# a real noob here



## bradssmokeshak (Sep 11, 2014)

Hello all. I am brad, I am new to this site and smoking meat. Lets see I have a new vertical smoker. Propane I know I know everyone says I chose wrong but it fits me better. I dont have the time to tend to charcoal every few mins or so. Got a buddy that has charcoal and swears by it. But anyhow im from central Indiana, lookin to get some great tips and smoking some mean meats. Hopefully ill be able to help if and when I can thank you


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## jtstitzel (Sep 11, 2014)

Welcome to the forum Brad. This place has everything you'll need to get you up and running!!  If you have a question just ask. You said you are new at this so what all have you cooked so far?


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## themule69 (Sep 12, 2014)

Glad you joined the group. The search bar at the top of any page is your best friend.
About anything you wanna know about smoking/grilling/curing/brining/cutting or slicing
and the list goes on has probably been posted. Remember to post a QVIEW of your smokes.
We are all smoke junkies here and we have to get our fix. If you have questions
Post it and you will probably get 10 replies with 11 different answers. That is
because their are so many different ways to make great Q...
Happy smoken.
David


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## bradssmokeshak (Sep 12, 2014)

Thankx so much for the warm  welcome. Its appreciated. And to answer your question I have yet to smoke anything myself. But I got some spare ribs and some pork shoulder to do my first smoke.


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## mark66 (Sep 12, 2014)

First of all, WELCOME! Before you start smoking (Meat) read a bit and ask questions.Learn from some Professionals here.


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## biggqwesty (Sep 12, 2014)

G day brad. Welcome. 
Also a newby myself. Up to my 4th smoke this arvo..
No such thing as a wrong smoker. Any smoker is a good one as long as it suits your needs. 
Anyway heaps of great info here so jump in and enjoy


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## bradssmokeshak (Sep 12, 2014)

One question I have come across is if I buy bulk will it turn out as well if I freeze it? It seems to me it should turn out alright if I give it ample fridge time to thaw. But is there another reason besides freshness.  Thankx for any help


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## jtstitzel (Sep 12, 2014)

Awesome!!! I'm a butt man myself so I am looking forward to seeing some Qview!! I'll be smoking something next weekend for the Florida Vs Alambama game. Probably ribs to go with my first attempt at home brewing. Have fun with your first smoke and don't feel shy about asking for help or recipes everyone here is really welcoming.


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## jtstitzel (Sep 12, 2014)

Nothing wrong with bulk just pull it out a few days ahead of time and let it slow thaw in your fridge. I have a few racks of ribs and two butts in the freezer right now.


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## bradssmokeshak (Sep 12, 2014)

Good deal. Cuz my ribs where frozen already and I hadn't gotten smoker yet but now that its ready to go got them rubbed up in one pan and my pork shoulder in the other. 













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__ bradssmokeshak
__ Sep 12, 2014


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## bradssmokeshak (Sep 13, 2014)

Okay one question I am having on my first smoke is how to seal my smoker door better. Temp outside fell way down from orig. Forecast. Hard to keep temp up where I want it. Any ideas. I thought about insulation but I dont want that in my food. And tips would be appreciated. 













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__ bradssmokeshak
__ Sep 13, 2014


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## bradssmokeshak (Sep 13, 2014)

So this is 4 hours in and just thru some ribs on. How is it lookin for 8 lbs pork shoulder. 













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__ bradssmokeshak
__ Sep 13, 2014


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## GaryHibbert (Sep 13, 2014)

Hey Brad

Welcome to the Smoking  forum.   You’ll find great , friendly people here, all more than willing to answer any question you may have.  Just ask and you’ll get about 10 different answers—all right.  LOL.   Don’t forget to post qviews.

Gary


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## gary s (Sep 13, 2014)

Good afternoon and welcome to the forum, from a finally cooling down East Texas. Lots of great people and tons of information.  

            Gary


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## bradssmokeshak (Sep 13, 2014)

Well my first smoke is under my belt. Turned out amazing. Can say for now best I ever made. Lol got some pics on how it turned out













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__ bradssmokeshak
__ Sep 13, 2014


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## tom 178 (Sep 13, 2014)

That picture is making me hungry!


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## dougmays (Sep 19, 2014)

bradssmokeshak said:


> Okay one question I am having on my first smoke is how to seal my smoker door better. Temp outside fell way down from orig. Forecast. Hard to keep temp up where I want it. Any ideas. I thought about insulation but I dont want that in my food. And tips would be appreciated.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


that's a pretty sizable gap in the door...i feel like that might be a manufacturer defect. You might want to see if they'll replace it. But you could use foil as a sealer possibly?

oh and i buy in bulk all the time and store in my freezer!


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## grillmonkey (Sep 19, 2014)

Go to the groups icon at the top of the page and there is a group called GOSM that will have some ideas on sealing up your smoker, as well as other useful mods.


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## jtstitzel (Sep 19, 2014)

I'm with Doug that looks like a defect. If the manufacturer isn't helpful bbqgaskets.com is a a site I've been checking out to get some parts for my WSM 22.5.


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## bradssmokeshak (Sep 20, 2014)

I appreciate the help. So I tried smoking chicken tonight for the first time. I brined it with 1 tbls. per cup of water and I put rosemary garlic and basil in with it. Let it set overnight. I smoked it for about 2   1/2 hours I made a simple rub of paprika, onion salt, garlic, poultry seasoning, and a spash of salt and pepper and a couple pinches of rosemary and thyme. 













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__ bradssmokeshak
__ Sep 20, 2014


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## oldschoolbbq (Sep 20, 2014)

Brad, there is one thing you need to have , and that one thing is "Patience" . You'll see why as you grow...just sayin'.......


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## bradssmokeshak (Sep 21, 2014)

Yeah didn't want the meat to dry out waiting for the skin to get crispy but it did turn out awesome. Very impressed so far


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## bradssmokeshak (Sep 21, 2014)

Did up a pork shoulder again this weekend. Kinda trying to wrap my head around this one. But so far everything has turned out better than alot of "bbq" shops around me. 













20140921_151141.jpg



__ bradssmokeshak
__ Sep 21, 2014


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## grillmonkey (Sep 21, 2014)

bradssmokeshak said:


> Did up a pork shoulder again this weekend. Kinda trying to wrap my head around this one. But so far everything has turned out better than alot of "bbq" shops around me.


Yeah, I know the feeling. Best thing I learned on this forum is listen to the experienced advice of some of the senior members. They really do know what they're talking about.


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## bradssmokeshak (Sep 21, 2014)

Yeah I'm with ya. People on here helped me out a lot.Got a good buddy who Int on here who gives me some good advise. Kinda like my smokin buddy. But I try to listen up never know the best way if ya dont ask.


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## gary s (Sep 24, 2014)

Looks pretty good to me !!!

Gary


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