I did it!

FLBentRider · May 17, 2009, 06:30:41 PM

W E L C O M E to the Forum nichelle!

Tenpoint5 · May 17, 2009, 08:11:01 PM

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.

starship · May 17, 2009, 08:37:38 PM

Welcome,

and congrats on the first smoke, I can tell the addition has caught hold.

deb415611 · May 18, 2009, 04:12:53 AM

Nichelle,

Nice job on your first smoke!

deb

Caneyscud · May 18, 2009, 05:50:02 AM

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.

Wildcat · May 18, 2009, 10:25:43 AM

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.

nichelle · May 18, 2009, 01:23:44 PM

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)

carnie1 · May 19, 2009, 09:01:21 PM

Looks like your hooked, there are many good posts on ribs here,and also here amazingribs.com

nichelle · May 20, 2009, 03:28:41 PM

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

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 :)

drano · May 20, 2009, 08:11:08 PM

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