Cooking with a countertop indoor smoker

[rotuts]

Interesting

 

in the US Amazon , the Ge is selling for $ 678

 

the generic for $ 619 .

 

the certainly look the same .  doesnt seem like a big enough difference to justify the generic

 

but probably made by the same plant in China .

 

Odd.

[ElsieD]

@rotuts  I tried finding some info on the company.  Couldn't find a thing.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

3 hours ago, ElsieD said:

@rotuts  I tried finding some info on the company.  Couldn't find a thing.

 

I suspect "Generic" is exactly the same GE Profile from a different seller.  It even says "Profile" on the corner, same as my unit.  If another company used the name Profile, GE would most likely see them in court.

 

[ElsieD]

2 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

I suspect "Generic" is exactly the same GE Profile from a different seller.  It even says "Profile" on the corner, same as my unit.  If another company used the name Profile, GE would most likely see them in court.

 

I understand that.  What I was referring to was where it says "Sold and shipped by Sierra LLC".  Looking at the dimensions, the generic one is slightly different but that should surprise no one.  That way, it isn't an exact duplicate.  As @rotuts pointed out, they certainly look the same.  I'm still lusting for one, but I'm sure not buying anything from a company I can't find any info one, especially given the $$$ involved.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I've found pork shoulder to be luscious bits of meat interspersed with intractable connective tissue.  Last night I cut some of the shoulder for a sandwich.  Some bites were wonderful.  Some bites I couldn't bite.  Enjoying tender meat will take a modicum of knife work.  What other cuts might work better?  Pork belly?

 

@rotuts how do you clean your disposable drip pan liners?  It sounds like a messy job unless you put them through the dishwasher.

 

[ElsieD]

@JoNorvelleWalker  I know you didn't ask me but here is what Food Network has to say:

When to Use Pork Butt

 

Because pork butt has intense fat marbling and a concentration of connective tissue, it can endure hours of cooking. Pork butt is an ideal choice for barbecue pulled pork, but it also lends itself to braising and stewing, which tenderizes the meat and melts the fat. Use pork butt in any recipe where you’re looking for fall-apart-tender meat and a rich, porky flavor, such as pulled pork, carnitas or stew. Pork butt can also be roasted or made into ground pork or sausages.

 

When to Use Pork Shoulder

 

When you want the meat to hold its shape when sliced or chopped, opt for pork shoulder. Pork shoulder can be roasted whole and sliced, like ham, or braised and sliced or chopped before serving. It can also be cut into chunks for stew or chili recipes. Since pork shoulder is sold with the skin on, pork shoulder is also your best bet if you’re looking to obtain a crisp skin (although you can trim the skin if desired). Pork shoulder can also be used to make ground pork.

 

I much prefer the butt.  

[rotuts]

@JoNorvelleWalker

 

its not so bad.

 

1 ) I line them ( Im still on drip pan # 1 ) w parchment paper , the brown version .  I take my time doing this, 

 

as  the paper needs to extend above the lip.

 

2 ) I pour out the liquid in the pan , melted fat and jus which still reasonably hot .  I save this.  I dispost of the parchent paper.

 

3 ) I let the aluminum pan cool over night , and remove any congealed fat w a spatula , as i try to keep fat out of my drains.

 

4 ) then using the hottest water i have , use a nylon brush to wash out any residual , then the cooper ' scrub-by to clean a bit more

 

result :

 

 

its clean .  just has some ' restaurant char '   the king you see on well used restaurant pans.

 

N.B. :  nothing semi disposable about it.  good for 10 - 20 more experiments.  w the parchment of course.

 

P.S.:  Im also using the GE-IDS at initial temps of 200 F these days.  a lot less char.  the char you see

 

probably came from initial experiments starting @ 225 F.

Edited July 1 by rotuts (log)

[rotuts]

in my area , pork shoulder is the same as the  butt.  

 

pork shoulder , as mentioned above is called picnic shoulder 

 

this is a ref w good pictures :

 

https://www.americastestkitchen.com/articles/1214-the-difference-between-pork-butt-and-pork-shoulder

 

butt is much tastier .   to solve the tenderness issue Ive SV'd  butt first , then GE'd

 

the meat Ive shown is also called ' country style ribs '  sold w bones or not

 

the versions I look for @ MarketBasket  are boneless , and I think higher up from the ribs

 

into the shoulder that sold whole is Butt.

