Adding Moisture to the Smoke

[mamba]

After now having my Bradley for a few weeks and having smoked four sets of ribs and a brisket (all of which were very tasty but a little dry), I thought I'd try the more forgiving Boston Butt.  I bought a good looking 8 pounder from Albertsons, trimmed a little of the fat cap off of it, seasoned it overnight and put it in the cooler for what turned out to be a 13 hour smoke.

I noticed after it hit about 150 that it was looking a bit dry.  Nothing horrible, but just a little dry.  I have still not used the bacon technique as I was bound and determined to see what the machine can do without it!  Temp was on 200-210 the whole time and the water bowl was full.  I did refill it after about 6 hours.  So there I am looking at this good looking BB (albeit dryish) and I thought I should try something different.  With no bacon around, I retrieved a one inch deep aluminum pan that measured about 6 by 12 inches.  I put it in the bottom rack and filled it halfway with water and closed the Bradley for another hour.  I opened it up to peek and the roast looked nice and moist.  The water in the pan had evaporated about half what it was when I put it in, and some fat drippings had added to the content.  It got me thinking about the folks that have reported using some extra apple juice in the Bradley along with the water bowl.

Anyway, I foiled it at 170 and put it back in until it hit 188.  Took it out, TC'd it and left it alone for another hour.  It was extremely moist and falling apart.  The bone pulled right out.  Now, the bark wasn't crispy, but after sitting at room temp for about 10 minutes it was semi hard and tasted great.  All in all, a good result.  I was just amazed how adding a little more liquid to the mix changed the look of the roast in just one hour.

Next up I'll try this with ribs to see what it does to them.  Then I'll try the bacon method and compare.

[humpa]

Always bacon everything....Use 1 lb of bacon on everything and when your done, I'll even help you get rid of the excess....

Ernie....Weymouth, MA

[mamba]

I think I will try the bacon next time.  I have read on other posts that the juices dripping on the hot reflector plate intensify the flavor of whatever you are cooking.  I may be robbing some of the flavor by putting an additional drip/moisture pan under the meat.  I'm going to experiment with both and will report down the road.

[Chez Bubba]

Mamba,

How far open do you have the top vent?

http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?