Prepping for first smoke.

[AlienSockpuppet]

I've been tracking my new #2 since it got on the truck in MI on Thursday. It should be here tomorrow!

Needless to say, I want to have everything ready to go for my first smoke on Wednesday (after I season the smoker on Tuesday).  Before I buy the wood, I have a couple of questions about chips vs chunks. How are they different in terms of smoke produced over time and total flavor. Is there an advantage or disadvantage to mixing the two?  Also do y'all generally soak your wood before you start.

Thanks

 

[SuperDave]

Scott,
There is no real advantage to soaking your wood as it just delays the start of smoke production but doesn't make the smoke production period any longer.  As for chips versus chunks, everyone has their own opinion and preferences.  I like to mix chips and chunks so that the chips start quicker and the chunks last longer.  Others here use all chunks, some include some pellets....., so there is no right or wrong answer on the mix. 

 

[swthorpe]

+1.  I don't soak my wood chunks as very little water would be absorbed into the hard wood (unless you were soaking for days).    I see no reason why you could not mix chips and chunks in a smoke, but I would suggest getting the chip screen for your wood box.  I personally only use wood chunks, and the smoke is rolling within 15 minutes of starting the smoker.

Welcome to the club, and happy smok'in!

 

[gregbooras]

Welcome Scott for Saint Augustine.

I only use chunks, my favorite woods are Oak, Apple and Wild Cherry (but I have lots of other kinds also).

Greg

 

[AlienSockpuppet]

Thanks, guys.

I'm thinking oak or hickory for my first smoke.  I've long been a fan of oak, but it has the unfortunate side effect of making me drool if I burn it in the fireplace during winter.

 

[swthorpe]

I have some oak wood but have not used it yet.  What types of meat work well with oak?

 

[DivotMaker]

I have some oak wood but have not used it yet.  What types of meat work well with oak?

Anything, in my book, but it's best on beef (imo).  Pretty mild, traditional smoke taste.

 

[AlienSockpuppet]

I have some oak wood but have not used it yet.  What types of meat work well with oak?

My favorite general-purpose wood.  I think it works particularly well with stronger-tasting meats like fish and beef, because it doesn't compete with the flavors that are already there.  It's my when-in-doubt wood for that reason.

 

[AlienSockpuppet]

UPS just delivered my new baby boy. He's on the back porch now, seasoning.  First smoke tomorrow!!!

 

[gregbooras]

Keep us posted Scott !

Greg

 

[Coyote]

You will love it! I know I do mine!

 

[swthorpe]

Way to go, Scott!  Good luck with the first smoke...take some pics.  Cheers

 

[Tyarra]

It went well ...?

First stumbling block - When I unwrapped the pork roast the night before for rubbing, I discovered that it had been cut in two pieces.  Which ... well, okay, shouldn't take quite so much time, right?  So, I rubbed down both pieces, and tucked 'em into the fridge overnight.

Took them out the next day, to let them sit and add another layer of rub.  We loaded up the smoker, inserted temperature probes, and got everything all set to go.  Not too much longer, we could smell the smoke.  Yum!  And, ignoring it wasn't too hard, as we had the receiver part of the thermometer to check on at intervals.

Which lead to the next issue.  The pair of them took at least as long as one whole one would have typically taken in our wood pit.  I don't know if that's just the nature of the SI, or if the fact that we couldn't set these half-roasts fat side up (they ended up on the side), made it take so much time.

And, that of course, was another issue, but despite it all, they came out pretty good, and the first smoke deemed a qualified success.

 

[DivotMaker]

Hi Leah!  Welcome!

How big were the 2 butts, and how long did they take?  Also, what temp did you smoke them at, and did you do anything "extra," like opening the door and spritzing/mopping/foiling?  How far apart were they?  Separate shelves, or jammed up against each other?

Sorry for so many questions, but details about your process really helps us to help you!  If you're used to a wood pit, you will have some old habits to break, and some new habits to learn.  Give us some details, and we'll get you heading in the right direction!

 

[Tyarra]

Hi Tony, thanks for the welcome!

Between the two, they weighed 6.75 pounds.  I didn't think to weigh them separately, but they looked to be pretty evenly sized. 

We smoked them at 220° F.  We set the target temperature at 180° F.

We estimated that they'd take about 5 hours, being about 3.5 pounds each.  It actually took about 12 hours.  One finished a little sooner than the other. 

We did set them on the same rack, but there was space between them, a couple of inches, I'd say.  They were also on the top rack, with probably three to four inches of head space. 

We didn't open the door until the first one indicated that it was done, we removed it, and let the other one go until it registered as done.

I think I got all the questions.

 

[DivotMaker]

Between the two, they weighed 6.75 pounds.  I didn't think to weigh them separately, but they looked to be pretty evenly sized. 

We smoked them at 220° F.  We set the target temperature at 180° F.  Were you smoking them to slice, or for pulled pork?  175 for sliced, 195 for pulled, should be your target temps.

We estimated that they'd take about 5 hours, being about 3.5 pounds each.  It actually took about 12 hours.  One finished a little sooner than the other.  There's your problem.  3.5 lb pork roasts (you probably had picnic roasts, not Boston butts) will take WAY longer to smoke than larger cuts.  Had that been a 7 lb butt, it would have taken around 7 - 10 hours.  Funny thing about small cuts; they take about 3 times as long as big ones!  Next time, get a bone-in Boston butt in the 8+ lb range.  You'll be glad you did!

We did set them on the same rack, but there was space between them, a couple of inches, I'd say.  They were also on the top rack, with probably three to four inches of head space.  Good.

We didn't open the door until the first one indicated that it was done, we removed it, and let the other one go until it registered as done.  Also good.  Your problem was the size of the roasts.

Next time, try a larger bone-in Boston butt pork shoulder for pulled pork.  Nothing better, and 8-10 lbs is the way to go!

 

[AlienSockpuppet]

We've had really good luck with picnic cuts in the past, but the grocery store kind of screwed us with this one.  What we bought LOOKED like a single cut of meat, but when we opened it up it had been cut in half. No idea why.  An unfortunate side effect was that each half was unbalanced and the fat caps were tilted and off to one side.  Overall, it still came out great, but the meat closer to the fat caps was definitely superior.