BRADLEY SMOKER | "Taste the Great Outdoors"

Ok, by now most of you have seen my ribticular test, now for my buttackular test. The same kind gentlemen (cough cough) who sent me the rub for my ribs, sent me a bottle of Carolina Treet and a bottle of Archer Farms Carolina Style Barbecue sauces. My goal is to see if the two are similar in flavor or at least close enough since I can't get CT out here. (I am having a hard time with Archer too). Next week I'll be smoking a butt and am too cheap to buy two, and don't think I could eat them both before they went bad anyhow. So my question to you all is should I cut the butt in half and use one for each sauce like a mini butt, or should I leave the butt whole and spread the CT on half the butt and Archer on the other half? The butt is 7.2 lbs. Polls close Tuesday.

Split That Butt!

Split That Butt!

Split That Butt!

Split That Butt!

Split That Butt!

(and the crowd roars!)

Hmmm.... this seems like the perfect place to insert a comment about splitting a butt and cracks in butts and....I think I'll just leave it alone.

Split and you'll also benefit from shorter cook time.

 ;D ;D You crack me up. Ooops, shouldn't have gone there.  ;D

Quote from: KevinG on May 03, 2010, 09:52:35 AM
;D ;D You crack me up. Ooops, shouldn't have gone there.  ;D

And you could put them in the smoker at the A$$crack of dawn!

;D ;D

Oh she won't like that one  :D

Split it - but only once.  Smaller and they get harder to get to tender succulence before they dry out or overcook.

That was one of the things I was worried about. I wasn't sure if it would dry out. Speaking of which, since the majority so far are voting for doing the split. Should I pull the bone, or saw it in half?

You got a meat saw?

Yep, but I figured as long as I was cutting, I could just scoop it out, but am thinking I might want to saw it to help keep the meat together.

I have deboned them and just tied them back up with butchers twine.

Well, votings over an I guess the split the butt's won out. I kinda got lazy and just took the saw to the butt. I'll get some pics up tomorrow, I'm burned out from work.

I know that feeling.  I put in about an 11 hour day at work yesterday.  Luckily, my wife had a pound of bacon fresh out of the pan waiting for me when I got home.  That will brighten anybody's day.

Me and the wife are one in the same, I call her my left hand.  :o :o

Quote from: KevinG on May 05, 2010, 07:15:36 AM
Me and the wife are one in the same, I call her my left hand.  :o :o

So when you are mad at her, you put your hand in your back pocket?

If you get a divorce, you have to cut off your hand?

That's scary!

Now look what we started.

Quote from: classicrockgriller on May 05, 2010, 07:17:58 AM

If you get a divorce, you have to cut off your hand?

That's scary!

I think they only do that in South America.

Quote from: db14 on May 05, 2010, 08:15:03 AM
Now look what we started.

Quote from: classicrockgriller on May 05, 2010, 07:17:58 AM

If you get a divorce, you have to cut off your hand?

That's scary!

I think they only do that in South America.

DB,
Kevin is Single.

Quote from: classicrockgriller on May 05, 2010, 07:17:58 AM

Quote from: KevinG on May 05, 2010, 07:15:36 AM
Me and the wife are one in the same, I call her my left hand.  :o :o

So when you are mad at her, you put your hand in your back pocket?

If you get a divorce, you have to cut off your hand?

That's scary!

ROLFMAO  ;D :D ;D :D

Ok, so now that the voting's over and I finally got some pics going. Here's what I've got.

Some Pork Butt.
(http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz53/63KevinG/Bradley%20Smoker%20Pics/Pulled%20Pork/RawButtforPulledPork1.jpg)

Did some cutting, tried for 1/2 & 1/2, but who knows what I got.
(http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz53/63KevinG/Bradley%20Smoker%20Pics/Pulled%20Pork/Buttinhalf.jpg)

The sauces for the experiment.
(http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz53/63KevinG/Bradley%20Smoker%20Pics/Pulled%20Pork/PulledPorkSauces.jpg)

Sealed and soaking overnight.
(http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz53/63KevinG/Bradley%20Smoker%20Pics/Pulled%20Pork/Saucedbutt.jpg)

Quote from: db14 on May 05, 2010, 08:15:03 AM
Now look what we started.

Quote from: classicrockgriller on May 05, 2010, 07:17:58 AM

If you get a divorce, you have to cut off your hand?

That's scary!

I think they only do that in South America.

I don't think I'll ever have to worry about getting a divorce, I've been with her since I can't remember. She's always there for me. Me and Rosie (Palms) are meant for each other, just ask any other women I've been around.  :D

Here's some more pics.

