First smoke tomorrow, propane smoker. need help please :-)

bacook1775 said:

Hi I'm going to be attempting my first smoke tomorrow and I have some questions.

1. What are flare-ups and should my chips ever actually be on fire. Flare up are Bad as they can put soot on the meat. The chips may eventually flame up. This is also a problem as it will quickly raise the smoker temp. The chips should just smolder. There are some modifications to reduce this including using Chunks instead of chips. Check this out...http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/...using-the-masterbuilt-vertical-propane-smoker

2. Should I open all my vents once we start getting smoke? Always leave the top exhaust vent open. This helps keep the heat even, enhances convection and keeps getting fresh smoke to the meat. 

3. How much water should I put in the pan? Many folks around here like a combination of Moist heat, 2C water in the Pan in the beginning then letting it evaporate and allowing Dry heat to finish up the smoke. This gives great smoke flavor then the dry heat seals the surface holding more moisture in the meat. Read this... http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/wet-to-dry-no-foil-smoke-chamber-method-for-smoking-meats

4. Any other general tips or things that you would've done different on your first smoke. This kind of site was not around during my first smoke but the most important thing that I learned then changed was... Billowing White Smoke on a cook lasting more than 30-60 minutes makes food taste like it was cooked in a Grease Fire. Your goal is Thin Blue Smoke, even if it is so light that you really can't see much smoke but it Smells great. This will give the best flavor to meat without that Creosote bitter flavor. Chicken is cheap and easy. Get your smoker up to 300-325*F and cook until the Internal Temp (IT) is 165*F for Breast and 175*F for Thighs. These will take about 2 hours. Ribs are also great and if you follow the info I will give you will have  Great Ribs!... This is the 3-2-1 method to Tasty Ribs...A full rack of Spare Ribs will take about 6 hours at 225*F...The 3-2-1 smoked rib recipe is a good way to smoke ribs and tends to turn out perfect ribs every time whether you are using the meatier Full rack spare rib or the Saint Louis cut. Baby Back ribs use a 2-2-1 method. The ribs are smoked at 225 - 250 degrees for best results...
The 3 stands for the 3 hours that you initially smoke the ribs with nothing but your favorite rub on them and some smoke with your favorite hardwood such as hickory, apple, pecan, etc. After the 3 hours you remove the ribs and quickly double wrap them in heavy duty foil.. just before you seal them up add some Foiling Juice or Apple Juice and close the foil leaving some room around the ribs for the steam to be able to flow around the meat and [color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]the juice to braise the meat which Flavors/Tenderizes it.[/color]

The ribs cook in the smoker wrapped for 2 hours undisturbed. There is no need for Smoke at this point... After 2 hours remove the ribs from the smoker, unwrap and place back into the smoker for the final 1 hour, with smoke if you wish.This firms them up, creates a nice Bark and finishes the cooking process. You can add a glaze or sauce at this point if you like. The meat will be pretty close to fall off the bone and be extremely juicy, tender and flavorful. I highly recommend the Foiling Juice Recipe below..

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/110881/foiling-juice-chef-jimmyj

 

I am using the master built pro from home depot. Thanks so much for your help everyone! We are always here to help...JJ

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