rookie

[KyDog]

Well finally pulled the trigger, wife has been on me for awhile about getting a smoker and I have been putting her off for a while. I work 6 days a week and time is tight on the weekends for babysitting wood burner.
Finally gave in and have  a new model #2 coming, supposed to be delivered tomorrow. Also ordered the maverick 733 and instant temp thermo.
Getting a little anxious , ready to cook something. Any tips for a beginner?
Thanks Dave

 

[NDKoze]

Well, you definitely made a great choice and getting the 733 right away was smart.

A couple things to know:

* You do not need a lot of wood in these smokers. I would get a digital scale, because you will weigh your wood in ounces, not lbs. For example, the typical rib smoke only uses 2-3 ounces of wood.
* These smokers are air-tight, so keep a lot of the moisture in. But, you will benefit by buying some tin mini-loaf pans to fill with Apple Juice, Beer, water, etc to add some extra flaver and serve as a heat sink.
* If you don't have any, a set of Bear Claws work great for pulling pork. Do a search on Amazon and you will see what I mean.

I always recommend that new users try a Boston Butt first as it is pretty fool proof and we want your first experience to be a good one. I always brine my butts and there are several good recipes in the Pork section for you to check out.

Other than that, welcome to the world of what many of us here call "Lazy-Q" because we don't have to baby-sit our smokers and constantly add wood. For example, for a typical Boston Butt smoke, I put the butt in my smoker at midnight or so and go to bed and sleep like a baby knowing that all will be well overnight and my butt will be ready the next day (1.5-2.0 hours per pound).

 

[jdiver]

Feel free to ask any question you may have. And also look over threads from other users, new and old alike. I've only had my #2 for a couple weeks. In that short time, I've done ribs twice, Brisket and Butt once. Oh forgot about the chicken pieces.

Still working on getting chicken perfected. But all the other stuff I did, I'm very pleased and would serve to guests.

I got the Cart, and glad I did. Puts it at the perfect height.

Have fun...

 

[KyDog]

Thanks , I'll put the scales and loaf pans on my to buy list.
And as for the cart I have to break the wife in slowly.lol
I did  a lot of looking and reading before I bought anything. I looked at other similar smokers
(Smoking TeX and cookshack) but the Smokin-it seemed like the best value.
I'm sure I will have plenty of questions.
Thanks Dave

 

[DivotMaker]

Welcome, Ky!  You made a great choice with the #2 - you'll love it!  Spend some time around the boards here, and you'll see just about any question you have has probably been answered!  We're here to help, so don't be shy about letting us know how we can assist you.  I look forward to your participation, and hearing/seeing your successes! (btw, we LOVE pictures of great Q around here!) ;D

 

[swthorpe]

Welcome Dave to the smoking-it family!  Great group of folks here that have been sharing lots of good recipes and techniques.    If you haven't seen it already, take a look at the forum topic on "what to do when it arrives" under the user guide heading...a couple of posts there are helpful in describing the unpacking and seasoning process for the smoker.  Cheers

 

[tbcop-is-smokin]

Welcome Kydog,
You will absolutely love your smoker. One of the best on the market.
This is an awesome place to be. These folks here know their business..
They have helped me out tremendously. Hope to see you around here..
Welcome
Tony

 

[KyDog]

i see the Auber controller in my near future, ultimate goal is to set and forget.
I would also like to be able to smoke some venison summer sausage in the future, is the Auber capable of being set to set to start at 140' for "x" amount of time then step up to finish finish temp. for x amount of time and shut off when IT hits finish temp.?
Dave

 

[Walt]

Yes

 

[swthorpe]

Yes the Auber will do this.    Even without the Auber, though, you will be able to set the SI and forget it!  I will wait for #2 to complete one heating cycle (about 30-45 mins), and then I am off and doing other things...just check in periodically for IT of the meat using my Maverick, that's about it!    Nothing better than starting a boston butt in the evening and going to bed!

 

[jdiver]

it's my wife's birthday the end of this month. Trying to rationalize how she'd love an Auber. I don't quite have it down yet

But seriously, even without it, the process is so simple. Expect to be eating too much Q... And loving it.

 

[DivotMaker]

it's my wife's birthday the end of this month. Trying to rationalize how she'd love an Auber. I don't quite have it down yet

But seriously, even without it, the process is so simple. Expect to be eating too much Q... And loving it.

If she doesn't love it when she unwraps it, you can always use the "Well, if you don't want it, I know someone who does!" line on her!  ;D  ...then consider running.