Newbie in just about every way possible...

Welcome to the group.

There are a couple of threads to read to get started, they're at the top of this open forum (lessons for new users) and in the Owners forum.

You'll need to cook the other way around, do the PB overnight (takes at least 3 times as long as ribs will) if it finished early, you can easily hold it.

I'll let some of the folks come in with detailed answers, just wanted to say welcome, we'll get you there.

And do NOT have your father join the forum, we don't do well with people who boil their ribs (just teasing, we know they don't know better).

Them old sausage makers used to say ribs was easier to grind into cheap sausage,after a few hours boilin'.

'course that was about the only use they had for them.

quote:

Originally posted by SmokinOkie:
And do NOT have your father join the forum, we don't do well with people who boil their ribs (just teasing, we know they don't know better).

I plan on converting my father. Before too long I'm sure he'll be out purchasing some mammoth professional version, cooking for twenty people, and calling me to ask how my dinky little Amerique is coming along. =)

So assume the PB takes 12 hours to cook, and the ribs take 4, give or take. Can I put the PB in at 8 am, then pop the ribs in at 2 pm, pull the ribs out when they're done as an appetizer, and then serve the PB around 8 or 9 or whenever? Or does the adding and removing play hell with the internal temperature?

If not, that's where the reheating question above comes in. =)

You've probably already done this but I'd suggest reading these topics:

http://forum.cookshack.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/7091028883/m/7891002644

http://forum.cookshack.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/7091028883/m/5491002644

http://forum.cookshack.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/7091028883/m/8091002644

http://forum.cookshack.com/eve/forums/a/frm/f/2491028883

http://forum.cookshack.com/eve/forums/a/frm/f/2591028883

http://forum.cookshack.com/eve/forums/a/frm/f/5691028883

Then you can post your questions on the specific topics that fit them best. I.E, Brisket on the brisket board, ribs on the ribs board etc.

One of the nicest things I've found about Cookshacks is that they don't dry out the food, so you really don't have to mop, unless you're trying to impart a really distinct flavor to the meat. All I usually do is use a simple dry rub and I'm a firm believer that any sauce should be applied by the party eating the meat, not the cook. I look at it this way; everyone's taste buds are different, so who am I to judge what they like and don't like.

I'm also a firm believer that great BBQ doesn't need all that much spicing; it should stand on its own and be finger licking good that way. Some places put everything but the kitchen sink on the BBQ and you get to wondering what the heck it is you're eating! For example, when I'm cooking brisket all that goes on it is a little sea salt and a fair amount of freshly ground tellicherry pepper.

FYI, every time you open the door, to mop, peek, probe, test etc. your smoker will need ~ 30 minutes to get back to the temp you set it on. So, as a general rule of thumb, don't open the door till it's done.

Imho, reheating frozen smoke meat is best accomplished by putting it in the frig for 2 to 3 days, or until you can easily put a thin metal skewer right though the thickest part. Then you can either reheat it, at a low temp, in the oven or in your smoker. The key here is to make absolutely certain that you don't dry out the meat. This can be accomplished in the oven by wrapping it really well in heavy aluminum foil, with a ¼ cup of apple juice added before you completely seal it in the foil. In the smoker you can do the same thing, or you can put a tray of hot water right above the smoke box, which in effect turns your smoker into a mini sauna.

Quick question, what grill do you own?

We have all had the same enthusiasm/impatience as we ordered our new CS,so bear with us when we say take the time to read,and keep your topics separate .

Several of the fine cooks on here could each answer your questions,all would be somewhat different,none would be wrong,and none of your results will suit you.

Smokin' will tell you to do one thing,take good notes,make small adjustments,make good notes ,again.

That process will give you the experience to ask the questions,that they can answer specifically ,that will give you the experience to achieve your desired results.

Enjoy,and that's my $0.02

I've looked over most of those topics, then read through the forums a bit, but I'm planning on spending the rest of the night alternating between reading through the forums and leafing through a couple books I picked up.

As for my grill... it's a sad, sensitive topic with me. It's a Cap'n Cook from Barbecues Galore. For the last five years I've had a 36" Viking built into a custom barbecue island, but I just moved, and needed a temporary grill until I find a house down here to buy. It works well enough for burgers and such, but it's small, the heat is uneven, and I just can't get the range of temperatures I could get before. That might play a bit of a role in my recent decision to branch out. Or it could be because I like ribs, and have always known I wasn't doing them justice. Or it could be because I just like trying new things. Take your pick!

Now, I'm off to pick up a notebook. And thanks for the responses!

