Smokin-It User Forum!
Smokin-It Smokers => Model 2 & 2D - The Middle Kid => Topic started by: kratty on January 16, 2018, 10:42:46 PM
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Got my #2D Friday and by Saturday I was beginning a new adventure not only with an SI, but also with my first attempt at sausage making. Made sweet Italian, then tried a slightly modified version of a chicken/sun-dried tomato/basil/parmesan recipe I found here. Made that last one in two batches, one fresh and the other with some cure since I planned on smoking it. That batch was the inaugural post-seasoning smoke with the unit. Despite 14-degree weather, it performed flawlessly. The sausage was simply incredible. Casing got the deep color and crack that I read is the goal (that's what's in the pic).
Monday I put in a 9lb boneless pork shoulder that had a yellow mustard-with-rub bath the night before. Started at 7am with a mix of hickory and apple wood, but it wasn't done by dinner. In fact, I finally pulled it at 11:30pm @ 197 degrees! I normally shoot for 203, but was too tired to wait any longer. I wrapped it in a few layers of HD foil. It was still warm this morning when I shredded it. Have to say, it shredded better than any shoulder I've ever done before. The family enjoyed it tonight for dinner and all agree it was the best I've ever done in taste and texture!
So, a great start with lots of learning. The thing that really surprised me was the amount of time the shoulder took. When I do shoulders on my Hasty Bake, which I've gotten pretty good at maintaining a steady 230-245ish temperature, the longest it has taken is 8 hours. But what a difference a steady low-and-slow cook makes on the SI. Lesson learned: as many on this forum have said, expect 1-2 hours/pound on an SI. That is spot-on.
The final thing that I'm still struggling to come to terms with is the idea of putting such a small amount of wood in all at once and never adding more. Again, with the Hasty Bake set up with a fuse burn of charcoal, I probably use 3X as much wood that lasts for 5-6 hours. But the proof is in the pork, as it were. The smoke flavor of the shoulder was perfect.
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That looks GREAT! Congrats.
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Outstanding first week Kratty!
Sausages are easy and a great way to crank out goodness ...
Smaller BB's do take longer ... I did a 8lb BB this past Saturday overnight in to Sunday morning and it took 13 hours set on 212. One trick I do is use smaller wood pieces individually and randomly wrapped in foil and load the wood box full which is about 10-12 oz of wood on long smokes. It was still generating smoke during the 11 hour all be it a light smoke. We tend to prefer heavier smoke in my neck of the woods on beef and pork rather than candy finishes.
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Sounds like you had a very great weekend. Those sausages look really tasty. Nicely done. Low and slow is the way to go.
By the way, do you have a blue star range?
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Very nice! Another want in my kitchen Arsenal is a meat gr Nader and sausage stuffer for my Kitchenaid!
Keep on smoking!
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Nice looking sausage Kratty. I’ve been trying my hand at sausage making but haven’t smoked any yet. That’s on my list soon. Enjoy your SI.
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I think regulating the amount of wood you use is one of the most challenging things for those of us coming from other BBQ backgrounds. We are used to using a lot of wood, over the course of many hours. I also like things on the smokier side, so I tend to add wood on the high side of the recommended amount. Everyone has different tastes, so you have to experiment.
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Sounds like you had a very great weekend. Those sausages look really tasty. Nicely done. Low and slow is the way to go.
By the way, do you have a blue star range?
Good eye! Yes, that's a BlueStar.
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We put in an 8 burner blue star in 2008 when we remodeled/enlarged our kitchen. Terrific stove; a real beast.
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I've got a 6 burner one with a griddle. Great stove.
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Well done!
Best Greg
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Congrats on the #2 - and the sausage and pork butt! Nice job!
On the butt - not sure if you have access to bone-in Boston butts, but I recommend them over boneless. I've never been able to get consistent results with boneless like I can with bone-in. That bone seems to transmit the heat through the middle and make them cook better (I'm not a scientist, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.. ;) ). Also, I usually remove & wrap around the 189-192 range. Through a lot of experimentation, I've found the tenderizing is done during the stall, and once the butt climbs out of it, longer smoking only serves to dry it out more, not tenderize it. Also, brining a Boston butt takes it to a whole new level! I have a post somewhere around here about how to brine one (it's a sticky on the pork page).
Keep on smokin' and experimenting, and you'll get it dialed-in in no time!!