Smokin-It User Forum!
Smokin-It Smokers => Model 3 & 3D - The Big Brother => Topic started by: raymillsus on September 27, 2017, 03:58:17 PM
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Ok so my #3 arrived today. How can they ship this thing for Free? I got out the dolly and went to bring it in the house. First thought. Is this thing is a Tank, i did not think I was going to get it out of the box. Way heavier than expected. Well packed and well built. Easy to put together and set up for a smoke. One issue is I am surprised at how hot the top is during the first smoke. I hope this is not the case when I do my smoke. I touched the top a couple hours ago and my fingertips still burn a bit. I did not expect that. But besides that so far so good. I am going to do something easy first I am going to do some Chicken legs and thighs. I know Kinda Lame but no time to go get something. And Mamma said. I want something smoked for dinner get on it monkey boy. :D
I will update this post with my thought but this is it so far.
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The chicken came out soo good. I can not wait to do Ribs this weekend. Amazing unit. Did notice that I had to get on the ground and pull really hard on the rack to get it out. Is there a trick I did not read about on this one?
-Ray
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Ok so this is what we had for dinner. wanted to Share my first smoke with ya.
IT was good.
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That's some tasty looking bird Ray! Ribs are always a good meal. They cook,pretty fast and don't screw up much. Kudos on your first smoke.
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I guess I should have said First on my #3. I have been BBQ (Not grilling) for over 20 years. But thank you. I do have to admit this may be the best smoked thighs and legs I have ever had. cooked quick though. Put it on dropped my truck off at the dealer, back in 1 hr. IT was 185. Much quicker than my Bradley. Also they said during the seasoning to look at the box for hot spots. Mine had a small piece up front rest were all ashes.
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the outside of the box usually gets hotter on the seasoning smoke cause there is no meat in it to soak up the heat
with food in it it is normally much cooler
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I had a little sticking with mine when it was new as well as stickiness with the Cookshack. It sort of went away after a few smokes. But once in awhile, with a full packer, some of the juice collects along the rail and the rack sticks a little. And yes, the smoker is a tad on the heavy side. Enjoy!
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I am not going to give up easy. I really like this thing. It is a tank. But I may have to get the cart. It is very low to the ground.
But small price to pay for great food.
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Nothing wrong with getting a cart from SI. But a lot of folks have built their own, or mounted the smoker on a rolling tool chest, or a stainless steel utility cart. Possibilities are endless.
Use the search function for 'cart'.
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Good looking chicken! Can I assume Monkey Boy made moma happy at dinner? Enjoy your new smoker.
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Good looking chicken! Can I assume Monkey Boy made moma happy at dinner? Enjoy your new smoker.
Yes he did. Thanks for the thumbs up on the chicken. It was really good. Maybe a bit more smokey than we liked it but that is easily changed here.
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She will love the ribs when you smoke them. On a side note, we pass by Haymarket several times a year going to visit our daughter and son-in-law in Fairfax. Love the drive through the Shenandoah Valley.
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She will love the ribs when you smoke them. On a side note, we pass by Haymarket several times a year going to visit our daughter and son-in-law in Fairfax. Love the drive through the Shenandoah Valley.
I love it out here as well. Many miles on the motorcycle on these roads. It really is a slice of heaven. Now the people and traffic not so much.
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I saw a nice looking cart in my Harbor Freight catalog this week on sale for $39.99
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I need to look at that.
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So could not resist I am doing a Chuck roast.
This is what I put in. Kinda small and cooking quick. But that seems to be the rule on this smoker so far.
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So could not resist I am doing a Chuck roast.
This is what I put in. Kinda small and cooking quick. But that seems to be the rule on this smoker so far.
Have you tried dropping an ambient temperature probe down the hole into the box? You should get temperature swings around 30 degrees to either side of your set temperature, so don't be alarmed by that. As it get's more seasoned, the temperature swings will calm down a bit, but they should average out to around your set temperature. You might be running hot. It could be that your knob needs to be adjusted, but I think that is pretty rare. I don't recall many people thinking the SI cooks fast, but you come from a Bradley background, so maybe those are really slow. Also, the top of mine does not get that hot. Do you have your smoker out in the sun by chance? If it is in the sun, you can fry an egg on there. The top gets screaming hot. In the shade, it should be relatively cool. Once you get a few smokes under your belt, and it's fully seasoned, you can re-evaluate.
