoking a frozen butt.

 

the usual pork butt post

 

Electric smoker, pulled out at 200°. Resting now. Rubbed with pitfaced. Smells great!

 

2.5 hours in, current temp is 144°.

Do you pull at a specific temp for the wrap or do you wait for the temp to actually stall out? This was saying 160°.

https://blog.thermoworks.com/beef/how-to-smoke-a-brisket-flat-tailgating-temperatures/

 

Some wrap, some wait it out...

 

To echo everyone else, butts are hard to screw up. My first smoke was one, turned out delicious and thought I was a natural. Then I made some dry as shit ribs that brought me back to reality.

Boston Butts were on sale for $0.99/lb yesterday at Food Lion so I have one in the fridge. Might try to do it on the kettle, so far the only action it’s seen is hot dogs and hamburgers...

 

Happy b-day @grdgz97 !

 

Temp is still going up, but you can see the curve starting to go. 160° might have been a good guide.

I'll probably wrap here in the next half hour or so.

 

Pulled apart easily...tastes great!