1st Smoke on the Model #3

[Glock_21]

I got the first smoke done yesterday on the Model 3.  Found some positives and some negatives.

First the positives.  The food was excellent, rack of ribs and 2 small pork shoulders.  I used Tony's brine on both pork butts.  WOW, good stuff.  I never would have thought to brine a pork butt.  I'm glad I tried something new.  Ribs came out well too, even through I probably overcooked them a little.

Now the negatives.  It took 18 hrs for one of the pork butts and 21.5 hrs for the other.  I was shooting for 195 internal temp.  I had figured on 14 hrs max.  Supper ended up being burgers and ribs instead of pulled pork and ribs.  Both butts were under 7 lbs.  One was a bone in "Boston Butt", the other was a picnic.  I started the smoke on 225 and later moved the thermostat up to 250.  I eventually put a temp probe in the box and never saw a temp greater than 235.  Is this considered normal for an electric smoker or could I have a hardware issue?  I know each piece of meat is different, and "low and slow" is a good thing but this just didn't seem right.  I would have expected that on a large shoulder, but not these smaller ones.  I already removed the control knob and tried to get more rotation out of the rheostat.  It was already at its limit. 

What do you experienced guys think of those smoker temps and cook times?  Normal or not?

Thanks in advance for any information.

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[Ohio1956]

Travis, I don't have the answer to your question. I just bought a #3 and have completed about 5 smokes. My next smoke will be a shoulder. I do have a question. Was the meat straight out of the Fridge or was it at room temp when it went into the smoker?

Thanks;

[Glock_21]

Pretty much straight from the fridge and to the smoker.  Pulled it out of the brine pot, rinsed and patted dry.  Applied some rub and put it on the smoker.

[DivotMaker]

Travis, that's a really long time for butts that size!  You should have had them done in 8-12 hours! 

I would recommend testing the box temp of the smoker.  Put a few bricks, or pan of sand, in it (as a heat sink - empty smokers can't be checked accurately), set the temp to 250, and watch your probe temp for awhile.  You will see swings of up to 25°, but see that it "averages" to your set temp. 

Just for the record, I smoke ribs and butts at 235.

[Pork Belly]

Don't get hung up on temps. If you smoke a seven pound butt two hours a pound at 235'ish it is done. It will come apart, trust me. Two hours a pound is a high average, 1.5 would have been enough.