Surprise!

[sdaniels]

Look what somebody left on my doorstep today    I think I'm going to have to take off work tomorrow afternoon to get this baby seasoned and ready for the weekend  ;D  Is it OK to remove the protective plastic from the faceplate?

LOL, guess it would help if I actually attached the picture, huh?  Hmm, can't seem to get the pic in portrait mode - it shows up right on my laptop.

 

[afratki]

Very Good! Yes, take the protective film off the faceplate and I would recommend putting the smoker outside before you season it  ;D

 

[sdaniels]

Yes, outside would be good 

 

[sdaniels]

Prior to this I had a Masterbuilt 30" electric smoker... that thing was a joke compared to this beast!  I also had a WSM 18.5 so I'm really looking forward to seeing how this compares to it

 

[UWFSAE]

Congrats on the new toy ... it's like Christmas, but warmer.  Have you decided what you'll be throwing in there this weekend for your first smoke after seasoning?

 

[DivotMaker]

Better than Christmas, 'cause it lasts a lot longer!!  Congrats on a great purchase!  Andrew was right about the film over the controller!  You can't hardly see it, and I almost missed it before seasoning.  Whew!  Who wants melted plastic on top of their smoker?? You'll love this baby, compared to what you've had.  The WSM is a solid unit, but a bit over-priced, and a lot more high-maintenance.  You'll like the simplicity involved here!  Plug and play, baby!

Throw some pics up of the first smoke!

 

[sdaniels]

Well, I haven't put too much thought into the first smoke other than maybe keep it cheap and simple just in case (maybe meatloaf or some fatties)?  The kids are pushing for brisket but I want to make sure I have the hang of this thing before I pick up a packer.  I did have one more quick question - do you guys have a little play in your temp knob (about 1 to 1.5 ticks on the scale) when turning it?  Thanks for all the help thus far, y'all are great! 

 

[DivotMaker]

I just dial mine to the desired temp, and let 'er rip!  Haven't noticed any "play," but it's an analog dial, so there may be.  Just have confidence that the units are solid, and the temp will average-out well.  Btw, I recommend a Boston butt for pulled pork for the first smoke; it's almost fool-proof, and you'll get a good feel how that baby operates over 12-13 hours.

 

[sdaniels]

Did y'all put the locking casters on the back or the front of your smokers?

 

[UWFSAE]

I elected to put them on the back ... I rotate the smoker for use and store with the side flush with the wall.  The pivot angle works best for me with swinging the front of the smoker outwards.

 

[DivotMaker]

Front for me...easier access to the lockers.

 

[afratki]

Front for me...easier access to the lockers.

My reasoning also

 

[smokeasaurus]

Better than Christmas, 'cause it lasts a lot longer!!  Congrats on a great purchase!  Andrew was right about the film over the controller!  You can't hardly see it, and I almost missed it before seasoning.  Whew!  Who wants melted plastic on top of their smoker?? You'll love this baby, compared to what you've had.  The WSM is a solid unit, but a bit over-priced, and a lot more high-maintenance.  You'll like the simplicity involved here!  Plug and play, baby!

Throw some pics up of the first smoke!

When I had a WSM, I had pretty good luck dialing in the temps...but the oversmoked meat that pit produced just killed us...and with only -1- chunk of wood...... ???

 

[Bigumdaddyo]

I put my lockers on the front for easy access. So far I have smoked three meals and I have to say the spare ribs are number one so far. It is Friday and I am looking forward to another smoking-it weekend.

 

[DivotMaker]

When I had a WSM, I had pretty good luck dialing in the temps...but the oversmoked meat that pit produced just killed us...and with only -1- chunk of wood...... ???

That's something I haven't heard about the WSM - good to know.  I came very close to buying one, but just found the price a little much for that type of smoker.  Looks like I made a good choice by waiting for Smokin-It!

 

[sdaniels]

OK, so I finally got around to my first 'big' smoke this weekend and I'm looking for a little feedback from the folks that have done a 10+ lb brisket in their model 2.  The brisket went on at 7:45am with a temp setting of 225 on the dial.  Smoker temp hovered around 220 (never higher) and the brisket reached the stall around 1:40pm with an internal temp of 165.  From that point on the temp continued to hover around 200 and I was past the stall around 8pm.  I never made it to my target pull temp of 203 and I did end up increasing the temp to 235 around 10:30p in an effort to get the internal temp higher.  In any event, I ended up pulling the brisket at 2am with an internal temp of 199 because it wouldn't budge.  With the dial set at 235 the smoker temp still hovered around 220 at the highest so my question is this -

When doing a 10+ lb brisket should I be setting the temp dial on 250 for the duration?

I'll post a pic or two when I get home (didn't have the phone handy at 2am) but it won't look nearly as good as it did when it was hot.

 

[swthorpe]

I think this is something that you will need to adjust as you become more familiar with the heating temps.  I have noticed on my last couple of smokes that setting the dial to 225 gets the unit to 225 or so, but then the temps begin to decrease.  So, now I set the temp gauge just a bit higher than 225 so the temp swings average close to the desired 225F temp.

 

[DivotMaker]

Wow, that's a really long time for a 10-pounder!  I recently did an 11 lb packer @ 225 - smoked it unwrapped for 4 1/2 hours, then foil-wrapped when it hit the stall (the wrap is called the "Texas crutch."  Helps retain the moisture and prevents evaporative cooling, which is the cause of the stall).  Total time in my #1 to 195 internal was just under 12 hours.  Kept it wrapped, resting in the cooler for an hour.  Meat came out very tender and moist. 

Did you open the door much during the cook?  Are you using an extension cord, or plugged into a good outlet?  Sounds like something's amiss with this.  Bet the family wasn't happy about eating brisket at 2 a.m.!

 

[sdaniels]

No extension cord and I think I opened the door once after the stall but it seemed to recover pretty quickly.  Could just be a case of getting used to a cycling element versus the WSM so I'll try a few more things.  I definitely learned a lesson on this one - start the big meats at night and go to bed  ;D 

I contemplated using the crutch but figured I would try it without one first.