New Smokette Owner

Welcome to the forum Deron and congrats on your purchase of a cookshack! Be sure to read through "Lessons For New Users" in the Open Forum and there you'll find all the information you will need to make your first smoke a success.

I am warning

quote:

use of this product may become highly addictive

On a lighter note Welcome to CookShack. They make an awesome product and they work awesome. Have fun and do not be afraid to experiment because this these units are vary flexible with types meat and woods.

Read the manual and cookbook supplied, then come here for real advice on such thangs as seasoning/breaking in/cook times/ etc.

Smoker arrived this morning via UPS. I've pre-read the forums and currently am breaking it in with a pan of water and three small wood chips in the box.

Seems a little bit smaller than what I expected but the wife says that's a good thing.

This evening I plan on buying a ridicuously bad and el cheapo piece of pork to help further with the curing/break-in process.

My two Weimaraner's will be most willing recipients of my first smoke.

Tomorrow I will try a butt.

Get a real butt, about 8-10#, sprinkle with garlic salt and lite cayenne pepper. Don't rub it with mustard or soak it in coffee, or pump it full of burbon or apple juice. Just the garlic salt and pepper. Smoke it at 225* until therm indicates 195*. Don't open door during cook. Not even "just once". When done, you will be happy and well rested, and it won't take you six weeks to figure out that it really is as easy as everyone said it was. Following this process will allow far more time to research sauces and their proper uses. Enjoy

Someone has actually soaked one in coffee? LOL

Pan of water and 3 small wood chips ?

Did I not just say to disregard the manual or something along those lines ?

Actually, it laid down a pretty nice film of smoke inside...looks fine to me. No worries.

Right now I have a 2 lb hunk of jowl bacon smoking up to add to the break-in process...cost me $1.47 and it has my dogs name on it.

Have a 6 lb butt ready to season for the first meal tomorrow.

I bought a Maverick Redi Check remote thermometer and after 1 1/2 hours the hunk o' jowl is reading 155 degrees.

6 lb. butt is in.

I patted it down good with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and some red pepper.

It went in 9:15 EST with the Maverick thermometer wedged well into the meaty center.

BTW, I let the hunk of jowl bacon cook all night at 200...two dogs knew all about and were waiting for the remnants this morning.

Obviously quite a but of fat to it, but the meaty portion most certainly looked good enough to eat.

I have now have a nice cooked patina going on.

Your dogs are lovin' you!

Also, with a small butt, see if your grocer has a picnic(the smaller part of the shoulder) to go with it. Usually somewhat cheaper than a butt, it has great flavored meat that really adds to a butts flavor IMO.

The butt as of 1:15 is checking in at a robust 150 degrees.

Okay, I'm now in the twilight zone of plateau.
It's now 167* up from 165* 80 minutes ago.

I'm keeping track of time and had a degree gain every approximately ever 9 minutes from 118* to roughly 165*, that's where the plateau kicked in.

I cranked it up from 225 to 250 to nudge it along. As soon as I see some movement on the thermometer I plan to back it down to 225*

Wife and I had planned on some Q tonight for supper...we may have to grab something else and have the Q for a late night dessert.

Lesson learned, start early than 9 am next time.

Still trudging through the poke zone. It's been 10 hours and my butt is 175*

Wife has given up and eaten a tuna fish sandwich.

Looks like it may be midnight before it's done.

Is 15 hours for a 6 pounder normal?

Don't rush it. As they say, it's done when it's done. Every pork butt will be different. Set the heat back down to 225 and sit back and relax. It's worth the wait. When it hits 195, it will be ready to pull.

If your remote has an alarm on it, set it and go to bed when you get tired. Might not be a late night dessert, may be an early morning snack.

I've cooked butts that took 15 hours, 17 hours and up to 22 hours.

It's done when it's done.

No rush here. It's 9:45.

12 1/2 hours in I'm now at 185*

I just ate a triple whopper so there's little danger of being hungry anytime soon.

It's 12:15 and the butt has hit 195*!!!

Exactly 15 hours cooking time.

My dogs are going to freak out when I bring this in.

Oh-my-God!!!

Totally awesome! I pulled it all apart by hand and clipped up the bark with kitchen scissors and mixed it all together. I let it go to about 198* and pulled it. Almost all the fat was spent and it is juicy as a peach. Don't even need any type of sauce.

Thanks to all for the help on my charter smoke!

It was a long, but total and tasty success!

Groovy !

Now it's time to learn brisket !

I was thinking the same thing myself.

Smoking my 2nd butt tonight. Couldn't find a brisket anywhere other than a freaking corned beef brisket. I went with a big 13 pounder this time around. Two pieces of hickory and a chunk of pecan. Dogs have assumed their position.

Sounds good. You might need to find the brisket at wally world, Sam's, Costco, or a local butcher shop.

Actually I went to both places and a few others...could be, since it's so close to Thanksgiving they're not stocking quite as many in lieu of Turkeys/Hams and folks are scooping them up. I'll keep trying, I'm sure I'll find one sooner than later.

Did you ask the meat guys at Sams or Costco if they had packer briskets in the back.

Sometimes mine won't have ANY brisket, but after asking they'll haul me one from the back. I guess they take up too much room for the volume they sell to the casual customer.

Nope, I was in both places probably after they had left for the day. Plenty of picnics, butts and tenderloins though. I've only looked 2 or 3 times so it's probably just a bit of bad luck.

I was at our super wally today getting some jerky meat and saw a stack of about 12-15 packers. Might be a regional thang where they just have trouble getting rid of them so they don't stock them much.

Good luck !

I've seen them before at Sam's, just not since I picked up my 08. Not that many of them though.

Our Sams does not get shipments on Tuesday and one other day I cannot seem to remember right now. I can never find a brisket on those days. Any other day, if one is not out, I ask and they bring me one.

Next time I go to Sam's, I'll go early in the day and see if that improves my odds.

I just call ahead to see what they have and at what price.


I got tired of making a dry run to Sams a long time ago.

Found a brisket tonight at Wally World.