I've had my warm up smokes on the Chicken wraps and some cheese. Now I'm ready for the main event. The two Butts have been brined and rubbed and are getting to room temp. Got the smoker heating up (25 and a north breeze 10-15 outside). I'm preheating a brick on my grill to help keep temp up. Iceman's sauce package came today and I had to sample it. Wow, it is sauce with an attitude! I think I'm ready. Will update progress later.
Terry
Good luck, Terry. I'm sure your first big smoke will be great!
How sweet it is. Take some pictures. You'll want to look back on this one some day. We wouldn't mine sharing in your experience as well.
Chow down.
Just wait until you try some butts with Ice's rub. Does not get any better.
I'm with Wildcat on that one!!!
Butts went on at 6:00. Had the box up to 265. Forgot to take the before pictures, but you seen one butt all slathered with mustard and rub you seen em all I guess. Put Butts in and dropped temp to 220. Box went down to 160. I wish my Maverick would have gotton here before this so I will just have to depend on the digital box temp reading and a single probe I bought to monitor the meat. I am planning on 6 hours of Apple smoke and then I will finish in the oven over night. Does finishing in the oven really smell up the house? I am debating on if I want to do that since we are haveing our party at our house tomorrow. Don't think the wife will be too crazy about a heavy smoke smell in the house for the party. Let me know what you folks with more experience think about the smell factor.
Thanks!!
Terry
What's wrong with a heavy smoke smell????? ;D
I finished my first butt in the oven, Terry, and I didn't have a heavy smoke smell (and believe you me, the wife would have let me hear about it, and hear about it, and hear about it. Then she'd let me hear about it some more and just when I thought she'd forgotten about it, she'd have pulled the rolodex card out of the big old rolodex she has in her head of everything I've done wrong and reminded me for good measure).
I think you'll be somewhat safe.
Marc
Thanks Marc, She loves to eat it, but she just doesn't like the smell in the house. I think my wife has the rolodex as well. I may only hear about it once or twice though. Personally I love the smell. How did you finish in the oven? aluminum foil pan with aluminum on top or what?
Terry
I just turned the DBS rack upside down over a triple wrap of foil. Someone else on here said that was how they FTC'd theirs, so that's how I handled mine. It did the job for me. Of course, had it ripped and I'd have spilled the juice, I would have heard about that. Have I told you how my wife likes to let me know when I've screwed up? :o ;D
Did you cover it at all with foil? Was also wondering if using the convection oven would help or hurt?? Anyone??
Terry
Covered all in foil. As far as the convection oven, can't tell ya. I just used my regular old gas oven. Someone should be able to tell you right quick.
Did it have to start snowing??? Had to improvise a roof on my windbreak shelter. I am under a deck, but the slight wind we have is blowing snow onto the smoker and controler. Put some of the cardboard from the bradley box on top as a roof. I think it will work.
Terry
I use the foil pan, covered with HD Aluminum foil and convection oven with temp probe to finish (oven goes into an auto temp hold at 150 when IT is reached). When I get up in the morning, there is a good aroma in the air but once the house gets opened up it disipates fast. :'(
Thanks Gizmo. I have the probe as well, so I think that will be the plan. I would think mine goes to a hold temp as well when temp is reached. What temp do you set your convection oven at??
200 degrees.
Quote from: bigredsmoker on December 14, 2007, 07:08:41 PM
Did it have to start snowing??? Had to improvise a roof on my windbreak shelter. I am under a deck, but the slight wind we have is blowing snow onto the smoker and controler. Put some of the cardboard from the bradley box on top as a roof. I think it will work.
Terry
Snow it just as bad as the wind when it comes in contact with the smoker, and when you have both at the same time it's hard to keep that cabinet up to temp. Good luck!!!
So, how did it turn out Terry?
I'm in absolute glory right now with the wind and snow......gonna smoke some cheese without a cold smoke box and figure this may be the perfect day to do it here and keep the temps down.
Marc
It's still in the oven at the 167 plateau. Been there since at least 6:30am when I checked on it. I just uped my convection oven temp to 225. I had it at 200 from about midnight on. it's 10:30 here. Need to get it done and in FTC.
Terry
How long has it been at that plateau? There are many greater minds here than I. I remember reading somewhere on here where the time above a certain degree makes a difference versus getting it to 190 or whatever your target temp is. Someone with more knowledge than myself may be able to help you get it to FTC quicker. Wish I could help.......we're pretty much muddling through the newbieness together. Good luck with it.
