1st Smokes - 8 Racks of Side Ribs & Pork Butt - Model #3

[Smokster]

Hi Everyone, I'm new to the forum and just picked up my Model #3 last weekend from Steve and I couldn't wait to get home to start 'Smokin It'.

My first attempt consisted of smoking 8 racks of side ribs for my son's birthday which I did on Saturday.  I tried the 3-2-1 method by setting my temperature to 225 and placed 2 racks of ribs on each shelf with a dry rub.  I think I used a bit to much wood at about 4.5 ounces (live and learn), however the smoke flavour was still ok, just a bit much for my liking.

After the 3 hours, I pulled them out and they already appeared to be overcooked or dry in appearance, which was odd considering that my digitial thermometer was registering about 170 degrees for the first 3 hours.  I then coated each rack with brown sugar, honey and apple juice and wrapped in foil and in for another 2 hours (hoping this would help add moisture back).

Once I pulled them out, they appeared to be dry, but they were actually moist in the center, but not fall off the bone as I would have expected.

I was worried that if I put them in uncovered for the last hour, it would dry them out, so I just let them sit.  The ribs turned out to be moist, but would adding for another hour help to achieve that fall off the bone effect?  I realize that cooking 8 racks for my first smoke it a bit much, but I couldn't resist and needed to feed 20 people on short notice.

Next smoke, starting tomorrow will be pulled pork butt (with the bone).  Hmmm, I can't wait.  Althought I love my #3, on the downside my doctor will hate me for it as it just works against the fundemental of 'eating healthy' by cutting down on the meat intake.  Oh well, at least I am in heaven before I get there.

Any advice will be appreciated.

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[UWFSAE]

Well, with the initial prep, did you hold the rubbed ribs for any period before loading the smoker?  Also, if any, what kind of binding agent did you use to hold the rub?  Another consideration was where was your thermometer probe placed inside the Smokin-It; with that big a load you would likely see some temperature variations from top to bottom.

My typical method is to rub the ribs using a yellow mustard or molasses binder, wrap in plastic and hold refrigerated overnight.  Put them in the smoker cold at 225 and just let them go ... no wrapping, no spritzing, no nothing ... just meat, heat, and spices.  I have fallen in love with the Ms. Lilly's Flavor Savor attachment Steve sells; I typically add a beer or apple juice and find it typically reduces by half during a standard spare rib session.

[Muttley]

Smokester, we've been talking a bit about wood choice lately.  Now, I don't have a #3, I have a #2, and I smoke for some picky people who love smoked food without the smoked taste if that makes any sense.  Anyway, I recently started using peach, and this weekend stumbled into a chopped up bourbon barrel.  I had fantastic results with that 50/50 combo, also the peach by itself is good.  Really good.

Typically, I am using 2oz, no more than 3 oz in my #2.  I guess what I am getting at is don't underestimate the importance of your wood (and the quanity--less is more sometimes), it could make all the difference between good and great. 

Best of luck...welcome to the site. 

[Smokster]

UWFSAE: I did not add a binding agent as I am not a fan of mustard, although I will definitely give it a try for my next smoke, bit I did add a dry rub which added a nice flavour.  As for temperature, I have to say this unit did hold a steady temperature with very little fluctuation throughout the entire smoke.  It maintained at 180 to 190 for the first 3 hours and gradually increased to 210 for the remaining 2 hours (temp was always set to 225).  The probe was dropped into the hole and placed at the middle of the unit, however I didn't realize that the T732 came with an internal mounting bracket for the probe.  There are definitely a few adjustments I need to make for my next smoke and for the time being I will stick to 2 racks at a time, use a binding agent, mount the probe, use 2 to 3 ounces of wood and lastly to be patient.  After all, this is a learning process until you find what works for you.

I did not use the Lilly flavour tray to add liquid.  Does it make a difference and would you recommend that I use it for my next smoke?

Muttley: After my first smoke, I definitely agree with you that sometimes less is more.  To much smoke can ruin your experience, I just need to put less wood until I find my sweet spot.  For ribs I will try 2-3 oz of apple wood and for pulled pork I will increase it to 5-6 oz of wood.  I haven't seen any Peach wood in my area, but I will have to keep my eyes open as that definately sounds interesting.

