New to smoking -- from S.W. Michigan

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stansdad24

Newbie
Original poster
Jun 15, 2012
6
10
Kalamazoo, MI
Hello all,

Brandt here from S.W. Michigan. Wife dropped off as new Masterbuilt vertical gas smoke house. Been wanting a smoker for years so needless to say I am still smiling. First stop after assembly was google which led me here. What an awesome resource!

I am absolutely brand new to smoking but I do know my way around a grill and the kitchen.

Just finished seasoning the new toy and I have a pork shoulder in the fridge for tomorrow!

Will have to report back tomorrow night.
 
Hi Brandt! 
welcome1.gif
 to SMF!!! We're happy to have you! You might want to check out Jeff's Free 5 day E-course, it will teach you all the basics and a whole lot more:

http://www.smoking-meat.com/smoking-basics-ecourse.html

Looking forward to your report back on that shoulder! 
 
Thanks for the warm welcome guys. Signed up for the eCourse as recommended, definitly a good resource!

So, round one is in the books and the best word I can use to describe the outcome would be...... edible. lol

Shoulder looked the part but wasn't near as tender as I would have liked. My feeling is that I had too much fluctuation with the heat. All TBS though which I will take as a win for my first go round.
 
Brandt.. welcome to your new addiction... The members of these forums will have you smoking like a pro in no time... Let me ask you.. do you have a probe thermometer? most of us here use the maverick ET 73 or the new version ET 732... It is a remote thermometer with 2 probes.. one probe for your chamber temp. (as most all of the therms installed on the door from manufacture are worthless).. The other probe is for your food temp... If not, you should seriously think about investing in one... One of this sites sponsors has them.. you can find the site over to the right >> "A-MAZ-N-SMOKER"

Any idea what the IT (internal temp) of your shoulder was when you pulled it off ?? Also did you wrap (double wrap) in heavy duty foil and some towels or blanket and put it in a cooler to rest for at least an hour ? When you do this everything will keep cooking (steaming) and break down and make it a lot more tender...
 
Thanks for the warm welcome!

The I.T. was 180, which I have found out after the fact is too low.

A remote thermometer is on my wish list, appreciate the recommendation.

Wasn't aware of the wrap & rest part. I let it rest but it wasn't wrapped. Again, thanks for the advice.. :) What temp should I look for before wrapping it up?
 
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