Best meat for a new smoking enthusiat

Victorytea, first welcome to the best Smoking Forum on the Internet . Lots of nice Family folk here and very willing to share information , unlike some of the snobby Forums.

Use the Firebox(with your choice of fuel(charcoal , wood or whatever ) . and smoke with that , if I am correct you have a Propane grill also , If so , never put anything in that area as it can clog you holes and cause possible damage and no-one wants that to be their memory of the cookout.

Best senario is to read all the instructions before lighting your first time. Now after the homework is done , season the unit by spraying it on the inside (totally) , start a fire in the FB and let it get to 250* to 300* for 30 to 45 mins. Then cook a big old Chicken , washed , Placed in a Brine (try the Slauterhouse Brine - use the search at top) . drain , dry it and season it your way and push a half full 16oz. can (Beer , Pop or whatever ) up it's rear end and stand her in a tripod manner on the Smoker cooking it until the IMT (Internal Meat Temp.) is 165*f in the Deepest part of the Breast.

May I suggest taking our "free" 5-day E-course , a lot of interesting information there that help you become better in your Smoking Hobby.

Now , I'm not really sure of the type of smoker you have , so either send us a picture or a Namebrand and model , someone with expertice with that Smoker will contact you or post a reply to you under your original post.

You can see in my thread header that I am a Wood Burner , I have some experience with other types , but being a Purist and Anal about the way I cook , I choose wood for a more natural taste , but that is just my choice. You will find what is comfortable for you and become a little better each time.

Have fun here and ask any questions you want , there are no 'stupid' questions , only the un-asked ones.

Have fun and .....

Your got some great advice above. I would start with a pork butt or some chicken - good luck and have fun 

Victory, by danger I meant that there would be a possibility of a small gas leak from one of the holes and when it got to fire you might have an explotion .

If you use wood for that unit , trimm the pieces down to about 4" to 6 " , a size your smoker can handle easily. Play with it some day and find where the draft is best from the fire in the FB - sweet spot. and make sure you raise the fire grate to appox. 4" above the intakes and leave the exhaust wide open controling the fire with the intake only.

Begin keeping a log of your cooks , this will help you develope your skills and resolve your mistakes.

This has been my opinion and not intended to be a guide , we jump in and give our problem answers , so you do what you like , just...

victorytea said:

I'm assuming I would have the gas turned off at the tank when not using( some of us imbibe a little too much and forget things , not that you do , but had to be said just in case)  and to use it only when lit when combining propane cooking and charcoal cooking- correct? Thanks, Paul

Absolutely Paul , that can be done , or just with either , just have safety first -

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Have fun and ...

:yahoo::sausage

Try a pork butt, they are almost impossible to ruin.

I like to do mine around 235 degrees, plan at least an hour per pound.

Use the minion method, and let it cook to an internal temp of 200-205. (As long as the IT is above 200 it should fall apart)

Good luck!

Go with a pork butt, It is a No brainer..Very hard to ruin..

Dan

I did chicken my first time. Turned out well and learned a lot about my smoker. It was less time than a pork butt.

Slippin said:

 
Try a pork butt, they are almost impossible to ruin.

I like to do mine around 235 degrees, plan at least an hour per pound.

Use the minion method, and let it cook to an internal temp of 200-205. (As long as the IT is above 200 it should fall apart)

Good luck!

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A Butt is a great idea, but at 235 degrees, it's closer to being between 1.5 and 2 hrs per pound.