Question QUESTION: Hi. I recently purchased a horizontal smoker - it has two thermometers; one closer to the firebox and the other further away. Previously I owned a vertical smoker and had fairly good success. The question I have is this. As a result of "curing" the smoker b4 actually putting meat on it I noticed the obvious. The thermometer closer to the firebox registers a higher heat. My intent is to smoke a pork butt, brisket and ribs over a period of approximately 12 hours. Could you give me some idea as to where / how to place the meat so that it is done at about the same time? In the past when I was using a vertical smoker I had smoked both the butt and brisket for approximately 12 hours - sometimes more successful than others. Not having any experience with the horizontal I'm hoping you can give me some timing advice. Thanks.
ANSWER: Hi,
You sound like you are already experienced with snoking meats so I will try not to be too redundant in my answer.
I would place the meats away from the tenderbox and monitor the temperature on the thermometer that is away from the firebox. The reason is you are smoking using indirect heat and if you place meat right near the firebox it will cook it faster than you will want it to cook.
I usually plan it out by thickness of meat. The pork butt will be thicker than the ribs and so start with the pork butt and then after a few hours start your ribs smoking. Or another alternative would be to just smoke your ribs from the begriming and when they get done remove them and just reheat them when you are ready to serve. That is usually how restaurants do it they will pre smoke their ribs and flash grill them to order.
Another thing i like to do with a horizontal smoker is line the bottom with some foil so that its easier to clean after.
I would also like to add you can turn or move the meat around halfway through the cooking process. If one side seems to be getting done faster than the other just change sides.
I hope I answered your question. Feel free to do a follow up if you would like more detail.
Regards,
Misty
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: I really appreciate the reply. Let me ask you this if I may. I wanted to smoke a brisket (say 8-10 lbs) along with a pork butt (I guess about 6 lbs). The chamber itself is 4 feet long and about 1-1/2 to 2" wide. 2 feet of the chamber is closer to the firebox where the temp is about 40/50 degrees hotter. I guess the idea would be to keep the temp closer to the firebox at about 225 where I'll have the pork butt (about 12 or 13 hours) and the brisket on the other end at about 175/185 for about 7 hours? What do you think?
Answer Hi,
Your idea is a pretty good one. I guess all I would add is that the entire hamper should maintain a heat temp of 225. I was trying to visualize where your thermometers are and was only guessing that maybe the one near the firebox itself might give the reading of the firebox instead of the chamber temp. If it isn't really close to the firebox it will give the chamber temperature. I have a similar horizontal grill that I use on a regular basis. The thermometer is in the center and I only have one.
I would start both pieces of meat at the same time and then every couple of hours check them with a meat thermometer to see how fast they are cooking. If one seems to be getting done faster than just rotate the meats around in the chamber area.
40 to 50 degree heat variances is a pretty big temp difference though I still keep wondering if its too close to the firebox and that is why a second thermometer was added to it?
When I am using mine which is about the same dimensions as yours I tend to leave about 12 inches between my meat and the firebox. I do rotate it around during the cooking process to ensure its all getting smoked properly and cooking properly.
I am really curious what you eventually decide to do and would love to hear your results. Please if you have time keep me updated.
Regards,
Misty