Thank you both for your posts.  I'm new to posting in a forum and thank you for your patience.

[UWFSAE]

Smokster,

The really cool thing about yellow mustard (and most binding agents including olive oil, molasses, honey, etc.) is that you really don't taste it in the final product.  It will definitely hold your rub effectively and, in my experience, seems to contribute to a moist product.

With regard to the Lilly's Flavor Savor, not only does it help humidify the smoker chamber but it also helps stabilize the temps a bit; a larger pan would do so more effectively but I'm a bigger stickler for final product internal temp rather than chamber temp.

With regard to chamber probe placement, be sure that it isn't touching the smoker box or sidewalls as this can easily give you a false positive.  That little clip is a bit finicky but keep it towards the middle of the box and at least two inches from the sides (and product) and you should be able to gather accurate data.

No matter what, the fine tuning process for smoking is enjoyable and tasty; I think you'll enjoy the journey as you get used to particulars regarding your Smokin-It.  Also, you can get a wide variety of woods from Frutia or Maine Grilling Woods ... just check that section for more info.  Glad to hear that you're having fun with your #2!

[Smokster]

Joe:  Thank you for your response and advice. 

Tomorrow morning I am planning on smoking a 10 lb pork butt (with the bone) which I added a dry rub to set in the fridge for a day.  I plan on injecting the pork butt with a liquid marinade before I place it in the smoker.  For a larger cut of meat, would you recommend that I add a binding agent (or is it not necessary) and do I inject just before I start my smoke?  I plan on putting a pan at the bottom of the smoker with apple juice to ensure there is moisture in the chamber.

[UWFSAE]

The last butt I smoked was one that was slathered with yellow mustard ... it's got the injection recipe and process and can be found here:

http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=838.0

The rub I used was a standard pork rub; that prep was for sliced pork so it'll need to go a bit longer to achieve pulled pork.

I don't think adding a water pan, filled with apple cider or beer, can do harm (except soften bark a bit) but it can help keep your temps stabilized and promote moisture for a long, unwrapped smoke ... no foiling needed if you inject and use the water pan as well, I promise.

[DivotMaker]

Hey Smokester - welcome to the club!  Congrats on your decision to go with a Smokin-It...you will not regret it! 

Now, let's get down to business!  I do Boston butts a lot, and have learned a few things about the "Smokin-It way."  First of all, Joe's injection recipe is the bomb.  It really adds good moisture and flavor to the deep meat.  Second of all, don't worry about all those stick-burner methods of smoking; you don't need them.  No foiling is necessary on a butt for pulled pork.  By the way, I recommend a true Boston butt over a picnic cut of shoulder.  It's the lower portion of the leg, and I think it produces a better finished product for pulled pork.

Here's a link to my first butt on my #1:

http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=715.0

I'm showing this to you to give you the "basic" spicy pork rub I use, and there's also a recipe for a St Louis-style BBQ sauce that I've gotten rave reviews with.  It has a tangy-sweet-spicy bite that really complements pulled pork (IMHO). 

As for wood, I prefer a 6 oz mix of peach and hickory.  I find the peach, by itself, a little too mild for my taste.  The hickory with it gives it a little more "traditional" kick. 

Inject the butt and let it sit in the fridge overnight.  Then, slather with yellow mustard and rub.  Smoke at 225 for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours per pound (depending on ambient conditions) to 200-degrees internal temp.  Take out, double foil wrap and let rest for an hour.  Pull, sauce, devour.  ...it's really that simple to cook a really exceptional butt in a Smokin-It!  Oh, and while it's smoking, you can go the driving range, or even get in a round of golf.   

[es1025]

Smokester, I have a little different approach for pork butt.
I trim the fat to a level that a finger can push thru,  I use worcestershire sauce as the glue for the rub.  Let the butt sit for about 2-3 hours in the fridge.
Once ready add 6 oz of wood (I used cherry and hickory) and set the temperature for 225.  I let the butt smoke until an internal temp around 165. At this point I place the butt in an empty foil tray covered in foil (no liquid) and let the butt finish cooking to between 203-205 degrees.  Then I pull the butt out of the smoker and let rest in a cooler wrapped in towels for 2-3 hours. Once ready shred and serve with a carolina and KC sauce.  All the methods are great, you have to pick one and go with it.  I recommend writing down exactly what you did.

