We've never smoked anything. Totally new to the process. We have always loved smoked meats that our friends and neighbors have done, so....our son bought us an original Bradley smoker last year. Yes, I'm sad to say it has been sitting in our garage for that long untouched.
I finally unpackaged it and am ready to learn/use it for the first time. Any help for a brand new user would be appreciated. From what meat to try first to any extra steps that may help.
I've watched a few videos on youtube and they were great, but wanted to connect with a group of folks like you who use the same smoker and know what you're doing with it.
Thanks so much for any assistance!
Welcome doggone, make sure to season the smoker first prior to your first food recipe attempt. A lot of people will try ribs or chicken typically for their first smoke, there are a lot of options and this site http://www.susanminor.org/ will be very helpful for both recipes & information in addition to searching this great forum. Let us know how it turns out.
Thanks Smoker John! I was just reading through other posts and saw the ones about seasoning. Will do that first. Finding a lot of really good info here in this forum - but there is a ton to read through. So far - very much worth the time.
And I just looked through a few recipes like the pictorial one from Tenpoint5 - seems like I can do that.
I will now look through the site you gave too.
away we go......
Welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of smoked food!
The link Smoker John provided is highly recommended. Has all you need to start off with.
IMHO pulled pork is the easiest, albeit one of the longest smokes. Butts are very forgiving. They do require patience and will go through a stall period that will make you want to turn up the temperatures - just let it ride. If you decide on a butt, I recommend about a 7 or 8 pounder, trim off most (if not all) of the fat cap, apply either Extra Virgin Olive Oil, or cheap yellow mustard then apply a rub. Apply 3 or 4 hours of smoke (3 wood pucks per hour), change the water in the pan and continue to cook without any further smoke until done. You should cook at a cabinet temp of 190 to 230 F. I personally favor 205. The internal meat temp when it is done will be between 175 and 190 (depending on how high you kept the cabinet temp). When it is done you should be able to stick a fork in and twist. The entire cook time will vary from around 16 hours to 24 hours. After the cook, you should wrap in foil and let rest until cool enough to handle. If you have 3 or 4 hours before it is time to eat wrap in foil then a towel and place in an ice chest until dinner time. This will keep it hot until you eat.
Good luck
welcome aboard, and enjoy, it will be a learning curve one thing i would recommend is a remote thermometer to monitor the temps of the meat, ... while cooking in a smoker remember you are doing so at a lot lower box temp. then in a regular oven. which means it takes longer.. trust your thermometer over duration temps.
enjoy
Beef
Welcome to the forum from Nebraska. Lots of great information here. Don't hesitate to ask ANY questions. The folks here love to help newbies like us.
Welcome to the forum. I would also like to recommend pulled pork as one of the first things you try. Allow plenty of time to smoke and cook and it is pretty forgiving. It always turns out great for me.
Welcome to the asylum, pull up a chair and enjoy the show
I didn't see it mentioned yet so I'll put it out there... "We like pictures"
We like to see what others are smoking/cooking so post some pictures
Also remember even your mistakes usually taste pretty darn good, at least mine have.
Don
Welcome to the forum :)
Quote from: ragweed on April 10, 2013, 03:04:49 PM
Welcome to the forum from Nebraska. Lots of great information here. Don't hesitate to ask ANY questions. The folks here love to help newbies like us.
we all were newbies at one time or another
Thank you all for the warm welcome. We're seasoning the smoker today and going shopping for meat and a thermometer tomorrow. The family is excited that we're finally using it and have a laundry list of requests. Told them I didn't want to fill up the smoker on the first round. Wanted to see how the first try with only one piece of meat went. So I guess we'll be learning by jumping right in and going down the list after that. Will keep you all posted on our progress.
Couple of beginner questions.
- Do you guys buy your meat at the supermarket? or go to a butcher for specific cuts.
- What cut of meat do you use for pulled pork? How is it labeled in the market?
Thanks again for your help.
okay. Knew I had read it somewhere on this forum. I guess pulled port is the shoulder? I hope it's labeled that way at the market. I've never paid attention to the types or names of meat before. Guess I'm about ta learn.
Quote from: doggone on April 12, 2013, 03:05:59 PM
okay. Knew I had read it somewhere on this forum. I guess pulled port is the shoulder? I hope it's labeled that way at the market. I've never paid attention to the types or names of meat before. Guess I'm about ta learn.
The most common, I think, is 'Boston butt'.
doggone, frequently used names for the cut of meat most often used to make pulled pork are Boston Butt, pork butt, or pork shoulder. You may find the meat cryopacked with two 7 - 8 pound pork shoulders in the package (this is how they are packaged at our local Costco). Since you're doing your maiden run, if you end up with a twin pack, just take one of the shoulders, wrap it well, and put it in the freezer to use later.
