Hello from the frozen tundra of MN!

[Hoochie Que]

Hi everyone!  I just wanted to take a minute to introduce myself and share the excitement of my new meat cooking BBQ toy that should be arriving soon.  I have always been fascinated with BBQ and really appreciate the art form of cooking BBQ.  It's the only truly American form of cooking known.  I started out on a small Brinkman offset charcoal cooker that couldn't holds temps if I threw the whole thing in a fire.  That lasted about 2 years.  After that I upgraded to a Weber WSM which is a great cooker and I still love to this day.  I have added a Stoker which makes cooking on the WSM much more enjoyable.  I have been involved with BBQ competitions and have done a few and currently volunteer for one of the larger events here in southeastern MN.  The Weber works great for competitions, but I just wanted something that was more efficient and less work honestly.  I looked at the Cookshacks, and some others but kept coming back to the Smokin-it cookers.  I placed my order yesterday for the model 1, cart, and some accessories and after talking with Steve, ended up changing to the Model 2 based on a few factors like cooking space and element size.  Steve said they're pretty backed up right now due to the holiday season, but it sounds like I should have my new smoker next week sometime.  I'm looking forward to learning from all of you here as well as contributing if possible.  I'll leave everyone with a few pics from my competition cooking days.  Yes, the name of our cook team is Hoochie Que BBQ.

Jeff

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[NDKoze]

Welcome from a neighbor from the west (ND)!

I think you will be happy that you went for the #2 over the #1. This just gives you a lot more flexibility.

There are a few things that are different verses stick burners and WSMs. For example, you will typically only need 3-6 ounces of wood for most smokes. 2-3 ounces for poultry and ribs is very common and 5-6 ounces of wood for butts/briskets.

One of the other advantages is the very tight nature of the smoke box. It really retains moisture, so it is really important to do most smokes without opening the door. For example, for a Boston Butt smoke, I put my brined Boston Butt on the smoker around 10:00PM to 12:00AM and don't open the door until the internal temp hits 195. No, fussing with mops or foil. Same thing with ribs, where I put cold ribs into a cold smoker with 2-3 ounces of wood at 235 and don't open the door for 4.5-5.0 hours to check for doneness.

Just a couple of things to think about.

Again, welcome and we'll be looking forward to hearing about your first few smokes and how they went.

[DivotMaker]

Welcome to the world of "Lazy Que," Jeff!  You'll probably take some ribbing from some of your competition buddies for going electric, but once you see what great Q you can make - and they taste it - the ribbing will stop!

Gregg is right - your biggest challenge will be finding something fun to do while your smoker does its job!  No more constant tending, foiling/unfoiling, spritzing, mopping, etc...  Just focus on the prep and wood selection, and let the smoker do what it does best!

Glad to have you on board!  I look forward to some "award-winning" recipes!

[Hoochie Que]

Thanks guys for the warm welcome.  Make no mistake, I'm still going to keep a Weber or two around for when I want the whole day charcoal, fire tending, mopping, experience.  My gut says that as I get used to the new smoker that there will be fewer times that I use the Weber, and I'm ok with that.  I have a few recipes for ribs and pork butt that have done well in competition, maybe I'll post them up and see what people think.  Sounds like I'm still about a week out of receiving my new rig, so the anticipation is building.  Thanks again and looking forward to contributing in any way that I can.

J

[BedouinBob]

Welcome Jeff!! I am looking forward to seeing pics of the q you turn out. You will love your new toy. 

[Hoochie Que]

Well, my smoker arrived yesterday by UPS safe and sound.  I have to say, this thing is built like a tank and weighs a ton!  So far, I'm impressed with the build quality and construction.  Only minor complaint is that I was missing a couple of #10 flat washers in putting the cart together.  No worries as I had a couple on hand.  Everything else went very smooth.  My wife looked the new smoker up and down and made a comment about this one lasting a very long time.  I agree.  So, yesterday unpacked and put everything together.  This afternoon a brief cleaning with a damp microfiber and air compressor.  Now it's fired up with a couple chunks of hickory for the seasoning.  I'm trying this inside of my heated garage with the door closed, we'll see how that goes.

J

[DivotMaker]

Congrats, Jeff!  I'd rethink using it in a heated garage with doors closed, though!  At least crack the door, with a fan for outflow.  Wouldn't want to poison the family with CO before your first meal!

[Hoochie Que]

Yea, ended up opening the door.  No worries. 

[DivotMaker]

Whew!