Just bought a Masterbuilt MES 130 S electric smoker. I’m a rookie. I’m seasoning it right now. Looking forward to giving it a go. Ive watched a few YouTube videos. 3-2-1 recipe for ribs, smoked jalapeño bacon Mac and cheese, brisket,etc. Any tips for a green horn? Easy meats to start with? Do’s and don’t’s. Thanks. I feel more manly by just owning one.
Chicken and pork are my favorite to to smoke. Keep it simple and don’t over think it! Chicken I just throw on with a light seasoning, the pork I use a marinade with it.
I had the privilege to meet and hang out with Moe Cason before I knew who he was. Super nice guy and very informative. From Moe I learned consistency and seasoning for different meats. I was randomly experimenting when I first started. Probably the biggest thing I learned was different sodas to use with rendering. Amazing what is in diet sodas that help break down meats
I believe I have the same one. If you do chicken, finish it in the oven. It doesn’t get hot enough to crisp the skin.
DT
Rely on internal temp and feel to tell you the meat is done not time. Every piece of meat is different.
Don’t soak your chips
Start with a pork shoulder. Very forgiving
Understand meat has a stall point where thr internal temp won’t rise for a while. Its usually around 152-160 area. I’m talking hours in some cases. This is normal. Internet search for methods of dealing with this.
Be prepared for the meat to take longer than you think. Not saying it will but you never know.
Get a good thermometer. I have a smoke 2 and a thermapen. I recommend both
I started with a masterbuilt electric. Switched to using webers with charcoal and wood. Love cooking on a charcoal weber
Some very good YouTube channels out there and a few forums and Facebook groups
Most of all have fun. It can become an obsession
Thanks. My buddies say they are great. Having a Busch Light or three and making dinner sounds like fun.
If your meat is done too early, wrap it in foil and throw it in a cooler. It will stay hot for hours and continue to break down and get more tender. Better yet just plan on throwing it in a cooler.
Start with a pork butt…cook to temp not time…get to know your smoker before you spend the money on a brisket or some other expensive meat. Experiment and enjoy.
Meatloaf and salmon are the easiest and will be the best you have ever had. The best tip is You can’t rush your cooks. Plan on starting it a couple hours earlier than you think you need to if you need it ready at a certain time. To me the hardest part is finding that rub that makes you as the cook go dam now that is gooood. There is a lot of good content on YouTube.
Things mentioned above are all good points. I, too, was/am a rookie as well. I started smoking foods this spring. As mentioned, chicken & pork are pretty easy to start with. (I’d pick a pork butt for simplicity)
As mentioned above, get yourself a good meat thermometer. Don’t cheat yourself in this department. All types of meat, even if doing two pork butts, cook differently. The biggest piece of advice I have is to cook to temp, not time.
This year I’ve done a few Pork Butts, Racks of Ribs, couple Whole Chickens, Armadillo Eggs (Bomb btw), Meatloaf, and, Bacon Mac & Cheese. I wanted to do a prime rib in the smoker but I wimped out & did it in the oven on Sunday. Reason being my smoker isn’t fancy, but does work. I mean, heck, it was free! The next is going to be Brisket in a couple weeks!
FYI, if you love meat like I do, smoking meat can get addicting. You-Tube has all the answers you need as well. Good Luck & Enjoy!!
Thanks. My buddies say they are great. Having a Busch Light or three and making dinner sounds like fun.
Smoking something is an all day event. I usually tell the wife I’ll be cleaning the garage today since I’ll be outside anyway.
Easy all day drinking extravaganza.
Using a weber kettle for “quick” meals, is a 3 beer event in itself.
Plan on starting it a couple hours earlier than you think you need to if you need it ready at a certain time.
Definitely plan on more time than less! Calculations per pound are nice but it often takes more time to get that perfect temp!
Like several have said temperate is the key to a good tasting meat and a rub to your liking. Good luck with your cooking.
There’s a guy who used to frequent several local outdoor message boards although I’m not sure he was ever on IDO. But myself and others on here know him as Reinhard and he has a pretty basic website that’s a great resource for smoking all kinds of meats and making your own sausage as well. Great recipe, advice and other cool stuff as well. I still use it ALL the time.
http://www.sausageheavenoutdoors.com
Not sure if he’s still around but I hope so. The website is still active but hasn’t been updated in quite some time and I haven’t seen him on an outdoor forum in years. But check out the site above, I think you’ll find it very useful. I considered him a mentor of sorts when I got into smoking several years ago.
He used to be on LSF, and yeah a wealth of smoking knowledge as I recall.
Takes me 3 Busch lites to plug the smoker in. Im kind of a next day leftovers guy cause by the time food is done my tummy is usually full of pistachios beef jerky and the rest of the Busch lites.
Pork butt would be a great thing to try out first. You really cannot screw them up as long as you cook to the right temp. Aaron Franklin has a great rub recipe and cooking instructions that I have followed and its works flawlessly. I like to brine the pork butt in apple cider over night. Then rub down with spicy mustard, cayenne pepper, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, etc whatever else you like. The mustard gives it an amazing bark.
Just threw a chicken breast on with olive oil and a dry rub. Hard to keep the temp up in colder weather I’m finding out. Half a Windsor dCoke down.
yea reihard was on all the different sites at one time or another. we was a former butcher and was really knowledgeable when it came to anything meat!!!!!!
he usually ended up taking his ball and going home when you didnt agree with his viewpoints however.
Just threw a chicken breast on with olive oil and a dry rub. Hard to keep the temp up in colder weather I’m finding out. Half a Windsor dCoke down.
Thats a big problem with electric smokers in cold climates. Especially the lower end models
Man I forgot all about the rienhart guy. I read his page front and back back in the day
Didn’t realize how cheap ribs are. Did the 3-2-1 method. Tasted pretty good. Put a little apple juice in the pan today. I’m optimistic. Going to make my daughter some smoked Mac and cheese. Baked potatoes sound good,too.
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