Today was the day! I've been reading this board for what seems like forever (a year). I've followed along as others have purchased their Bradley's and read about their 'first smokes'. I've read about the wonderful, fantastic results when using mesquite ;) I've looked at pictures and read way too many recipes. So, I finally did it! I bought my Original Bradley Smoker tonight.
In case you can't tell, I'm thrilled! And I think you can guess how I will be spending my day tomorrow. As for tonight, I'm going to be searching for ideas for my very first Bradley smoke.
Very kool nichelle...welcome to the family!! We can be a bit disfunctional...dontcha' just love that??? ;D
Do a pork butt. Very easy for a 1st timer.
nepas
Thanks for the welcome! And I do love that. Dysfunctional is FUN. Although I've been a serious lurker, I love it here. Everyone is friendly and incredibly helpful.
Quote from: NePaSmoKer on May 15, 2009, 07:41:59 PM
Do a pork butt. Very easy for a 1st timer.
nepas
Thanks for the suggestion nepas. Easy is a good place for me to start. I stopped by my favorite grocery store on the way home but decided to check the forum first for ideas before jumping in. I'll do a quick 'pork butt' search.
nichelle,
congrats on the purchase...and i completely understand the excitement.
for the first smoke you should try chickenporkvenisonsalmonjerkysnacksticksbaconexplosionfatty.
with a diet coke :D
seriously, there will be other more professional members along soon with some really good starter
recipes. you can relax, you are home now!
The desert heat is getting to LQ (http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o290/stlthy1/Launch236.gif) LQ (http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o290/stlthy1/woohoo.gif)
nepas
There are some incredible cooks/chefs on here...(I am not one of them...however ;D) No matter how long you watched the forum...remember...no question is stupid...we are all here to help anybody who asks!!
Just remember...MESQUITE BAAAADDDD....MESQUITE BAAAD... :D :D :D
You're too new for a tea-bag session.... ;D (You'll know what that means in time!!!)
Quote from: Up In Smoke on May 15, 2009, 07:48:27 PM
nichelle,
congrats on the purchase...and i completely understand the excitement.
for the first smoke you should try chickenporkvenisonsalmonjerkysnacksticksbaconexplosionfatty.
with a diet coke :D
seriously, there will be other more professional members along soon with some really good starter
recipes. you can relax, you are home now!
I am still laughing at that! :D I want to try EVERYTHING but I'm going to take it slow. I do remember seeing pictures of something wrapped in a lot of bacon. I think I'll wait on that.
tea? tea bag? tea bag session? Is there a minimum post count before one gets inducted into teabagdom?
Here is a butt done on a Bradley propane smoker in the swamp in Florida.
(http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o290/stlthy1/DSCF3116.jpg)
Rubb your butt with BBBR, BadByronsButtRub or one you like then with PYM, PlainYellowMustard. Wrap with clear wrap overnight and smoke the next day with 3 to 4 hours of smoke at a heat of 225* then just heat until you get the IT Internal Temp of the meat between 195 and 200* and presto ;D
nepas
Quote from: nichelle on May 15, 2009, 07:46:50 PM
Quote from: NePaSmoKer on May 15, 2009, 07:41:59 PM
Do a pork butt. Very easy for a 1st timer.
nepas
Thanks for the suggestion nepas. Easy is a good place for me to start. I stopped by my favorite grocery store on the way home but decided to check the forum first for ideas before jumping in. I'll do a quick 'pork butt' search.
You can also check out the recipe site for great recipes. Just click on the link at the bottom of my post.
Nepas that looks amazing! And it sounds really simple (even for me!)
And THANK YOU Gizmo for the link. I knew I'd seen a recipe site when reading the forum before, but didn't have the link.
Welcome Nichelle, I have to agree with Nepas a pork butt is very easy to do and very tasty. It does take a while but since you got a new toy your going to want to play with it all day anyways. :D
Thanks smokeitall. It looks like pork butt will be on the menu for Sunday. I can prepare it tomorrow and let it sit overnight.
As for tomorrow, I'll be setting up the OBS on the deck and failing at resisting smoking something (anything) tomorrow.
Sounds like a good plan Nichelle, and welcome to the forum! Sounds like you have done your homework here, and are ready roll some smoke. And don't forget the drool pics! You will be surprised how fast any questions will be answered here, so ask away.
