Forum Newbe

[ncpiratesmoker]

Hello folks. I am new to the forum having recently bought a smokenator 2600. I've done shoulders, ribs a couple times and wings. I love the SN so far mainly because i can load 6 hours of charcoal and not have to nurse it once I get the temp right which is not a big problem.
I have a question for the forum. Has anyone bought Jeffs recipe for rub off of [e-mail] ? If so how do you like it. Is it sugar based or paprika based or other. I've been buying rub but I want to make my own.
Does everyone keep the SN water pan in all the time ? I have kept it in so far but I see some people remove it. What the advantage of removing it ?
Does anyone have any tips for smoking a brisket ? Should I try a whole one or the cap or the bottom ? Im thinking about one for the weekend before thanksgiving.
By the way I live in Raleigh, love to fish and am a die hard East Carolina Pirate Fan.

[ncsmoker]

Hi ncpirate welcome to the forum. I to am from NC up in the mountains by Fontana Lake. Glad your first smokes have come out well. Man you have one large grill, the 2600 will feed a lot of people, I have fed 40 with my 22 1/2. One of the things I recommend for new smokers with the SN is that they keep a journal of things like weather(temp, wind, cloudy, sunny, etc.), vent settings and how you change them, how often you stir the coals, when you add coals and how many, when you add them and sweep the ash out. Any other thing that may affect the smoke.

I'm not familiar with Jeff's rub but here is a book you can buy from Paul Kirk a champion barbequer and some of his buddies he explains the ingredients that goes into rubs, mops and sauces as well as provides many recipes for them. www.amazon.com/Paul-Kirks-Championship-Barbecue-Sauces/dp/155832125X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411071046&sr=1-1&keywords=barbeque+rubs%2C+mops+and+sauces
I also have my own that I developed back in the 90's from a recipe from Cheryl and Paul Jamieson that I would be willing to share, e-mail me at arrowhea @ live.com

The water pan helps maintain the temperature and you will find out very quickly how fast the temp will rise if you run out of water. The only time I remove it is for pork shoulder when I want a bark on it like a good Carolina pulled pork. Then I shut down the vents to maintain the temp. I do this the last hour to hour and one half. I also cook chicken at 325 to get a nice crisp skin with the water pan in.

Now on to brisket. It is the hardest of the meets to do well, so I suggest you start with a 6-8lb flat instead of a whole 12-14lb packer. Since you are in Raleigh you may have a Costco they have some nice flats that will do well. Meat prices have gone up so much that even brisket has gotten expensive. Look for one that has a lot of marbling on the sides and ends. There will be a fat cap on one side, cut it back to 1/8-1/4 if it hasn't already been done. Then rub it wrap it and let it sit over night. Next day take it out and let it warm up an hour or two. Smoke it at 225 until it reaches 165-175, then wrap in foil. Close down the vents before you wrap and then put it back on your grill away from the coals. It will carry over cook. Take it off at 190 and let it rest for another couple of hours till it cools down to 140. Then cut and enjoy! One last thing I like to use oak, it's a milder wood than hickory or mesquite.

An instant read thermometer is a must when smoking a lot of meats as they are being turned and need to be checked in various places.

I hope this helps. We likes to see pictures of smokes down in S-view and info of what you did and how it came out.

Please feel free to ask questions.

Tom

[ncsmoker]

ncpirate I did not put these in my post above but here are two web sites that are good for smokers. amazingribs.com/index.html this one is very good. I don't always agree with every thing over my thirty years of smoking on my Webers have taught me but he has some great ideas. The second one has a news letter you can subscribe to on the left side, bbq.about.com/od/barbecuehelp/u/barbecue.htm have learned a lot from him also, but don't do everything that he suggests either.. He has various sections for rubs and sauces and mops also. Here is a brisket recipe from him bbq.about.com/od/brisket/ss/aa092708a.htm?nl=1 I don't do the injection stage but may in the future as I have the injector.

Happy smoking.

Tom

[ncpiratesmoker]

Thanks Tom. I've got a 6# flat brisket that I am going to smoke on Saturday. I'll take pics and let you know how it turns out.