Pulled the butts out and let them sit for an hour while the Bradley came up to temp. Put them in and ready for smoke. Probably should've put the pans in before the butts, you can see some dripping in the bottom already. Going to do 4 hours of Pecan at 210 F.
(http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz53/63KevinG/Bradley%20Smoker%20Pics/Pulled%20Pork/ButtreadyforSmoke.jpg)

I'll be basting every hour for the first 4 hours. Here they are after an hour ready for the first baste.
(http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz53/63KevinG/Bradley%20Smoker%20Pics/Pulled%20Pork/Buttinsmoke.jpg)

After 2 hours the temps are 87CT and 99AF, Boy that AF sure does smell of vinegar.
After the 4 hours, I'll seal up the foil around the butts, and shoot for IT of 195, maybe increasing the temp.

Looking good!  That's it I'm hungry  -time for lunch!

Quote from: Tenpoint5 on May 05, 2010, 08:26:11 AM

DB,
Kevin is Single.

I got that, that was just an attempt (and apparently a bad one) at humor.

Naw, I got it.  ;D

Just making sure. Them butts look like they are coming along just fine Kevin

Thanks. After 3 1/2 hours temps are 112 CT and 117 AF. I nocked up the set temp to 220 cause the smoker was staying on the chili side around 160.

Why do you think you have a 5 degree swing between the 2?  Is one thicker than the other?  I note they are both on the same rack.  I would think it a bit odd to have 5 point difference in the two.

Quote from: Sailor on May 05, 2010, 11:41:14 AM
Why do you think you have a 5 degree swing between the 2?  Is one thicker than the other?  I note they are both on the same rack.  I would think it a bit odd to have 5 point difference in the two.

The fat collegen runs funny thru a butt and one side could have a little more, thus remaing cooler.

I think it is actually pretty close.

Yea, I'm not too concerned. It is interesting cause even now it's still 5 off. Been running that way pretty much from the start, currently CT is at 127 and AF is 132.

Thank for the answer.  Wondering if the probe's were switched if you would get the same reading?  I do understand that it is no big deal as they will be done when they are done.  I am the type that will take things apart to understand why it works this way then when I put it all together again I have parts left over.  LOL

Quote from: Sailor on May 05, 2010, 11:41:14 AM
Why do you think you have a 5 degree swing between the 2?  Is one thicker than the other?  I note they are both on the same rack.  I would think it a bit odd to have 5 point difference in the two.

Sailor, not odd at all.  Even though thickness is probably the greatest indicator of how long or how fast something will cook, there are quite a number of others including moisture content, amount of fat, age of the beast, amount of collagen.  

The theory of a big rotisserie (or carousel as some call it) smoker is that the meat moves around the cooking cabinet.  This means that theoretically all pieces of meat in the smoker have the same amount of time in all the different temperature zones.  This would mean that all the meat would finish at the same time.  Although this does happen, it usually doesn't.  Back last September I did 8 or 9 - 11.5 to 12.5 pound packer briskets in a rotisserie.   I was feeding about 100 high school and college kids.  At 225 to 250 deg, they should have all been finished in 12 to 14 hours.  Not so.  I can't remember all the exact details, but the first two came off at 13 hours, the next two at 14 hours, the next two at 15 hours, and one at 16 and one 1t 18 if I remember.  The lateness of the first ones was because the alarm failed to go off on one of my hourly times (operator error) and the fire almost went out.  

I'd switch the probes, but I buried them pretty good under the aluminum foil. It took me about 10 minutes to wrap the butts up. Ripped the foil 2 times, so now that I got it I think I'll just leave it.

Quote from: Sailor on May 05, 2010, 01:22:36 PM
Thank for the answer.  Wondering if the probe's were switched if you would get the same reading?  I do understand that it is no big deal as they will be done when they are done.  I am the type that will take things apart to understand why it works this way then when I put it all together again I have parts left over.  LOL

ROFL .... been there, done that and got the extra parts to prove. ;D

Hell, that was stupid of me, I could've just switched the plugs at the top of the unit. DOH!

It finally was getting near time to pull the Archer Farms butt as the IT hit first. Before I pulled it I went ahead and switched probes. Boy, glad I did, I must have had a glitch in my maverick because both temps shot up. I went ahead and pulled both butts.

