First time smoker

Who Dat Tiger said:

Hello all,

Glad I stumbled on your site. I just received a masterbuilt electric smoker (hope I didn't offend any charcoal purists) and will be breaking it in shortly. I'd like to do a dry run before the BCS when I will be entertaining fellow Tigers, but don't know if I will have the opportunity to do so. I need to make sure I don't disappoint.

1.) When you are smoking more than one item and they require different temps, what do you do? Do you have to choose one item at a time?

2.) What would be a good smoked finger food to go with my planned boston butt while we repeat with a win over Bama?


Appreciate your wisdom. Looking forward to any helpful insight.

Click to expand...

Is it that they require different temperatures?

or

Is it that the finished internal temperature is different?

Most of the smoking of meat uses the same temperature, and your internal temperatures may differ for completion. Simply use a cooking chart as a guide to have your items finish close to the same time.

Other than that you may need a smoker and a grill for hot and fast cooking of hamburgers and crisp chicken skin.....

Enjoy and welcome to the forum.

MOINK balls make great finger food,

BUT FORGET THE WIN OVER BAMA.
Roll Tide!

I think you simply need to say "Roll Tide!" and the food will just simply come out good no matter what.

As a Vol fan, I'll keep my mouth shut about football. For now.

As for the grub, you generally don't want to smoke anything uncured below 200 unless you want to cold smoke, which is done at lower temps. Obviously the butts will take much longer than the wings. I generally get better results with poultry at higher temps, like 325-350. You could cook the butt at that temp, hot and fast or you can do it low and slow - with both methods 'till a probe slides in with little to no resistance.

Either way, it's better if the butt rests for at least an hour before pulling. Wings are small enough that you can cook them in the time the butt is resting if you want everything served at the same time. Keep in mind you don't want uncooked poultry dripping over anything - or uncooked anything dripping over cooked anything.

To answer your question a little more clearly, I cook at one temperature. I adjust the timing of the meat by adding the meat that takes the longes first then the meat that takes the second longest etc.

So if I am cooking a brisket and some ribs and wings, brisket takes about 10 hours, ribs 4 wings 1.5 -2. I put the brisket on at 3 am, put the ribs in with the brisket at 9 am then put the wings in with both at 11:30 and start getting ready to pull everything at 1.

If I want the wings for lunch, I put them in when I put in the ribs, along with moink balls etc.

Rarely will everything be ready at the exact same time but it is within an hour or so of each other. Hope this helps!

Jeff

You may also find you have cold spots in your smoker as I do which can help. I could pop some wings in at 325* near the heat source and the butt on the other side at 275*. I would do what was mentioned before and cook the butt, wrap in foil, wrap it in a blanket and toss it in a dry cooler. Then cook the wings while the butt is coolered. That said, I personally wouldn't take on poultry and butt for a first run. I'd do the chicken on a weber and the butt in the smoker.

I'd put butts in the smoker and wings on a grill. All the info these guys have provided is right on target. For finger foods make some ABTs, they are great for football as are these terribly easy and tasty treats:

1# spicy ground pork sausage (cooked until browned and drained)
1 package of shredded cheddar (16 oz)
2 cups bisquick (or the like)

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix cooked sausage, cheese and Bisquick together adding tiny amount of water as needed to form 1.5 inch balls. Place on a baking sheet 7 bake 10-15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and Bisquick is golden brown. Make a bunch they'll go quickly.

Have fun!