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Basic Recipes for Smoke Cooking
TURKEY or WHOLE CHICKEN:
Fresh or thawed turkey or chicken
Salt and pepper
Vegetable oil, margarine or butter
5 quarts hot water
(more if cook time will be over 5 hours)
1-2 wood chunks per pound of bird
Juice or herbs if desired.
Remove giblets and rinse bird with cold water.
Pat dry then coat outside with vegetable oil, margarine or butter. Sprin-
kle with salt and pepper (inside and outside).
Let stand at room temperature (no more than 30 minutes) while prepar-
ing the smoker per the “SMOKE COOKING” section of the manual.
When the smoker is ready, place 3 chunks of soaked wood on the ashed over coals or touching the electric element.
Place the body on the bowl then fill the water bowl with 5 quarts hot water and place in the body per instructions.
Juice such as apple may be added to the water bowl in place of some of the water. Herbs such as rosemary may also
be added to the water bowl for a slight variation in flavor. Cover and smoke cook per the Quick Glance Cooking Guide
or recipe. Monitor the smoke per the instructions and add chunks as needed to maintain. If the bird size requires
cooking more than 5 hours, check the water level and fill as needed (with HOT water to keep the temperature up).
Cook until a meat thermometer inserted in the center of the thickest part of the thigh away from the bone indicates 165
degrees. (Do not check the temperature until the shortest recommended cook time has been reached.
EAST TENNESSEE PULLED PORK
1 pork butt (6-8 lbs)
Choice of wood chunks or chips (hickory chunks preferred)
Dry rub
Dry Rub:
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon Garlic salt
1 Teaspoon Kosher salt
1 Teaspoon Paprika
1 Teaspoon Oregano
1 Teaspoon Cayenne
1 Teaspoon Cumin
1 Teaspoon Black pepper
This is our basic recipe for dry rub. There are many rubs on the market, with a wide range of
tastes, from dark and smokey to light and sweet to spicy hot. The dry rub will usually become
black and crispy when smoked. This is referred to as “bark”. The bark is that little extra
punch that compliments the pork. Don’t be afraid to see the outside of the pork butt black
and crispy after cooking…this is a good thing!
Mix the rub ingredients in a bowl. If you plan to inject any sauces or juices into the pork with
an injector, do so before you apply the rub. With the pork butt thawed, apply the rub evenly
over the entire pork butt. Wrap with clear-wrap (or aluminum foil) tightly. Place in refrigera-
tor overnight… 2 – 3 hours is fine, but 10 – 12 hours is best for full flavor. Remove from re-
frigerator and remove clear-wrap (or foil) 30 – 60 minutes before ready to place in smoker.
Pulled Pork:
When smoker is ready, add soaked wood chunks or chips to the ashed over coals or touching the electric element. Place
the smoker body on the bowl and then place the water bowl (filled with hot water) in the smoker per instructions. Place
pork butt in smoker and close vents to approximately 1/4” open (the temperature inside the smoker will sometimes go
down when you add water or place meat inside the smoker).
Smoke the pork butt at 225 degrees for about one hour per pound of meat, until it reaches 190 degrees.
Remove the butt and allow to rest for 1/2 an hour to cool down. Pull the pork using your hands or forks and serve. Add
your choice of barbecue sauce to the pork.
Minimum safe cooking temperature of pork is 160 degrees Fahrenheit. It is best for the pork butt to reach 190 – 200
degrees to make it easier to pull apart the meat and to render as much fat as possible. You can still pull the pork apart
at 180 – 190 degrees, but you may have to trim some fat. You can also remove the pork butt at 170 – 180 degrees, but it
is harder to pull apart.
“Stalling”:
Sometimes pork butts will reach 160 degrees quickly, but then stay at that temperature for a long time. If you find your-
self falling short on time and you want the pork to reach 190 degrees, you can wrap the butt in foil and place in a pre-
heated 350 degree oven to finish the process. When pork has reached about 165 degrees, it will usually stop absorbing
any more wood flavor smoke.
This is a basic recipe for delicious pulled pork sandwiches. In East Tennessee, it’s not only about juicy smoked pork, but
the side dishes that accompany it along with being surrounded with family and friends at the picnic table. So be sure to
add your favorite cole slaw, baked beans, and corn-on-the-cob, with a glass of iced tea, and banana pudding for des-
sert. Enjoy your time with the family, and remind them this is southern country cookin’, the way it’s done in the southern
Appalachians.
