I did it!

[Smokin Soon]

Sounds like a good plan Nichelle, and welcome to the forum! Sounds like you have done your homework here, and are ready roll some smoke. And don't forget the drool pics! You will be surprised how fast any questions will be answered here, so ask away.

[Roadking]

nichelle,
congrats on the purchase...and i completely understand the excitement.
for the first smoke you should try chickenporkvenisonsalmonjerkysnacksticksbaconexplosionfatty.
with a diet coke  :D
seriously, there will be other more professional members along soon with some really good starter
recipes. you can relax, you are home now!

If you you go with this as your first smoke as Up In Smoke suggests. I would seriously swap out one item, the diet coke and replace with a ice cold case of Coors.......

Welcome to the forum. Great bunch of smokers here.

[nichelle]

Thanks again for the welcomes! I purchased 2 pork butts this morning and will soon have them prepared so they can sit overnight. And if I can't wait that long, my neighbors might look out to see me 'smoking in the dark'. I'll take some pictures when I get started.

The OBS is currently on the deck, turned on and going through its initial seasoning. That was so easy! I've had a Weber bullet for a couple of years and if I were using it now I'd be wrestling with fire trying to get the temperature right. I couldn't help but think of that when starting up the OBS was so simple. I do love charcoal so maybe the bullet it will keep its place on the deck. I have a feeling it won't be getting much use though. We'll see how that goes.

By the way, I spent a good bit of time wondering what "FTC" was but found the explanation on the recipe site. You folks have loaded so much information on the forum and recipe site and they're very informative. Thank you for that. I'm sure I'll have more questions very soon, though.

[Wildcat]

Welcome to the forum.  IMHO pulled pork is the perfect choice for a first smoke.  Here is another must try: http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?t=43

[deb415611]

Welcome Nichelle!

[nichelle]

Wildcat - That recipe looks GOOD. And its now on the menu.

From the posts here I understood that the pork butt would take forever to cook, so I got it started at about 5 AM. I would have taken pictures of the start but it was still dark (and I was half asleep). I can't remember the last time I saw 5 AM on a Sunday. Anyway, how do you stop yourself from opening the door every 30 minutes? It's looking good so far. I know because I just opened the door.

I only did one of the two butts that I bought as I wanted to see if I could get the first one right first. And I'd like to try different flavors. I want to pick up some pecan discs today and give those a try.

Question: I can pull the first one and FTC it when the internal temp hits 180? How long should I FTC it?

[NePaSmoKer]

Good choice pecan for butts.

I did mine last night with pecan/hickory



nepas

[nichelle]

nepas - Wow! You must be the resident expert on these. I hope mine turns out even half that good.

[Wildcat]

IMHO FTC is not required at all.  You did not indicate what temp you were cooking at.  If below 210 you can stop cooking at 180 meat temp and let it rest awhile.  If you are smoking above 210 I would stop cooking at 190 to 195 meat temp and then let it rest.  If it is too long to dinner time, then FTC until it is time.  Just my recommendations and you will probably get others opinions as well.

[nichelle]

Thanks for the response. I've never tried FTC and read so many good things that I was thinking it was an automatic step.

I'm cooking at 200. Right now, the meat temp is at 157 so it looks like I have quite a bit of time left.

[Wildcat]

You are approaching the stall stage.  Depending on the size of your butt and other factors, it can stay between 160 and 180 for several hours.

Regarding FTC, as a general rule, I think it does help with brisket to FTC as it extends the cooking time while basking in its own juices, but not actually required for brisket either.  FTC is perfect as a time buffer since smoking times are rarely right on the money.  Take your butt for example - an average sized butt can take from 12 to over 24 hours to cook, depending on several things like size, fat content, cabinet temperature, etc., etc.  My butts average 20 to 24 hours.  I generally cook at 205 F cabinet temperature to a meat temp of approximately 185.

[nichelle]

It finally made it to just over 180 degrees. When I took it out of the smoker, it was SO moist that it was dripping. Part of it stuck to the tray. And of course I had to nibble. The taste is outstanding. I used hickory for about 4 hours of smoke but will try pecan for the next one. Total time was 13.5 hours. As you can see, this one was on the smaller side.

Excuse my amateur cell phone pic but I didn't look for the camera.
       

I used nepas advice and applied the rub and yellow mustard yesterday. The outside of it is so tasty.

I'm going to let it rest and pull it apart a bit later. And I'll be taking some to work with me tomorrow. During my experimentation phases, the co-workers will be getting a lot of smoked meat.

Thanks for all of the advice and info. I want to be able to try ribs for Memorial Day Weekend so I'll be reading up on what to do and not to do for those very soon.

[Up In Smoke]

Nichelle,
looks like you are off to a fantastic start!
what time did you say dinner was? ???

[La Quinta]

WOW...good for you...looks awesome...yummo!!! I'm with Up in Smoke...what time is din-din?!!  ;D

[KyNola]

Nichelle,
Really nice job!  Contrary to what other folks may come along and say,  your first choice of wood was absolutely correct for pork butt.  Pork butt requires hickory!!  Understand I am from Kentucky where BBQ is smoked with hickory.  :D  Seriously, nice nice job with that butt.  Looks really good.

You're officially hooked !

KyNola