This will be the first butt I have smoked and I have a couple questions. First of all, I have smoked before, on a Brinkman electric water type. It worked fine, and I had pretty good results with some chicken and lots of ribs. I just had a Smokin Tex 1400 sort of fall into my lap recently (not literally!) and decided to make my first smoked a butt. I just finished seasoning the smoker with some hickory. Here are my questions:

I would like to get a smokering, even though you can taste them. Im not sure why, but I like it when I cut into my meat and see that. I have read that lump charcoal works for this. Any specific type and how much?

Where in the smoker is the best place for my butt? Should it be high, low or middle? I ask because Im sure temps vary depending on location. Is it hotter by the heating element or near the top, where the heat rises to? My guess is middle.

Is 3-4 ounces of wood (hickory) really enough? I used alot more when using my brinkman with good results. I dont want bitter, but it sure doesnt look like much when holding it in your hand.

My plan is to rub tonight, start smoking tomorrow night at 11:00pm at 200f and increase the heat to 225f sunday morning until internal is 200f. This smoke is for me so the "its done when its done" rule will be fine.

Lastly I want to say thanks to all the people on this forum for posting so much good info. Also a hats off to Cookshack for providing this forum, even to those that do not own one of theirs. If I were to purchase, it would have been the Cookshack 009, but this smoking tex I should work ok.

Thanks in advance!

If the smoke ring is a must have you can rub the butt with Morton Tender Quick. Let it sit for 5- 10 minutes then rinse off good. Do this prior to applying your rub of course. Smokin' taught us this when he tried it on a brisket and got a nice smoke ring.

I try to put my butts towards the center. Smokettes come standard with 3 shelves so if I do 2 I use the top 2 shelves.

Trust us. For the average Que eater, 3-4 oz. is plenty.

Good luck and have fun at it!

Although I haven't tried, I believe if you put a charcoal briquet in with the wood, you'll achieve a smoke ring.

Do a search on the forums, and you will find more!

Good luck,

C'Nooga

ThunderByte, I have a Smokin-Tex in stainless and it works perfectly. I want to smoke a couple of butts this weekend. I place my meat in the middle of the smoker. I usually only smoke one type of meat at a time anyway. 2 - 4 ounces of wood is all you need. Rub your meat, place on shelf in smoker, run your probes through top vent and insert into meat, set thermostat to 225*, shut the door and let-er rip. No need to open the door until it's done. I take my meat up to 192 - 195 degrees, then allow to rest.

good luck and let us kow how it went....DON'T forget your drip pan!! I keep forgetting that thing!!!

dan

You can add a piece or two of charcoal, but do it at the first part of the smoke.

Byte -- I have the same unit as you. You'll love it! All the information above is good. I don't know that I would go as far as to use TenderQuick to get a smoke ring. A couple of lumps of good hardwood charcoal works good for me. Remember NOT to use the quick-light stuff unless you enjoy the taste of lighter fluid. Three-four oz of wood should be plenty.

Since this is your first butt, do be alarmed when the temp seems to stagnate at 160-175 - it's the infamous plateau. Could hang there for 2 hours or more. Be patient As you (and our guru of smoke) stated, "it's done when it's done!"

Let it rest for a half hour or so and pull it. Be prepared to enjoy a moist, delicious pulled pork sandwich!

Let us know how it turns out. Don't be concerned with asking more questions. People here are always glad to help!!!

One more thing Byte. It would be well worth your while to read Lessons for New Users. Lots of good info there that may help you through some common trouble spots.

Good luck!

Thanks for all the info. Looks like I will be picking up some hardwood charcoal tonight. I have some McCormick Grill Mates Pork Rub that Im going to use up. I have made my own rubs in the past, but I need to use this up. Maybe I will get some pics if I remember.

Thanks again!

Butt went in last night at 10:30. At 9:30am its temp is 168. I guess this is where it will get stuck for a while. I have all day so when its done its done! Im going to cook to 200.

TB - I did 2 boneless butts (each about 7.5 lbs.) a couple of weeks ago pretty much in the same manner as you are. In at 10:30 PM Fri. night with temp set at 200. Used 2oz. hickory and 2 oz. apple. Just looked at my notes and at 8:30 AM the next morning internal temps were 168/174. Raised smoker temp to 225 and it took until 4:30 PM to hit 193/195. Removed, foiled, towelled, and put in cooler until 7:00 PM.

The butt turned out great! I cooked from 10:30pm saturday till 3:30 pm today. The internal temp where the remote probe was read 200, but my portable read 204 in a different spot. The meat was very tender, juicy and the outside had a nice bark, which I like. I think a little more salt in the rub will give a bit more of the flavor Im looking for in the bark next time. I also made some baked beans from scratch for the first time, and they were also very good.

The only bad part was I foiled the bottom of the smoker, and the foil is now "glued" to the bottom of my smoker. Even before I started smoking and foiling, I noticed the breaking in process made the interior very tacky. I have no idea of how I am going to get that out. I will probably try heating the smoker to 225 for an hour and see if that helps.

Anyway, thanks for the tips! Next up will be some ribs!

get a plastic scraper from the paint aisle at the hardware store.use it with the smoker cold