First time using smoker.. Advice?

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olotti

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I want to use my smoker for the first time this weekend, it's a propane 2 door style, anything I need to do to treat or season it before I use it Saturday? Any suggestions on what would b the best thing for a first time smoker to cook?
 
I'm not a long time smoking guru, but I have been using my cookshack at least once a week for the last year and have learned a couple things.

First part about seasoning...you don't really need a lot of it, but some helps to seal the doors better and prevent smoke leakage. I seasoned mine with about 4 oz of hickory smoked over 4 hours in an empty oven.

First thing to cook is definitely pork butt! Season it however you want really, just make sure to not skimp too much on the salt and that a lot of acid (lemon, lime, vinegar) is really good to cut the fatty richness that is pork. I love using a pork mop for this while shredding the meat.

Plan on 12-18 hours for your first butt, depending on the size. Smaller being a shorter time. Internal temp you want 195+ F, which will give you deliciously succulent shredding meat. A little lower is better if you want chunks or to slice it.

As for wood types, you cant go wrong with hickory. Other great choices include apple, cherry and pecan. Fruit wood and pork go well, but I like a little hickory mixed in as well.
 
Pork butts. Get a couple boston butts, bone-in. It's impossible (I think) to overcook them. Keep the temp under 250. Pull them when the internal temp gets to 200. You can let them go longer, including overnight, if you keep the temperature low.

It's really easy to make an awesome tangy vinegar sauce for pulled pork. Don't put store-bought BBQ sauce on there. That's my opinion after cooking a LOT of butts in the past.

Add wood when the meat is cold. I.e., add the wood right when you put the meat on. It's then that it will have it's biggest impact. Once the hard bark is formed on the meat, smoking is pointless.

Don't bother soaking the wood. If you can get "chunks", they are better, but even the little shredded chips are fine. No point in soaking.

If you're looking, you ain't cooking. Leave it closed. Find a good thermometer to monitor temperatures while the smoker is closed.
 
If you're looking, you ain't cooking. Leave it closed. Find a good thermometer to monitor temperatures while the smoker is closed.

This is in line with what my suggestion was going to be: learn that less is more. I totally agree with passedpawn's point, but will take it one step farther. I'm a tinkerer; the hardest part of smoking (and homebrewing, for that matter) for me to learn is that sometimes you just have to take your hands off and go do something else. Let the smoker do it's thing, resist the urge to tinker. Once you have the temperature nailed and the smoke's rolling, tincture of time is all that it needs.
 
Pork butts. Get a couple boston butts, bone-in. It's impossible (I think) to overcook them. Keep the temp under 250. Pull them when the internal temp gets to 200. You can let them go longer, including overnight, if you keep the temperature low.

It's really easy to make an awesome tangy vinegar sauce for pulled pork. Don't put store-bought BBQ sauce on there. That's my opinion after cooking a LOT of butts in the past.

Add wood when the meat is cold. I.e., add the wood right when you put the meat on. It's then that it will have it's biggest impact. Once the hard bark is formed on the meat, smoking is pointless.

Don't bother soaking the wood. If you can get "chunks", they are better, but even the little shredded chips are fine. No point in soaking.

If you're looking, you ain't cooking. Leave it closed. Find a good thermometer to monitor temperatures while the smoker is closed.

Cool thanks for the reply and advice. Now will I need to add more chips throughout the smoking process? And I'm assuming I'll need to add water to the pan at some point also.
 
Keeping water in the pan is critical. Once mine gets below 1 1/2 from the top, I add water. When seasoning smoker for the first time, I've always used a mild chip like cherry or applewood. Smoke on highest heat setting for 2-3 hours with NO WATER. the no water part is important. Basically, it "opens the pores" of the metal and helps lock in the flavor for future smoking sessions.

Save a few beers out of every batch and add 12-16 ounces to your water. It really adds a nice flavor to the meat as well especially if it's something like a porter or heavy malt flavored beer.

We love our smoker and use nearly every weekend, winter included. In colder weather, I wrap it in an old moving blanket and let her rip.
 
Cool thanks for the reply and advice. Now will I need to add more chips throughout the smoking process? And I'm assuming I'll need to add water to the pan at some point also.

I've always added the wood right when I added the meat, and maybe 15 or 20 minutes later. That's it.

Yes, keep water in your pan if you're trying to keep the temperature low. I don't put water in mine anymore, but I have a temperature controller on my smoker that maintains the temps perfectly (you will probably want to look into one of those someday - makes overnight smoking easy).

I can't recommend any "seasoning" techniques as I bought my smoker used, and I don't believe in seasoning it anyway.
 
It probably says this in the manual, but you want to run it as hot as it'll go for a few hours before you use it for food, to burn off any manufacturing oils.

And I second passedpawn on the thermometer... The standard door thermometers are useless.

I recommend a dual-temp oven thermometer that has both an ambient and a meat probe. This way you know the temp at the grate as well as the internal temp of the meat. You can get inexpensive ones, or go with one that has remote capability, depending on your budget. I find that having the Maverick ET-732 has made my life easier.

Last, it's generally good to have an instant-read meat thermometer as well.

If you don't want to put in the time for pulled pork right up front, try ribs.
 
Need to heat to highest temp for at least 1/2 hour to burn off manufacturing oils.

As for type of meat, if you have smoked before do what you like best. If not I recommend ribs. Butt or brisket is tough to get done right if your not familiar with your box. Ribs are a little more forgiving for temp issues and new smokers may not cook even in all areas. I've used a couple different smokers and they are all different. Biggest thing is be patient, and have fun.
 
Keep it simple and start with a rack of ribs. Peel the membrane off the back, then coat them front and back with a good dry rub. Low and slow is the key. 250 F for several hours. And if you're looking, you're not cooking.
 
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