New to Smoking - Orange County, CA

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mattcesq

Newbie
Original poster
Jun 27, 2011
8
10
Orange County, CA
  What's up.  I recently received the Masterbuilt Electric Smokehouse 30" as a gift and smoking meat has turned out to be a fairly addictive hobby.  I tried it out with some baby backs and dried 'em out pretty bad.  Next day I smoked a boneless pork butt (all they had), corn and potatoes.  I had to take the butt off early (at around 160 degrees) because people were hungry and tired of waiting. The corn was fantastic.  On my third attempt, I smoked a rack of spare ribs and some sausage.  The ribs looked beautiful but didn't taste too great and the sausages were awesome.  In all, it's been fun and I'll be trying again on Saturday with a bone-in pork butt, some spare ribs, beef ribs and sausages.

  On my first attempt I didn't put water in the pan and I was trying the 3-2-1 method with a 1lb rack.  Second attempt, filled the water pan 3/4 way full with 2/3 apple juice and 1/3 water.  I applied Billbo's rub an hour before and a bark didn't quite forum.  Third attempt, filled water pan 1/2 full with 2/3 apple juice and 1/3 water; the bark was perfect.  However,properly applying the rub 12 hours before caused the ribs to be very salty. 

  I wouldn't of had any success without the help of this forum.  I spent a few evenings taking notes on the proper way to smoke the food, rubs, mop sauces or sprays, wood chips, etc.  Thanks for all the good info.  Matt
 
Welcoem to SMF Matt. Glad to have you here.
 
  Welcome to SMF! Sounds like you are well on your way to practicing your new addiction. Be sure to sign up for Jeff's free 5-day e-course. Looking forward to your q-view.

Mike
 
 

Welcome to SMF, Glad to have you with us.


This is the place to learn, lots of good info and helpful friendly Members.
 

Many of our members have years of experience in smoking meat.  They are more than happy helping Newbies learn the art.
 

We have members who cure there own Bacon, Hams, Jerky, Snack Sticks, Make Their own Sausage, etc. if you want to learn,
this is the place. 
 

Don't be afraid to ask questions of them and follow their advice. You won't be sorry, you will be making great Q in no time at all...

Just remember, when curing your own meats follow the instructions included with the cure to the letter, this is not something to experiment with.  


Never use more cure no mater if it is Tender Quick or Cure #1 or Cure #2 than the manufacturer says to use, this can be very dangerous.
 


Tender Quick and Cure#1 or Cure #2 are not interchangeable, neither Cure #1 interchangeable with Cure #2 or vise versa
 


Sign up for Jeff's 5-Day eCourse.   Click Here

Tips For New Members.
  1. Go into your profile and Under Location put where you are.
  2. City & State or Area & State will do. This will help members when answering your questions.
  3. Go to ROLL CALL thread and tell us a little about Yourself (A Name We Can Call You) and Experience & Equipment.
  4. Do Not Post  your other questions and smokes in the Roll Call Forum.
  5. Post your questions and smokes in the Proper Forum, Beef, Pork, Sausage, Electric Smoker, Charcoal Smoker etc.
  6. Use the Wiki Section, many of our members have posted great tutorials and instructional threads so take advantage of them.
  7. When you can't find an answer ask plenty of questions, we have some highly experienced members willing to help you.
  8. When posting about your smokes be sure to post plenty of Qview (Pictures) Our Moto, "No Pics, Didn't Happen".
  9. Get a good Probe Thermometer, Don't Depend on the Built in Thermometer in your Smoker (They are notorious for being off).
  10. A good choice for a remote dual probe thermometer is the Maverick ET-732
  11. Remember, We Always Cook by Temperature and NOT BY TIME...
  12. Don't Take Chances, Always Follow USDA Safety Guidelines When Handling Meat.

  13. If you are wanting to get into curing meat, there are many members here more than happy to help and give good advice.

  14. If you are unsure of a procedure ASK, don't ASSUME, It will make your Smoking experience much more pleasant...
 
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   Glad to have you with us!
 
Welcome to the SMF. Glad to have you here. Lots of good folks, great recipes and knowledge. Looking forward to  your first qview. 
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