Also, pulled pork freezes well. Many forum members smoke and cook their pork shoulders a day or two, or a week or so ahead of time. Pull the pork. And vacuum seal it before freezing it. Or just pull it and refrigerate it over night. This gives some time for the smokey flavor to permeate all of the meat, rather than sitting on the surface. When it comes time to eat, they gently warm up the meat. Often they add back some of the dripping they collected while the shoulder was cooking, some apple juice/apple cider, or a splash of beer to add some moisture while the meat warms up. Preparing the pulled pork in advance means you don't have to deal with the challenge of wind, cold temps, or other factors slowing the cooking process. Of course, for the members that cater events or feed large groups, being ready on time is a big deal so they developed this process to keep their timing dialed in. (It also helps to get acquainted with the FTC (foil, towel, cooler) process, which allows you to hold the meat at serving temperature for up to as much as four hours.)
A couple of things to consider trying smoking would be cheese (before the weather gets too hot) or nuts (the favorite in my neighborhood is cashews). Both are relatively quick and easy to smoke and very tasty. The only down side is both benefit from some aging before you eat them. The cashews, at least a week, more is better. I like a month. The cheese, about a month. More is just fine (I smoke cheese about four times a year and there is always smoked cheese in our refrigerator that has been there for two, three, four, or more months). The cheese, in particular, benefits from some aging. That is, unless you are fond of that licking the ash tray flavor.
Welcome to the world of smoke, low and slow!
This is great info tskeeter! Thank you. I'm armed with knowledge for a trip to Costco.
Quote from: doggone on April 12, 2013, 07:06:13 PM
This is great info tskeeter! Thank you. I'm armed with knowledge for a trip to Costco.
'Bone-in' is best, too -- the bone holds it together.
tskeeter provided you with some good information. If you are looking for bone-in; which I prefer; Costco (at least the ones in my area) only sell boneless pork shoulder. On the other hand, boneless butts tend to cook faster. If you are a BJ's member, they sell butts single cryovac packed with bone-in. Sam's sells them two per cryovac, bone-in, if they are not on display ask the butcher or one of the meat cutters. I prefer to get mine from BJ''s, that way I can inspect each individual butt, and know how much each one weights. Also most supermarkets have butts, if they are not on display ask the meat cutter behind the counter.
Another easy first smoke would be chicken thighs, and you will receive gratification much sooner. They are cheap, cook up fast, and stay moist. You can experiment with various rubs, during the same cook. Cook them at 250°F, until they reach 165°F, or take them out of the smoker around 155°F, and finish on the grill or under a broiler to crisp up the skin. Chicken with skin you want to keep the vent wide open, at least during the first stages of the smoke, to prevent over build up of moister in the smoker.
Quote from: Habanero Smoker on April 13, 2013, 02:17:52 AMCostco (at least the ones in my area) only sell boneless pork shoulder.
It must vary by store.
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b355/roadijeff/Miscellaneous/P4040351.jpg) (http://s23.photobucket.com/user/roadijeff/media/Miscellaneous/P4040351.jpg.html)
Quote from: TedEbear on April 13, 2013, 05:32:07 AM
Quote from: Habanero Smoker on April 13, 2013, 02:17:52 AMCostco (at least the ones in my area) only sell boneless pork shoulder.
It must vary by store.
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b355/roadijeff/Miscellaneous/P4040351.jpg) (http://s23.photobucket.com/user/roadijeff/media/Miscellaneous/P4040351.jpg.html)
That's good to know. Thanks for the information. The two nearby me in Connecticut, will only carry boneless.
hola i agree with beefman recommending a remote thermometer to monitor the temps of the meat, its show correct temp than door and as beefman says dont worry about heat just leave it at one setting an dont turn it up as it will gradually come back up enjoy i have been havin fun with mine
Welcome to the forum :)
Doggone, I would recommend (found it on this site) a smoking log. Record the meat, type of smoke, time, temps, rubs, marinades, etc., so that you can duplicate a "home run" if you smoke something that you really like.
Welcome and don't worry, you would have to work mighty hard to mess up on the Bradley. Be sure to mix up plenty of Jan's rub.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk 2
Welcome from Montana and if you ever have a problem or questions these guys are the ones to turn to.
We've had a busy summer, but I wanted to follow up before I try our second venture. Thank you to all for your help. Our first roast came out pretty darn good, but I did learn some things.
I used a Costco, bone in boston butt weighing about 8.5. I used Wildcat's ideas. I trimmed the fat cap, rubbed it with mustard then spice rub. I let it sit in the fridge overnight. The next morning I let it sit on the counter for 1 and 1/2 hours while I prepped the smoker which was already seasoned. With the smoker heated to 205 - I placed the roast on the second rack from the bottom and added apple disks for 10 hours. After 3 hours, I mopped the meat.
After about 8 hours - I realized that I had placed the roast with the fat side down, so I flipped it over and re-inserted my digital thermometer which I had threaded through the to vent. It took a little over 18 hours for the meat to reach 178 when I removed it, wrapped it in foil and let it rest for 2 hours. Then pulled it, splashed it with some of the mop and wrapped it in foil again for the next day. After letting it rest/cool for another 2 hours, I placed it in the fridge. Following day - reheated it in a 200 oven for about 30 min and feasted.
Things I think I did wrong.
- I had the vent open, but I don't think enough and it gave the bark a slightly bitter flavor.
