On Saturday morning I went to my local Booker for their 12kg Restaurant-grade lump charcoal. At £9 I think it's great value and I'm hoping that this will become my "go to" fuel. Most people use briquettes with the Smokenator in the USA but ours are so bad for ash I think it ruined my first ribs cook (lesson learned was knock ash off - a lot!). While I was in Booker I grabbed a 7.5lb pork shoulder for £10 pretty much on impulse and decided to cook it this Sunday.
When I got home on the Saturday I made up a rub from a Stephen Raichlen recipe, unrolled the joint, and got it well covered. I wish I'd have kept the netting because it was never going to keep that tight shape but it was sitting ok on my roast pan. I stuck it in the fridge and sent out some invites for 6pm Sunday.
Sunday morning I woke up wondering if I should get cracking and decided to light my chimney starter with 12 briquettes at 7am. I felt a bit geeky out there so early but they all know me round here as a three bbq a week man. In the Smokenator I got it pretty full of the lump charcoal and some apple wood chips. Once the starter briquettes lit, I put them in, added the water tray, the maverick grill probe, and closed the lid. After just 15 mins it was going at a steady 250f so I went and got the joint.
I was expecting the lump to burn faster and hotter so was prepared for some temp fluctuations throughout the day but they never really came. It just went 230-260 all day. I was knocking off ash and adding charcoal every hour and topping up the water. I had some beer I put in the water tray for luck as well. Some of the lumpwood chunks were huge so I used a screwdriver and hammer to get them small enough to fit in the smokenator holes. I've read that keeping the lump a sensible size is good practice anyway.
After about 5 hours I started measuring the internal temp. I used my Thermapen in anger for the first time and it was about 133f. By 3pm, after 8 hours, it was 160f. I was getting through some of my beers too at this point! I was worried about it taking longer than 6pm to get to 195f so I switched to a faster method that I had seen in the Slow Fire book. I put foil on the meat, got rid of the water tray and added more lump in the extra space. Using the vents I kept it up at around 350 for another 90 mins. In the last half hour I took the foil off in an attempt to crisp the outer a bit more. By 6.30pm I caved in and took the meat off despite it only reaching about 185f. It still had to stand for half an hour! I couldn't believe how much fat was in my drip pan. Imagine forgetting to put that in!
The crackling came off great and pulling it was fun although I used my knife more than my fingers. I used a North Carolina vinegar sauce and a simple coleslaw using the same sauce. It tasted delicious and only 15% was left after my 8 guests had had their seconds.
So I had a really good learning experience with the Smokenator. It was the first time I'd done pulled pork too. Will go back to ribs next and see if I can get those right.
This cook went so smoothly I was beginning to think a Party Q might be overkill. You've still got to top up the water regularly so it won't ever be completely hands free but I love the idea as well as the novelty.
Good job 
