IT'S ON THE WAY...

Gunny · July 01, 2010, 01:53:28 PM

Well, I broke down last night and ordered the the D6R from Amazon and it is enroute... should arrive tomorrow in time for the big weekend. Was debating what to smoke first, butt, ribs, or brisket. Leaning towards the butt. My wife says I'm like a little boy at Christmas. Me, excited... ::) well, ok, maybe a little. I had a machinist friend make me some Bubba pucks today. I think I'll take tomorrow off so I can be here when my NEW TOY arrives.

OK, enough chatter, back to the forums to pick you guys brains before tomorrow gets here. Hope I get some sleep tonoght....HA, probably not... ;)

GusRobin · July 01, 2010, 02:06:22 PM

I would go with a butt or ribs. A butt takes a while but is very forgiving. Ribs(following the rib tutorial in the recipe section) is easy and doesn't take as long.

KyNola · July 01, 2010, 02:11:07 PM

I vote for the butt for your maiden voyage. Very forgiving and very very good.

Welcome to the forum.

classicrockgriller · July 01, 2010, 03:56:49 PM

Congrats on the 6 rack!

Besure and take pics of that Darling all new and shiny cause I have

a feeling you are gonna have the inside smoked up before long.

Sorce · July 02, 2010, 07:06:30 AM

I will vote for the Butt as well, that's what I did for the first smoke and it came out delicious. I did baby backs for the first time recently with 2 hours of smoke, foiled with apple juice and then ftc'd to my parents house and sauced and finished on their grill. These also came out delicious. This forum is a great place to get a starting point and then adjust things to your tastes. If you do decide to do a butt you will need more cold beverages.

FLBentRider · July 02, 2010, 07:17:52 AM

My vote would be butt if this was a democracy.

GusRobin · July 02, 2010, 07:35:46 AM

Guuny, whatever you do, take notes. Keep track of the time you put it in, the temp the smoker was at, the temp recovery time, type of wood, smoke time, weight of the meat, rub used, etc etc. It may seem like a pain, but it is a good way to learn your smoker and to keep track of what works for you and helps you decide as to what changes you may want to make next time.
I try to keep a log for every smoke. Since most of the time you will cook to internal temp, it also helps in giving you data to estimate cook times in the future.

Caneyscud · July 02, 2010, 09:07:41 AM

Gunny,

Love the attitude. Butt is a great first smoke, just a long one. For something less time, chicken or ribs are good choices - less time, but a little more technical.

Gunny · July 04, 2010, 02:24:54 PM

WOW... the butt turned out awesome, to say the least. It was a 9 pound butt, smoked for 18 hours, ftc for about an hour and everyone was impressed. Being a new toy and all I stayed with it for the entire 18 hours playing with the temp, etc. Started it around 9 pm on Friday night... smoked it til 3 pm the next day smoker temp "around" 225 with in internal butt temp of 183. Did the ftc deal and laid down for a power nap. Wife kept it in the cooler for an additional hour and let me sleep til about 8 so when I woke up everyone had eaten and was giving praise when I walked outside. Sooo, needless to say, no pics of the "masterpiece"... just smiling faces. When I finally ate some it was excellent!!!

Anywho, the next one is going on autopilot and this old man aint gonna miss out on the biggest test of good smoked meat....watching it dissappear! :P Thanks for the encouragement and support; you guys are GREAT! Tomorrow is gonna be spent building a "smoke house home" for my bradley to keep her high n dry!

Thanks again folks! Hope everyone has a great July 4th!!! :D

FLBentRider · July 04, 2010, 06:59:33 PM

Nice job Gunny.

Did you run smoke for the whole time?

Smokin Soon · July 04, 2010, 07:13:59 PM

It's a really good sign when your first cook is a winner! You are one the way to Bradley Nirvana! I'm in California, but my smokin buddy in Aberdeen is not far away if your in the Ft. Bragg area. We got you covered!

Gunny · July 04, 2010, 07:25:53 PM

Thanks FLB.... smoked for about 5 hours. Wasn't really sure how long I should. I did an alternate of apple and hickory. I had a spicy chipolte rub and a vinegar base mop. I did my first mop after the halfway point and again every couple of hours. TOTALLY experimental!!! Well, at least I've established a base point.

Gunny · July 04, 2010, 07:30:54 PM

smokinsoon... Thanks, I'm about 2 hours from Bragg. We're just outside the gate of Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, NC

classicrockgriller · July 04, 2010, 07:44:58 PM

They ate with out you?

That just ain't right. ;D

Glad it came out good and the "Fear" is over.

Now you can relax and enjoy your Smokes!

Congrats!

hal4uk · July 04, 2010, 10:52:00 PM

Glad to hear it was a great success, Gunny!

Now that you've got it broken in, it's time for your second smoke.
And, this ain't like a secret handshake or anything, but we kinda have an unwritten rule that your second smoke should be a pet Javelina.

Don't worry if you don't have a pet Javelina, apparently they take to humans quite readily and are easily domesticated.
The tricky part is killing one so dead that it's really dead.

NOTE: it ain't fair (or wise) to start smokin' it before it's really really dead.
A live one can render your Bradley unrecognizable.

All that said, chicken or ribs will make a nice meal as well. ;D