Newbi needs help

[sherlock]

Expecting delivery of BDS next week and can't wait. I am planning its first workout. I want to smoke a 6 # butt for pulled pork, a slab of ribs and a pot of beans. To start off, I got recipes from the Bradley "RECIPE" forum. Somewhere, I saw reference to a recipe by "Iceman" or something like that but I could not find it.

The recipes treat the operation as they were being done seperately. How do I adjust times and temps when doing them all at the same time.

1. For the butt, the recipe says to smoke/cook the at 220 deg / 250 deg for approximately 8 hours ( meat temp 160 deg), baste, and cook for another hour.

2. For the ribs, the recipe says to precook in a 350 deg oven  for one hour, then smoke/cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours at 220 deg. Remove occasionally to rebaste.

3. For the beans, the recipe says to cook/smoke them at 225 deg. for approximately 3 to 4 hours. Stir once each half hour for the first 1 1/2 hours. You may want to turn off the smoke after the first 1 1/2 hours.

I have read somewhere in this forum about putting a pound on bacon on the top shelf and allowing it to drip on the meat below it. Have any of you done this? Do you just lay the loose bacon on the rack?

Am I trying to do too much for the first time?

All tips appreciated.

Nathan

[Consiglieri]

Hi Sherlock/Nathan and welcome.  You'll find that everyone has their own cooking techniques and that the approaches are both art and science.  Cooking times you read about should be treated as loose guidelines because the "low and slow" cooking can be affected by a number of variables like weather, ambient temperature, wind, etc.  For a good tutorial on cooking ribs, check out http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=4290.0.  For a good tutorial on overnight cooking of a butt, check out  http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=4528.msg39690#msg39690  This a technique I have adopted, but my cooking times were much longer with the 6R DBS (the machine's cooking sensor is low in the box so it reads higher than temps sampled above the lowest rack of meat-- i have since started using the Maverick thermometor probe at this level to adjust the box temp setting so that I hit a target cooking temp of 210-220).  With that temp adjustment, I'm closer to the time table described in the link

Treat the time variable as the likely minimum time to cook your project.  Start early enough to allow that minimum time, and likely a couple of hours more.  If you're cooking pig, brisket, or other cuts you want to fall apart, you can use any extra time to rest the meat wrapped in foil, and then a towel, in a preheated cooler for a few hours (this is the FTC you'll read about here).  While adequate cooking time at a proper box temperature is a benchmark to observe, there are other important characteristics, particularly with ribs. I look for the following when cooking ribs:

Approprate internal temperature
Cooking time about 6 hours at 210
Color consistent with adequate cooking
meat pulling back away from the ends of the bones
Limpness (don't know what else to call it): the tendency of the rack of ribs to droop towards the ground when you hold one end
The ability to push a toothpick through the rack without much effort
If you're hungry, no one's looking, and you can trim up the rack to hide what you've done, the ability to pull off some meat or a rib with little effort.

As to the bacon trick, I haven't used it or felt the need.  Lots of fat in a butt, plus never had a dry finished product using the Bradley.

Also, when smoking with the Bradley, make sure you don't apply smoke the whole time.  Most here will apply smoke for 4 hours or less (depending on personal preference) for an entire project.  The only other tip I can offer is to make your "smoking efforts" seem more complicated than they will be so that you can indulge in an extra cold one and avoid chores. ;)

Anyway, good luck and keep us posted on your projects.

[Smudge]

Hello Sherlock,

As to your question, "Am I doing too much?", I would be inclined to say yes. Only if you were a college student trying to make every dime work overtime would I perhaps change my mind.

Start easy. Do the pork butt.

At the very least, drop the beans. They don't fit well with your other two projects. Opening the smoker every 1/2 hour to tend to the beans is counter-productive.

[sherlock]

Thanks

I agree I am trying to do too much.

I am going to start with just the butt.

Thanks Y'all

[Macman]

The only other tip I can offer is to make your "smoking efforts" seem more complicated than they will be so that you can indulge in an extra cold one and avoid chores. ;

This is probably the best information on the thread...lol  ;D

[Consiglieri]

Mac:  I try to pass on the lessons that have served me well.   ;)  And these loafers are pros! ;D