Very first Pecan smoked butt

[ExpatCanadian]

Just thought I'd post a few photos of my VERY successful first pulled pork experience!  Went into the smoker at 10pm Friday night at 220F, 4 hours of Pecan smoke....  and by 1pm yesterday it was still stuck around 160F, so I ended up foil boating it with some apple juice, raised the temp to 320F for about 90 minutes more which brought it up nicely to 190F.  It was falling apart tender and VERY moist.  Thanks again for all your votes on what wood to use!

Fresh out of the smoker....


Bone removed...


Pulling!


The Jackfruit "pork" for the vegetarians (It did resemble pork strands in appearance and texture... but would use a different sauce next time!)

[josbocc]

Nice Job TDC,

I'm supposed to be doing two of those in 2 weeks for my step-daughter's college graduation party.  From the looks of the times that you indicated I better have my proverbial "stuff" together before getting started.

Thanks for the Inspiration,

Jeff

[NePaSmoKer]

Your butt turned out nice  ;D

Here is a small one i did a few weeks ago.





nepas

[ExpatCanadian]

Jeff,

Yeah, for sure.  I underestimated how long it would take....  I will be starting a few hours earlier even next time, OU812 suggested 8PM the night before in my Wood Vote post, and I should have listened! I just had visions of the thing being ready at 9am or something, and having to hold it for 6+ hours! To be honest it will work out better, as the only time I am really watching closely is when the smoke is running since every so often a puck jams for some reason or another, and also I don't have bubba pucks yet (they don't sell them in the UK) so I like to be there to douse the final puck.  So, starting at 10pm meant staying up to 2am for that.  Anyway, next time with the smoke finished by midnight I can get to bed and rest easy knowing it will be happily SSSLLLLLOOWWWWWLY cooking away as I sleep!

Good luck with yours!

TDC

[Habanero Smoker]

If your bisquettes are jamming check to make sure the tube is inserted fully and that it is seated straight.

[Caneyscud]

Rule of thumb. 

At about 225 F it should take from 1 to 1 1/2 hours per pound.   

It will start slow, rush up to 140 to 160 and stay there for a while (called the plateau), then climb up to whatever IT you will pull it from the smoker or oven.  You might be tempted, while waiting for the plateau to be passed (an interminably long time, especially if a newbie) to raise the temp up to hurry it along.  Not a particularly good idea, just trust that others have waited and good things come out of the wait!  Around my house, for anything but one of them tiny, two-fist sized butts, the smoke is either overnight or all day for eating the next day.  Even if you get up real, real, real early, it would be next to impossible to properly smoke a large butt and eat it the same day.  Now, that is not to say, you couldn't "cheat".  Cook it in the oven overnight, then finish on the smoker for a few hours, to show your skills to your guests and get their oohs and aaahhhs.  I always think that if you are serving BBQ, it is more impressive that your guests see your meat in the smoker rather than the oven. 

[ExpatCanadian]

...(an interminably long time, especially if a newbie).....

Oh yeah....  interminable is right!  I logged my temps as follows:

Friday Night:
22:09 - 48F (Starting temp)
23:52 - 88F
Saturday Morning:
00:31 - 104F
02:05 - 127F
05:47 - 149F
08:30 - 153F
10:00 - 154F
10:56 - 158F
11:43 - 160F
12:55 - 162F - JEEZ!! 7 hours to increase from 149 to 162!! This is where I foil boated and raised the temp to 320....
14:40 - 190F - Final temp

Anyway, I know it may have been a newbie folly, but nothin' says "hero to zero" quicker in my book than making your guests wait for their food...  well, excessively wait anyway.  I won't know until I do another one, but I really don't think the finished product suffered at all for having been finished in foil at the higher temp....

....can't wait for the next one though, and this time will be starting earlier so I can do it right!

[OU812]

Glad everything turned out for you

Its amazing what a couple hr will do

[Gizmo]

  I won't know until I do another one, but I really don't think the finished product suffered at all for having been finished in foil at the higher temp....

....can't wait for the next one though, and this time will be starting earlier so I can do it right!