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So could not resist I am doing a Chuck roast.
This is what I put in. Kinda small and cooking quick. But that seems to be the rule on this smoker so far.
Have you tried dropping an ambient temperature probe down the hole into the box? You should get temperature swings around 30 degrees to either side of your set temperature, so don't be alarmed by that. As it get's more seasoned, the temperature swings will calm down a bit, but they should average out to around your set temperature. You might be running hot. It could be that your knob needs to be adjusted, but I think that is pretty rare. I don't recall many people thinking the SI cooks fast, but you come from a Bradley background, so maybe those are really slow. Also, the top of mine does not get that hot. Do you have your smoker out in the sun by chance? If it is in the sun, you can fry an egg on there. The top gets screaming hot. In the shade, it should be relatively cool. Once you get a few smokes under your belt, and it's fully seasoned, you can re-evaluate.
I had my maverick in there the Oven temp was set at 150 deg and it stayed between 144 and 158. I was actually impressed. This is a #3 not a #3d. The chuck was only 2.5lbs could be why it was quick. went to 150 IT in about 3 hrs. My old smoker was 500 watt. this one is 1200 will be a learning curve. But it still looks amazing.
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It might be a little chewy at an IT of 150 but I assume you've made them before at that temp.
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It might be a little chewy at an IT of 150 but I assume you've made them before at that temp.
No actually my first one on the smoker. What temp should it be?
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No actually my first one on the smoker. What temp should it be?
I'd recommend 195 to 200 for your internal meat temp.
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I had my maverick in there the Oven temp was set at 150 deg and it stayed between 144 and 158. I was actually impressed. This is a #3 not a #3d. The chuck was only 2.5lbs could be why it was quick. went to 150 IT in about 3 hrs. My old smoker was 500 watt. this one is 1200 will be a learning curve. But it still looks amazing.
Was the "oven" temp at 150? I Assume your are setting your dial at 225-250 (not 150), so when I say ambient temperature, I mean the temperature of the air in the box cavity of the smoker, which should be similar to your dial temperature (that would be your "oven" temperature). I would recommend a dial setting of 225, and "meat/food" temperature of 195 for a chuck roast. Wrap in foil and rest for at least 30 minutes, 1 hour is better.
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I had my maverick in there the Oven temp was set at 150 deg and it stayed between 144 and 158. I was actually impressed. This is a #3 not a #3d. The chuck was only 2.5lbs could be why it was quick. went to 150 IT in about 3 hrs. My old smoker was 500 watt. this one is 1200 will be a learning curve. But it still looks amazing.
Was the "oven" temp at 150? I Assume your are setting your dial at 225-250 (not 150), so when I say ambient temperature, I mean the temperature of the air in the box cavity of the smoker, which should be similar to your dial temperature (that would be your "oven" temperature). I would recommend a dial setting of 225, and "meat/food" temperature of 195 for a chuck roast. Wrap in foil and rest for at least 30 minutes, 1 hour is better.
So I had it at 225 and the IT was rising at a rapid pace. I did turn it down to 150 to slow down the cook. It still did not take long for it to get to 150 IT. My dial was set to 150. I will do 195 IT and 225 on the dial next time. I will admit it was a bit chewy. But Man the flavor was out of this world. the kids even raved about it. I am not use to the power this unit has. My Bradley (500 watts) would take much longer to heat anything in it. I will get it but I can tell you that the flavor this is putting into the food is much better than the Bradley. I can not wait until 6 months down the road when this thing is completely broken in. The flavor should be even better. I will remember 195 internal temp. I have some more Creek-stone meat coming. If you have not tried it all I can say is it is above anything I have had anywhere. The food was amazing and i will keep at it. I hate bugging everyone with all my questions so I will calm that down a bit. :)
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If you don't ask questions, you don't get answers. Keep on smoking and sharing your experiences.
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If you don't ask questions, you don't get answers. Keep on smoking and sharing your experiences.
Thanks. Glad to hear.
