BBQ / smoker: making slow cooked pulled pork, tips for beginners?

[maartendc]

Hello all,

 

I just bought a new grill / smoker last week, the Weber Smokey Mountain, and looking to do some grilling/smoking this week with the nice weather here in Western Europe.

 

I wondered if anyone on here has experience grilling/ smoking / slow cooking meat?

 

- I was looking to get a pork shoulder cut, and try and make some American-style pulled pork.

- I will be cooking / smoking it for a whole day, 6 hours or so.

- Was thinking of using Oak wood chips, since that is what I have lying around.

 

Any tips or advice for an absolute beginner would be welcome. Like, how do I put the wood chips on? Just sprinkle on top of the charcoal? Which charcoal to use? I am thinking coconut briquettes. Optimal smoking temperature?  How to tell when the meat is done, etc?

 

Thanks!

[james_castrello]

I personally don't have any experience with smoking/cooking meats but there's this channel i've been following. This guy really knows a lot, and can offer lots of advice there. 

Hope it helps!

 

[Beerzerker]

Be sure to research things about what you are wanting to prepare and what wood to use, oak is said to be good for about any meat you want to use it with so you're starting off well with it.

Also look into the various methods of setting up the wood/coals in the grill too.
Smoking may seem to be a simple subject but it's not, there is alot to it to do it right.

[airborne spoon]

slow and low is the most important thing for smoking anything. I pretty much only do brisket but the general concepts apply to everything. pick a wood that will give you the flavor you want then add some mesquite for that smoke. i personally usually do like 60% mesquite for the first few hours because i love that heavy smoke. then i replenish with less and less and add more cherry or apple wood which started as my secondary woods

there is a ton of info on youtube you can learn a lot but make sure to watch vids from different people so you can learn how each person has different techniques on doing the same thing thus allowing you to form ideas on how to best attack your smoking

[maartendc]

8 hours ago, airborne spoon said:

slow and low is the most important thing for smoking anything. I pretty much only do brisket but the general concepts apply to everything. pick a wood that will give you the flavor you want then add some mesquite for that smoke. i personally usually do like 60% mesquite for the first few hours because i love that heavy smoke. then i replenish with less and less and add more cherry or apple wood which started as my secondary woods

there is a ton of info on youtube you can learn a lot but make sure to watch vids from different people so you can learn how each person has different techniques on doing the same thing thus allowing you to form ideas on how to best attack your smoking

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

You are right, there is a lot of Youtube BBQ channels out there, just not sure where to start. I will keep it simple for now and go as I learn.

 

Do you add liquid to a water pan? The Smoker I got comes with a water pan, I heard people fill it up with water, beer, etc. I was thinking of doing beer or even a Cider.

 

I only have oak chips for now, but I will look for cherry or apple. I do have an apple tree at home, and got some apple wood branches lying around. But these are small pieces with bark, and have been sitting out in the rain. So not sure if I want to add that to the smoker. I am not sure if wet pieces of wood with bark are OK to use...

[Beerzerker]

Since there are different kinds of apples, that means there are different kinds of apple trees so you'd need to check and see WHAT kind of apple wood is used, what you have may not be ideal for smoking depending on what kind of apple tree you have.
May be OK but know once you get what you are trying to prepare smoked that's it so be sure about it beforehand.

Here's a little something to help you: How to Use Wood Chips for Smoking

And: Wet Wood Chips vs Dry: Stop Soaking Your Wood Chips - TheOnlineGrill.com

Note that these two articles seem to contradict each other and that's a thing with smoking. 
It's also why I advise you to check things before committing your dinner to one or the other so it isn't wasted by accidental bad preparation and taste.