My first smoke!

[Smokin Canuck]

I finally got my hands on a real smoker, and I'm glad I decided to go with the Smokin-it Model #1!

I seasoned it yesterday, and smoked my first pork shoulder today. My local grocery store only sold pork shoulder in small quantities (under 2lbs)    Oh we, twice the bark and less cooking time, right???

I used my own dry rub and stuck it with cider vinegar. Then cover it and put it in the fridge over night.

Rub:
1⁄4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp chili pepper powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp sea salt
1⁄2 tsp cinnamon
1⁄2 tsp cayenne pepper

I used 2 pieces of wood included with my model #1, and placed a tray of apple cider in the smoker to keep it moist and add flavor.

Cooked it to 165 degrees but then got impatient and finished to 205 in the oven (really should have waited, low and slow is much better).

Served it on a brioche bun with coleslaw and my homemade BBQ sauce. Verdict... AMAZING!!!

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[DivotMaker]

Greetings to the Great White North!  Several of our Northern brothers and sisters here now!  The butt looks great!  Congrats on your new smoker!

Just curious...why did you pull it out and finish it in the oven?  Was your smoker not maintaining 225?  Best to let them ride (even the little ones like that) in the smoker. 

I recommend getting a digital kitchen scale (if you don't have one) to weigh your wood.  2 chunks may have been a bit much for a small butt like that, but you be the judge on the smokiness.  If I smoke a 8-9 lb butt (the size we get in Arkansas, lol), I'll use 5-6 oz of wood.  A sub-2 lb butt here would be a piglet!

The pics look great (thanks! we love pictures!).  I look forward to having you around!!

[Smokin Canuck]

The butts were in for about 4 hours (they were small, 1.5 per lb I was guessing), and you're right I should have let it ride, but rushed to get internal temp up to 205 before pulling and thought throwing it in oven do it. To be honest I think I need to invest in a better thermometer, the one I have never seems right.

You are right, it was a lot of smoke! Still good though! I think I'll also invest in a kitchen scale to get the right amount of wood in there. Definitely gonna make the trip to Costco and get a real size butt this weekend, maybe some ribs too!

Not that right section of the forum, but has anyone tried smoking BBQ sauce? I like making my own and often use liquid smoke, but now can use the real thing. Any recipe recos out there?

[NDKoze]

I am not quite as far North as you, but welcome from North Dakota!

I am glad to hear that your first smoke was a success.

Costco has great Butts, but unfortunately they only have boneless (at least in my area), so I typically go to Sam's Club which has great Bone-in Boston Butt double packs as I prefer the bone-in. So, if you have a Sam's Club, I would recommend going there instead of Costco.

If you do not have a nearby Sam's Club, the boneless butts at Costco are great quality, but you will pay a little more for them (for the deboning) and I would recommend trussing them up around where the bone was to try to make it seem like a one piece unit that will cook evenly.

Sorry, I can't help you on smoking the BBQ sauce. It is an interesting concept. There are several sauce recipes in the Sauce section and would be a great place to post a separate post on this subject.

When you get a chance, introduce yourself in the Introductions section. We enjoy hearing from the new members about how they picked the Smokin-It, Smoking background, what you like to smoke, etc.

[DivotMaker]

A good scale and thermometer are definitely good to have.  The Maverick ET-732 or 733 are excellent choices.  If I'm correct, Costco only sells boneless pork shoulders.  If you can find one, the bone-in Boston butt cut of pork shoulder is the best for pulled pork.  Make sure it's a Boston, and not a picnic cut (lower part of the front leg).

I use liquid smoke in my sauce; never thought about actually smoking it!  You have me thinking, now!!

[Smokin Canuck]

Thanks for the pro-tip on Costco guys! I'll have a close look tomorrow, ugh Costco on a Saturday 

I picked up the Maverick today, so I feel much better about the control I'll have with knowing the smoker temp and meat temp. Quick question, do you feed the cord through the chimney or pressed in the door? Guy at the shop said the door, but that doesn't seem right.

I'll try and update my profile soon to give you guys a little more info on me

[DivotMaker]

Feed the probes through the "blow hole" in the top (that's what I can't help but call it:).  The guy at the shop was probably thinking of a big box smoker with a rubber gasket.  You'll ruin these probe wires if you smash them in the door.  Sorry about Costco on Saturday!  If it's any consolation, I have to hit Sam's tomorrow, too!  Yuk.

[Smokster]

Hey Smokin Canuck, welcome to the club from a fellow Canadian.

The pulled pork looks great, but up here in Canada, I find it difficult to find a bone-in pork butt at your local grocery store, especially the size I am looking for ("I like big butts and I cannot lie").  I am somewhat fortunate because my brother is a butcher so he orders one for me when I need it.  Also full packer briskets are also very difficult to come by, which again he would order when needed.

I regards to your inquiry for a nice homemade BBQ sauce, Tony posted one a while ago which is my favourite. I use it all the time and it is great on everything. It really is to die for. I posted the link below and you can tweak the ingredients to your liking. I cut down on the cayenne pepper due to the wife and kids, but you can see what works best for you.

http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=772.0

Enjoy!