New with 50 questions..please help the girl

[SmokinMoe]

Hey there you guys,
I am new, waiting on my smoker to arrive and getting things in order.  I found this website via ChezBubba's very nice wife.
I have been reading up on all your posts and am have some questions if you don't mind.
I have never smoked anything in my life but one or two **** as a teenager, so please bear with me! LOL
I wanted to get a book on smoking, techniques etc.  and found that you had recommended one.  Is there any websites I can visit besides reading a book to learn about smoking?  I mean, I have the best one here, but I really enjoyed the gourmet salt website and Butcher-packer.com website although I haven't a clue what I need for startup.
What exactly are the must haves to get started?
I really want to use it when it gets here, so I would prefer to have all the other stuff purchased so that I can get started the moment it arrives.  What are your expert suggestions?
Thanks for helping this transplanted Yankee in the South,
Michelle

[bsolomon]

Michelle,

Welcome to the forum.  It looks like you have lurked and read and searched quite a bit already, so there's not too much I can add.  As to the books, you will have seen that the Jamison's books, "Smoke & Spice", and "Sublime Smoke" are definitely the books of choice.  Most people don't care much for the recipe book or cards from Bradley, but there is a wealth of info on virtually anything you would want to smoke on this forum, and anywhere it is lacking there is usually links to other forums.  The other ones that seem to get referenced often are the Cookshack forum and the one for the Green Egg (ceramic grills).

In terms of what you can get ready before the Bradley arrives, there are a few things that will help:

1)  Get a good dual probe electonic thermometer, like the maverick ET-73.  The Bradley doesn't recover heat well from door openings, so you need to be able to rely on the Bradley to do its job wiht the door closed (no peeking please) and rely on the cabinet temperature and the food temperature as your indicators that everything is OK.

2)  Spare racks - many people like the jerky racks because the finer mesh gives you the option to smke smaller objects like shrip and scallops, but you can use them equally well for anything else you need more rack space for, such as lots of ribs or (of course) jerky.

3)  Biskettes - if you haven't already gotten a sample pack, get one on order.  It gives you the ability to try a few flavors without having to commit.  Chez also is the only place that offers an alternate sampler with the other flavors not included in the standard pack.  Judging from the most common advise, most people seem to avoid the Mesquite, some like hickory, but overall, there seems to be a lot of people who swear by Maple and Pecan - myself included.

4)  Rubs/brines/marinades - all of this will vary by your choice of meat and recipe, but there are some things you can stock up on.  Specifically, for brining: kosher salt and brown sugar.  If you are going to use sugar in rubs, the advice from Chez is turbinado sugar becasue it won't burn at cooking temperatures.  For spices, find a good Internet retailer and buy in bulk - you'll generally save a lot over purchasing at the supermarket, and you can get some really exotic variations. You can try http://www.wholespice.com/ or http://www.gourmetstore.com/shop-online/HERBS_AND_SPICES.cgi  For, example, when  you go to the grocery you can find generic paprika.  The GourmetStore has six different kinds, and I really like the smoked bittersweet version in a 20 ounce size which is great when you ar making up rub recipes that call for 1 1/2 cups paprika to start off.

5)  Old towels, aluminum foil, and a cooler - Once you get your food up to the desired temperature, you realy want to let it sit for a while so the juices can redistribute.  Wrap the meat in a couple layers of foil, wrap that in a towel, and then put it in a cooler for a couple of hours until you are ready to carve.  Most on hear swear by the technique for keeping the meat moist and tender.

Remember that we don't spend too much time here worrrying about specific recipes (although you can find some good ones), but rather on techniques for a particular type of meat.  Once you know how to brine/rub/marinade and then how long to smoke and at what temperature, you should feel free to experiment with different variations on flavorings until you have something that works for you.

So there you go - thousands of posts summed up in a neat little package.  Good luck and let us know how your adventures in smoking work out.

[Thunder Fish]

1) Electronic probe  
 2) sample pack  
 3) Don't forget to let "some" of the smoke out,it would seem many new-bies (me included) closed off the top damper to much and the extra smoke/steam ends out coming back through the generator causing the pucks to fall apart and jam every thing up.
 All just trial and error as outside temp,elevation,wind,etc all play a role on how this whole group smokes differently [:)] [:)] [:)] main thing is -----ENJOY------ [:)]

[jaeger]

Buy a jerky cannon and some seasoning to make (ground jerky). The last time I made it my 7 year old said it was better than pizza! A real compliment coming from her. I bent the nozzle in a vise so that it is kind of oval shaped. It was to hard to work with if it was to thin. The round nozzle would probably work ok also.

Let us know whuz smokin![:D]
Doug

[SmokinMoe]

Thanks for all the advice!!
I found the two books on amazon.com and they will ship out this week.  I also checked out some websites that you listed.  I am getting excited about it.  I was a little scared when I found out all the prep time it would take, but I can do some cold smoking at a later time when I know how to use the smoker.
I think I will get the Guru Competitor Raptor so I won't have to babysit the Bradley, but at a later time.
Thanks again for taking the time to help out a newbie.  I really appreciate the effort you went to and know that is how this site retains its posters-by helping new ones!!

[BigSmoker]

MOE,
Start with a butt with some good rub on it.  They are almost impossible to mess up.  If you feel so inclined inject 10% of the weight with a mixture of apple juice and Dale'sauce(or comparible).  Smoke for 4 hours with anything but mesquite.  Finish until internal temp is 185f for slicing and 200f for pulling.  Now don't forget to wrap in foil and some old towels and let rest for an hour or two in a cold oven or empty cooler.  This allows for the juices to redistribute throughout the meat[:D].  I repeated this from a previous post as I have found this will make for a better end product and it is a must for brisket.  Welcome abord and Happy Smokin'.

Jeff
www.bbqshopping.com
Some say BBQ is in your blood, if thats true my blood must be BBQ sauce.

[Warrior]

I am also a NEWBIE..., just to confirm, not a NEWFIE (close) but a NEWBIE...

I am wondering about the wrapping in foil and towel and the cooler thing.  Can you give me details on this?  I guess the beer has to go into another cooler???

[BigSmoker]

Warrior,
<font color="red">FTC</font id="red"> (<font color="red">F</font id="red">oil, <font color="red">T</font id="red">owel, <font color="red">C</font id="red">ooler)
has become the standard for lots of us.  The process allows for the meat to for lack of a better word dwell for a time.  This time allows the juices inside the meat to distribute evenly throughout.  This process is actually a must for brisket.  If you slice brisket straight of the smoker all the juices will run out and the rest will be as dry as can be.  FTC for pork butt isn't necessary but IMHO it does add to the taste of the end product.  It is also a nice way to keep the food at a holding temp until you are ready to serve.  The only caution I would give is brisket starts to dry out once it passes 205°f so I pull when the temp is 185°f then FTC.  BTW you can use your cold oven instead of a cooler if you don't have an extra cooler.
Have fun and welcome aboard[:)].
FTC procedure= wrap cooked/smoked meat in HD foil, wrap with two old towels, place in cooler just bigger than product for 2 hrs., eat[:p].

Jeff
www.bbqshopping.com
Some say BBQ is in your blood, if thats true my blood must be BBQ sauce.