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new smoker

FM Former Member
i just bought a new smokette and started reading alot of different forums and theres alot of discouraging talk out there about how cookshack works ok , but don't expect anything special .i get the impression you could do just as good watching the food channel. is this true . ps. i see alot of people adding charcoal to there wood , what kind of charcoal and how much ?
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FM Former Member
Dead,

You'll also read in many of the forums, "it's the cook, not the cooker". Pro Q'er's produce Championship Q from a variety of cookers.

I think you'll find the Smokette to be a very easy smoker to use. It's pretty much set it and forget it. Let's put it another way, if you screw up often with the Cookshack, I wouldn't watch the food channel, I'd personally find another hobby to channel my interests.

You can produce some very nice Q with your smokette, read the forums here on CS and take copious notes.

As far as charcoal, the only reason people put briquets in the fire box is to achieve the "smoke ring". It's the chemical reaction between the meat and nitrites (maybe nitrates) that causes this to develop. Charcoal briquets are bountiful in these.

I think you'll enjoy your smokette.

Later,
C'Nooga
FM Former Member
I'm not sure what you mean when you say you'd "do just as good watching the food channel".

Many of the forum members here also have offsets, WSM, or other smokers. What I do know is that once I got my Smokette the quality of my BBQ went up. In fact, there's not a BBQ joint in my area that can match what I produce on my Smokette.

Let me tell you what I like most about my Cookshack:

I just cooked several briskets for neighborhood Christmas presents. I put them in the smoker before I went to bed. It was a raging blizzard outside, but it didn't matter. In the morning I got up and went to work. I called hom several times to have my kids tell me the temp on the remote thermo.

When the briskets reached the internal temp I wanted, I asked my 10-year old daughter to go turn the smoker off. I got home a couple hours later and the briskets were perfect; tender, juicy, nice bark, and well-rested.

Try that with an offset. That said I'm not ready to get rid of my offset just yet. I still use it maybe once a year. When I have a full day to devote to it. When the weather is stable. And when I have a bunch of surplus wood to burn.
wheelzwheelzSmmmmoooookin'!
DL - Welcome to thhe forum!

Absolutely nothing negative about the Cookshack smokers. They are easy to use, produce great BBQ and have a fantastic support team in both Customer Service and this forum.

You have to remember that you have your purists out there who feel that they have to become one with their smoker. In other words, they have to use wood as their fuel, tend the fire all day and night, lift the lid to baste or mop to keep from drying out, etc. It's a lifestyle for many. I can knock it if it works for them but people using Cookshack or similar smokers produce moist, wonderfully tasty BBQ without all the fuss and headaches associated with conventional smokers.

I suggest you first read SmokinOkie's 101s to get the basics down. Then read Lessons for new users to avoid some mistakes and experiences some of us have had.

Read this forum and feel free to ask questions about your smoker. There are some fantastic people here ready, willing and very able to get you going and on your way to great tasting BBQ. Big Grin

Come back often and express your toughts and feelings!

Good luck & God bless!!!
Last edited by wheelz
FM Former Member
thank you so much to every one who has responded to my concerns about my new oo8 . i will update you on my success , my cs smoker will be here saturday and i hope to open the new year with ribs , ribs , ribs . i've never done anything except grill , so this will be a new expierience . as far as the charcoal goes should i or shoudn't i
FM Former Member
After you season the smoker, I would smoke a couple of pork butts to get you a good start with some tasty success. Pork butt is very easy to smoke and the results are great. Plus, the fat content will help season a new cooker. As for charcoal, I tried it once with a whole brisket and noticed a very faint smoke ring. No one else even commented on that...they just loved the tender and moist meat. I haven't used it since. Since you are new, just try it and see. Much of the fun of these things is trying different cuts of meat and recipes and still getting great Q. I soon found out there are many, many different ways to arrive at a great result. Welcome to the forum, my friend and good luck. Keep us posted on your experiences.
wheelzwheelzSmmmmoooookin'!
Charcoal, as mentioned above, will give you that pinkish-red "smoke ring" that many BBQers want and look for. It's purely for looks. If you are going to use charcoal make sure to use real-wood charcoal and "NEVER" use the easy-light stuff soaked with lighter-fluid. I do use it and use only Kingsford brand.

