First try at pork

Jon · January 05, 2004, 04:03:18 AM

Actually, first try at smoking anything...

I got a bone-in piece that was represented as butt, and a package of "country style" ribs. I dry rubbed with granulated garlic, ground ancho, salt and pepper, and let sit overnight.

I smoked them at 200º for 11 hours today. Went through a dozen Hickory and half a dozen Blend, at which point (about 6 or so hours) I figured they'd had enough smoke.

The ribs were a bit overdone, I think. They came out at 185º and were a little dry. The butt was 175º and started to ooze when I pulled the thermometer probe out, so I guess it's still pretty moist inside. I'm letting them rest, covered. The taste was very smoky. Maybe too smoky on the thinner rib pieces. I can't wait to taste the butt tomorrow!

Here are some pics:

Jon · January 06, 2004, 03:41:44 AM

The next day, I reheated the butt in the oven. Took about 2 hours to come up to temperature, and by that point it practically fell apart under the fork. Unlike the "country" ribs, it is very moist and still beautifully pink inside.

Chez Bubba · January 11, 2004, 03:36:00 AM

Dammit, stop making me so hungry! It's after the holidays & I need to shed a few pounds. Ain't gonna happen now. Looks very yum!

http://www.chezbubba.com

Bassman · February 16, 2004, 02:14:31 PM

I Tried smoking a pork butt for the first time.Applied a dry rub the nite before. I smoked it for 4 and a half hours at 200F with mesquite and hickory.I was concerned that it was going to dry out so I covered it with foil and put it in the oven to finish cooking it. It took another 5 hrs. to cook it to the pull apart stage. Can anybody tell me if 9-10 hrs is normal cooking time.And if I would have let it in the smoker for the whole time would it turn into leather?I just thought it took a long time.It didn't have a very smokey taste to it so after I pulled it apart I cold smoked it for an hour.The end result came out absolutly delicious.

Jon, did you cook your pork butt for 11 straight hours uncovered at 200F, and it still came out moist?[:0]

Jack

Mando · February 16, 2004, 03:55:32 PM

I smoke p.b's all the time and they usually take abot 8-10 hrs depending on size. They always come out great.

Bassman · February 16, 2004, 07:41:07 PM

Mando,
Do you apply smoke the whole time? And at what temp?

Jack

Fuzzybear · February 16, 2004, 08:11:34 PM

Man, your smoker is way to clean! Are you sure that you are using it correctly? Mines all brown inside[:D]

They look great!

"A mans got to know his limitations"
Glendora, CA - USA!

trout · February 16, 2004, 10:46:17 PM

Bassman, don't worry about drying out a pork butt. That is the beauty of the butt. Not only is it a cheap cut of pork, but the fat in it will keep it tender during a 8-10hr smoking. I only smoke mine for the 1st couple hours. I think the crust on the outside is what keeps all the moisture in it while it cooks. I like it best right out of the smoker when its almost too hot to shred. I find the meat starts to dry out after it is in the fridge overnight.[8D]

Let your trout go and smoke a salmon instead.

Cold Smoke · March 02, 2004, 04:57:34 PM

I tried my first pork butt yesterday. About a 4 pounder- applied a rub from the Smoke and Spice book the night before and tossed into the smoker @225 with 2 hrs of hickory around noon. I pulled it once it reached the 160 degree mark- about 6 hrs later-as the book suggests. It was tasty BUT it wasn't at the pull-apart stage -(shredding)[:(]and now I kinda wished I had read this thread prior to trying the butt. I didn't have the time to leave it in longer- the wife and kids belly buttons were making suction noises with their backbones by this time. It sounds like the magical transformation happens at the 8-11 hour mark. Should I be concerned about the internal temperature [?] or maybe reduce the heat to say 200 once internal temp reaches the 160 mark and let the transformation complete itself for the next few hours?[?]

I haven't had this much fun with something- the Bradley Smoker- since I bought my first fishing rod. Even despite the not so successful attempts. It's all about trial and error right?

Cold Smoke

MallardWacker · March 02, 2004, 06:28:57 PM

Cold,

I found this liitle blurp about smoking a boston butt at the Arizona BBQ Association web site from a guy named JIARBY.

http://www.azbbqa.com/

His quote:

There is really no secret recipe...

I get my #7 Kamado chugging at about 220 degrees. Then I slather a couple boston butts with yellow mustard (so rub sticks... not for any flavor) and generously coat with rub. Ant rub will do, it is a personal preference. If you are attending the Paul Kirk class he covers spices & rubs. Store bought or home-made doesn;t matter....just what you like!

