What to put in the smoker this weekend?

[Gman]

We regularly make carnitas tacos from our pulled pork inventory. A quick hit in the skillet with some butter and yum.

Smoked pork shoulder is great value and incredibly versatile.

Best pair of shoulders cooked to date in my new Camp Chef Woodwind 36 WiFi:

[Irving]

I'm planning on doing all the cooking here, then crisping up on a skillet in camp. Hope it works out!

[Hummer]

It's hard to beat smoked pork. Shredded pork chimichangas were our specialty at the Stage Stop in Patagonia.

[Hummer]

This turned out to be a slower cook than usual, four hours this time. It was cool in the 40's and raining lightly which slowed the rise to 200+ cooking temp. I didn't bother with the insulating welding blanket but it would have quickened the process by an hour or more. But man, the wait was worthwhile. The fryers were brined in the fridge for 7 hours. Great smoke flavor and so very juicy!

The twin pack of fryers from Sam's cost $11.26 and my wife and I will get six or eight meals out of it. We eat better at home.

[Irving]

Do you pat them dry after brining? I find that patting meats dry before cooking is an imprudent part of having them be juicy, but I'm not sure what to do with something that's been soaking in a marinade.

[Mykidsdad]

Nice color on those birds and no char. Perfect

This turned out to be a slower cook than usual, four hours this time. It was cool in the 40's and raining lightly which slowed the rise to 200+ cooking temp. I didn't bother with the insulating welding blanket but it would have quickened the process by an hour or more. But man, the wait was worthwhile. The fryers were brined in the fridge for 7 hours. Great smoke flavor and so very juicy!

The twin pack of fryers from Sam's cost $11.26 and my wife and I will get six or eight meals out of it. We eat better at home.

[Hummer]

Do you pat them dry after brining? I find that patting meats dry before cooking is an imprudent part of having them be juicy, but I'm not sure what to do with something that's been soaking in a marinade.

No, I just pulled them from the brine bucket, drained the cavity and put them on the grill. Didn't review any recipes either. One thing I should be doing and haven't is to keep a journal of our smokes for future reference. The type of meat, prep, ambient conditions, time cooked, etc., would be helpful.

Nice color on those birds and no char. Perfect

Thanks. I'm fairly new at smoking but everything we've done with the Weber has turned out well. The thermometer is pretty important.

[Jer]

No, I just pulled them from the brine bucket, drained the cavity and put them on the grill. Didn't review any recipes either. One thing I should be doing and haven't is to keep a journal of our smokes for future reference. The type of meat, prep, ambient conditions, time cooked, etc., would be helpful.

Thanks. I'm fairly new at smoking but everything we've done with the Weber has turned out well. The thermometer is pretty important.

Keeping a journal, especially early on, is critical IMHO. Most cooks I do are on auto pilot I've done them so many times but if there's every a lag in the last time I did a certain cook I can refer back to my latest journal entry on that cook to see what the best practices I arrived at to refresh my memory. This was instrumental early on and each time I've switched smokers I will go back to it even on cooks I've done numerous times as it basically starts a new process of feeling out best practices since the variables have changed once again.

[Gman]

I'm planning on doing all the cooking here, then crisping up on a skillet in camp. Hope it works out!

It should! We put in the effort and then portion it out in quart sized freezer bags. It saves a ton of work later and tastes so incredibly good.

[Irving]

I kind of burnt mine, I really need a thermometer I can leave inside. The inside is fine, but my outside is charred.