NEW TO SMOKING MEAT? START HERE
Let’s get you
smoking meat.
If you’re looking at your smoker and wondering where to begin, you’re in the right place. I’ll help you get familiar with your cooker, understand the few things that matter most and work your way through a first cook that gives you a reason to fire it up again.
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STEP 01
Get comfortable with your smoker.
The basic idea is the same from one cooker to the next, but lighting a charcoal smoker is a different job from turning on a pellet grill. Find the guide for the smoker you own and use it to work through the setup before you have a piece of meat waiting on you.
If you’re still choosing a cooker, my Smoker Guide explains the different types and what to expect from each one. If yours is brand new, take care of seasoning the smoker before the first cook.
STEP 02
Learn the basics you’ll use on every cook.
You don’t have to read every guide on this website before you cook something. Start with how to manage the heat, how to get good smoke and how to tell what is happening inside the smoker and the meat, then use the longer guides whenever you need more help.
Manage the Heat
Let the smoker settle near the temperature your recipe calls for and give adjustments time to work, since chasing every small change can have you adjusting the cooker all afternoon.
Keep the Smoke Clean
More smoke doesn’t automatically mean better flavor. Use wood suited to your smoker, keep the fire supplied with air and concentrate on clean smoke instead of making the biggest cloud you can.
Use a Thermometer
The thermometer in the lid can give you a different reading from the temperature beside the food. Know what you’re measuring, and use a meat thermometer to follow the cook instead of guessing.
STEP 03
Make your first cook a pork butt.
If I were helping you choose your first long cook, I’d steer you toward pork butt for pulled pork. It has enough fat and connective tissue to be forgiving, and you’ll get to practice seasoning, managing the smoker and checking for tenderness without needing to get every little thing perfect.
Smoked Pulled Pork
My recipe walks you through getting the meat ready, setting up the smoker, cooking the pork and pulling it for serving. Read it once before you begin, get your ingredients and equipment together, then follow the same recipe all the way through your first cook.
Want more explanation along the way? My complete pork butt guide covers the process from choosing the meat to pulling and serving it.
GIVE YOURSELF PLENTY OF TIME
Forgiving doesn’t mean fast.
The recipe uses a 6 to 8 lb roast cooked at 225°F, and you should allow roughly 14 to 16 hours for the cook, sometimes longer, plus time for a rest. Choose a day when you have room in the schedule instead of counting on the pork to finish at an exact hour.
Have your smoker, fuel, smoking wood, thermometer, pork butt and seasoning ready before you begin. For a first cook, keeping the plan simple makes it easier to see what’s working.
STEP 04
Let the meat tell you when it’s ready.
Use the clock to plan your day, then use the right doneness checks for what you’re cooking. A pork butt needs time to become tender enough to pull, while chicken and turkey call for different temperature checks, so one finish temperature won’t cover everything you put in the smoker.
For This Pork Butt
As the pork gets close to being done, begin checking it with your thermometer probe. When the probe slides into the meat with very little resistance, you’re looking for tenderness rather than trying to hit one exact number.
For Your Next Cook
Learn which cuts need a tenderness check and which need a temperature check, then give the finished meat the rest called for in your recipe before you pull or slice it.
STEP 05
Keep learning, one cook at a time.
Once you’ve worked through a cook, the next questions tend to be a lot more specific. You might want better bark, a steadier fire or something different for dinner, and that’s where the rest of the website comes in.
KEEP A LITTLE HELP HANDY
Get my free Smoking Wood Quick Start Guide.
If you’d like a handy reference while you’re choosing wood for a cook, grab my free guide and keep it where you can find it when you need it.
