Question from Rookie SmokinTex 1400 User

[BigMike]

Hi All,

Just received my 1400 and it is seasoning as we speak.....

I'm hoping my question can be answered easily by an experienced user to help me with my first batch of meat.

I want to smoke my first meats on Christmas Eve and plan on smoking 2 Pork and 2 Beef Roasts, about 5 or 6 lbs each, as well as a Turkey Breast which I expect to be about 6 or 7 lbs.

What are the steps I need to take to make sure it is all done at the same time and what is the total smoking time I should expect?

Using my old charcoal water smoker, I know it would have taken about 10-11 hours to cook all this.

But, I'm new at this electric smoker stuff and I really appreciate any and all suggestions to make my experience a successful one.

Thanks in advance and a Merry Christmas to All,

Mike in Florida

[SmokedDuck]

If it were me, I'd strongly consider smoking at least some , or all of it separtely, then wrapping with foil and reheating in either your smoker, or oven.

The time will depend on the cut of meat that you are using.

for the pork, you will want to cook a shoulder longer than a loin. cooking the shoulder at a lower temp for longer, will help break down the fat, collagen and other connective tissue, making it moe tender. Conversely, if you overcook a loin, it will dry out....... Likewise, for beef. Also, unless it is a chuck roast, you are probably want to serve the roast med-med/rare, so you will have a different cooking time for the beef vs the pork. that being said, i would guess the cooking time for a beef roast and a turkey breast to be about the same. for 15 pounds of meat, I'd guess about 3-4 hours at 250. I like a blend of Oak and hickory for beef, and prefer fruit woods for pork or fowl.

personally, i think you get a better product if you don't open the door during the smoking process.

make sure to use a different rub on the meats so they don't all taste the same.

[fishingred]

It's all about the temp. I don't go over 170 for turkey or it's dry. Pork to 160. Beef to whatever you want. Bigger cuts on the bottom, it cooks faster there. Good luck. I love my 1400. Search Costco's site for kitchen cart. I bolted my smoker to the metal one, it's great.
Mike

[BigMike]

SmokedDuck and FishingRed,

Thanks very much for sharing your thoughts and your advice. I'm going to break her in this weekend with a couple of butts then get ready for the Christmas Eve Extravaganza next week.

Merry Christmas to All,

Mike

[Scarbelly]

I too agree that it is all about temp - the way I cook lots of different items is to take the two pork and beef roasts into the smoker first - are you going to slice or pull?
If slicing you can pull them at 190 for the pork and about 165 or 170 for the beef and foil them and wrap them in towels then into a cooler for several hours - they will not loose too much temp and it is a great way to let them rest

Depending on the size of the turkey breast you can figure about 45 min to an hour for each pound -- be sure to put this on the lower rack so you dont get raw poultry on the other items

Good luck and happy smoking