Just got my new Amerique. Could not have been easier to set up. Doing my seasoning smoke today. 2 large pieces of Hickory as the owners manual said. 275* for 4 hours. Smoke was pretty cool and going at a nice clip but stopped after about 45 minutes. Is that OK? I am going to let it do its thing for 4 hours but was not sure why it stopped.....
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Put a remote thermometer in and check temperature to see if it is fairly constant.
Closing this loop. The hickory was reduced to white ash. Maybe at 275 it burned fast or maybe I used too little wood - two chunks. Regardless, seems all systems are a go! Will smoke some ribs tomorrow....
Thanks for the follow-up. I'm no expert, but when Cookshack says 4 oz., I weigh the chunks! Any serious smoker or barbecuer should have a decent scale.
You shouldn't expect a constant flow of visible smoke, I recommend following the directions and using the amount of wood recommended. Four ounces will probably produce a very smoky flavor.
p.s. just brought home my used, nearly new Amerique today! Doing a brisket early tomorrow morning.
Thanks for your help above. Much appreciated. Good luck tomorrow!
Thanks, Noel, you too!
I've had my AQ for about 7 years now and I love it. I think your original blast of smoke was from the start-up sequence where it runs full blast for about 20 - 30 minutes to get up to temp, and that tends to produce a lot of smoke. Then it calms down into maintenance mode (cycling on/off) and the smoke level drops, which is really what you want. On long smokes, you will barely see any smoke coming out after the startup, and that's ok. jviss is correct, I rarely use more than 3 oz of wood for smoking anything. For fish, 1.5 oz is plenty, maybe 2.5 for racks of ribs, maybe 3 for a butt or brisket. It all depends on what you like. Keep in mind that the meat will not absorb any more smoke after 140 degrees IT or so, so adding more or starting with more will just concentrate the smoke on the surface and lead to bitterness.
Hope you enjoy your Amerique. Best BBQ ever!!
Good luck! I have a 9 lb. brisket ready to go into my Amerique, first cook since i picked this up. Letting it sit with Texas-style rub, just salt and pepper, a.k.a. "Dalmatian," for an hour before I put it in. Going to cook at 225, target internal temp. 195. I'll use 2.5 to 3 oz. hickory.
Well, 5 lb brisket flat, cooked at 225* with hickory (probe set for 195*), took nearly 10 hours, meat plateau was insane, the brisket was by far and away the best we ever have had. Attaching some pics below. A++. Highly recommend the Black Ops rub, too.
Thank you Cookshack!!!!!
Wow, nice job! Mine came out well done - disappointed. It was 9lb., and stalled at 164 degrees. I wrapped it with butcher paper and kept going, but after almost 8 hours I quit, and when I cut it was well done. Was hoping for medium. Live and learn. Advice welcome.
By the way, Noel, that is a clean machine!
jviss - What was your final internal temp? Was 8 hours your total time? If so, I'm thinking it was way undercooked. You really have to wait out the stall, and let the IT get to at least 190 - 200 degrees. A 9 lb brisket should take around 14 - 16 hours or so. In a smoker, brisket will always be "well done." It isn't grilling - you can't get rare, medium rare, or medium. You get tender and juicy with great flavor. No pink, no red, just good.
