1st smoke

F

Finally Smokin

New member
I am ready for my first smoke. I have seasoned my 2d and will wrap the smoke box and line the bottom with foil while poking the hole. I plan on smoking with maple from smokinlicious.

I am smoking a 10.5 lb pork butt bone in. It is currently sitting in a brine recipe I took from Divot maker on the forum here.

I was thinking of putting it in at 9 tonight with the hopes of eating around 5 to 6 tomorrow.

Am I missing anything? Any advice is welcome as you can see I am a virgin to this process.

Thanks
Roland
Spring Lake, NC.
 
+1.  I would recommend setting the 2D for 235F and you should be OK on time.  My butts usually take 1.5 hours per pound.  At this rate, and starting at 9pm, you should finish in plenty of time to allow for some resting time...double wrap the butt and place in a cooler wrapped in towels.  The resting period is very important to allowing the juices to redistribute in your meat.

Let us know how it goes ... and we like pics!  :)
 
I think you have a great plan for your first smoke.

My butts are usually 7.5-8.5 lbs and I start at 11pm-12am and run at 225 and am always ready by 5pm-6pm the next day with a good 2-4 hour double foil wrapped rest in the cooler.

But, with a little more mass on a 10+ pounder, you might need to go to 235 even considering you are starting earlier that I normally do.

Don't be concerned if you wake up in the morning and the meat is already at 165-175 or so. This is a when you will typically run into the "stall" which will level off and sometimes even go down a degree for several hours. This is where the magic happens, so try hard to avoid bumping the temp during this time. Once you pass the stall you can bump the heat up to 240-250 or so if need be to get the final temp around 190 before pulling and resting.

Good luck on your first smoke. I whole-heartedly agree with doing a Boston Butt as your first smoke as it is pretty foolproof and hard to screw up which pretty much ensures that your first smoke will be a good one.

Don't forget the pics or we won't believe it really happened. :P
 
I know I am full of questions but hey that's a method of learning.

I used a stainless steel container that is restaurant grade to brine in, are there any issues with that.
 
5.5 ounces of Maple sounds perfect!

I think there are some problems with Aluminum containers as they can have a reaction, but I think steel is OK. Others can correct me if I am wrong.

This is what I use:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001E0JMCC/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2GRXSFH4CWZTC&coliid=I2X3BPXE6S3HSC&psc=1

I have a couple of different sizes.
 
You will be set up perfectly with 5.5oz of wood, and it should be nothing but ash when the smoke is finished.  You will notice a lot of smoke in the first hour or so of the smoke, and then the smoke tapers off.  Don't worry, the wood will still be producing smoke inside the 2D when the heating element is on.

One other suggestion:  put a small pan with liquid on the floor next to wood box for added moisture.  I use a small AL loaf pan and usually fill half way up with apple juice, but any liquid will be fine.
 
I have the read the same in regards to aluminum, however this is a stainless steel container. I think it is OK. Please chime in if there is any issue. 
 
Sounds like you have a plan, Roland.  I second what the guys have told you.  Personally, I would recommend getting a food-safe plastic container for brining.  So many things I use in brine, like salt and vinegar, can react with aluminum or stainless.  Everything I've ever read about brining recommends plastic.  You can use the stainless pan as a container, as long as you put the meat & brine in a big plastic bag inside.  I do this with larger items that won't fit in my briner jr.  For really big stuff (whole turkey, briskets), I use a cooler!  Fill it with brine, meat, and as many ice bags (or frozen water bottles) as you can fit!  Never add the ice without it contained, or it will dilute your brine as it melts.
 
thanks of the info. I did brine it in stainless, hopefully won't be an issue. After 12 hrs in the brine I rinsed it well and patted dry. I smeared yellow mustard over all of it and rubbed it down with Famous Daves Seasoning, set the dip at 235 with the temp probe reading F. Placed the probe away from the bone and the pig away from the sensor.

Is 235 okay or should it be lower?
 
Finally Smokin said:
I just read the PDF guide DivotMaker posted under temps, wood etc and it says 225 so I reduced the heat.
Click to expand...
Don't believe the guide.  It works but literally adds hours to the smoke time.
 
Finally Smokin said:
I just read the PDF guide DivotMaker posted under temps, wood etc and it says 225 so I reduced the heat.
Click to expand...

225 is a good temp, but I normally do butts at 235 now.  There is no difference in the outcome, except time is shorter.  Great reminder that I need to update the time/temp chart!  We learn as we go!
 
I use 225 because of when I want my meal done, not because it is better or worse than 235.

I have just found that after many many butt smokes with virtually all the same sized butts (7.5-8.5 lbs) that if I put them in at 11pm-12am I know they will be done with just enough time for a 2-4 hour rest before my 5-6pm mealtime.

If I smoked at 235, I would have to put the butt in later than 12pm or use the smoker as a warmer because the meat would get to temp too early which I just don't want to do.

I will say that when I smoke larger butts or doubles I do smoke at 235. But for a single 7.5-8.5 lb butt going in at midnight I always smoke at 225.

So ultimately you have to smoke lots of meat, keep track of your times and results, and adjust according to your needs.

So, Tony if you make a change to the guide my thought would be to put a range of say 225-240 or something like that.

Just my 2 cents.
 
Finally Smokin said:
I know I am full of questions but hey that's a method of learning.

I used a stainless steel container that is restaurant grade to brine in, are there any issues with that.
Click to expand...

The Cambro food-safe plastic containers are my favorites. I have a couple sizes and shapes with lids. The restaurant-grade stainless steel container you brined in will probably be okay, but with the brine having a fair bit of salt, and if it has acidity, it is possible that it could pick up a metallic taste. When I brine in something other than the Cambro containers, such as a standard (non-food-safe) 5 gallon bucket, I buy the plastic Reynolds oven roasting bags. They come 2 per box, and I double bag the meat. They are very reasonably priced as opposed to buying specific "brining" bags. Place the bagged meat in a container large enough, that if the bag breaks, it can contain all of the liquid (I've never had these break, they are stronger than they look). The chicken-size bags will fit a pork butt.

Here is one site to find the Cambro containers. If you want to check other sites, the important search words are "Cambro polycarbonate food storage container" and "graduated container" will narrow it down to what is shown here, which are the best for brining, and all sorts of things. Get the lid too while you are at it.

http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/search?term=cambro%20polycarbonate&filter=0:Department:Graduated%20Containers
 
Well the butt went great.  I will add picks once I  figure out how...
All of the info was fantastic.  I have never had a bark so thick and full of flavors. 

This smoking thing is addicting and I can't wait to smoke something else.  Possibly chicken next..
 
I'm looking forward to seeing the pics Roland.

Here is a link that deals with how to post pictures:
http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=1272.0

Fortunately, you don't have to resize your pictures anymore because a change was made to the forum that auto-shrinks the pictures to an acceptable size.
 
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