First time jitters and a great looking pork butt

OU812 · March 18, 2011, 10:22:31 AM

I'm looking forward to seeing some pictures of your butt. ;D :D ::)

Dr. Spice · March 18, 2011, 11:06:25 AM

You guys are ridiculous... and I wouldn't have it any other way :)

Butt will get rubbed, wrapped, and started tomorrow round 5, smoked till I go to bed, then hang out in the hot box till it's done. Got a probe therm overnighted from Amazon (what, like I'm going to drive five miles to BB&B to get one?)... gotta pick out some fixin's... man am I ever excited!

OU812 · March 18, 2011, 11:13:50 AM

Dont forget to check the V tray for grease build up, then dump and refill your water bowl before you pass out. ;D

mow_delon · March 18, 2011, 11:36:31 AM

If you are starting around 5, and smoking until you go to bed, you must get to bed much earlier than I do. In my opinion, 4 hours of smoke is plenty for just about anything, but I don't like so much smoke that my food tastes like an ash tray. I wouldn't over do it, especially on a first smoke. Just my opinion, though.

Good luck with your butt.

Dr. Spice · March 18, 2011, 12:29:15 PM

"Until I go to bed"

"Until I decide not to stand up any more"

"Until I get too drunk to successfully hit the button to turn the puck advancer off"

... ya know, there's probably some leeway with that original statement...

SiFumar · March 18, 2011, 04:00:30 PM

Welcome! (I is a girl too!)

I found if you put a 5"x9" bread pan directly under your butt (sounds to funny), you can catch a lot of fat and juices there. During the long cook the juices will caramelize and you can pour boiling water in it when your done to scrape up for flavor to add back to the shredded butt...or add a half inch of water to pan in beginning. Let cool and separate fat and juices.

You will love the pulled pork from a Bradley....it really is a clean smoked flavor!

La Quinta · March 19, 2011, 01:34:47 AM

SiFumar...sorry...I knew that...didn't mean to leave you out...anyhoo...I do the half sheet pan under the meats all of the time...I stick the pan on the grill and deglaze it with whatever I have...wine...stock..beer..most of the time it's whatever is in my hand at the time...usually a beer at night!!! ;D

Dr. Spice · March 21, 2011, 11:03:55 AM

SiFumar: WONDERFUL idea! I was wondering how to capture all that fatty smoky goodness to make into sauce!

The butt turned out wonderfully! It took about four hours to go from 38°F to 160°F, then twelve hours to coast on up to 200°F! I finished in the oven because, it being my first smoke, I had no idea how long it was going to take and planned on checking it at 4am (didn't want to stumble downstairs AND outside). Finishing in the oven worked great except the bedroom is directly above the kitchen and it started to smell like a BBQ joint!

Pictures to come!

Tenpoint5 · March 21, 2011, 11:47:35 AM

Sounds like everything turned out great. How was the taste was it what you were expecting?

Ka Honu · March 21, 2011, 12:31:33 PM

Quote from: Dr. Spice on March 21, 2011, 11:03:55 AM... worked great except the bedroom ... started to smell like a BBQ joint!

You must live in some parallel universe if having your whole house "smell like a BBQ joint" isn't considered part of "worked great."

OU812 · March 21, 2011, 01:20:28 PM

Quote from: OU812 on March 18, 2011, 10:22:31 AM
I'm looking forward to seeing some pictures of your butt. ;D :D ::)

;D

KyNola · March 21, 2011, 01:23:18 PM

Quote from: OU812 on March 21, 2011, 01:20:28 PM
Quote from: OU812 on March 18, 2011, 10:22:31 AM
I'm looking forward to seeing some pictures of your butt. ;D :D ::)
;D

Curt, I'm beginning to think she's not going to show you her butt! ;)

Dr. Spice · March 22, 2011, 06:37:50 PM

The butt! And a mighty fine butt it is! Rubbed with olive oil and some... stuff... (I got a rub offa here but I don't remember which at the moment!). Not injected with anything only because the injector didn't show up until about three hours before the smoke began.

And after four hours of smoke and... 14 hours in the oven and... 4 hours of FTC:

The final plate!

The taste? On Sunday it was good, really good, but not quite perfect... which all changed on Monday when I took some leftovers for lunch. Re-heated, and with some slaw on the side.... ahhhh THIS is BBQ! THIS is what I have been missing! The texture wasn't 100% (I cooked to 200°F internal temp) but there WILL be more experimentation!

I... am... so... EXCITED to get down and dirty with this Bradley! Thank y'all so much for sharing all of your collective knowledge on here!

Oh, and I tried a new cornbread recipe and it was the BEST cornbread I've had in my entire life!

GusRobin · March 22, 2011, 06:45:26 PM

Slaw, cornbread, and butt --ahhhh

Habanero Smoker · March 23, 2011, 01:23:33 AM

The pulled pork looks good, but that looks like a picnic shoulder cut. The picnic is the part of the arm just below the butt. It has less tough connective tissue than the butt. That may explain the difference in texture that you were expecting.