I'm going to be 87 on Monday, and just recently started trying smoking meat. I bought a Masterbuilt electric smoker. Before all of the real BBQ guys jump my ***, read the first line. I'm 87 and don't have time to learn all of the ins and outs, but would love to get some tips from everyone. I've smoked ribs that were good. I smoked a pork butt/shoulder today, that the youtube video said would take 7 hours that took 14 hours, but it tasted delicious. Any tips or recipes?
Electric smoker
- Thread starter BBBLazing
- Start date
If you are trying to speed up cook times on pork shoulder you can wrap in foil during the middle. The shoulder only takes on smoke for a certain period of time anyways. Also, from what I’ve read, increasing temps doesn’t discernibly change the end product. It’s all about the getting smoke on it early and then getting to your optimal final internal temp of the meat.
For ribs, I like the 3-2-1 method. Although I smoke at higher temps and shorten the periods.
Good luck!
Brine your chicken before you smoke it.
Use a binder on your meat before you add the rub. Yellow mustard is a good option.
Get a good instant read thermometer and don't overcook things.
Don't use sugary sauces unless you just put them on at the very end of the cook.
Drying the meat and salting it is almost always a good idea, unless you brined then just dry it.
On longer smokes, get a spray bottle so you can spritz the meat.
Try different wood chips. My favorite is hickory, but it's not great with seafood. Fruit woods tend to go well with poultry and seafood, pork is good with any wood, hardwood work better with beef.
Use a binder on your meat before you add the rub. Yellow mustard is a good option.
Get a good instant read thermometer and don't overcook things.
Don't use sugary sauces unless you just put them on at the very end of the cook.
Drying the meat and salting it is almost always a good idea, unless you brined then just dry it.
On longer smokes, get a spray bottle so you can spritz the meat.
Try different wood chips. My favorite is hickory, but it's not great with seafood. Fruit woods tend to go well with poultry and seafood, pork is good with any wood, hardwood work better with beef.
Keep notes on each smoke of what went right and what went wrong. Refer to these notes the next time you smoke. Notes will improve your smokes.
I have one of those electric smokers and I have found that you need to double to recommended time on ribs. So I usually keep them in for at least 6 hours.
Keep the pork butt 8lbs or smaller. A 8 lb takes around 8-9 hours. A 10 lb takes 11-12 hours. Also apply rub and wrap in clear wrap the night before. As others have mentioned, the smoke is important the first 3-4 hours. After 4 hours, put in pan and cover. This will keep very moist. After removing from smoker, let it rest at least 45 minutes before shredding.
I preheat smoker at least a hour before adding meat. Some people coat with mustard before applying rub. I have done both ways, can’t really tell a huge difference. I only smoke with actual hickory seasoned wood. Pellet and electric smokers are a lot easier and convenient, but I prefer the taste of an original smoker process.
I preheat smoker at least a hour before adding meat. Some people coat with mustard before applying rub. I have done both ways, can’t really tell a huge difference. I only smoke with actual hickory seasoned wood. Pellet and electric smokers are a lot easier and convenient, but I prefer the taste of an original smoker process.
Happy Birthday. No shame in ekectric. Plenty of good meat has come off of one. Brining is essential with poultry or will be dry as a bone. The 3-2-1 is great with ribs but remember to add a few pats of butter during 2 hour wrapped period. With butts and shoulders, my best results are 1 hour per pound at between 225 and 250. Brisket is great if you have time. Plan on 8 to 10 hours in smoker at 225 and 6 to 8 in over, wrapped, at 300. But plenty of videos on YouTube and cookbooks out there. Suggest following BBQ Pit Boys on YouTube.
I've cooked ribs trying the 3/2/1 method I saw on youtube and they were good. I did another rack just cooking them on higher heat for 4 hours, then wrapping them in butcher paper for an hour with butter and honey and they turned out much better.
After four pork butts, my binder is now wortershire (or however the **** you spell it) and my rub is nothing more than Tony Chachere's. I've tried a several rubs, two I've mixed myself, but the Tony Chachere's ended up with the best crust and flavor.
My favorite store bought rub for ribs and shoulders is the Weber dry smoking rub. It’s got a nice sweet heat profile (my favorite) and produces a nice caramelization/bark.
I've smoked a few pork butts on a weber kettle grill, using the snake method. Probably the most pain in the *** way of doing it, but it turned out great.
The timing is a *****, though. I've learned to actually get a bit smaller cuts of butt, as the 10-pound ones can take a real long time. Like you mentioned, it can be several more hours than you originally thought.
I'm actually looking at new grills and smokers for my new house, now that I have the room. That cabinet smoker I see at Lowes and Home Depot looks pretty nice. But not sure how well those work.
The timing is a *****, though. I've learned to actually get a bit smaller cuts of butt, as the 10-pound ones can take a real long time. Like you mentioned, it can be several more hours than you originally thought.
I'm actually looking at new grills and smokers for my new house, now that I have the room. That cabinet smoker I see at Lowes and Home Depot looks pretty nice. But not sure how well those work.
Hey blaze — a comment about the actual smoker — store that thing in the driest location you can , those heating elements retain moisture and go bad - I made the mistake of leaving mine outside under a covered roof and the moisture ruined my heating element , now I have to use a torch to preheat the element to use it .. pain in the rear . But the temp control on those master crafts are good .
I have some friends with a Traeger and that turns out some mighty tasty food. Just wished we still lived in the same city because he is a big deer hunter and every deer season he posts pictures of the entire process down to the end when he is making jerky, roasts, chops and all that good stuff.
My favorite meat to smoke is prime rib. All I season with is salt, pepper and garlic. I smoke it at 225 and spray it with apple cider vinegar about halfway through the cook. I take it out of the smoker when it hits about 135*, then wrap in foil and let it rest for about an hour. I usually get one that is around 12lbs and cook time is usually 4-5 hours.
This guy has lots of great tips and videos about how to smoke just about anything to eat.
Try making poor man burnt ends. It's really hard to screw it up.
It's 2 cans of Spam cut up into 1 inch squares and coated in a rub of your choice. I smoke them for about hour to an hour and a half with hickory wood. Then I put them in a pan with 2 sticks of butter, Sweet Baby Rays and about 2 cups of brown sugar. Let them simmer in the sauce for about an hour.
Just an FYI that Spam is salty anyway so whatever rub you use be careful about it having too much salt.
It's 2 cans of Spam cut up into 1 inch squares and coated in a rub of your choice. I smoke them for about hour to an hour and a half with hickory wood. Then I put them in a pan with 2 sticks of butter, Sweet Baby Rays and about 2 cups of brown sugar. Let them simmer in the sauce for about an hour.
Just an FYI that Spam is salty anyway so whatever rub you use be careful about it having too much salt.
So I finally smoked the brisket that I intended to smoke last week, but got sidetracked. It turned out really good. I put it on at 2 am in the electric smoker, added wood chips every hour until 6. It got to 160 about 8 am. I let it go until 10 and it was still at 160, so I wrapped it in foil. I pulled it off between 4:30 and 5:00, put it in a cooler wrapped and put towels over it (Youtube video advice). Cut into it at about 6 and it was delicious.
You might try butcher paper instead of foil. It breathes a little bit and will keep your bark from getting soft.