Smoker ? help a brother out ...

[elwestb]

I just got a small smoker to play with and learn on for now. I want to graduate to something else later. I've got a big gas grill but I wanted to play with a smoker and some charcoal. I want to do a pork butt or loin and some Chicken breast for the forth. What do I need and do? Get me started please! How long to cook, what temp, liquid marinate or dry rub, what kind, flavor? I don't want this to be a BBQ sauce deal. I know there are some of you guys out there that are really good at this! Help a brother out! My wife is laughing at me and said
I'll never make this work! Fire away with ideas and recipes, and thank you!

 

[Buoy-Master]

Ought to see the beast I'm building! There's a ton of info out there...just google like I do.

 

[AThornton]

check out bbq-brethren.com

Anything you would ever need or want to know about smoking...

 

[foodsaver]

pm sent

 

[derek81]

First off get good fuel, I like True Cue lump charcoal which you can find at home depot, it burns longer and more consistent than normal charcoal briquettes. I like dry rub over liquid marinade, especially for pork and use a mild wood for smoking the first few times until you get a hang of the amount of smoking needed to get the taste you desire, pecan or apple wood are both good, I found some pecan wood last time i was at academy, they have a killer grill/smoking section. If you can keep your temp around 250 your meat should come out good, get a good meat thermometer that way you know it's ready. The chicken needs to be cooked until 165 and the pork 155 to 160, keep in mind the meat will continue to cook after being removed, larger the cut the longer it will continue to cook. There is a lot to learn and some cuts of meat are a lot easier to cook than others but you'll figure that out the more you cook.

Hope this helps, good luck!

 

[angst]

elwestb</p>

Is it a bullet style or a firebox on the side style? We can give some more specific tips based on the type you have.
</p>

Chicken is a great way to get started. Walmart has thighs or quarters very cheap in the big packages. I have been dong those regularly for months really have a rhythm down and its pretty cheap eats too.
</p>

If your into doing a roast or similar then by all means go for it right away. The likelihood of ruining it is very very low, but just like your gas grill you will find intricacies of your equipment and how the temperatures behave. A few runs with some casual cuts of meat and you will have a better handle on hitting the temp you are targeting. </p>

You will find that it takes a much smaller fire that is re-fueled much less often than you might think.
</p>

Most google searches will have you at the high side of 250f. My personal preference is around 250f and try to err or the side of too cold rather than too hot cuz you can always go longer, but I will end up in the 350f neighbourhood sometimes if a piece of wood flares up. Ive done as few as three hours at these temps followed by a quick sear right over the coals, but usually I go for about 6 hours at these temps.
</p>

Regarding marinades. It is considered essential by most to either marinate or soak in brine. Ive had several batches of meat that turned out very disappointingly too salty as a result. My opinion is a couple hours max for red meats and be very cautious of the cumulative amount of salt from using many varieties of premixed spices in your marinade which all have salt in them. </p>

Chicken is much more tolerant to taking on the salt. The only caution with chicken marinades if there is vinegar or wine acidic things like fruit jucie in them to drop back to a couple hour maximum marinade time as excessive marinade time can make the meat mushy as a reaction to the acidity. </p>

For dry rubs just go nuts and have fun throwing everything in the cabinet at it. Again be cautious of how most every pre mixed spice has some salt and it all adds up. Don't forget sugar in the mix for dry rub. It does a nice job of balancing out some tastes and it also give a little carmelization on the surface. </p>

Don't forget that there are many wood choices beyond hickory and mesquite. Apple and pecan are top of my list. Pecan wood is a particularly good choice for chicken. </p>

Edit: derek81 saw your post after I posted. How does that Tru Cue stack up against the Royal Oak natural charcoal at walmart? Ive been using the Royal Oak and like it a lot but a quick look around the net and it looks like Tru Cue has some pretty good street cred. </p>

I can't believe I only found out about "real" charcoal this year. Kingsford bricketts are the chicken mc nuggets of the charcoal world.
</p>

 

[tyler ware]

Hickory, I got tons. 220F 1 pork butt with dry rub, paprika, garlic, cayanne, salt, pepper, and what ever else. smoke heavily for 1-2 hrs at 220F then wrap in foil and continue to cook at 220F smoke optional at this time, as the smoke flavor will only go so deep. Full cook time, 8-12hr depending on size and average temp. Same with chicken, and ribs, but the time is less. Start here and move forward.

 

[foodsaver]

just remember thin blue smoke not thick white smoke. Also typically you would cook chicken at a higher temp even up to 350 or 400 degrees if you want the fat to render from the skin and make the skin nice and crispy.

 

[Buoy-Master]

I'm building the barrel smoker from hell.
1/4 Mat'l - 31 inch diameter - 4 feet tall.

 

[SpurHunter]

Tyler you are really missing out if you are wrapping yours in foil for any part of the cook. JMHO

 

[elwestb]

Thank you all! I'll be a work in progress! Billy, what Batallion are you planning to feed?