[DivotMaker]

Smokester, Ed's method produces a great butt too.  The reason a lot of us don't foil, or place in a foil pan, is the quality of the bark is better in these kinds of smokers.  I prefer a dark, chewy bark, and just can't seem to get that when I foil.  Also, many of us just like the "plug and play" method of cooking.  Just my thoughts....Ed's right - find what works for you and remember what you did.  Oh, and yes, cherry's really good on pork, too (just throw a bit of hickory in with it).

[Smokster]

To all, thanks for the great feedback, it's greatly appreciated and definitely gives me a great starting point.

Joe/Tony, it's funny you provided the links for the sauce, rub and injection which I actually had printed yesterday.  I actually just came back from the store to pick up some missing ingredients from these same recipes. 

ES1025: thanks for providing your method, however since I will start my smoke before I leave for work, I won't be around to foil at 165, but I will consider for a weekend when I am around.  I will be using hickory and apple wood combo since that is all I have on hand and I will definitely post my results once available.

The great thing about the cooler method is that you get to fill it up with beer during a smoke, then with the pork butt after a smoke... 

[DivotMaker]

Sounds like you have a great plan going, Smokester!  Let us know how it turns out!

[Smokster]

Results are in....details below.

Smoked 10lb pork butt (bone-in)
Added dry rub, wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated 24 hours
Injected with marinade and refrigerated for 8 hours
Removed from fridge, basted in mustard and added more dry rub
Added 5.5 oz of hickory chunks and apple wood chips, set smoker to 225
Within 7 hours, internal meat temperature was at 160
I smoked the pork butt to an internal temperature of 196, which took an additional 15 hours which I found to be quite a long smoke of a total of 22 hours.  For the last 36 degrees of the smoke, it seems to stall throughout, but for my first smoke, I didn't want to wrap the butt to minimize the stall or soften the bark.
At the end, although a long smoke, I wrapped in foil, towelled and placed in a cooler for 2 hours, then pulled and was it juicy, tender and a had a nice flavourful bark.
I added pictures of the smoke from beginning to end.

Thanks for all the advice for a great result for my first pulled pork.  All rub, marinade and sauce recipes which I used are posted in this post by Joe and Tony (Thanks guys).  The pulled pork sauce is fantastic.

Since my smoke continued overnight, I also noticed it attracted a neighborhood racoon as I noticed foot prints on the side of the smoker.... I can't blame him, I would have been curious as well with the wonderful smell coming out of the smoker.

Any tips or advise to shorten my next smoke is appreciated.  Thanks again for the previous tips and advise.

[UWFSAE]

Beautiful final product, but I understand your frustration with a nearly one day smoke.

Foiling and/or raising the temp are both ways to shorten your smoke, though I actually don't typically recommend either for pork butt in the Smokin-It.  Similarly, letting the product temp warm up a bit before you smoke will reduce the time ... but again,  I don't recommend it.

Stalls are ridiculously inconsistent; I've smoked two six pound butts before and one was a full ten degrees warmer internally despite them being on the same shelf with an identical prep.  If you're shooting for a target time then foiling is the least onerous option ... you'll loose that wonderful crunchy bark but you'll boost moisture and give a slight decrease in cooking time.

I prefer a sliced pork butt which only goes to 170 so my cooking time is obviously less than yours; I typically see 75-85 minutes per pound to hit that mark at 225 ... your time does skew towards the extreme high end so I'd give it another shot with a similar piece of meat and "retrace" your steps.  Does chamber temp vary?  Was the smoker box fully inserted?  Did you punch a hole in the bottom foil for the drain to promote air flow?

I know that seems a bit rudimentary but we are always at the mercy of environmental variables and the unique characteristics of the meat ...

[DivotMaker]

Looks really good!  I am pretty surprised at that loooong cook time for a butt!  A ten-pounder is big, but should have topped-out somewhere around the 15 hour mark (worst case for me is about 1.5 hrs per pound).  That's unwrapped, btw.  Joe had some good questions; there must be something small that may have been overlooked.  You're talking over 2 hours per pound!  If the smoker was averaging 225, it seems very strange that it would take that long. 

Glad you liked the sauce & rub recipes!