 

as an example of ' Pre-GE-IDS "  :

 

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/154537-what-are-you-cooking-sous-vide-today-part-3/page/87/#comment-2452528

 

 

the  Pork :

 

 

this is how MarketBasket markets the pork I look for  " Pork Butt Bonelss Souther Style Ribs "

 

I have no idea why this is ' souther style "  and im fairly sure this is ' boneless ' as its cut from the Butt

 

well above any ribs  looks like this on The Plate ;

 

 

 

its ' dark meat ' pork .  I look for the dark cuts , not the lighter cuts , which come father down the pig

 

and those lighter pieces of meat are Loin .  avoid loin .  tough .  flavor less.

 

ready for the desalted bacon I use , to keep the surface of the meat moist :

 

 

these pork terms will vary by area and store to store in the same area .

 

in my area , MarketBasket  is the only one to sell Butt , butchered like this . 

 

and its not in the pork section of the meat counter all the  time.  some times the ' label '

 

has 50 % white meat loin.  I wait for 100 % dark , on the next visit.

 

 

Edited July 1 by rotuts (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

6 hours ago, ElsieD said:

@JoNorvelleWalker  I know you didn't ask me but here is what Food Network has to say:

When to Use Pork Butt

 

Because pork butt has intense fat marbling and a concentration of connective tissue, it can endure hours of cooking. Pork butt is an ideal choice for barbecue pulled pork, but it also lends itself to braising and stewing, which tenderizes the meat and melts the fat. Use pork butt in any recipe where you’re looking for fall-apart-tender meat and a rich, porky flavor, such as pulled pork, carnitas or stew. Pork butt can also be roasted or made into ground pork or sausages.

 

When to Use Pork Shoulder

 

When you want the meat to hold its shape when sliced or chopped, opt for pork shoulder. Pork shoulder can be roasted whole and sliced, like ham, or braised and sliced or chopped before serving. It can also be cut into chunks for stew or chili recipes. Since pork shoulder is sold with the skin on, pork shoulder is also your best bet if you’re looking to obtain a crisp skin (although you can trim the skin if desired). Pork shoulder can also be used to make ground pork.

 

I much prefer the butt.  

 

Like @rotuts I use the terms interchangeably.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

12 hours ago, rotuts said:

@JoNorvelleWalker

 

looks very tasty.  nice crust .

 

what were your times and temp settings ?

 

 

Wood Kona Sweetwood Blend

Temperature 102C

Probe Target 65C

Keep Warm 60C

Smoke Level 5

 

Smoking time was about 3 hours.  I pulled the meat when the probe reached 63C.  I finished the shoulder in the Anova for an hour at 62C and 80% relative humidity.

 

[rotuts]

I wasn't initially clear :

 

in my area the pork shoulder has two components :

 

Butt  and picnic shoulder .

 

the Butt has the scapula as its bone-in , and the picnic shoulder has the upper part of the front leg bone.

 

Butt is tastier meat, over all .  

 

https://www.themountainkitchen.com/pork-shoulder-vs-pork-butt/

[Dr. Teeth]

Umm I did competition barbecue a looooonng time ago.

 

But back then the pork shoulder was compromised of a pork butt and a pork picnic, with the butt being the shoulder joint area and the picnic the forearm.

 

But it’s been a long time.

[rotuts]

@Dr. Teeth

 

still the same , my area.

[Dr. Teeth]

19 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I've found pork shoulder to be luscious bits of meat interspersed with intractable connective tissue.  Last night I cut some of the shoulder for a sandwich.  Some bites were wonderful.  Some bites I couldn't bite.  Enjoying tender meat will take a modicum of knife work.  What other cuts might work better?  Pork belly?

 

@rotuts how do you clean your disposable drip pan liners?  It sounds like a messy job unless you put them through the dishwasher.

 

With all due respect to beef briskets, duck breasts, chicken thighs, ribs of various sorts, pork bellies and the filets of every fish in the ocean, pork shoulder is the single most perfect cut of meat on the planet.

 

If you were served a shoulder that you could not get your teeth through, it’s not the fault of the pig or the butcher.

[rotuts]

@Dr. Teeth

 

Correct , esp SV shoulder , then Maillard .

 

( Dover-ish ) Sole and very fresh wild salmon , from close to the salmon's head

 

are possible exceptions to this rule.

