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1st attempt with smoker yesterday

steveh326

steveh326

Active Member
didn't kill anyone but probably could have done better.

did some smoked jalapenos (ABTs) stuffed with cream cheese, cheddar cheese, little dry rub mixed in and topped with bacon. smoked them for a while but had to finish them on the grill due to time constraints... still got good reviews tho but woulda been better if they had smoked longer.

did ribs then too. I won't say they were great but they were the best I have done yet so big improvement for me. again, I finished them on the grill due to time constraints, and they would have been better had they spent another hour in the smoker instead of a few mins on the grill. but still good enuf to eat.

biggest thing I learned was how long it takes the smoker to recover temps when the door is open for futzing with things and you lose the heat, and how next time I need to allow for that time in my planning. but all in all, not a bad 1st effort, wife and kids seemed happy with the results. thanks for the tips and advice I found here.
 
Steve,
What brand smoker do you have? Propane, charcoal, electric? If electric, that type will take the biggest hit as to how much time is required to recover. That is why most will have thermo probes stuck into the meat and the wire running out to the transmitter. This will help prevent you from opening the door so much.

Craig
 
I finish my ribs on the grill every time. That way I get a good glaze from the sauce. I don't sauce them in the smoker.

Sounds like you are doing well with it.

Mel

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2
 
"cmayna" said:
Steve,
What brand smoker do you have? Propane, charcoal, electric? If electric, that type will take the biggest hit as to how much time is required to recover. That is why most will have thermo probes stuck into the meat and the wire running out to the transmitter. This will help prevent you from opening the door so much.

Craig
Click to expand...

masterbuilt 30 electric smoker from bass pro.

my wife has one of those remote thermometers I went to use it but the battery was dead, will fix that for next time.

but I used the 3-2-1 method on the ribs, and I lost the heat when I had the door open to transfer them from the rack to the covered pan, then back to the rack for the last hour, and the thermometer would not have helped with that but it would have let me know when the internal temps hit where they needed to be so they were done.

no serious issues I just needed to allow for about another hour then all would have been good. I'll just start a little earlier next time !
 
I have the same smoker.

Beef ribs get rubbed and sit over night. The in the smoker for three hours at 200* then basted in my own sauce and finished on the grill. I cut my beef ribs so I get more surface area for sauce and use apple or hickory or pecan depending what I have on hand.

Pork ribs? I haven't done them since beef are the favorite of the family.

I don't use a thermometer on ribs. Too hard due to size of each rib.

I do use the thermometer on country ribs.

Oh, forgot I rub the ribs in olive oil first then the rub.

Always trim the membrane off.

Mel

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2
 
Steve,
A good wireless thermometer to add to your bbq toy bag is the 2 probe Maverick ET-732 which tells you the temp of the smoker and also the meat's IT (internal temp). I realize it might not work for ribs which are very thin, but does allow you to work on your Mustang while you are smoking, watching the temp.

A real nice quick temp meat probe is the Thermapen. Not cheap but extremely fast and accurate. I use this device whenever I'm BBQing meat, poultry & fish.
 
Agree with Craig on the 732, but for a nice instant read meat thermometer I would give a good look at the Maverick PT-100, quick, easier to read and lighter on the pocket.

From infinity and beyond
 
Another quick meat thermometer I have been playing with is the Cooper #DPP400W which is also pretty fast but much smaller to read.
 
I bought a combo grill/smoker last year. Got a thermometer for Xmas. Last week I FINALLY used both the smoker and the thermometer for the first time. Largely because I got sick of reading about you guys smoking everything you can get your hands on.
Actually a trial run. Did a rack of pork ribs with 75% "hickory" chunks and 25% charcoal. Ran about four hours then sauced and finished on the grill. I made them just for me but son-in-law cadged one off me. That was one naked rib bone when he got done with it.
A little nervous but am getting ready for the real thing where I will be doing seven racks for an early pre-father's day thing. A gathering of the sons-in-law and a nephew or two to eat ribs with me. Kind of ass-backwards for father's day but what the hell. Getting the family to come eat with us tends to be our every holiday anymore. Girls are coming too but most are after grilled chicken.
Wish I could source some better local hickory. The dried up crap in bags they sell at various stores I suspect not to be actual hickory as it sure as hell doesn't give off that signature mouth watering hickory smoke smell. Any ideas?
 
