new smoker

La Quinta · January 17, 2008, 08:04:17 PM

Hey Mike...Welcome...uh...I'd go with what KyNola said. And ya know what...if you're nervous about doing a "big hunk o meat" like that...As Ky said cut it in half...try the pulled pork...and save the other half for...uh...sausage...or Cuban sandwiches...the list is endless...:)

KyNola · January 17, 2008, 08:19:23 PM

LQ,
Heck, I meant cut the bad boy in half and do both halves! It would cut down on the total cook time. Mike, I forgot one thing. Don't fret when the pork gets to about 160-165 and hangs there for a long time. It's called the plateau. What is happening is the fat and connective tissues are beginning to melt. That's exactly what you want to see happening. The IT will take off again.

Larry

Habanero Smoker · January 18, 2008, 03:30:20 AM

Hi Gatormike;

Welcome to the forum.

Picnic shoulder is leaner, has less connective tissue, and has a different texture then the butt end. I have smoke a few picnics, and they don't pull that well, and you may need to chop the meat. Although I love the taste of the picnic, for me it tastes different then the butt. A 12 pounder should just fit on the rack. If the picnic still has the skin on it, I generally cut the skin off, and trim the fat to about 1/4". I place the skin on a separate rack and through that in the smoker also. After taking the skin out of the smoker and blotting off any fat, I use kitchen shears to cut it up, and freeze it. You can used the smoked skin for seasoning beans and soups.

Wildcat · January 18, 2008, 05:29:40 AM

I agree with Habs, especially the butt being better for pulled pork. My last one was a 16 pounder I picked up at Sam's. Already separated into two hunks. I coat with olive oil, apply rub and smoke with apple wood for 4 hours at a cabinet temp of 210 or less. Then I continue to cook at same temp until done. I shoot for a 185 - 190 internal temp but it can be taken out much earlier when cooking slow like this and it stays in the stall stage for a long time (probably around 170). I then FTC until I am ready to pull and serve if I have a lot of time left to wait - if not I just foil and let it rest for an hour or so and then pull. This method will take about 18 to 24 hours of cooking. You can down a lot of adult beverages during this type of smoke.

The absolute perfect rub for this comes from Iceman.

Ontrack · January 18, 2008, 11:28:08 AM

Gatormike, I totally agree with everyone, especially about not using the loin to pull. I did one awhile back, and wasn't real happy with the results. Nowhere near as good tasting as a butt, harder to pull, and not as moist. But mainly the taste, because that's our ultimate goal here. :)

SmokinHotMama · January 18, 2008, 01:13:59 PM

There is just something about the extra fat that just makes the butts melt in your mouth....

gatormike · January 18, 2008, 01:23:14 PM

Thanks all for the excellent (and evidently unanimous) advice. In the end I dry-rubbed the loin and tossed it in the smoker earlier today for some nice low 'n slow lovin. Per the advice of the group I'll just slice and eat and not even bother trying to cook it to the point of attempting to pull it. It's been in for almost 6 hours now and it smells amazing.

This weekend I'll pick up a true butt and give the wife the pulled pork she's craving. For the moment, I'm sitting back, enjoying a beautiful (if warmish, 82* or so) South Florida afternoon and knocking back an adult beverage or two. Life is good!

Thanks again for all of the help...

Wildcat · January 18, 2008, 02:14:07 PM

I gotta move further south. I am in the Northwest Panhandle of Florida and the weather guessers are predicting rain with sleet and snow tonight about 40 miles north of me. :P

Mr Walleye · January 18, 2008, 02:17:32 PM

Quote from: Wildcat on January 18, 2008, 02:14:07 PM
I gotta move further south. I am in the Northwest Panhandle of Florida and the weather guessers are predicting rain with sleet and snow tonight about 40 miles north of me. :P

Hmmmm.... We are at -40 with the wind chill....

Just another nice Saskatchewan day! ;)

Mike

Wildcat · January 18, 2008, 02:27:08 PM

Brrr! I think someone at the border left the door open. Sunday's temp is due to be around 27 Sunday. They do not sell cold weather gear down here.

gatormike · January 18, 2008, 03:46:21 PM

Ouch -40??? You see, every time I start pining for a change of seasons (I lived in Milwaukee as a kid 25 years ago) I remember that winter can be rough. I think I just need to plan a trip to Rockies for 5-7 days of snow and skiing and that will pretty much get me my winter fix. Then I can settle back into a ho-hum routine of weekend golfing -- and frostbite free smoking...

gatormike · January 18, 2008, 04:06:13 PM

Just pulled out the loin and snuck a taste and, for a first effort, I am more than satisfied. Most importantly, the machine works as it should -- no partially burned pucks, wild temperature variations or other issues I have seen posted on this board. The meat is delicious although the smokiness has a bit of an acrid "bite" (a bit of creosote flavor for lack of a better description). I used the "special blend" pucks (because of the fact that I suffered a reading comprehension breakdown at order time and thought it meant "variety pack"); anyone know what the predominant wood is in those things? Anyone else experience a sharp flavor when smoking with them? FYI, I cooked for a total of about 8 hours at a box temp of ~220* and used smoke for about the first 2.5 - 3 hours. In any event, I'm expecting a bunch of more "traditional" pucks (oak, mesquite, hickroy, etc.) in the mail tomorrow so I should be good to go.

BTW, the wife just got home and sampled the work product and gave an enthusuastic thumbs up! Might be a good Friday night after all...

Thanks again for all of the help gang!

Gizmo · January 18, 2008, 04:10:00 PM

I seem to remember alder being mentioned as the predominant ingredient in special blend.

I have used them but only on brisket and didn't notice anything bad.

Wildcat · January 18, 2008, 04:28:12 PM

Yours is the second post I have seen that stated they had a "creosote" taste. I find this strange. Make sure there is plenty of water in the bowl and be sure that after the smoke time there is not a wood puck still on the burner plate. Also, after the smoke portion, empty the bowl and put in fresh water. I have tried all of the wood pucks. I love mesquite, oak, and hickory but have decided that apple is my favorite for pork with maple placing a close second.

gatormike · January 18, 2008, 04:38:23 PM

Quote from: Wildcat on January 18, 2008, 04:28:12 PM
Yours is the second post I have seen that stated they had a "creosote" taste. I find this strange. Make sure there is plenty of water in the bowl and be sure that after the smoke time there is not a wood puck still on the burner plate. Also, after the smoke portion, empty the bowl and put in fresh water. I have tried all of the wood pucks. I love mesquite, oak, and hickory but have decided that apple is my favorite for pork with maple placing a close second.

That's a negative (on removing the last puck once smoke time was finished) and a positive (on changing out the bowl for fresh, puck-free water). The creosote bite isn't too bad and it wouldn't surprise me at all if it came from not removing the last puck.

As for your choice of apple for pork, that is precisely what I had in mind until I realized that "special blend" was not a variety pack. I'll probably use an apple/hickory blend on the butt this weekend.

Cheers!

new smoker

Ontrack