-Ray
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Keep asking those questions! We love to hear them. When taking any meat to 195, it's going to rise very quickly to 150. So I'm not surprised it got there fast. 150 for Chuck Roast is pretty low, unless you are chilling and doing really thin slices for sandwiches (in which case you would only take it to about 130 for medium rare). You really want a Chuck Roast to go to 190-200 for eating as a roast, where the collagen can convert to gelatin, giving you that super tender gelatinous mouth feel, and fall-apart juicy meat. The "stall" is going to occur sometime between 160 and 180, which is where the temperature of the meat is going to sit... or even go down, for a very long time. So next time, for a long cook like that where your internal meat temp needs to go to the 190-205 range, like for Chuck Roast, Butt, Brisket, etc., don't panic and turn down the dial when the temp rises very quickly in the beginning. Leave it at 225. You'll see that it slows down, and practically stops, for several hours.
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Keep asking those questions! We love to hear them. When taking any meat to 195, it's going to rise very quickly to 150. So I'm not surprised it got there fast. 150 for Chuck Roast is pretty low, unless you are chilling and doing really thin slices for sandwiches (in which case you would only take it to about 130 for medium rare). You really want a Chuck Roast to go to 190-200 for eating as a roast, where the collagen can convert to gelatin, giving you that super tender gelatinous mouth feel, and fall-apart juicy meat. The "stall" is going to occur sometime between 160 and 180, which is where the temperature of the meat is going to sit... or even go down, for a very long time. So next time, for a long cook like that where your internal meat temp needs to go to the 190-205 range, like for Chuck Roast, Butt, Brisket, etc., don't panic and turn down the dial when the temp rises very quickly in the beginning. Leave it at 225. You'll see that it slows down, and practically stops, for several hours.
I do exactly that everytime for brisket and butts. But for some reason I expected the stall at 130-140 and it pushed right through. that is where i would get it on the bradley. I guess the higher wattage makes a difference.
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The stall won't happen until after 150. Most likely somewhere between 160 and 190. It's more of a meat thing rather than a smoker thing. Not sure why you experienced a stall at such a low temperature with the Bradley. As we say here... embrace the stall. Never "push" through the stall. Just let it happen, and don't touch that dial. "Pushing through the stall" is a common BBQ expression... and practice for some reason. Have a beer, relax. The stall is where the "magic" happens. It's where all sorts of scientific chemical reactions are happening, converting collagen to gelatin, making all that connective tissue moist and succulent. Celebrate the stall, and don't rush it. Just make sure you allow enough time (and beer) for it! ;)
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If you think the meat is getting to an IT too soon, be sure your temp probe is not set too shallow in the meat. What I do is line up the probe on the outside at the thickest part and using my thumb as a stop to mark the depth, I insert the probe in the thick part up to my thumb. This way I feel comfortable on being pretty close to dead center without overshooting or undershooting. I don't know how effective that is for placement but I feel good.
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If you think the meat is getting to an IT too soon, be sure your temp probe is not set too shallow in the meat. What I do is line up the probe on the outside at the thickest part and using my thumb as a stop to mark the depth, I insert the probe in the thick part up to my thumb. This way I feel comfortable on being pretty close to dead center without overshooting or undershooting. I don't know how effective that is for placement but I feel good.
That is a good tip with the thumb. I usually just push it straight in. I have the Maverick wireless. I love it actually. The only thing better will be if I ever get a WIFI pid for it. :)
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Thank you for all the help. I made brisket that was the best I have ever had. I know everyone said to brine it so I did. I used KY Smoker's beef brine http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=4199.0 but did not have a couple things. I did not have texas pete so I used Franks buffalo wing sauce. And I did not have beef broth so I used a bit of "Better than broth with water. All I can say is Amazing. Everyone kept saying that they had never had brisket this good and moist in their life.
After cuting into this brisket I can tell you I think it was a 1/2 brisket I think it had the flat and the point on it just cut in half. I got the thicker end. Man was this good.
Anyway thanks for all the help. Brisket is the 1 thing that I am always "Afraid of" but not anymore I have the right tools and great advice. Up next is ST Louis Ribs.
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You do your part and these smokers take care of everything else. Pretty much foolproof and worry free.
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I was doing my registration and my date of Manufacture on the tag is 11-7-2017. Is this normal? Or just a misprint. Does my warranty start then or today? :)
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DAY, month, year.
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LOL I am slow I guess.