Can't Wait!

[drippings]

Hi everybody!  Just saw that my #2 has shipped and should be here Thursday.  Man it is gonna be nice to not have to babysit an offset all day long!  I got it with the P.I.D.  Hoping that will keep that temp rock steady for me.  I ordered the #2 and then went to ThermalWorks and ordered the ThermalWorks BBQ kit, then went back to Smokin-it and was browsing around and saw the P.I.D. unit and it was like only $40 more and does a whole lot more, so I cancelled the ThermalWorks order and ordered the P.I.D. unit from Steve as well. 
I have been smokin for about 5-6 years now on a New Braunfels offset I got at home depot.  Sometimes pretty good, and others kinda disappointing.  And ALWAYS a lot of chore to do the cooking.  Anyway, thought I'd say hey since I joined this forum.  Have learned a lot already just browsing through the posts.  Thanks to all of you for the wealth of info here.  I'll be smokin' butt this weekend.  I'll let you know if the family eats it or not.

 

[DivotMaker]

Welcome to the world of "Lazy Q," drippings!  You'll find you will use this one a whole lot more!  The #2 with an Auber is an amazing thing.  I recently installed the permanent temp probe from Auber, and love the consistency.  I smoked a pork butt this weekend, and the PID was sitting at 225 every time I checked on it!  The accuracy and consistency can't be beat.

Welcome aboard!!

 

[NDKoze]

Welcome to the Smokin-It Forums from ND.

Butt is a great first smoke. You will love the set it and forget it part especially coming from an offset smoker.

How are you going to prepare it? Lots of great recipes here, but I am always looking for new things.

 

[drippings]

Thanks for the welcome you guys!  NDKoze, after my butt thaws, (it has been waiting patiently in the freezer just waiting for me to pull the trigger on the #2) I will de-bone it and then rub it up with some "stuff" a friend gave me, then tie it up with butchers twine and let it sit in the fridge for a day or so.  After it is done smoking, i let it cool and then back into the fridge overnight so I can slice it real nice and thin on my meat slicer.  I love sliced pork BBQ sandwiches on garlic toast and the thin slicing makes it oh so tender!  Not a real big fan of pulled pork, although I have never refused it if it is within smelling distance.  Just much prefer the sliced stuff.  Don't know what kind of wood I'm gonna use yet.  Maybe oak.  I have always smoked with apple or cherry before...just because that is what my father-in-law in KS kept me supplied with.  Gonna be real nice only having to use 2 or 3 ounces of wood on a smoke.  That opens all kinds of doors for me to experiment with different woods.  My stuff on the offset was always WAY to smoky...cuz I was burnin' cherry or apple for 6-7 hours.  That is what I'm gonna do at least this first time.

 

[NDKoze]

I always leave my bone in. But I also always pull it. I can see where it would be nice to have the bone out if you're gonna use the slicer.

I'm definitely going to try sliced pork butt one of these days. I have eaten sliced, but not done my own before.

What is your internal temp goal?

Since you cool it down in the fridge to slice, do you reheat or eat most it cold? I don't see how you could go wrong either way. Just curious.

I use 5-6 ounces of wood for butts and 2-3 ounces for rib/chicken type smokes. It all depends on how much smoke you want. You can definitely error on the lighter side in these smokers though.

I'm looking forward to seeing some pics.

 

[drippings]

Gregg.... Yeah, the  deboning is for slicing purposes.  I really don't notice that taking it out effects the flavor though.  I will probably pull it out at 170.  I reheat it in the oven or microwave.  That is what I've done in the past.  But now with an awesome #2 at my disposal, I guess I can reheat it in there!  One of these days I will probably do one pulled, then I won't have to worry about the bone and we can eat it hot out of the shmoker too.
Just checked - still supposed to be here Thursday.  I would believe that if it were coming UPS.  Fedex......well, we will see if it ACTUALLY arrives Thursday.  I do not have a good track record with Fedex.  Man, I'm hungry!
Oh, you said you use 5-6 oz of wood on butts.  Is 3 oz not going to give me enough smokiness?  I'm used to quite heavily smoked butts because of the offset.  Maybe I should go with your 5-6 oz suggestion.  I have no idea, because I have never used an elect smoker before.

 

[NDKoze]

I would go with 5-6 ounces for the butt.

Shorter smokes I would do 2-3 ounces.

 

[DivotMaker]

Hey Jeff, have you ever done a sliced butt with the bone left in, then de-bone after cooking?  That's how I do them.  I find the bone is easier to remove, and I'm a believer that the bone aids in cooking on large cuts (might just be in my head, though).  Just curious...

I used 5.5 oz of cherry smoked 10 lb butt this weekend, and it was perfect for pulled pork.  Only going to 170, you're going to cut out several hours of cooking, so I'd probably try 3-4 oz for the first one.  You can always adjust up on the next one, if it's not enough, but can't cure an over-smoked butt!  Just my 2-cents, until you get a good feel for the smoker.

