New to Smoking

[Grouperman941]

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.

[Habanero Smoker]

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.

[TedEbear]

Costco (at least the ones in my area) only sell boneless pork shoulder.

It must vary by store.

[Habanero Smoker]

Costco (at least the ones in my area) only sell boneless pork shoulder.

It must vary by store.

That's good to know. Thanks for the information. The two nearby me in Connecticut, will only carry boneless.

[mahto]

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

[Ketch22]

Welcome to the forum  :)

[pokermeister]

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.

[terry08]

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

[fuzzy1]

Welcome from Montana and if you ever have a problem or questions these guys are the ones to turn to.

[doggone]

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!

[Shasta bob]

Welcome from Oregon :)

[pz]

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

[Habanero Smoker]

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

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

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.

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.

[doggone]

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.

[Wildcat]

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.