I would do the butt early and hold it the the cooler. As smokin says "it's done when it's done". Would want to have a house full of guests nibbling on a couple ribs and then waiting another 2 hrs for the pb to finish. I cooler my PB alot when I take them to work for my crew to chow on. The longest I have held it in the cooler was 3 hrs (Still piping hot). Not sure exactly how long you could keep it in there while waiting for the ribs to finish.

I wouldn't open and close the door while cooking. Get your self a good digital Thermometer, insert into PB, set temp to 190, close the door and "set it and forget it" until it beeps. Seems to work best for me. One guy's signature on her says something like "keeping the door closed took my a while, but now I get it".

Newbies are great, we'll help, the problem is we have too much info to share easily, but we're a friendly forum so don't hesitate to ask the newbie questions. I guarantee (because I know) we have lots of lurkers reading, and they're newbies and just don't want to ask.

We ALWAYS recommend dry runs, never practice on a group of people waiting for your first time, it just will NOT work.

Smoking on a new smoker, to be done at X time is difficult, because it's just not a recipe.

You said you had a couple of weekends, I'd focus on one and work that because you'll have lots of questions.

PB is a pretty easy start, do that this weekend. Start it the night before and let it go. There's tons of PB topics (it's our most popular)

Ribs would be the next weekend, or even during the week.

Like the guys have suggest, doing individual topics helps, because people see the heading and know what you're asking. Since your a newbie, single topics will also focus the help on one aspect. That's why we've created the individual forums to help focus on that one theme.

Everything you need to know how to do it is buried in this forum, over 100,000 posts and most are about football, so you've come to a good place to get info.

Freezing, reheating is such a topic, it would get a little buried here, so it will depend too on what your doing and how much. Like PB, I use a vacuum sealer and put them in 1lb bags for reheating, but that doesn't work for large groups.

I also have the AmeriQue (18 plus months now). This past weekend I put two PBs rubbed with Blues Hog BBQ rub in at 1:30 p.m. Saturday set to 225 degrees. I had 3 oz of Apple and 3 oz of Hickory. Probed the slightly larger butt and set it to 195 degrees. She smoked the remainder of the day and when I got up at 8:30 a.m. the next day, the larger Butt was at 192 degrees. I took both of them off the cooker put them in a tin foil pan wrapped the top in aluminum foil, followed by two towels and put them in an old Omeha steak shipping container that I saved. It is real thick styrofoam.

Remember this was at about 9:00 a.m. by the time I finished putting them in the steak box. At 5:00 p.m., yes 8 HOURS later, I removed them and they were still too hot to pull!

I do this for every PB cook. Sorry for the long post, but if I had to plan on several different cooks for the same day, the larger cuts would begin being cooked the previous day.

In your case, the ribs or chicken or beans could be done on the day of your gathering.

I can't say enough good things about my AmeriQue. My family is always amazed at the ease and quality of product that it produces.

One more thing, on the first day of my Butt cook, I went by to check the temp. All was going as planned. I stepped just inside the house when it happened, *BOOM* ! My first implosion in my AmeriQue! I'm glad I wasn't standing next to it when it happened, I would have had to change my pants.

Relax and enjoy the easiest cooker in the world!

Regards,

Not to tell you what to cook,but make it easy on yourself,so you can enjoy your guests.

Like all have said,butts are forgiving,hold for many hours,easy to serve,and will be the best your guests ever had.

Yes,experienced cooks do butts overnight,and ribs the day of the cook.

Like Smokin' says,be sure you can cook ribs alone,before you add them to a menu.

Brisket is the last meat for comp cooks.

It is said to seperate the "cooks" from the other 95% of the folks there.

Might want to practice a couple times,first.

Cook your beans,over-or under your butts.

Best they will have ever had.

Reheat in oven.



Ca has a lot of variety,precooked sausages.

They cook in about an hr,just before guests arrive.

Buy an assortment,cut cooked links into one inch pieces,serve with sauces of choice.

Stick with your slaw,potato salad,and maybe one other cold salad that can be fixed the day ahead.

Parties should be to enjoy,not fight your way through.

I'm not too worried about having guests over for a new culinary experiment - I'm just inviting over a few like-minded guys who want to sit around, drink my beer, poke at the new shiny thing, and pretend to know what we're doing. I'm also used to keeping steaks or burgers in the fridge as a backup, to use in case of culinary disaster, to be eaten the next day in case of success.

I've preliminarily settled on a pork butt with a basic rub from these forums. I was thinking of making several sauces - first, offering the CS Spicy barbecue sauce, then making Smokin Okie's Pulled Pork Baste & Serving Sauce and Virgin Mustard Sauce. Finally, I found a recipe that looks good for smoked beans from here as well, along with a recipe for North Carolina-style Cole Slaw from BBQ USA by Steven Raichlen.

