PulledPorkSandwich
Member
Hello all,
I decided to join the forum here after lurking for a few days and buying a new Model 2.
I started smoking meat quite a few years ago initially using an offset smoker made from oil field pipe. I enjoyed that, but grew tired of constantly fiddling with the air intake and exhaust to manage temperature. I also learned that I needed to pull my meat off the offset after awhile lest it become black and taste like an ash tray. That led me to configuring my Weber Genesis with a smoke box and just do the whole cook on it. Smoking was easier that way but it was still painful to manage temperature, particularly for long overnight cooks like brisket and pork butt. My conclusion: I needed a smoker I could "set and forget".
I quickly discovered there are lots of options out there, but after some research, settled on the Smokin-it, primarily because of the rave reviews it gets. I was going to opt for the Model 1, but my son-in-law convinced me that I needed the space afforded by the Model 2, so that's what I bought.
I received the smoker Monday and immediately attached the wheels and cord brackets. I was impressed with the quality of workmanship. The smoker has a real "solid" feel. I love the way the door seals up tightly.
I seasoned it according to recommendations. I decided that the inaugural cook would be spare ribs. Our local Sam's Club had "pre-seasoned" St. Louis cut ribs on sale so I bought a couple slabs and cooked one today. I normally don't buy seasoned meat because you really don't know what's in it, but these ribs looked pretty good and they were trimmed nicely so I wouldn't have to trim a rack of spareribs myself. Here are some observations in case anyone is interested.
First, the smoker rheostat needed calibration. I set the smoker at 225 and it did not reach that temperature according to my Maverick XR. I followed the instructions here and eventually got it dialed in pretty closely. It took quite a bit more fiddling time than it should have to do this, and I'm thinking the smoker got hotter than I wanted it for a couple hours in the process. I put the ribs on at 11:00 am and took them off at 6:00 pm. I did not check them until 6.
I was prepared for temperature swings and didn't worry about them. I put a pan of water on the bottom of my smoker because I read here that it might moderate the range. I'm not sure it had any effect, but the range I experienced -- after I finished calibrating -- was 214 to 232 degrees with the dial set at around 220. That seemed quite reasonable to me and quite consistent with results reported here.
When I opened the smoker at 6, I used the toothpick test and pronounced the ribs done. The inside of the smoker was a mess, but luckily, I followed the recommendations here and lined the bottom with aluminum foil as well as the top of the smoke box. Clean up should be a snap. (It's too hot to clean right now.)
The ribs turned out OK with a couple notes. The collagens had melted nicely and the meat was very tender, to the point where it was falling off the bone. The meat was also a bit dry, I thought, but my wife didn't think so. I also think the ribs were a bit over done. I suspect temperatures got too hot for awhile while I was fiddling with calibration, and I left them on too long. I'll also note that neither my wife nor I cared for the seasoning. It was a bit bland and could have used more "hot" pepper spice. It was also a bit too sweet for us. Lesson learned: I won't buy pre-seasoned meat again. I succumbed to temptation this time because the ribs were trimmed so I didn't have to trim them myself. Next time I'll bite the bullet and trim (and season) them myself.
Bottom line: My first experience with this smoker was very good, and I'm looking forward to my next cook -- a Boston butt that I'll season myself. I'm also looking forward to learning from those here with more experience than I have.
I decided to join the forum here after lurking for a few days and buying a new Model 2.
I started smoking meat quite a few years ago initially using an offset smoker made from oil field pipe. I enjoyed that, but grew tired of constantly fiddling with the air intake and exhaust to manage temperature. I also learned that I needed to pull my meat off the offset after awhile lest it become black and taste like an ash tray. That led me to configuring my Weber Genesis with a smoke box and just do the whole cook on it. Smoking was easier that way but it was still painful to manage temperature, particularly for long overnight cooks like brisket and pork butt. My conclusion: I needed a smoker I could "set and forget".
I quickly discovered there are lots of options out there, but after some research, settled on the Smokin-it, primarily because of the rave reviews it gets. I was going to opt for the Model 1, but my son-in-law convinced me that I needed the space afforded by the Model 2, so that's what I bought.
I received the smoker Monday and immediately attached the wheels and cord brackets. I was impressed with the quality of workmanship. The smoker has a real "solid" feel. I love the way the door seals up tightly.
I seasoned it according to recommendations. I decided that the inaugural cook would be spare ribs. Our local Sam's Club had "pre-seasoned" St. Louis cut ribs on sale so I bought a couple slabs and cooked one today. I normally don't buy seasoned meat because you really don't know what's in it, but these ribs looked pretty good and they were trimmed nicely so I wouldn't have to trim a rack of spareribs myself. Here are some observations in case anyone is interested.
First, the smoker rheostat needed calibration. I set the smoker at 225 and it did not reach that temperature according to my Maverick XR. I followed the instructions here and eventually got it dialed in pretty closely. It took quite a bit more fiddling time than it should have to do this, and I'm thinking the smoker got hotter than I wanted it for a couple hours in the process. I put the ribs on at 11:00 am and took them off at 6:00 pm. I did not check them until 6.
I was prepared for temperature swings and didn't worry about them. I put a pan of water on the bottom of my smoker because I read here that it might moderate the range. I'm not sure it had any effect, but the range I experienced -- after I finished calibrating -- was 214 to 232 degrees with the dial set at around 220. That seemed quite reasonable to me and quite consistent with results reported here.
When I opened the smoker at 6, I used the toothpick test and pronounced the ribs done. The inside of the smoker was a mess, but luckily, I followed the recommendations here and lined the bottom with aluminum foil as well as the top of the smoke box. Clean up should be a snap. (It's too hot to clean right now.)
The ribs turned out OK with a couple notes. The collagens had melted nicely and the meat was very tender, to the point where it was falling off the bone. The meat was also a bit dry, I thought, but my wife didn't think so. I also think the ribs were a bit over done. I suspect temperatures got too hot for awhile while I was fiddling with calibration, and I left them on too long. I'll also note that neither my wife nor I cared for the seasoning. It was a bit bland and could have used more "hot" pepper spice. It was also a bit too sweet for us. Lesson learned: I won't buy pre-seasoned meat again. I succumbed to temptation this time because the ribs were trimmed so I didn't have to trim them myself. Next time I'll bite the bullet and trim (and season) them myself.
Bottom line: My first experience with this smoker was very good, and I'm looking forward to my next cook -- a Boston butt that I'll season myself. I'm also looking forward to learning from those here with more experience than I have.