 

[drippings]

Tony... I saw somewhere else that you said 175 was an ideal IT for sliced pork.  Do you think I should go to 175? and what does that do for the meat?  For how long should I let it sit in at 175?  That is about where the stall is, right? 
I always brine my birdies, and I had been wondering what would happen if I brined a butt...and then I saw that you have been doing it and swear by it.  I swear by it with big bird, so I am definitely gonna do it on this 1st smoke with the SI2 this weekend.  Also never had thought about the bucket I was brining in as far as it being food safe and all, and in reading that other thread where ya'll were talking about such matters, I was like "whoa, I never even considered that - itsa wonder I am still alive!"  I checked my bucket and it is a recycle #5, which ask.com says is safe, but not REALLY considered food grade.  So I went to Sam's tonight thinking I'll just buy something in a big bucket.  That way I'll not just be buying a bucket, but I'll have something too!  Course I didn't stop to think about what I was going to put the something in, in order to use the bucket for brining.  Well anyway, they didn't even have anything in large buckets.  I asked the bakery if they had any buckets I could have but "we're not allowed to give any of the buckets away because we recycle them."  Went to Publix and was told that I would have to have authorization from the store manager in order to get a bucket...and of course the manager wasn't there.  Man, these retail people are sure stingy with their trash!  Sorry, I think I may be chasing a little white furry thing here.  Well anyway, I am gonna get a food grade bucket one way or another.
By deboning before the cook, the whole butt kinda holds together as one unit which makes for much easier slicing.  I just got my slicer in January and I have only smoked 1 butt since I got it.  Prior to that I always left the bone in.  I couldn't tell any difference in the way it cooked or the way it tasted by cooking it without the bone.  It probably is easier to remove after cooking, granted.  I might try it one of these times to see how it works.

 

[DivotMaker]

Hey Jeff, I like 175 for sliced butts due to the fat content.  If I'm smoking a pork loin (very lean), I only go to 155.  You're fully-cooked at 145, but the fat renders a bit at the 175 level in a pork butt.  Brining a sliced butt should be incredible!  Even at 175, it should be tender and moist.  As far as the "how long to leave it in" at 175 question - I wouldn't leave it in at all, once it hits 175.  Remove, foil wrap and rest for 30 min to an hour, slice and serve!  I know you're planning on holding in the fridge to cool for slicing, so just wrap it (double) and refrigerate.  Might want to let it rest and cool at room temp for awhile so you don't curdle your milk with that hot butt.

 

[drippings]

Tony - I was just starting to read about the autotune process when we decided to go to Pollo Tropical for dinner in celebration of my wife getting a 96 on a medical terminology test she has been worrying and stewing about for the last 2WEEKS!  Well, I was so disappointed in the chicken that I decided we would smoke a couple birds to eat tomorrow night.  The butt is actually to take to some friends and eat it with them Sunday afternoon, so I have tomorrow night free for some smoking.  I have the birds in the Dead Sea right now.  Nothin' like brined chicken!  I saw a great looking recipe under the chicken category involving pineapple and oranges, so I am gonna do that one.  Forget who posted that, but it sure sounds good.  So that will actually be my first smoke with the #2.
Now, exactly what should I do in the autotuning process?  I think I saw something in another thread where you talked about it and I am going to try to find that again and I still need to finish reading the manual about it, but are there some key things I should know to do, when I do it on these chickies?

 

[DivotMaker]

Jeff, I found the key to autotuning is to do it in actual cooking conditions.  So, let's say you program the Auber like this for chicken:

C01  130  E01  t  t01  0.5
C02  250  E02  f  F02  165

Once you get the smoker set up, and the birds inside, turn the Auber on.  Press and hold SET key for 4 seconds until LCK displays.  Use the + button to run the right display up to 166, and press SET.  Press SET 3 times until you see At in the left window.  Use the +/- keys to select "1" in the right window (like binary code, "0" is off, "1" is on).  Press SET until you get back to the box/meat temp readings.  The left temp window will be flashing as it goes through the autotune.

During the autotune, the Auber is actually analyzing how your smoker reacts to temp changes.  It sets parameters for how fast the temp "ramps up," when it slows down to reach the "set" temp, and how it has to add/subtract power to the element to maintain the temp.  Well-worth your time.  One thing I would recommend for an autotune with the removable probe is to place it in the same place for each cook.

I recently installed a permanent temp probe from Auber, and am very impressed with the results.  They're less than $30, and are worth it, in my opinion.  The advantage is it is always in the exact same spot in the box, so the autotune settings are consistent.  When you autotune with a removable probe, you run the risk of the probe not being in the same location on the next cook.  I think the fixed probe is also more responsive than the removable one, too. 

Let us know if you need any more help with the tuning process.

Forgot to mention - give our congrats to your wife on the terrific score! ;D

 

[drippings]

Okay.  Thank you so much, Tony!  I'm all set.  Got it programmed for the chicken, and will do the autotune just like you said.  The Auber is real easy to operate.  I was a little concerned before I got it...you know, reading about how to run it and all - but having it in your hands - it is really intuitive.  I use the word intuitive, because I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night.  Ya know, I kept seeing that phrase from you and somebody else while reading in the forum, and I was like "what are they talking about with this Holiday In Express stuff?"  So I searched Holiday Inn on the forum to see if it was some sort of inside joke and maybe there was an explanation to it....but no explanation could be found.  So I searched "but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night" on Google and I got my answer.  I was about to ask you guys what you were talking about with that phrase.  I have never seen that commercial on TV or radio or anything.  "But I did see it on You Tube last night."
I just can't believe all of the knowledge I have aquired on this form in the last few days!

 

[DivotMaker]

Glad to hear we've filled you with useful and useless knowledge, Jeff!  Yeah, the Holiday Inn Express commercials were really funny.  The series ran for several years, and there were a lot of them.

Good luck with the first smoke; sounds like you're all set!