My plan is to do the shopping on Thursday, rub the butt on Friday morning, make sauces Friday evening, and put the butt in around 2 a.m. to smoke. Then Saturday morning I'll slide the beans in under the butt (probably around 7 a.m.) and get everything together for the cole slaw. If it takes more than about 10 hours to cook, I'll start mopping it every two hours with the baste & serving sauce, otherwise I'll just wait patiently until it hits the necessary temp, pull it out, pop it in foil, wrap towels around it, and put it in a cooler. I'll tell my friends it'll be done when it's done, and it could be lunch or it could be dinner. I'll just make sliders on the grill if it looks like it'll be awhile to hold people over, and I'll keep the fridge stocked with cold beer, which is all we really need anyways.

Then I'll drag out the butt, let it cool, pull it, lay out sauces and buns and beans, and let people try things their own way. I may even bring small rolls to do miniature pulled pork sandwiches to try a variety of sauces, with or without coleslaw, etc. I'm personally clueless as to which kind of sauce I'll prefer, and variety *is* the spice of life.

Does that sound like at least a possible agenda that has a *chance* of coming off reasonably well? Bear in mind that if disaster strikes and the food is inedible, these particular guests will laugh, grab the steaks and another beer, and just discuss ways to do it better next time. I think they'd be offended if I invited them over and didn't use the new smoker, as opposed to being offended by experimental food. =)

I did Keri's Hog Apple beans and placed them under a butt overnight once. I had about an inch and a half of head space in the pan when I put them in. The next day the pan was overflowing with the butt fat. Threw them away. Be careful.

That's why I said over,or under.

Personally,I've found that a couple large butts,over beans,for about the last 3-4 hrs gives me about what I'm looking for.

Also,with lots of practice cooks,there is always a couple lbs of butts/briskets to add to the beans.

Sounds like you are getting a handle on the weekend cook.

You might get you a 2 pack of butts in cryovac,weighing about 15-16 lbs,and cook both.

The AQ will cook better,with more of a load.

That is how they are packed to the market.

You will lose 50% of weight,the leftovers freeze great,and everybody appreciates a takehome bag.

That gives you about 7-8 lbs,depending on how much the cook eats while pulling.

Gives about 22-24, 5 oz sandwiches.

Give yourself a couple hrs/lb of the largest butt.

They usually are better,if they set in the hot box for three hrs,or so.

quote:

Originally posted by HeyNow^:
I did Keri's Hog Apple beans and placed them under a butt overnight once. I had about an inch and a half of head space in the pan when I put them in. The next day the pan was overflowing with the butt fat. Threw them away. Be careful.

Problem is just timing. You want fat, but not too much. I like to put mine it while the smoke is going, usually around the plateau time, and I give them 2 hours in smoke, then I cover them.

Agree with you SmokinOkie and Tom. One of those lessons I learned!

Finnien.

Only adjustment I would make is to put them in sooner. Rub them down, put them in around bedtime and get some sleep (although and 3 in the morning, you'll be wondering, is it still on)??? Put it in a 225 with maybe 2 oz or 3 of wood. What you don't want is them still in the plateau at 6pm because they won't be done.

Me, I'd bump the temp to 250 when you get up to make sure they finish.

Then watch it and pull at 195 or so. If you still have hours to go, you can easily double wrap it in foil and put them in a small, EMPTY cooler. They'll be too hot to touch when you serve them later.

And this way, you can taste them if they come off early and enjoy your own success.

Well, they're in (a little earlier, about 11:30, as per recommendations)! Delivery was prompt, got the (very) minimal setup done in early evening, let it season for four hours, then popped two 9 pound pork butts in, one on the left side, second shelf from the top, one on the right side, one shelf lower. I've got it set at 225, and I'll check on it in about 8 hours when I wake up. I'm using the temperature probe that it came with, threaded down through a vent hole... I'll pick up a second just to be safe when I get a chance, but for now, one will do.

Tomorrow, beans, cole slaw, Smokin Okie's mustard sauce, and the measure of my first attempt at barbecuing!

9 lb'ers will take longer, so I'd crank the heat up to 250 when you get up for sure.

I'm guessing around 15 hours, and if they take 20 then they take 20. Will crank the heat up none the less! =)

Hm, I accidentally used golden brown sugar in my rub instead of dark brown. Would raising the temperature to 250 run any risks with that? I know in the future I should use raw sugar, but I don't know what the effects will be with the golden brown and higher temperatures this time.

You probably didn't use much,so I'd gamble that your moisture will handle it.

A comp cook might well use a pound per butt/packer.

By the time you kick it up,it will have become bark,anyway.

Don't worry,be happy.

So, how did it turn out?