Bad Luck so far with my Cookshack 50

BILLMICKY,
Have had my CS 50 for a few months and am by no means an expert in any way regarding Cookshack or BBQ overall. What I can tell you is that the pork butts coming from my CS 50 at the end of a smoke (typically around 16 hours, also typically go with the Sam's cryo double packed) do come out black with that wonderful bark on the outside. I typically use 3-4oz of apple wood and have never re-loaded the wood box during a smoke. Have had very good, mild smoked flavor on the butts. With regard to them coming out 'greasy', no question with the fat content of the butts and the fat rendering during the smoke, there's definitely juicy (or greasy as some may call it) pulled pork at the finish. Are you cutting off and disgarding the fat cap from the butt at the end of your smoke and just prior to pulling the pork? I also pick out anything unsightly/fatty as I pull as well. I go at 225 temp for butts and at times have gone at 200 to start when I put them in late at night for the overnight start, then crank up the next morning at some point to fine tune the end time.

When you say yours has had temp swings taking it to 277 at times, at what setting is your thermostat when that 277 has hit? No question there are temp swings on the CS smokers as there are on regular kitchen ovens, but the key as others have noted is that the product slowly makes its way to its final internal temp.

Regarding your results on ribs, I have less experience there and have done one smoke with baby backs, three with pork spares. Each time getting better with the spares as my previous errors involved not enough smoke time with them. Am now going with 6 hours for spares at 225 temp setting and the last ones came out very easy pull off the bone tender...

What kind of wood have you been using on your butts and ribs? I've gone with hickory prior and am now doing my butts and ribs exclusively with apple, and for briskets, mixing hickory and just a little mesquite.

Wish I had some definitive insights into your particular issues/concerns, but thought I'd provide my info and experiences from my CS 50 thus far in hopes it will be helpful to you...I am sure others with much more experience will be able to provide further help....Thx, IBSPY

Could you give us a little more info about weights,cooker settings,actual readings beside the butts,what is in your rub,amount and type of wood?

What did you see different about the one butt you liked?

Quick answer. Sounds like it's overcooked and the oven is too hot. Don't know how accurate your probes are. Check and test them.

Butts at 250 or 275 don't turn out black unless they have a lot of sugar or are overcooked.

Smokin'

have you ever cooked on a offset or like on a WSM? When you mean greasy, is that the pork juice that drops during the cooking process?

OK Thanks,
I use Cookshack Rib rub on them. I use hickory as I like the smokey hickory taste. They go about 9 lbs apiece. I set it at 225 but after it swings up to 277 I turn it down to 200 then back up to 225. I also take them out at 190 degrees. There are many smoking restaurants here in Missouri and their smoked Boston Butt is always delicious, I am trying to match it but I'm not even close. I got rid of my upright offset smoker to get the Cookshack and so far I am not pleased, but I think my problem is inexperience. I saw a few pics posted on Cookshacks sight of butts and they look more brown/black instead of all black. Major problem though is not smokey taste at all?

Try this as a process.

It is difficult to get smoke into a large hunk of meat,so you build your bark.

Run your 50 empty for a couple hrs,with wood.

Set your probe through a ball of foil,so the tip doesn't touch metal.Place on the rack nearest the cooker probe.

Figure what dial setting you should be at,to maintain an average of +/-235�.

Take a couple of 9 lb,bone in butts.

Butterfly one,so it opens up.

Go to wallyworld,etc and find you a box of turbinado sugar.

Mix about 8 oz rib rub with an aqual amount of turbinado.

Rub all of it onto your butts.

You can run a knife along the bone,and add extra there.

Load 6-8 oz wood and let the cooker run about 30 mins.

Load the butts,cold from the refrig ,with a probe in the smaller.

Cook at your determined setting,until it reads over 195�.

Don't adjust setting.

After about 8 hrs,load another 4-6 oz wood.

Spray with apple juice at this time.

Check doneness when you reach 195�,in several spots,with an instaread therm.

Also the bone should wiggle,loosely, in the uncut butt.

When each is at least 195�,wrap tightly in foil,with 1/2 cup apple juice.

Wrap in a large towel and leave in a dry cooler for at least 2 hrs.

Do a search for Smokin's vinegar sauce/baste.

While you pull the butts,add a little of the sauce and a little of your rub-to taste.

If that don't work,mail them to me and I'll enjoy them.

Don't worry,you'll get there.

Tom - God bless you! You're an expert; I'm not...but if I had to do this everytime I stuck a butt in the CS...I'd push it off a cliff. ;- )

BILLMICKEY - if it's not smokey enough, add more wood. It sounds like you're monitoring the cookers inside temperature, not the products. You need not change the temp on the CS. Be patient. Let it go, and monitor the products inside temp. If it doesn't turn out, throw it away and try another. My 2 cents....

Bill,

This smoker has been around for quite a while and it does a good job. The challenge is just giving us enough time and details so we can help you. Give it another shot or two.

Tom's response as always is spot on.

I didn't see but have you tests your thermometers?

Try a different rub than the CS. What did you use in your offset? Use it for comparison.

Black can also be caused by creosote and too much wood.

Bill, I have a model 55 and have done a lot of butts. I usually just use salt and pepper for a rub and 2-3oz of hickory. I usually run a couple of thermometers (one per shelf) so I have an idea of what is going inside the meat. Cook until they are 195 internal, wrap in aluminum foil and then a towel. I have one of those supper insulated coolers and they will hold for a long time. The only time I open the door of the smoker is if I have a full smoker I will rotate the shelves of meat about half way through the cook. Try changing one thing at a time like less wood, does not take alot of wood in a cookshack. Make sure your meat is cold (not frozen) to start with. Frozen meat will really throw off your cooking time. Most of the smoke is absorbed in the early part of cook while the meat is cold. There have been some past discussions about this. Do a search of the archives. As the others have said don't try and control the temperature with the thermostat. Set it at 225 and let it go. The internal temperature of the smoker will fluctuate but the temperature vs. time should average out pretty close to the T-state setting. Smokin has some nice charts to monitor a cook that he would probably email you next week after he recovers from today's doings for the refugees. Ask him to send them out. You might also try a different butcher, the quality of the meat makes a difference. Keep good notes they are valuable. Roger

The GFCI tripping sounds fishy to me, I would call CS. I don't know how their heaters are constructed, but if the heater element is leaking current to ground it could cause unpredictable control of the heater element, at a minimum it could prevent it from performing it's function properly.
Any product that is rated for use with an ordnary US style plug, and trips a common 20A GFCI receptacle has something wrong with it. UL limits leakage current on most products to 3.5ma, well above the trip point of a GFCI breaker or receptacle. I don't own a CS, and I'm not familiar with their circuit, but I have worked in Engineering for 20 years, that is all IMHO.
Barry

I Posted a article sometime back on temp swings on ovens.
Our appliance repair man told me that in a conventional home oven that there may be a fluctuation of 50 degrees..This is common unless you have one of the more digital ovens with sensors.

The units that we are using are "Basic".

I have found that when they recommend settings of 225 degrees...Leave it and forget it.

I have had no trouble with ribs and butts.

Dave

Sorry for the late reply but I have been out of town and rehabbing some properties. I will try Toms suggestion and repport back next time I smoke a pork butt.

Thanks again for all the advice.