Thanks fellas. Do I need to spray or mop the meat at all during the process? I read not to open the smoker but to test the temp of the meat I will have to, right?

Won't need to open the smoker. Stick that probe into the thickest part of the meat, little wire runs from that to the gauge/controller. That sits outside the smoker.

Moppin' is a personal thing.. lol.. Some do it, some don't. I do it with pork butts or roasts because they can get really dry. I don't mop brisket.

And a good supply of beer is the most important tool to have, so ya got that covered!

eta: If you want to use any bbq sauce don't apply it until the very very end of cooking. Bbq sauce has a lot of sugar and burns if it's on heat too long. For pork butt or brisket it's better to serve sauce on the side, not actually applied to the meat while it's cooking.

I am not sure which is cheaper, electric or propane. In the area I live in, propane has dropped in price over the last year. It sure made it nice this past winter on the heating bill. I have a Bradley smoker that really chews up the electricity. You defiantly see a jump in the electric bill whenever I use it.

The other thing you want to do first is to season the pit. Run it for at least two to three hours with wood chips, to season it before you cook anything on it. I have five different smokers right now and have had well over a dozen different smokers over the years and have done this with all of them. It is just kind of a break-in process.

Thank you sir!

Thanks retired guy! Will do that this evening.

Thank you! That's what I was thinking. Propane sounds like the way to go.

Hey gixxer1k, not that i'd pump another website here but go to amazingribs.com lots of really good info there.

So Gixxer, any "range" reports? Anything turn out well?

Well, I did the pork last weekend. When I pulled out of the cooler and unwrapped it, it fell apart! Consistency was perfect however there wasn't much smoke flavor and I definitely need to use a better rub and more of it. Overall I gave it a B- due to lack of flavor, but the meat was excellent.

I am trying a brisket today so we shall see. Afraid I won't get much smoke flavor again. Added a couple of chunks of charcoal to see if I can et the smoke ring but it isn't smoking too much right now.

You need a LOT of smoke, constantly. Smokin' like a chimney for the entire 8, 10, 12 hours.

Look at your grocery store for mesquite, oak, pecan.. whatever kind, bags of "smokin' chunks". Every place sells them. Not expensive, but plan on using at least a full bag, maybe two for longer smoking. Just little wisps of smoke won't do it. The meat needs to be SMOKED for the entire time.

That's the art of smokin'. Getting the balance between the smoke you need and maintaining a steady temperature. It's a fun challenge and well worth the time involved!

Let us know how the brisket comes out!

ETA: Don't be afraid of the brisket or butt looking like a totally charred meteorite. It's supposed to look that way. Beneath that char will be the smoke ring and (hopefully, usually) nice tender, juicy eatin'.

NBN, thanks for the tips! The brisket turned out awesome! My sister in law said it was the best she had ever had, but she doesn't like bbq too much so what does she know! I did the flavor was really good and over all I would give it an A-. I wanted to let it rest a little longer before slicing it but it was 9:30pm when I finally pulled it off the smoker.

Oh, I used mesquite wood this time and a couple of charcoal chunks and the smoke was perfect. Here is a pic just before I wrapped it.

I disagree with nothing but net completely. I only want a very small amount of smoke coming out of my smoker stack. If you burn your wood down to coals then you get just the right amount of smoke and you wii have a good smoke ring. Your meat wiil only take smoke for a couple of hours anyway, thats why some people wrap their meat after a couple of hours.


Johnny

yes. thick gray smoke has creosote in it. you want a thin blue smoke coming out. Electric smokers don't make much of a smoke ring, but the flavor will be there.

Gixxer, a couple good BBQ websites are "texas BBq forum" and the "thesmokering"....every question known to man about BBQ can be answered there...it's where I started when I bought my first smoker

Thanks fellas. Dinty, I will check those sites out. I just filled the little wood tray with mesquite and added to it twice after that. I stopped adding wood at about 145* when I wrapped it in foil. The smoke was perfect in my opinion. I could definitely taste it but didn't feel like I was eating an ash tray. Thanks for all the advice fellas!