Quote from: Up In Smoke on May 15, 2009, 07:48:27 PM
nichelle,
congrats on the purchase...and i completely understand the excitement.
for the first smoke you should try chickenporkvenisonsalmonjerkysnacksticksbaconexplosionfatty.
with a diet coke :D
seriously, there will be other more professional members along soon with some really good starter
recipes. you can relax, you are home now!
If you you go with this as your first smoke as Up In Smoke suggests. I would seriously swap out one item, the diet coke and replace with a ice cold case of Coors.......
Welcome to the forum. Great bunch of smokers here.
Thanks again for the welcomes! I purchased 2 pork butts this morning and will soon have them prepared so they can sit overnight. And if I can't wait that long, my neighbors might look out to see me 'smoking in the dark'. I'll take some pictures when I get started.
The OBS is currently on the deck, turned on and going through its initial seasoning. That was so easy! I've had a Weber bullet for a couple of years and if I were using it now I'd be wrestling with fire trying to get the temperature right. I couldn't help but think of that when starting up the OBS was so simple. I do love charcoal so maybe the bullet it will keep its place on the deck. I have a feeling it won't be getting much use though. We'll see how that goes.
By the way, I spent a good bit of time wondering what "FTC" was but found the explanation on the recipe site. You folks have loaded so much information on the forum and recipe site and they're very informative. Thank you for that. I'm sure I'll have more questions very soon, though.
Welcome to the forum. IMHO pulled pork is the perfect choice for a first smoke. Here is another must try: http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?t=43
Welcome Nichelle!
Wildcat - That recipe looks GOOD. And its now on the menu.
From the posts here I understood that the pork butt would take forever to cook, so I got it started at about 5 AM. I would have taken pictures of the start but it was still dark (and I was half asleep). I can't remember the last time I saw 5 AM on a Sunday. Anyway, how do you stop yourself from opening the door every 30 minutes? It's looking good so far. I know because I just opened the door.
I only did one of the two butts that I bought as I wanted to see if I could get the first one right first. And I'd like to try different flavors. I want to pick up some pecan discs today and give those a try.
Question: I can pull the first one and FTC it when the internal temp hits 180? How long should I FTC it?
Good choice pecan for butts.
I did mine last night with pecan/hickory
(http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o290/stlthy1/maybutt9.jpg)
nepas
nepas - Wow! You must be the resident expert on these. I hope mine turns out even half that good.
IMHO FTC is not required at all. You did not indicate what temp you were cooking at. If below 210 you can stop cooking at 180 meat temp and let it rest awhile. If you are smoking above 210 I would stop cooking at 190 to 195 meat temp and then let it rest. If it is too long to dinner time, then FTC until it is time. Just my recommendations and you will probably get others opinions as well.
Thanks for the response. I've never tried FTC and read so many good things that I was thinking it was an automatic step.
I'm cooking at 200. Right now, the meat temp is at 157 so it looks like I have quite a bit of time left.
You are approaching the stall stage. Depending on the size of your butt and other factors, it can stay between 160 and 180 for several hours.
Regarding FTC, as a general rule, I think it does help with brisket to FTC as it extends the cooking time while basking in its own juices, but not actually required for brisket either. FTC is perfect as a time buffer since smoking times are rarely right on the money. Take your butt for example - an average sized butt can take from 12 to over 24 hours to cook, depending on several things like size, fat content, cabinet temperature, etc., etc. My butts average 20 to 24 hours. I generally cook at 205 F cabinet temperature to a meat temp of approximately 185.
It finally made it to just over 180 degrees. When I took it out of the smoker, it was SO moist that it was dripping. Part of it stuck to the tray. And of course I had to nibble. The taste is outstanding. I used hickory for about 4 hours of smoke but will try pecan for the next one. Total time was 13.5 hours. As you can see, this one was on the smaller side.
Excuse my amateur cell phone pic but I didn't look for the camera.
(http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll12/nichelle0200/IMAG0022.jpg)
I used nepas advice and applied the rub and yellow mustard yesterday. The outside of it is so tasty.
I'm going to let it rest and pull it apart a bit later. And I'll be taking some to work with me tomorrow. During my experimentation phases, the co-workers will be getting a lot of smoked meat.
Thanks for all of the advice and info. I want to be able to try ribs for Memorial Day Weekend so I'll be reading up on what to do and not to do for those very soon.
Nichelle,
looks like you are off to a fantastic start!
what time did you say dinner was? ???