- I didn't spray the rack with oil for non sticking.
- I didn't keep a log
I'm about to start again with another boston butt, but had some questions.
1. I had trouble getting the heat back up after opening the door and as a result had to play with the temp guage – sometimes it got hotter and other times not hot enough. Is there a trick to getting the temp back up quickly?
2. I know that the brown build up on the inside walls is the seasoning and am only cleaning the racks, vrack, water bowl and drip pan. Can anyone give me tips for cleaning? I struggled getting the sticky stuff off of everything.
3. How open do you keep the vent? I opened it to a little over half way after I thought it wasn't enough, but are there rules for the vent opening?
4. I'll be using Habanero Smoker's log, but I need help with some of the acronyms used. Can someone help me with translation?
a. On the pre-smoke tab, IT as in "Target IT of meat" what does IT stand for?
b. On the smoke tab under temperature readings. What does PID stand for? And What is "Ambient"?
c. On the post-smoke tab, what does FTC as in "FTC or Rest Time" stand for?
Again, thanks to all of you for your tremendous help. I never would have been able to produce anything edible without learning from everything I've read on this forum. Really appreciate all the great info here!
Welcome from Oregon :)
Welcome from Idaho, doggone. I was much in the same boat as you; had my OBS in the garage for a few years in my case. Now that I finally set it up a few weeks ago, I'm tickled pink at the new smoker opportunities to experience.
As to meat, I sought out a butcher shop that sells what they called "bag meat" which seems to be what some are calling "packer cuts". The prices are very reasonable - last time I purchased New York strip for $2.99/lb and boneless ribeye for $3.99/lb - cheap enough to use for ground burger in my area
I'm still one that uses the vent to help control the heat, moisture and smoke, there are others that say leave it wide open or take it off. The vent setting you use, would be the same I would have used for this cook. I feel you obtained the bitter flavor by applying too much smoke. For butts most of us will only apply 4 hours of smoke.
Spraying the racks helps, and I use Pam's Grilling Spray. That along with Frogmats (http://www.yardandpool.com/High-Temperature-Jerky-Drying-Screen-p/hitempjrky.htm)
Keeping a log can help a lot, but I often forget to fill mine out.
You used the proper technique to adjust the heat. You just have to fiddle around with it, for butts you don't have to be exact, but do your best to keep it within -/+10°F. To help with heat recovery and retentions there are some helpful hints on Bradley Smoker FAQ's (http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?481-Bradley-Smoker-FAQ-s&p=748#post748)
To clean the racks I have started using Dawn's Power Clean. A five minute soaking is all that is needed. Plus using Pam and Frogmats help keep the cleaning down to a minimum.
As I mention earlier I will adjust my vent according to what I am cook/smoking. The setting your used is what I would have used. I believe your problem was applying too much smoke. Here is a guideline on using your vent Vent Openings (http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?488-Answers-To-Bradley-Smoker-FAQ-s&p=780#post780).
I would love to take credit for the smoking log, but it was developed by forum member Smoking Duck
IT = Internal Meat Temperature
PID = I'm having a brain lapse, but I believe that column is optional for those that have a PID, a third party temperature controller.
Ambient = The current outdoor (environment) temperature.
FTC = Foil, Towel Cooler. Many like to wrap their meat in foil, cover it with a towel, and place it in a dry cooler without ice. This does a few things. It helps keep your meat warm if your meat has finished too early, and it turns your cooler into a "passive" cooker; allowing the surface heat to continue to radiate toward the center of the meat. Thus the meat continues to cook. Also during this time the meat will begin to rest.
REST = Generally loosely foiling the meat, and allowing it to stand at room temperature while the juices inside the meat are redistributing. A variation is to wrap the meat tightly, with a small amount of liquid. Though the IT will continue to rise, you will not get as large of a rise in temperature as you do with the FTC method.
Quote from: Habanero Smoker on August 11, 2013, 02:29:08 AM
I feel you obtained the bitter flavor by applying too much smoke. For butts most of us will only apply 4 hours of smoke.
Thanks for all the info Habanero. Especially about the amount of smoke. Guess I was under the mistaken impression that you have to apply smoke for the entire cook time. Live and learn or maybe "smoke and learn".
So......what do I do after the 4 hour smoke? Just leave the smoker on and let the meat cook until it's done? Or do I remove it and cook it in the oven. Definitely do not want to repeat this on my new slab of meat.
Either way. After the smoke you are just cooking. Some move to the house oven. I personally try not to have more than one thing to clean up so I just let it stay in the Bradley most of the time.
Thanks Wildcat. My most important lesson learned. I think I'll follow suit and keep it in the smoker also. Here's to cooking my second round of butt- then it's on to smoking some fish. If you have tips for fish, please post.
Welcome to the greatest forum on earth! Have any questions or doubts post them here and you will have many giving you the proper procedures.
Quote from: Wildcat on August 11, 2013, 09:19:06 AM
Either way. After the smoke you are just cooking. Some move to the house oven. I personally try not to have more than one thing to clean up so I just let it stay in the Bradley most of the time.
x - 2 ;D