Gettin started - Pork shoulder roast brisket

Slather the roast in mustard and then smother it with your favorite rub. Put it in the Smokette on the top rack with 2 oz. of your favorite wood at 225*. Cook until internal meat temp. reaches 195-205 without opening the door. Take it out, wrap in HD foil, wrap that in 2 old bath towels, place in dry cooler for at least 30 minutes. Unwrap and shred or pull with forks or fingers. Apply more rub to the pulled pork if desired. Serve on cheap hamburger buns with sauce and slaw.

First I'd read Smokin's 101 s on pork and brisket above.

Smokin' Okie's Barbecue Guides

Second,I'd read the archives.

That should cover 99% of what you'd like to know,and we'll be happy to jump in for any specific questions.

Enjoy

I second Tom, keeping in mind that:

1) your pork shoulder roast is likely a boston butt (so cook it as a pork butt in Smoking's 101)
2) your 3-lb brisket is likely a flat (so search the archives for cooking instructions for a brisket flat)

Yep. You in fact did ask for recipe suggestions, right Angler? That's what I thought!

Hippie,

I'll try your roast recipe for Saturday night dinner. How long do you think it will take per pound?

Also, I only have the wood that the smoker came with. Is that hickoyr? Is it okay or should get something else for pork?

Tim

Use what you got.

Mad Angler, "Welcome to the Forum!" As sugested above, take your butt to 195-205. This could be anywhere from 1-2.5 hrs per lb. Two hrs per lb is a good average. You are better off going by internal temp instead of hrs per lb if possible. Resist the tempation to open the door as that will only prolong the cooking time.

Let us know how your first smoke went!

Good luck!!!

Actually, not a roast recipe, but a pulled pork recipe. It will be good.

Thanks Tom and Wheelz.

Well, it's going... slowly...

I think the pork roast was about 3 lbs. I put it in around 121:45. At 4:15, it was about 141F. Now it is 6:45, and the temp is 145F

I didn't read all the directions in this thread though. I put the roast on the middle shelf, not the top.

SO, unless I hear otherwise, I just keep waiting for the temp to reach 195.

Also, I stuck another meat thermometer in the vet hole. It peaked out aabove 200F so I think the CS is at the 225F setpoint...

Well, it never did get done...

At 12:00am it was still 180F. That made it about 11 hours for a 3 lb roast.

I opened the door and checked the thermometer. It seemed right. So, I took the thermometer out of the meat and just left it in the oven. The oven got to 225 in about 15 minutes. So, I thought the oven was working correctly. But then the oven temp dropped to 195 and stayed there for the next hour.


After 13 hours I declared defeat. I took the roast out and wrapped it in foil. I later put it in the fridge.


So, what do I do now? I am extremely disappointed...
- How I get my CS fixed?
- What do I do with my partially cooked roast?

Mad_Angler-
Welcome to the forum. Your's sounds like my first cook with a small pork butt. For some reason they can be really stubborn..Our Cookshacks will have temperature swings as they cycle on and off during cooking- that's normal and not a cause for concern. You can finish off your mostly cooked butt wrapped in it's foil in a standard oven, it's already taken on smoke flavor. Pork butts (and brisket) will hit a temperature plateau in the 160*-170* range and hang there for a few hours. Next time I'd start much earlier in the day and when the meat is ready, it can be foiled, wrapped in an old towel or two and held in a dry warm cooler for a few hours 'till meal time. The search button at the top of the page gave me 91 hits for "plateau" and 62 for "temp swings". Don't give up yet!! I know it took me a while,there's lots of advice to be had from the forum members and we do get to eat our misteaks...

MA,

2 hours to go from 141 to 145 doesn't sound right, so I'm thinking questions about the temp. Dropping to 195 and staying for hours at that temp sounds a little low. A 3lb roast should be done in 6 hours, give or take a little.

There's likely nothing to fix, just a little learning process involved. You didn't have time to "read the posts" so you missed some of the good suggestions and it's hard to give advice if you don't take the time to let us help. Regardless of the people that say it, this isn't as easy as set it and forget it.