WOW...good for you...looks awesome...yummo!!! I'm with Up in Smoke...what time is din-din?!! ;D
Nichelle,
Really nice job! Contrary to what other folks may come along and say, your first choice of wood was absolutely correct for pork butt. Pork butt requires hickory!! Understand I am from Kentucky where BBQ is smoked with hickory. :D Seriously, nice nice job with that butt. Looks really good.
You're officially hooked !
KyNola
W E L C O M E to the Forum nichelle!
OK OK I WILL SAY IT. Damn Nichelle you have a really nice looking Butt!!!! ;D ;D
I have a feeling you might enjoy the Rib post I just put in the Meat section.
Welcome,
and congrats on the first smoke, I can tell the addition has caught hold.
Nichelle,
Nice job on your first smoke!
deb
Nichelle,
You've done gone and done it now! Now you can't ever go into a BBQ joint again and not think (know) that you can make better 'Que . Well done on your first smoke - and you conquered the PLATEAU without kicking the temp up. Not looking (peeking) inside every 30 minutes comes with experience and more smokes. 5 a.m. - AAHhhhh - the smokers life. You don't get the gold star until your first over night smoke though. BTW, Pecan is closely related to hickory, so you might not tell too much difference.
With Wildcat, FTC is not necessary, but sure comes in handy. Smoking times are never exact - I try to time them so I leave at least some time between when it is supposed to be done and when I'm supposed to serve. That is when FTC comes in handy - actually usually for me it is just C'ing. I have a dedicated cooler I throw the meat into if'n I have done a big smoke - If not, I just leave in the smoker while it cools down. Why not FTC? I like bark, I like bark a lot, I'm trying to find a way to do a brisket where all I have is bark! :D Putting foil on - somehow, (and if may just be in my mind) diminishes my bark enjoyment.
Congratulations Nichelle. Great job. I prefer apple or maple on butts. I like mesquite, oak, hickory, and pecan (in that order of preference) on brisket and ribs. Keep up the good work.
Thanks everyone. I haven't had this many compliments on my butt since I was 21 ;D I know that since butt was suggested as a first smoke that it must be the easiest one to try. I have a lot to learn. But I can't say enough about this forum. Almost every issue I encountered was covered somewhere. I had a problem at 5 AM getting the smoker to completely heat up. I checked the forum and there were posts about the cord connections. I pushed the cord in a bit further and problem solved!
Caneyscud - A trip to a BBQ joint is what inspired the purchase. I had been putting it off for a year. Last Thursday I went to a local BBQ joint that is supposed to be great, spent $70 on a large dinner and was so disappointed. I started thinking that I could have put that $70 towards the smoker and maybe done a better job myself. So on Friday, I bought it. And its the best purchase I've made in years.
I have to admit that this was my first shot at a pork butt ever. I never thought I'd be able to do a decent pulled pork so I didn't try. Now that I know that I can (and how economical it is), it will have a regular place on the menu. I saw on another thread that someone turned the leftovers into Nachos. I'll be doing that, too.
I'll keep experimenting and following the advice here until I get better at this. I must sound sappy but I am still thrilled at the experience and the great community here. I'm certain I wouldn't have had great results without ya.
You folks are great! (... off to look for Tenpoint5's rib post and schedule that overnight smoke)
Looks like your hooked, there are many good posts on ribs here,and also here amazingribs.com (http://amazingribs.com)
Quote from: carnie1 on May 19, 2009, 09:01:21 PM
Looks like your hooked, there are many good posts on ribs here,and also here amazingribs.com (http://amazingribs.com)
Yes, I'm definitely hooked. I smoked the second butt already. It was a lot larger than the first one. I had a meeting free day and decided to work from home and 'smoke'. I put it on at 4 PM and took it off at 12:30 PM the next day. This time I let it get to 195 degrees. It was better than my first try and fell apart as soon as I went to pull it. There are two 'tasters' at the office who are happily "helping" me as I try different meats and flavors. So far, they think they're in heaven.
Thanks for the ribs link. That looks like a great site.... more reading to do :)
nichelle,
Glad you're enjoying success w/ your new OBS-that first smoke looks great. Pork butt is my favorite because it is easy. I smoke at about 225 deg to 190 deg internal temp, FTC until meal time, and dig in. The higher temp really helps make it pull apart tender.
get smokin'
drano