So, my dad just bought a smoker and I want to use it.

so yeah, where do i begin?

May be a good idea to start with something with a faster cook time or more forgiving.

First build a fire. See how the pit holds it temp when fire is going. Keep fire going. Sit and relax and drink.

Oh and Get a good probe thermometer.

recommend a probe thermometer?

HTownAg98 said:

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An igrill2.

Make your first cook a pork butt. They are very forgiving over a wide range of temperatures. Once you get your cooker dialed in, then switch to brisket.

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I opened the thread to post this exact advice.

HTownAg98 said:

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An igrill2.

Make your first cook a pork butt. They are very forgiving over a wide range of temperatures. Once you get your cooker dialed in, then switch to brisket.

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Perfect advice.

HTownAg98 said:

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An igrill2.

Make your first cook a pork butt. They are very forgiving over a wide range of temperatures. Once you get your cooker dialed in, then switch to brisket.

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Totally agree on pork butt. franklin has a YouTube video on that as well at the link above.

If you are going to spend the money on the iGrill2, I'd just jump to the ThermoWorks Smoke. Have one and much prefer to anything else I've had.

Start out with a cheap brisket so see how your cooker reponds over a cook that long, you can also try going with just a flat. A cheap one is also good for learning how to trim.

Best investment I've made is a wood pellet smoker with digital controller. Set the smoker temp and the built-in meat temperature probe and commenced to drinking. Takes the stupid out of it. Have cooked two briskets and both have been great.

houag80 said:

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Best investment I've made is a wood pellet smoker with digital controller. Set the smoker temp and the built-in meat temperature probe and commenced to drinking. Takes the stupid out of it. Have cooked two briskets and both have been great.

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Nice!

I agree with the pork butt idea. It's pretty cheap, very forgiving, and you get lots of meat from it.

anyone have a good pork butt recipe?

should I just smoke it without seasoning?

Watch Franklin's YouTube video and follow it step by step.

I use this as a rub

4 teaspoons sweet paprika

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Rub it the night before and cook it at 275 until it reaches 205 internally. Has to reach 205 or it won't pull like it should.

Smoke at 400 degrees.




Incoming.

Ag_07 said:

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I use this as a rub

4 teaspoons sweet paprika

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Rub it the night before and cook it at 275 until it reaches 205 internally. Has to reach 205 or it won't pull like it should.

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You accidentally put "brown sugar" in this recipe...

EDIT: BS on the 205 thing. Depends on the piece of meat.

schmendeler said:

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what's wrong with sugar in a pork rub?

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Sorry...thought this was about brisket for a minute. My bad.

agcrock2005 said:

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schmendeler said:

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what's wrong with sugar in a pork rub?

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Sorry...thought this was about brisket for a minute. My bad.

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I can agree with that sentiment for brisket

what kind of wood and where can i buy it?

I'm a nooob...

Buy whatever hardwood you can get local that isn't mesquite. They should have oak, hickory, or pecan at the grocery store if you are in Texas.

It also occurs to me to ask, your dad bought the smoker, does he know how to use it and could teach you?

What type of smoker is it?
Brand and model?
Pictures if you don't know would help.

From there you can get useful advice on where to look for videos or articles on proper setup. AmazingRibs.com as mentioned above is a good resource for many types of setup.

offset smoker,
oklahoma joe's, not sure what model.


I bought some apple wood and pecan wood chips today...

so question....

Should I burn the wood chips in the fire or soak them and put them in a box and let it smoke to add the flavor?

or should i do whatever the heck i want?

If it's an offset you would generally burn logs in it. Suppose another option is to use charcoal and chunks of wood which might be easier.

Wood chips are only useful for trying to make smoke packets in foil for a gas grill. You won't want them for use in a smoker of any style. For a smoker you want medium sized chunks as a minimum. Something a bit larger than a charcoal briquette is the smallest I'd recommend.

Go to the franklin YouTube channel and watch the videos titled "The Smoker" and another called "The Wood". Then come back with follow up questions here.

So I returned chips and got chunks of apple wood and hickory, pecan on its way...


is there like a no-no when using certain woods? like you cant mixed these two woods or these go best together...

aznaggiegirl07 said:

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So I returned chips and got chunks of apple wood and hickory, pecan on its way...


is there like a no-no when using certain woods? like you cant mixed these two woods or these go best together...

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You can mix them. I usually do hickory and a fruit wood. Hickory > pecan > fruit for smoke flavor. Hickory having the most smoky flavor.

Did you not want to watch Aaron franklins channel? He has an incredible amount of information that will help you, including one on choosing woods.

agcrock2005 said:

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Did you not want to watch Aaron franklins channel? He has an incredible amount of information that will help you, including one on choosing woods.

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I did...

Pretty sure you're trolling now after reading back through this thread...pretty good one actually. You actually ellicited several legitimate responses...even after asking if you should smoke a pork butt without seasoning.

Generally people argue about brisket on the OB.

Rub it. Smoke it. Keep temps even AND LEAVE THE LID CLOSED!

There are cookers and there are lookers.

Temps start to go down, add a little more charcoal, but make it snappy (forget the mop).

One of the hardest things about BBQ is having willpower to not over complicate things (yeah yeah I'm sure your Dr. Pepper Irish Cream German Nacho Cheese Hot Dog mop is really adds to the flavor...hipsters....).

agcrock2005 said:

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schmendeler said:

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what's wrong with sugar in a pork rub?

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Sorry...thought this was about brisket for a minute. My bad.

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Exactly.

I try to take it easy on the brown sugar on my pork as well. I do use it...but sparingly.