# First attempt today.



## shakeyjake (Sep 16, 2014)

Hi guys,

Just thought I'd share with you and ask for feedback. 

Today I finally got round to doing my first ever bit of smoking. After poor weather, working shifts and being abroad, I seized upon the decent weather we had today and gave it a shot. 

Ideally I would've loved to have done pulled pork shoulder but I had to cut some corners as I had my 2 1/2 year old daughter with me all day. 

I already had a pork joint at home so I used a shop bought dry rub and coated it in the morning. I have the green Brinkman and was worried about getting it up to temp but it seemed to go fine. 

I put on some hickory chips and after a while I started to baste it in BBQ sauce. Again this was shop bought due to time and having to entertain my littlun. 












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I managed to break my meat thermometer so I had to use a lot of guess work. In the end I had it on for about 5 hours, and I was quite pleased. 













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I also did some ribs the same way and ended up snacking on them. Me and the wife were quite full so I just served the meat with a simple salsa. 












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I think next time I use will a bit more wood chips though. What technique is best, soaking and putting direct on the coals or putting in a foil parcel? 

Cheers, 

Jake.


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## wade (Sep 16, 2014)

Hi Jake

That looks like a very tasty looking first smoke - Well done 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






. The pork looks nice and juicy - how do you feel they turned out?

Do you have a working thermometer on your Brinkman so you can tell what temperature you are cooking at? For good consistent slow smoking the temperature is important. If you have broken your meat thermometer can I suggest that when you come to replace it you looks at a Maverick ET-732 or 733 as you can use these both in the BBQ and in the kitchen oven.

How long did you cook the ribs and why no photos? I bet they got eaten first 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





There is nothing wrong with starting with a shop bought rub - there are some good ones out there. Do try to avoid ones called "seasoning" though as they will contain a lot of salt. If you can start to get things prepared the night before the meat really responds well to having the rub applied the night before and being covered in clingfilm in the fridge.

Thanks for sharing your photos and I hope we can see more soon. It is also great that you are starting to break your daughter into the joys of BBQ so early.


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## oldschoolbbq (Sep 16, 2014)

Very nice , Shakeyjake .  Best advice is to purchase an Amazing Pellet Smoker from Todd Johnson. Ads on this forum , to the side.

You'll love it and want another. .

Have fun and . . .


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## kc5tpy (Sep 16, 2014)

Hello Jake.  Looks great.  I'd eat that ALL DAY LONG!  Glad you finally had a chance to post.  Have a look at my earlier post ( link below ), a brisket bought from the supermarket here is lacking.  Just a suggestion of what to ask the local butcher for next time.  Keep Smokin!

Danny

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/151888/brisket


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## mdboatbum (Sep 17, 2014)

Looks like a great result!  You may find that after a night in the fridge, the smokey flavor will be where you want it. Oftentimes I am disappointed in the smoke flavor directly after removing meat from the smoker. This has been somewhat debated as to whether the smoke penetrates the meat and equalizes during the rest, or having been surrounded by smoke for several hours, the cook is somewhat desensitized to the flavor and aroma of smoke. My guess is it's a little bit of both. As for soaking the chips, I wouldn't. See if you can get chunks as opposed to chips. They'll last longer and give more smoke throughout the cook. Good luck!


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## wade (Sep 17, 2014)

I would agree with you completely Mdboatbum. I tasted some of the mesquite smoked chicken I smoked over the weekend soon after it had rested. It was lovely and moist, the texture was great and it tasted OK - but not particularly smokey. I froze most of the meat but I did put one breast aside in the fridge, which we ate tonight. The smokey flavour appeared to be so much more intense tonight than it did on Sunday. Was that because the flavour had actually intensified over time or just that we were desensitised during the actual cooking. I don't know. But what I do know is that it tasted good tonight.


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## mdboatbum (Sep 17, 2014)

I have seen posts here where folks suggested a hot shower and brushing your teeth while the meat is resting helps a lot. Interesting question really, I wish I had more of an answer.


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## wade (Sep 17, 2014)

Maybe something for someone to blind test this weekend.


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## shakeyjake (Sep 22, 2014)

Hi guys, thanks so much for the replies as advice, I'll definitely be taking it on board. 

I was pretty pleased with it for a first go as I've not made any adjustments to my Brinkman yet either. I think I definitely need a temp gauge in it though. I'm just using the basic ideal/hot one it came with at the moment. I can see that once I get into the swing of things I will want the accuracy of a proper gauge. 

I've not found anywhere that sells the wood chunks yet but those pellets/bisquettes look good. 

I've recommended this site to a work friend as he wants to start smoking too. I've really appreciated your advice.


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## shakeyjake (Sep 22, 2014)

Sorry Wade, also meant to add that I did the ribs for about 2.5 hours I think. I was worried that putting loads more smoke at that point might overdo it in the pork, but the pork could've handled a lot more smoke and in the end the ribs weren't smokey enough for me. I didn't bother with any rib photos as the ribs themselves weren't that impressive! Next time I'll be using some meatier ones!


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## wade (Sep 22, 2014)

If you can, go to your local butcher and buy the ribs from him/her untrimmed. Ask them to cut them fresh for you and make sure that they leave at least 5-10mm of meat covering the rib bones. You will always see the rib bones from the inside, however if you can also see them from the outside (with most supermarket ribs you can see bone both sides) reject them. What you should be looking for is something like this.  They will cost you a little more than the supermarket ones but they will be well worth the difference.

Some pictures below but more detail here

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/165003/todays-ribs-in-the-weber-22













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After you have removed the membrane, by bending the ribs find the point where the bones meet the cartilage and cut along the join using a sharp knife.













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You can safely smoke the ribs for the full 5-6 hours and they will not be over smoked.

Looking forward to seeing your friend posting on here soon


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## shakeyjake (Sep 23, 2014)

Wow, cheers for the advice, they look top notch. Definitely better than the ones I put on the smoker! I will certainly give them a go.


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## wade (Sep 24, 2014)

It makes the difference between having to give everyone half a rack of ribs each for them to feel they have actually eaten, or giving them 2 or 3 ribs which will actually have more meat on them. I have found that, as well as being a better eating experience, it also ends up actually being more cost-effective.


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