I had a hard time picking up the Archer Farms butt, and it ended up falling apart in the Bradley. I was able to salvage most of it. I noticed I missed the bone altogether yesterday when I cut this one. Probably part of the reason for a temp difference.
(http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz53/63KevinG/Bradley%20Smoker%20Pics/Pulled%20Pork/PulledPorkArcherFarms.jpg)

Here's the Carolina Treet butt right out of the oven.
(http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz53/63KevinG/Bradley%20Smoker%20Pics/Pulled%20Pork/ButtDoneinCT.jpg)

I started pulling the Carolina Treet butt and the bone fell right out.
(http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz53/63KevinG/Bradley%20Smoker%20Pics/Pulled%20Pork/ButtBoneinCT.jpg)

I seemed to have a lot more sauce left over in the Carolina Treet butt than the Archer Farms even though I used the whole Archer Farms bottle, and only about 8/10 of the Carolina Treet bottle. The Archer Farms is on the left and the Carolina Treet is on the right.
(http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz53/63KevinG/Bradley%20Smoker%20Pics/Pulled%20Pork/PulledPorkComparedAFCT.jpg)

As far as taste goes, here's what I found. Open the bottles and Archer Farms reeks of vinegar, however after cooking, the smell is gone. The Carolina Treet has a lot bolder flavor than the Archer Farms, but if you can't get CT, the AF isn't that bad of a compromise.

Wow, I thought the CT have more vinegar flavor and the Archer Farms was sweeter.

The CT is a 27.5 oz bottle and the AF is 16 oz.

Thanks for Split Butt comparison!

How was the bark?

There wasn't as much bark as I was expecting on either butt. Probably had to do with the fact I did it all in the Bradley and didn't switch to the oven. Maybe the rack position too, but not real sure.

I've not done a butt with just a sauce, always a rub.

Good point, a rub probably would've helped too.

Didn't you say you had them wrapped in foil for a while?   The extra moisture might have nixxed the bark formation..

Yea, after the smoke I wrapped them in foil. I thought that was to keep it tender so it would pull easier. Thought the bark should've formed before that though, cause it was 4 hours of smoke.

Quote from: KevinG on May 06, 2010, 07:51:40 AM
Yea, after the smoke I wrapped them in foil. I thought that was to keep it tender so it would pull easier. Thought the bark should've formed before that though, cause it was 4 hours of smoke.

foil = less bark

That explains it then. It don't matter too much, cause it was good. I've got some good leftovers. I'm still waiting for CRG to post his lasagna recipe to put some of this into.

Looks good even if the bark was a little shy.

The foil is what killed the bark, if you want to foil, next time pull out of the foil and cook for a couple hrs to let the bark form again.

Eather way I'm sure the pork is great.

That's a good idea. I'll probably do that next time. But I might also do some rubbing. Just gotta find something that'll go good with the CT.

Quote from: KevinG on May 06, 2010, 10:27:11 AM
Just gotta find something that'll go good with the CT.

Myopic javalinas with suicidal tendencies? 

 ;D :D ;D ;) I still got 1/4 left. May be worth a try.

Quote from: squirtthecat on May 06, 2010, 10:33:16 AM

Quote from: KevinG on May 06, 2010, 10:27:11 AM
Just gotta find something that'll go good with the CT.

Myopic javalinas with suicidal tendencies? 

Good one.  :D




Kevin,

I havent found a rub that the flavors didnt blend with CT.

That's good to hear. I hate doing experiments only to find what I did was a waste of time.

Kevin,
The butts look great, bark or no bark.  I never foil butts when I cook them as I just don't think they require it but that's just my preference.  Lots of folks foil them and turn out great product.

As for a rub that goes good with CT, I have been using Jan's Dry Rub(from the recipe site) with CT and knocking out some killer smoked wings.  You might give it a try.

CT with Cajun Seasoning is some good stuff on wings also.

Quote from: KyNola on May 06, 2010, 11:52:19 AM
Kevin,
The butts look great, bark or no bark.  I never foil butts when I cook them as I just don't think they require it but that's just my preference.  Lots of folks foil them and turn out great product.

As for a rub that goes good with CT, I have been using Jan's Dry Rub(from the recipe site) with CT and knocking out some killer smoked wings.  You might give it a try.

That sounds like a great idea. I could try it out on some wings before committing a butt.

Kevin,
If you try Jan's Rub with the CT on wings, don't be afraid to use a generous amount of the rub on the wings and then pour the CT to them and toss to coat.

I did a boatload of them for Super Bowl(did I mention the Saints won? Sorry couldn't resist :))  The wings were gone in minutes.

KyNola

I'll give that a shot.