What to put in the smoker this weekend?

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05-24-2018, 10:00
Great-Kazoo

Quote:

Originally Posted by SouthPaw

My GF and I will be house sitting her parents house this weekend and I ask her dad to leave his Trager out. Can anyone recommend a simple, fool proof recipe for a first time (literally never touched one) user? Chicken, beef, pork, not really particular.

pork ribs. 3-2-1 method 3 hrs smoke 2 wrapped in foil 1 opened up with sauce of choice. When wrapped in foil using a liquid such as apple juice helps. Depending on size of rib rack. 4 tbsp of juice seems to have the best results for my stuff.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jer

Boston Butt/Pork Shoulder. Rinse off and pat dry. Slather in the cheapest yellow mustard you can find. Don't worry, the flavor will cook off so you just need it for the rub to stick. Apply a hearty coat of Famous Dave's Dry rub to entire thing. Smoke at 225deg for about 4 hours using an applewood or blend/mix pellet. I like Cookin' Pellets brand because they have great reviews and can be found both locally (Wood Shed on Mulberry & I25) as well as online for cheap from time to time. Insert food probe and cook to an internal temp of 200deg. You can wrap tightly in foil if you want at about 165deg to help through the stall but this isn't 100% necessary. Let rest for at least an hour in foil with smoker off or on the counter. Cook times vary greatly so it's best to aim for early than late. You can rest a shoulder in the foil wrapped in a bath towel in a cooler for 3hrs+ if need be. Now tear it up and eat plain or with your favorite sauce. Should be tender, juicy and delicious. I can get into all kinds of specifics and make this even more complex but that process should yield you some of the best pulled pork you've ever had.

The wood shed is harmony & 25.

It's his first time using a smoker. doing anything other than simple items for a novice is IMO not suggested. While a pork butt/shoulder sounds simple, for the uninformed it can become a horror show. One has to get away from normal (Oven) cook times / per pound and know time-temp, stall etc.

I suggested ribs which is fairly fool proof. The only thing easier (first time ) would be sausage. 2 hrs low smoke, kick temp to 225 till sausage/brats hit 160 (TOPS) The ribs are a no brainer. The brats, pork shoulder, brisket all require a meat thermometer knowing (again) stall and rest times.

Plus ...a rib rack or few pounds of brats is way cheaper to go with IF they don't come out right. Than a 5+ pork shoulder
05-24-2018, 13:19
SouthPaw

That's what I am worried about is ruining a good piece of meat. GF likes ribs, I personally don't care for them too much but I do want to try smoking since I will be there all weekend. I do have some Georgia Boys BBQ sauce at the house that would pair nicely with them.
05-24-2018, 13:56
Gman

I've done the 3-2-1 on pork loin ribs with both apple juice and Dr. Pepper during the '2' stage. They both worked well.

Pork shoulder is a no-brainer and I've had great luck with brats even without a thermometer. Pretty cool when the 'pink' is on the outside. Not so much the other way around.

Whole chickens are also pretty easy, aka beer butt chicken.
05-24-2018, 14:47
Ah Pook

Cut broccoli length wise, par boil, oil and toss on the smoker.
Asparagus, oil and salt.
Chocolate chip cookies. Even cheap premade doughs taste good coming off the smoker.
05-24-2018, 15:27
StagLefty

King Soopers has pork ribs buy one get one lesser value free.
05-24-2018, 15:53
BladesNBarrels

Okay, my secret recipe for the easiest smokin' ribs that please everyone that tries them. Got this off the Traeger website and have done it multiple times with great success each time. I don't use any seasoning and I use Green Mountain Grill's Premium Gold Blend pellets on a Smoke Pro Pellet Grill. Only thing you have to do is check the pellet compartment and make sure the pellets are feeding right. I will be using this again over the Memorial Week-end.

Baby Back Ribs Quick

Difficulty 3/5
Prep time 15 min
Cook time 3 hrs
Serves 2 - 4
Hardwood Hickory

Bill Gaston’s winning Meat Madness submission does not disappoint. His simple pork baby back ribs have 4 ingredients: ribs, cracked pepper, kosher salt, & hickory hardwood. This recipe is more than a title—it’s a challenge, eating these BBQ ribs just tastes right.

Ingredients
2-3 racks Baby Back Ribs
as needed Cracked Black Pepper
as needed Kosher Salt

Preparation
Peel membrane from backside of the ribs. Lightly season with cracked black pepper and Kosher salt.
When ready to cook, start your Traeger on Smoke with the lid open until the fire is established (4-5 minutes). Set the temperature to 225°F and preheat, lid closed (10-15 minutes).
Cook at 225°F, meaty side up for two hours, then flip the ribs to meaty side down and cook for one more hour. Enjoy!
05-25-2018, 08:32
Jer

Quote:

Originally Posted by Great-Kazoo

pork ribs. 3-2-1 method 3 hrs smoke 2 wrapped in foil 1 opened up with sauce of choice. When wrapped in foil using a liquid such as apple juice helps. Depending on size of rib rack. 4 tbsp of juice seems to have the best results for my stuff.

The wood shed is harmony & 25.

It's his first time using a smoker. doing anything other than simple items for a novice is IMO not suggested. While a pork butt/shoulder sounds simple, for the uninformed it can become a horror show. One has to get away from normal (Oven) cook times / per pound and know time-temp, stall etc.

I suggested ribs which is fairly fool proof. The only thing easier (first time ) would be sausage. 2 hrs low smoke, kick temp to 225 till sausage/brats hit 160 (TOPS) The ribs are a no brainer. The brats, pork shoulder, brisket all require a meat thermometer knowing (again) stall and rest times.

Plus ...a rib rack or few pounds of brats is way cheaper to go with IF they don't come out right. Than a 5+ pork shoulder

Good catch on the Mulberry/Harmony correction. I had Co-op (I get my fertilizer there & it was time to make a run) on the mind as I was typing that I think. Corrected to avoid confusion.

I guess easy is relative as my first ever smoke on an MES30 was a Boston Butt. My very first one was made using the guidelines I just posted & rivaled the best pulled pork I've had at restaurants. Since then I've added a lot more details, steps, tweaks & even a finishing sauce which has produced the best pulled pork I've ever eaten. Not to brag but a lot of work has gone into that & I've got the notes to prove it as I document my smokes & critique as I go in an effort to perfect it.

That being said, ribs are certainly much faster. If you have the lead time pulled pork isn't hard at all & IMO is one of the hardest things to screw up if you follow the steps I listed & don't try to get fancy. In most cases it will require an overnight smoke though so from a time standpoint ribs win every time. They can be screwed up but following the 3-2-1 method is almost a sure fire way to get it right every time.
05-25-2018, 08:35
Jer

Quote:

Originally Posted by SouthPaw

That's what I am worried about is ruining a good piece of meat. GF likes ribs, I personally don't care for them too much but I do want to try smoking since I will be there all weekend. I do have some Georgia Boys BBQ sauce at the house that would pair nicely with them.

This is the other consideration for a first smoke. Boston Butts at King Soopers will set you back about $2/lb depending on sales & what not. You can buy enough meat to feed the whole family twice for about $20 give or take.
05-25-2018, 11:55
DenverGP

Just a heads up, Walmart, Home Depot and Lowes all have kingsford charcoal on sale. Home Depot and Lowes have 2x18 pound bags for $9.88, Walmart has 2x15 pound bags for somewhere around $8.
05-27-2018, 11:33
wyome

Juicy lucy (cheese stuffed) burgers today and pork butt tomorrow