Got a smoker, now what?

[hillbilly beef man]

I have finally got a smoker, now I just have to learn how to use it. Does anyone have any tips or tricks to keep in mind? Any wood suggestions? I got one of the Masterbuilt with the digital controls that have the meat probe built in. This is one that uses chips, not disks. I am going to try to smoke a Boston Butt this week if I get a chance. I have oak, maple, ash, walnut, and cherry in the wood shed, but I would assume cherry would be the only one that would be suitable to smoke with. Has anyone ever used walnut? Any suggestions for a dry rub? Thanks for any help you guys have.

 

[jedstivers]

I don't know how to smoke anything as I cook nothing but I do know some people like pecan.

 

[Jogeephus]

Oak and maple are good too. Maple is a mild smoke and good on fish and stuff. Oak is a little stronger but good. The masterbilt doesn't smoke the meat real heavy so you should be fine with the oak. Don't know about walnut but it might be somewhat similar to hickory but I'm not sure. Cherry is real good. I'd probably mix some oak with the cherry to have a blend.

I'd start with a nice brown sugar based rub on the butt then just stick it in the smoker with the temp set at 225-250F. A lot of people will recommend wrapping the meat in foil after the internal temp hits about 165F to help with the collagen stall but I think your smoker has a water pan in it so this will help overcome the stall on its own. Filling the pan with apple juice is good - and keep it filled. If you want to pull the pork run the internal temp to 195-205 then take it out and let it rest for an hour before pulling it. If you want to slice it, pull it at about 145 - 150F.

After about 3 hours of smoking don't worry about putting any more smoke on it cause its done all its going to do smokewise.

Once its rested you might want to add this sauce to the pork as you pull it. Its not a bbq sauce per se but a finishing sauce that will bring out the flavors really well. For a sauce, ILuvHerford's has a nice sauce she posted on the board. Its a basic sauce and easy to make but its very good. Use this as a base sauce to serve on the side.

Deadman's Sauce
3 cups apple cider vinegar
2/3cups brown sugar
2/3cups ketchup
1teaspoon tobasco
1teaspoon salt
1teaspoon onion powder
1teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for about half hour, whisking periodically, until the sauce just begins to thicken. Serve immediately, or reserve in the refrigerator and reheat. Mix with pork as you are pulling.

This should get you hooked and carry you to the dark side with no trouble.

 

[skyhightree1]

I have finally got a smoker, now I just have to learn how to use it. Does anyone have any tips or tricks to keep in mind? Any wood suggestions? I got one of the Masterbuilt with the digital controls that have the meat probe built in. This is one that uses chips, not disks. I am going to try to smoke a Boston Butt this week if I get a chance. I have oak, maple, ash, walnut, and cherry in the wood shed, but I would assume cherry would be the only one that would be suitable to smoke with. Has anyone ever used walnut? Any suggestions for a dry rub? Thanks for any help you guys have.

I use paprika chili powder pepper brown sugar with garlic powder.

 

[TexasBred]

I don't do a lot of cooking on the smoker but have used the following product a few times. It's a pretty good rub and you can get the cute Teeshirt too. ;-)

http://www.buttrub.com/

 

[3waycross]

Joe next time you make that Deadman's sauce try melting at least 1/4 lb of butter in it!

 

[Anonymous]

First thing you do it coat it inside and out with oil and season it for a few hours

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

First thing you do it coat it inside and out with oil and season it for a few hours

Excellent suggestion.

 

[Jogeephus]

Joe next time you make that Deadman's sauce try melting at least 1/4 lb of butter in it!

I'll give that a try.

Speaking of different woods. Here is a summary of different woods and their uses that might be helpful