In my opinion and purposeful experiment, you did it right.  The taste is all that counts and nobody would ever know you took the high speed train.  I have done pork butts in a Big Easy (after 4 hours of smoke) to compare the taste between slow and high speed, both taste great and that was all that counted.

[Tenpoint5]

The Jackfruit "pork" for the vegetarians (It did resemble pork strands in appearance and texture... but would use a different sauce next time!)

TDC,
I have a SIL and BIL who live in the Middle East and Do Not eat Pork for religious reasons. Can you tell me more about this Jack fruit thing? How do you you prepare it? Did you serve with a dipping sauce or put sauce over. Would appreciate your help. You have a good looking Butt too!!! ;D

[ExpatCanadian]

Tenpoint5...

I had never heard of Jackfruit prior to this experience, but I did a search for Vegetarian Pulled Pork on Google and basically came up with a couple of recipes that use it and get really good reviews.  Both are pretty much the same, but use different sauces...  these are below:

http://vegangelicalsouth.blogspot.com/2008/02/ive-got-your-pulled-pork-right-here.html
http://veganpotluck.wordpress.com/2008/06/28/vegan-pulled-pork

Both these recipes called for the jackfruit to be simmered in the sauce... the young fruit as it comes out of the can is quite firm and needs to be simmered to become tender and fall apart into the strands.  This takes about 40-45 minutes in liquid.  My problem was I didn't much like either of the 2 sauces (I tried this twice) and I found it way to "saucy" when the whole thing was prepared as described in the recipes.  Basically all you could taste was the sauce.  Now, I tasted the jackfruit alone, and it doesn't taste like much...  it's obviously relying on the sauce to give it it's flavour and it's strandy texture to provide the "pulled pork" mouth feel.  So...  although in the end it was well received by the vegetarians (they're just happy someone went to the effort to give them something other than a Quorn burger at a BBQ :D) I've kind of made it a personal challenge to find a way to prepare it better.

I've got 2 cans of the stuff left. I'm going to try steaming the jackfruit in a normal veggie steamer for the time it takes to tenderise it... once done maybe add some spices or stock powder to the steamed fruit as I "pull" it.... something to give it some basic flavour on it's own and also something that can add a bit of colour to it so it doesn't look so boring (maybe a little sweet or hot paprika, or parsley flakes?), and maybe a little liquid smoke to mimic the smoking time the real deal got. I would then make sure I had a nice, not too overpowering BBQ sauce that could be added to the sandwich to taste....

... what I found with the real deal was that it was so moist and tasty, most people were either eating it without sauce (just coleslaw, pork and a bun)....  or adding just a small squirt...  so I think it should be the same for the veggie version.

So, a bit long-winded, but as you can tell I've given this some thought and would definitely welcome any further help or input from you if you also try this!

[Tenpoint5]

I will let you know what happens. First I have to find some Jack fruit.

[ExpatCanadian]

Not sure where you are...  but if you have any kind of East Indian or Bangladeshi community nearby look in their shops....  it's apparently very common.  I work within spitting distance of about 12 shops that sell it here, so it wasn't much trouble finding it!  I'll post a photo of what the can looks like when I get home tonight.  If you do find it, make sure it's the YOUNG GREEN jackfruit in water, apparently there is a ripe version that comes sweet in a syrup which is NOT what you want.  But it says all that in the recipes.

Good luck.

[Caneyscud]

Grilled firm tofu, and grilled tempah have served well as grilled/smoked items in the past.  The one I have not tried has been Seiten.  Basically wheat gluten.  I've seen it where pulls into strands.  Wonder how that would smoke and taste and look with bbq sauce on it?

Recipe for seiten if you can't find it is here http://www.theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/index.php?RecipeID=112.  Don't know why you couldn't add some flavors while makeing a "steak" or strands, rub or marinate then smoke until it tastes good and smokey and then add bbq sauce.  It has a meaty texture and is used for "fake" meat in China and Japan, and probably other Asian countries.

[Habanero Smoker]

Mixing in miso paste when you make gluten or seiten will give it a beef like flavor.