[Dr. Teeth]

6 minutes ago, rotuts said:

@Dr. Teeth

 

Correct , esp SV shoulder , then Maillard .

 

( Dover-ish ) Sole and very fresh wild salmon , from close to the salmon's head

 

are possible exceptions to this rule.

I will grant you, there are applications from a number of cuts that is superior to any one use of a pork shoulder.

 

It is the collective contribution of the shoulder to carnitas, to sausage manufacture, to sunday sauce and pulled pork that puts it in a class by itself 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

3 hours ago, Dr. Teeth said:

With all due respect to beef briskets, duck breasts, chicken thighs, ribs of various sorts, pork bellies and the filets of every fish in the ocean, pork shoulder is the single most perfect cut of meat on the planet.

 

If you were served a shoulder that you could not get your teeth through, it’s not the fault of the pig or the butcher.

 

...If teeth I had.

 

[donk79]

On 7/1/2025 at 9:04 PM, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Wood Kona Sweetwood Blend

Temperature 102C

Probe Target 65C

Keep Warm 60C

Smoke Level 5

 

Smoking time was about 3 hours.  I pulled the meat when the probe reached 63C.  I finished the shoulder in the Anova for an hour at 62C and 80% relative humidity.

 

@JoNorvelleWalker

In my experience,  a pork shoulder wants several more hours of cooking.  I smoke low and slow, but anything under 6 hours, I would consider pushing luck.

[donk79]

To clarify further, for bbq (typical smoking treatment for pork butter, you want a final temp  around 90c.  You are not getting close to hot enough to break down that connective tissue. 

[rotuts]

now the topic is called this :

 

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/167917-cooking-with-a-countertop-indoor-smoker-whatd-you-make/page/2/#comment-2453568

 

 

[rotuts]

@donk79

 

I partially disagree that you need 90 C to break down connective tissue.

 

you can do this at much lower temps via SV , and thus keeping the muscle tissue from contracting

 

so much that the  the meat itself ends up being dry by its self 

 

and you can do it w low and slow cooking at lower temps , but it takes much longer to get the CT broken down.

 

but I under stand your point.

 

ive gotten extremely tender pork shoulder

 

by SV 130 F x 48 hr

 

then GE-IDS  for 4 hours , 1 hour 200F ( from refrigerated temp of 36 F )

 

then 3 hours  180 F to a final internal temp of 140 F.

 

see above , and

 

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/166120-ge-profile-smart-indoor-smoker/page/6/#comment-2453570

 

Edited July 4 by rotuts (log)

[donk79]

Rotuts, on reflection, I have seen similar on beef tongue cooked for 48 hours.  You are correct.  But a 4 hour cook at those temps will definitely not get you there.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Last night I reheated the leftover pork shoulder for a few hours in the Anova at 80% relative humidity.  The connective tissue was still there.  Finally I dissected the tough stuff out and then I could chew what was left.  Unfortunately the meat was somewhat dry after being reheated twice.

 

What time and smoking temperature for pork shoulder is required to fully soften the connective tissue?

 

Tonight I plan to put a couple drumsticks in the smoker.  This afternoon I got a piece of pork belly to play with.  Suggestions for smoking pork belly?  There should be no issue with connective tissue in that cut.

 

[donk79]

I would look to @rotuts for solid information.  He is much more methodical than I am (I lack a notebook and intention to start one!) and knows your smoker better than I do.

 

That said, if I am smoking a pork butt, I usually cut on in half to smoke 5-6 lbs.  I smoke at 225-250f, and smoke until 195-200f.  I give it 8 hours,  but it sometimes takes less ans sometimes more.

Edited July 5 by donk79 (log)

[rotuts]

@JoNorvelleWalker

 

I agree w  @donk79's assessment as an order of magnitude .

 

this would be the timings on an outdoor smoker , not unlike the one @ WHPS

 

the Yoder.

 

many Q'ists wrap the Butt at some point , either covering an aluminum pan  ( to keep the Jus )

 

or carefully wrap the Butt , to keep the Jus in the wrap.

 

the issue w the GE-IDS is you would have to rotate the Butt several times 

 

as the temp differential , top back to bottom front is significant.

 

you could do 1/2 of the time in the GE-IDS , and the other 1/2 in the Anova.

 

pull from the Anova @ 190 F to 195 F.

 

I don't have a feel for any possible difference  smoking first vs smoking after 1/2 in the Anova .

Edited July 5 by rotuts (log)