terry13111
New member
Ordered my first smoker, a 3D, last night. I am pretty excited cause I've wanted one for a while and finally bought a home where I had some space for one. So, any advice for a newbie? Tips, tricks, techniques?
First smoker, a 3D on its way
- Thread starter terry13111
- Start date
terry - Congratulations on the new home and the new smoker. A good place to start is under the heading User Guidelines and Instructions. The locked out sections are chock full of good information derived from a lot of trial and error. Also, the link below is also very helpful, especially the Lazy-Q Book. I suggest printing out anything that you find useful for a handy reference. You can also do a search for a particular topic. Enjoy!
http://www.smokin-it.com/Articles.asp?ID=251
http://www.smokin-it.com/Articles.asp?ID=251
Durangosmoker
Member
Congratulations on your new smoker. Dave is right about the scale, and I would add a remote thermometer to the list. Oh, and some pants with elastic waistbands - you are about to enjoy some serious good eats! Cheers
terry13111
New member
Thanks for the replies. Can anyone reccomend a good economical scale?
As for advice (specific to these smokers and other similar electrics)...
1) Do NOT measure the box temp - there is no value in it unless you truly have cause to believe there is a malfunction. Otherwise it's going to cause you completely unnecessary stress and provide zero value.
2) Trust the smoker and don't mess with it... put your food in, set the temp, and let it do its thing. Don't open the door, don't futz with it.
3) This is really #2 in another way... when the stall hits go have a beer, take a nap, whatever... just leave the smoker alone and let it do its job. Do NOT open the door, foil/crutch, etc.
4) Get a good meter that you can trust to give you a reliable internal temp as this is the best way to know when briskets, butts, and similar are done. A dual probe meter is extremely handy.
5) Don't panic that there is no smoke ring... a smoke ring is purely aesthetic and you're not going to get one with an electric smoker without extra (unnecessary) effort.
6) I like to brine butts, briskets, and turkeys. It's not absolutely necessary, but I prefer it as it seems to reduce the length of the smoke, retains more moisture, and allows even lesser cuts of meat to be very successfully smoked.
1) Do NOT measure the box temp - there is no value in it unless you truly have cause to believe there is a malfunction. Otherwise it's going to cause you completely unnecessary stress and provide zero value.
2) Trust the smoker and don't mess with it... put your food in, set the temp, and let it do its thing. Don't open the door, don't futz with it.
3) This is really #2 in another way... when the stall hits go have a beer, take a nap, whatever... just leave the smoker alone and let it do its job. Do NOT open the door, foil/crutch, etc.
4) Get a good meter that you can trust to give you a reliable internal temp as this is the best way to know when briskets, butts, and similar are done. A dual probe meter is extremely handy.
5) Don't panic that there is no smoke ring... a smoke ring is purely aesthetic and you're not going to get one with an electric smoker without extra (unnecessary) effort.
6) I like to brine butts, briskets, and turkeys. It's not absolutely necessary, but I prefer it as it seems to reduce the length of the smoke, retains more moisture, and allows even lesser cuts of meat to be very successfully smoked.
volscrazy65
New member
Congrats on your new smoker. I went with the 3D for my very first smoker also. My best advice would be to do lots of reading on here. There is a ton of good info. Ask question too.
As for scales, I got one off Amazon that had very good reviews. I think it was around $12. It doesn't have to be anything fancy.
I would also recommend ordering some good wood from Smokinlicious.
As for scales, I got one off Amazon that had very good reviews. I think it was around $12. It doesn't have to be anything fancy.
I would also recommend ordering some good wood from Smokinlicious.
