First pork butt a success? (Pics)

[Awell76]

So in all about 22 hours to get to 195 internal temp using my maverick.  I started with a 7 pound butt.  Wash dry apply molasses. 









My rub was lysanders pork rub with brown sugar paprika and some Cayenne. 



Put her in at around 5 pm on friday night.



195 IT hit around 4 PM on saturday.  Here is the kicker as I was taking it out of the bradley I f'ing dropped it on my deck!!!!!!
I quickly grabbed it and put it on the oven sheet.  I just was use to my oven that pulls out and stops.  It essentially split and broke.  So I took it inside and wrapped it in foil and a towel and put it in a cooler.  I then slightly dejected and embarrassed went out and bought a new keg for my kegerator.  About and hour later I came back and pulled it.



It was awesome and the bark was tremendous.  Burnt ends were like the meat candy I had in Austin.  I would say it was slightly dryer than expected.  I think that could be a couple things.  The fact my dumbass dropped it (only learn that lesson once I hope)  and that I might have kept it in a touch too long.  I probably should have done the fork test instead of only going on the maverick.  That being said I had a blast doing it.  I was talking to my father in law about it and speaking like I had been smoking for 20 years (Essentially just repeated what I learned on the this very board).  I loved doing it and think it will only get better the more I learn and understand my smoker.  While it may not have been the perfect outcome it was the perfect first experience.  Thank you all for your help.

[Wildcat]

Since it broke apart when you dropped it then I am confident that it was fine as far as doneness. I think your first photo is a good indication on it being a little dry.  Hardly any fat at all.  Another reason could be due to not enough time resting. Also if it did not spend enough time in the stall stage it you may not have gotten the tissues to break down enough to make it moist and tender. During the rest the meat reabsorbs/redistributes the juices back into the meat. Cooking at 220 I would say that meat temp of 190 to 195 is about right.

All in all it looks to me like you did a bang up job for your first go round. I cook at a much lower temp and one time I dropped mine taking it out like you did. Mine fell completely apart (it literally shredded itself) and the patio had too much sand on it to salvage. Luckily it was one of those times that I was actually doing 2 butts. Dogs had a nice feast.

[Awell76]

Thanks Wild.  I think going forward maybe slightly under 195 might work for me.  Also agree maybe I look into getting a better cut.   I got it from bloom aka food lion and I thought the fat back was ok.  The pick I posted was the under. 

Do you think the drop could have made a big difference? Stall stage for me seemed to be 185ish to 195ish.  That was 3 or more hours.  Being a rookie the butt heated up to 150 really quickly.  Half the cook was getting it up 50ish degrees.  Again I am a rook so I think some things that come probably second nature are new to me.

Thanks again Wild for the well wishes.  In the end everyone loved it and respected the effort I put in which in the end makes me happy.  Ok leftover burnt ends do too! 

[tailfeathers]

Nice job, it just gets better from here! You need to cure a pork loin and make canadian bacon, then there's NO turning back.
I use mallardwacker's maple canadian bacon recipe on the recipe site. Foolproof and delicious!

[Wildcat]

Not sure about when the stall stage is when cooking at 220. Been a long time since I cooked that fast. Somewhere between 150 to 170 there should be a lengthy stall (at least when cooking below 210). It can take up to several hours to get through the stall. The key is not to rush it. I suspect yours went through the stall while you were asleep.

When you are cooking at 220, I think you should probably take the meat up to 190 to 200 for pulled pork. If you cook at 190 to 210 you should be around 175 to 190 meat temp. You really should go by the fork test.

I think your smoke was a great success. Butts are very forgiving and are great for experimenting and the learning curve. Congrats on the smoke. In the future try Iceman's Oinker Rub and Mrs. KyNola's rub.

[Awell76]

Wild,

Based on my maverick it was all over the place.   From 185 to 230.  That is with me not really changing the bradley all that much.  Seemed like it was a good 30 degrees plus or minus and it was hard to get a consistent temp.  I am sure that it will take some work.   I am all in. 

[Habanero Smoker]

Wild,

Based on my maverick it was all over the place.   From 185 to 230.  That is with me not really changing the bradley all that much.  Seemed like it was a good 30 degrees plus or minus and it was hard to get a consistent temp.  I am sure that it will take some work.   I am all in.

Glad you cook was a success.

The digital smokers do have a fluctuation in temperatures, but where you placed the cabinet probe can also cause the readings fluctuate. Try placing the probe under the tray that has the butt, making sure it is positioned so that no drippings (or as little as possible) can fall on the probe. When the pork comes out that dry, try adding some low sodium chicken broth. Chicken broth will not alter the flavor of the pork, while adding moisture. Or if you are adding a sauce that will add moisture back into the meat. If you want additional sweetness, you can use apple juice, or some other type of juice.

To cut down on clean up, when you use the smoker, remove the racks that you will not be using.

[TedEbear]

Looks pretty good.  You may want to get some Frogmats if you find that the meat sticks to the metal racks.  Some of the butt stayed on the rack when I transferred them to the FTC until I bought those. 

[pjplovedog]

That's a great success for  your first one!  It looks yummy!
Wonder if you will do the wake up in the middle of the night thinking about what to do "next"?  LOL.  That's what I do.   ::)
PJP