New from Michigan

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gritter99

Newbie
Original poster
Sep 18, 2013
15
10
Grand Rapids, MI
Hey all   new guy here ( well new to posting been lurking for over a month now) I’ve always LOVED BBQ and always wanted a smoker and recently acquired a rocky mountain vertical smoker off craigslist. After brigning it home I realized I knew 0 about smoking and needed to change that, a simple google search brought me here and boy oh boy was it information overload! After days of reading on my breaks at work I decided I would give ribs a try with the 3-2-1 method suggested on the site for the St Louis cut spare ribs I had purchased. My oh my…. Was my first try a success! The compliments I received from my friends on the food made me want to make more the next day! My second attempt I smoked  a pork shoulder that turned out less than desirable, still edible but not the juicy goodness myself and friends were expecting after knocking the ribs out of the park. I later found out I pulled the shoulder at the temperature for slicing and not the temp for pulling.. Frustrated ( and after spending a good 4 hours reading threads in the pork section lol) I went back to Meijer the next week and grabbed another pork shoulder, and 2 racks of baby back ribs. I woke up Saturday morning at 5:30 ( my gf calling me crazy for waking up that early to start cooking) By 6:25 I had the shoulder on and the ribs waiting in the fridge, my plan was to put them on around 7:30-8:15 for lunch and have the pork for dinner. The ribs went issue free the only change I made is I added tiger sauce to the honey/brown sugar/applejuice that I placed in the foil on the first ribs I made and I LOVED it, it was my first experience with tiger sauce. The pork shoulder…. Took a wee bit longer than I had planned ( smoking @250-265 most of the time) I didn’t want to foil as I love love love bark, but after 14 hours and still stalling I cracked and wrapped the shoulder… 1.5ish hours later she was completed and it was now getting late, and I still had to let her rest in the cooler wrapped in towels for atleast an hour, the smell was so amazing I literally had to go to my neighbors house to have a beer for an hour to avoid not eating any! This pork shoulder was amazing! I also used somebodys finishing sauce that I found on this site ( sorry I can’t recall the member) and it was some of the best pork I’ve ever had! I look forward to learning more and more here and hope to one day have the knowledge to share with others as well.
 
Welcome to the forums!  It sounds like you're well on your way to becoming a pitmaster!  This is the best place I know for sharing ideas on smoking, grilling, curing, etc.  There are plenty of friendly, knowledgeable folks here who really enjoy helping one another.  Looking forward to your input here, and just ask when you need anything...someone here will surely have the answer.

Red
 
welcome1.gif
to SMF!  We are so glad you joined us! Would you mind updating your profile to show the other SMF members where you are located?  Might meet a few neighbors!

We love to see pictures of what you are cooking (or what we call q-views here at SMF).  To "upload the q-views" just follow the directions here and it will be easier. If you are using a cell phone, an IPad or a kindle, go to the main SMF page and click the Mobile button. Will make the uploads a bit faster too.

If you didn't read the "Terms of Service" notes.....please do.  There are a few things that everyone should know about those pesky little rules before plunging into the forums and some guidelines of how to interact within the forums. Off site links are not allowed here at SMF per Jeff. Not that you have done anything wrong....just a little bit of FYI for new members!

If you need any help roaming around the forums....just holler!  Happy to help out!

Kat
 
Good morning and welcome, You are on the right track. The more you cook the better you get and you also get comfortable. I have seen people get almost in a panic while they are cooking. It needs to be fun. Getting to know your smoker is the key. That way you know when to check it, add wood or charcoal and check your meat. Old saying "If your looking you ain't Cookin". I have found there is no absolute time for meat to be done. Too many factors, the guidelines are just that Guidelines which in most cases are pretty accurate. Good temp gauge on your smoker and a good meat thermometer. Ribs are more by appearance and feel . The 3-2-1 method works pretty well, you may have to twek it from time to time.  Be sure and put up some pictures of your next cook.

Gary
 
Welcome...
IMO, you pretty much have to foil if you want time predictability....I have a warmer, so I guess that makes it easier to hold stuff.
Anyway, where 'bouts in GR?
 
:welcome1: to SMF!!! We're happy you joined us! We have over 50,000 members now who just love to share what they know. You've come to the best place on the net to learn and share everything Q!!!
 
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