I’m not going to give you a huge list of all the easy meats to smoke but explain to you what is the single best meat to smoke for a beginner and why. The reason you’ve found you way here maybe you have attempted a few different things and they didn’t quite go to plan or just nailed it on your first try and your now a little cagey on replicating that instant success. Smoking meat is not as easy as it seems but is much easier than you think.
The meat choice is the first thing to get right as a beginner . Secondly try not to get ahead of your self is the best advise when beginning to smoke meats.
Smoking a huge beef brisket on your first, second or even third try is not the wisest of ideas. Brisket is not very easy to get right, has a very small window to hit that sweet spot for perfect juicy smoked meat. And, you really need a good understanding of how your BBQ reacts on extremely long cooks.
I always have to remind people that if you’ve never smoked meats before or only very few times, certain meat like a brisket will take upwards of 12 hours to smoke. You may not enjoy the process as it’s a lot of waiting around and if your BBQ isn’t up to the test can be a lot of tinkering with airflow to hold the temperatures consistently.
So onto the best meat to smoke for a beginner, I’ve mentioned before Pork is one of the most delicious and forgiving meats for beginners to try smoking. Pork should be your number one choice when gearing yourself up for a smoking session as a beginners.
Why is Pork the best meat to smoke for a beginner?
The reason Pork is the best meat to smoke as a beginner is it’s very hard to get wrong. Pork can handle mistake being made with temperatures on the BBQ and the outcome won’t really change if the temperatures fluctuate on the BBQ.
As a beginner if you understand how your BBQ works, and have a basic understanding of temperature control then i would recommend the St. Louis cut BBQ pork ribs you can nail them almost every time with the 3-2-1 method. You can also alter the flavours which choice rubs and sauces if you want please a crowd. Ribs never get boring, if you get bored of ribs you’re doing something wrong!
If this is your first attempt at smoke or BBQ in general then read on below as I would suggest a different cut of pork.
What is the Best meat to smoke for first timers?
The best meat to smoke for your very first try is Pork butt/ pork shoulder to be shredded for pulled pork. It is simple yet delicious, A smaller joint of either can also be done in the same 3-2-1 method as ribs with ease. You can test all sorts of methods of preparing pork like brining overnight to amplify the flavours or just throw it on the smoker with a basic BBQ rub , I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.
Pork as a meat can handle a lot of abuse with temperatures while you learn. As long as the pork hits the internal target temperature to shred of 195 degrees Fahrenheit it will be a success. It has a very large window that even if the pork hits 205 – 210 degrees Fahrenheit it will still be a success. Even when you hit the upper temperatures and the pork starts to dry out a little, once pulled/shredded, a good lashing of BBQ sauce to coat it can mask any problems you may have faced.
What is the cheapest meat to smoke?
Pork in all it’s varieties is the cheapest meat to smoke which is also another reason to pork being the best meat to smoke for a beginner. There is a reason they call pork belly burnt ends, poor mans burnt ends.
A pork shoulder/pork butt is very cheap to purchase especially when you compare to whole briskets, Pork is very easy to get your hands on and won’t need pre-ordering like some meats, it should be available from almost all of your local grocery stores. You can even get premium quality cuts of pork from your local butchers without breaking the bank.