My first butt

[JimmyDreams]

I have all the parts to do my first butt.

Quick question: after the rub goes on and the butt goes in the fridge for the night, do you cover it with anything, or does the rub keep it from drying out?

Pics and play-by-play coming.


EDIT: nevermind. I found elsewhere a post that said wrap it in the fridge overnight. :)

[Mr Walleye]

You got it JD!

Look forward to the pictures and play by play.  ;)

Mike

[La Quinta]

JD...looking forward to see how ya did...

[JimmyDreams]

3.6lb butt, ready for rub.


Rubbed and ready for overnight in the fridge. Hopefully, i used enough rub. I used some CYM first.

If all goes well, it'll be dinner tomorrow night.  :D

[Smokin Soon]

JD, if you have a good remote thermometer to get that beauty to the desired IT, you just cant go wrong! All the info you need is here and on the recipe sight. Happy Cook!  ;D

[lumpy]

looking good JD.
Hope to see the finished product.
Lumpy

[Stargazer]

Hey JD. Thats looking real good.

Smoking Soon said it right. With a good probe thermometer you can nail that beauty.

When I first got started the guys here told me about the Maverick ET-73

Bought mine from Yard and Pool and never been happier.

http://www.yardandpool.com/Maverick-Remote-ET-73-Smoker-Thermometer-p/et-73.htm

This will allow you to check both the meat internal temp AND the inside temp of your heat chamber as well. Plus has a remote satellite you can take inside that constantly shows you both temperatures in case one might drop or rise to quickly. Also has an alarm for the sat remote so if your heat drops or raises to a level of warning you set it for it can notify you. Very easy to use.

I use this for my butts when making pulled pork all the time now and never fails.

Hope this helps and main thing is have fun with it :D

[JimmyDreams]

Thanks everyone.

I have an ET-73 for the meat, and an Auber PID to control the oven temp. The only question I have at this point is the PID....since I'm concerned with IT of the meat, I guess I'll set the PID for WAYYYY longer than I think I'll need and just turn it off when the IT is right. I'm sure there's a way to extend the PID cooktime while mid-smoke, but I hate reading manuals.  ::)

I've got apple juice and a cooler ready for the FTC phase as well.

My partner is saw some of the sausage threads here and asking if I can can make some good smoked sausage sticks. This could be fun! ::)

[Stargazer]

My next addition is going to be a PID.

Right now just using my Maverick and does great, but a PID would really be nice I think especially for zoning in on critical temps for things such as rope sausages. I been smoking homemade ropes for alittle bit now, but I admit I keep a real watchful eye on my temp. A PID sounds like it would help save alot of trouble...

Not to mention kind of neat to "Hot Rod" my OBS-SS just alittle like my old Chevelle I use to have LOL

But theres some major PID experts on here who have taken it to an exact science :)

[Smokin Soon]

Don't rely on the PID for a butt cook on your first one. Just keep track of your IT, keeping in mind that it will seem to "stall" at 160 or so take it to 190 or whatever you have decided on. Read other members reports here and on the recipe sight. And don't forget the pics of that great "first butt".  ;D

[Stargazer]

I have noticed that when I smoke a butt, and also sausage too. It's like the meat slowly goes up in temp, then all the sudden just plateau and level off, just sticking at one temp for the longest time.

I read here from many is when it does this, never crank the heat up, just let it sit and take its time and eventually it will go back to rising again. I do this and the guys were correct on this. It also helps ensure the meat doesnt dry out by getting cooked to hot to fast too.

So have a few cold ones on stand by for plateau alert.

I'm just curious as to why the meat does this? It did this even in my old bullet smoker too.

[Smokin Soon]

Gazer, from what the guru's here have stated , that's when the connective tissue or whatever is breaking down and creating all of the beautiful wonderfullness that makes it taste so dang good!! That's probably not a real word but who cares!

[Stargazer]

Really? I thought that was just an excuse mother nature gave us to crack open a few extra cold ones while we wait? :D

Oh weell, still never the less, when it plateau's like that, time for a few good pale ale or cream stout  8) ShaZaM

[Caneyscud]

Ok, where are the pics!  And no bull about it being eaten up before you could get the camera out!  ;D

Nothing but physics, Watson, nothing but physics!  The plateau is a good thing!  I've hit it anywhere between 145 to 165.  It's your friend and you should hope it stays around as long as it can.  While it is with you, great things are happening to your meat.  When you first put meat in your smoker, it gradually, but steadily increases in temperature.  The rate it increases is driven by the temperature differential between your cabinet temperature (CT) and the internal temperature (IT) of the meat.  The greater the differential the faster the energy flows into the piece of meat.  The closer the IT gets to the CT the slower the energy (heat) transfer.  But something else happens at about 140 deg.  At that point the collagen (the tough stuff) starts to break down and the fat starts to melt (render).  That is a good thing - a really good thing!  But it doesn't magically do that good stuff instantly when the IT reaches 140 - it takes a while and depends on amount of collage, amount of fat, and how much moisture is within the meat.  Ideally, for pull apart meat, you want most of the collagen broken down.  So the longer the plateau, the more collagen is broken down, the tenderer your meat.  But you don't want all of the fat to melt until you reached your planned "done" temperature - keeps the meat moist.  Why the plateau?  The plateauing is caused by a phase change; the collagen and fat in the meat are changing phase from a solid to a liquid. You must supply heat to accomplish this phase change. While the fat and collagen are absorbing the energy (heat) from the smoker to melt, none is available to raise the temperature of the meat.  It is similar to ice melting. When ice and water are in a glass, the water will remain at 32F (0C) until all the ice is melted, then the temperature will increase. The heat goes into melting the ice, not raising the temperature of the water.  You can decrease the amount of time of the plateau by increasing the CT, but you run the risk of adding enough heat that the fat and collagen cannot use any more and it throws off the extra to the meat.  The meat then gets done (gets to your target temperature) before all the collagen is changed and you have tough meat. 

Because of conversations with people who learned their skills in the pits of Central Texas, I've been a thinkin'.  I couldn't get any secrets out of them, just hints.  So this summer, I'm gonna do some experimenting with temps and times, ramping up and ramping down! etc... playing with how long the meat stays at certain temps all in an effort to lessen the time of some of those real long smokes, but still get the same or better results. 

[Wildcat]

With regard to the breakdown of collagan and the rendering of fat, I have found that (at least for butts) a cabinet temp averaging 205 F until the meat reaches 175 to 195 is perfect for me.  Generally I stop cooking between 180 and 185 meat temp.  (I have cooked at higher temps with good results, but the lower temps have always been absolutely perfect.)  I then simply let it rest for an hour or two.  I only FTC if it will be several hours to dinner time.  Cooking time will vary, depending on the size load in the smoker, fat content, moisture content, etc., etc.  Generally for me it takes 18 to 24 hours to do a single average sized bone in butt.  ;)