what pucks are the best for butts. how many hrs of smoke should i do? I have some jim beam, cherry, alder, and maple but a quick trip to the store and i could have the others.
From what I've read in other threads, I'd say a lot of people like apple for pork. I use a mixture of hickory and apple for pork butts myself, but I like a strong smoke flavor.
Here's a nice overview of bisquettes and what they work best with. There's a chart at the bottom that's pretty helpful:
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?26-Bisquettes&p=36
And here's a nice discussion of what bisquettes might work well with which meats.
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=15879.0
I like my smoke on the strong side, I'd go with four hours of Jim Beam.
I use Hickory on butts most of the time, I've also used a lot of Oak which is what Jim Beam are made of.
The butt does not have a high surface to mass ratio, what that means is that the smoke is not going to penetrate deep into the butt.
Most people chop up the outside "bark" and mix it in with the meat to distribute the smoke flavor.
I generally will use pecan for pork, followed by maple or hickory. I use 4 hours of smoke when using any one of them.
Having been living in exile in pork barbecue country for the last 32 years I've noticed one thing about their barbecue - I don't think they use anything but Hickory around here. Pecan is very similar. But I've used all the regulars and the not-so-regular including hackberry, mulberry, sycamore, ash, tulip poplar, pear, even some wild grapevine and some walnut. Haven't found any knock-ya-aside-the-head differences. Been wanting to use pine to get that Retsina flavor. - but haven't had the wood lately - no big limbs have fallen from my tree in a couple of years! ;D ;D
I use pecan. Maybe a few apple bucks mixed in if I have some laying around.
I like Hickory with pork butts
Being as I am from Kentucky does anyone even have to ask what I'm using on pork? Hickory is king around here. So much so that I just ordered 400 pounds of 100% hickory pellets for my pellet smoker. ;D
I was down to my last 100 pounds of apple pellets and 160 pounds of hickory. Wouldn't want to run out you know.
4 hr Hickory or Pecan on the pork over here.
I alternate between:
5 Apple
4 Alder
3 Hickory
I like Hickory, sometimes I'll toss in a littel apple if I have it. And if I do not have Hickory, pecan will do in a pinch.