Newbie Wants To Be Ready: Tips anyone?

Seasoning is pretty simple.. just add about 4-5 chunks of supplied wood an put it on 250 and let 'er rip.
Next thing to do is to either get a butt or a chicken.. chicken is pretty cheap and usually has a bit of fat. Put some poultry seasoning/rub on it and crank it up to 250. It'll take about 2 hrs to finish the bird but it's best to get a remote thermometer and put the probe into a deep part of the thigh, not touching bone. When it hits 170, it should be done. You can check by twisting the leg bone.. if it breaks loose it's done.

Also, don't keep opening the box to check.. use the thermometer. When it's at temp then check. Also also.. check the thermometer by immersing in ice water (with ice).. should read right abou 32.. then check in boiling water.. should read 212. Most of us agree, I believe, that the best bargain on thermometers is the Taylor that you can get at Target Stores for about $19.

Others swear by cooking a butt the firs time. They are very forgiving.. but, I like the chicken for the first run.

Howard -- welcome to the Forum and congrats on your purchase!

Be sure to read Lessons for New Users and SmokinOkie's 101's.

Seasoning is easy; put 4-6 oz of hickory (or wood of choice) in the smoke box set the temp to 225-250 and let er rip for four to five hours.

For the first smoke, without a doubt do a 6-8# pork butt. Almost no way to screw it up and very forgiving meat. If she likes BBQ she'll love you for making such a wise purchase.

Have fun & good luck!

The butt is for seasoning during that first cook more than anything else.

Some folks not from the country don't know how well pork fat seasons new metallic cookware.

IMHO, the smokette is not for cooking whole birds.

Howard, Read as much as you can on this forum. Then when you know what you plan on smoking for your first smoke let us know all the details (what your going to smoke, type of wood and how much, target internal temp and expected cook time). With that information we should be able to suggest changes if needed. You will find the hardest part of smoking in a CS is coming up with a good story on how hard it was to make.

Couple things I've learned, mostly from the helpful folks in the forum: 1) the internal temperature of the meat is the only one that really matters. If you monitor the temperature of the cooking chamber you'll go crazy worrying about the temp fluctuations 2) Buy a good remote thermometer to use 3) Read, read, read the info in the forum. Suggest you spend some time on Mainely Dave's web site, very detailed, photos, he has done a great job on it, and it has helped me a lot 4) last, I had the same situation with my Mrs [do we really need this, you already have a smoker. . . . .] I had done mostly ribs and butts on my stick burner, and they were fine. What turned things around on the home front were two items I had not done before -- brisket and jerky. Surprisingly, the jerky was the favorite for all members of the family, especially my wife. Haven't looked back since.

Good luck, ask questions, have fun

This may be too late for yoru first smoke as I have been visiting my dad in South Dakota the past week and have missed the forum. None the less, here is the best thing you can do the first time you cook with your Cookshack smoker. If you didn't do this the first time, do it the second time. :^)=

Start out with a Pork Butt. It is hard to go wrong with them. Look for a big one, 6 to 8 pounds is fine. One with a bone is better than one without, but either will taste great. A picnic is almost as good as a pork butt.

Get a digital thermometer. Target sells a good one for $16 Temprite? Don't have it here handy to check. The Polder is also good.

Use a rub on the pork butt. You can use the rib run that comes with the Cookshack or make your own. Here is what I use for a rub:

1/2 cup hungarian paprika
1/2 cup turbinado sugar, brown sugar or maple suagar
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup fresh ground pepper.

The hardest part about this is grinding the pepper. Use a coffee grinder or take the top of your pepper mill off and chuck the shaft of the pepper mill in your electric drill. Doing it by hand will take all night. My wife made me buy my own pepper mill.

Pat dry the butt and rub the butt thoroughly with the rub the night before you are going to smoke it. Wrap with plastic wrap and refigerate. Wear an apron.

Plan to start smoking about 2 hours per pound plus a half hour before you want to eat.

When you are ready to smoke, take the butt out of the refrigerator and sprinkle with the rub. A pizza cheese shaker works good for this.

Put 2 chunks of the wood you got with the smoker in the woodbox and set the thermostat for 225 F. Wipe one rack with a paper towel soaked in canola oil. That will keep it from sticking. Spraying the rack with PAM does the same thing. Put the pork butt in the smoker on the middle rack. Put the thermometer in the butt so that it is not touching the bone, but is roughly in the middle of the meat. You can bring the thermometer cable out the top vent or close it in the door.

Close up the smoker. Wisps of smoke will come out of the vent in about 30 - 45 minutes. Take a deep smell and congratulate yourself on buying a great smoker.

Monitor the temperature every half hour or so. Write it down. Put it in a notebook for future reference.

The butt temperature will rise steadily until it gets to about 160 F to 170 F. Then it will stagnate as the fat and collagen change to liquid. This is known as the plateau. Chemists call it a phase change. Don't worry. The more time it spends in the plateau, the moister your pork butt will be. An hour or two is normal. Remove from the smoker at 180 - 185 for slicing and 190 - 195 for pulling. Pulling is best.

