Can't get it RIGHT!!!!

Mornin' nanook,

I'm no thermometer expert,or anything else,but maybe I can help a little with the frustration and I'm sure you will quickly sort out the timing.

Now Ol' Smokin' would encourage"its done when its done".

And that's usually about right.

As you know it takes a trip or two to learn different cookers.

Some of mine take a lot of trips.

It sounds like your temps are ok,so I'll just share some personal timing- at 225�.

Spares,if they were previously frozen,3.5 lbs,injected,open door at 3hrs and flip,open again at 6 hrs and they are bite off the bone tender.

Spares,3.5 lb,never frozen,not injected.
5 hrs.Maybe 4.5 hrs,if I don't open the door at all.

Now if I am doing turkey breasts,I often brine.

They cook quicker,can go to a slightly higher internal without drying.
I can save in plastic wrap for a few days or foodsaver for months and they are juicy.

6.5 lb. brined beast,never open door,165� internal at about 4.5 hrs.Cooler and let rest.

Now butts,I just think in terms of 2hrs./lb and I never open the door until about 195�, to see if the bone will twist some.

Foil and cooler a couple of hours.

And then there is packer brisket.
They all have a mind of their own.

I have had CAB 10 pounders come to tender at as little as 9 hours,cooler two hrs and slice.

I have had select/ungraded[which may have come from 18 yr old dairy cows]10 pounders,previously frozen, take 18 hrs and cooler a couple of hrs.

Now recipe guidlines.
If they are from the old Cookshack cookback,the times are being revised for the current edition.

Smokin's 101's and the archives will give you really good info.

Keep the faith and give us a shout.

The bride will be braggin' in no time.

hey, nanook... i feel your pain. whew! i do not have a cookshack smoker, but i have experienced some of the same problems in my home-made unit. what ever you do dont give up. these guys are pros and they will figure it out for you.. well, from what i have learned from the guys it sounds like maybe you have a temp problem. i know that the temp will vary, but shouldnt vary very much. are you opening the door during the smoking process? this could add hours to the cooking time, and let out moisture, thus drying out the meat. the only way i found to dry out a butt is to load it with salt. also wrapping it pulls the moisture out of the center of the meat, causing dryness as well. are you using a polder? great for cheking temp without opening doors. also, check for leaks around the cabinet. any hot spots, or smokey areas... ok guys, i'm out of suggestions....your turn..

nanook, you should have come to us sooner...but tell your wife we're the ones to help. And you came to the Forum so here we go...

I hate to see anyone so frustrated so I apologize (TOM) for the Smokin' post below. It's long as usual.

Tom has a great points AS ALWAYS -- Tom!

Interesting in reading your post, I didn't see any internal temps for the meats you were cooking. Looks like you tried to smoke based on a set time. Smokin' doesn't work that way. It might give you a ball park (if you use the advice from the forum) but it's only advice. And yes, a friendly point here:

It's done when it's done

The point behind that saying, that is copyrighted by me by the way is that you have to let the meat tell you when it's done. This isn't a recipe for cake, it's both an art and a science.

Now, us experienced cooks, Smokin' says modestly after all these years can do a lot of our cooking without ever checking internal temps, but that's based on experience.

My suggestion, use that new thermometer to help get you "close" to the finish.

Specifics.

Ribs. If you don't see enough pull back, you'll need more time. If they were dry, you'll probably need to mop to keep from drying out or try the foil method (said with a hrrmph)

Brisket. Lots of potential issues here. You needed to know how it was before you foiled. It could have already been done and you kept cooking OR it might not have been done. Go for the internal temp around 190 or just check by pushing in a probe like the thermometer and seeing how much "give" there was.

Turkey. If the internal finish temp was above 160, it would of course dry out. Sounds like too long a cook.

Pork Butt. 5lbs is on the small side. Good estimate is 1.5 to 2 hours per. If it has a bone, tug it. If it doesn't move around easy...it needs more time.

Pork Shoulder -- Bone In. Well it wasn't a shoulder at 6lbs, I'm sure it was a butt just mislabled. If it wasn't shredable, it needed more time.

Hope that helps.

Here's my suggestion. Let's work on one of those at a time. Pick one, and let us help you through it. Master that one, move on to the next one.

Good luck and WELCOME.

Jeez guys!! Sure didn't expect as much help quickly. Sounds like I am just too impatient and pull it too soon. Hard to plan for dinner time I guess. Now that I have the remote thermometer I will rely on the numbers until I figure things out. THANKS GUYS!! I will let you know how it comes out.

nanook,
Hang in there. Follow the advise of those in the know. You'll get it right and you and the wife will love the results.

Doc

nanook: all good advice here. for what it's worth, I have checked on brisket in my cookshack at 7 or 8 hours for a 6-lb flat, at maybe 190 internal meat temp, and found it still stiff and thought "oh cr*p! did I cook it too long??" But found that by keeping it in longer, till about 200, all of a sudden that stiff brisket becomes moist and juicy. It needs to go to 200 internal, just like butts. your oven temps are fine. just use the probe in the meat.