On your new smoker, make sure to take the time to season it properly. You say you are going to do ribs first. I suggest a pork butt to set the seasoning then go for the leaner meats. Just my opinion yet I think many others will agree.
FM Former Member
quote:
Originally posted by dead lazlo:
i just bought a new smokette and started reading alot of different forums and theres alot of discouraging talk out there about how cookshack works ok , but don't expect anything special .i get the impression you could do just as good watching the food channel. is this true . ps. i see alot of people adding charcoal to there wood , what kind of charcoal and how much ?


I'm not sure what you're reading, but I think your focusing on the wrong comments. And if I was to generalize it, very few are negative, just lessons that need to be learned. This is NOT baking a cake.

Negatives tend to jump out at you, but the forum is about 6 years old has plenty of positives.

There are too many people trying to change what works, guess it's in their nature.

I wouldn't add too much wood nor charcoal the first time or two just so you see if it matters.

Start SIMPLE. Then build from that.

The ONLY reason for adding charcoal is appearance, it has nothing to do with the taste.
FM Former Member
Welcome Dead Lazlo
You're gonna love that new 008, and I say that because that's what I have and have not had a bad cook. I too had not smoked before, and just following what's here on this forum, I get rave reviews on my cooking.
Once your unit arrives, everything is there, except, 1 large roll of heavy duty aluminum foil, and a remote probe temp unit. Foil the bottom of the smoker, remembering to punch a hole for the drain, very important, put a drain pan under the hole, and then foil the top of the smoke box. Put some wook in the wood box, turn up the temp, close the door and wait a few hours. Then if you're ready put the butt in and insert the probe cable down threw the top vent hole and into the butt. Add more wood of course, close the door and leave it closed till the temp is reached that you preset. Good luck and happy smokin, Bob
FM Former Member
I also have my first Q going as we speak. I have 4 lb. briskette flat going in the 009. I probably should have read more forum posts before I started because I now have a minor concern. I have the bottom lined, the smoke box lined and the drip pan placed under the drain hole. I seasoned the 009 a couple of days ago by putting in about 4 oz of hickory and just placing a Polska Kielbasa in for about 5 hrs.at 225 degrees. I'm wondering If that was seasoned enough? If not, how will this affect my briskette? I will be partaking in the adult beverages so I'm not sure I will notice anything anyway but my wife might!
FM Former Member
quote:
Originally posted by Dennis-UT:
I'm not sure what you mean when you say you'd "do just as good watching the food channel".

Many of the forum members here also have offsets, WSM, or other smokers. What I do know is that once I got my Smokette the quality of my BBQ went up. In fact, there's not a BBQ joint in my area that can match what I produce on my Smokette.

Let me tell you what I like most about my Cookshack:

I just cooked several briskets for neighborhood Christmas presents. I put them in the smoker before I went to bed. It was a raging blizzard outside, but it didn't matter. In the morning I got up and went to work. I called hom several times to have my kids tell me the temp on the remote thermo.

When the briskets reached the internal temp I wanted, I asked my 10-year old daughter to go turn the smoker off. I got home a couple hours later and the briskets were perfect; tender, juicy, nice bark, and well-rested.

Try that with an offset. That said I'm not ready to get rid of my offset just yet. I still use it maybe once a year. When I have a full day to devote to it. When the weather is stable. And when I have a bunch of surplus wood to burn.


Ahhh, priceless! Beautiful Q story. Love it when we can get the kids involved. Try having them tend the firebox every 30 minutes! Thanks for illustrating the beauty of the CS, Dennis.
FM Former Member
Just one more thing to add, be sure and keep notes. Especially when you do something new. Somewhere on this web there are some charts that you can download to keep track of temperature, time, etc. I am not quite that detail oriented but I do keep of log of what I smoked, seasoning, temperature settings, how long, etc. I find my self refering back to my notes quite often. This weekend I am going to smoke a leg of lamb, did this about a year ago so need to go back to my notes to see exactly what I did. As I remember it tasted pretty good. Roger

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