Put on the smoker, use lots of smoke for 1st two or three hours, then settle back and wait. I use a remote thermometer (Maverick) and monitor the dome temp of the Kamado, and the meat temp of the butt. The meat will hang at 165 FOREVER. be patient... it takes hours the "break through" the 165 plateau. After the temp gets to 175, you can crank it up to 250-275, or just leave it on at 220. I prefer to leave it on a long as possible, because the Kamado will not allow it to dry out. The target temp (internal meat) is between 197-205. At about 193-195 I pull them off, and wrap in foil twice, wrap that in a thick towel, and place them in a cooler for about 1-2 hours to rest. It will really fall apart, but still have alot of bark.

If you pull it off too soon, (around 180's, it will still be very edible, and tender...it just won't pull. You will have to slice it.

Pork butt is a VERY forgiving cut of meat...

I serve mine with some honey chipolte BBQ sauce...my next door neighbor likes it N. Carolina style, with a red pepper & vinegar sauce and cole slaw. 

Though we may not use those big green honkin Komado smoker/grill contraptions. I think you can get the drift on what to do. These directions seem to be fairly logical and very adaptible to the BS.

Hope this helps...

SmokeOn,

mski
Perryville, Arkansas
Wooo-Pig-Soooie

If a man says he knows anything at all, he knows nothing what he aught to know. But...

Fuzzybear · March 02, 2004, 07:03:45 PM

Mmmmmmmmm...now I gotta try that one out![8D]

"A mans got to know his limitations"
Glendora, CA - USA!

Cold Smoke · March 02, 2004, 07:55:25 PM

Thanks MallardWacker!! That's EXACTLY the info I was hoping someone here could provide me with. [:D][:D] Great forum! I have bought a few barbecue books lately but none give me this important piece of information. Next time around I'll preheat the smoker and be prepared to ignore the temperature and leave it do it's own thing for 10 hrs or so. In the meantime I'll do as Jon did and reheat it in the oven for a couple of hours or so. I'm sure it'll be just as tasty!

Cold Smoke

MallardWacker · March 02, 2004, 09:03:52 PM

Cold,

This might explain about the temp a little bit better. This another quote I found.

Quote:
Boiling/steaming gets all the fat out.

WRONG!!!!!

Yes, it will get rid of SOME of the fat. But very rarely will it get rid of ALL the fat. This is the single biggest problem that folks still have with ribs.....even after boiling, there are still pockets of fat.

A quick technical lesson

(Fat can only be rendered in a dry cooking environment over a long period of time and at low temperatures. Here is what happens....the meat must attain a temperature of 160 to 170 degrees F to start the fat rendering process. At these temps, the meat temperature will "plateau"......that is, it will stay at these temps for up to 2 hours on ribs and 4 and 5 hours on butts and briskets. What is happening is, the collagen (connective tissue) starts to break down......this process releases water, which in turn causes a cooling of the meat. So the temps stay steady. This collagen breakdown is what makes meat so tender.

Once this collagen completely breaks down, the temps will start to rise. It is this process that allows ALL of the fat to be rendered from a rib.

SmokeOn,

mski
Perryville, Arkansas
Wooo-Pig-Soooie

If a man says he knows anything at all, he knows nothing what he aught to know. But...

trout · March 03, 2004, 01:43:40 AM

Wow, great info[:D][:D] Makes sense. My first couple butts weren't tender enough yet either. Once I figured out to just leave it alone all day (10hours or so). I found much better results. Just didn't know the technical reasons why.[:D]

Let your trout go and smoke a salmon instead.

MallardWacker · March 05, 2004, 06:14:36 PM

Thought I'd use the recipe that I posted. Ever since I saw that I wanted to try it. Last night, I did.

Wash and dried the butts, shmeeeered them with yellow mustard, put on my favorite rub. Pre heated for a couple hours @ 250. Loaded 14 maple pucks. Put in the butts, top and third rack and let her go. Stabilized at 220. Got up at 4 am and the temp of the BS was little over 250, lowered it to 220, the meat temp was at 179. A total of 13 hrs later, meat temp hit 190. Removed from smoker, wrapped them in foil then an old towl. Left them for 2 and half hrs. Simply BEAUTIFUL. It's been a long time since I got a large peice of meat to come out.

I have never used maple before, my hickory pucks will probly go to waiste now. Great flavor.

SmokeOn,

mski
Perryville, Arkansas
Wooo-Pig-Soooie

If a man says he knows anything at all, he knows nothing what he aught to know. But...