It was 4:43am on 1/30/2021. I had my alarm set for 5am, but the excitement of my first real smoke had me up early with the kind of jitters you get before the first day of school.
There is something pretty wild about standing outside before sunrise, watching smoke roll out of a Traeger Pro 780 under a full moon and crystal-clear sky. It was also 10 degrees out, which made the whole thing feel a little insane and a little perfect.
At 5:07am, the smoker was sitting at 217° and climbing toward 225°. A few degrees later, it was time to put an eight-pound boneless pork shoulder on the pit and officially start the experiment.
The cold put the Pro 780 to the test. All day long, the smoker held within about 10 degrees of the 225° set temperature. Every hour I went out, opened the door quickly, and spritzed the pork shoulder with equal parts apple cider vinegar and apple juice.
The pork smoked for about 9 hours before I bumped the cooking temperature to 250°. The bark looked great, the smell was ridiculous, and I was starting to learn the most important BBQ lesson: patience is not optional.
At 160° internal, I moved the pork shoulder into an aluminum pan to catch the juices, covered it tightly, and put it back on the smoker until it hit 200°. The seasoning was Meat Church Honey Hog and Honey Hog Hot, and it gave the bark the sweet heat I was hoping for.
I also learned that every thermometer deserves a second opinion. The Traeger probe connected to the WiFire app ran about 10 to 15 degrees higher than my old-school spot-check thermometer. Lemme tell you sumptim’ dough: dat old ting still works like a charm.
I went through about 21 pounds of cherry Traeger pellets to get through the day. The pellets probably cost more than the piece of pork, but that is how hobbies get you.
The final pulled pork was ridiculously good. The juice was bonkers, the bark was insane, and the smoke flavor ran through the meat. The Traeger made the cook approachable, but the process still felt like something worth earning.
That is what hooked me: the setup, the waiting, the checking, the learning, the feeding people, and the little changes you want to make next time.
I didn’t choose the barbecue life. The barbecue life chose me.
That first smoke is why Italian Smokeshows exists. We are still learning, still testing, and still taking notes — one backyard cook at a time.