Seasoning my little guy

[vincel]

After some help from forum members I decided on the little guy.  Had it for a week, finally getting to the seasonings process.  I'm fabricating a cart so I didn't see a need to install the wheels yet

 

[SuperDave]

Just something about seeing smoke rising out of that hole makes a guy feel good.  Enjoy the new smoker!

 

[Durangosmoker]

Please show us the cart once you have it complete, and welcome to the club.

 

[vincel]

Will do Eric.  Nothing fancy, fabricating a 20 X 20 foot print about 36" tall by welding some stainless angle iron.  Will use the supplied wheels

 

[vincel]

The seasoning process went well.  Used the three wood dowels staggered evenly in the  chip pan as per recommendation.  Middle block was 100% used block nearest the back wall 90% used and block closest to the door was at 80%.  Starting a nice patina inside.

 

[old sarge]

The seasoning adds a nice aroma to the formerly sterile interior. It only gets better with each smoke.

 

[LarryD]

Congrats and welcome to the family!

 

[SconnieQ]

Welcome Vince!

 

[JustChillin]

Welcome to the lazy crazy world of smoking Vince.

 

[ibbones]

So...what are you gonna smoke first?

 

[vincel]

For my first cook I think I'll do a boston butt. That would probably be best for my first.
Some things I need to get like brine bags some spices heavy foil etc.
We need a list of accessories for first timers

 

[SconnieQ]

Also a scale to weigh your wood, and some type of remote thermometer (like Maverick or other) to measure both meat and ambient temperature. For brining you might want to invest in a Cambro container. 12 quart squares are a good size for butts and chickens, and fit in most refrigerators. Brining bags can get expensive, and still need to be put into a container.

 

[Gene]

May I suggest some heat resistant rubber gloves?
And I've found that keeping good notes of each smoke comes in handy down the line.
Also, stock up on those disposable aluminum steam table pans.  The half size fit perfectly in my #1.
 

 

[SconnieQ]

And some small disposable aluminum mini loaf pans, for setting some water next to the fire box.

 

[vincel]

Thanks for the recommendations!
I have a remote with a single probe....do I need a dual probe thermometer?  I thought that the rheostat controller would be close enough for ambient?

Vince

 

[SconnieQ]

I have a remote with a single probe....do I need a dual probe thermometer?  I thought that the rheostat controller would be close enough for ambient?

Good point. To tell you the truth, I used to drop in an ambient probe when I first got my smoker, but I don't use my ambient probe anymore, unless I am doing a cold smoke, like salmon lox. The rheostat works fine for all of my smokes over 150. If you find that your smokes are taking much longer or shorter than expected, you might find a need to check the ambient temperature, but that is scenario is unlikely.

 

[LarryD]

I have a remote with a single probe....do I need a dual probe thermometer?  I thought that the rheostat controller would be close enough for ambient?

Do yourself a favor and never, ever measure the box temp unless you have an extremely good reason to believe the smoker is malfunctioning.  It will drive you nuts and provide you no value at all.  The box temp is going to swing +/- 30 degrees during the smoke, but over the long haul it all works out with no ill effects.

Do you need a dual probe meter?  Probably not need, but I do find that I use both probes quite frequently.  If I have a large brisket I'll cut it in half and probe both the flat and the point separately.  I frequently smoke butts two at a time and will probe both.  Even for a Turkey I'll probe two locations so that I have a sanity check and backup.

 

[SconnieQ]

Larry makes a good point. Checking the ambient temp on the #1 will also make you nuts. Besides my Maverick, I have 2 or 3 inexpensive digital thermometers around, similar to the link below, for when I want to probe more than one place on a single piece of meat (like turkey white meat and dark meat), or when I want to probe multiple pieces of meat (like whole packer brisket, which I cut in two pieces to fit in the #1, or two butts).
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ThermoPro-TP04-Large-LCD-Digital-Cooking-Kitchen-Food-Meat-Thermometer-for-BBQ-Grill-Oven-Smoker-Built-in-Clock-Timer-with-Stainless-Steel-Probe/549681020

 

[Buck]

I have never measured box temp and I never will absent a major malfunction with my s1 - there is no reason for it.  Just probe the meat.  And check that the temp light is on.