Smoking pork shoulder in a little chief
I got a little chief smoker for christmas, I tried smoking a 5lb pork shoulder today. FAIL! I brined overnight, dry rubbed 1 hour before putting in the smoker. Never got the meat over 85'. Tried going to the oven but it had already been to long in the danger zone.
Couple other notes:
- I wrapped the smoker in 3/4 in foam insulation to keep heat up
- I got the smoker to 178' at the top end
My thought is to try again and cut the 5lb shoulder into two pieces. I know you want low and slow which I agree with, and I know I'll have to finish in the oven which I am ok with.
Any advice?
Best Answer
I looked up the Little Chief, and I am of the opinion that it will never achieve a cooking temperature sufficient to cook a pork shoulder. The description suggests it cooks at 165f, which is not far from the 178f you were seeing. That is viable for "cold smoking" foods, but not for safely cooking barbecue of any sort.
You should really be targeting over 200f to do a "low and slow" cook. Personally, I never feel comfortable cooking below 225f.
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How do you smoke meat in a Little Chief smoker?
Place in smoker at 250\xb0 F. After 3.5 hours, or when internal temperature hits 145\xb0 F, remove butt, place in pan fat side down, and add seasoning and drizzle with honey. Cover in foil and return to smoker at 275\xb0 F. Check for tenderness when pork butt approaches 190\xb0 F.How long does it take to smoke a pork shoulder in a pit boss?
The Little Chief does NOT have a rheostat - so adjusting the temp is out of the question. While it will be affected to some degree by ambient air temp, It is designed to run at 160-165 degrees and slowly -smoke- products like fish (salmon, trout, etc) sausage, jerky, etc.What temp does a Little Chief smoker smoke at?
If you're wondering what all you can smoke in a Little Chief, well here is a short list of what you can do because the possibilities are endless... salmon, trout, other fish, jerky, sausage, turkey, bacon, hams, steaks, ribs, pork butts, brisket, fruits, nuts, and cheeses.How To Smoke a Pernil (Pork Shoulder) using the Little Chief Electric Smoker
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Answer 2
I had issue even with smoking salmon in my Lil Chief... I learned that if you use the smoker just for flavoring the meat/fish... then move it to the oven to cook, you can have great results. It's really helped me have great tasting smoked foods, without having to step up to a more expensive smoker. It's just not in my budget yet.
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