Marc
IMHO FTC is not really necessary on a butt, especially if you keep the box temp below 210 and just slow cook. I always FTC my butts but it is primarily to kill time until dinner. On the other hand, I find FTC VERY useful with brisket and ribs.
Hi Terry
My experience with butts is they can spend up to 6 hours getting through the plateau. Ya just gota think of it as changing everything to juicy goodness! At 167 degrees you should start to see some movement soon.
Good luck
Mike
Hey, I just noticed I'm no longer a newbie (well, on post count anyways :(). I wish you luck. It did take mine quite a bit time getting through the plateau, but I can tell you that when we finally did eat last night, it was well worth the wait. It was by far as good as anything I've ever eaten at any bbq shack and actually, I think it tastes better when you do it yourself.
Your guests are in for a real treat.
Good luck and keep us posted Terry.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and risk getting shot down by the group. If it's been plateauing (sp?) for a awhile and you're getting desparate because company's coming, crank the heat in your oven to 350 degrees and let 'er rip for an hour. My guess is that it will take your meat to 190. Let's face it, at 167 the meat is cooked and edible. The problem is you haven't broken down the collagen so you end up with sliced meat with rivers of fat, rather than shredable meat with the fat completely rendered. The fast finish isn't perfect, but it does work. I did it two weeks ago for the same reason you mentioned. It just plain had to get done. The eaters of the food are not perfectionists like everyone here. They will love it.
My house smelled like bacon for about 48 hours.
Carter
Quote from: Smoking Duck on December 15, 2007, 08:37:07 AM
How long has it been at that plateau? There are many greater minds here than I. I remember reading somewhere on here where the time above a certain degree makes a difference versus getting it to 190 or whatever your target temp is. Someone with more knowledge than myself may be able to help you get it to FTC quicker. Wish I could help.......we're pretty much muddling through the newbieness together. Good luck with it.
Marc
I'm generally the one who posts that. When you are smoking at 200°F - 210°F, if you take the butt to 175°F the collagen has broken down into gelatin, and you get a moist easy to pull shoulder. If you are smoking with in the temperature range I mentioned above, I find taking the internal temperature any higher is not needed.
Quote from: Habanero Smoker on December 15, 2007, 02:00:08 PM
Quote from: Smoking Duck on December 15, 2007, 08:37:07 AM
How long has it been at that plateau? There are many greater minds here than I. I remember reading somewhere on here where the time above a certain degree makes a difference versus getting it to 190 or whatever your target temp is. Someone with more knowledge than myself may be able to help you get it to FTC quicker. Wish I could help.......we're pretty much muddling through the newbieness together. Good luck with it.
Marc
I'm generally the one who posts that. When you are smoking at 200°F - 210°F, if you take the butt to 175°F the collagen has broken down into gelatin, and you get a moist easy to pull shoulder. If you are smoking with in the temperature range I mentioned above, I find taking the internal temperature any higher is not needed.
Well, you were spot on. I pulled mine at 175 after cooking at 210 for 16 hours......it was by far very easy to pull and as moist as any other pork I've done myself or eaten. It was because of what you said that led me to pull it. You are my Mr. Miaggi to my Daniel-son ;D (that last reference was for anyone over the age of 30 ;D)
Sorry I haven't gotten back to you all before now, but yeaterday was so hectic. Cleaning house (has to be spotless you know) as well as preparing all the food. I started inching the temp up on the oven at about 10:00 or so. First to 220 then 275 then 325 and finally all the way to 350. Hit 190 at 1:00 and I pulled and FTC'd to keep warm until I was ready to make my Hors Devoirs with it. Tried some before FTC and it was fantastic, wife loved it as well. THe smell in the house was a good smell. The wife came downstairs in the morning and said it smelled soooo good in the kitchen.
THe guest loved the pork and Icemans' sauce on it was great. I have almost a whole but left over. I froze some, does that work out well to freeze it? How about re-heating, any suggestions. Is the Microwave OK? Or should I sauce it and heat in oven?
Thanks for all of your help everyone. I couldn't have done it without you. I think Pork Butt's will be a reguler. Can't wait until warmer weather when I can sit outside by the smoker with a beer!!
Terry
I have only froze pulled butt in Vacuum Sealed bags. There are several methods to reheat. My favorite is to place bags is hot water. If you do not boil the water it turns out like it was freshly smoked. If you boil then there is a chance the seal will break. Some folks heat up in microwave, some in oven, and others in crock pot.