REAL newbie question

Welcome aboard gk!! Best $$ you will ever spend when it comes to smokers. To answer your questions:

1. If memory serves, I got the sample pack of apple, cherry, mesquite, & hickory. I just threw in about 3-4 chunks of mesquite and let it rip for about 6-8 hours.

2. I have a regular digital polder that actually takes batteries....and it works just fine. You are starting out with a brisket which is usually (depending on how experienced you are) a tough one to judge. I ALWAYS use a thermometer when I do those. If you are doing ribs or pork butt, those are pretty easy to tell when they are done. As far as time goes per pound. But w/a brisket, I would highly recommend a thermometer. Smokin's rule of thumb applies to all..."it's done when it's done"...but especially w/briskets. Good luck and have fun with it!

gk - The wood in the box that came with the smoker is hickory. I would recommend that you wait until you get a remote thermometer if you need to impress the missus the first time out. I have had brisket done at 1 hr a lb up to about 2 hrs a lb. "Its done when its done".

I have just put the brisket in and let go over night and check it in the morning with a instant therm. and its usally done or close to it at 225.If the therm. goes in easy its done or close. You can get a polder type therm. any where .g

Thanks to all for the great info. I'm going to run down to Home Depot to see if I can pick up a Polder or something like it, before I try a brisket. Better safe than overenthusiastic, I guess. Plus I want to make sure I get product that's worthy of the Arthur Bryant's sauce I brought home from a trip to KC a couple of weeks ago!

Best regards;
Gary

gk,

Welcome and congrats.

Short course on brisket.

Are you cooking a flat or a packer brisket? Since you're asking "basic" questions, let's ask the basic questions.

There is a big difference.

Tell us what kind and how big and we'll get you close.

Usually CS sends hickory in the box.

You don't have to have a thermometer, if you go with the poke and prod method. Plenty of us learned to smoke cook long before the temps were talked about so much.

Think of it like this. Stick something about the size of a instant read thermometer probe, just a little smaller than a pencil. A long thin piece of metal. Push it into the thick end of the brisket and "feel" the meat as you push it in. Does it resist or does it go in easily. You'll know. Just move it around a little and feel the give. More give more tender. If it falls apart when you've done this, then it's over done, but all that means is it will fall apart in shreds when you try to slice it.

Take it out when done, scrap off the fat and don't forget to cut against the grain.

Then, go read the following, if you haven't already:

Brisket 101

Brisket Archives

Good luck!

Thanks for the reply, Okie. I've taken a first read through your 101 series; they're a great resource.

I cooked professionally lots of years ago, and I still mostly rely on touch for telling how done a cut of meat is (it really pains me to see people cut into a steak to see if it's ready!). I never got any experience with pit-type barbeque,(lots of grill work, though) so this is going to be a lot of fun. There's a ton of more unusual stuff I'd eventually like to try...oysters in the shell, for instance, or fresh chilies for homemade chipotle.

My concern with the poke-and-prod method here is that every time you open the oven you lose heat, humidity, and smoke. With such a small box it really seems like a good idea to avoid that as much as possible.

I'll probably start with a small flat or tri-tip, maybe 3-5 pounds, and go from there.

Thanks again for all your contributions!
-Gary

If you go with a small flat, try to get at least 5+ lbs with some fat still on it (in a cryo, for instance)... the 3-lber at the supermarket which is completely trimmed will not hold up well in the smoker; it will dry out.

If you go tri tip I believe people cook that to a med rare (130 or so internal) rather than try to get to the 190-200 range (again, not enough fat to work). I have not done the tri-tip, but I believe that is the approach.

You're right, you'll loose heat and smoke, but you'll be doing this towards the end of the smoke and you can always pull the whole shelf out. Poke and prod and put it back in.

As for the smoke, by the time you get to this point, it won't be smokin'

Be careful on the flat. Small flats, without any fatcap are hard to do. They'll dry out. Get a big honkin' brisket (that's the official term) and you'll have better success.

Tri-tip is okay in the smoker, but I still prefer mine over a grill.

Smokin'

Thanks, Okie. I picked up a five pound cryo flat today (maybe not the best size, but this is a trial) with a nice cap. I'm seasoning my Smokette right now, and the rub's on. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow...

Well, just to close this thread out, things went pretty darn well for a first attempt. I can confirm that you can cook a smallish brisket in the Smokette and still get a nice juicy product. It took a little longer than I thought it would (9 1/2 hours to 180), but I started slow (200, going to 225 when the internal temp hit 140). And the missus was WAY impressed. Thanks, Stuart!

I saw at the top of this thread that someone bought a smokette for $299?!? Where can I get a price like that on one of these babies ...

-Mike

Hi, Mike;

That was me. They were on sale at Aquaquip stores in the Seattle area, but that was a couple of months ago. You could always give them a call..I bought mine at the Lynnwood store.

-Thanks;
Gary