A little patience and the group here will help.

Need the details.

What was the temp of the smoker set at? Is the smoker on an extension cord or straight in the wall. First and foremost, put the smoker on 225, empty, let it run and monitor the temps. When you place your thermometer inside, make sure it doesn't touch metal. Have you tested your thermometer, they can be off also.

Smokin'

Smokin...

I did read about temperature plateau. That is why I gave it so much time. But, 13 hours for a 3 lb roast doesn't sound like a plateau...


Here are the details...
- The smoker is a SM008
- It was plugged directly into the socket
- I never opened the door
- The CS temperature was set at 225

I'll run the temperature test right now...


BUT, folks certainly made the CS sound like "set it and forget it". I have smoked with charcoal before and it was a tremendous hassle. I am still extremely disappointed that my first CS project was such a disaster...

I'll let you know how the temperature test goes...

MA,

I hear your frustration. But this smoker has been working fine for 40+ years and there is a little learning curve and just be a little more patient. It's hard enough to try to cook bbq let alone figure out all of this over the internet. It's always something.

Could be the meat you bought. You need to get a full butt, 6 to 7 lbs. 3 lb will not take that long so SOMETHING is causing that. It just takes time to figure out what that something is.

You got it just this week, so let's go through a few more cook before you get too frustrated.

Once you know the temp, we'll go from there.

Are you opening the door a lot to check? Every time you open it, it lets temp out.

In BBQ it's the little things.

I have only smoked one pork shoulder. It was a 6 pounder. I did the mustard and rub mixture as well as the towel trick.
My advice is take it up to the temperature as these folks are saying. 195-205. I only went to 180 degrees and placed it in the towels and cooler for three hours. it tasted great but only the outside pulled. The inside I had to slice with a knife.

Smokin'

I understand the CS should work and that it has worked for years. I'm just frustrated that mine did not work...

I also understand that SOMETHING is not right...

For the roast, I did not open the door until 12 hrs had elapsed.

I'm doing the temperature test now.
- The setpoint was 225
- The ambient conditions are 30F and windy
- The inside temperature peaked at 257F after 50 minutes
- It has been 65 minutes and the current temperature is 215F

Based on what I have read. You used an internal probe and not an electronic one. Therefore you had to open the smoker to check on the temperature. Hence the smoker failed to achieve the proper temps.
Get a NexxTech� Remote Barbeque Thermometer from Circuit City online for $16. This one has a remote that you can clip to your belt and monitor from as far away as 100ft. I usually just leave the monitor on the kitchen counter and peek at it every once and a while or set the alarm and have it go off when certain temps are achieved. I actually bought two and use one to monitor the temp of the oven and the other to monitor the meat itself.
Gadgetry at it's best.

Mad,
When I first got my SM009, I was concerned with temperature swings. Tony at CS said to take your empty Smokette, and put at 225. Monitor and record your temps EVERY 15 MINUTES without opening the door. After 4 hours, average these temps and you should be close to the 225. If it doesn't, call CS. They'll be glad to help. Make sure your thermometer is good, take a reading off some ice water and some boiling water. You should see 30'ish in the ice water and 212 at boiling.

I'm going with Smokin' on this one. I'd go buy a nice 7 lb. or so butt, and from my experience with the smokette, set to 225 and it should be around 195 in about 18 hours. I usually put on at 11 p.m. and it's ready at 5 p.m. the next day. I monitor the temps closely at the last 4 hours, but don't worry before that.

I'm thinking it was something about that meat you had!

Just my .02.

Very Happy Smokette owner,
C'Nooga

MA, just a vote of confidence in the CS as a product and forum participants here, who are just ordinary folks with lots of experience. I'm doing my 5th smoke since mid-December right now, and very pleased with my CS ... I've read dozens and dozens of posts that talk about how CS customer service will work with you if you have an equipment problem. Follow Smokin's suggestions and see if it works out. You can trust the advice you hear here, it has worked out for me very well. Let us know how things work out.