I read this topic with great interests.

I do grill some meat on a BBQ once in awhile if wheather permitted it , but a smoker ..... never done that .
 
GyspyR,
What size Hickory chunks are you after? You might enter "Hickory wood chunks" on ebay. I know many who have used ebay as a good source.


Bruno,
You haven't lived until you have smoked some meat. Better yet, wait until you smoke some cheese or even better, some salt.
:thum


I'm smoking some Salmon this weekend using Alder and apple.
 
Got where I kinda prefer not to fool with Ebay if at all practical. Talked to the owner owner of a local BBQ joint and asked if I could buy some of that wood I was smelling. He refused but let me grab two little logs off the pile for nothing. So I'm good for this weekend but still would like to find a source for good hickory beyond hunting and killing my own.
 
"GypsyR" said:
Got where I kinda prefer not to fool with Ebay if at all practical. Talked to the owner owner of a local BBQ joint and asked if I could buy some of that wood I was smelling. He refused but let me grab two little logs off the pile for nothing. So I'm good for this weekend but still would like to find a source for good hickory beyond hunting and killing my own.
Click to expand...

I've never ordered from here but it comes highly,recommended on a smoking forum that I belong to.....

http://www.fruitawoodchunks.com/

From infinity and beyond
 
Bruno, I didn't take the plunge until this last year. Man did I miss out.

I have an AMNPS that I use with chips on it when doing things on the grill.

Cheese is awesome in the smoker. Oh, veggies too!

I do like light smoke though, so a little wood chips last me a long time. Pecan, apple, cherry, mesquite and hickory are the woods I use most. I am waiting for some pistachio shells from the harvest this year.

Mel

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2
 
The guy who gave me the wood actually makes smoke at the restaurant specifically to fan towards the road so the smell makes passersby mouths water. I want that. Not only might it make my food taste better but that kind of smell floating around would torture the crap out of my neighbors. Heh heh heh. If it smells good enough it might even convince wife to try something smoked. She's being difficult.
Tried some chunks in bags from....I think Home Depot. Doesn't smell like any hickory I ever was around no matter what it says on the bag. Not bad but not hickory. Kind of hoping I run across some local chainsaw wielding redneck who cuts his own firewood interested selling me some hickory for a premium. It occurs to me that I know somebody with a lot of wooded land who owes me a favor or two. Chainsaws I've got. Wouldn't know a hickory if it fell on me though. Just one or two big branches or something would surely do me.
Lots of apple orchards north of me though. How does apple smell?
 
Apple is very mild and sweet. Keep in mind Hickory is used mainly for pork and red meat. Too strong for fish and typically poultry.

What meats are you planning to smoke?
 
Dunno. Focused on ribs right now. Can't find any ribs locally that suit so I got my mind set on doing my own. Same thing happened a few years back with apple pie. I make apple pies completely from scratch only on Thanksgiving. Took a couple of years but I about nailed apple pie to my satisfaction. Family members started enquiring if I was going to do apple pie three months ahead of time last year.
Rib fest is NEXT weekend. Son in law that got a sample of the last batch thought it was this Sunday too and was very disappointed. I think I have all my ducks in a row so all I have to do is not screw something up.
Not big on poultry. SWMBO likes chicken but is against smoked. I got her to try smoked turkey once. Explained thoroughly ahead of time how it would be red inside but that didn't mean anything. The menu even stated all that clearly too. She still balked. Took me over ten years to convince her not to order her steak well done. I still think she only orders it medium well now because I stare fixedly at here when she orders and she knows she'll hear all the comments about shoe leather, worst piece of meat in the kitchen, burned to a crisp, etc. I give up on trying to get her to order medium.
I like my cooking but it's fun to share. She's not into anything smoked, yet. Kind of crimps my smoking activities a little.
 
OK.....until SWMBO is more acceptable to smoked meats, you have to tread lightly. Since I mainly concentrate with fish, especially salmon which is what the SWMBO catches, it's a shoe in. You on the other hand need to be more careful.
 
I can completely relate to the overcooked chicken part of that. After having one hell of a case of salmonella poisoning, it took me years to eat chicken that wasn't leather.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
 
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