What would you recomend for a first attempt at using a new smoker.

[alberta pompei]

...hola dot comrades.

I am new to this forum, as well as to smoking. I just picked up a four rack digital, and can not wait to give it a test drive. My problem is that I do not know what to try first. I would like to try a pulled pork, but I need some ideas regarding the right cut of meat, rubs and sauces that can be made from ingredients easily found at most common grocery stores. I glanced through the sauce and rub thread, but a lot of the ones had ingredients that may be difficult to find in my little corner of the frozen north. If anybody has a sauce that uses maple syrup, I would love to give it a try.

Thank you in advance, and I look forward to your replies.

Barry

[DTAggie]

Boston Butt (shoulder) is what you use.  Hope you can find it where you are.

As for a rub, just use what you can get.  Pulled pork can handle just about anything.

[Hiram]

What he said.

[ghost9mm]

First welcome to the forum, and like others have said a boston butt for pulled pork or even smoking some cheese or nuts, there is a whole lot of information here on the forum on how to prepare and smoke just about anything you can think of, and there are lots of great videos up on youtube on how to prepare and smoke anything..some are rather crude but some are really informative...good luck on what ever you choose...and again welcome

[wyoduke]

Welcome AP, try some ribs or some chicken they dont take as long but turn out great but,dont take me wrong i love pulled pork let your stomack be your guide  ;D

[jimmyb]

I have to agree with trying some pulled pork first. As mentioned, find yourself a nice butt(boston butt that is) and follow the guidance on this forum. Any rub you can find is fine. The great thing about butts is that they are very forgiving and hard to screw them up. Just monitor the IT and pull around 190. I would suggest you FTC (foil, towel, cooler) for a couple of hours. When that thing comes out and you pull it you will be sold. Make sure to give yourself plenty of time to cook. At least 1.5 hours per pound or more. If it's done early you can FTC for longer.

I did this for my first smoke and was hooked. Your family will also be very impressed.

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi Barry,

Welcome to the forum.

If you want faster gratification :), I would smoke/cook chicken and/or ribs fist.

[OU812]

I would say a chicken or turkey.

3 hr of apple with the smoker set at 250 F when the smoke is done finish off on the grill to crisp the skin just like you would do a beer can chicken or turkey.

I use TBE (The Big Easy) to finish but before I got TBE I used the grill all the time.

I take my poultry outta the heat when the IT hits 160 F and let rest 10 min under a foil tent, the IT will rise to 168 F during the rest.

You could go start to finish in the smoker but the skin will be kinda rubbery.

And most of all keep the vent WIDE open when smoke/cooking poultry.

Have fun.

[alberta pompei]

...Thank you all so very much for your great advice, and also for the warm welcome.

I have been going through some of the threads, and it looks like I am going to gain at least ten pounds before I even get my smoker set up. YUMMM.

I may go for more immediate gratification and try some stuffed pork chops as my first smoke, but I do see a butt in my near future. I will be sure to post the results, and some pictures when I do.

Once agin, Thank you all for the welcome, and I can't wait to have you all over for dinner.

Barry

[OU812]

Stuffed pork chops are gooood.

I cook pork to an IT of 145 F and let rest under a lid 10 min, moist and tender every time.

Cant wait to see your finished product.

[Habanero Smoker]

There is also a sister Recipe Site, that has many recipe ideas.

[alberta pompei]

...once again, thank you for the advice.

I went on an archeological expedition through my freezer and found a pork tenderloin that I forgot I had. Even as I type, it is thawing out. I went through some recipes on here, and my evil plan is to slice it open, pound it, stuff it, roll it, rub it, wrap it in bacon, smoke it, and EAT it.

Details and pictures will follow.

Once again, thank you for the great ideas and advice, and I will not post again until I have a plate full of pork goodness to show off.

Barry

[alberta pompei]

...success.



If this picture shows up, it is a stuffed pork tenderloin. I cut it in hale, wrapped one half with bacon, and left the other as was.

I will give the play by play in an hour or so, depending on how long of a nap I take after I eat.

Thank you all for all of your tips and advice. I could not think of a better bunch to share my loss of smoking virginity with.

Barry

[squirtthecat]

Good job!

[alberta pompei]

...Live and learn.

For my first attempt, it was a little disappointing, but very fixable.



This was the cut that I used. It came in two pieces, so like the mighty Thor, I struck it many blows with my hammer to flatten it into something stuffable.



For the stuffing, I used some leftover shredded hashbrowns, green onion, chopped celery, roasted chopped garlic, savory, pankos bread crumbs, and a pinch of old bay seasoning.

For the rub, I used black pepper, paprika. brown sugar, cumin, more old bay, and dried mustard.



I poured a little pineapple juice, maple syrop, and brown sugar in the bottom of the dish, rubbed her up, covered it with tinfoil then left it in the fridge overnight.



I was not sure if I should wrap it in bacon, so I compromised by cutting it in half and wrapping the bigger half.

I tossed it in the smoker just before the hockey game at 220, using maple for the first period, then hickory for the rest of the game. Total time, roughly three hours. I also took the left over rub, dumped it in a bowl of water, then soaked four ears of corn for a couple of hours. I was baking potatoes in the oven, so after two hours of smoke, I pulled the corn, and tossed them in the oven.

As I stated before, I was a little disappointed with the result, but that was my own doing. The pork was very good, but I did not use enough spice in either the rub, or the stuffing. The pork was sweet, and the stuffing was bland. Also the bacon wrapped half was a teeny tiny bit on the rubbery side, so I tossed it in the oven to crisp it up. It still tasted a little ho hum, so I unwrapped it, slathered it with Montana Bold BBQ sauce, and fired it back in the oven. That smartened it right up.

I probably would have been happier with it if not for all of the anticipation. I felt like a six year old on Christmas morning, waiting to bolt down to the tree and see what santa brought, only to discover a bunch of new clothes. Still, it was tasty, and I now have a starting point from which to refine this black art of smoking. All I have to do is simplify, and be a little more diligent in my spice selection/ratio.

Also, I thank you all once again for the great advice and encouragement that you all offer so generously.

Barry