So I am going to try to smoke my first butt this weekend. I understand most people smoke them for 4 hours then keepcooking until IT reaches 190ish. Question i need to be away from my DBS after the 4 hours of smoke to go to my kids football game. I am planning on using a large drip catch pan, what temp can I safely set it to and leave for several hours?
I always set mine at 220 and forget it.
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Just make sure the unit is far enough away from the house to not be a problem in case it catches on fire. Fires are rare but can happen. I smoke my butts at about 205. It normally takes me 18 to 24 hours for 1 butt.
Also make sure the drain hole in the v-tray is clear of anything and the water bowl is full.
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My personal opinion is to never leave a cooking device unattended. From a home oven, BBQ grill, or a smoker it is not the best idea IMHO.
If the smoker is safely away from any structures that can catch fire then it might be ok. Keep in mind that the Bradley is partially plastic and has less of a chance to contain a grease fire inside the cabinet.
An all metal smoker for example would probably keep the fire contained until it burner out unless it is gas fired then you could have other issues of a gas hose melting, ect.
It is a judgement call on your part. In reality probably nothing will happen but there is that slight chance. I don't want to know how it feels to drive up to my home and find the fire department putting it out.
I got my hands on real maple syrup from NY. Do you think it would go good on the butt? If so any ideas what to do with it?
Quote from: jddhardy on October 04, 2012, 03:54:28 PM
I got my hands on real maple syrup from NY. Do you think it would go good on the butt? If so any ideas what to do with it?
Sure! Why Not? There are many that rub their Buts with Molasses ...... :o ..... That just sounded wrong. Well anyhow they rub it with Molasses before they rub it down with there favorite Dry Rub. It will add to the Bark. ;)
I have never tried it. I tend to shy away from anything that makes meat sweet. I like meat to taste like meat and not desert. My wife, on the other hand, is just the opposite. As I said I have never tried it so it may not make it taste sweet. Can't hurt to try it. If you try it let us know the results.
Quote from: Wildcat on October 04, 2012, 05:34:56 PM
I have never tried it. I tend to shy away from anything that makes meat sweet. I like meat to taste like meat and not desert. My wife, on the other hand, is just the opposite. As I said I have never tried it so it may not make it taste sweet. Can't hurt to try it. If you try it let us know the results.
When ya pull a but and serve it Naked the Bark is almost like having a BBQ Sauce ... I love it. ;)
*Edit* The best part is if ya don't like the sweet of the bark ... don't grab a piece of it ... I promise it will go before the rest! :D
Hey Bear
Did you just say your wife likes your butt sweet and rubbed with mollases ??? :D
No she does not BUT my Girlfriends do ;)
Nice !!
Quote from: jddhardy on October 04, 2012, 03:54:28 PM
I got my hands on real maple syrup from NY. Do you think it would go good on the butt? If so any ideas what to do with it?
You are lucky to get your hands on NY maple syrup. It was a poor sap run this year. The winter was much warmer then average.
Though I like the vinegar and mustard sauces, here in the northeast the preference is towards a sweeter sauce, then tangy or mustard. Maple syrup is kind of expensive to slather a butt with, and you may not receive any or very little maple flavor. If you like a maple flavor with your pork you may want to make a maple flavored sauce and use that the enhance the pork flavor after it has been pulled. If you like a little tang, or mustard; take a look at those recipes and substitute maple syrup for the sugar that recipe calls for, and if you want it sweeter add more syrup. If you don't like you sauce too tangy, use Nakano Original Rice vinegar instead of cider vinegar. When experimenting, I will make very small test batches, such as making 1/8 or 1/4 of the recipe.
Butt is in the smoker. 4 hrs of hickory then i will be waiting till it hits 190. Can't wait to see the outcome!
You're in for a long ride! :) Don't be surprised and don't fret when it stalls out somewhere around 150-160 and doesn't move for 2-4 hours. Don't raise the heat. The stall period is when all of the magic is happening in the butt. The IT will begin to rise again, I promise.
Also, make sure your water bowl doesn't run dry.
Butt is DONE! :D ok so here is what I think about, from the bark to a little bit inwards is dry. The rest is awesome. Here is what i did: put rub on it on tuesday and wrapped it plastic wrap. Placed in frig until Friday. Pulled it out at 8am. Started DBS with hickory at that time. A hour later put the meat in and put my wireless temp in it. Set the smoker for 4 hrs and cranked temp to 280. In the pan put half hot water and half apple juice. After 4 hrs checked temp 127 IT. At that time I changed the water/juice in the pan and then put maple syrup on it via a brush. Checked/replaced water/juice in pan and brushed again. Lowered temp to 220 sometime before the 4 hrs however i did write down when. Then at 11pm checked / refilled water noticed temp gauge was broken! Had to run to walley worls to get a digital one. Not wireless but was working. Temp was 182. Closed the door and let her go. At 5am checked temp it was 185. Filled water and closed the door to let it do its thing. Wife checked it at 730am temp was at 186.3. We waited until just before 1030 and pulled it. IT was 187 but I had to go. FTC and checked it at 4pm.
Lessons learned: buy a good dual temp gauge. Quality counts! Put a splash of apple juice in the foil when doing the FTC I think it would have helped with my mositure issue. Last learn how to use photobucket with my cell phone to post pics! Jeff
Congrats on your first But! :)