Okay, here's the update on the temperature test...

- The setpoint was 225F
- It took 50 minutes to get to 257F
- Now, it cycling between 199F and 248F. That certainly averages pretty close to 225F
- The cycles last about 40 minutes from 199F and back to 199F.
- The outside conditions are about 25F and windy. The CS is protected from the wind.
- The door is never opened.

The cycles seem a bit large but that doesn't explain my pork butt problem. What else could cause it to take 13 hours to get to 180F? Also, I never opened the door. I have a temperature probe with a 3 foot cable. I ran the cable through the top vent hole.

Thanks for all the help so far. I'm sure it will all get worked out eventually...

Well, as far as your "pork butt problem". I'd chalk it up to experience and move on. I'm really questioning whether or not you had a pork shoulder butt. I haven't seen them that small.

I'd get about a 6.5 to 7 lb'er and have at it again. Seems to me your temperatures look okay, but I'm not CS Tech support. The cold and wind has never affected my smokette...don't think that's a major concern. I'd seriously do a nice size butt in the smoker before you tackle the brisket. It will help you get a good seasoning.

I'm thinking it had something to do with your meat......

C'Nooga

Mad,
Just did my first pork butt last week after many rounds with ribs and briskets which all turned out awesome

I experienced the exacat same thing with the pork butt, put it in at 4:30pm at 225, at 6pm it was at 129 degrees, I thought sweet! pork before bedtime. well at 7pm it was at 150, 10pm at 159?,
2am at 166!! I gave up, turned the smoker down to 190 and went to bed. at 4 am it was still at 168 so I cranked it back up to 225 and cried uncle. Frankly didn't care if it came out at all at this point. well at 730 AM, low and behold it finally reached the 199 mark! after wrapping and resting it pulled and tasted awesome. but man it took forever.
If I would have done this the first time out of the gates with the smoker I would be just as frustrated as you are, but fear not, for some reason those 3 LB pork butts can be just that, a pain in the butt

Try the recipe in the archives for the brisket, there are many but I've used the one by Arron brooks on a number of small flats, followed it to the letter and took the flats to the 195 internal mark before wrapping and resting, they ALL rocked!
The only insight outside of the recipe I can give you is do the flat fat down, it seemed to keep it from drying out better.

And do get a remote thermometer, keeping that door closed is huge.

He is keeping the door closed, for the umpteenth time!

Angler, I think your smoker is functioning properly and that you did everything right. 3 pounds is a small roast and should have been done alot sooner than t wasn't done. I don't know what to make of that. I do know that my 008 works better the more meat I cook at once. I always try to find a huge shoulder or butt. Be sure and test your probe. Do not give up! You will be making excellent Q in no time!

Okay, it seems that small butts can be a problem for some reason...

So, I'm ready to try again. At the start of this thread, I mentioned that I also have a small flat brisket (About 3 lbs).

I put CS rub on it last night. I will try it today. I am going to use the recipe on another thread:
- set CS to 225F
- Put brisket in fat side down
- cook brisket to 150-160
- Wrap brisket in foil (sorry Smokin') with 1/2 cup apple juice
- Put brisket back in CS and cook to 190F
- Take out brisket and let set 30-60 minutes

Does that sound like a reasonable recipe?
How long do you think it will take to get to 150?
Is there anything else I should be watching for?

And yes Hippie, I will keep the door closed... again...

I have to agree with folks above,that try again with a large bonein butt.

I have the oppurtunity to cook on a commercial flat top and oven,and I still get surprised.

I'm no expert,but I have cooked with some.

There are a number of reasons to cook low and slow.

They tell me ,the goal with a tough,fatty ,possibly old meat is to break down collagen,and render fat.

They tell me there is no direct line among time,temp,tender .

i.e.,you could take a 1/2 inch thick slice,running with the grain,from a large butt,from a 10 yr old boar,drop it in a 350�preheated skillet,2 mins on a side and reach an internal of 195�.

The temp is right.

You couldn't cut it with a knife,much less chew it.