Acacia is similar to mesquite but not as strong. Acacia should be used in small amounts or for limited amounts of time.
 Alder has a light flavor that works well with fish and poultry. Alder is the traditional choice for smoking Salmon.
 Almond is similar to pecan and give a nutty, sweet flavor to meat.
 Apple is mild and sweet in flavor and is often used with poultry and pork. Apple smoke will cause chicken skin to turn dark brown in color. Nevertheless, it remains one of the most popular woods for smoking.
 Apricot is similar to hickory but is sweeter and milder in flavor. It's great for poultry and pork.
 Ash burns quickly and has a light, unique flavor.
 Black Walnut has a bitter, heavy flavor and should be mixed with other wood.
 Birch has a flavor similar to maple and is good with pork and poultry.
 Cherry has a sweet, mild flavor that goes well with any meat and many other foods. Cherry is one of the most popular woods for smoking.
 Chokecherry has a bitter flavor and should be used in small amounts for short period of times.
 Citrus woods (lemon or orange) give a light, fruity flavor milder than apple or cherry.
 Cottonwood is very nice and an old favorite of many people. It's mild in flavor and may be used with stronger flavored woods if desired. Avoid "green " cottonwood.
 Crabapple is similar to apple wood and may be used interchangeably.
 Fruit, like apple, apricot or cherry, fruit wood gives off a sweet, mild flavor that is good with poultry or ham. It may be quite "sooty".
 Grapefruit is a mild wood that produces a good, smoky flavor for any meat.
 Grapevines make a lot of tart smoke. It's fruity but sometimes heavy and acrid. Use it sparingly with poultry or lamb.
 Hickory is everyones' favorite and adds a unique, strong flavor to all meats.
 Lemon is a mild wood that produces a good, smoky flavor for any meat.
 Lilac produces mild, sweet smoke for smoked cheese, poultry, and pork.
 Maple smoke gives a sweet flavor to poultry and ham.
 Mesquite burns hot and quickly. It is popular for short-term grilling but not recommended for barbecuing or for smoking sausages. It is probably the strongest flavored wood of all types.
 Mulberry is sweet and similar to applewood.
 Nectarine is similar to hickory but sweeter and milder in flavor. Good used with poultry and pork.
 Oak is possibly the most versatile of all hardwoods, strong but not overpowering, and a fine choice for beef or lamb.
 Orange is a mild, smoky-flavored wood used on any meat.
 Peach is similar to hickory but is sweeter and milder in flavor and is a nice choice used for poultry and pork.
 Pear produces a sweet, mild flavor similar to apple wood.
 Pecan has been called "mild hickory", burns cool, providing a more delicate flavor.
 Plum is similar to hickory but sweeter and milder in flavor. Great choice for poultry and pork.
 Walnut has a heavy, smoky flavor and should be mixed with more mildly flavored woods.

 

[James T]

I don't know how to smoke anything as I cook nothing but I do know some people like pecan.

Your right, Pecan can be good but it's wise to peel or chop off the bark first or you get kind of an acidic bite added to the meat.

Don't forget to soak your chips!

 

[hillbilly beef man]

First thing you do it coat it inside and out with oil and season it for a few hours

Excellent suggestion.

I already took care of this last night. Thanks for all the suggestions. I hope to get to try it out in a couple of days.

 

[TexasBred]

Joe was watching the Pitmasters one day on TV and one of the guys "Miron" I think was his name. He was cutting green limbs off peach trees to cook with. Think they were cooking brisket, chicken and pork.

 

[Jogeephus]

I believe any fruit bearing tree or vine is pretty good wood to use. What to avoid is any resinous wood, sycamore, sassafras and eucalyptus or elm and of course any treated wood like light poles. Sortof goes without saying but someone should have told this to some hispanics we had over this way a few years ago that used a light pole to BBQ some goat. They did more for immigration that day than ICE did all year.

 

[Anonymous]

Now I know why my grandpa was always having us pick switches off his peach trees.

 

[101]

So you got the bug too hillbilly beef man , This can kep ya up all night if you aint carefull !!! Just kidding ya there hillbilly! You'll have a lot of fun with this some cooks so-so, some will turn out good, and some will make you think ya got it down pat and you do it just the same way for a big family get together and it's back to so-so?? I have one of the smokers like you got and so far am not getting it dialed in like I want it, It works very well and does a good job running an even temp, it just seems like too much smoke for us with ribs and butt's, but the Summer Sausage, Ring Bologna and hams turn out very good, so go figure. We have a big smoker grill from ( BQGRILLS ) out of Elm City N.C that we can cook about anything and it turns out out standing, have a Weber Smokey Mountain and and of course a few Kettles so you can tell I have it bad !! If you want some more information and want to visit with folks that are good with shareing their experiences cooking and smokers and what not, try a site called (The Smoke Ring), a lot of reading and info there. Have fun 101

 

[Kingfisher]

I saw a show the other day where the BarBque place uses soaked pecan shells for smoke. They started doing that years ago when they ran out of cheap pecan wood. Sounds like a good use for the shells to me.