We bought a new cooking toy – the Weber smoker (Star Wars fans: We’re calling it the “R2 unit”). Actually, it belonged to our brother-in-law. The “R2 unit” was going to make the trip out West, but somehow we managed to sway him into selling it to us. Just joking. It totally saved him the trouble of moving it out and this way, he can still cook for us when he comes to visit!

And, I love barbecue: grill or smoke. Give me a pulled pork sandwich and some slaw…Yum! Filipino BBQ skewers. Delicious. I love when my husband grills. I’m happy to prepare marinades, supply sides, just don’t ask me to cook outside. I don’t possess those skills. (Is it a gender thing?)

So we set out on our inaugural smoking: an eight-hour pork shoulder for lunch. The coals were lit at 11:45 pm. Right. At night. omg. I wish I had bought the remote meat thermometer (now I know what that’s really useful for), and granted, it was my husband who got up every few hours to check the temperature, but still. That’ll be our next purchase. Anyone our there have recommendations?

The cook was quite pleased with the way things turned out. Nice smoke ring, tasty flavor, fall-off-the-bone tender… couldn’t have asked for more. I was worried our initial spice rub might have been too weak, but it was fine. We’ll try adding a bit more next time to give it a nice crust.

Our spice rub was the rub I use for our oven-baked baby back ribs: salt, pepper, brown sugar, garlic powder, chili powder, ground thyme, ground allspice. Add a little cayenne or chipotle pepper for some kick! (Check Alton Brown’s Rub No. 9 recipe for ratios. Ours differs a little.)

Since we’re new to the smoking scene, I’d totally appreciate any tips. Thanks! Have a great weekend!