So,maybe when we talk about 2 hrs/lb, on an 8 lb butt,we are discussing the time to break down collagen,and render fat-not to reach an internal temp ?

So, maybe tough pork needs time to break down-regardless of size?

Yes,there are an assortment of issues involved with collagen breakdown,release of moisture in plateaus.

Just a couple things to ponder,on a cool winter's morn.

I did a little experiment last night after reading these posts. I placed my thermometer into the vent hole and recorded readings. the further down into the smoker the probe went the higher the readings. I might add that we had mucho wind here when I was doing this test, even under my patio cover. That said, I would look at placing the therm probe near the therm mounted inside the smoker to insure that you are getting the same readings that the smoker is seeing. That is, if you feel up to the same experiment. All in all, I only did this for about 45 minutes and it does take a while for the smoker to get all sides re-radiating a consistant heat.

Mad,
I agree with everyone else, I would start with another butt about 7 or 8 pounds. Dry it rub it and smoke it at 225. I put mine on around 7:00 pm and check the temp. at 7:00am and it's usually done or very close. I take it out between 192-200 range. Good luck.

Okay, here's an update on the second smoke:
I figured I was a complete failure and let my wife cook this one... The preliminary results seem much better

- It was a 3 lbs flat brisket
- I rubbed it with CS spicy rub
- It stayed in the fridge overnite
- At 7am, I put it in the CS
- The meat was 37F
- The CS setpoint was 225F
- Around 1:00 (6 hrs), it was 160F. She
- took it out
- wrapped it in foil
- added 1/2 cup of apple juice
- put back in CS
- At 3:30 (8 1/2 hr), it was 190F

She just set the CS setpoint to 140F. I will pull it around 6:00.

Should I wrap it in a towel instead of leaving it in the CS??

If I was gonna leave it in the Smokette, I would just turn it off, although it probably won't dry out wrapped up in apple juice.

So you ready to do a big butt now?

Hippie,

I like dem big butts...

But, I need to eat this brisket. I also need to finish cooking my little butt and eat it. So that may hold me over for a few days.

My next project will be goose summer sausage. I am going to grind the goose and stuff the tubes tonight and smoke them tomorrow.

So, the smoker is currently scheduled to be idle on Wednesday. I'll have to do something about that...

Let us know when you start getting along with the Smokette better!

Wow!!
My wife's brisket turned out great!! It was little tough and a little dry but I expected that for a very small flat. But, the flavor was absolutely great.

I guess my wife has to do all the smokin from now on...

So, the Smokette and I are getting along nicely. I have a bunch of summer sausage in the fridge right now. I'll be smoking them tonight..

YeeeHawww!!!

Well...

I'm currently doing a batch of Hi Mountain summer sausage. I ground and stuffed the meat on Monday night. It was 12 lbs of goose meat and 4 lbs of un-enhanced ground pork. The mixture seemed quite wet.

It is _still_ cooking. Here are the details:
- I never opened the door
- I cut the tubes in half so I could hang them
- I hung 15 lbs of tubes from the top rack
- At 6pm: I set the CS for 100F with the door cracked
- At 7 pm I turned off the CS (I wanted to go out with my wife for V day)
- At 9:00, I set the CS for 140F. The meat temperature was 57F
- At 11pm, I set the CS for 180F. The meat was 111F.
- I never opened the door.
- At 12:00, the meat was 140F
- At 2:00, the meat was 140F
- At 3:30, the meat was 140F
- At 5:30, the meat was 138F
- Now at 5:30, it had been 6 1/2 hours so I opened the door. The sausage looked cooked but still felt fairly cool.
- I put in another small piece of wood and closed the door

Other notes:
- I never opened the door
- My drip pan was nearly full with water/blood
- There was steam coming out the vent hole most of the night
- I stuck a thermeter in the vent hole and it read about 140F

So, I think the sausage is just drying out or something. I think I'll take it to 155-160 just to make sure that no bacteria got started during this process.

I guess, "it will be done when it's done"