Put the butt on a platter and cover with aluminum foil for a half hour. Slice if you want to slice. If you want pulled pork, pull it with a pair of forks, or if no one is looking use your fingers. Wash your hands first. :^)=

The exact time to being done will vary. If you are approaching meal time and it isn't done, pull it from the smoker, wrap in aluminum foil and put in the oven at 350 to finish. It will still be great.

If it is done early, pull it from the smoker, wrap in aluminum foil and put it in an insulated cooler or oven to keep it above 140 F until serving time.

Serve on plain white bread or hamburger buns. Some use sauce. A mustard or vienegar sauce is standard, but I don't care for them. Some put Cole Slaw on the sandwich, and this is good. If you must have a sauce, a simple fail safe one is mustard and pickle juice mixed to your favorite consistency. Like I said, I like mine without sauce. It will be plenty moist.

If there is too much smoke flavor, use less wood. If you want more smoke flavor, use more wood. Write it down on the notes, along with the cut of meat, how much it weighs, where you bought it and the thermostat setting.

Don't open the smoker to peek. All right, you can do it once, but it will add a half hour or so to the cooking time.

Monitor the temperature with a digital probe thermometer. Keep good records.

I typically start my butts the night before at 900 PM at 200 F. In the morning I bump it up to 225. When it is through the plateau, I kick it all the way up to 250.

You can cook a brisket the same way, but it is an inferior cut of meat. Chickens and turkeys work fine, but the skin will be rubbery. Don't eat the skin.

A pan of beans under the pork butt for the last 2 or 3 hours will be wonderful. Heat them up in the oven first so that they don't cool down the smoker.

Let us know how it all turns out. - Duffey

THANKS TO EVERYONE!!! Boy, what a great bunch of folks you all are. I got my Smokette (just as well built as I expected), and seasoned it the way one of you told me to. I then did my first pork butt which came out luscious, except after 12 hours (6 lb butt), it still was only at 175 degrees, so I double wrapped it in foil and put it in the oven at 300 degrees for about an hour...that did the trick just perfectly (again, as was suggested to me). I also did some cod fillets, but even with my probe telling me the internal temp of the fillets was 149 degrees, the fish was not HOT inside the way we like it; altho the flavor was just wonderful (any thoughts for me)? Finally, my last project so far was making lox as per the CS flyer, which worked just great. I was concerned about using the unit as a cold smoker, but with a pan of ice in the unit and following the CS directions, it was just like I spent $20 a lb for lox at the finest city deli (I am a huge lox fan). So, with all your help, I am well on my way. I check the drain hole often as its 10-20 degrees here in beautiful, rural upstate NY right now, I clean the unit and change the foil after every project, and I have not forgotten my drip pan, not once, as I read this is a common thing to do. I am also keeping a log on absolutely everything I do (I think my wife thinks I am a bit obsessed right now!!!!). But she surely eats everything I have made and seems very very happy about my progress. Again, a huge thank you to everyone. You really are a great group, and I will actively participate in this forum. Howard

Sounds like you are having fun, Howard. That's great.

Was that first butt meant for pulled pork BBQ, or just for slicing as roast? The reason I ask is BBQ is meant to be cooked low and slow. That is at a low temp and for several hours, until done. 12 hours is not a long time for a butt to cook to pulling temp. Some take alot longer. Don't worry about starting it too soon and getting it done too soon. It will keep hot wrapped up in foil and towels in a cooler for several hours.

Hope this helps.

Yes, my intention was to make it for pulling. In all my reading, either in the CS cookbook or here, I remember smoking times at either 90 min or 2 hrs per lb of pork butt, so I just assumed that I would be done in 12 hours. So, your comments are very helpful to me! I will plan on 2 hours per lb but be prepared for a longer cooking/smoking time. And I learned about the trick regarding double foil wrapping and putting the butt in a cooler with a blanket to keep it warm (of course, I learned it on this web page). Thanks so much for the help; very nice of you. Am trying my hand at cold smoking a lb of sharp cheddar right now. Look forward to trying it tomorrow!!! Thanks again. Howard

Howard - It dfoesn't sound like you need our help much at all. You are doing just fine.

You might try some turkey legs next or a meatloaf. No kidding. - Duffey

Good job Howard. One thing we all learned when pressed for time is to start long cooking meats (like butts) just before you go to bed. Set the temp between 180˚ and 200˚. Check your temp in the morning and crank it up to 225˚. This allows you to set the pace for the rest of the dat and no be concerned with being done & ready for lunch or supper. Just FYI

Have fun!

Wheelz makes a good point as does Duffey.

I agree, sounds like you are doing fine!

Howard,

Don't get too caught up in the time per pound estimates for larger roasts like a butt. Thet are estimates, at best. It is not unusual for a butt to go 19-20 hours to an internal temp of 195+ for pulling. That's why many in the forum suggest starting the night before - it gives you more leeway. If its done early, then just double wrap in foil, wrap in a blanket or beach towel then put in a cooler. As Smokin Okie sez, "its done when its done!!!"