 

[derek81]

angst - 6/23/2010 11:06 PM



elwestb</p>

Is it a bullet style or a firebox on the side style?   We can give some more specific tips based on the type you have.
</p>

Chicken is a great way to get started.    Walmart has thighs or quarters very cheap in the big packages.    I have been dong those regularly for months really have a rhythm down and its pretty cheap eats too. 
</p>

If your into doing a roast or similar then by all means go for it right away.    The likelihood of ruining it is very very low, but just like your gas grill you will find intricacies of your equipment and how the temperatures behave.  A few runs with some casual cuts of meat and you will have a better handle on hitting the temp you are targeting.  </p>

You will find that it takes a much smaller fire that is re-fueled much less often than you might think.  
</p>

Most google searches will have you at the high side of 250f.  My personal preference is around 250f and try to err or the side of too cold rather than too hot cuz you can always go longer, but I will end up in the 350f neighbourhood sometimes if a piece of wood flares up.    Ive done as few as three hours at these temps followed by a quick sear right over the coals, but usually I go for about 6 hours at these temps.
</p>

Regarding marinades.  It is considered essential by most to either marinate or soak in brine.  Ive had several batches of meat that turned out very disappointingly too salty as a result.  My opinion is a couple hours max for red meats and be very cautious of the cumulative amount of salt from using many varieties of premixed spices in your marinade which all have salt in them.  </p>

Chicken is much more tolerant to taking on the salt.  The only caution with chicken marinades if there is vinegar or wine acidic things like fruit jucie in them to drop back to a couple hour maximum marinade time as excessive marinade time can make the meat mushy as a reaction to the acidity.  </p>

For dry rubs just go nuts and have fun throwing everything in the cabinet at it.  Again be cautious of how most every pre mixed spice has some salt and it all adds up.  Don't forget sugar in the mix for dry rub.  It does a nice job of balancing out some tastes and it also give a little carmelization on the surface.   </p>

Don't forget that there are many wood choices beyond hickory and mesquite.  Apple and pecan are top of my list.  Pecan wood is a particularly good choice for chicken.   </p>

Edit: derek81 saw your post after I posted.  How does that Tru Cue stack up against the Royal Oak natural charcoal at walmart?  Ive been using the Royal Oak and like it a lot but a quick look around the net and it looks like Tru Cue has some pretty good street cred.  </p>

I can't believe I only found out about "real" charcoal this year.  Kingsford bricketts are the chicken mc nuggets of the charcoal world.   
</p>

Tru Cue is great, i keep a couple bags at the house at all times since the nearest home depot is a 20 minute ride each way. Next time your out buy a bag and give it a try, i think you'll be very happy.

 

[angst]

foodsaver - just remember thin blue smoke not thick white smoke. Also typically you would cook chicken at a higher temp even up to 350 or 400 degrees if you want the fat to render from the skin and make the skin nice and crispy.

</p>

I'm not familiar with thin blue smoke vs thick white smoke. More details please. Are you simply saying go easy on the raw wood as light wisps of smoke are sufficient?
</p>

How long do you cook chicken if you are doing 350 to 400f?
</p>

 

[foodsaver]

I think you cook the chicken for about an hour and a half to two hours. Also I would be trying to cook it closer to the 350 than the 400. The thin blue smoke is hard to describe but it is light smoke rather than the heavy thick white smoke.

Spur the meat only takes smoke up to a certain internal temp after that you don't really lose anything by wrapping in foil but that is one of the more debated topics in bbq. If I bother to foil pork butts its after a good 6-8 hours though...

 

[derek81]

If you soak your wood chips for 20 or 30 minutes it reduces the white smoke and smokes longer.

 

[SpurHunter]

foodsaver - 6/24/2010 11:35 AM Spur the meat only takes smoke up to a certain internal temp after that you don't really lose anything by wrapping in foil but that is one of the more debated topics in bbq. If I bother to foil pork butts its after a good 6-8 hours though...

</p>

If your temps are low enough and your smoke is good, it will punch through even further. Since I smoke in ceramic, I never use a water-pan, just no need. Some do but its overkill in my opinion. When it comes to steel smokers, I assume its a bigger issue. A great gauge I use, watch a few epesodes of the BBQ Kings on TLC I think, they NEVER wrap anything in foil while cooking. If they dont, Im not going to either. </p>

The great joy of smoking meats, is the trial and error. Perfecting your BBQ is like figuring out a pattern for fish. Enjoy yourself no matter what!</p>

 

[derek81]

Well said Spur.

 

[angst]

<p class="MsoNormal">This thread has got me fired up. <span />Here is what I did today. Go get those smokers out people. Here is some inspiration.
</p><p class="MsoNormal">

</p> <p class="MsoNormal">24hr marinade w/spices including salt. No acidic components. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Apple and Pecan wood. Royal Oak natural charcoal. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">3hrs @ 200f</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Flipped over</p> <p class="MsoNormal">1hr @ 250f</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2hr @ 275-300</p> <p class="MsoNormal">A couple minutes per side directly over coals before serving. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">6hr total cooking time. (Chirozo about 2hr cooking time)
</p> <p class="MsoNormal"></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Snyopsis:</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I experimented with SpurHunters temp/penetration concept. I kept temps very low for first few hours and placed the chicken lower in the body of the smoker than usual (side box style). Smoke taste penetration seemed to be about the same at this 200f run as it did on prior 250f sessions. Normal sessions were exclusively Pecan wood and I had a nice big piece of Applewood for much of this session which added a variable though. </p><p class="MsoNormal">A full 8hs or more hrs closer to 200f would have been a good experiment but I was hungry after smelling the goodness all afternoon and started stepping up the temp.
</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Im happy to report that my chicken salt theory worked out. 24hours in salt based marinade did not impart any salty taste to the chicken.
</p>

 

[kdxdude]

www.thesmokering.com is a great website with plenty of info on smoker cookin. Pork butts, you can figure about 1 n a half to 2 hrs per pound at 225 degrees on your smoker. I do chicken at 275, wings usually take between 2 & 2.5 hrs. I usually use cherry wood & gives everything (beef,pork,chicken) a great flavor.

I use Moore's marinade, not as salty tasting as Dale's, for beef & pork. I marinade for 24 hrs. After I remove meat from marinade I use Bad Byron's Butt Rub with a bunch of other seasonings before I put meat on smoker, if it sounds good, throw it on there n try it.

I use a store bought lemon-pepper marinade for chicken & shrimp.

Good luck with your cook & if I can help ya in anyway I will!!

 

[elwestb]

... man you guys are good!