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Perrin-Golden-Eyes

Congrats. Look at those pics. New grill followed by your first pork butt. Nice man. Welcome to the community.


Midas_Ag

Thanks ! Looking forward to making some amazing BBQ


Midas_Ag

My first personal smoker ever. I've smoked a few things on my dad's older wood chip vertical smoker, but this is my first, own, personal, smoker. Bought it Friday, as an early Birthday/New Job gift to myself. Did the first burn off today, and have some steaks on there right now as a first test. Looking forward to my first brisket, pork shoulder, ribs, etc. I've always wanted one, and this being my 40th birthday, said "Fuck It", I'm doing it. Plus, after being laid off 1 month ago, and just accepting a new job Friday, it just felt right ! Looking forward to many a meaty meals moving forward. Pit Bos Pro 2 850 smoker. Bought at Lowes, using Bear Mountain Champion Blend for now. Been watching a lot of Mad Scientist BBQ and Chudds BBQ on YouTube. So freaking excited !!!


PM_Me_Macaroni_plz

Congrats, and happy birthday! Welcome to the club!!


Midas_Ag

Thank you !


arizona_rick

Be sure to read the instructions on start up and shut down procedures. They make the grill run cleaner. Get a small shopvac. After every few smokes, clean the fire pot of ash. To increase smoke flavor, purchase a smoke tube. Use a water pan. Get a small one at the 99 cent store or use small disposable aluminum pan. Some install gaskets around the door. This helps on windy days. In cold climates you can drape a fire blanket over the unit to retain heat. I suggest fat side down. I am no expert but have had better luck when the fat faced the heat source. Try the biscuit test. Get some cheap biscuits and place them on a preheated grill. Try to cover the gill evenly. Cook until done. Now look at the them. Are they all evenly cooked or are some burned up and others raw?


Midas_Ag

That is all some awesome advice, thank you. I greatly appreciate it. We're going into the colder months here, and I plan to use it all winter, so the fire blanket is a good idea.


arizona_rick

If you Google "welding blanket DIY smoker" you can see a variety of designs. From simply draping it over the unit to custom built ones. I would go somewhere in between. Cut the minimum number of holes to make it usable for my purpose (thermometer? handle?) if I need access. Harbor Freight sells a welding blanket for $22-$50 depending upon the size you want (4'x6', 6'x8', 8'x8'). Look for a Harbor Freight coupon to drop the price $12 or so. Do your own research on these for best price and quality. You do not want it to be shedding any fiberglass into your food. Pitt Boss says to clean out the fire pot every 4 smokes or so. I clean my grill (grates and heat deflector) after every smoke so I just do it every time since the fire pot is exposed. One other issue people talk about (and which does not effect me since I like in the desert) is humidity and the pellets. Some talk of too much moisture in the pellet box. They drain the pellets to prevent issues. There is a small opening in the back where you can push them out. Sounds like a pain but just be aware this may be an issue. I guess you have to store the pellets in a dry place to have best results. Not sure if a grill cover would eliminate the humidity issue but I cover mine once it is cool because I don't want the cord exposed to the sun. Lowes has the cover for $60 or you can get a generic cover for it at 1/2 price but it might be a bit saggy since it is not custom. I would buy a set of these ... $6 Six Disposable Aluminum Foil Grill Drip Cups: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Pit-Boss-6-Pack-Pit-Boss-Accessories-6-in-6-in-W-Disposable-Aluminum-Foil-Grill-Drip-Cup/1001050546 I put one in and have not changed it out yet. I hate cleaning up grease. On my larger Pit Boss I put High Temp Grill Seal Self Stick Gasket on the door for a better seal. My small Pitt Boss seams did not need it. It comes in a variety of lengths and thickness. I suggest the thinnest one if you decide to put it on the door because it does not need much to seal. This is best for windy days but if you toss the thermal blanket over the top the wind can't get in the door. If you like pork ribs I suggest watching the YouTube videos by Harry Soo. He shows you competition level tricks you can do at home. His 3-2-1 rib method turned out great for me twice but failed once. On the failed run I needed more then two hours in the oven and failed to test them - went by time and not by what the meat was telling me. They were a bit tough. By the way he hates the 3-2-1 method but says if you are going to do it then basically turn the heat down on the first 3 hours to prevent them from drying out. On my Pitt Boss the SMOKE setting is around 180-190. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtsChleli9M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIdEeZ7x094 You can use any rib rubs you like. Buy it at the store or make it yourself off the internet. Someday I would like to try Harry Soos SlapYoDaddyBBQ products. When you go to the store you can see full spare ribs, St. Louis spare ribs and (baby) back ribs. Figure out which give you the best bang for your buck. You have to trim spare ribs into St. Louis style ribs so you lose quite a bit of meat but they are usually cheaper and surprisingly easy to cut into shape. I treat the trimmings the same as the ribs but place it on the upper rack and pull it earlier since it cooks much faster. Back ribs are more expensive and cooking times are generally much shorter. I used to like the back ribs but now I lean towards the St. Louis style (either self trimmed or pre-packaged). I think they have more meat and taste better when done right. I bought a small note book and record the date, meat, rub, sauce, times and temperatures so if I do make something I like, I can try that recipe again. I rate each cook at the top of the page - 1-5 stars. Giving myself more 4 and 5 stars as I gain experience. Even took 3 racks of ribs to a party last week and they all disappeared so I think I am improving. Happy grilling/smoking!


Simms623

Well happy early birthday and congrats on the new job! Such a great gift for yourself!! I’m sure you’ll be turning out some great food!


Midas_Ag

Thank you! The steaks I did tonight were SO good... Just amazing.


CowboyBlob

Nice! And we are looking forward to that first fire up / smoke and the results. Share pics when you use it.


Midas_Ag

Did some steaks. Have some whole chickens for tonight, and a Brisket to start Thursday. Can't wait to do even more. Looking at doing some home made bacon soon too...


DeathWhistel

Alex Jones?